Sonic Broodling

*Art by by Kristian Juul Rasmussen (AKA skrir on Deviant Art)

[Below you'll find the fourth of five new monsters (the first being the Storm Broodling) for both 3rd and 4th edition Dungeons and Dragons. While the description works for both, you'll find the 3rd edition stats on the left and the 4th edition stats on the right.]

Today's entry covers the sonic broodling. The sonic broodlings serve as both assassins and envoys for Queen Anzu.

Sonic Broodling
The creature you see before you has mottled scales of purple and green. It has four legs and although it has a viscious looking set of teeth, it is the strange pale green gas it exhudes from its mouth that alarms you most.

Sonic Broodling CR 2
LE Small magical beast
Init +0 Senses darkvision 60ft, low-light vision, Listen +9, Spot +9
Languages Common

AC 15, touch 12, flat-footed 14
( +1 size, +1 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 13 (2 HD)
Resist sonic 5
Fort +4, Ref +4, Will -1

Speed 30ft, burrow 20ft
Melee bite +2 melee (1d6)
Space 5ft.; Reach 5ft.
Base Atk +2; Grp +2
Atk Options sound barrage, vibrohorn

Abilities Str 10, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 16
Feats Ability Focus (sound barrage)
Skills Bluff +7, Diplomacy +7, Hide +5, Move Silently +5

Sound Barrage (Ex) As a standard action, the sonic broodling can create lethal sonics by vibrating its horns. All creatures adjacent to a sonic broodling when it performs this attack must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 13) or take 1d10 sonic damage.

Vibrohorn (Ex) As a full round action a sonic broodling can transfer its sonic attack directly from its horn to its enemy. This is a melee touch attack that deals 2d6 sonic damage on a hit (no save).

When Queen Anzu makes an alliance with anyone, she sends a sonic broodling to eke out the details. When she invariably plans to betray her "ally" she also sends a sonic broodling, although this time it is sent to eliminate the allied party.

Strategies and Tactics
A sonic broodling starts out most fights from a position of ambush, usually burrowed beneath the feet of its opponents. When the toxic broodling does come out it does so amidst as many opponents as possible, engaging them with its sound barrage. Following this attack it will usually dig back underground as soon as possible and come up again from a different location.

If a particular opponent is causing the broodling trouble, or if it has been sent to assassinate a particular target the sonic broodling will use its powerful Vibrohorn technique to eliminate the enemy.

Environment
A sonic broodling may be found anywhere its Queen has sent it. They have no true home, nor any inclination towards a particular type of terrain or climate.

Typical Physical Characteristics
Standing just over 3 feet tall and 2 foot long a sonic broodling uses its powerful legs to burrow through solid ground at an alarming pace. Its strange horns, which have multiple outcroppings can resonate with deadly frequencies, and of course like all broodlings it has a powerful set of mandibles which it uses to defend itself.

Alignment
Although not every Child of Anzu shares their loyalty and devotion broodlings are lawful evil. They care little for other creatures except for how they work into Lady Anzu's grand plot, but among their own kind they are fiercely protective.