Crocodilian

"A hideous mutation, unnatural and abhorrent. Narration_cc_courtyard_crocodile.wav"

- The Ancestor.

Many decades ago, the Courtyard was built on top of a drained swamp; now that the once great and splendid gardens, luxurious halls and mansions are overgrown and crumbling, the wilderness of the Moor has returned to reclaim what men have taken from nature. Bit by bit, buildings are slowly sinking into the growing swamp, and plants and animals once driven from their ancestral homes are recolonizing the overgrown gardens.

But even nature itself is not safe from the blood curse, and the Crocodilian is proof of this. The crocodile-mosquito hybrid is one of the few non-human victims of the Crimson Curse, and even though it is incapable of spreading the Curse itself, it is a very deadly foe that can become the cause of a party's demise if taken lightly.

Behavior
The Crocodilian is a miniboss appearing in several Courtyard missions. Despite the first mission being Apprentice Level, it's highly advisable to bring characters with high resolve levels; the mission plays host to your first encounter with this beast, and you won't see it coming until it's already engaged you in battle.

The Crocodilian will always use Swarming Corruption and Lurking Fear on its first turn; afterwards, it will use random skills. It is highly resistant to debuffs and Blight, but relatively vulnerable to Bleed, Stun and Move effects. When defeated, it will always drop one trinket from a Trinket Set.

Abilities
Teeth Rake deals medium-high damage and Bleed on a single hero, pulling them forward 2 ranks. It also has a high chance to inflict medium-high Stress damage. Swarming Corruption is the Crocodilian's main attack for spread damage, hitting the entire party at once. The damage is mild to moderate, but it comes with a high chance of Stress damage and an ACC debuff.

The Crocodilian has two moves to buff itself. Lurking Fear raises its damage and PROT while also moving it back one space (unless it's already at the back, in which case it moves forward). Submerge drastically increases its Dodge and heals it slightly, but it's also the warning for the beast's ultimate attack: Apex Predator. This deadly lunge deals devastatingly high damage on up to three heroes (two on Apprentice level), almost certainly bringing them to Death's Door; it also moves the Crocodilian to the very front of the enemy formation.

Strategy
While the Crocodilian will always start in Rank 4, it will start moving forward pretty quickly. Having abilities to hit the Crocodilian in the back is helpful but by no means required. As soon as the Crocodilian moves into Rank 3, you want to pull it into Rank 1. This is because the Crocodilian can't use Submerge and the subsequent Apex Predator from Ranks 1 and 4. Keeping the Crocodilian from using Apex Predator is the main focus of most strategies because Apex Predator is by far the biggest danger in the fight, being able to hit 2 or 3 heroes for massive damage.

While less threatening, the Crocodilian's other attacks are by no means harmless. Both Teeth Rake and Swarming Corruption deal decent damage and leave either a Bleed or a really bad -ACC debuff. Teeth Rake will also pull the target to the front, disrupting your party's formation.

For offense, having heroes that can hit the front ranks is very important, as the Crocodilian will spend most of its time there during the fight. While blights are not very effective, both bleeds and stuns are. The usual stun chance is around 50%, but with the right trinkets and heroes (such as the Demon's Cauldron on the Occultist), it is possible achieve much higher consistency, preventing a potential Teeth Rake or giving your heroes more time to move the Crocodilian. Bleeds will tick quickly, since the Crocodilian has multiple actions. Having someone like the Highwayman to lower the Crocodilian's bleed resistance even further is also effective. However, Riposte is not very effective, as the only cleave the Crocodilian has is Swarming Corruption, which leaves a nasty -ACC debuff. Riposte has a fixed accuracy of 85, regardless of level; it is not very accurate on Apprentice, and it only gets worse on Veteran and Champion.

Preferred Heroes

 * Abomination - Deals the highest base damage when Transformed to Rank 1-3 with Rage and can reposition with Slam. Slam also allows the Abomination to push the Crocodilian into Rank 4 as a last ditch effort to prevent Apex Predator; however, this will move the Crocodilian out of the Abomination's reach. Can provide decent support even in human form, especially when equipped with Broken Key to stun the Crocodilian.
 * Bounty Hunter - Can completely counter the Crocodilian by using a combination of Uppercut and Come Hither. Flashbang can serve as a replacement, but its random shuffle may leave the Crocodilian in the middle ranks. The Bounty Hunter provides good damage, especially when the Crocodilian is marked. He will pretty much never be out of position, since he works in any rank from 1-3, but be mindful of Uppercut, since it can only be used in ranks 1 and 2.
 * Crusader - Basically immune to shuffles and can hit the front ranks hard with Smite. Battle Heal can be used to heal anyone regardless of the Crusader's position. His low speed can also be advantageous in that it allows him to stun the Crocodilian at the very end of a turn, buying more time for other heroes to move it on the next turn.
 * Flagellant - Can hit the Crocodilian with very big bleeds, especially Exsanguinate. Reclaim is a great way to counter the bleed that Teeth Rake applies; its healing over time triggers before damage over time, getting a hero off Death's Door before the bleed has a chance to deliver a Deathblow. The Flagellant can also recover fairly well from shuffles, as he can move all the way to Rank 1 in a single turn.
 * Grave Robber - Very resistant to being moved around and helps reposition your team if needed with a combination of Lunge and Shadow Fade. Lunge is also a good source of raw damage.
 * Highwayman - Very resistant to being moved since he can hit any rank from almost any rank. Point Blank shot is very inflexible, however, so it's usually better to start him in the back and have him slowly move forward with Duelist's Advance, mixing in Open Vein to bleed the Crocodilian if it happens to be at the front.
 * Houndmaster - Very resistant to being moved. Hound's Rush, Blackjack, Guard Dog and Target Whistle are all great moves to have for the Crocodilian.
 * Occultist - Can both pull the Crocodilian from Rank 3 and stun it very consistently. He usually has an 80-90% chance to stun the Crocodilian when he has Demon's Cauldron equipped. His heal is a bit inconsistent, but it can be used regardless of position.
 * Shieldbreaker - Puncture can be used from any position to pull the Crocodilian to the front, and unlike other pulls, Puncture even works on Rank 2. She can also block damage with Serpent Sway and deal solid damage to the Crocodilian no matter where it is.

Reasonable Choices

 * Hellion - Somewhat position reliant. As long as she stays in Rank 1, she can hit the Crocodilian anywhere for good damage, but she loses more and more of her kit as she gets pushed backward. Bleed Out in particular can deal massive damage, but it requires perfect positioning.
 * Jester - Battle Ballad is just good enough to warrant bringing a Jester. He provides little offense, since the only way he can hit Rank 1 is Dirk Stab. Finale is a big finisher that, when used too early, will make Jester a sitting target due to the heavy debuffs. He is also very fragile and can die very quickly to Teeth Rake. If you really can't think of anything else to put in Rank 3, bring Jester and press Battle Ballad as much as possible before he gets moved out of the back.
 * Leper - Even more position reliant than the Hellion, but he can deal massive damage when he and the Crocodilian are both in the front ranks. If the Crocodilian does end up out of his reach, he can use Revenge to buff himself while he waits for another chance to strike. Intimidate can also be useful for reducing the Crocodilian's damage, but since it can only be used from Rank 1, the Leper will often be unable to use it.
 * Man-at-Arms - Bolster is a solid buff and a decent way to start the fight. Rampart can be used to stun the Crocodilian, but it cannot push the Crocodilian out of the middle ranks. His Guard can save heroes from Teeth Rake, but it is much less useful against the multi-target Apex Predator.
 * Plague Doctor - Her blights may not stick consistently, but Incision can deal a surprising amount of damage. Disorienting Blast can be used to delay or prevent Apex Predator, but like Flashbang, its shuffle is a bit unreliable. Battlefield Medicine is relatively position reliant, but it can prevent a lot of damage from Teeth Rake's bleed.
 * Vestal - Divine Comfort can get multiple people off of Death's Door, but preventing Apex Predator in the first place is usually more effective. Her stun can help in this regard, but she lacks the Trinkets to make it stick consistently. She also loses access to her heals and stun if she gets pulled to the front.

Discouraged Heroes

 * Antiquarian - The Crocodilian's high accuracy makes her dodge-focused support less useful. Festering Vapors is unlikely to actually blight the Crocodilian, forcing the Antiquarian to rely on her weak Nervous Stab for offense.
 * Arbalest/Musketeer - Sniper Shot cannot hit Rank 1, which is where the Crocodilian will usually spend most of the fight. Teeth Rake's pull disables most of her kit. Even Blindfire is of little use, as it can and usually will target the vegetation instead of the Crocodilian.

Abilities
Apprentice =

Veteran =

Champion =

* Apex Predator will only be used after Submerge.

Vegetation
The Crocodilian is always accompanied by a trio of ordinary water plants that grow in the blood-soaked swamps of the Moor and the Courtyard. These plants are nigh-invulnerable but have no offensive presence, and serve only as barriers for the Crocodilian, preventing heroes from permanently manipulating the beast's position by clearing up spots in the formation.

All Areas

 * Supplicant
 * Sycophant
 * Gatekeeper
 * Chevalier

The Courtyard

 * Manservant
 * Esquire
 * Courtesan

Bosses

 * Baron
 * Viscount
 * Countess
 * Garden Guardian

Trivia

 * One of the Crocodilian's attacks is named after an H.P. Lovecraft Story called "The Lurking Fear."
 * If both the Crimson Court DLC and The Color of Madness DLCs are installed, the Crocodilian can be fought as part of the Endless Harvest mission. Interestingly, the Crimson Court doesn't even have to be enabled for it to appear. The Crocodilian is the only Crimson Court enemy that can be encountered in the Endless Harvest.