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Pathfinder

Compendium

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Stirge

This insectoid Creature has two pairs of bat wings, a tangle of thin legs, and a needle-sharp proboscis.

Stirges are vicious, blood-drinking swamp pests that prey on wild animals, livestock, and unwary travelers. While weak individually, swarms of the creatures are capable of draining a man dry in minutes, leaving only a desiccated husk in their wake.

Closer to mammals than insects, stirges carry their bodies through the air on four fleshy wings, searching out warm-blooded prey. They are fond of hiding near watering holes and waiting for travelers to drop their guard, then swooping out to Attach and drink their fill by thrusting their long feeding tubes into unprotected veins. After feeding they flap heavily off into the mud and reeds to lay their eggs and rest until hunger drives them to hunt again.

Stirges are usually 1 foot long, with a wingspan of twice that, and weigh just under a pound. Their coloration is rust-red or reddish-brown with a dirty yellow underbelly, though stirges that have not fed in some time are often pale pink, their color deepening as they gorge.

Special Abilities

Attach (Ex) When a Stirge hits with a touch attack, its barbed legs latch onto the target, anchoring it in place. An attached Stirge is effectively grappling its prey. The Stirge loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and has an AC of 12, but holds on with great tenacity and inserts its proboscis into the grappled target's flesh. A Stirge has a +8 racial bonus to maintain its Grapple on a foe once it is attached. An attached Stirge can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself—if its prey manages to win a Grapple check or Escape Artist Check against it, the Stirge is removed.

Blood Drain (Ex) A Stirge drains blood at the end of its turn if it is attached to a foe, inflicting 1 point of Constitution Damage . Once a Stirge has dealt 4 points of Constitution Damage , it detaches and flies off to digest the meal. If its victim dies before the stirge's appetite has been sated, the Stirge detaches and seeks a new target.

Diseased (Ex) Due to the stagnant swamps in which they live and their contact with the blood of numerous creatures, stirges are harbingers of Disease. Any Creature subjected to a stirge's Blood Drain attack has a 10% chance of being exposed to filth fever, blinding sickness, or a similar Disease ( Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 557). Once this check is made, the victim can no longer be infected by this particular Stirge, though attacks by different stirges are resolved normally and may result in multiple illnesses.

Attributes

Stirge

CR 1/2

  • XP

    200
  • N Tiny magical beast
  • Init

    +4;

    Senses

    darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent;Perception +1
  • DEFENSE

  • AC

    16, touch 16, flat-footed 12 (+4 Dex, +2 size)
  • hp

    5(1d10)
  • Fort

    +2,

    Ref

    +6,

    Will

    +1
  • OFFENSE

  • Speed

    10 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
  • Attacks

    touch (attach) +7 (— / );
  • Melee

    Touch +7 (Attach)
  • Reach

    0 ft.
  • Special Attacks

    Blood Drain( 1, );
  • STATISTICS

  • Str

    3,

    Dex

    19,

    Con

    10,

    Int

    1,

    Wis

    12,

    Cha

    6
  • Base Atk

    +1;

    CMB

    3;

    CMD

    9
  • Feats

    Weapon Finesse, ,
  • Skills

    Fly +8 Perception +1 Stealth +16
  • Languages

  • SQ

    diseased
  • ECOLOGY

  • Environment

    temperate and warm swamps
  • Organization

    solitary, colony (2–4), flock (5–8), storm (9–14), or swarm (15–40)
  • Treasure

    none
  • Special Abilities

  • Attach (Ex)

    When a stirge hits with a touch attack, its barbed legs latch onto the target, anchoring it in place. An attached stirge is effectively grappling its prey. The stirge loses its Dexterity bonus to AC and has an AC of 12, but holds on with great tenacity and inserts its proboscis into the grappled target's flesh. A stirge has a +8 racial bonus to maintain its grapple on a foe once it is attached. An attached stirge can be struck with a weapon or grappled itself—if its prey manages to win a grapple check or Escape Artist check against it, the stirge is removed.

    Diseased (Ex)

    Due to the stagnant swamps in which they live and their contact with the blood of numerous creatures, stirges are harbingers of disease. Any creature subjected to a stirge's blood drain attack has a 10% chance of being exposed to filth fever, blinding sickness, or a similar disease (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook). Once this check is made, the victim can no longer be infected by this particular stirge, though attacks by different stirges are resolved normally and may result in multiple illnesses.

    Darkvision (Ex or Su)

    A creature with darkvision can see in total darkness, usually to a range of 60 feet. Within this range, the creature can see as clearly as a sighted creature could see in an area of bright light. Darkvision is black and white only but otherwise like normal sight.

    Low-Light Vision (Ex)

    A creature with low-light vision can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of dim light. It retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.

    Scent (Ex)

    This special sense allows a creature to detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell. Creatures with the scent ability can identify familiar odors just as humans do familiar sights. The creature can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents, such as smoke or rotting garbage, can be detected at twice the ranges noted above. Overpowering scents, such as skunk musk or troglodyte stench, can be detected at triple the normal range. When a creature detects a scent, the exact location of the source is not revealed—only its presence somewhere within range. The creature can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. When the creature is within 5 feet of the source, it pinpoints the source’s location. A creature with the scent ability can follow tracks by smell, attempting a Wisdom or Survival check to find or follow a track. The typical DC for a fresh trail is 10 (no matter what kind of surface holds the scent). This DC increases or decreases depending on how strong the quarry’s odor is, the number of creatures, and the age of the trail. For each hour that the trail is cold, the DC increases by 2. Creatures tracking by scent ignore the effects of surface conditions and poor visibility. The ability otherwise follows the rules for the Survival skill.