#ace? more like slay-ce

[lgbtqtext]

Requested by augmentedchordsofficial

[thecreaturecodex]

Brainchild

Image © Paizo Publishing, accessed at Archives of Nethys here

[I mentioned earlier that Bestiary 3 is my favorite of the PF2e main monster books. The brainchild is part of the reason why. I was going through the As and Bs with a fair bit of enjoyment, but this is the first monster in the book that made me sit up and take notice. I’ve streamlined and regulated the urban legend ability a bit more than the PF2e version, which states that the same brainchild might have different abilities in the same combat against different characters! That’s a lot of bookkeeping, so I wanted to make it a bit easier to play. I also expanded the types of spell-like abilities it could have access to. So if you want to make Candyman and have him summon swarms of bees, or give a brainchild Freddy Krueger’s nightmare ability, you can.]

Brainchild CR 11 CE Aberration This humanoid creature appears as a twisted, shadowy hag, her grin filled with sharp teeth and her claws perpetually blood-stained.

A brainchild is an urban legend come to life. In places where fears run high, especially where the boundaries between the Material and Shadow Planes are thin, any mysterious death or unexplained sighting might inspire the creation of a brainchild. No two brainchildren are alike, and they may take humanoid, bestial or stranger forms. Most people in a community haunted by a brainchild believe the creature to be a fiend, an undead, a monstrous beast or some other more tangible entity. As stories expand and rumors spread, the same brainchild may even take on new appearances or abilities.

Because of their disparate legends, no two brainchildren fight with exactly the same strategy, but there are some common themes. A brainchild’s most powerful attack is an illusory weapon of some kind, a signature move that inflicts mental, not physical damage (although it may certainly resemble a gout of flame, a hyperextensible claw, or some other more mundane weapon). They prefer ambush and slaughter to a straight up fight, attempting to kill the weakest seeming enemy at once with a phantasmal killer spell. Enemies that recognize that a brainchild is a mental creature can use that to weaken the monster, disbelieving its abilities until it is a shell of its typical power.

Areas haunted by a brainchild tend to attract other monsters. Fear-obsessed fey such as bogeymen and meenlocks are drawn to a brainchild the way a moth is drawn to a flame. Popobawas love brainchildren as if they were literal children, and try to bring them into existence in a community by hiding their own presence. All of these added horrors tend to reinforce a brainchild’s existence, as the stories get blurred together and the reputation of the region as monster-haunted increases. The only way to permanently destroy a brainchild is to convince everyone living in the area that it truly is dead. Most brainchildren accumulate rumors of their weaknesses—a particular sword can slay one, they can only die if a specific song is sung over their fresh body, etc. Some of the most dangerous and powerful brainchildren are those that return after a long absence. When an old diary is read or regional folklore is collected, a brainchild may be called back into existence, and the means to put it down again may not be as well remembered.

Brainchild              CR 11 XP 12,800 CE Large aberration Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +18 Aura frightful presence (100 ft., Will DC 25) Defense AC 27, touch 15, flat-footed 21 (-1 size, +5 Dex, +1 dodge, +12 natural) hp 136 (16d8+64) Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +13 DR 10/cold iron; Immune cold, death effects, disease, fear; SR 22 Defensive Abilities persistence of memory, undetectable Offense Speed 40 ft., fly 40 ft. (good) Melee 2 claws +15 (1d8+4 plus bleed), bite +15 (2d6+4 plus bleed) Ranged illusory weapon +16 (8d6+7) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks bleed (1d6) Spell-like Abilities CL 11th, concentration +18 (+22 casting defensively) At will—ghost sound (DC 17) 3/day—dimension door, phantasmal killer (DC 21), sending 1/day—cone of cold (DC 22) Statistics Str 18, Dex 21, Con 18, Int 15, Wis 16, Cha 25 Base Atk +12; CMB +19; CMD 35 Feats Blind Fight, Combat Casting, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Skill Focus (Bluff) Skills Bluff +25, Fly +22, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (local) +17, Perception +18, Perform (oratory) +19, Sense Motive +15, Stealth +16 Languages telepathy 100 ft., truespeech SQ urban legend (bleed, blindsense, cone of cold, DR/cold iron, frightful presence, immune to cold, SR) Ecology Environment urban or any land Organization solitary Treasure standard Special Abilities Illusory Weapon (Su) As a standard action, a brainchild can make an attack with an illusory weapon. Treat this as a ranged attack with a range of 100 feet and no range increment. A creature struck takes d6s of damage equal to ½ the brainchild’s HD, plus the brainchild’s Charisma modifier (8d6+7 for the average specimen). This damage is typeless, but creatures immune to mind-influencing damage are immune to this effect, and the illusory weapon is treated as a mind thrust III spell for the purposes of interacting with mental barrier and similar effects. Persistence of Memory (Ex) A brainchild is restored to life 2d4 days after it is slain, unless everyone in the community it haunts believes it to be truly dead. Undetectable (Ex) A brainchild is immune to divination spells and effects that would detect it or determine its alignment or other auras. It is not immune to divination spells and effects that deal damage, such as mind thrust spells. Urban Legend (Su) All brainchildren have a suite of abilities, based on what people believe about them. A brainchild may choose from any of the following abilities, and may take multiple abilities of the same type as long as they do not cancel each other out (for example, two immunities).

An additional natural weapon that deals damage as normal for a creature of its size

All natural weapons deal an additional 1d6 points of damage. This damage may be acid, bleed, cold, electricity, fire, force, negative energy or sonic damage.

Damage reduction 10/cold iron or DR 10/silver

Spell resistance equal to 10  + CR

Immune to an energy type or school of magic

A 5th or 6th level spell usable as a spell-like ability 1/day, or a 3rd or 4th     level spell usable as a spell-like ability 3/day

Blindsense or tremorsense 60 ft.

Frightful presence (100 foot radius)

A brainchild may have a number of abilities equal to its Charisma modifier (+7 for the average specimen). A brainchild may take an 8th ability if it also takes a vulnerability to an energy type. As a standard action, a character within 100 feet of a brainchild may attempt to make a Perception or Sense Motive check, opposed by the brainchild’s Bluff check. If it succeeds, it treats the brainchild as if it doesn’t have one of its abilities (of the character’s choice) for 24 hours. If it fails, it cannot attempt to disbelieve that same ability for the next 24 hours. During that time, that character can spend a standard action to aid another character’s Perception or Sense Motive check against the same ability and grant them a +4 bonus on their skill check to disbelieve.

[thecreaturechronicle]

Sheet Phantom

Formed when a thoroughly evil person dies in bed, a sheet phantom is an undead spirit possessing a bedsheet, capable of floating of its own volition and smothering prey. A shrouded figure striding silently forward, only to collapse into a pile of inert linens when approached - or else collapsing to wrap around its victim, strangling the life from their body - the sheet phantom may resemble a child's ghost costume more than a ghostly apparition, but is nonetheless a deadly threat.

A sheet phantom's body is the very bedsheet that covered its body as it died, animated by force of will. The spirit may manifest a weightless ectoplasmic "body" in the shape of its living self, or it may hover formlessly through the air, slither along the ground, or flatten itself against walls. Sheet phantoms require no eyes to see, but can manifest a twisted "face" with glowing green eyeholes and a ragged mouth on any part of their body, usually when attacking. Sheet phantoms may sport bloodstains if they were murdered in their sleep, and they retain rips and tears inflicted on them in the past, though such damage causes them no pain.

Pure sunlight weakens the undead spirit's connection to its physical form, and due to its cloth make-up, sheet phantoms burn easily and quickly absorb holy water. Because of these weaknesses, most sheet phantoms desire to possess a flesh-and-blood body once again. If a victim dies smothered by a sheet phantom and is left wrapped in its folds for at least 12 hours, the phantom's animating spirit enters the corpse, transforming it into a sheet ghoul.

Sheet ghouls are the "adult" form of the "larval" sheet phantom, resembling a decomposing corpse with glowing green eyes, clawlike fingernails, and wispy strands of white tangled in its hair - vestiges of the bedsheet it once inhabited.

Like true ghouls they hunger for flesh, though they cannot create spawn from their victims. Its memories are those of the sheet phantom's original self, though at times scraps of its victim's mind may surface, tortured by its new existence. Sheet ghouls can vomit acidic fluid from its stomach, dissolving its prey before it begins eating much like a fly.

Sheet phantoms and sheet ghouls are typically solitary, except in times of plague, when many such creatures may come into being simultaneously.

SHEET PHANTOM CR: 1 XP: 400 CE Medium undead Init: +3; Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9 __________________________________ AC: 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +4 natural) hp: 17 (3 HD) Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +3 Immune: Bludgeoning, undead traits Weakness: Weaknesses __________________________________ Speed: Fly 20 ft. (perfect) Melee: Buffet +4 (1d4+2 nonlethal plus grab) Special Attacks: Smother __________________________________ Str 15, Dex 16, Con --, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 15 Base Atk: +2; CMB: +4 (+8 grapple); CMD: 17 (can't be tripped) Feats: Blind-Fight, Skill Focus (Perception) Skills: Bluff +5, Fly +11, Perception +9, Intimidate +8, Stealth +17; Racial Modifiers: +8 Stealth Languages: Common SQ: Ghoulish transformation __________________________________ Environment: Any Organization: Solitary Treasure: None __________________________________ Ghoulish Transformation (Su): A sheet phantom can merge with the body of any humanoid it slays. The process takes about 12 hours, after which time the victim and sheet phantom transform into a sheet ghoul. Smother (Ex): If a sheet phantom successfully grapples a creature, it has wrapped itself around its prey. The following round, the victim must either hold its breath or begin suffocating (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, pg. 445). A victim can escape a sheet phantom's embrace by making an opposed grapple check or an Escape Artist roll against the sheet phantom's grapple roll. While smothered, a victim can only use a weapon if it was in hand when first enveloped by the sheet phantom. Damage inflicted on a sheet phantom while it encompasses a victim causes an equal amount of damage to the victim. Blunt weapons inflict full damage on the victim but do not harm the sheet phantom. Weaknesses: For all their deadly suffocation ability, sheet phantoms have a number of weaknesses. Holy water inflicts 2d4+4 points of damage per vial on a sheet phantom instead of the standard 2d4 points of damage. In addition, all fire-based attacks (normal or magical) inflict an extra point of damage per die. Finally, sheet phantoms recoil from natural sunlight and bright lights (like a daylight spell). If exposed to direct sunlight, sheet phantoms take 1d3 points of damage. They move at half speed during the day, whether in sunlight or not.

SHEET GHOUL CR: 2 XP: 600 CE Medium undead Init: +1; Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13 __________________________________ AC: 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+1 Dex, +4 natural) hp: 24 (4 HD) Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +6 Immune: Undead traits __________________________________ Speed: 30 ft. Melee: 2 claws +5 (1d3+1), bite +4 (1d6+1) Ranged: Acid spray +4 touch (1d8 acid) __________________________________ Str 13, Dex 13, Con --, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 15 Base Atk: +3; CMB: +4; CMD: 16 Feats: Blind-Fight, Weapon Focus (claw) Skills: Acrobatics +5, Climb +8, Perception +13, Stealth +8; Racial Modifiers: +4 Perception Languages: Common __________________________________ Environment: Any Organization: Solitary Treasure: Standard

[thecreaturecodex]

Anchheri

“Nocturne” © Lois van Baarle, accessed at her ArtStation here

[Commissioned by @abominationimperatrix​. The anchheri is a monster from Uttarakhand, the state in India making up the foothills of the Himalaya. As related in the superb book Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India, its characteristics have been transplanted into the “acheri”, an “Indian” undead attributed to the Chippewa that does not exist in any authentically native sources. GMDI doesn’t say who’s responsible for this, but I know. The oldest attribution of the “acheri” to “Amerindian tribes” is in Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were by Michael Page and Robert Ingpen. I’ve complained about this book before. Whether this was an intentional alteration (the book has many of those), or a result of lazy scholarship (confusing “Indian” for India with “Indian” for Native American), the damage has been done, and most images of the anchheri online are clad in buckskins. The most accurate pop culture anchheri, possibly because its creators weren’t relying on English language sources, is in Shin Megami Tensei]

Anchheri CR 7 CE Undead This humanoid child has an odd, cruel smile, clawed hands and sunken, glowing eyes. Her skin seems tightly drawn around her bones, and has a hue of decomposition.

An anchheri is both tragic and dangerous, as they are the undead remains of children who died an unnatural death. They hide during the day in mountainous caves and crevices, and descend from the mountains at night to frolic and play. Mortals who join in these games risk being attacked. An adult will usually be just shredded with tiny claws, or put to sleep and its blood drunk, but anchheri are more subtle on their attacks on children. The touch of an anchheri’s shadow spreads plague, and a child who dies from this disease becomes a new anchheri. Thus, a single one of these monsters can become an infestation rapidly, and tales are told of entire villages emptied of children.

Anchheri are difficult to slay without access to magic weapons and divine magic, so some communities have taken to propitiating them instead. Anchheri love gifts; clothing, jewelry and toys are all appreciated. They fear the color red, perhaps because it reminds them of their own blood spilled, and so people wearing red clothing are usually safe from an anchheri initiating attack. Giving an anchheri red clothing, however, is a sure way to insult it and invite violence. The mind of an anchheri is childlike, and they are fairly easy to trick.

An anchheri stands between three and five feet tall. Because of their willowy frames, they are treated as creatures of Small size regardless of height.

Anchheri                CR 7 XP 3,200 CE Small undead Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +10 Defense AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 15 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +4 natural) hp 85 (10d8+40) Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +6 DR 10/magic; Immune undead traits Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2; Weakness red aversion Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee 2 claws +12 (1d4-1), shadow +7 touch (disease) Special Attacks blood drain (1d2 Con), create spawn, sneak attack +3d6 Spell-like Abilities CL 7th, concentration +11 3/day—deep slumber (DC 17), fly, stone call Statistics Str 8, Dex 18, Con -, Int 13, Wis 9, Cha 18 Base Atk +7; CMB +5; CMD 19 Feats Combat Expertise, Deceitful, Improved Feint, Nimble Moves, Weapon Finesse Skills Bluff +14, Climb +10, Disguise +17, Escape Artist +12, Perception +10, Perform (dance) +6, Stealth +19 Languages Common, Necril Ecology Environment any land or urban Organization solitary, pair, gang (3-6) or party (7-12) Treasure standard Special Abilities Create Spawn (Su) Any humanoid child killed by an anchheri’s disease rises as a free willed anchheri at the next new moon. Disease (Ex) Bubonic plague—contact; save Fort DC 19; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Con damage, 1 Cha damage, target is fatigued; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Charisma based. Red Aversion (Ex) An anchheri must succeed a DC 20 Will save in order to attack a creature wearing red clothing. If the anchheri fails that save, it cannot attack that creature for the next 24 hours. If that creature attacks the anchheri, the aversion is broken. Shadow Touch (Su) An anchheri can make a touch attack with its shadow as a secondary natural weapon. A creature touched takes no damage, but is exposed to the anchheri’s disease.

[thecreaturecodex]

Void Hag

Image © Paizo Publishing

[Starfinder has a number of D&D/Pathfinder monsters... in SPAAACE. The void hag is one of these, and one that I think translates better back to Pathfinder than say, scavenger oozes do. My issue with the void hag as written comes from a disconnect between its abilities and its flavor text. The Alien Archive goes into great detail about how a void hag makes its robes, which would involve jaunts between multiple star systems and nebulae. But the void hag doesn’t have any way to quickly move through space, nor does the entry talk about them having space ships to make the trip. Space is big, y’all. So I gave it starflight.]

Void Hag CR 10 CE Monstrous Humanoid This woman has gray skin pocked with craters, as if she was made out of the surface of the moon. She wears strange robes which move with her as a second skin, and her long hair glimmers with starlight. She is very tall and lean, with long limbs, her spindly fingers ending in claws.

Void hags are powerful hags native to the airless expanses of space. They typically live on desolate moons, asteroids or even comets, plotting how best to subjugate other creatures and increase their knowledge and power. Void hags are incredibly intelligent and incredibly arrogant, and enjoy punishing other creatures for not being as brilliant as they are.

A void hag is only seen as a peer by other such creatures once she has woven her starlight robes. Doing so is time consuming and dangerous, requiring the hag to weave the energy of a coronal mass ejection and the particles of stellar dust into a shroud. The starlight robes provide the hag with a potent defense and a potent offense, and she never willingly removes them. The greatest insult a void hag can suffer is to have her robes stolen or destroyed.

On occasion, a void hag will make planet-fall and join with other hags in a coven. Void hags cannot stand to be in anything except a leadership position within these covens, and they will kill rivals who attempt too often to assert authority. Covens comprised of only void hags do exist, and are somewhat more stable, but each member usually has a plan to betray their fellows if they need to, and to fight against such betrayals themselves. A coven with a void hag adds the following spell-like abilities to their coven magic ability: mass inflict pain, reverse gravity, and slay living.

Void Hag             CR 10 XP 9,600 CE Medium monstrous humanoid Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +19 Defense AC 25, touch 19, flat-footed 21 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +5 deflection, +6 natural) hp 127 (15d10+45) Fort +10, Ref +12, Will +13 DR 10/magic; Immune cold, disease, fear, sleep; SR 21 Defensive Abilities starlight robes Offense Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect) Offense 2 claws +16 (1d10+1) Spell-like Abilities CL 10th, concentration +17 At will—inflict pain (DC 17), searing light 3/day—ice storm, irradiate (DC 18), empowered searing light 1/day—enervation, suffocation (DC 20) Statistics Str 13, Dex 17, Con 17, Int 26, Wis 18, Cha 20 Base Atk +15; CMB +16; CMD 35 Feats Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Empower SLA (searing light), Flyby Attack, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Mobility Skills Acrobatics +15, Bluff +17, Craft (weaving) +23, Fly +26, Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, geography, nature) +20, Intimidate +20, Perception +19, Sense Motive +16, Stealth +18, Spellcraft +20, Survival +19, Use Magic Device +17 Languages Aklo, Common, Undercommon SQ no breath, starflight Ecology Environment any Organization solitary or coven Treasure standard Special Abilities Starflight (Su) A void hag can survive in the void of outer space. It flies through space at an incredible speed. Although exact travel times vary, a trip within a single solar system should take 3d20 hours, while a trip beyond should take 3d20 days (or more, at the GM's discretion)—provided the void hag knows the way to its destination. Starlight Robes (Su) A void hag’s robes are her most prized possession, and possess supernatural power when she wears them. A void hag gains her Charisma bonus as a deflection bonus to AC and CMD when wearing her starlight robes. In addition, once per day, she can create a pulse of force affecting all enemies within a 30 foot radius. All creatures in the area take 10d6 points of force damage and are covered in a blanket of starlight that grants a -20 penalty to Stealth checks and negates concealment from spells and effects as per the glitterdust spell. A successful DC 22 Reflex save halves the damage and negates the glitterdust effect. The save DC is Charisma based. This is an effect of the hag, not the robes themselves, although each set of starlight robes is a valuable art object in and of itself.

[thecreaturecodex]

Afturganga

“Draugr” © Sune Reinhardt, accessed at ArtStation here

[This is the first of several European monsters on the World Tour that double as “If I Ran The Zoo”. The PFRPG draugr is a perfectly suitable low level undead, for when you want something smarter than a zombie but don’t want to deal with ability damage or negative levels. But they owe more to the skeletal sailors in Pirates of the Caribbean than they do to actual Scandinavian folkloric draugr, which tend to be big, magical and associated with curses. The obscuring of the genuine draugr is pretty much complete post Skyrim, with them almost universally being depicted as skeletal these days.

This stat block is based primarily on Glam, the murderous revenant who appears in Grettir’s Saga (which is why I went with an Icelandic alternate name instead of a Nordic or Swedish one). A lot of hay is made about how terrible his eyes are, which is why I gave mine mesmerist abilities. And as Grettir kills Glam, Glam curses him to outlawry, hence the death curse (which is mechanically based on the curse of the outcast spell from Ultimate Intrigue) ]

Afturganga CR 8 CE Undead This enormous creature might once has been human, but is swollen and stretched to half again normal human size. They are clearly dead, with discolored skin, open wounds, and a stink like rancid butter. Their eyes possess a terrible haunting stare.

An afturganga, or draugr lord, is an undead creature animated by pure malice. If someone who is especially greedy, envious or spiteful dies, particularly in an area infused with negative energy, they may rise again as an afturganga. Such creatures go out of their way to rob and murder, and particularly relish tormenting their former neighbors and family. These attacks tend to build, first with the afturganga targeting their victims with nightmares, then attacking their livestock and crops, and finally culminating in lethal assaults on them personally.

Most draugr lords eschew weapons, as their bodies have swollen so much that they have a difficult time wielding the tools they did in life. Instead they grab and tear with their hands and broken teeth. The gaze of an afturganga is particularly piercing, and it saps the will and abilities of those it targets. Only cold iron weapons can pierce its damage reduction as far as manufactured weapons go, but those that have the courage to match its barehanded combat style can also deal grievous damage. The last spiteful act of an afturganga is its death curse—the one who slays an afturganga is supernaturally marked as an outcast, shunned and rejected, and often turns to crime or self imposed exile.

Some afturganga are wanderers, roaming the countryside to find more prey. Others remain in their burial mounds or squatting in dungeons, guarding treasuries either buried as grave goods with them, or collected from banditry and murder. Some afturganga act as leaders for lesser intelligent undead, such as draugr and wights. Legends tell of even more powerful afturganga, with abilities such as breathing fire, shapeshifting into grim undead animals, or raising their victims as draugr themselves.

An afturganga is usually either a livid pale color or blue-black with decomposition. They typically stand between 8 and 10 feet tall.

Afturganga         CR 8 XP 4,800 CE Large undead Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., mistsight, Perception +17 Aura stench (20 ft., Fort DC 19) Defense AC 21, touch 10, flat-footed 20 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +11 natural) hp 104 (11d8+55) Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +10; channel resistance +2 DR 10/cold iron or unarmed; Immune curse effects, undead traits; Resist cold 10, fire 10 Offense Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft. Melee 2 slams +12 (2d6+5 plus grab), bite +12 (1d8+5) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks death curse, hypnotic stare (-3, sapped magic, sluggishness, timidity) Spell-like Abilities CL 8th, concentration +13 3/day—faerie fire, fog cloud 1/day—nightmare (DC 19) Statistics Str 21, Dex 13, Con -, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 18 Base Atk +8; CMB +13 (+17 grapple); CMD 24 Feats Intimidating Prowess, Intimidating Stare, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Stealthy, Toughness Skills Climb +19, Escape Artist +16, Intimidate +24, Perception +17, Stealth +15, Swim +13 Languages Common, Necril Ecology Environment any Organization solitary, gang (2-5) or army (1-4 plus 2-20 draugr and wights) Treasure double standard Special Abilities Damage Reduction (Su) Cold iron weapons or unarmed strikes overcome an afturganga’s damage reduction. Natural weapon attacks do not overcome this DR. Death Curse (Su) When a creature slays an afturganga, that creature is affected by its curse. Curse; save Will DC 19; effect must roll twice for all Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate and Perform checks and take the worse result; all creatures have initial attitude towards the cursed reduced by one step; duration permanent. The save DC is Charisma based. Hypnotic Stare (Su) An afturganga gains the hypnotic stare and bold stare abilities of a mesmerist with a class level equal to its Hit Dice. Mesmerist levels stack with afturganga HD for the purposes of determining the stare’s effects.

[thecreaturecodex]

Demon, Balor Lord, Ndulu

“Nefarox, Overlord of Grixus” © Wizards of the Coast, by Aleksi Briclot. Accessed at the GameLore Wiki here.

[Commissioned by @tar-baphon​, the second of four monsters revolving around Demon Lord Eltab. In the original Forgotten Realms lore, Ndulu was just the most powerful of the rivals to Eltab’s throne, but I wanted to build a little more frisson into their relationship (and explain how the Moaning Crown was broken without going into its thousand year backstory; see the Eltab entry for information on the Moaning Crown). Choosing to give Ndulu a polearm was solely due to this amazing artwork; I was uninspired by the various bits of balor art I could find, and looked slightly further afield.]

Demon, Balor Lord, Ndulu CR 23 CE Outsider (extraplanar) This mighty demonic figure is wreathed in flames and crowned with horns. It carries a massive polearm with a hooked blade.

Ndulu the Ghost Eater is a balor lord of great power and greater ambition. He is both servant to and enemy of Eltab, Lord of the Hidden Layer, who has coerced his service through layers of magical curses and mundane threats. Ndulu currently acts as a regent, occupying Eltab’s abandoned fortress and fighting other Abyssal powers that seek to rule his territory. Ndulu’s current plans involve finding a way to stop Eltab from making demoncysts and siphoning Abyssal power. If Ndulu succeeds, Eltab will be stripped of power and rank, becoming a nascent demon lord and therefore a much easier target for the Ghost Eater’s physical violence.

Unlike most balors, Ndulu disdains fighting with two weapons at once. He keeps a flaming whip as a back up weapon, but his primary armament is a massive polearm, which he wields with both power and finesse. His tactics involve dominating the battlefield with reach and mobility, and he can and has slain entire armies single-handedly. His epithet comes from his conquest of undead monsters; he can strike incorporeal creatures effortlessly, and can heal his wounds by slaying the living and undead both.

Ndulu’s forces include both powerful combatants such as vavakia and mariliths, and more subtle agents such as glabrezu and succubi. The latter he has sent into the camps of enemy demons and to work among mortals, both leads pursuing a way to cut off the power of the demoncysts. An adventuring party of good aligned characters might find themselves working for the Ghost Eater at several layers of remove, their mentors corrupted by a demon working for Ndulu to clean out demoncysts and sever their connection to the Abyss. Although referring to the creature as an ally may be a stretch, a nightwave nightshade keeps counsel with Ndulu, and elite units of nightwalkers and nightwings have fought for Ndulu’s cause.

Ndulu     CR 23 XP 820,000 CE Large outsider (chaotic, demon, evil, extraplanar) Init +13; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +38, true seeing Aura flaming body, unholy aura (DC 27) Defense AC 40, touch 22, flat-footed 31 (+4 deflection, +9 Dex, +18 natural, –1 size) hp 492 (24d10+360) Fort +33, Ref +21, Will +29 DR 20/cold iron and good; Immune electricity, fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10; SR 34 Defensive Abilities lifedrinker, negative energy affinity Offense Speed 40 ft., fly 90 ft. (good) Melee +2 vorpal unholy bill +39/+34/+29/+24 (2d6+23/19-20x3) plus 2d6 unholy) or +1 vorpal flaming  whip +38/+33/+28/+23 (1d4+15 plus 1d6 fire and entangle) or 2 slams +37 (1d10+14) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (20 ft. with bill or whip) Spell-Like Abilities CL 20th, concentration +29 (+33 casting defensively) Constant—true seeing, unholy aura (DC 27) At will—dominate monster (DC 28), enervation, greater dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), haste, heroism, inflict critical wounds (DC 23), power word stun, telekinesis (DC 24), unholy blight (DC 23) 3/day—control undead (DC 26), horrid wilting (DC 27), quickened waves of fatigue 1/day—blasphemy (DC 26), fire storm (DC 27), summon (level 9, any 1 CR 19 or lower demon 100%), wail of the banshee (DC 28) Statistics Str 39, Dex 29, Con 40, Int 26, Wis 26, Cha 29 Base Atk +24; CMB +39; CMD 62 Feats Blind-fight, Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Following Step, Improved Initiative, Improved Critical (bill), Iron Will, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (waves of fatigue), Stand Still, Step Up, Step Up and Strike Skills Acrobatics +33 (+37 when jumping), Bluff +36, Diplomacy +36, Fly +38, Intimidate +36,  Knowledge (history) +32, Knowledge (nobility) +32, Knowledge (planes) +35, Knowledge (religion) +32, Linguistics +24, Perception +43, Sense Motive +35, Stealth +32, Use Magic Device +36; Racial Modifiers +8 Perception Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Necril, Protean, 13 others; telepathy 100 ft. SQ death throes, ghostly grasp, shorten grip, vorpal strike, whip mastery Ecology Environment any land or underground (Abyss) Organization unique Treasure standard (+2 unholy cold iron bill, +1 flaming whip, other treasure) Special Abilities Death Throes (Su) When killed, Ndulu explodes in a blinding flash of fire that deals 120 points of damage (half fire, half unholy damage) to anything within 100 feet (Reflex DC 37 halves). The save DC is Constitution-based. Entangle (Ex) If Ndulu strikes a Medium or smaller foe with its whip, he can immediately attempt a grapple check without provoking an attack of opportunity. If Ndulu wins the check, he draws the foe into an adjacent square. The foe gains the grappled condition, but Ndulu does not. Flaming Body (Su) A balor's body is covered in dancing flames. Anyone striking Ndulu with a natural weapon or unarmed strike takes 1d6 points of fire damage. A creature that grapples Ndulu or is grappled by him takes 6d6 points of fire damage each round the grapple persists. Ghostly Grasp (Su) Ndulu’s natural weapons and manufactured weapons deal full damage to incorporeal creatures as if they had the ghost touch weapon property. Lifedrinker (Su) Once per round when Ndulu kills a living or undead opponent, he can heal 150 hit points and remove any status effects as per a heal spell (CL 20th). Shorten Grip (Ex) Ndulu can shorten his grip on a polearm as an immediate action, threatening all squares within 10 feet instead of the polearm’s normal reach until he lengthens his grip with another immediate action. Vorpal Strike (Su) Any slashing weapon Ndulu wields gains the vorpal weapon quality. Weapons retain this quality for one hour after Ndulu releases the weapon, but after this the weapon reverts to its standard magical qualities, if any. Whip Mastery (Ex) Ndulu treats a whip as a light weapon for the purposes of two-weapon fighting, and can inflict lethal damage on a foe regardless of the foe's armor.

[thecreaturecodex]

Nightmare Beast

Image by Wayne Reynolds, © Wizards of the Coast. Accessed at the Monster Manual II Art Gallery here

[The nightmare beast is one of seven monsters in the Dark Sun Monstrous Compendium that is said to be the most fearsome on Athas barring the Dragon of Tyr. Like, they can’t all be the most fearsome, my dudes. More 90s edginess, I guess. The nightmare beast has been sufficiently popular to turn up in both 3e and 4e, which means there were plenty of versions for me to compare and draw from. The 2e and 4e art both have short, bulldog like jaws, a motif that turns up in a number of Dark Sun creatures. The longer jaws that Reynolds gave it are more distinctive to me (although of course, the 3e version is the first one I saw, so it might just be a nostalgia bias).

The 2e and 4e versions of the nightmare beast are explicitly defilers, the type of magic in Dark Sun that draws the life from other creatures. Defliling is what destroyed most of Athas’ ecosystems, leaving it a dying desert world. It’s a metaphor. So I gave my nightmare beast the ability to deal negative levels, which it had in 2e but lost in all other editions, and gave it the healing thief ability, because it seemed thematically appropriate.]

Nightmare Beast CR 17 CE Magical Beast This scaly creature resembles no true animal, but an amalgamation of the worst qualities of many of them. It stands on four legs tipped with saber-like claws, and has a maw of sword-sized teeth. Two curving tusks grow from its lower jaw, and its enormous eyes are red globes.

A nightmare beast is a true terror, a magical mutant that spreads destruction in its wake. All nightmare beasts hate other living things, and they rampage for days on end, destroying buildings, tearing down forests and slaying all in their path. These rampages are interrupted by long sleep, up to a year at a time, but all creatures near a resting nightmare beast dream of its rampages and are worn down psychically. The land around a nightmare beast lair is shattered, scarred, and bereft of most life.

If it sights potential victims a way off, a nightmare beast will often torment them at range with spells or summoned monsters before teleporting into the middle of the group. A nightmare beast prefers to be up close in combat, crushing foes under its feet and goring them with its swiveling tusks. This way it can drain the life from enemies with its teeth and steal their healing spells through magic. Every time it does so, its own spells grow stronger. Nightmare beasts will flee from a fight if they feel threatened, but few creatures are strong enough to concern it.

Nightmare beasts eat what they kill, and have been known to consume pieces of buildings, armor and weapons as well. They do not intentionally collect treasure, but their guts collect small valuables, and those foolish enough to rifle through their droppings may find a few surviving items. The ground tusks and teeth of a nightmare beast are coveted for use as components in making items of the necromancy or evocation schools, but forgeries are much more common than the real deal in markets.

A nightmare beast speaks Abyssal, but rarely has little to say except threats and curses. They can live for centuries.

Nightmare Beast     CR 17 XP 102,400 CE Huge magical beast Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +23, scent Aura healing theft (30 ft., Will DC 28), nightmares (1 mile, Will DC 28) Defense AC 30, touch 10, flat-footed 28 (-2 size, +2 Dex, +20 natural) hp 287 (23d10+161) Fort +20, Ref +15, Will +12; +8 vs. mind-influencing effects DR 15/magic; Immune ability damage or drain, bleed, curses, divination, energy drain; Resist fire 20; SR 28 Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee 2 gores +30 (2d10+9/19-20), bite +30 (2d8+9 plus energy drain), 2 claws +30 (2d6+9) Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks defiled casting, energy drain (2 negative levels, Fort DC 28), trample (4d6+13, DC 30) Spell-like Abilities CL 17th, concentration +24 Constant—mind blank At will—fireball (DC 20), shout (DC 21), wall of fire 3/day—empowered chain lightning (DC 23), quickened dimension door, disintegrate (DC 23) 1/day—incendiary cloud (DC 25), mass inflict serious wounds (DC 25), summon monster VIII Statistics Str 28, Dex 15, Con 25, Int 10, Wis 20, Cha 25 Base Atk +23; CMB +34 (+40 sunder); CMD 46 (48 vs. sunder, 50 vs. trip) Feats Blind-fight, Critical Focus, Dimensional Agility, Empower SLA (chain lightning), Greater Sunder, Improved Critical (gore), Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (dimension door), Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical Skills Acrobatics +21, Climb +27, Perception +23 Languages Abyssal SQ double damage against objects Ecology Environment any land or underground Organization solitary Treasure incidental Special Abilities Aura of Nightmares (Su) All creatures within 1 mile of a nightmare beast must succeed a DC 28 Will save every time they fall asleep or be affected by a nightmare spell. Casting dispel evil on a victim of these nightmares does not stun the nightmare beast, but does automatically dispel the nightmare effect. A nightmare beast’s aura of nightmares does not affect creatures under protection from evil or a similar effect. Defiled Casting (Su) Any spell-like abilities used by a nightmare beast for 1 round after it deals negative levels with its bite or is healed with its healing theft aura gains a +2 to its save DC. Double Damage against Objects (Ex) When a nightmare beast makes a full attack against an object or structure, it deals double normal damage. Healing Theft Aura (Su) Any time a creature casts a spell that heals hit points or channels positive energy to heal within 30 feet of a nightmare beast, it must succeed a DC 28 Will save or half of the healing is redirected to heal the nightmare beast instead of its selected target. The save DC is Charisma based.

[thecreaturecodex]

Demon, Klurichir

Image by Puddnhead, © Wizards of the Coast. Accessed at the Fiend Folio Art Gallery here

[Commissioned by @razzelmire​. The klurichir appeared first in the 3rd edition Fiend Folio, where it is said to be the tool of the demon lords. This is likely a case of one hand not knowing what the other hand is doing--demon lord statistics appear in the Book of Vile Darkness, released the same year. The klurichir sits comfortably in the middle of the demon lords in terms of CR on paper (CR 25 against a range between CR 20 and 30), but even the weakest demon lord in that book has more hit points, a better AC and more nasty abilities than the klurichir. The klurichir also seemed to have gone through several major revisions before publication, leaving it a bit muddled. It has Multiweapon Fighting but only one weapon, claws but no claw attacks, and no range given on its spine attacks.

So my take on the klurichir is plopped in the middle of the CR range for nascent demon lords in PFRPG, weak enough to be a valuable tool for the true demon lords but not their equal. It also streamlines and clarifies their abilities (why did they cast spells as a 10th level sorcerer?) and borrows the malign aura from the D&D 4e version. ]

Demon, Klurichir CR 23 CE Outsider (extraplanar) This hideous fiend stands as tall as a building, with four clawed arms. Two of these arms hold an oversize axe. Its head is like that of a snarling beast, with a pug nose and crooked teeth. Spines cover its shoulders, back and crown. Its skin is a dark, unhealthy green, and its membranous wings are the color of arterial blood. Most horrifying is its chest and stomach—a gnashing maw with multiple rows of teeth and a pair of scissor-like mandibles splits the beast open like a gaping wound.

A klurichir is sometimes called a catastrophe demon, as the effects of a single one of these creatures are truly cataclysmic. They do not form from mortal souls directly, instead being sculpted by a demon lord when it has need of a powerful catspaw, inquisitor or general. They are as strong as or stronger than nascent demon lords. The history of the Abyss is littered with nascent demon lords whose ambitions outstretched their powers and were slain by a klurichir assassin. When not on missions, a klurichir may incite wars between demons and other planes for the sheer fun of it. Some demon lords allow this behavior as a distraction from their own internal plotting, whereas others attempt to stymie it and kill any rogue klurichir they can.

A klurichir is an absolutely devastating combatant. They carry great axes or other two-handed weapons, but prefer to leave some of their hands free in order to grab opponents. The maw set in their stomachs is too awkwardly placed to attack creatures that a klurichir hasn’t grabbed, but it can do overwhelming damage to held foes, even severing heads in a single bite. Opponents that are faster or more agile are barraged by spines infused with negative energy. If facing multiple foes at once, a klurichir uses its impressive magical abilities, in particular its ability to evoke symbols with a mere thought. A klurichir almost never flees from combat once it is joined, choosing to die rather than surrender to mortals.

All klurichirs look almost identical, and they rarely make their allegiances to a particular demon lord clear. Lesser demons scurry for cover at mere rumors of a klurichir’s presence, and are typically obsequious if the beast appears directly. They are fiendishly intelligent and excellent judges of character, and do not tolerate being lied to. Klurichirs lead armies of fiends when their goals dictate so, and even balors bend the knee to a klurichir’s orders (albeit reluctantly). A klurichir considers its greatest enemies to be solars and other klurichirs.

Klurichir                  CR 23 XP 820,000 CE Huge outsider (chaos, demon, evil, extraplanar) Init +10; Senses darkvision 120 ft., detect good, detect law, Perception +35, scent, true seeing Aura malign (30 ft.), unholy aura (DC 28) Defense AC 38, touch 18, flat-footed 32 (-2 size, +6 Dex, +20 natural, +4 deflection) hp 471 (23d10+345) Fort +26, Ref +23, Will +26 DR 20/good and cold iron or epic; Immune electricity, energy drain, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10; SR 34 Offense Speed 50 ft., fly 90 ft. (poor) Melee +3 greataxe +39/+34/+29/+24 (4d6+25/19-20x3), 2 claws +31 (2d6+7 plus grab) or 4 claws +36 (2d6+15 plus grab) Ranged 4 spines +27 (2d8+15 plus enervate) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks multigrab, planar champion, rake (bite +36, 4d6+24), powerful blows (bite), vorpal maw Spell-like Abilities CL 23rd, concentration +33 Constant—detect good, detect law, true seeing, unholy aura (DC 28, self only) At will—greater dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. objects only), mass charm monster (DC 28), mass suggestion (DC 26), slay living (DC 25), telekinesis (DC 25) 3/day—quickened blasphemy (DC 27), empowered fire storm (DC 28), quickened greater dispel magic, master symbol (DC 29) 1/day—gate (planar travel only, DC 29), meteor swarm (DC 29), summon (9th level, 1 demon of CR 20 or lower, 100%), wail of the banshee (DC 29) Statistics Str 41, Dex 23, Con 40, Int 28, Wis 28, Cha 31 Base Atk +23; CMB +40 (+44 grapple); CMD 60 Feats Combat Reflexes, Empower SLA (fire storm), Flyby Attack, Improved Critical (greataxe), Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Point-Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Quicken SLA (blasphemy, greater dispel magic), Vital Strike Skills Acrobatics +32, Bluff +36, Diplomacy +33, Fly +24, Intimidate +44, Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, history) +32, Knowledge (planes, religion) +35, Perception +35, Sense Motive +43, Spellcraft +32, Stealth +28, Use Magic Device +33; Racial Modifiers +8 Intimidate, +8 Sense Motive, +4 Stealth Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Infernal, Protean, telepathy 100 ft. Ecology Environment any land or underground (Abyss) Organization solitary or warband (1 plus 2-5 mariliths) Treasure double standard (Huge +3 greataxe, other treasure) Special Abilities Enervate (Su) A creature struck by a klurichir’s spine attack must succeed a DC 31 Fortitude save or gain 1 permanent negative level. A creature with a number of negative levels equal to its Hit Dice dies immediately. Malign Aura (Su) No creature can gain hit points within 30 feet of a klurichir. A klurichir is immune to this ability, as is a demon lord. Master Symbol (Sp) As a standard action, a klurichir can trace a symbol in the air, which automatically resolves as a triggered symbol of death, fear, insanity, pain, stunning or weakness. A klurichir is immune to the effects of its own master symbol, and it can choose to attune a number of creatures equal to its Charisma modifier as part of the action made to cast the spell. Creatures can resist the effect with a successful DC 29 saving throw, as appropriate to the symbol represented (Fortitude for death, Will for fear or insanity, etc.). This is the equivalent of a 9th level spell. Multigrab (Ex) A klurichir can choose to grapple a Large or smaller creature using two free arms without taking a -20 penalty for not using its entire body in the grapple. If it has two creatures held in its four arms, it can make rake attacks against them both. Planar Champion (Ex) A klurichir can bypass the damage reduction of all creatures with the outsider type, save creatures capable of granting divine spells, with its manufactured and natural weapons. It has a +4 bonus on all caster level checks made to overcome the spell resistance of outsiders. Spines (Ex) As a standard action, a klurichir can fire four spines. Treat these as thrown weapons with a range increment of 100 feet. A klurichir has an effectively infinite supply of spines, and does not risk running out. Vorpal Maw (Ex) If a klurichir rolls a natural 20 and successfully confirms the critical hit with its bite attack, it severs the head of its opponent. This kills most, but not all opponents instantly, as per a vorpal weapon.

[thecreaturecodex]

Dhezik

Image by “JML”, © Frog God Games.

[ Swords and Wizardry lacks derro among the OGL monsters, and I suspect that the dhezik is intended to be their take on the same trope. The original dhezik is immune to all arcane magic. In the interests of simplification, and a general design philosophy of “don’t completely screw over one particular class”, I reduced that to a higher-than-average spell resistance. ]

Dhezik CR 5 CE Monstrous Humanoid This naked humanoid resembles a fanged dwarf, his green skin covered in strange rune-like markings. His hair, beard and eyebrows are all white, but stained with blood, and they writhe as if with a mind of their own. His eyes are yellow and cat-like.

The dheziks are simultaneously pathetic and terrifying, a lineage of dwarves created by a terrible curse. Dhezik was originally a clan name, belonging to a dwarven family renowned as hunters of orcs. They attempted to go so far as to slay an orcish god, and were struck down for their hubris, transformed into monsters less civilized and more frenzied than any orc. Dheziks now hunt their former kin, and the pain of their existence is temporarily sated by the taste of dwarven blood.

In combat, a dhezik fights without weapons using their fists and sharp teeth. All dheziks are bearded, and these beards grab out at creatures near the dhezik to hold them close to devour. A dhezik’s resistance to magic is even stronger than that of dwarves, and rumors that they are completely immune to spells are not quite true, but close enough for inexperienced mages. A dhezik’s bloodlust can get the better of it, however, and when they fell a foe they may snap at their allies or even chew on their own arms and legs for a while.

Dheziks are nomadic creatures, roaming the Darklands in terrifying packs. They can sometimes be cowed to service by evil powers, but they are unreliable minions at best. Perhaps as a remnant of their memory as former dwarves, they are very impressed with well crafted metal and stone. Creatures that can manipulate stone with magic often can intimidate a dhezik pack away, or even convince the monsters to perform a (small, often brutal) favor.

Dhezik           CR 5 XP 1,600 CE Medium monstrous humanoid (dwarf) Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +5 Aura tangling hair (5 ft., Reflex DC 14) Defense AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +5 natural) hp 63 (6d10+30) Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +5; +2 vs. poison, spells, spell-like abilities SR 20 Defensive Abilities stability; Weakness bloodlust, dwarf blood Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee bite +9 (1d6+3 plus bleed), 2 slams +9 (1d4+3) Special Attacks bleed (1d6), hatred Statistics Str 16, Dex 13, Con 20, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 7 Base Atk +6; CMB +9; CMD 20 (24 vs. bull rush, trip) Feats Cleave, Improved Initiative, Power Attack Skills Acrobatics +7, Climb +12, Perception +5; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Climb Languages Dwarf Ecology Environment any hills or underground Organization solitary, pair, band (3-11) or pack (12-22) Treasure incidental Special Abilities Bloodlust (Ex) A dhezik that knocks an opponent unconscious must succeed a DC 15 Will save or be confused for 1 round. Dwarf Blood (Ex) A dhezik is treated as both a monstrous humanoid and a dwarf for the purposes of spells and effects. Hatred (Ex) A dhezik gains a +1 racial bonus on attack and damage rolls against all creatures with the dwarf subtype. Stability (Ex) A dhezik gains a +4 racial bonus to its CMD when resisting a bull rush or trip attempt while standing on the ground. Tangling Hair (Su) Any creature that starts its turn in a square adjacent to a dhezik must succeed a DC 14 Reflex save or become entangled and unable to move away from the dhezik. The hair can be cut with a sunder attempt with a slashing weapon, dealing 5 points of damage, or the creature can break free with a combat maneuver or Escape Artist check made against the dhezik’s CMD. Dheziks are immune to the tangling hair of other dheziks. The save DC is Dexterity based.

[thecreaturecodex]

Demon Lord, Yhidothrus

Image © Paizo Publishing, artist unknown. Accessed @monstersdownthepath​ here

[Commissioned by @bobmuffin52. A lot of folks want top tier threats this go around, it seems. My version of Yhidothrus borrows a lot of mechanics from other impossibly large monsters. It’s kaiju massive, for one. I snagged the endless coils SQ from my previous ayakashi statistics.The impossible lunge is borrowed from Bestiary 5′s cetus, and the shifting coils ability is borrowed from the wrackworm in Planar Adventures (which the flavor text ties to Yhidothrus)]

Demon Lord, Yhidothrus CR 30 CE Outsider This impossibly immense creature looks like a mammoth worm, its oily night-black body opening at one end to reveal a maw filled with hooked jaws. Patches of shaggy bristles hang from it in chunks. The other end of the monster disappears into the distance.

Yhidothrus, The Ravager Worm CE male demon lord of age, time and worms Domains Chaos, Death, Evil, Repose Subdomains Ancestors, Demon, Entropy, Murder Favored Weapon spiked chain Unholy Symbol an hourglass filled with worms instead of sand Worshipers conqueror worms, liches, worms that walk Minions ghosts, grimslakes, worm-like monsters For information on Yhidothrus’ obedience and boons, consult Book of the Damned

Yhidothrus the Ravager Worm is associated with all of the negative aspects of time—aging, entropy and decay. His worshipers are few and far between, mostly made up of those that would do anything to prevent their own deaths, or creatures that have already died but have eternal unlives, such as ghosts and liches. Despite the obscurity of his cult, he is immensely powerful, roaming endlessly through the Spiral Paths that weave below the surfaces of all of the Abyssal layers.

Yhidothrus is so immense that lesser creatures usually fail to catch his attention. They wither away to nothing in his mere wake, so why bother fighting them? If his attention is forced, he usually opens with a powerful spell-like ability or two, then use his bite and Whirlwind Attack to finish off any survivors. Creatures that survive his bite have their years stripped away from them, aging to death even if the wounds do not take their toll. He is impossibly long, and always appears emerging from some surface—the space and reach listed below are the part of his body that appears on a battlefield. If attacked at range, he can lunge almost half a mile at a time to pick off distant opponents.

The true nature of Yhidothrus is obscure. Rumors abound as to what is at the other end of his ravenous maw. Is he a demon at one end and a qlippoth at another? Is he merely an appendage of some greater being, an animate tongue or intestine of something truly divine? Is he, in fact, infinite? It is said that when Yhidothrus uses his time stop ability, his true nature becomes briefly visible…and all those who have survived to witness this are utterly insane.

Yhidothrus            CR 30 XP 9,830,400 CE Colossal outsider (chaos, demon, evil, extraplanar) Init +6; Senses darkvision 600 ft., Perception +47, tremosense 240 ft., true seeing Aura cloak of chaos (DC 27), entropy (60 ft., 5d6 damage, Fort DC 43) Defenses AC 48, touch 9, flat-footed 45 (-8 size, +2 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 deflection, +39 natural) hp 752 (35d10+560); regeneration 30 (deific or mythic) Fort +31, Ref +27, Will +32 DR 20/lawful, cold iron and epic; Immune ability damage, ability drain, aging effects, cold, death effects,  disintegrate, electricity, energy drain, mind-influencing effects, negative energy, petrification, and poison; Resist acid 30, fire 30; SR 41 Defensive Abilities ferocity, freedom of movement, massive, shifting coils Offense Speed 80 ft., burrow 80 ft. Melee bite +48 (6d10+21/19-20 plus grab plus dispelling bite and decline), 1d4+1 slams (2d8+21) Space 60 ft. Reach 60 ft (120 ft. with bite) Special Attacks endless coils, hurl foe, impossible lunge, part the veil, swallow whole (AC 30, 75 hp, 10d6 damage plus annihilation) Spell-like Abilities CL 30th, concentration +41 Constant—cloak of chaos (DC 27), freedom of movement, true seeingAt will—astral projection, cone of cold (DC 24) M, create greater undead, greater dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. objects only), insanity (DC 26), slay living (DC 24), word of chaos (DC 26) M 3/day—quickened empowered disintegrate (DC 25) M, quickened greater dispel magic, empowered horrid wilting (DC 27) 1/day—gate, summon (9th level, 1 demon of CR 20 or lower, 100%), power word kill M, time stop M, wail of the banshee (DC 28) M = Yhidothrus can use the mythic version of this spell-like ability in his realm. Statistics Str 52, Dex 15, Con 42, Int 33, Wis 28, Cha 32 Base Atk +35; CMB +64 (+68 sunder); CMD 80 (82 vs. sunder, cannot be tripped) Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Dodge, Empower SLA (disintegrate, horrid wilting), Greater Sunder, Improved Initiative, Improved Sunder, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (disintegrate, greater dispel magic), Spring Attack, Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical, Whirlwind Attack Skills Bluff +49, Climb +51, Diplomacy +49, Escape Artist +37, Intimidate +49, Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, engineering) +46, Knowledge (history, planes, religion) +49, Perception +47, Sense Motive +47, Stealth +24, Spellcraft +46, Survival +44, Swim +51 Languages Abyssal, Aklo, Celestial, Draconic, Protean, telepathy 120 ft SQ burrow through, compression, demon lord traits Ecology Environment any land or underground (Abyss) Organization solitary (unique) Treasure standard Special Abilities Aura of Entropy (Su) All objects and creatures within 60 feet of Yhidothrus decay. All unattended objects have their hardness halved permanently; a worn or attended object may resist this effect with a successful DC 43 Fortitude save). All corporeal creatures take 5d6 points of damage a round (Fort DC 43 halves); a creature reduced to 0 hit points by this ability is reduced to dust, as per the disintegrate spell. The save DC is Constitution based. Burrow Through (Ex) Yhidothrus can burrow through solid stone without penalty. He may burrow through iron or other metals at a rate of ¼ movement. Decline (Su) A creature bitten by Yhidothrus must succeed a DC 38 Fortitude save or advance to the next age category. This aging can never have beneficial results (such as for a true dragon). The target gains the penalties associated with its new age category to its Strength, Dexterity and Constitution, but no benefits to its Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. This advanced age effect is permanent unless removed via remove curse, break enchantment or a similar effect. A venerable creature that fails its saving throw is instantly slain as if by old age, and cannot be restored to life via a miracle, reincarnate, true resurrection or wish spell. This is a curse effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Dispelling Bite (Su) A creature bitten by Yhidothrus is affected by a targeted greater dispel magic effect (CL 30th). Endless Coils (Ex) Yhidothrus can make a variable amount of slam attacks in a round. He can never make more than one slam attack a round against a single Huge or smaller creature. Hurl Foe (Ex) When Yhidothrus damages a Huge or smaller foe with one of its natural attacks, he can try to hurl the foe as part of that attack by attempting a combat maneuver check. On a successful check, the foe is knocked back 10 feet in a direction of Yhidothrus’ choice and falls prone. The distance the foe is hurled increases by 10 feet for every 5 points by which Yhidothrus’ check exceeds the foe's CMD. If an obstacle stops the hurled creature before it travels the whole distance, the hurled foe and the obstacle struck each take 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet of distance remaining and the foe is knocked prone in the space adjacent to the obstacle. Impossible Leap (Su) Yhidothrus can uncoil upward, revealing more length than it seems it could possibly possess while soaring to great heights. As a full-round action, he can leap out of the ground toward a creature up to 2,400 feet in the air and make a bite attack against that creature before coiling down and returning to his original space. This leap provokes attacks of opportunity. Massive (Ex) Because Yhidothrus is so massive, uneven ground and other terrain features that form difficult terrain generally pose no significant hindrance to his movement, though areas of forest or settlements are considered difficult terrain to him. A Huge or smaller creature can move through any square occupied by Yhidothrus, or vice-versa. Yhidothrus can make attacks of opportunity only against foes that are Huge or larger, and can be flanked only by Huge or larger foes. Yhidothrus gains a bonus for being on higher ground only if its entire space is on higher ground than that of its target. It's possible for a Huge or smaller creature to climb Yhidothrus—this generally requires a successful DC 30 check, and unlike the normal rules about Yhidothrus and attacks of opportunity, a Small or larger creature that climbs on his body provokes an attack of opportunity. Part the Veil (Su) Any creature that can see Yhidothrus when he uses his time stop spell like ability must succeed a DC 38 Will save or gain two madnesses with an instantaneous onset—one of these is moral insanity, and the other is of Yhidothrus’ choice. This is a mind-influencing effect and the save DC is Charisma based. Shifting Coils (Su) The first time each round that Yhidothrus is targeted by anything that resolves againsth is touch AC, he gains a +39 dodge bonus against that attack. Swallow Whole (Ex/Su) The damage dealt to a creature in Yhidothrus’ gut disintegrates creatures reduced below 0 hit points, as a disintegrate spell. In addition, a swallowed creature must succeed a DC 38 Fortitude save every round or be utterly annihilated, as per a sphere of annihilation.

[thecreaturecodex]

Tonberry

Image accessed at ZeroChan here

[Commissioned by @arachcobra​, who wanted some Final Fantasy monsters. That’s fine by me, because Final Fantasy is one of those series that I loved when I was young, and has a great bestiary. And since it owes so much to D&D, converting it back for Pathfinder has a pleasant snake-eating-its-own-tail feeling for me. I wanted to capture the absurd lethality of a tonberry in a way that still met basic game balance concerns in a game where raise dead is a lot harder to come by than Phoenix Downs are.]

Tonberry CR 10 CE Monstrous Humanoid This small humanoid has green skin and blank yellow eyes. Its garb is an oversized robe that drags on the ground behind it, nearly concealing its fish-like tail. It clutches an oversized knife in one hand, and a lantern in the other. It is expressionless, but nevertheless bears an aura of malice.

Once, the tonberries had a great civilization. They were a subterranean and semi-aquatic people, their cities built into the shores of sunless seas. In their arrogance, they raided the races of the Darklands and the surface world alike, until they brought the wrath of their enemies upon them. A mere handful of heroes were sufficient to topple the tonberry empire, a fact that the surviving tonberries have never forgotten. They were never a kindly people, but after their failure turned to dark powers of death and revenge. Even the lowliest tonberry is now gifted with the power to kill with a touch, and they use this evil blessing to target powerful humanoids as misplaced vengeance for the loss of their culture.

A tonberry is an implacable foe. They prefer to face parties of gifted individuals rather than kill indiscriminately—in their minds, they are angels of vengeance for the legions of monsters that adventurers slay in order to gain power and improve their skills. The more powerful a creature is, the more haunted they are by a tonberry, as they feel the pain of the monsters they slay in their own bodies when they attack the strange tonberry. The wisest heroes seek to delay or distract a tonberry rather than fight it, because a tonberry can kill an entire party before it lays a single blow. The blows it does lay are supernaturally lethal.

Variant Tonberries Tonberries are religious in their own twisted way, and their clerics are called master tonberries. These masters direct tonberries to find worthy targets for murdering, and make the magic knives that every tonberry wields. A master tonberry has the cleric simple template and Craft Magic Arms and Armor as a bonus feat. A master tonberry is CR 12.

The most powerful tonberries are tonberry kings, who embody the rage for the lost legacy of their people. A tonberry king has the advanced and barbarian simple templates, and is usually found in the company of a court of lesser tonberries. A tonberry king is CR 14.

Tonberry             CR 10 XP 9,600 CE Small monstrous humanoid Init +12; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision, Perception +16 Defense AC 24, touch 20, flat-footed 24 (+1 size, +8 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 natural) hp 125 (10d10+70) Fort +12, Ref +15, Will +10 DR 10/magic; SR 21 Defensive Abilities karmic defense, uncanny dodge Offense Speed 20 ft., swim 20 ft. Melee +1 short sword +20/+15 (1d4+5/19-20) Special Abilities murderous force Statistics Str 18, Dex 26, Con 24, Int 11, Wis 17, Cha 19 Base Atk +10; CMB +13; CMD 32 Feats Ability Focus (karmic defense), Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse Skills Intimidate +17, Perception +16, Stealth +29, Survival +16, Swim +12 Languages Common, Undercommon SQ freedom of movement, hold breath, sense power, tonberry light Ecology Environment underground Organization solitary, conflux (2-5 plus 0-3 master tonberries) or court (3-8 plus 1-6 master tonberries and 1 tonberry king) Treasure standard (+1 short sword, 3 short swords, hooded lantern, other treasure) Special Abilities Freedom of Movement (Su) A tonberry is always under the effect of a freedom of movement spell as a supernatural ability. Karmic Defense (Su) Whenever a tonberry takes damage from a creature within 60 feet, that creature takes 1d6 points of damage per Hit Dice it has. A successful DC 21 Will save halves this damage. A creature can only take damage from that tonberry’s karmic defense once per round, no matter how many times it attacks the tonberry. This is a mind-influencing effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Murderous Force (Su) A tonberry can use slay living (CL 10th, DC 19) at will by a touch. It can also use this ability as a swift action against a creature it hits with a weapon attack. The save DC is Charisma based. Sense Power (Su) A tonberry knows the Hit Dice of all creatures within 60 feet that it can see. Tonberry Light (Su) Any lantern held by a tonberry gains magical powers. All creatures within the aura of its light are subject to an invisibility purge spell.This is an ability of the tonberry, not the lantern.

[thecreaturecodex]

Chasm Linnorm

“Chinese Dragon” © Russell Dongjun Lu, accessed at his ArtStation here

[Commissioned by @glarnboudin, based on the What’s New Scooby-Doo episode “Block-Long Hong-Kong Terror” This was the first episode of What’s New Scooby-Doo I had seen; it came out right in that unsweet spot where I thought I was too old for cartoons. I was pleasantly surprised--the writers seemed to care more about the mystery than in any other Scooby-Doo series. There were five suspects, two red herrings, and at one point Daphne and Velma discuss possible motives. Also, all of the members of the Scooby Gang have personalities, which is more than can be said for some Scooby-Doo series.

The commissioner suggested that, since it’s referred to as “the bad luck dragon” in the text of the episode, I connect it to linnorms. So I went ahead and just made it a linnorm, which also fills in a CR gap in the linnorms in the Bestiaries. This did, however, add a level of difficulty to the art, because two-legged Chinese dragons are uncommon on the internet, and ones with the right color palette are even rarer.]

Chasm Linnorm CR 15 CE Dragon This immense dragon has a whiskered face and a great mane. Its scales are red and yellow-gold, and it only has two clawed legs.

Chasm linnorms are subterranean dragons that lash spitefully out at creatures they come across. They are sometimes called “bad luck dragons”, as their bite spreads a curse of misfortune, and they have an unnerving tendency to target the same individual or family for their depredations over the course of years or centuries. Although they are native to deep underground canyons, they are sometimes found in cities, dwelling in their sewers or dungeons and emerging to prey on the populace. Chasm dragons feel especially comfortable in large, well-developed cities, as tall buildings and cramped alleys remind them of their subterranean homes.

Unlike most linnorms, chasm linnorms have manes, whiskers and other hair that causes them to more closely resemble imperial dragons. Rumors abound that they are the result of crossbreeding between linnorms and underground imperial dragons, but the two species hate eat other and fight to the death when their paths cross. Like all linnorms, they are covetous, and will happily destroy entire city blocks to obtain a single bauble.

In combat, chasm linnorms act much like their cousins, using their breath weapons when able to blast multiple foes at once. Their fiery breath blows away smaller creatures, and they are fond of using this to push foes off of ledges or knock them from climbing rock walls. Unlike other linnorms, they are not poisonous, but their cursed bite is vile enough to make foes wish for poison. Anyone fortunate enough to slay a chasm linnorm is struck with its death curse, feeling as if a weight is always on their shoulders pushing them down.

A chasm linnorm is fifty feet long and weighs around 13,000 pounds.

Chasm Linnorm                CR 15 XP 51,200 CE Gargantuan dragon (fire) Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +21, scent, true seeing Defense AC 30, touch 12, flat-footed 24 (-4 size, +5 Dex, +14 natural, +1 dodge) hp 217 (15d12+120); regeneration 10 (cold iron) Fort +17, Ref +14, Will +14 DR 15/cold iron; Immune curses, fire, mind-influencing effects, paralysis, poison, sleep; SR 26 Defensive Abilities freedom of movement Offense Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft., fly 100 ft. (good) Melee bite +23 (2d8+12 /19-20 plus curse), 2 claws +23 (2d6+12), tail +18 (2d6+5 plus grab) Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft. Special Attacks breath weapon, constrict (2d6+18), death curse Statistics Str 34, Dex 20, Con 27, Int 5, Wis 20, Cha 25 Base Atk +15; CMB +31 (+33 bull rush, +35 grapple); CMD 46 (48 vs. bull rush) Feats Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Power Attack,, Stand Still Skills Fly +21, Intimidate +19, Perception +21, Stealth +14; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic SQ lesser compression Ecology Environment underground and urban Organization solitary Treasure triple Special Abilities Breath Weapon (Su) As a standard action once every 1d4 rounds, a chasm linnorm can breathe a 120 foot line that deals 15d8 points of fire damage to all creatures in the area (Reflex DC 25 half). Any creature that takes damage is also subject to a bull rush attempt by the linnorm at its normal CMB, except that the linnorm does not move with its opponent. The save DC is Constitution based. Curse (Su) bite—injury; save Will DC 24; duration 1 minute; effect a creature cursed by a chasm linnorm’s bite must roll all d20 rolls twice and take the worse result. The save DC is Charisma based. Death Curse (Su) Gravity’s call; save Will DC 24; effect the creature’s movement and skills are impeded as if it were carrying a heavy load, and it takes 1d10 points of damage per 10 feet fallen. The save DC is Charisma based. Freedom of Movement (Ex) A linnorm benefits from the freedom of movement spell as an extraordinary ability that cannot be suppressed or dispelled. Lesser Compression (Ex) A chasm linnorm can move through an area half its space without squeezing, and ¼ its space when squeezing. True Seeing (Ex) A linnorm benefits from the true seeing spell as an extraordinary ability that cannot be suppressed or dispelled.

[thecreaturecodex]

Necromanta

“Devil Ray” © Christal J. Kuna. Accessed at her deviantArt page here

[I see your “death ray�� pun, Hackmaster, and raise you.]

Necromanta This great black ray has a pattern on its body resembling a leering skull.

Necromantas, sometimes called death rays, are a member of the Abyssal fauna aside from the demons that rule the Abyss. These awful creatures cruise the seas, lakes and rivers of the Abyss, killing indiscriminately for the love of killing. They are stronger than many demons, and powerful demons often rally up forces to slay these monsters before their retainers and minions are too badly depleted.

A necromanta does not need to eat, but gains great pleasure from killing creatures with their heavy blows and negative energy beams. They are immune to negative energy, and may attract schools of smaller, aquatic undead like draugrs or lacedons that swim in their wake like pilot fish. Necromantas are native to the Abyss, but follow the River Styx through the other lower planes and to the Plane of Water. They are always on the lookout for portals to the Material Plane, as they find the suffering and deaths of mortals more entertaining than those of other outsiders. A necromanta has a wingspan reaching twenty-five feet and can weigh up to two tons.

Necromanta    CR 10 XP 9,600 CE Huge outsider (aquatic, chaos, evil, extraplanar) Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +13, scent Defense AC 24, touch 13, flat-footed 21 (-2 size, +3 Dex, +10 natural, +1 Dodge, +2 profane) hp 138 (12d10+60) Fort +9, Ref +11, Will +10 DR 10/good; Immune death effects, negative energy, negative levels, waters of the River Styx; Resist cold 10, fire 10, electricity 10; SR 21 Defensive Abilities wicked wardOffense Speed swim 40 ft. Melee slam +17 (1d8+10 plus 1d6 negative energy) Ranged death ray +13 touch (6d6 negative energy plus energy drain) Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks energy drain (1 negative level, DC 17) Statistics Str 24, Dex 17, Con 21, Int 6, Wis 15, Cha 12 Base Atk +12; CMB +21; CMD 37 (cannot be tripped) Feats Dodge, Mobility, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Spring Attack, Vital Strike Skills Acrobatics +14 (+18 jumping), Knowledge (planes) +9, Perception +13, Sense Motive +13, Stealth +5, Swim +26 Languages Abyssal Ecology Environment the Abyss or any aquatic Organization solitary, pair or shoal (3-6) Treasure none Special Abilities Death Ray (Su) As a standard action, a necromanta can fire a beam of negative energy. Treat this as a ranged touch attack with a range of 120 feet and no range increment. A creature struck by this ray takes 6d6 points of negative energy damage and must succeed a DC 17 Fortitude save or take 1 negative level. The save DC is Charisma based. Wicked Ward (Su) A necromanta gains a profane bonus to its Armor Class and CMD equal to its Wisdom modifier (+2 for the average specimen). Any creature striking the necromanta with a melee weapon, unarmed strike or natural weapon takes 1d6 points of negative energy damage. Weapons with the reach quality do not endanger their wielder in this way.

[thecreaturecodex]

Psoglav

Image © S.J. Miller. Accessed @sjmillerart here

[Unlike most of the monsters posted here, I have actually used a psoglav in game!  My players really hate it when monsters have ranged capacity.]

Psoglav Crouching in the shadows is a twisted giant, its hands tipped with iron claws and its legs in iron hooves. Its head is that of a snarling wolf, a single eye glaring balefully from over its muzzle. The stink of rotting meat wafts off of the creature.

Psoglavs are monstrous predators native to the Plane of Shadow. Psoglavs have an affinity for the undead, treating smaller and weaker undead as snacks and minions and kowtowing to more powerful creatures such as liches or nightshades.  They delight in spreading panic and will terrorize a community for days before striking, digging up graves in order to consume corpses and loot burial goods. Avaricious creatures, they hoard gemstones with fervor and will take foolish risks in order to obtain especially fine specimens.

A psoglav is a cunning adversary and rarely fights fair. They use their natural abilities to weaken and harass opponents before closing in for the kill. Most psoglavs do not hesitate to flee if the battle turns against them, and may attempt to abduct a weakened adversary and whisk them away to the Plane of Shadow as a parting insult. Psoglavs are not especially cooperative creatures, and combats with multiple psoglavs often turn into competitions between the monsters to slay more opponents. A psoglav stands 12 feet tall and weighs about 1000 pounds.

Psoglav                 CR 9 XP 6,400 CE Large monstrous humanoid (extraplanar) Init +7; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision, Perception +17, scent Defense AC 23, touch 12, flat-footed 20 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +11 natural) hp 115 (11d10+55) Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +10 Defensive Abilities negative energy affinity Offense Speed 50 ft. Melee 2 claws +14 (1d8+4), bite +13 (2d6+4) Ranged baleful bolt +12 touch (6d6 negative energy plus stun) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks carrion breath, rend (2 claws, 1d8+6), trample (DC 19, 1d8+6) Spell-like Abilities CL 11th, concentration +13 1/day—plane shift (DC 17) Statistics Str 18, Dex 17, Con 20, Int 12, Wis 17, Cha 15 Base Atk +11; CMB +16; CMD 29 Feats Dazzling Display, Improved Bull’s Rush, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Shatter Defenses, Weapon Focus (claw) Skills Acrobatics +14 (+22 when jumping), Climb +18, Intimidate +16, Perception +17, Stealth +13 Ecology Environment Plane of Shadow or underground Organization solitary, pair or horde (3-8) Treasure double standard Special Abilities Baleful Bolt (Su) As a standard action, a psoglav can fire a beam of red-black energy from its eye. This functions as a ranged touch attack with a range of 100 feet and no range increment. Any creature struck by this bolt takes 6d6 negative energy damage and must succeed a DC 17 Fortitude save or be stunned with pain for one round. The save DC is Charisma-based. Carrion Breath (Su) As a standard action, a psoglav can breathe a 30 foot cone that causes all living creatures to be sickened for one minute and take 1d6 points of Strength damage. A successful DC 20 Fortitude save eliminates the Strength damage. A psoglav can use its carrion breath 3 times per day, and must wait 1d4 rounds between uses. The save DC is Constitution based.