PlatecarpusCreature 3
Source Pathfinder Bestiary 3
Perception +9 (low-light vision, scent (imprecise) 30 feet)
Languages none
Skills Athletics +10, Stealth +11
Str +5, Dex +4, Con +3, Int -4, Wis +2, Cha -2
AC 19; Fort +10; Reflex +11; Will +7;
HP 46
Speed 5 feet (swim 35 feet)
Jaws
![One Action](/static/actions/OneAction.webp)
Low-Light Vision
The monster can see in dim light as though it were bright light, so it ignores the Concealed condition due to dim light.
Scent (Imprecise) 30 feetScent involves sensing creatures or objects by smell, and is usually a vague sense. The range is listed in the ability, and it functions only if the creature or object being detected emits an aroma (for instance, incorporeal creatures usually do not exude an aroma).
If a creature emits a heavy aroma or is upwind, the GM can double or even triple the range of scent abilities used to detect that creature, and the GM can reduce the range if a creature is downwind.
Deep BreathA platecarpus can hold its breath for 2 hours.
Aquatic Drag![One Action](/static/actions/OneAction.webp)
Requirements The platecarpus has a creature Grabbed
Effect The platecarpus Swims up to half its Speed, carrying the grabbed creature with it.
Strafing Chomp![One Action](/static/actions/OneAction.webp)
The platecarpus Swims up to its Speed, making one jaws Strike at any point along the way. The Strike deals half damage.
Swallow Whole![One Action](/static/actions/OneAction.webp)
Medium, 1d6+2 bludgeoning, Rupture 10
The monster attempts to swallow a creature of the listed size or smaller that it has grabbed in its jaws or mouth. If a swallowed creature is of the maximum size listed, the monster can't use Swallow Whole again. If the creature is smaller than the maximum, the monster can usually swallow more creatures; the GM determines the maximum. The monster attempts an Athletics check opposed by the grabbed creature's Reflex DC. If it succeeds, it swallows the creature. The monster's mouth or jaws no longer grab a creature it has swallowed, so the monster is free to use them to Strike or Grab once again. The monster can't attack creatures it has swallowed.
A swallowed creature is Grabbed, is Slowed 1, and has to hold its breath or start suffocating. The swallowed creature takes the listed amount of damage when first swallowed and at the end of each of its turns while it's swallowed. If the victim Escapes this ability's grabbed condition, it exits through the monster's mouth. This frees any other creature grabbed in the monster's mouth or jaws. A swallowed creature can attack the monster that has swallowed it, but only with unarmed attacks or with weapons of light Bulk or less. The swallowing creature is Flat-Footed against the attack. If the monster takes piercing or slashing damage equaling or exceeding the listed Rupture value from a single attack or spell, the swallowed creature cuts itself free. A creature that gets free by either Escaping or cutting itself free can immediately breathe and exits the swallowing monster's space.
If the monster dies, a swallowed creature can be freed by creatures adjacent to the corpse if they spend a combined total of 3 actions cutting the monster open with a weapon or unarmed attack that deals piercing or slashing damage.
Grab![One Action](/static/actions/OneAction.webp)
Requirements The monster's last action was a success with a Strike that lists Grab in its damage entry, or it has a creature grabbed using this action.
Effect The monster automatically Grabs the target until the end of the monster's next turn. The creature is Grabbed by whichever body part the monster attacked with, and that body part can't be used to Strike creatures until the grab is ended. Using Grab extends the duration of the monster's Grab until the end of its next turn for all creatures grabbed by it. A grabbed creature can use the Escape action to get out of the grab, and the Grab ends for a grabbed creatures if the monster moves away from it.
The mid-sized platecarpuses are the most common type of mosasaur. They're typically 15 feet long, but larger specimens can grow up to 20 feet. The larger varieties sometimes eat Medium humanoids, but most stick to smaller fare.
The massive swimming reptiles called mosasaurs thrash their powerful tails to propel them after prey. Four articulated, webbed paddles let them precisely steer their paths, and their hinged jaws-much like a snake's-allow mosasaurs to swallow larger creatures than their size would indicate. A small set of secondary pterygoid jaws in their gullets pull in their meals for more efficient digestion. As air breathers, mosasaurs must stay near the surface of the water, competing for food with whales. This proximity to the surface means they often capsize small boats, feasting on the crew members who fall out.
Traits
Anything that doesn't list another rarity trait (uncommon, rare, or unique) automatically has the common trait. This rarity indicates that an ability, item, or spell is available to all players who meet the prerequisites for it. A creature of this rarity is generally known and can be summoned with the appropriate summon spell.