Khezu

The Khezu is one of the two apex predators of the Abyss and is a complete revamp of the same monsters in the canon games.



Physiology
The Khezu retains all the same features but now has a darker hue to its body, an elongated scar around the sides of its mouth and a noticeable electric hue in its chest that pulses when it is in rage mode. If fought outside of The Abyss, its back will be stacked with fungi that are within the abyss and are responsible for causing the spread of miasma: reacting with internal electric shocks.

Behavior
Outside of its territory, it camouflages within the rocky ceilings and stalks whatever prey is found, it will cause electrifying discharges that trigger some of the fungi that lead prey into its domain, it will then trigger the miasma fungi, blinding the prey item as the Khezu is able to catch it via smell, and then it moves in for the kill.

Changes

 * Has a bit less HP than the Khezu in the previous games which were unnecessarily tanky.


 * It is far more agile and less predictable than its older counterparts.


 * It has various new physical and new electrical moves.


 * It no longer stands around the ceiling for several moments and wasting time, when it is on the ceiling, it is always doing or preparing an attack.


 * It can shoot out its saliva compared to simply spitting it out and it will inflict defense down.


 * You can see Khezu through the miasma via its shadowy silhouette and the electrical shocks.


 * You can break the fungi on its back when its fought outside of the abyss, stopping the miasma completely, but Khezu will be in permanent rage mode as a result.


 * It is immune to shock traps.

Attacks

 * It usually triggers the fungi right as soon as it notices the hunter.
 * It retains all the attacks that the previous khezu had but they're either sped up or blends in with a combo move.
 * Unlike its previous counterpart, when on the ground, it will slowly walk towards the hunter, keeping direct contact at the targeted hunter/palico.

Electric Dash: While slowly walking towards you, it will sometimes speed up and proceed to do the standard leap bite move that unleashes a large electric shock.

Ball Lightning: While slowly walking towards you, it will raise and extend its neck up and then form an electric ball from its mouth, it then slams this electric ball into the ground to break it up into 5 electric balls that travel around the area randomly at extreme fast speeds, inflicts Thunderblight if hit.

360 Neck Stretch: While slowly walkng towards you, it will extend its neck and extend it out, far and wide in a 360 degrees angle before stretching back out, has a massive hit radius.

Blinding Mist: From its tail, it will spew out black miasma that spreads around the area and inflicts Blind, it will then walk backwards, into the blinding mist.

Grey Mist Miasma: It will stare at the hunters position, before unleashing mild electric discharges, triggering the fungi within the radius/the fungi on its back, the fungi then unleashes a grey coloured mist that covers the entire area, you can only see what's a few metres in front of you although Khezu's attacks can be noticed via either electrical shocks or the movement of its silhouette. The miasma lasts for up to 2 minutes before clearing away.

Electric Nova: It raises its neck highly upwards, producing a massive ball of lightning, it will then slowly lower its neck, as the electric ball crashes down in the ground, it unleashes 5 electri area-of-effects, the 1st one covers a minor distance, the 2nd one increases, the 3rd one covers a moderate distance, the 4th one covers a great distance, the 5th one covers almost the entire area.

Trail Beams: It walks to the side slowly, as its tail opens up, revealing up to 5 electric balls that shoot out beams of electricity in completely random directions, before exploding into an area-of-effect.

Slide Thunder Sweep: It extends its neck upwards and then sweeps its head across the ground, unleashing a wave of lightning, it then sweeps its head to the opposite side to unleash a bigger wave of lightning, this will inflict both Thunderblight and Paralysis if hit.

Miasma Ambush: When the miasma is present, it will run at the hunter to attempt to bite them multiple times to deal continuous damage.

Ceiling Electric Circle Beam: When on the ceiling, it will wave its neck in a circular fashion to form a circular shape of lightning that shoots out a massive beam of electricity

Particle Storm: When on the ceiling, it will drop its tail down and open its opening, to unleash a blue coloured enigmatic plasma looking ball of electricity that homes in on hunters and deals continuous electrical damage, it can also shoot out electrical strikes at random hunters, it picks out randomly targets repeatedly and individually and it only fades away after a minute, although it can be taken out via shooting it ith the slinger.

Ceiling Neck Slam: It will make contact with a targeted hunter and then extend its neck out to them before slamming its head/neck in their position, unleashing a large electrical shock. Inflicts Thunderblight.

Ceiling Many Projectile Shootout: It will shoot out up to 10 electrical balls at once. Inflicts Thunderblight.

Ceiling Saliva Leakage: It will swiftly crawl towards a targeted hunter and then leap out tons of saliva while crawling towards them. This saliva inflicts Defense Down.

Ceiling Fallout: It unleashes electrical mines before flying downwards

Electric Shield: Unlike its previous counterparts, the electric shield charges up before it forms, instead of forming immediately and being present for a few seconds, the electric shield unleashes an electrical explosive when it forms. (A Khezu quest in Frontier has this similar feature, which inspired this attack).

Leap: It can do the stand leap forwards, but it can also do a leap backwards and a leap to either the left or the right.

Raging Scream: It will slam its left and right wings into the ground and roar one time, and then roar again, this time unleashing an electrical AOE, then roars again, with bigger electrical AOE forming, and then roars loud enough to harm nearby hunters as an electrical AOE forms right afterwards. The sounds of the roar get higher pitched as it continues. The electrical AOE's inflict Thunderblight, while the final roar deals extremely high damage.

Triple Bite: It will do the standard bite, and then stretch out to bite from its side, and then stretches out to bite from the other side.

Triple Paralytic Jump: After doing a standard Paralytic Jump, it will slide through the dune and then launch itself again to attempt to paralyse hunters and then does this a third time. Inflicts Paralysis.

Nightmare Replication: This is similar to the raging scream, except the roar starts off being damaging, rubble from the ceiling will fall to the ground, some fungi around it will explode into electrical AOE's as the electrical AOE repeatedly occurs, before unleashing an electrical AOE that covers the entire area.

Rage and Tired States

 * Rage State: Its veins around its body will start pulsing dramatically, saliva will be constantly leaking from its mouth, electrical discharges can be seen in the veins.


 * Tired State: Bubbles will be leaking from its mouth. Its veins turn a dark blue, most of its electrical attacks are halted.

Role in the Food Chain
Minimal - Extremely Low - Low - Average - High - Extremely High - (Apex) - Legend

Main Prey: Any prey item that falls into its territory, this can even be large monsters.

Arch-Rivals: Gigginox

Tracks: Creeper prints, Fungal pile, Electrical particle, Paralysed prey item

Turf Wars
Khezu vs Gigginox

The Khezu and the Gigginox will roar at each other repeatedly, the Gigginox makes the first move via outstretching its neck, to which Khezu responds with it outstretching its neck, they bump into each other repeatedly, dealing 100-300 damage to each other, The Khezu then unleashes a wave of lightning as it bumps into the Gigginox's outstretched head, this paralyses the Gigginox and deals 400 damage to the Gigginox, the Khezu then walks straight for it and pins it down, before then unleashing a massive electrical shock, that deals 1200 damage to the Gigginox, the Gigginox unleashes poison clouds out that deal 300 damage to the Khezu and inflicts the Khezu with poison that deals continuous damage to it, the Gigginox then flees.

Habitat Range
Found in dark abyssal chasms although have been known to travel to cold regions.

Ecological Niche
The Khezu is the master of the ambush, luring in prey into its domain and seeling their demise. When not ambushing prey, its defenses are significantly effective in combat with an enemy, a game change easily made for even the tougher monsters.

Biological Adaptations
It has no eyes, thus is relies on an excellent sense of smell and hearing, when outside of its domain in The Abyss, it will stack the fungi on its back, this allows for excellent evasion of foes, its electric sac is incredibly strong, unmatched by most other electric monsters.