Black MaggaThis enormous creature’s serpentine neck supports a leering
reptilian head—its body is a wriggling mass of tentacles.
Black Magga CR 15Source Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition pg. 406, Pathfinder #3: The Hook Mountain Massacre pg. 88
XP 51,200
CE Gargantuan outsider (aquatic, native)
Init +4; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +22
DefenseAC 30, touch 6, flat-footed 30 (+24 natural, –4 size)
hp 232 (15d10+150)
Fort +19, Ref +11, Will +9
DR 15/cold iron and magic; Immune death effects, mind-affecting
effects, petrification, polymorph; Resist acid 20,
cold 20; SR 26
OffenseSpeed 20 ft., swim 60 ft.
Melee bite +24 (2d8+13/19–20 plus energy drain), 4 tentacles
+19 (2d6+6 plus grab)
Space 20 ft., Reach 20 ft.
Special Attacks breath of madness, constrict (2d6+11), energy
drain (2 levels, DC 22)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +20)
Constant—invisibility purge
At will—death knell (DC 17), prayer
3/day—demand (DC 23), dimensional anchor, divination,
dominate person (DC 20), greater command (DC 20)
1/day—commune, dream, unhallow
StatisticsStr 37, Dex 10, Con 31, Int 25, Wis 18, Cha 20
Base Atk +15; CMB +32 (+36 grapple); CMD 42 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Awesome Blow, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical
(bite), Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Lightning
Reflexes, Power Attack, Vital Strike
Skills Acrobatics +18, Intimidate +23, Knowledge (arcana) +25,
Knowledge (history) +22, Knowledge (nature) +22,
Knowledge (planes) +25, Knowledge (religion) +22,
Perception +22, Sense Motive +22, Spellcraft +25, Stealth +6,
Survival +19, Swim +36
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal,
Thassilonian
SQ transdimensional tentacles, warp dimensions
EcologyEnvironment the Storval Deep
Organization solitary
Treasure triple
Special AbilitiesBreath of Madness (Su) Black Magga can exhale a cloud of
foul-smelling, poisonous breath as a standard action once
every minute. This cloud of black smoke fills a 60-foot
cone. All creatures in the area take 1d6 points of Wisdom
damage and become confused for 1d6 rounds (a DC 27 Will
save halves the Wisdom damage and negates the confusion
effect). This is a mind-affecting poison effect. The save DC
is Constitution-based. This breath weapon cannot be used
while underwater.
Transdimensional Tentacles (Su) Black Magga’s tentacles allow
her to see into and infiltrate the Ethereal Plane and the Plane
of Shadow while she is on the Material Plane. This allows her
not only to be aware of these planes and the creatures there,
but also to shift her tentacles through these planes to attack
their inhabitants. She can even phase her tentacles in and
out of existence, effectively reaching through walls and other
solid barriers to attack foes on the other side, provided that
area is not warded by a dimensional lock or similar effect. She
can grapple foes with her tentacles normally, but cannot pull
grappled foes or objects through planes as her tentacles shift
between them.
Warp Dimensions (Su) Black Magga’s presence distorts the
dimensions. Any creature that attempts to utilize a teleportation
effect while within 300 feet of Black Magga must succeed at
a DC 21 caster level check or the teleport effect fails. If the
effect fails, the creature that attempted to create that effect
must succeed at a DC 27 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1d6
rounds. The save DC is Constitution-based.
DescriptionBlack Magga is one of the favored servants of Lamashtu
and an embodiment of the goddess’s reign over beasts,
monsters, and madness. As an unholy auger of her
will, Black Magga originally sought to confound the
works of the civilized world, spread fear of monsters
and the wilds, and direct Lamashtu’s lesser servants in
acts of depravity and bloodshed. Black Magga arrived
in the Storval Deep not long after Karzoug flooded
the immense quarry, and her presence in the newly
formed lake brought much misery and dread to the
Thassilonians who dwelt on the lake’s shores or sailed
its surface. Karzoug’s interest in the region waned
quickly, and he never bothered to take steps against the
monster, prompting many to whisper that the runelord
made a bargain with Lamashtu to place the monster
in the Storval Deep, perhaps to hide some sort of great
secret he had sunk beneath the waters. In any event,
it was said that the goddess spoke directly to Black
Magga, and for many, the words of the monster were
equal to the commands of Lamashtu herself.
Bearing a head like a plesiosaur atop a thrashing
mass of tentacles and eyes, Black Magga is an immense
creature indeed. Although she is effectively immortal
until slain, she has spent many of the more than
10,000 years since she first came to Varisia in deep
hibernation. These slumbers could last for a dozen
centuries or more at a time, and are punctuated by
relatively short periods of activity that generally last
for only a few decades. These long periods of sleep have
had something of a debilitating effect on Black Magga,
for with each century of slumber, she grows weaker. She
is now but a shadow of her original power. That she
remains as powerful as she does today speaks volumes
to the terrible wrath she must have possessed back
during the height of Thassilon, before the advent of
Earthfall changed everything.The Myth of Black Magga
Fisherfolk and woodsmen who have ventured near the
Storval Deep have long told tales of a fell monster rising
from the depths. Below are a few commonly held but
mistaken beliefs about Black Magga—although they
may well have been true during the times of ancient
Thassilon, when she was at the height of her power.
Blood Tongue: Many who have seen Black Magga and
lived can never speak of their experiences. Supposedly,
when they attempt to tell the tale, black blood wells
from their throats and into their mouths, choking
their words. Thus, far fewer claim to have seen Black
Magga than actually have.
God-Proof: Black Magga is older than many gods.
Divine magic is said to have little effect whatsoever on
her abominable form. Anyone who cuts Magga’s black
heart from her vile chest and bathes in its putrescent
blood will likewise become invulnerable to the power
of the gods.
Storm Bringer: Sightings of Black Magga often
herald powerful storms and hurricanes. It is said that
the beast summons these storms to pull victims into
her watery domain, whereupon she captures them,
consumes them, and transforms them into monstrous,
vermicular horrors.Mothers of Oblivion
Lesser versions of Black Magga are said to dwell
in deep lakes in other parts of the world. Known
as Mothers of Oblivion, these creatures have the
same basic statistics as Black Magga, except that
they have only 10 Hit Dice and are Huge rather
than Gargantuan.
Monstrous creatures of chaos and madness, the
abominable Mothers of Oblivion are said to have
been created by the goddess of monsters to serve
as mouthpieces and leaders among her savage
minions. Some esoteric texts—sacrilegious
even to Lamashtu’s profane church—claim
that the Mothers of Oblivion are actually
sisters of Lamashtu, subjugated by the goddess,
robbed of their divinity, and cast down to
Golarion as her twisted servitors. Whatever
their heritage, for uncounted centuries the
Mothers of Oblivion have been among the
favored servants of Lamashtu and throughout
history have risen to mete out her unholy wrath.
Rare in the extreme—and despite what the fearful
mortal races call them—these monstrosities
seem to have no ability to reproduce, though
some whisper that a select few are capable of
biting off their own tongues to produce strange,
wormlike spawn.
Mothers of Oblivion slink in the darkest,
deepest reaches of the world, shunning the
light of day as well as the gaze of insectlike
mortals, who would gawk and abandon their pathetic
minds at the merest glimpse of such unknowable
horrors. The deepest reaches of oceans and the oldest
lakes serve as redoubts for these forsaken queens of
madness. From these depths, they sate themselves on
sea creatures, the offerings of their servants, and the
occasional unwary victim dragged screaming from the
surface. They are careful to keep their presence secret
from those of the world above. From the depths, Mothers
of Oblivion form intricate hierarchies of servants and
go-betweens, reaching their black tentacles through
the societies of amphibious intermediaries into the
demesnes of greater monstrosities and larger cities and
civilizations alike.
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