Tanuki Tales
2012-10-16, 11:10 PM
"The Gentleman, Gentleman, all in black.
His hands do grab, but he never gives back.
The Gentleman, Gentleman, out at night.
His face so smooth, his skin so white.
The Gentleman, Gentleman, above the man.
He hides from your eyes, he hides from the land.
The Gentleman, Gentleman, now is here.
He comes from the trees, scream in fear."
- Children's folkloric nursery rhyme
Limber Ones
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q727/CandyCoatedGengar/Limber_zps92c0f3b9.jpg
The creator of this image, RaptorBarry (http://raptorbarry.deviantart.com/), has given his consent for the use of this image here.
"A stranger who keeps his distance is a man to be watched. You don't know the truth of what he is until he stands with his face seen."
- Old Traveler's Proverb.
The Slender Kind, The Gentlemen in Black, The Seekers in the Woods, The Noble Highwaymen, The Child Shepherds, The Regal Shadows, The Misty-winged Shrikes; all of these and more are the names given to a theorized race of horrific and mysterious beings known most commonly by the epithet of "The Limber Ones". They gain their common name from the fact that the most discerning feature about them, save their blank, featureless faces, are their inhumanly long torsos and limbs (which extend outwards to ten or fifteen feet). Supposed natives to the Plane of Shadows (simply because this is where they are discovered to both sojourn out from and return to when making visits to the Material Plane), the Limber Ones are universally held as being aberrants with alien minds and the most sinister of intentions.
If there is any true variation in the structure and make up of one Limber One to the next, it has yet to be witnessed and investigated. The creatures are vaguely humanoid in appearance and shape, something that is only truly questioned at a distance. Their limbs are long and gangly, moving in disgustingly contorted and twisted ways that would normally lead to the breaking of bones. Their skin is completely smooth and unmarred, but is the color of milk and has the parlor of a corpse. Their face is completely devoid of structure or feature, being completely smooth and undefined as that of a mannequin. It is in the clothing like skin growths that encase their stretched torsos that any true difference can be seen in Limber Ones. They seem to be able to shape and mold it at will and always mimic the appearance of the clothing worn by those who hold positions of authority and trust. The default display of this is usually a suit of black material, almost akin to a mortuary priest.
"The Winter of Year 1027 of our Beneficent Emperor's Reign
I enclose in this report my findings concerning the investigation into the claimed disappearances of fifteen children from the hamlet of Alderberg. I, Sir Renquest Duford, Inquisitor of his Beneficent Emperor, was dispatched two weeks following the request for imperial intervention on the behalf of Alderberg. This request was received one month following the first reported disappearance to Alderberg's resident law enforcement, Sheriff Wainfurth.
Upon arrival, I first interrogated any citizens who were even remotely connected to the missing children, to begin the guidance of my eventual judgement. Many of the parents, family, friends and neighbors spoke nothing of any strange behaviors or strange occurrence that lead up to or followed the disappearances. Seven of the children disappeared when last seen playing at the edge of the Mardstaff woods; normal stomping grounds for the youths of Alderberg. Five more simply were missing from their beds when the family checked on them in the morning. Another three simply vanished, seen going about their daily business and gone the next time an eye was turned.
My investigation lead me to the Mardstaff woods after I had put the townsfolk under close scrutiny, specifically to Agnes Caire. A spinster who had been exiled from the town decades earlier (claiming to be a curse on the hamlet), the aging woman was the first to speak to me about anything foul concerning the children. She spoke to me of a tall, scrawny creature in the shape of a man, that could walk like the wind and turn away even the sharpest of sword. She claimed the creature had bewitched the minds of the children, leading them as an animal trainer does with his flute, bringing them into Faustian confidence before whisking them off to another world. She spoke to me of places in the woods where she had seen the creature and had seen the children with it, playing amongst themselves and luring more children to play with the beast.
I investigated her claims, as outlandish as they were, more than willing to follow even the slimmest lead in pursuit of my duty. Though I found evidence that the children had been in the areas as the crone had claimed, too much time and recent fires had wiped away anything but that.
My final judgement was that Agnes Caire was responsible for the kidnapping and sacrificing of the missing children. She had been driven from Alderberg for causing a series of misfortunes with her presence, for seeing things that simply were not there and for having strange relationships with local animal life. Though I never found any signs of the children, it is obvious that she was the one ultimately responsible for their fates. I condemned her as the witch she was and put her to death at the end of my crossbow before reporting my findings to Sheriff Wainfurth.
Though this case is closed, I recommend that a follow up investigation on Aldenberg be performed every few years. I found several possible roots of corruption flourishing in the hamlet, but the most troubling sign of future evil was that the executed witch was said to have been a part of a similar mass disappearance of children in her childhood. Only time will tell if something is deeply wrong with that sleepy hamlet, something that will resurface and repeat itself once again."
- Report from an Imperial Inquisitor
Scholars have yet to have any insights into where the Limber Ones spawned forth from or what drives their behaviors, though the discussion of these creatures is reserved to those fringed intellectuals who the general population think are crazy at best and on the road to corruption at worst. The legend of their birth begins though with the mean spirited prank of a spurned fey.
A young man, out looking for his fortune, came upon a stretch of fertile land that would be perfect for building a farm upon and make a life as a humble farmer. But as he laid claim to the several acres, so did a grizzled old fairy. Neither man nor fey would give any ground on who truly owned the land, so the two came to a compromise; they would share half of the harvest every year. The young man, being quick of mind and wit, asked of the fairy if he wanted his half to be that which lies above the ground or that which lays below. The old fey, not fully understanding the ways of men, chose his half to be below and swore on his true name to abide by the deal. The farmer from that day on only planted crops and raised livestock that laid above the ground, cheating his partner out of any share at all gained from the land. The fairy, realizing his folly, stormed off into the night, promising to get his vengeance.
The farmer soon forgot about the incident and found himself a wife who bore him the most beautiful son. The years went by as the land was tilled and the farmer made a place for the future generations of his seed, his son growing into a strapping young boy. It was on one, cold windy night that the son of the farmer stayed out longer than he should have, playing with the other children of the area in the nearby forest. He never saw the fairy his father had crossed coming and before he could even scream the fey whisked him off to a place where everything was but an oily shade of its true self. The fairy told the boy that he would come back for him once his father gave the fey all he was due.
But when the grizzled fairy came to collect the boy after blackmailing a deal out of the father, the boy was nowhere to be found. The child had become lost in the darkness of the plane, drawn deeper and deeper into a world not his own. Minutes became hours, hours became days and days became years as the child was forced to survive on what ever he could find. The plane ultimately touched the boy, warping and molding him into a terrifying mockery of the human being he once was. Filled with a child's hatred at a parent who did not save him, a victim's burning rage at a member of a race that had damned him to suffering, and a deep hunger for the youth and innocence robbed from him, the first Limber One was born.
"Entry 707
The sprites in the area have become quite agitated as of late and I've begun to notice a decline in their numbers. They have become distant and cryptic in their meetings with me and I believe that they are trying to dissuade me from entering the forest. I must try to get to the bottom of this."
"Entry 708
Why did they react so aggressively to my presence? They now seem to be actively attempting to drive me away, back to civilization. Could I have done something to upset them?"
"Entry 709
Oh gods.
Why won't it leave me alone?!
The pixies tried to warn me.
Oh gods.
Don't look or it takes you. Don't look.
Help me. Someone please help me."
- Last three journal entries by Doctor Jaeger, a leading Fey researcher. No signs of his whereabouts were found, only the bodies of pixies impaled on the trees around his cabin.
Limber Ones are territorial creatures, establishing large swathes of forested land on the Plane of Shadows (and the juxtaposed areas that exist on the Material Plane) as their preferred feeding grounds. These territories almost always are in the vicinity of at least one community of humanoids. Limber Ones never encroach upon the territories of other Limber Ones and only ever move on once they've stripped clean all humanoids and fey in their territories.
Limber Ones follow a set pattern of behaviors when they begin hunting in a new area. They will stalk on the outskirts of a community, investigating its population and learning more about the strengths and defenses they possess, as well as how likely it is for them to receive outside aid. A Limber One will always allow for some glimpse of itself when doing this, just so that it can begin to let it's presence be known, even if only to one person. It will then begin to decide on victims to claim, starting a long and drawn out process of either molding their minds to see it as a dear friend or eroding their sanity through fear and their mind damage touch. It will then begin to kidnap it's victims, taking them with it back to the Plane of Shadows. At that point, any doubts over it's true intentions and any subtlety in its actions are tossed aside. The Limber One will start a game of cat and mouse, spending a minimum of several hours leading its trapped victim through a heart stopping chase until they can run no longer and are killed and devoured (how the Limber One accomplishes this is unknown).
A Limber One is passive in this regard, but is quite aggressive when it comes to those that it sees as jeopardizing it's hunt. The aberrations will hunt down and systematically kill any fey indigenous to their hunting grounds once they are aware of their existence, the nature spirits not only potentially being a long hated foe but also one of the few things that always see a Limber One for what it truly is. The Limber One will also kill any animals who can alert nearby humanoids while the creature is in the middle of manipulating its chosen prey, as well as any creatures that actually manage to hurt it. The Limber One will disembowel and dismember the corpse, impaling the pieces on the branches of local trees as a warning. Limber Ones will almost make judicious use of their innate powers of fire to destroy any physical evidence that can prove beyond a doubt that they are out and about in their hunting grounds.
Children are the favored prey of the Limber Ones and are more likely to be spirited away through coercion and magic than through brute force and fear. This inclination is much darker than simple predation, for the kidnapping and slaughtering of children is how the Limber Ones propagate. There is a 1% chance that the body of a child, who is killed by a Limber One in the grips of pure terror, will produce a sac that gestates over a week period and births a new, fully grown Limber One.
"She wakes up screaming most nights, just screaming the same things over and over. About long arms and naked white faces, about dead children and parents who have lost their minds. I've been Rathloraine's friend for fifty years now and I can't even begin to fathom what could have happened to her to make her actually burn an entire forest to the ground. But hey, nothing you need to worry about kid, just thanks for bringing the water to soothe her fever with. We'll probably push off from the rest of caravan tomorrow. Someone's been following us for a few days now, always staying just on the edge of the horizon. I'd hate for you merchants to get mixed up in trouble we're bringing."
- Claimed conversation between Gromel Shatterstone (knight protector of Lady Rathloraine, renowned druid from the elven city of Goldenleaf) and Piffle, manservant to merchant Kaseem. Neither adventurer has been seen since the night this conversation occurred.
Though Limber Ones are almost always found as lone horrors, this not a blessing as some tortured souls believe. A Limber One may pursue survivors of its predations to the end of their days, but there is always the chance that it will lose track of those paranoid individuals, interested in fresh victims it has come across. But a dark and terrible road is built before those who hurt or worse, manage to kill a Limber One. A Limber One scarred will ignore its normal routines, pouring all attention into the sadistic revenge it harbors for those who dared hurt it. A Limber One harmed will inevitably draw the attentions of other Limber Ones, an innate sense alerting their closest fellows when even a drop of blood is spilled. A Conspiracy is formed from then on, shadowing the Limber One who was wronged until either the offending party is killed or the Limber One itself slain. The Conspiracy will then take action, causing as much collateral damage as possible in pursuing vengeance on the kinslayer.
Thus does the encounter with a Limber One never end well for any but the Limber One. Either one dies at it's hands, running themselves ragged in escape as their heart nearly collapses in their chest, or they damn themselves to a never ending nightmare as Conspiracy after Conspiracy seeks an eye for an eye, turning what should have been a heroic act into a story bound in flesh, written in blood and transcribing the most chilling of tragic sagas.
Limber One CR 10
XP 9600
Neutral Evil Large Aberration (Extraplanar)
Init +9; Senses Low-light vision, Darkvision 60 ft. ; Perception +21
Aura Don't Look...Or It Takes You (120 ft., DC 22)
Defenses
AC 22, Touch 19, flatfooted 17; (+5 Dexterity, +3 Natural Armor, -1 size, +5 Deflection)
hp 127 (15d8+60);
Fort + 8, Ref +10, Will +12
Defensive Abilities Alien Mind, Selective Invisibility DR 10/Viridium
Offenses
Speed 40 ft.
Melee 2 Claws +16 (1d6+5 plus 1d4 Wisdom damage)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks Imposing Fog, Unnatural Limbs
Spell-like abilities (CL 10th)
At Will - Burning Hands, Charm Person, Dimension Door, Planeshift (Between the Material Plane and Plane of Shadows only), Pyrotechnics
Statistics
Str 21, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 20
Base Atk +11; CMB +17; CMD 32
Feats Ability Focus (Imposing Fog), Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack, Nightstalker, Stealthy, Toughness
Skills Acrobatics +23, Bluff +13, Disguise +4, Intimidate +21, Knowledge (Local) +20, Perception +21, Stealth +27 Racial modifiers -4 Disguise, +4 Stealth
Languages Aklo, Common
Special Abilities
Alien Mind [Ex.]
Any attempts to read the mind or emotions of a Limber One only end in the anguish of those making the attempt. A creature who tries to read the mind or emotions of a Limber One (such as through the Detect Thoughts spell) must make a Will save (DC 22) or take 1d4 points of Wisdom damage and is stunned for 1d4 rounds as they try to process things beyond their ken. A successful save leaves the creature only stunned for 1d4 rounds instead. The save DC for this ability is Charisma based.
A Limber One is immune to the effects of another Limber One's Alien Mind special quality.
Always Watches, No Eyes [Ex.]
Though a Limber One perceives the world normally, its featureless face grants immunity to any negative effect that is sight or sound based. A Limber One is also immune to any negative effect that would require the ingestion (either orally or by breathing in) of a substance.
Can't Run [Su]
Creatures that have seen and felt the touch of a Limber One are marked for life. No matter how far they run, no matter where they hide, if the Limber One wishes to call on them, there is no escape. A Limber One is aware of the location of any creature it has dealt Wisdom damage to, as if using the Discern Location spell. A Limber One can keep track of a number of creatures equal to it's total hit dice at any one time. If a Limber One is already at its max amount of creatures known and wishes to add another, it must choose to cease tracking one of the creatures it has already selected.
A Limber One is automatically aware if a creature it encounters is under the effects of another Limber One's Can't Run special quality.
Darkest Suit and Tie [Su]
The fluid exoskeleton that covers the pale flesh of a Limber One projects what is essentially a physical manifestation of the Limber One's essence. This not only protects the Limber One from harm but literally allows the Limber One to feed on the misery and woe it sows amongst its victims.
A Limber One possesses a Deflection bonus equal to its Charisma modifier. Additionally, whenever the Limber One inflicts a creature within the range of its Don't Look...Or It Takes You special quality with either the frightened or shakened condition or deals Wisdom damage, it gains Fast Healing 5 for 1d3+1 rounds. Subsequent inflictions of either trigger conditions extends this length of time by an additional round, but a Limber One can only benefit from this extension once per round.
Don't Look... Or It Takes You [Su]
Once seen, a Limber One can never be unseen or forgotten. As a free action, The Limber One can cause all creatures within the range of this ability to make a Will Save (DC 22) or take 1d4 Wisdom damage and become frightened for 5d6 rounds. A successful save prevents the Wisdom damage and the creature is shaken instead. Regardless, a creature can only be affected once every ten rounds by this ability.
A Limber One can use this ability only when one of the following occurs:
As part of an attack action.
As part of a charge.
When a creature has an unbroken line of sight to the Limber One.
When the Limber One is adjacent to a creature that is not aware of its presence.
Creatures with an Intelligence score of less than 3, Fey and other Limber Ones are immune to this ability. The save DC for this ability is Charisma based.
Follows [Ex.]
A Limber One, as a standard action, can compress its body so that it takes on the proportions of a Medium-sized creature. Its space and reach are reduced to 5 feet, its base land speed is reduced to 30 feet and its racial penalty to Disguise skill checks is reduced to -2.
Additionally, for every 10 feet a Limber One is away from a creature viewing it, it receives a +2 bonus on Disguise checks. This bonus is doubled if the illumination of the area is poor or worse (such as seeing by moonlight or torchlight at night). If the Limber One is making use of its Unnatural Limbs special attack or the creature viewing it has excellent vision for the illumination (possessing a +8 or greater racial bonus to Perception in normal light, low-light vision in poor illumination or perceives the Limber One through alternate means such as Scent or Tremorsense) this bonus is halved.
Imposing Fog [Ex.]
As a full-round action, a Limber One can begin exuding a copious, scentless substance from its body that appears for all intents and purposes to be natural fog. This fog extends initially in a 5 foot radius from the Limber One, but increases by an additional 10 feet for every round the Limber One spends concentrating (to a maximum radius of 500 feet horizontally, 100 feet vertically). This fog lasts for 1d6 hours or for ten minutes once the Limber One that created it leaves the Material Plane.
The fog has the following effects:
Illumination is reduced to poor, regardless of the kind of light used within it.
Creatures entering the fog must make a Fortitude save (DC 24) or become nauseated. A successful save means the creature is only sickened. This effect of the fog lasts for as long as the creature remains inside of it and for 1 hour afterwards. Creatures that don't breathe are immune to this effect.
Creatures entering the fog must make a Will save (DC 24) or take a -4 penalty to Will saves and Perception checks. A successful save cuts this penalty in half. This effect of the fog lasts for as long as the creature remains inside of it and for 1 hour afterwards. Creatures with an intelligence score less than 3 are immune to this effect.
A Limber One is immune to the effects of its own Imposing Fog and that of other Limber Ones. The save DC for this ability is Charisma based.
Leave Me Alone [Su]
Whenever a Limber One takes at least one point of hit point damage, there is a 10% chance that any other Limber Ones within ten miles per hit die possessed by the injured Limber One are made aware of this fact (this extends to the Plane of Shadow as well) within one hour of it occurring. The percentage is doubled and the range tripled if the Limber One is slain.
A Limber One is automatically aware if a creature has killed another Limber One as soon as it has unbroken line of sight with the creature.
Selective Invisibility [Su]
A Limber One remains invisible even when it attacks. This ability is constant, but the Limber One can suppress or resume it as a free action. Additionally, if the Limber One is invisible, as a swift action, it may select a number of creatures that it has line of sight with to perceive it as if it wasn't invisible.
A Limber One is never invisible to Animals, Fey and other Limber Ones.
Unnatural Limbs [Ex.]
A Limber One can, as a swift action, either grow two tentacles or convert one of its existing limbs into a tentacle. These tentacle natural weapons deal 1d6+2 plus 1d4 Wisdom damage, have a reach of 20 feet, and ignore cover as long as the width of any one side is not larger than their reach.
Additionally, if the Limber One has at least four free tentacles, its land speed increases by 10 feet and it gains a climb speed equal to half of its new total speed. A Limber One must use at least two tentacles for support and can have no more than 10 tentacles (including any transformed limbs) at one time.
Ecology
Environment Any Forest, Plane of Shadows
Organization Solitary, Pair, or Conspiracy (3-5)
Treasure None
Comments
So, a few days ago my brother's friend comes down from New Jersey on his break from college and visits for the first time in a while. As the night drags on and many laughs are had as we while away all leisure like, we get this idea into our heads to show him some funny/stupid videos concerning the game "Slender: The Eight Pages" (if you haven't played this game or heard of it, then I am hereby warning you....be prepared to potentially to be scared out of your wits). One thing leads to another and we find ourselves not only downloading Slender, but playing it in the pitch black at midnight. My brother is controlling the movement, his friend the mouse and I have the honor of having to watch the whole roller coaster ride.
We got five pages and probably lost 5 years off our lives. And slept with our collection of weapons at hand for that night.
Anyways, since it's Halloween season again, I found myself freshly inspired to make up a creepy monster and an excuse to kick off Project G. I hope you enjoy the fruit of my labors.
Change Log
10/17/2012 - Some wording cleared up, finished or fixed.
Frightful Presence special quality removed and Don't Look... Or It Takes You special quality added.
Deflection bonus equal to the Limber One's Cha modifier added.
Material that bypasses damage reduction changed from Silver to Viridium.
Leave Me Alone special ability added.
10/19/2012 - Charisma increased from 16 to 20.
Range on Don't Look...Or It Takes You ability doubled.
Wisdom damage increased from 1 to 1d4.
Darkest Suit and Tie ability added.
10/30/2012 - Darkest Suit and Tie ability changed from healing flat damage to granting Fast Healing for a limited time.
11/05/2012 - Grammar issues addressed across entry.
Immunity to the Alien Mind of other Limber Ones added.
Darkest Suit and Tie range clarified.
Wording in Don't Look...Or It Takes You cleared up.
11/06/2012 - Added save DC ability rules text to pertinent abilities.
Reworded Always Watches, No Eyes to eliminate confusion.
Removed wrong codifier from Imposing Fog.
12/16/2012 - Spacing issue fixed.
His hands do grab, but he never gives back.
The Gentleman, Gentleman, out at night.
His face so smooth, his skin so white.
The Gentleman, Gentleman, above the man.
He hides from your eyes, he hides from the land.
The Gentleman, Gentleman, now is here.
He comes from the trees, scream in fear."
- Children's folkloric nursery rhyme
Limber Ones
http://i1356.photobucket.com/albums/q727/CandyCoatedGengar/Limber_zps92c0f3b9.jpg
The creator of this image, RaptorBarry (http://raptorbarry.deviantart.com/), has given his consent for the use of this image here.
"A stranger who keeps his distance is a man to be watched. You don't know the truth of what he is until he stands with his face seen."
- Old Traveler's Proverb.
The Slender Kind, The Gentlemen in Black, The Seekers in the Woods, The Noble Highwaymen, The Child Shepherds, The Regal Shadows, The Misty-winged Shrikes; all of these and more are the names given to a theorized race of horrific and mysterious beings known most commonly by the epithet of "The Limber Ones". They gain their common name from the fact that the most discerning feature about them, save their blank, featureless faces, are their inhumanly long torsos and limbs (which extend outwards to ten or fifteen feet). Supposed natives to the Plane of Shadows (simply because this is where they are discovered to both sojourn out from and return to when making visits to the Material Plane), the Limber Ones are universally held as being aberrants with alien minds and the most sinister of intentions.
If there is any true variation in the structure and make up of one Limber One to the next, it has yet to be witnessed and investigated. The creatures are vaguely humanoid in appearance and shape, something that is only truly questioned at a distance. Their limbs are long and gangly, moving in disgustingly contorted and twisted ways that would normally lead to the breaking of bones. Their skin is completely smooth and unmarred, but is the color of milk and has the parlor of a corpse. Their face is completely devoid of structure or feature, being completely smooth and undefined as that of a mannequin. It is in the clothing like skin growths that encase their stretched torsos that any true difference can be seen in Limber Ones. They seem to be able to shape and mold it at will and always mimic the appearance of the clothing worn by those who hold positions of authority and trust. The default display of this is usually a suit of black material, almost akin to a mortuary priest.
"The Winter of Year 1027 of our Beneficent Emperor's Reign
I enclose in this report my findings concerning the investigation into the claimed disappearances of fifteen children from the hamlet of Alderberg. I, Sir Renquest Duford, Inquisitor of his Beneficent Emperor, was dispatched two weeks following the request for imperial intervention on the behalf of Alderberg. This request was received one month following the first reported disappearance to Alderberg's resident law enforcement, Sheriff Wainfurth.
Upon arrival, I first interrogated any citizens who were even remotely connected to the missing children, to begin the guidance of my eventual judgement. Many of the parents, family, friends and neighbors spoke nothing of any strange behaviors or strange occurrence that lead up to or followed the disappearances. Seven of the children disappeared when last seen playing at the edge of the Mardstaff woods; normal stomping grounds for the youths of Alderberg. Five more simply were missing from their beds when the family checked on them in the morning. Another three simply vanished, seen going about their daily business and gone the next time an eye was turned.
My investigation lead me to the Mardstaff woods after I had put the townsfolk under close scrutiny, specifically to Agnes Caire. A spinster who had been exiled from the town decades earlier (claiming to be a curse on the hamlet), the aging woman was the first to speak to me about anything foul concerning the children. She spoke to me of a tall, scrawny creature in the shape of a man, that could walk like the wind and turn away even the sharpest of sword. She claimed the creature had bewitched the minds of the children, leading them as an animal trainer does with his flute, bringing them into Faustian confidence before whisking them off to another world. She spoke to me of places in the woods where she had seen the creature and had seen the children with it, playing amongst themselves and luring more children to play with the beast.
I investigated her claims, as outlandish as they were, more than willing to follow even the slimmest lead in pursuit of my duty. Though I found evidence that the children had been in the areas as the crone had claimed, too much time and recent fires had wiped away anything but that.
My final judgement was that Agnes Caire was responsible for the kidnapping and sacrificing of the missing children. She had been driven from Alderberg for causing a series of misfortunes with her presence, for seeing things that simply were not there and for having strange relationships with local animal life. Though I never found any signs of the children, it is obvious that she was the one ultimately responsible for their fates. I condemned her as the witch she was and put her to death at the end of my crossbow before reporting my findings to Sheriff Wainfurth.
Though this case is closed, I recommend that a follow up investigation on Aldenberg be performed every few years. I found several possible roots of corruption flourishing in the hamlet, but the most troubling sign of future evil was that the executed witch was said to have been a part of a similar mass disappearance of children in her childhood. Only time will tell if something is deeply wrong with that sleepy hamlet, something that will resurface and repeat itself once again."
- Report from an Imperial Inquisitor
Scholars have yet to have any insights into where the Limber Ones spawned forth from or what drives their behaviors, though the discussion of these creatures is reserved to those fringed intellectuals who the general population think are crazy at best and on the road to corruption at worst. The legend of their birth begins though with the mean spirited prank of a spurned fey.
A young man, out looking for his fortune, came upon a stretch of fertile land that would be perfect for building a farm upon and make a life as a humble farmer. But as he laid claim to the several acres, so did a grizzled old fairy. Neither man nor fey would give any ground on who truly owned the land, so the two came to a compromise; they would share half of the harvest every year. The young man, being quick of mind and wit, asked of the fairy if he wanted his half to be that which lies above the ground or that which lays below. The old fey, not fully understanding the ways of men, chose his half to be below and swore on his true name to abide by the deal. The farmer from that day on only planted crops and raised livestock that laid above the ground, cheating his partner out of any share at all gained from the land. The fairy, realizing his folly, stormed off into the night, promising to get his vengeance.
The farmer soon forgot about the incident and found himself a wife who bore him the most beautiful son. The years went by as the land was tilled and the farmer made a place for the future generations of his seed, his son growing into a strapping young boy. It was on one, cold windy night that the son of the farmer stayed out longer than he should have, playing with the other children of the area in the nearby forest. He never saw the fairy his father had crossed coming and before he could even scream the fey whisked him off to a place where everything was but an oily shade of its true self. The fairy told the boy that he would come back for him once his father gave the fey all he was due.
But when the grizzled fairy came to collect the boy after blackmailing a deal out of the father, the boy was nowhere to be found. The child had become lost in the darkness of the plane, drawn deeper and deeper into a world not his own. Minutes became hours, hours became days and days became years as the child was forced to survive on what ever he could find. The plane ultimately touched the boy, warping and molding him into a terrifying mockery of the human being he once was. Filled with a child's hatred at a parent who did not save him, a victim's burning rage at a member of a race that had damned him to suffering, and a deep hunger for the youth and innocence robbed from him, the first Limber One was born.
"Entry 707
The sprites in the area have become quite agitated as of late and I've begun to notice a decline in their numbers. They have become distant and cryptic in their meetings with me and I believe that they are trying to dissuade me from entering the forest. I must try to get to the bottom of this."
"Entry 708
Why did they react so aggressively to my presence? They now seem to be actively attempting to drive me away, back to civilization. Could I have done something to upset them?"
"Entry 709
Oh gods.
Why won't it leave me alone?!
The pixies tried to warn me.
Oh gods.
Don't look or it takes you. Don't look.
Help me. Someone please help me."
- Last three journal entries by Doctor Jaeger, a leading Fey researcher. No signs of his whereabouts were found, only the bodies of pixies impaled on the trees around his cabin.
Limber Ones are territorial creatures, establishing large swathes of forested land on the Plane of Shadows (and the juxtaposed areas that exist on the Material Plane) as their preferred feeding grounds. These territories almost always are in the vicinity of at least one community of humanoids. Limber Ones never encroach upon the territories of other Limber Ones and only ever move on once they've stripped clean all humanoids and fey in their territories.
Limber Ones follow a set pattern of behaviors when they begin hunting in a new area. They will stalk on the outskirts of a community, investigating its population and learning more about the strengths and defenses they possess, as well as how likely it is for them to receive outside aid. A Limber One will always allow for some glimpse of itself when doing this, just so that it can begin to let it's presence be known, even if only to one person. It will then begin to decide on victims to claim, starting a long and drawn out process of either molding their minds to see it as a dear friend or eroding their sanity through fear and their mind damage touch. It will then begin to kidnap it's victims, taking them with it back to the Plane of Shadows. At that point, any doubts over it's true intentions and any subtlety in its actions are tossed aside. The Limber One will start a game of cat and mouse, spending a minimum of several hours leading its trapped victim through a heart stopping chase until they can run no longer and are killed and devoured (how the Limber One accomplishes this is unknown).
A Limber One is passive in this regard, but is quite aggressive when it comes to those that it sees as jeopardizing it's hunt. The aberrations will hunt down and systematically kill any fey indigenous to their hunting grounds once they are aware of their existence, the nature spirits not only potentially being a long hated foe but also one of the few things that always see a Limber One for what it truly is. The Limber One will also kill any animals who can alert nearby humanoids while the creature is in the middle of manipulating its chosen prey, as well as any creatures that actually manage to hurt it. The Limber One will disembowel and dismember the corpse, impaling the pieces on the branches of local trees as a warning. Limber Ones will almost make judicious use of their innate powers of fire to destroy any physical evidence that can prove beyond a doubt that they are out and about in their hunting grounds.
Children are the favored prey of the Limber Ones and are more likely to be spirited away through coercion and magic than through brute force and fear. This inclination is much darker than simple predation, for the kidnapping and slaughtering of children is how the Limber Ones propagate. There is a 1% chance that the body of a child, who is killed by a Limber One in the grips of pure terror, will produce a sac that gestates over a week period and births a new, fully grown Limber One.
"She wakes up screaming most nights, just screaming the same things over and over. About long arms and naked white faces, about dead children and parents who have lost their minds. I've been Rathloraine's friend for fifty years now and I can't even begin to fathom what could have happened to her to make her actually burn an entire forest to the ground. But hey, nothing you need to worry about kid, just thanks for bringing the water to soothe her fever with. We'll probably push off from the rest of caravan tomorrow. Someone's been following us for a few days now, always staying just on the edge of the horizon. I'd hate for you merchants to get mixed up in trouble we're bringing."
- Claimed conversation between Gromel Shatterstone (knight protector of Lady Rathloraine, renowned druid from the elven city of Goldenleaf) and Piffle, manservant to merchant Kaseem. Neither adventurer has been seen since the night this conversation occurred.
Though Limber Ones are almost always found as lone horrors, this not a blessing as some tortured souls believe. A Limber One may pursue survivors of its predations to the end of their days, but there is always the chance that it will lose track of those paranoid individuals, interested in fresh victims it has come across. But a dark and terrible road is built before those who hurt or worse, manage to kill a Limber One. A Limber One scarred will ignore its normal routines, pouring all attention into the sadistic revenge it harbors for those who dared hurt it. A Limber One harmed will inevitably draw the attentions of other Limber Ones, an innate sense alerting their closest fellows when even a drop of blood is spilled. A Conspiracy is formed from then on, shadowing the Limber One who was wronged until either the offending party is killed or the Limber One itself slain. The Conspiracy will then take action, causing as much collateral damage as possible in pursuing vengeance on the kinslayer.
Thus does the encounter with a Limber One never end well for any but the Limber One. Either one dies at it's hands, running themselves ragged in escape as their heart nearly collapses in their chest, or they damn themselves to a never ending nightmare as Conspiracy after Conspiracy seeks an eye for an eye, turning what should have been a heroic act into a story bound in flesh, written in blood and transcribing the most chilling of tragic sagas.
Limber One CR 10
XP 9600
Neutral Evil Large Aberration (Extraplanar)
Init +9; Senses Low-light vision, Darkvision 60 ft. ; Perception +21
Aura Don't Look...Or It Takes You (120 ft., DC 22)
Defenses
AC 22, Touch 19, flatfooted 17; (+5 Dexterity, +3 Natural Armor, -1 size, +5 Deflection)
hp 127 (15d8+60);
Fort + 8, Ref +10, Will +12
Defensive Abilities Alien Mind, Selective Invisibility DR 10/Viridium
Offenses
Speed 40 ft.
Melee 2 Claws +16 (1d6+5 plus 1d4 Wisdom damage)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks Imposing Fog, Unnatural Limbs
Spell-like abilities (CL 10th)
At Will - Burning Hands, Charm Person, Dimension Door, Planeshift (Between the Material Plane and Plane of Shadows only), Pyrotechnics
Statistics
Str 21, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 20
Base Atk +11; CMB +17; CMD 32
Feats Ability Focus (Imposing Fog), Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Power Attack, Nightstalker, Stealthy, Toughness
Skills Acrobatics +23, Bluff +13, Disguise +4, Intimidate +21, Knowledge (Local) +20, Perception +21, Stealth +27 Racial modifiers -4 Disguise, +4 Stealth
Languages Aklo, Common
Special Abilities
Alien Mind [Ex.]
Any attempts to read the mind or emotions of a Limber One only end in the anguish of those making the attempt. A creature who tries to read the mind or emotions of a Limber One (such as through the Detect Thoughts spell) must make a Will save (DC 22) or take 1d4 points of Wisdom damage and is stunned for 1d4 rounds as they try to process things beyond their ken. A successful save leaves the creature only stunned for 1d4 rounds instead. The save DC for this ability is Charisma based.
A Limber One is immune to the effects of another Limber One's Alien Mind special quality.
Always Watches, No Eyes [Ex.]
Though a Limber One perceives the world normally, its featureless face grants immunity to any negative effect that is sight or sound based. A Limber One is also immune to any negative effect that would require the ingestion (either orally or by breathing in) of a substance.
Can't Run [Su]
Creatures that have seen and felt the touch of a Limber One are marked for life. No matter how far they run, no matter where they hide, if the Limber One wishes to call on them, there is no escape. A Limber One is aware of the location of any creature it has dealt Wisdom damage to, as if using the Discern Location spell. A Limber One can keep track of a number of creatures equal to it's total hit dice at any one time. If a Limber One is already at its max amount of creatures known and wishes to add another, it must choose to cease tracking one of the creatures it has already selected.
A Limber One is automatically aware if a creature it encounters is under the effects of another Limber One's Can't Run special quality.
Darkest Suit and Tie [Su]
The fluid exoskeleton that covers the pale flesh of a Limber One projects what is essentially a physical manifestation of the Limber One's essence. This not only protects the Limber One from harm but literally allows the Limber One to feed on the misery and woe it sows amongst its victims.
A Limber One possesses a Deflection bonus equal to its Charisma modifier. Additionally, whenever the Limber One inflicts a creature within the range of its Don't Look...Or It Takes You special quality with either the frightened or shakened condition or deals Wisdom damage, it gains Fast Healing 5 for 1d3+1 rounds. Subsequent inflictions of either trigger conditions extends this length of time by an additional round, but a Limber One can only benefit from this extension once per round.
Don't Look... Or It Takes You [Su]
Once seen, a Limber One can never be unseen or forgotten. As a free action, The Limber One can cause all creatures within the range of this ability to make a Will Save (DC 22) or take 1d4 Wisdom damage and become frightened for 5d6 rounds. A successful save prevents the Wisdom damage and the creature is shaken instead. Regardless, a creature can only be affected once every ten rounds by this ability.
A Limber One can use this ability only when one of the following occurs:
As part of an attack action.
As part of a charge.
When a creature has an unbroken line of sight to the Limber One.
When the Limber One is adjacent to a creature that is not aware of its presence.
Creatures with an Intelligence score of less than 3, Fey and other Limber Ones are immune to this ability. The save DC for this ability is Charisma based.
Follows [Ex.]
A Limber One, as a standard action, can compress its body so that it takes on the proportions of a Medium-sized creature. Its space and reach are reduced to 5 feet, its base land speed is reduced to 30 feet and its racial penalty to Disguise skill checks is reduced to -2.
Additionally, for every 10 feet a Limber One is away from a creature viewing it, it receives a +2 bonus on Disguise checks. This bonus is doubled if the illumination of the area is poor or worse (such as seeing by moonlight or torchlight at night). If the Limber One is making use of its Unnatural Limbs special attack or the creature viewing it has excellent vision for the illumination (possessing a +8 or greater racial bonus to Perception in normal light, low-light vision in poor illumination or perceives the Limber One through alternate means such as Scent or Tremorsense) this bonus is halved.
Imposing Fog [Ex.]
As a full-round action, a Limber One can begin exuding a copious, scentless substance from its body that appears for all intents and purposes to be natural fog. This fog extends initially in a 5 foot radius from the Limber One, but increases by an additional 10 feet for every round the Limber One spends concentrating (to a maximum radius of 500 feet horizontally, 100 feet vertically). This fog lasts for 1d6 hours or for ten minutes once the Limber One that created it leaves the Material Plane.
The fog has the following effects:
Illumination is reduced to poor, regardless of the kind of light used within it.
Creatures entering the fog must make a Fortitude save (DC 24) or become nauseated. A successful save means the creature is only sickened. This effect of the fog lasts for as long as the creature remains inside of it and for 1 hour afterwards. Creatures that don't breathe are immune to this effect.
Creatures entering the fog must make a Will save (DC 24) or take a -4 penalty to Will saves and Perception checks. A successful save cuts this penalty in half. This effect of the fog lasts for as long as the creature remains inside of it and for 1 hour afterwards. Creatures with an intelligence score less than 3 are immune to this effect.
A Limber One is immune to the effects of its own Imposing Fog and that of other Limber Ones. The save DC for this ability is Charisma based.
Leave Me Alone [Su]
Whenever a Limber One takes at least one point of hit point damage, there is a 10% chance that any other Limber Ones within ten miles per hit die possessed by the injured Limber One are made aware of this fact (this extends to the Plane of Shadow as well) within one hour of it occurring. The percentage is doubled and the range tripled if the Limber One is slain.
A Limber One is automatically aware if a creature has killed another Limber One as soon as it has unbroken line of sight with the creature.
Selective Invisibility [Su]
A Limber One remains invisible even when it attacks. This ability is constant, but the Limber One can suppress or resume it as a free action. Additionally, if the Limber One is invisible, as a swift action, it may select a number of creatures that it has line of sight with to perceive it as if it wasn't invisible.
A Limber One is never invisible to Animals, Fey and other Limber Ones.
Unnatural Limbs [Ex.]
A Limber One can, as a swift action, either grow two tentacles or convert one of its existing limbs into a tentacle. These tentacle natural weapons deal 1d6+2 plus 1d4 Wisdom damage, have a reach of 20 feet, and ignore cover as long as the width of any one side is not larger than their reach.
Additionally, if the Limber One has at least four free tentacles, its land speed increases by 10 feet and it gains a climb speed equal to half of its new total speed. A Limber One must use at least two tentacles for support and can have no more than 10 tentacles (including any transformed limbs) at one time.
Ecology
Environment Any Forest, Plane of Shadows
Organization Solitary, Pair, or Conspiracy (3-5)
Treasure None
Comments
So, a few days ago my brother's friend comes down from New Jersey on his break from college and visits for the first time in a while. As the night drags on and many laughs are had as we while away all leisure like, we get this idea into our heads to show him some funny/stupid videos concerning the game "Slender: The Eight Pages" (if you haven't played this game or heard of it, then I am hereby warning you....be prepared to potentially to be scared out of your wits). One thing leads to another and we find ourselves not only downloading Slender, but playing it in the pitch black at midnight. My brother is controlling the movement, his friend the mouse and I have the honor of having to watch the whole roller coaster ride.
We got five pages and probably lost 5 years off our lives. And slept with our collection of weapons at hand for that night.
Anyways, since it's Halloween season again, I found myself freshly inspired to make up a creepy monster and an excuse to kick off Project G. I hope you enjoy the fruit of my labors.
Change Log
10/17/2012 - Some wording cleared up, finished or fixed.
Frightful Presence special quality removed and Don't Look... Or It Takes You special quality added.
Deflection bonus equal to the Limber One's Cha modifier added.
Material that bypasses damage reduction changed from Silver to Viridium.
Leave Me Alone special ability added.
10/19/2012 - Charisma increased from 16 to 20.
Range on Don't Look...Or It Takes You ability doubled.
Wisdom damage increased from 1 to 1d4.
Darkest Suit and Tie ability added.
10/30/2012 - Darkest Suit and Tie ability changed from healing flat damage to granting Fast Healing for a limited time.
11/05/2012 - Grammar issues addressed across entry.
Immunity to the Alien Mind of other Limber Ones added.
Darkest Suit and Tie range clarified.
Wording in Don't Look...Or It Takes You cleared up.
11/06/2012 - Added save DC ability rules text to pertinent abilities.
Reworded Always Watches, No Eyes to eliminate confusion.
Removed wrong codifier from Imposing Fog.
12/16/2012 - Spacing issue fixed.