Hey, there! Luis, here! A few months ago, my home group finished their playthrough of the Ruins of Azlant Adventure Path and we’re getting ready to start up our next AP, Ironfang Invasion! We’re planning to play the AP in Pathfinder Second Edition and while I’m excited to do so, it also means I have to take the time to convert monsters over to 2E! I’ve been at this for a while now and I figured I would share some of my conversions with the rest of the world. For this set of conversions, I decided to grab the darkmantle and lurker above, two monsters that fill a similar niche in the game. They’re both strange creatures that hide in caves, waiting to drop down and ambush unaware passersby. Whether you plan to run Ironfang Invasion or not, I think these monsters are good ones to add to your list of monsters. They’re a perfect fit for most any dungeon and serve as good low-level and mid-level adversaries. Enjoy!
Darkmantle Creature 1
N, Small, Beast
Perception +10; darkvision, low-light vision, motion sense (imprecise) 60 feet
Skills Acrobatics +4, Athletics +6, Deception +6, Stealth +7
Str +0, Dex +3, Con +2, Int –5, Wis +1, Cha +0
Motion Sense The darkmantle detects nearby motion through vibration and air movement at the listed range.
AC 15; Fort +7, Ref +10, Will +4
HP 20
Drop From Above [reaction] Requirement Initiative has not yet been rolled; Trigger The darkmantle is positioned directly above a creature and the darkmantle is aware of the creature; Effect The darkmantle descends upon the creature, Flying down up to 30 feet until it’s adjacent to the creature before it rolls initiative.
Speed 15 feet, fly 30 feet
Melee [one-action] body +7, Damage 1d6+3 bludgeoning plus Grab
Primal Innate Spells DC 14; 2nd darkness
Constrict[one-action] 1d6+1 bludgeoning, DC 17
Freeze [one-action] (concentrate) Until the next time it acts, the darkmantle appears to be a stalactite. It has an automatic result of 26 on Deception checks and DCs to pass as a stalactite.
Darkmantles are ambush predators that cling to the ceilings of caves and drop down onto unsuspecting prey. They use their natural camouflage to disguise themselves as stalactites, allowing them to remain hidden until the moment they strike. A darkmantle’s tentacle-span measures just under 5 feet—when attached to a cave roof and disguised as a stalactite, its length varies from 2 to 3 feet. A typical darkmantle weighs 40 pounds. Darkmantles resemble monstrous octopuses with thing, hook-lined tentacles connected by a fleshy web. The creatures’ heads and bodies are usually the color of basalt or dark granite, but their webbed tentacles can change color to match their surroundings.
Illustration by Mike Corriero
Lurker Above Creature 7
N, Huge, Aberration
Perception +18; darkvision, motion sense (imprecise) 10 feet, scent (imprecise) 60 feet
Skills Acrobatics +13, Athletics +15, Stealth +17 (+19 in rocky areas)
Str +7, Dex +1, Con +4, Int –5, Wis +2, Cha –1
Motion Sense The lurker above detects nearby motion through vibration and air movement at the listed range.
AC 24; Fort +18, Ref +12, Will +15
HP 115; Immunities precision; Resistances cold 5, fire 5
Drop From Above [reaction] Requirement Initiative has not yet been rolled; Trigger The lurker above is positioned directly above a creature and the lurker above is aware of the creature; Effect The lurker above descends upon the creature, Flying down up to 30 feet until it’s adjacent to the creature before it rolls initiative.
Speed 10 feet, climb 10 feet, fly 30 feet
Melee [one-action] body +18 (reach 10 feet), Damage 2d8+10 bludgeoning plus Grab
Constrict [one-action] 2d8+4 bludgeoning, DC 25
Grappling Drag [two-actions] Requirements The lurker above has a creature grabbed; Effect The lurker above attempts to force the creature to move. It attempts an Athletics check to Grapple the target. On a success, the lurker above Strides 10 feet (20 feet on a critical success), moving the grabbed creature with it.
Smother A lurker above forms an airtight seal when it grabs a target. A creature grabbed by a lurker above cannot speak, cannot provide verbal components for spells, and must hold its breath or begin suffocating.
The lurker above is a member of a family of subterranean creatures known as lurking rays. A lurker above somewhat resembles a grotesque stingray or manta ray. A lurker above takes residence in caverns or dungeons, disguising itself as an irregular stone formation or a strange bit of masonry on a dungeon wall. When suitable prey walks beneath it, the lurker above drops, attempting to engulf the creature and suffocate it, after which the lurker above can slowly dissolve the meat at its leisure. While lurkers above are poor fliers, they’re excellent gliders, able drop off a ceiling and silently float more than 100 feet horizontally over the course of a 5- or 6-foot drop. Lurkers above can grow to be 15 feet from tip to tip, and weigh nearly 500 pounds when fully fed.
That’s it for this week! If you end up adding the darkmantle or lurker above into your game or you have any request for a future Monstrous Physique, please drop me a line at KnowDirection@hotmail.com.
