Roper

A roper is a pliable 9-foot pillar of rough, yellowish gray hide, tapering from 3 feet across at the base to 1 foot at the top, with one yellow eye over a toothy maw. Small nodules around its middle produce its strands, and its body always matches the surrounding temperature.

A roper can stand tall like a stalagmite, sprawl like a boulder, or flatten into a floor bump, shifting color slightly to suit the stone, so foes take -2 on surprise rolls. It fires one sticky strand per round, up to six in all, at targets within 50 feet. Each needs a normal attack roll, reaches (1d4+1)x10 feet, and can haul 750 pounds. A struck victim saves vs. poison or, 1d3 rounds later, loses half its Strength (fractions down); further hits stack and the weakness lasts 2d4 turns.

Anyone who cannot break loose is dragged 10 feet per round toward the roper, which then bites automatically for 5d4. An open doors roll pulls off or snaps a strand, or it can be cut: it has AC 0 and parts only from 6 or more points in one edged blow. Lightning does nothing to a roper and cold deals half damage, but it saves vs. fire at -4.

Loners, ropers may still share a rich hunting ground, a group bored scholars call a cluster. A roper buds off a seed of its own substance that feeds on the cavern floor, and perhaps deep earth magic, for 2d4 weeks, looking like a plain rock until grown. Cilia underneath let it crawl on floors, walls, and ceilings. When prey runs low it migrates by tunnel, or overland late at night, perhaps the source of walking-stone tales.

Any meat will do, though humans and demihumans are favored, and miners such as dwarves and gnomes are frequent victims. Its gizzard cannot digest platinum or gems, so it holds 3d6 pp with a 35% chance of 5d4 gems as well. Alchemists buy the strand glue and the digestive acid, which must be kept in platinum vials.

Resembling a roper carved from stone, the storoper keeps its rigid tentacles extended 20 feet or more and can lash them out to 50, using all six together, ideally three apiece on two foes. Twice daily its tentacles inject venom: a victim who fails a save vs. poison is paralyzed for a round, then fights on its behalf while the 10-turn venom lasts. Normal missiles cannot hurt its stony hide. Though it has only 6 HD, it otherwise uses every ability and statistic of a 10 HD roper.