Monster Monday - Nerscylla

As the barbarian and sorcerer yelled and strained against the silvery strands, their companions pleaded with them to calm down. The more naturally-inclined druid and ranger noted that the webs filling the cavern were far beyond what even a swarm of spiders could produce. Steadily but slowly, the ranger nocked an arrow even as the druid eyed several other bundles of silk that hung deeper in the cavern. The entrapped avian beasts were substantially larger than the members of the party and he noted, with a growing sense of unease, that they appeared to be skinned. His voice pitched upward as he shouted to the remaining members of his party, urging the meathead to tear free. As he did, his gaze searched the webs for its master and he gave a startled yelp as he found it - perched just above the ranger. Fangs chittered and multiple eyes gleamed in the arcane light before the nerscylla flexed its claws and lunged forward.

Wilds Nerscylla

A purveyor of potent poisons perfidious and ponderous, this preposterous pest pleads for punks to pass into its parlor before putting a permanent pause to their pantomimes and peeling their pelts.

Check out the video!

I actually built the nerscylla quite a while back, but it made it into Monster Hunter Wilds so I thought I'd take another look at it and see if I couldn't touch it up a bit. After all, I do love my creepy-crawlies. It didn't get too many new moves but there were enough for me to cook up something new and apply some of the things I've learned since I first started making monsters. I did keep the nerscylla at level seven and only had it run with the animal trait, which might fit the nerscylla even better than most MonHun creatures with its lack of elemental powers and more typical form. I designed it with a high pool Armor Class but its baseline Hit Points are low, which is mostly to account for its ability to Harvest Hide. The nerscylla can only prepare this as an exploration activity and it provides a pool of temporary Hit Points that puts it more towards moderate Hit Points. It also can potentially help cover the nerscylla's weakness with its favored prey, gypceros, being immune to electricity and thus giving it a resistance that negates its electricity weakness.

Most of the nerscylla's Strikes deal damage between low and moderate. Its Sneak Attack ability compensates for that slightly, helping its damage when its attacking off-guard foes, but the other reason behind this particular design is that it comes with two toxins. This is of course based on some of the conditions that the nerscylla can inflict in-game with its Sleep Venom serving as a way to create its sleep status while the Nerscylla Venom is simply pure damage, befitting the standard poison status that it might inflict. Another of its 'big' damaging abilities arrives in the form of its Extend Mandibles, which is a classic ability of the nerscylla. I referenced the extending rune for my design of it and there was a suggestion that I should make this a sort of line effect. I decided against doing so because I think I overuse such concepts and if the extending rune doesn't have to be a line, this shouldn't necessarily have to be one either. I did include a some extra effects on this, such as another die of damage, which makes it a bit like a cross between a Lunge and a Vicious Swing.

The mandibles, the venom - that alone could be any insect. Even the wearing of other creatures brings to mind an assassin bug. So what makes a spider a spider?

Obviously, its webs! This features a few ways into the nerscylla's kit - some new and some old. Descend on a Web is pulled from the hunting spider and relates to some of the aerial maneuvers that the nerscylla will off while swinging from up above. Web Trap is another one and is honestly probably even more common on spiders than Descend on a Web. The Escape DC uses a moderate DC since I've seen non-martial characters struggle to get out of such effects. Honestly, even just eating up actions is pretty solid. Rounding its arsenal of web-based abilities, the nerscylla has its Web Line ability. This is a wholly new ability that was inspired by what I witnessed from the nerscylla where it would zip from point to point using its webbing. This did end up being a sort of area effect but a non-damaging one as it instead forces a high DC Reflex save from those who it passes through. This was a fun way to help it potentially set up for its Sneak Attack ability or simply help it land more critical hits.

PF2e Nerscylla

As for its item, I could have certainly made a weapon or even a set of armor out of the nerscylla, but I wanted to mix things up a bit. The shadow spider's pendant does slightly reference the Ambusher skill found on the nerscylla's armor by the fact that it grants a bonus to Stealth checks and that it needs precision damage to be activated. This allows it to duplicate the defenses of creatures it carves into, which is inspired by the nerscylla's own ability to harvest the skin of others. I thought this was a fun way to work in the creature's abilities with the effects of its item.

PF2e Nerscylla Gear

D&D Nerscylla by Blue

ENCOUNTER HOOKS

Wicked Web: A wagon carrying an array of valuable goods was lost in its shipment and the merchant suspects that the teamster might have run off with his goods. He has hired the heroes to track down the wagon with all haste and bring back the goods and their no-good driver. The heroes must track the carts travel to discover it did indeed take a detour – straight into a nerscylla’s nest. The cart is still caught in the monster’s web and the beast menaces any that intrude upon its domain.

Itsy Bitsy: Recently, an increase in missing animals and the discovery of numerous skinned beasts has gotten a druid worried about poachers in the woods. Enlisting the help of the heroes in her investigation, the heroes can discover there is a poaching operation and even learn that they’re operating out of a cave system. However, what captured poachers are unlikely to reveal is that they’ve managed to tame a nerscylla that they are using in their hunting and skinning of exotic beasts.

A special notice - this will be the last Monster Monday that I post here. The site will remain up for looking through things, but we're moving fully over to the Patreon, so you should check it out!

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Have a monstrous Monday!