Keel Crusher

Gargantuan beast, unaligned

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
30 (+10)	6 (-2)	24 (+7)	2 (-4)	10 (+0)	4 (-3)

Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 192 (11d20 + 77)
Speed 10 ft., swim 60 ft.
Saving Throws Constitution +11, Wisdom +4
Damage Vulnerabilities cold
Senses passive Perception 10
Languages –
Challenge 9 (5,000 XP)

Special Traits

• Armored Shell. At the start of its turn, the keel crusher can retract itself in to its armored shell, gaining resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical weapons until the start of its next turn. If it does so it cannot make any attacks or move until the start of its next turn.
• Ship Breaker. The keel crusher inflicts double damage against objects and vessels.

Actions

• Multiattack. The keel crusher makes two bite attacks.
• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (4d8 + 10) slashing damage.
• Ram. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 46 (8d8 + 10) bludgeoning damage. The keel crusher must move at least 30 ft. straight towards its target moving making the ram attack. The keel crusher then withdraws into its armored shell until the end of its next turn.

Tactics

Regardless of whether their prey is above or below the water, keel crushers attack with the same brutally effective style. In case of a sailing ship, the keel crusher will rush headlong at the vessel, retracting its head and forelegs into its armored shell just before impact and driving a huge hole deep into the ship’s hull. The keel crusher then pulls itself out of the cavity and lets the water rush into the ship while it circles the area and eats the crew as they leap into the sea.

Description

Some compare these beasts to massive blue-black tortoises due to their immense shells and four gigantic flippers, but the keel crusher’s bony head contains row upon row of jagged, shark-like teeth, which it employs against sea creatures and ships alike. While they usually hunt in shallow waters, it is said that they can dive into the coldest depths to pursue prey.

Always hungry. Dozens of new horrors rise each day to terrorize sailors on the Blood Sea, but few are as horrifying or deadly as the leviathan that sailor’s legends simply call keel crushers. The keel crusher’s immense size requires a constant intake of food, requiring the beast to hunt almost constantly and attack anything that offers a prospect of an easy meal.

Lurking beneath the surface. Keel crushers skim just under the surface of the waves, their bodies propelled at surprising speed by their powerful clawed flippers. Often their shells will emerge above water, making them appear to be tiny, fast moving islands. They hunt the shallow crimson waters near the coast, searching for creatures large enough to sate their constant appetite or the shadows of ships foolish enough to enter their domain.