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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardWater Orm

Legendary creatures lurking in remote lakes, water orms always find their way into the tavern tales of lakeside communities. To some travelers, every lake of respectable size seems to be surrounded by towns full of fishers claiming to have spotted a water orm. These elusive creatures inhabit lakes mainly in cool and gloomy regions. Some claim that water orms are an offshoot of sea serpents and linnorms, but no credible link between these creatures has been found.

Water orms have many features that sea serpents do not, such as the ability to understand the rudiments of language. Their natural inclination to avoid contact and remain hidden often remains at odds with their equally compelling curiosity about those they might spy upon the shores of their lakes. Water orm sightings usually occur when they can't help but to rise up to the surface to take a peek at someone (or something) particularly unusual on the beach or floating on the water's surface.

These creatures are extremely long-lived and can go for decades, or even centuries, with very little to eat. This allows water orms to subsist in lakes without surfacing for many years, even in bodies of fresh water without ample food sources. Water orms might lie in a silty lake bed for years, their elusiveness only contributing to their mythical reputation. When a pet or child goes missing near a lake, rumors might hold that the local water orm is responsible, leading to folk tales that caution residents against venturing out alone near the water.

While most water orms are described as serpentine or long-necked reptiles, others look similar to bizarrely elongated seals or whales, impossibly large sea horses, or long-necked creatures with paddles resembling those of elasmosauruses.

Recall Knowledge - Beast (Arcana, Nature): DC 32
Unspecific Lore: DC 30
Specific Lore: DC 27

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Water OrmCreature 10

Legacy Content

Rare N Huge Aquatic Beast Water 
Source Bestiary 2 pg. 289 2.0
Perception +11; darkvision
Languages Aquan; (can't speak any language)
Skills Athletics +12, Stealth +13
Str +8, Dex +5, Con +5, Int -3, Wis +5, Cha +0
Slow Metabolism A water orm can go for 10 years without feeding. Beyond this limit, the water orm's hunger causes it to become slowed 1, but doesn't otherwise impact its lifespan. A water orm that's slowed as a result of starvation can remove this condition by using Swallow Whole to gulp down a meal.
Undetectable (abjuration, primal) A water orm automatically tries to counteract any detection, revelation, or scrying divination attempted against it, using its Stealth modifier for the counteract check.
AC 20; Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +7
HP 170; Resistances cold 10, fire 10
Speed 20 feet, swim 50 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +14 [+9/+4] (reach 15 feet), Damage 2d10+11 piercing plus GrabMelee [one-action] tail +14 [+10/+6] (agile, reach 15 feet), Damage 2d6+11 bludgeoningSwallow Whole [one-action] (attack) Large, 2d8+8 bludgeoning, Rupture 22Water Travel [three-actions] (primal, transmutation, water) A water orm can dissolve into water, appearing only as a long, dark, serpentine stretch of water. While in this form, a water orm's swim Speed increases to 600 feet, it automatically succeeds at Athletics checks to swim, and it gains a +4 circumstance bonus to Stealth checks in water. A water orm can remain in this form for 8 hours, but it can't enter salt water when using this ability. A water orm can return to its normal form using a single action which has the concentrate trait.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Local Orms

People who live by the lakes inhabited by legendary water orms have a tendency to give local lake monsters names that sound somewhat homey or even adorable. As a result, such creatures are often regarded as local mascots or goodluck charms—particularly in lakeside settlements that depend on fishing as a significant income source.