Segarran

Segarrans serve Ghassara, an old and evil goddess of jungles, typhoons and vengeance once worshipped openly in the fallen kingdoms. A lesser segarran has a crocodile's head and tail on a thickset, heavily muscled human or humanoid body. Most are made from devoted followers, though priestesses of Ghassara have a spell that turns infant crocodiles into them. They have ordinary human intelligence and speak the common trade tongue of the desert lands or any of the dead languages of the fallen kingdoms.

Lesser segarrans fight with the weapons and tactics of 5th-level human warriors, adding +2 to damage for their unnatural strength. Unarmed, they bite for 2d8. All have 10% magic resistance.

A greater segarran in human form fights as a priest with weapons and magic items, at +6 damage from supernatural strength. They never wear armor but may improve their Armor Class with items such as a ring of protection, and they have 20% magic resistance. They keep their priest spells except the highest level they could normally cast; a 13th-level priestess, for example, loses her 6th-level spells.

In reptile form she bites for 3d6 and sweeps her tail through up to 3 foes beside or behind her for 2d10. At 16th level she may use her bat wings for two buffets of 2d6 each instead of flying. A tail or wing hit stuns for 1d4 rounds on a failed save vs. paralyzation.

In the goddess's stronger days even lesser segarrans could pass as human; now they are stuck half-reptile. They dwell mainly in the fallen kingdoms and eastern jungles of the desert lands, mostly guarding her few shrines or her chosen, though some prowl human towns at night in careful disguise.

Only her most favored high priestesses become greater segarrans. Candidates need Wisdom 17 and at least 12th level to survive the grueling ritual. Transformed, they keep their human shape but can take a towering reptilian form at will in one round. Its shape follows her whim but usually includes a giant crocodile's head and tail; at 16th level it adds huge bat wings (flying 18). In exchange she must swear to carry out a hard quest or dangerous service, and those who fail the goddess die in agony and suffer undeath forever.

All segarrans are ravenous carnivores. They live mostly on animal meat but ritually eat the remains of their enemies after each battle, and in death each reverts to the human or hatchling crocodile it once was. Greater segarrans blend easily into human society; the only giveaway is a hunger for raw meat, and they must eat fallen foes as tribute to their goddess.