Planar Bestiary
A sorgonian is a wagon-sized undead snake that drains the life force of prey and spawns smaller undead snakes. Although they don't need to hunt, they enjoy the sensation of consuming life, and slowly wind their way across the planes in search of large prey.
A monstrous and beautiful living serpent called Sorgonis hunted the Outer Plane known as the Beastlands in ages past. Then they were captured by a demon lord of undeath, transformed into a skeletal creature, and turned loose on the demon's enemies. Necromancers, dark gods, and other vile individuals later reengineered the process in dank magical laboratories to create similar undead serpents known as sorgonians. Though horrible, none are as potent and terrible as the original, which may yet wander the multiverse, seeking vengeance for what was done to them.
An undead beast, a sorgonian doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Motive: Hungers for life and flesh
Environment: The Lower Planes, other planes of the multiverse, alone or with an entourage of spawned snake skeletons
Health: 33
Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound (7 points)
Armor: 2, (including Intellect damage)
Movement: Short; immediate when flying
Modifications: Speed defense as level 5 due to huge size
Combat: An aura of fear extends from the sorgonian, hindering the attacks of creatures within short range that fail an Intellect defense task. A frightened creature can attempt a new defense task each round on their turn to end the effect and become immune to it for a day.
The sorgonian attacks twice each round with their bite, inflicting a moderate wound (5 points) plus 2 points of Speed damage (ignores Armor) from necrotic energy. On a failed Might defense task, the target is caught in the undead serpent's teeth, hindering all the victim's physical tasks until they can escape with a successful Might task.
If the sorgonian begins their turn with a victim held in their teeth, they swallow that victim if the victim fails a Might defense task. The swallowed victim is still hindered on all physical tasks, is blinded, and takes 7 points of Speed damage (ignores Armor) each subsequent round from digestive necrotic energy. A swallowed victim can attempt to force their way out with two successful consecutive Might tasks, or wriggle free if the sorgonian is destroyed.
About once each minute, the sorgonian can spawn three skeletal snakes (about the size of boa constrictors, but skeletal) they control from their own mass and remains of those they've previously killed. They can do this immediately after killing a living creature they have swallowed, as part of another action on their turn.
A sorgonian is immune to poison and necrotic damage.
Interaction: Sorgonians are voracious predators, though they have absolutely no fear of destruction because they are already dead. And being dead, they suffer no consequences if they fail to capture prey regularly.
Use: Several sorgonians guard the lair of a necromancer who knows the secret to creating more of these creatures.
Loot: Hardy cyphers carried by past victims sometimes survive in a sorgonian's insides long enough to be retrieved later, such as a pearl of detonation (web) or a broadsword of density.
GM Intrusion: A character affected by the sorgonian's fear aura cowers and is unable to act (rather than simply having their attacks hindered) until they succeed on an Intellect defense task on their turn, at which point their attacks are merely hindered from lingering fear. A second defense task is required to completely overcome the fright.