A new moster: Qowl - PEACH :)

[Jon_Dahl]

Qowl

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/6/69/Gorgimera-ffxii.png
Image source: https://finalfantasy.fandom.com/wiki/Gorgimera#Final_Fantasy_XII


Size/Type: Large Aberration
Hit Dice: 11d8+44 (93 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), Fly 50 ft. (clumsy)
Armor Class: 22 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +10 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+17
Attack: Claw +12 melee (1d8+5)
Full Attack: 2 claws +12 melee (1d8+5)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Dark gaze
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., mirage flight, spell-like abilities
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +9
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 12
Skills: Listen +4, Spot +18
Feats: Alertness, Lightning Reflexes, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative
Environment: Warm plains and deserts
Organization: Solitary, pair, or mirage (3-5)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: 1/10th coins; 50% goods; standard items
Alignment: Often lawful neutral
Advancement: 12-16 HD (Large); 17-33 HD (Huge)


Qowls came to be a couple of centuries ago, when a powerful cleric tried to make a company of fiendish giant owls non-fiendish. Using a complex mixture of divine and alchemical means, the qowls were the best that she was able to accomplish, and the processes brought a couple of very strange supernatural side-effects as well. Since the new creatures weren’t that evil, she let them go free, even though these occasional man-eaters cannot be called good creatures either.

Qowls spend most of their time either flying and observing or standing and observing. They stare intently almost all the time while speaking as little as possible. Their life revolves almost completely around hunting. Their primary hunting method is to fly together in groups of three to five, and surprise their prey using their mirage flight ability. They eat animals and intelligent creatures alike, and they do not understand the concepts of mercy or compassion very well.

Other than hunting, qowls engage in simple family life in huge on-the-ground nests. In their psychology, having a family is just a biological need: they need to reproduce and also cooperate with others of their kind. Most qowls are emotionally detached, although some do not have the lack of emotional connections that is very common in their temperament.

Qowls speak Sylvan, and those specimens who have Intelligence scores of at least 10 also speak Common.

Spell-like abilities
At will — Mage armor (self only). Caster level 4th.

Dark Gaze (Su)
As a free action, a qowl can cast its dark gaze upon any single creature within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or be shaken for three hours, although remove fear can dispel the effect sooner. Creatures with immunity to fear effects are not affected by the qowl’s dark gaze. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same qowl’s dark gaze for 24 hours. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Mirage flight (Su)
When a group of three to five qowls fly closely together, their ongoing mage armor spells resonate together. The only effect of this resonation is a supernatural optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce an image of a number of non-qowl creatures or a single non-qowl creature. This image replaces any visualization of the qowls themselves. This is a shared group effect that exists among the qowls flying together.

Living creatures viewing the mirage flight must succeed on a DC 21 Will save or see a creature or a number of creatures as per rolled on the table below (see Table 1). A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same group’s mirage flight for 24 hours.

This effect is immediately broken if any of the qowls in the group attacks. The qowls can try to use their mirage flight again by first moving out of sight and then reappearing.

Table 1 (roll 1d12)
Roll / Result
1 / A roc.
2 / Two spider eaters.
3 / Three owls.
4 / Four giant owls.
5 / A lammasu.
6 / Two pegasi.
7 / Three giant eagles.
8 / Four avorals.
9 / Five yrthaks.
10 / An adult silver dragon.
11 / An adult red dragon.
12 / An adult golden dragon.
Note that the viewer may not recognize the creature, such as a simple farmer may not recognize a lammasu.

[Metastachydium]

Qowl

[IMG]https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/6/69/Gorgimera-ffxii.png/revision/latest?cb=20130708043352[IMG]


Size/Type: Large Aberration
Hit Dice: 11d8+44 (93 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 20 ft. (6 squares)

4 squares. (Also: clumsy flight? Why?)


Special Attacks: -

Dark Gaze'd belong here.


Special Qualities: Spell-like abilities, mirage flight

No Darkvision? (It's not mandatory or anything, but Aberrations tend to have it and Fiendish creatures have it as well.)


Skills: Hide +13, Listen +11, Spot +11, Swim +13

With that INT score and its type, this poor birdy only gets a pitiable 14 skill points total. How did they get those modifiers (especially Hide with the -4 size penalty) so high?


Their primary hunting method is to fly together in groups of three to five, and surprise their prey using their mirage flight ability.

I like Mirage Flight. It's wonderfully bizarre. But I'm not sure how turning into something bigger and scarier than the qols themselves are helps with hunting.


9 / Five yrthaks.

Yrthaks are Huge. You sure you meant five there?

[Jon_Dahl]

4 squares.

Thank you, Metastachydium. I will correct that ASAP.



(Also: clumsy flight? Why?)

I mean, look at it. Why not? I was thinking that there is no way that this kind of a lump can fly well :)




Dark Gaze'd belong here.

Thank you, Metastachydium. I will correct that ASAP.


No Darkvision? (It's not mandatory or anything, but Aberrations tend to have it and Fiendish creatures have it as well.)

Again, thank you, Metastachydium. I will correct that ASAP.


With that INT score and its type, this poor birdy only gets a pitiable 14 skill points total. How did they get those modifiers (especially Hide with the -4 size penalty) so high?

I will correct that, but it will be a bit tricky. But I will do it.


But I'm not sure how turning into something bigger and scarier than the qols themselves are helps with hunting.

I was thinking about the same thing. I guess the idea is something like the evil creatures will offer their services to the red dragon etc. I know, it does not really seem plausible. My shaky thinking was that by being occasionally something nice, something good, and something big and scary they will attract prey or make the prey run like crazy. Pretty random, right?


Yrthaks are Huge. You sure you meant five there?

Yes, thank you for asking.

[Jon_Dahl]

With that INT score and its type, this poor birdy only gets a pitiable 14 skill points total. How did they get those modifiers (especially Hide with the -4 size penalty) so high?


Thank you, Metastachydium, now I have fixed it. Since they just stare without end, it is 14 skill points to Spot plus two points more from Wisdom.

[Metastachydium]

That'squite elegant in its simplicity. Don't forget the +2 from Alertness, however (pushing it up to +18)! (Also, Dark Gaze is a Special Attack rather than a Special Quality.)

[Jon_Dahl]

That'squite elegant in its simplicity. Don't forget the +2 from Alertness, however (pushing it up to +18)! (Also, Dark Gaze is a Special Attack rather than a Special Quality.)

Again, a huge thank you. I think that I should create monsters more often, because now it seems that I forget half of things. R-u-s-t-y.

[Metastachydium]

Eh, spotting math errors in statblocks by brewers far more experienced than myself is kind of what I do. But do shake that rust of! Making monsters is fun.