Chiss

Medium beast, unaligned

Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 33 (6d8 + 6)
Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
15 (+2) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 3 (-4) 13 (+1) 14 (+2)

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Common
Challenge ??? (??? XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Keen Hearing and Smell. Chiss have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell. (200 XP)
  • Squeeze. Chiss can move through a space as narrow as a small creature without squeezing.

ACTIONS

  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage.
  • Quills. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 15/30 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned.
  • Quill Spray (7/Day). The chiss shoots quills in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in the cone must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. After using this ability, the chiss can no longer use its quills to attack.

ABOUT

The chiss resembles a cross between a porcupine and an otter, roughly the size of a boar. Sharp quills poke out of its sable fur along its sides, spine, and stubby tail, resembling an impending volley of arrows. A chiss’ attack posture on land is with its head down and hindquarters up, its tail curled to point at it. Wherever a chiss makes a kill, it drags its dispatched prey into the water to let it soften until it is ready to eat.

While underwater, a chiss stalks prey from beside or below, where water hides its distinctly musky scent. A chiss is as much at home in the water as on land, swimming across streams and ponds with sinuous grace. A chiss in the water shoots quills to confound and incapacitate, then drags the victim under the surface to drown its target.

Unlike the porcupine, the chiss can launch quills from their bodies during combat, and their quills detach easily in combat. After an attack concludes, chiss must track down and gather up the quills flung like darts and replace them in its hide. A quill that is not retrieved must be replaced organically, which takes 6 months to regrow.

Chiss are highly territorial and vocal about it.

The coughing grunt of a chiss warns off others of its kind when they stray too near a protected territory, which always includes water of some kind. Chiss are silent during attacks, save for a faint hissing sound if challenging potential prey on land.

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