Krooth
Image © Paizo Publishing
[In this meander through the Monster Core books, I'm going to be covering some monsters I skipped on my initial pass through the 2e "legacy" Bestiaries. First up, the krooth. I think I skipped the krooth because I was annoyed it was an animal rather than a "beast". In PF2e, the distinction between the two is primarily intelligence, allowing for creatures that don't fit into mundane biological categories to still be animals. I like the idea in theory, especially for alien critters, but it sometimes annoys me in practice. That damn biology training. The krooth has scales like a reptile but can breathe underwater, and its hypertrophic anatomy looks more like a murder chameleon than anything else. I stripped the ability to breathe underwater off of it and gave it hold breath, but if you want to reinstate it, my pet peeves aren't gonna stop you.
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Krooth CR 8 N Animal This creature looks something like an armor plated lizard, with a bony crest growing from the back of its skull and spikes studding its long, flexible tail. Its claws are long and curved, and its needle-sharp teeth project forward from its jaws.
Krooths are tank-like amphibious lizards, sometimes called crocodile eaters for their fondness for the flesh of other reptiles and amphibians. Krooths do not hesitate to attack sapient members of those groups, and lizardfolk consider slaying a krooth to be an act of great valor. Strangely, krooths dislike the taste and smell of goblinoids, particularly bugbears. This does not mean that a krooth will not attack one of these, especially if provoked, but it does mean that the krooth will avoid using its bite attack, and will groom itself thoroughly afterwards.
Krooths are ambush predators, and are especially stealthy underwater. Their bodies are bristling with natural weapons, the most feared of which are their hollow teeth. A krooth will snap off one of its teeth into the flesh of a victim, activating enzymes from the krooth’s gums that serve as a powerful anticoagulant. Krooth kills are therefore incredibly messy, and if a creature escapes from the krooth, the beast will track it from its blood trail and devour it when it catches up.
Although there is little physical sexual dimorphism within krooths, males and females behave differently. Males are solitary and peripatetic, moving from one body of water to another and lashing out aggressively at possible threats. Females are social and more stationary, as they creche in order to protect their many kroothlings from danger. In krooth creches, pairs of females will leave to forage and bring back meat to the whole group. Mating in krooths is a raucous and violent affair. After their young have grown and dispersed (a process that takes between 4-5 years), a pack of females will seek out a lone male, mate with him repeatedly, then devour him. The internal organs of krooths contain many strange chemicals, including enzymes vital for the development of eggs and others that convert pain signals into increased aggression. Alchemists will gladly pay 800 gp for the intact organs of a krooth, with the price dropping for conditions such as decomposition or missing pieces.
Krooth as Animal Companions Starting Statistics: Size Medium; Speed 40 ft., swim 30 ft.; AC +4 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6), 2 claws (1d4), tail slap (1d6); Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 17, Con1 6, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 11; Special Attacks pain frenzy, thagomizer; Special Qualities hold breath, immune to pain 7th level Advancement: Size Large; AC +4 natural armor; Attack bite (1d10), 2 claws (1d6), tail slap (1d8); Ability Scores +8 Str, +4 Con; Special Attacks poison tooth













