A giant praying mantis with a shiny silver body. The orchid snipper has a very rare body color among insect monsters, which makes its exoskeleton highly prized and very expensive. Many adventurers hunt them for their highly valued exoskeleton, but orchid snippers are much larger and more agile than humans, and their sickles are said to cleave solid steel in two, so very few are actually able to defeat them in battle.
Orchid Snipper (CR 14)
XP 38,400
NE Huge Magical Beast
Init +3; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9
DEFENSE
AC 31, touch 11, flat-footed 28 (+3 dex, +20 natural, -2 size)
hp 264 [368] (23d10+138)
Fort +19, Ref +16, Will +12
DR 10/bludgoening; Immune mind-affecting effects; Resist earth 15, shadow 10
Weakness Fire
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., Climb 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (poor)
Melee 2 claws +30 (3d6+9/19-20 x3 plus grab)
Space 15 ft; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks Drainsickles, Shadowsickle
STATISTICS
Str 28, Dex 17, Con 22, Int -, Wis 20, Cha 11
Base Atk +23; CMB +34 (+38 grapple); CMD 47 (53 vs. tripped)
Skills Climb +36, Fly -5, Perception +9, Stealth +20 (+32 in forests); Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth (+12 in forests)
SQ Steel Razor-sharp Claws
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Drainsickles
An orchid snipper can attack with both of its claw attacks. If any of the claw attacks hit, it receives half of the damage back as health.
Lunge (Ex)
A mantis’s limbs are capable of reaching much farther than normal for a creature of its size. As a full-attack action, it can make a single attack with its claws at double its normal reach. When a mantis attacks with a claw in this manner, it gains a +4 bonus on its attack roll. A mantis cannot make attacks of opportunity with its lunge.
Mandibles (Ex)
A mantis that grabs a foe can make a bite attack against that foe as a secondary attack. The mantis’s bite is a +25 attack that inflicts 2d6+4 points of damage on a hit.
Razor-sharp Claws (Ex)
A mantis’ claw attacks have an increase critical range by 1 and damage size increased by 2.
Shadowsickle (Ex)
An orchid snipper can attack with both of its claw attacks. If any of the claw attacks hit, add an additional 1d8 shadow damage per hit.
Sudden Strike (Ex)
A mantis is particularly adept at moving quickly when its foes are surprised. During a surprise round, a giant mantis may act as if it had a full round to act, rather than just one standard action.