What looks at first like a stalactite unfurls into a shape like a manta ray, sailing silently downward with his rasp-like mouth wide.
Lurkers above can grow to be 15 feet from tip to tip, and weigh nearly 500 pounds when fully fed.
Lurkers above are the nearly mindless males of the species, and follow much the same tactics as executioner’s hoods, save that they gain the ability to stretch themselves wide, glide with both speed and silence, and can even fly by awkwardly flapping their flesh. They typically hide on cavern ceilings, shifting their coloration and texture to match the surrounding terrain.
Like all lurking rays, lurkers above are carnivorous, preferring the tang of living flesh—though they can subsist for a time on the minerals they absorb from rocky surfaces through their tentacles. Males are less able to subsist on minerals, however, and hence hunt more actively. While lurkers above are poor fliers, they’re excellent gliders, able drop off a ceiling and silently float more than 100 feet horizontally over the course of a 5- or 6-foot drop.
Amorphous (Ex)
Lurkers above and trappers are immune to precision damage (like sneak attacks) and critical hits, and can move through an area as small as one-quarter their space without squeezing or one-eighth their space when squeezing.
Constrict (Ex)
A creature with this special attack can crush an opponent, dealing bludgeoning damage, when it makes a successful grapple check (in addition to any other effects caused by a successful check, including additional damage). The amount of damage is given in the creature’s entry and is typically equal to the amount of damage caused by the creature’s melee attack.
Light Sensitivity (Ex)
Creatures with light sensitivity are dazzled in areas of bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
Smother (Ex)
When a lurker above grapples a target, it forms an airtight seal around its prey. A grappled target cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components, and must hold its breath (see Suffocation).