Drowner
(Converted from the TSR module RS 1 - Red Sonja Unconquered)
Tiny Aberration

Hit Dice: 2D8  (9 hit points)
Initiative: +4 (Dex)
Speed: 30/Swim 60 ft
Armor Class: 16 (+2 Size, +4 Dex)
Attacks: Pseudopod +0 melee
Damage: Pseudopod 1d4 -3 
Face/Reach: 2.5 ft/ 0 ft
Special Attacks: Improved Grapple, suffocation
Special Qualities: Dark Vision 60', Immune to slashing weapons
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +1
Attributes: Str 4, Dex 19, Con 11, Int 6, Wis 7, Cha 5
Skills:  Hide +8, Search +4 

Climate/Terrain: Aquatic
Organization: Colony (10d6)
Challenge Rating: 1/2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Advancement: 3 -6 HD (Small); 7-10 HD (Medium); 11-15 HD (Large).

These transparent critters look like flat globs of jelly.  When they mature, most are about the size of a plate.  Most are colorless, but larger drowners may have slight tints of blue or green.  The creatures feed on microorganisms in the water.

Drowners reproduce by sections that break off periodically throughout their lives.  If cut to pieces, a drowner becomes several independent drowners (total hit dice per creature is equal to the hit dice of the "mother" divided by how many pieces it was cut into).  Thus, drowners don't take damage from slashing weapons - they simply multiply into more drowners when slashed.  Each piece will reach full 2 HD size in 8 to 12 hours.

If taken out of the water for more than four hours, a drowner will begin to dehydrate (use drowning rules).

Combat
Drowners attack by seeking sources of moisture, filling the orifices of a victim in search of moisture and suffocating the victim as a result.

Improved Grab (Ex): If the creature hits with a pseudopod, it deals normal damage and attempts to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. No initial touch attack is required, and Tiny and Small creatures do not suffer a special size penalty.  The drowner can grapple creatures larger than itself. The creature has the option to conduct the grapple normally, or simply use the part of its body it used in the improved grab to hold the opponent. If it chooses to do the latter, it suffers a -20 penalty to grapple checks, and can use its remaining attacks against other opponents.  A successful hold does not deal any additional damage.  When a drowner gets a hold after an improved grab attack, it pulls the opponent into its space (or if the opponent is larger, it pulls itself into the opponent's space). This act does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The creature is not considered grappled while it holds the opponent, so it still threatens adjacent squares and retains its Dexterity bonus. It can even move (possibly carrying away the opponent), provided it can drag the opponent’s weight.   Once it grapples, it quickly finds an orifice (mouth or nose usually), and suffocates the victim (see rules on drowning).

This monster appeared in RS 1 Red Sonja Unconquered, which was published by TSR in 1986 and was written by Anne Gray McCready.  My thanks to Mr. Black for making this module available to me.

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