Songbird race! (And other stuff.)

[Tzardok]

Iaculus

I knew that I heard about those before. Nice folklorist stuff.

Kuevitt

Ah, wonderful little thingies. I propably would've guessed fey, but you have enough little fey birds already.

A pollinator wins? I see nothing wrong with that!

I think this one is more of a blood drinker.

Not as such, no. But the 12 apprentices studying the Art, the wheel and the "visitor" coming to claim his due is an aggregate of motifs I have encountered before.

Well, if you are interested in the legend, I can suggest the famous children's novel by Ottfried Preusler about it, or can link the songs of the album in the proper order (including the bonus songs from the aniversery edition), so you can enjoy it the right way. As Krabat is a German (to be specific, Bohemian) legend the album doesn't have any English songs. Sorry about that.

1. Betteljunge
2. Krabat
3. Die Teufelsmühle
4. Denn ich bin der Meister
5. Fluchtversuche
6. Osternacht
7. Elf und Einer
8. Geh und heb dein Grab aus, mein Freund!
9. Mein Herz erkennt dich immer
10. Verwandlungen I-III
11. Abschied
12. Der Schnitter Tod
13. Spottlied auf die harten Wanderjahre
14. Zaubererbruder
15. Der Geheimnisvolle Fremde
16. Der Letzte (Sorry, couldn't find a link )
17. Am Ende
18. Zwei Schwäne (Instrumental)

[Metastachydium]

Ah, wonderful little thingies. I propably would've guessed fey, but you have enough little fey birds already.

I figured a proper psychopomp should be properly extraplanar, if you know what I mean.

I think this one is more of a blood drinker.

Eh, from a plant perspective, that's still a win.

Well, if you are interested in the legend, I can suggest the famous children's novel by Ottfried Preusler about it, or can link the songs of the album in the proper order (including the bonus songs from the aniversery edition), so you can enjoy it the right way. As Krabat is a German (to be specific, Bohemian) legend the album doesn't have any English songs. Sorry about that.

1. Betteljunge
2. Krabat
3. Die Teufelsmühle
4. Denn ich bin der Meister
5. Fluchtversuche
6. Osternacht
7. Elf und Einer
8. Geh und heb dein Grab aus, mein Freund!
9. Mein Herz erkennt dich immer
10. Verwandlungen I-III
11. Abschied
12. Der Schnitter Tod
13. Spottlied auf die harten Wanderjahre
14. Zaubererbruder
15. Der Geheimnisvolle Fremde
16. Der Letzte (Sorry, couldn't find a link )
17. Am Ende
18. Zwei Schwäne (Instrumental)

It involves people turning into birdies (the version of the motif I'm more familiar with doesn't have that). Of course I'm interested. So, thanks, and I'll look into that.

[Metastachydium]

Just a hairy dragon for today that I've first seen in Borges. I'm not entirely sure about the implementation of the tail thing, so any comments on that are especially welcome. Now:

Peluda
The size of an ox, but far longer, a peluda consists of a bloated, ovoid body covered by unkempt, long, brown or brown-green fur and wicked spikes, narrowing into a snakelike neck and powerful, snakelike tail. A strong swimmer, it has four short legs, with webbed feet justting out from the sides of its torso.

Peludas understand Common and Draconic, but they do not speak.

Size/Type: Large Dragon [Aquatic]
Hit Dice: 8d12+32 (84 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 40 feet (8 squares), swim 40 feet
Armor Class: 25 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +14 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+19
Attack: Tail slap +14 melee (3d8+7)
Full Attack: Tail slap +14 melee (3d8+7) and bite +9 melee (1d12+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with bite and tail slap)
Special Attacks: Control water, poison spikes, scorching breath
Special Qualities: Amphibious, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to sleep and paralysis, low-light vision, weak spot
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +8
Abilities: Str 24, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 3, Wis 15, Cha 7
Skills: Climb +10, Hide +4 (+12 when submerged in water), Jump +11, Spot +5, Survival +5, Swim +18
Feats: Cold Endurance^B, Endurance, Improved Initiative, Track
Environment: Temperate or warm aquatic
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Advancement: 9–14 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Strong and tough as they are, peludas don't like a fair fight. They prefer to only leave their watery hideouts at night to snatch livestock or a comely maiden to feast on. If they are mobbed by many inferior opponents, they often retreat into riverbeds or swamps and flood the banks or edges thereof, trying to drive off the sensible and drosn the reckless; smaller groups are met with sharp fangs and a whipping tail.

Control Water (Su)
At-will as a full-round action, the peluda can produce an effect identical to that of the Control Water spell as cast by a sorcerer with a caster level equal to the peluda's number of hit dice.

Poison Spikes (Ex)
From beneath the thick, loose fur of the peluda, sharp, bony spikes protrude. Any creature grappling or grappled by the peluda takes 1d6+7 points of piercing damage and is subject to the peluda's poison (injury, Fortitude DC 18, initial damage 1d6 Dex, secondary damage 1d4 Con; the save DC is Constitution-based).

Scorching Breath (Su)
Every 1d8 rounds, the peluda can, as a standard action, exhale a 40' long cone of heated gas that deals 2d4 points of desiccation damage (or 4d4 points to Plants and creatures with the Water subtype). A succesful DC 18 Reflex save halves the damage. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Weak Spot (Ex)
Most of the peluda's body, excepting its tail, is extremely resilient and heals damage faster than usual; however, since its tail is among its most powerful weapons, it ends up in harm's way fairly often. Whenever a peluda is hit in combat, there is a 40% chance that the hit is to the tail. Such attacks resolve as if they were critical hits. An attack that hits a point of the peluda's body other than the tail, on the other hand, only deals nonlethal damage and such nonlethal damage is healed at a rate of 4 hit points per round.¹

Skills
A peluda has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line. It also has a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks when submerged in water.

---

Effectively: there's a 60% chance it's treated as having Regeneration 4 overcome by nothing and a 40% chance that it eats a crit it cannot quasi-regenerate from.

[Metastachydium]

And the fresh winds of mid-May shall bring more plant nymphs! Well, not literally; I don't want the Leimoniads to feel like their thing is going mainstream. Wouldn't be fair, would it, now? So, instead, these two are going to be more or less modest spins on the old Dryad. One is born from an old pet peeve of mine (which may or may not miss the mark entirely), namely that Caryatid columns and Caryatids are not the same thing:

Caryatid
Even with their heir tough, brown skin, covered in shallow, vertical furrows and the waxy, broad leaves crowning their brows, caryatids bear the overall shape that a human woman of a rounder build would. For their somewhat fuller form and hard shell, nevertheless, they are surprisingly light.

Caryatids speak Common, Giant and Sylvan.

Size/Type: Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 4d6+4 (18 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 feet (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+4 Dex, +1 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+2
Attack: Slam +2 melee (1d4) or sling +6 ranged (1d4)
Full Attack: Slam +2 melee (1d4) or sling +6 ranged (1d4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: DR 5/slashing, low-light vision, tree dependent, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +8, Will +8
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 19, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 16
Skills: Climb +6, Handle Animal +10, Hide +11, Knowledge (nature) +6, Listen +5, Move Silently +9, Sense Motive +9, Spot +5, Survival +6, Swim +4
Feats: Alertness, Iron Will
Environment: Temperate or cold forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 3
Alignment: Usually neutral good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Caryatids shrink away from conflicts, and, indeed, avoid notice if they can. They will, however, protect their trees with their lives if need be, relying on their spell-like-abilities (and especially the green and winged allies these can call on to join the fray) as much as possible.

Spell-Like Abilities
At will: entangle (DC 13), speak with plants, tree shape; 3/day: magic stone, summon swarm (murder of crows only), tree stride; 1/day: remove disease. Caster level 6th. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.

Tree Dependent (Su)
Each caryatid is mystically bound to a single, old walnut tree and must never stray more than 300 yards from it. Any who do become ill and die within 4d6 hours. A caryatid's walnut does not radiate magic.

Wild Empathy (Ex)
This power works like the druid’s wild empathy class feature, except that the caryatid has a +6 racial bonus on the check.

♣

So, yes; not much to look at here. I mostly just made the SLAs better thematic fits. The second order of business is something wilder, for reasons I can't entirely delve too deep into here: a tree nymph that is also an Abomination! Kind of. Well, see for yourselves:

Melia
Though known to sages as the least of abominations, the ash tree nymph, born from the spilled blood of a sinister, greater being as it may be, is quite innocuous, in fact. The untrained eye might easily mistake it for the more common dryad, albeit the melia is less elfin in figure and sports the leaves of its own bonded tree.

Meliae speak Common, Infernal and Sylvan.

Size/Type: Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 4d6+8 (22 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30 feet (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+4 Dex, +4 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
Attack: Ashen spear +5 melee (2d4+4, ×3) or ashen spear +7 ranged (2d4+4, ×3)
Full Attack: Ashen spear +5 melee (2d4+4, ×3) or ashen spear +7 ranged (2d4+4, ×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Ashen spear, spell-like abilities, summon vine
Special Qualities: Blindsight 5 ft., DR 1/epic, embolden, low-light vision, resistances, SR 16, tree dependent
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +4
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 19
Skills: Climb +4, Concentration +9, Hide +8, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (nature) +5, Listen +4, Move Silently +8, Spot +4, Survival +7, Swim +4
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude
Environment: Temperate or cold forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 5
Alignment: Often lawful neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Meliae are dignified, but not particularly soft-spoken or polite. They have an unfortunate tendency to stir up conflict around themselves, although that is rarely their intent. Once fighting is joined, they will usually stick close to their tree and try to bolster or call upon allies, acting as a second line of defense.

Ashen Spear (Su)
Melia carry no weapons. However, if threatened, they can as a move action draw an ashen spear from the trunk of any nearby ash tree that is of Medium size or larger. This weapon is the equivalent of a Medium-sized +1 spear; however, it deals 2d4+1½×STR points of piercing damage and confers a +2 bonus on checks to resist sunder attempts.

Embolden (Su)
A number of times equal to its Charisma modifier, a melia can as a swift action project an aura with a 10 ft. radius. All allies within this aura receive a +1 morale bonus on all saves against fear attacks, weapon attack and damage rolls for the next 5 rounds.

Spell-Like Abilities
At will: entangle (DC 15), speak with plants, tree shape; 3/day: lesser vigor, magic weapon, tree stride; 1/day: nondetection. Caster level 6th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Resistances (Su)
Meliae have a +1 bonus on saves against mind-affecting spells and effects, spells and effects doing ability damage, energy drain, petrification and death from massive damage.

Summon Vine (Sp)
Once per day, a melia may attempt to summon an assassin vine with a 40% chance of success. The melia gains no active control of the creature, but it refrains from attacking its summoner, as well as the melia's allies.

Tree Dependent (Su)
Each melia is mystically bound to a single, great ash tree and must never stray more than 300 yards from it. Any who do become ill and die within 4d6 hours. A melia's ash tree does not radiate magic.

♣

I tried to hit as many of the actual Abomination traits as possible, in one way or another, without going too wild. Discussion of that and anything else will be as well received as ever! Anyhow, the next batch will be BIRDIES again. At least two of them. Or weird Humanoids, but I'll probably leave that for after the BIRDIES.

[Metastachydium]

So, I know I said it's gonna be two birdies and this is only one, but worry not, both of those birdies are essentially ready and queued up for posting likely within the month. This one here just came up as a sudden "why didn't I do this earlier" kind of priority. Anyway, enter the

Crow
Crows are mid-sized birds with dark feathers, usually black or blue-black. They are resourceful scavengers with clear signs of a playful intellect gleaming in their beady black eyes.

Crows communicate among themselves with a complex system of calls and body language. Their using other languages has not, so far, been documented.

Size/Type: Tiny Animal
Hit Dice: ¼d8 (1 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 10 feet (2 squares), fly 40 feet (average)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 size, +2 Dex), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/-13
Attack: Beak +4 melee (1d2-5, minimum 1 plus blinding)
Full Attack: Beak +4 melee (1d2-5, minmum 1 plus blinding)
Space/Reach: 2½ ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Blinding
Special Qualities: Lesser mimicry, low-light vision, racial aid, tool use
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 6
Skills: Balance +4, Bluff +4, Listen +4, Sleight of Hand +6, Spot +4
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse^B
Environment: Any temperate non-aquatic
Organization: Solitary, pair, flight (5–50) or murder (100–1000)
Challenge Rating: 1/4
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: –
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Being very social, crows roost, feed, live – and fight together. They are cunning opponents, but being non-predatory, they are usually content with driving foes away, sometimes through implementing complex strategies and sometimes through sheer overwhelming numbers.

Blinding (Ex)
A fighting crow will often aim for the eyes. A creature with discernible eyes succesfully hit by a crow's beak attack must succeed on a DC 12 Reflex save or be blinded. The creature can regain its sight by healing the damage naturally, by any application of a cure spell or some other healing magic, or with a remove blindness/deafness spell. The save DC is Dexterity-based.

Lesser Mimicry (Ex)
A crow can mimic familiar sounds, even short phrases. To duplicate a specific sound, a crow makes a Bluff check; a listener familiar with the sound being imitated must succeed on an opposed Sense Motive check to discern that it isn't genuine.

Racial Aid (Ex)
Because of the routine these gregarious birds have working together, at any time that a crow succeeds in using the aid another action to assist another crow, it adds +3 to the ally's roll, rather than +2.

Tool Use (Ex)
Crows are clever tool users, and their beaks make surprisingly able substitutes for hands. A crow can learn to use any tool, even simple weapons sized for it so long as these can be used with one hand.

Skills
Crows receive a +2 racial bonus on Bluff and Sleight of Hand checks.

♣

SFUQ(&AGA)
(So Far Unasked Questions (and Answers Given Anyway))

Q: You think you are above RAW?! Animals can't have an INT like that!
A: They don't normally have such scores, no, but that isn't a very hard and fast rule. The relevant feature of the Animal type is worded as follows: "An animal possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry). (…) Intelligence score of 1 or 2 (no creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can be an animal)." I'm merely noting otherwise in the creature's entry. Just as not all Oozes are mindless and not all Aberrations have Darkvision, there's nothing in RAW stopping one from making an Animal with full-on sapience.

Q: O-okay, smartass. Let's say that's technically true. But how's that mesh with the Murder of Crows^ToM, huh?
A: Glad that you asked! You know how there are Swarms that have a higher INT score and more special attacks/qualities than their individual members? That's proof and precedent enough for me to assume that the opposite might also be true. The ToM!Murder is like a lynchmob; a largely unthinking frenzied mass only out for blood, employing no sophisticated means of drawing it.

Q: I'm still not convinced.
A: And I'm terribly sorry to hear that.

Q: So… Are you gonna reduce that INT score to a more reasonable 2, then?
A: No.

Q: …
A: Bite me.

Q: But what about the raven?
A: What about it?

Q: It's got INT 2, no SA, no SQ, no nothing. Doesn't that bother you?
A: It does. But that's RAW. I'm not tampering with RAW if I can avoid it, even if that means I'm stuck fuming over the developers' poor understanding of ethology.

Q: I'm talking about consistency, more than anything.
A: I like consistency. I just happen to like BIRDIES more.

Q: You're a lost cause, do you know that?
A: [Slasher smile.] Yes. Yes, I do.

[Metastachydium]

And we are within the month! Here come the birdies, starting with the cutest weaponized status removal I could conceive of, brought to you by the

Caladrius
The caladrius is a pristine white bird of modest size with a pearly gray beak and legs. As an accomplished avian physician, it is as helpful as it is elegant: it has the mystical ability to draw various ailments out of the bodies of those suffering, to then destroy or relocate these into a more deserving host.

Each caladrius understands a single language, usually Common, but they do not speak.

Size/Type: Diminutive Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 2d10 (11 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 5 feet (1 square), fly 20 feet (average)
Armor Class: 16 (+4 size, +2 Dex), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/-14
Attack: Talons +2 melee (1-4, minimum 1)
Full Attack: Talons +2 melee (1-4, minimum 1)
Space/Reach: 1 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Fling disease
Special Qualities: Claim disease, darkvision 60 ft., detect disease, disease immunity, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 2, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 11
Skills: Heal +10, Hide +14, Search +1, Sense Motive +6, Spot +4
Feats: Self-Sufficient
Environment: Any temperate
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1
Alignment: Often neutral good
Advancement: –
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Caladrii are loath to engage in combat, knowing they are of more use outside of it. Still, their talons are sharp and often enough, the ills they take and hold make dangerous weapons as well.

Claim Disease (Su)
If a caladrius is aware that another creature is affected by a disease, it might attempt to restore it to health by way of snatching the illness away. To do so, the caladrius must enter the space of a diseased creature it can see and make a special ranged touch attack. If its attack roll equals or exceeds the save DC of the disease, the diseased creature is cured immediately and the caladrius has hold of the disease previously affecting it. A caladrius can only hold one disease at a time and it cannot use its Claim Disease ability so long as a disease is held.

Detect Disease (Su)
Once per round as a swift action, a caladrius can fix its gaze upon a creature within 50 feet and make a Heal check. If the subject so inspected is affected by disease and the Heal check (its DC equal to the save DC of the disease, if any) succeeds, the caladrius becomes aware of this fact.

Fling Disease (Su)
Having gained hold of a disease through using its Claim Disease ability, a caladrius can proceed in two ways: during the day, it might, as a full-round action, move 40 feet in the direction of the sun's perceived position and let go of the disease held, which then dissipates harmlessly.

Alternatively, it might make a ranged touch attack against a single creature within 40 feet. The caladrius must look away from the target, and therefore this attack suffers a 50% miss chance; however, if it succeds, the target must make a save against the original DC of the disease or contract it immediately. The caladrius loses its hold over the disease regardless of success.

♣

…and then switching over to some more direct approaches, with bottomless magazines attached:

Gratsh
The plump crows easily the size of a human known as the gratsh, with their glossy black plummage and thick, straight, gray beaks are often seen floating above fields of battle, and not without reason. True to their word and born with fell power, they make marvelous mercenaries.

Gratsh speak Common and Kenku.

Size/Type: Medium Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 6d10+18 (51 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 feet (4 squares), fly 50 feet (average)
Armor Class: 16 (+4 Dex, +2 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+6
Attack: Beak +6 melee (1d4) or eldritch spear +10 ranged touch (4d6)
Full Attack: Beak +6 melee (1d4) and 2 talons +1 melee (1d2) or eldritch spear +10 ranged touch (4d6)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Invocations
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., DR 5/magic, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +4
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 11
Skills: Balance +5, Concentration +12, Listen +8, Move Silently +8, Spot +15
Feats: Alertness, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Environment: Any temperate
Organization: Solitary, wing (2–10) or flight (20–50)
Challenge Rating: 5
Alignment: Usually lawful neutral
Advancement: By character class Favoured Class: Warlock
Level Adjustment: +4

Combat
Gratsh are not built for close combat – and they know that much. For as long as they are able, they prefer to focus on peppering their foes from above with eldritch energy, more often than not partly to provide aerial support to allies on the ground.

Invocations
A gratsh can use the Dread Seizure, Eldritch Blast, Eldritch Spear, Entropic Warding and Hammer Blast invocations as a 7th level warlock. The save DCs, where applicable, are, however Constitution-based. Levels in any class granting or improving on the Eldritch Blast ability stack with the aforesaid warlock level to determine Eldritch Blast damage and gratsh can enter any such class, regardless if they meet alignment requirements neccessary.

Skills
Gratsh receive a +2 racial bonus on Spot checks.

♣

I have lots of things queued up right now, so I might check in next time a tad sooner than I normally would, either with the weird humanoid package or a FULL ABOMINATION.

[Tzardok]

I wonder. Can the caladrius only give a claimed disease to others at night, to reflect its ability to destroy it during the day?

[Metastachydium]

I wonder. Can the caladrius only give a claimed disease to others at night, to reflect its ability to destroy it during the day?

Not as such, as of now, no. Flying towards the sun (a tough thing to do at night) is part of the original lore; looking away to confirm "it's a goner" doesn't have a time of the day attached, but it's not like that wouldn't be a good thematical fit, I'll give you that. Do you think I should go that route?

[Tzardok]

It was just a thought, as I am only passingly familiar with the folklore behind it. It simply felt thematically fitting.
What I also wonder is how the bird decides who deserves to be sick and who doesn't.

[Metastachydium]

It was just a thought, as I am only passingly familiar with the folklore behind it. It simply felt thematically fitting.

Fair. I'll think about it.

What I also wonder is how the bird decides who deserves to be sick and who doesn't.

Like any other creature of similar alignment would determine who or what to hit, breathe on, web, poison or bespell, I suppose?

[Metastachydium]

And as promised, odd Humanoid time. One of these is more serious than the other. You've been warned. So,

Caniceps
Built like apes, with short legs and long arms, the slender, muscular canicipits (the correct plural of caniceps, as some of them like to insist), covered in short, coarse fur, stand taller than elves, even hunched as they walk. They have the long snouts and broad, triangular ears , as well as the sharp teeth of hounds, sharing their hunger for fresh meat with the latter.

Canicipits speak a growling dialect of Gnome. Some learn Giant or Common as well.

Size/Type: Medium Humanoid [Caniceps]
Hit Dice: 1d8+0 (4 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 feet (4 squares), climb 20 feet
Armor Class: 14 (+3 hide armour, +1 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/+2
Attack: Bite +3 melee (2d3+3) or dart +0 ranged (1d4+2)
Full Attack: Club +2 melee (1d6+3) and bite -2 melee (2d3+1) or dart +0 ranged (1d4+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: –
Special Qualities: Superior brachiation, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +2, Will -1
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 11, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 10
Skills: Climb +8, Intimidate +3, Jump +4
Feats: Weapon Focus (bite)
Environment: Any forest
Organization: Solitary, band (4–8) or pack (17–140 plus 30% noncombatants)
Challenge Rating: 1/2
Alignment: Often chaotic evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1

Combat
The canicipits like to attack from above, mobbing their opponents and using their powerful jaws to tear into the flesh. They tend not to need much provocation and fight hard, but haphazardly, sometimes fleeing even from battles they could win while other times fighting to death with terrifying determination.

Superior Brachiation (Ex)
A caniceps can move through medium and dense forests as if it had the Brachiation feet as long as it stays at least 10 feet away from the ground.

Skills
Canicipits have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always take 10 on such checks, even if rushed or threatened. They likewise receive a +2 racial bonus on Jump checks.

♣

And, of course, the

Calydon
Commonly spoken of as the Bores of Calydon (even though that is considered less than polite), calydones are broad-shouldered humanoids with hooved feet, substantial bellies and porcine heads. They enjoy the company of others tremendously, but that feeling is not always mutual.

Calydones speak Common and any one other language, at the very least, but they prefer to acquire as many as they are able.

Size/Type: Medium Humanoid [Calydon]
Hit Dice: 5d8+15 (37 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 feet (6 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+1 silk swathes, +1 battle cloak, +4 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+2
Attack: Gore +2 melee (1d4-1) or masterwork spear +3 melee (1d8-1, ×3) or masterwork spear +4 ranged (1d8-1, ×3)
Full Attack: Masterwork spear +3 melee (1d8-1, ×3) and gore -3 melee (1d4-1) or masterwork spear +4 ranged (1d8-1, ×3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Long talk
Special Qualities: DR 5/piercing or slashing, low-light vision
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 11, Con 17, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 8
Skills: Appraise +8, Diplomacy -3, Knowledge (geography, local, nature) +5, Search +5, Speak Language +8
Feats: Endurance, Open Minded
Environment: Any warm
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 3
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1

Combat
Calydones are baffled by the notion that someone would attack them. For their part, they prefer talking to combat and will try that first, no matter what.

Long Talk (Ex)
Calydones have a high opinion on their conversational skill. Few would be quick to agree. The poor creatures are, in fact, so long-winded and so prone to ramble, circling topics of little general interest with many a trite cliché employed that anyone listening to them for more than a round must make a DC 15 Will save or become fatigued. The save is to be repeated every 1d4 rounds so long as the calydon continues to talk (a free action). Subjects already fatigued or rendered fatigue by Long Talk become exhausted on a failure. Exhausted subjects that fail fall asleep. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +4 racial bonus.

Skills
Calydones have a -2 racial penalty on Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks.

♣

Expert opinions still welcome!

Oh, and next week will be ABOMINATION week. After that, it's either snails or some old enemies of legend.

[Beni-Kujaku]

Hi Meta! Just passing by to read some homebrew!

Peluda: I like monsters with weak points, especially weak points who encourage htting the thing with a stick, but this one seems to take a bit too much agency from the players. Why not allow the player to attack the tail once they figure it out, maybe with a -4 to hit, or provoking an AoO, but being sure to hit it instead of having 40%. Also, it seems to prefer being in water, I guess it's supposed to use Control Water to flood river borders. I'm not sure 3 int is enough for these kinds of tactics, but sure; the other point is it would probably benefit greatly from having Improved Grab in one way or another, to keep players from just leaving the area too easily. Just have it keep a player in its mouth and you're good to go (also makes more sense that an amphibious creature will try to drag preys in the water to drown them, that's what crocodiles do after all). Also, I'm pretty sure it has too many skill points. Tell me if I'm wrong, but 8 Climb, 6 Hide, 0 Jump, 6 Spot, 6 Survival, 3 Swim, for a total of 29, but it only has 22 skill points as a dragon 8 with -8 Int.

Caryatids: Wait, caryatid columns and caryatids are not the same thing? Wikipedia tells me they are... So, what's the difference?
I was so excited when I saw "shrink away from conflict" to see a Fey able to change size at will, becoming Fine to escape if need be, or becoming Colossal to protect the forest in times of need.
Honestly, tree stride at will would not break it at all, especially since it has to remain nearer than 300yards from the walnut tree.

Melia: The full abomination traits on a 4 RHD Fey would be really weird, and honestly pretty fun. "I use Energy Drain" "No." "Meteor Swarm" "They're immune to fire" "Dominate Monster?" "Nope." "Poison!?" "Nah" "Oh well, I'll just hit them with my axe for 32 damage" "She dies."
Still, this is mechanically hilarious, though it might not come up often. If players fight them, the PCs probably won't even recognize that something's wrong. Maybe a simple Regeneration 1/cold iron (or /epic, depending on how immortal you want them to be) would make them recognize that they're not exactly who they pretend to be. Blindsight 2ft is weird. How do you even calculate that? 5ft might be better.
Edit: I initially thought that Melia was unique, and that the "they" was because they were nonbinary or smth. Oh, well. How many ashen-tree-related greater beings just spill their blood where they shouldn't?
Is there a reason why they are Tree-bound, actually? I doubt greater beings only spill their blood on trees.

Crow: Yeah, seriously, you're a lost cause. I like the reference to the murder of crows' Blinding, and I agree that if the Tarasque has 3 Int, crows and orcas should have more than that, but I find it as more of a compelling evidence that the Tarasque should have less than 3 rather than the crow having more. Anyway, I am going to bite you. What? You know what they say. "Eat your greens."

Caladrius: This is so cute! Is there a reference to a mythological creature or did you come up with it by yourself? But... How can you not have line of sight if you're in a creature's space? I don't understand this precision in Claim Disease.

Gratsh: Sparrow Hengeyokai Warlocks: now available as a CR 5 creature! I would like more info on this one. Why are its invocations Con-based? I understand "born with fell power", though it doesn't explain much (do they have connection with a god, another plane, are they naturally occurring?), but even warlocks "born with fell power" use their charisma. Maybe you could justify it by making them use their blood or something, paying some kind of resource for their invocations. The flight of 20-50 effectively 5th-level flying warlocks is a terrifying thought, even for high-level PCs. Can you even imagine seeing 50 birds the size of humans just flying overhead, then raining arcane destruction on the town? Also, that's Entropic Warding, Entropic Shield is a cleric spell.

Caniceps: This LA+1 bothers me. You know it's much too weak for +1, but on the other hand, it has +4 Str and a natural attack, which makes it as good or better than an orc, already one of the very best +0 melee races. Haaah... I guess +1 it is, but nobody will ever play that.

Calydon: Yay! (Ex) sleep! I want one of these to use as a face for the party. It's... It has 5 RHD... Oh well, I want one to use as an escort mission for my players.

[Metastachydium]

Hi Meta! Just passing by to read some homebrew!

Hey! And many thanks for the comments!

Peluda: I like monsters with weak points, especially weak points who encourage htting the thing with a stick, but this one seems to take a bit too much agency from the players. Why not allow the player to attack the tail once they figure it out, maybe with a -4 to hit, or provoking an AoO, but being sure to hit it instead of having 40%.

The idea is that it flails that stupid tail about so much that it's not an easy thing to hit. I could model that as a dodge bonus to the tail's separate AC, but then I'd have to figure out why on earth anyone would ever try to attack the rest of the thing's body, and if I can't, at that point it doesn't really have a weak point anymore so much as it has an AC 4 points higher.

Also, it seems to prefer being in water, I guess it's supposed to use Control Water to flood river borders. I'm not sure 3 int is enough for these kinds of tactics, but sure;

I don't make the lore! Blame your countrymen, really: this is essentially based on La Velue de La Ferté-Bernard. And in their defense, flooding the banks is really more a juvenile "how dare you chase me for eating your maidens now eat river, asshats and leave me alone" knee-jerk reaction than clever strategy.

the other point is it would probably benefit greatly from having Improved Grab in one way or another, to keep players from just leaving the area too easily. Just have it keep a player in its mouth and you're good to go (also makes more sense that an amphibious creature will try to drag preys in the water to drown them, that's what crocodiles do after all).

Four special attacks seemed like a crowd and the other three struck me as more interesting. But I can add it in, of course, if you think that's okay.

Also, I'm pretty sure it has too many skill points. Tell me if I'm wrong, but 8 Climb, 6 Hide, 0 Jump, 6 Spot, 6 Survival, 3 Swim, for a total of 29, but it only has 22 skill points as a dragon 8 with -8 Int.

…
You are very correct and I'll fix that.

Caryatids: Wait, caryatid columns and caryatids are not the same thing? Wikipedia tells me they are... So, what's the difference?

The word itself comes from καρυα, which is really just Greek for 'walnut'. The column is, well, a column in the shape of a Caryatid, i.e. a 'walnut tree chick person'.

I was so excited when I saw "shrink away from conflict" to see a Fey able to change size at will, becoming Fine to escape if need be, or becoming Colossal to protect the forest in times of need.

That's a lovely concept and I'm sorry to have disappointed. This is just a plain old, thematically somewhat more coherent walnut-based analogue for a Dryad…

Honestly, tree stride at will would not break it at all, especially since it has to remain nearer than 300yards from the walnut tree.

…which is also the reason why I felt neccessary to balance its SLAs against the Dryad's load.

Melia: The full abomination traits on a 4 RHD Fey would be really weird, and honestly pretty fun. "I use Energy Drain" "No." "Meteor Swarm" "They're immune to fire" "Dominate Monster?" "Nope." "Poison!?" "Nah" "Oh well, I'll just hit them with my axe for 32 damage" "She dies."
Still, this is mechanically hilarious, though it might not come up often.

[Evil laughter.] That is a beautiful mental image. Sadly, preexisting lore is binding my (metaphorical) hands somewhat.

Blindsight 2ft is weird. How do you even calculate that? 5ft might be better.

I just wanted to check an item on the Abomination trait list with something underwhelming, but yeah, that's fair. I'll increase it.

Edit: I initially thought that Melia was unique, and that the "they" was because they were nonbinary or smth. Oh, well. How many ashen-tree-related greater beings just spill their blood where they shouldn't?

For some reason, Abominations are apparently not normally unique. And Meliai in particular are an oddity. According to Hesiod, when Ouranos was, khm, slain in a rather embarrassing manner, the drops of her blood gave rise to the horrific Erynies, the snake-legged Giants and… The ash tree nymphs. Many a classical scholar found the notion baffling, naturally.

Is there a reason why they are Tree-bound, actually? I doubt greater beings only spill their blood on trees.

It's a tree nymph thing, okay?

Crow: Yeah, seriously, you're a lost cause. I like the reference to the murder of crows' Blinding, and I agree that if the Tarasque has 3 Int, crows and orcas should have more than that, but I find it as more of a compelling evidence that the Tarasque should have less than 3 rather than the crow having more.

Ethologists say they equal human children of 5–8 years in intelligence (and as new observations are made and new studies are conducted, so does that upper bound rise gradually). SCIENCE is on my side!!

Anyway, I am going to bite you. What? You know what they say. "Eat your greens."

[High frequency plant screams of anguish.]

Caladrius: This is so cute! Is there a reference to a mythological creature or did you come up with it by yourself?

Right? Much as I'd love to claim credit, it's a Late Antiquity birdy, popularised by the Physiologus.

But... How can you not have line of sight if you're in a creature's space? I don't understand this precision in Claim Disease.

That's, um, an excellent question. Total concealment or something, I suppose? (The actual point is, the birdy must look at the patient.)

Gratsh: Sparrow Hengeyokai Warlocks: now available as a CR 5 creature! I would like more info on this one. Why are its invocations Con-based? I understand "born with fell power", though it doesn't explain much (do they have connection with a god, another plane, are they naturally occurring?), but even warlocks "born with fell power" use their charisma. Maybe you could justify it by making them use their blood or something, paying some kind of resource for their invocations.

I believe CON would make more sense as an invoking stat for Warlocks than CHA: the source of the power is external to the Warlock and how strong the output gets is primarily limited by what amount of fell power the Warlock can endure as a conduit. So… This seemed like a good place to make that happen. (Also, interesting fact: my very first homebrewn PrC was a CON-based pseudocaster that used hp and, in later version, a resource tied to hp to power its abilities; I was kindly told it was stupid and its face was stupid. That made me sad.)

If I had to pin down the origin of their powers, I'd say they have a naturally occuring connection with some more bellicose LN-leaning outer plane (like Acheron or an off-brand version thereof) and its inhabitants.

The flight of 20-50 effectively 5th-level flying warlocks is a terrifying thought, even for high-level PCs. Can you even imagine seeing 50 birds the size of humans just flying overhead, then raining arcane destruction on the town?

Yes. That's why I did them! (They are based on unneccessarily cute-looking Cold War era ground attack aircraft, incidentally.)

Also, that's Entropic Warding, Entropic Shield is a cleric spell.

Oooops.

Caniceps: This LA+1 bothers me. You know it's much too weak for +1, but on the other hand, it has +4 Str and a natural attack, which makes it as good or better than an orc, already one of the very best +0 melee races. Haaah... I guess +1 it is, but nobody will ever play that.

Why, yes. The old Hobgoblin conundrum! It has better stats than an Orc plus actual special abilities, so WotC (and I'm a weirdo who uses their numbers as a benchmark) would say it deserves PUNISHMENT. (Stupid WotC.)

Calydon: Yay! (Ex) sleep! I want one of these to use as a face for the party. It's... It has 5 RHD... Oh well, I want one to use as an escort mission for my players.

Escort. Mission. You really are a wicked, wicked man!

[Morphic tide]

SFUQ(&AGA)
(So Far Unasked Questions (and Answers Given Anyway))[/CENTER]

Q: You think you are above RAW?! Animals can't have an INT like that!
A: They don't normally have such scores, no, but that isn't a very hard and fast rule. The relevant feature of the Animal type is worded as follows: "An animal possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry). (…) Intelligence score of 1 or 2 (no creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can be an animal)." I'm merely noting otherwise in the creature's entry. Just as not all Oozes are mindless and not all Aberrations have Darkvision, there's nothing in RAW stopping one from making an Animal with full-on sapience.

I'd pin them in the 4-6 range, personally, given they're decidedly below the cognitive demands of recognizable civilization. In the very select tools-to-make-tools club, but not quite to the "proper" refinement of tools to "take off".

Alignment: Usually lawful neutral
Advancement: By character class Favoured Class: Warlock

Problem: Warlocks' Alignment is "Any evil or chaotic" in the same requirement-giving placement as Paladins or Bards. There isn't an "Ex-Warlock" entry anywhere, but there is still some clarification needed for the failure to meet Warlock expectations.

[Metastachydium]

I'd pin them in the 4-6 range, personally, given they're decidedly below the cognitive demands of recognizable civilization. In the very select tools-to-make-tools club, but not quite to the "proper" refinement of tools to "take off".

I mean, they have very complex societies! They are probably just trying to be environmentally friendly? (Read: that might be fair, but there's no way I'm taking away anything from theses birdies!)

Problem: Warlocks' Alignment is "Any evil or chaotic" in the same requirement-giving placement as Paladins or Bards. There isn't an "Ex-Warlock" entry anywhere, but there is still some clarification needed for the failure to meet Warlock expectations.

True, thanks! I think I'll just do what I did with the Meidont and add a note that they don't need to meet those requirements.

Edit: And done! Does it look better now?

[Metastachydium]

Oh, right. And before I'd get all distracted and forget to fire it up again, as promised and brought to you, at its core, by none other but Flaubert, here comes my first actual, full ABOMINATION, the

Martikhoras
The unwanted spawn of some forgotten power that reigned supreme over the scorching deserts and their beasts, the martikhoras, or elder manticore, bears the likeness of a massive lion with blazing, desert red fur and a prodigious mane of the same colour. Its face, however, is that of a beardless fire giant and a cruel flame burns in its terrible eyes. Its whiplike tail bristles with spikes like javelins. When it speaks, its fire-warm breath seeps through three rows of wicked teeth. It is boastful and without mercy, always hungering for more flesh and more fear.

A martikhoras speaks Celestial, Common, Abyssal, Infernal and Ignan.

Size/Type: Huge Magical Beast [Evil, Extraplanar, Fire]
Hit Dice: 48d10+480 (960 hp)
Initiative: +15
Speed: 50 feet (10 squares)
Armor Class: 65 (-2 size, +7 Dex, +10 deflection, +40 natural), touch 25, flat-footed 58
Base Attack/Grapple: +48/+70
Attack: Bite +61 melee (8d12+21, 18–20/×3) or spike +61 ranged (4d8+14)
Full Attack: Bite +61 melee (8d12+21, 18–20/×3) and 2 claws +61/+56/+51/+46 melee (8d4+14, 18–20/×3) or 8 spikes +61 ranged (4d8+14)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Drills and saws, improved grab, pounce, spell-like abilities, summon the young, swallow all, whirlwind volley
Special Qualities: Abomination traits, desert camouflage, desert mirage, DR 14/epic and good, darkvision 90 ft., immunity to desiccation, fire and sonic, low-light vision, regeneration 18, SR 40
Saves: Fort +36, Ref +39, Will +25
Abilities: Str 48, Dex 24, Con 30, Int 18, Wis 24, Cha 30
Skills: Bluff +15, Climb +14, Concentration +50, Hide +40 (+48 in deserts), Intimidate +62, Jump +57, Knowledge (geography, nature, religion, the planes) +10, Listen +11, Move Silently +18, Sense Motive +40, Spellcraft +24, Spot +11, Survival +7, Swim +14, Tumble +42
Feats: Brutal Throw, Cleave, Combat Reflexes, Great Cleave, Improved Initiative, Improved Multiattack, Improved Rapidstrike, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack, Power Attack, Rapidstrike
Epic Feats: Epic Prowess, Epic Reflexes, Improved Combat Reflexes, Spellcasting Harrier, Superior Initiative
Environment: Warm deserts
Organization: Solitary or pride (1 marthikoras and 14–80 manticores)
Challenge Rating: 28
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Martikhorai are entirely devoid of fear. They wade into battle with cruel elegance and rarely bother to use magic on what they deem they can bring down with claw and teeth. Their bowels veritable furnaces that burn without end, they try to devour as many foes as possible. They prefer to leave no survivors.

Abomination Traits
Immune to polymorphing, petrification, and other form-altering attacks; not subject to energy drain, ability drain, or ability damage, or death from massive damage; immune to mind-affecting effects; cold resistance 20; nondetection; true seeing at will; blindsight 500 ft.; telepathy out to 1,000 ft.

Desert Camouflage (Ex)
A martikhoras can use the Hide skill in any desert even if the terrain doesn't grant any concealment or cover. On such a terrain, it receives no size penalty to Hide checks.

Desert Mirage (Su)
A martikhoras is constantly surrounded by the warm haze of the deserts. Attacks made against the martikhoras suffer a 40% miss chance at all times and it has a deflection bonus to AC equal to its Charisma modifier or 10, whichever is higher.

Drills and Saws (Ex)
The claws of the martikhoras are long and twisted like the drill; and its three rows of teeth sharp as the steel of the saw. Bite and claw attacks made by the martikhoras threaten a critical on an 18 or higher and deal triple damage if a critical hit is scored. The martikhoras receives a competence bonus equal to its Intelligence modifier to critical confirmation rolls.

Improved Grab (Ex)
To use this ability, a martikhoras must hit a creature of its size or smaller with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it establishes a hold, it can use its Swallow All ability on its turn in the next round.

Pounce (Ex)
At the end of a charge, a martikhoras can make a full-attack.

Regeneration (Ex)
The regeneration of a martikhoras is overcome by cold damage and Good-aligned weapons, spells or abilities.

Spell-Like Abilities
At-will: fly; 4/day: all spells from the Fire, Sand, Summer and Thirst domains. Caster level 48th.

Summon the Young (Sp)
Once per encounter as a standard action, a martikhoras can summon 2d4 advanced manticores with 18 HD each. Each day, the martikhoras can summon up to 8 manticores with this ability.

Swallow All (Su)
A martikhoras can try to swallow a grabbed opponent of Huge size or smaller by making a successful grapple check. Once inside, the opponent takes 8d8+21 points of crushing damage plus 14d8 points of fire damage per round. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by dealing 150 points of damage to the innards of the martikhoras (AC 50). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed opponent must cut its own way out. The stomach of a martikhoras is an extradimensional space. It can hold any number of creatures so long as none of these is of a szize category larger than Huge.

Whirlwind Volley (Ex)
The spikes a martikhoras hurls regenerate faster than those of the lesser manticore. So much so that each round, it can as a full-round action make a single ranged spike attack against each opponent within 400 ft. of itself.

[Metastachydium]

Time for calmer waters! (Well, not literal waters. And not very calm either, but… You know. A smaller scale.) This week, I bring the parties of a conflict, once well-known. There are old enmities and one template for these, the struggle between those that crave things and those that guard them, jealously predates Star Wars by quite a couple of centuries. There was a time when the things mentioned above could be treasure; and yet, people wouldn't think of dragons first. But let's not rush ahead too much. Thieves first:

Arimasp, 1st level Warrior
Built like humans, the pale, fair-haired arimasps sport a bold smile and a single, large round eye sitting at the middle of their broad foreheads. Arimasps are crafty and of skilled hands; driven by greed and an adventurous spirit, many of them turn to thievery, recklessly plunging into the hidden hoards of powerful creatures.

Arimasps speak Undercommon.

Size/Type: Medium Humanoid [Arimasp]
Hit Dice: 1d8-1 (3 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 feet (6 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+1 Dex, +3 studded leather armour), touch 11, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +0/+0
Attack: Shortsword +0 melee (1d6, 19–20/×2) or dagger +1 ranged (1d4, 19–20/×2)
Full Attack: Shortsword +0 melee (1d6, 19–20/×2) or dagger +1 ranged (1d4, 19–20/×2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: –
Special Qualities: Darkvision 30 ft., improved trapfinding
Saves: Fort -1, Ref +3, Will -1
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 13, Con 8, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 10
Skills: Disable Device +5, Open Lock +5, Search +3
Feats: Tactile Trapsmith
Environment: Cold hills and underground
Organization: Solitary, party (4–18) or flood (40–700)
Challenge Rating: ½
Alignment: Often chaotic neutral
Advancement: By character class Favoured Class: Rogue
Level Adjustment: +0

Combat
At the safety of their homes, arimasps can get quite loud and boisterous. When they prowl the caves, however, they mostly hope to evade notice and fights. Should that fail, they rely on their numbers, if available, or else, flee.

Improved Trapfinding (Ex)
Arimasps can use the Search skill to find and the Disable Device skill to disarm traps as a rogue does. Disable Device, Open Lock and Search are always class skills for an arimasp.

Skills
Having only one eye makes an arimasp's field of vision narrow; in turn, however, its gaze is highly focused. Arimasps have a +2 racial bonus on Search and a -2 racial penalty on Spot checks.

♣

Now, you might find the above fellows underwhelming. Before passing a judgment, nevertheless, one might want to take a look at what they plunge into the depths to take on. They might look… Far more underwhelming afterwards. I give you the

Ourogriff
Part lion and part eagle, just as its aboveground cousin, the ourogriff is nevertheless sleeker and more sinewy than the former. The underside of its wings are a soft white, its paws a reddish brown and the feathers on its neck a subdued, dull blue. The rest of its fur and plummage is a dusky gray.

The ourogriff is a guardian that dwells in deep places that house gems, silver and gold. On whose behalf it watches over these, nobody knows, but no ourogriffs seems to have much interest in its hoard beyond keeping it intact. They never leave it unattended; whenever an ourogriff crawls or burrows to the surface to exercise its wings in the night (for the caves below offer little room for that), its mate will stay behind vigilantly. And these precautions are wise enough: the pesky arimasps and other thieves are ever watching and ever waiting to claim the gold as their own.

Ourogriffs speak Terran and Undercommon. Many learn Common, Draconic or Giant as well.

Size/Type: Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 10d10+50 (105 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 40 feet (8 squares), burrow 20 feet, fly 40 feet (average)
Armor Class: 22 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +10 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+19
Attack: Bite +15 melee (2d6+5)
Full Attack: Bite +15 melee (2d6+5) and 2 claws +14 melee (1d8+2)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Crow, favoured foe, pounce, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Darkvision 90 ft., low-light vision, scent, uncanny dodge
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +10, Will +10
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 16, Con 21, Int 15, Wis 20, Cha 14
Skills: Appraise +6, Concentration +10, Hide +4, Intimidate +5, Knowledge (architecture&engineering, dungeoneering, history) +6, Listen +24, Move Silently +4, Sense Motive +8, Spellcraft +5, Spot +24
Feats: Alertness, Iron Will, Multiattack, Weapon Focus (claws)
Environment: Cold hills and underground
Organization: Pair or watch (4–10)
Challenge Rating: 8
Alignment: Always lawful neutral
Advancement: 11–20 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Ourogriffs are clever, defensive fighters. They delay combat (often through use of their spell-like abilities) until the ground favours them to then try and immobilize and slash their foes apart.

Crow (Su)
As a standard action, an ourogriff can crow loudly; all opponents within a 40 feet cone must succeed on a DC 19 Will save or cower for 1d2 rounds. Creatures that succesfully save against the effect become shaken instead for 1d4 rounds. Once the ability is used, the ourogriff must wait for 1d4 rounds before it can crow again. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.

Favoured Foe (Ex)
Ourogriffs have plentiful experience in dealing with the most common sorts of would-be robbers. Ourogriffs treat all humanoids as favoured enemies, gaining a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against creatures of this type, as well as a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls made against them. This bonus increases to +4 against arimasps.

Pounce (Ex)
If an ourogriff dives upon or charges a foe, it can make a full-attack.

Spell-Like Abilities
At-will: arcane lock, hold portal, mage hand; 5/day: hold monster,telekinesis; 1/day: stone tell. CL10th; all save DCs are Wisdom-based.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex)
An ourogriff retains its Dexterity bonus to AC even if it is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, it still loses its Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.

Skills
Ourogriffs have a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks, as well as a +2 racial bonus on Appraise, Knowledge (architecture&engineering), Knowledge (dungeoneering) and Knowledge (history) checks.

[Metastachydium]

And for a single update, here comes a little something something combining a couple things dear to me. Do not that despite any perceived similarities, I'm not one of these. For starters, I'm a lot smaller than a fully grown

Perindent
Perindents are tall, broad shrubs, with overlarge, deep green leaves. In the summer and early autumn, they bear smooth, round golden fruits the size of a halfling's fist, a great favourite of birds that flock to the perindent's branches for the bounty and protection it provides. Perindents are quite fond of these feathered folk, but, for reasons lost to time, despise dragons and will not tolerate their presence.

Perindents speak Sylvan and a rudimentary form of Draconic they only ever use to fling profanities and threats at dragons prowling about.

Size/Type: Huge Plant
Hit Dice: 10d8+90 (135 hp)
Initiative: -3
Speed: 0 feet (0 squares)
Armor Class: 21 (-2 size, -3 Dex, +16 natural), touch 5, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+20
Attack: Slap +10 melee (2d6+5)
Full Attack: 5 slaps +10 melee (2d6+5)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: Turn dragons
Special Qualities: DR 10/evil and slashing, low-light vision, plant traits, repel dragons
Saves: Fort +16, Ref +5, Will +10
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 5, Con 29, Int 10, Wis 20, Cha 8
Skills: Intimidate +10 (+14 against dragons), Knowledge (arcana, nature) +6, Sense Motive +6, Spot +6, Survival +6
Feats: Ability Focus (Repel Dragons), Insightful Reflexes, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes
Environment: Any forest or swamp
Organization: Solitary or patch (6–50)
Challenge Rating:
Alignment: Usually neutral good
Advancement: 11–19 HD (Huge), 20–26 HD (Gargantuan)
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Perindents are not bellicose, neither particularly disposed, nor truly able to seek out foes to fight, given their limited mobility. Should the need arise, on the other hand, they will defend themselves and the birds perching upon them with valour and quick flurries of swinging branches.

Repel Dragons (Su)
Perindents are surrounded by an invisible field of power at all times that keeps dragons at bay. A creature of the Dragon type that would approach a perindent must succeed on a DC 22 Will save. On a failure, the dragon cannot get any closer than 20 feet to the plant. The save DC is Wisdom-based.

Turn Dragons (Su)
A perindent can turn creatures of the Dragon type as a good cleric turns undead. A perindent can use this ability a number of times per day equal to the number of its hit dice. The turning check and turning damage are Wisdom-based.

Skills
Perindents receive a +4 racial bonus on Intimidate checks made against creatures of the Dragon type.

(Also, yes. They have a 0 ft. speed rather than no speed so that effects that accelerate movement can LET THEM WALK. (They called me MAD! (They were probably RIGHT!)))

[Beni-Kujaku]

Nice creations all around!

Martikhoras: That is a big boy. Bigger than you give it credit for, I feel. Having all spells from the Fire domain means that it will be surrounded by Huge and Greater elementals 20 hours per day, it has extreme damage potency, high speed, pounce, and especially an absurd AC (even its touch AC isn't that bad, especially combined with desert mirage) which, combined with its ridiculously high saves, makes me question where to even start (I mean, it fits in a forcecage, but it will just spam summons and/or spike volleys). It's not as strong as a Phaethon, but it could definitely compete. I'd say something between CR 27 and 30 would be better, probably 28, or 29 if you increase its SR to actually interesting levels (SR ~40). Also, why is the spike attack melee? Shouldn't it be 6 ranged spikes, like regular manticores? If the belly is an extradimensional space, how can you deal damage to it? It would be fun to only allow damage to affect the stomach as if it were incorporeal.

Arimasps: Nothing much to say, they're slightly underpowered, but the permanent class skills and trapfinding are interesting. Could be cool to know where they live (underdark, I suppose?), and if they're natives from there, or bred by yuan-tis, or changelings who ventured into the underdark and lost their transformative abilities, as disguises aren't that important in the dark?

Ourogriff: Like an hippogriff, but instead of a horse, you have... a tail? What? Why is it called Ourogriff instead of liongriff? Anyway, it's... Surprisingly bland. "Pouncing felines" is nothing new. The SLAs probably won't come up, and otherwise it's basically a spell-less androsphynx. Is that why ot has such a high Wisdom? As a remainder of cleric spellcasting that it used to have? Maybe knowing more about what it guards, even if we don't know who put it here, who give it a bit more depths. That or expanding on the "mate" thing, making it wholesome and sad when the PCs inevitably kill them both.

Perindent: Again with the high Wisdom, and this one doesn't even need it for Will saves, it's immune to mind-affecting. When creating a creature like that, one of the question is always "Will the PCs care about its abilities, why would the PCs care". And the fact that a tree despises dragons is pretty inconsequential. It's a weird world-building, but once again, we do not know why, so there's no way to fix it, and the quest it may give being just "get these dragons out my property" isn't great either. I don't know, it doesn't appeal to me either mechqnically (no wide-use ability, 5 slaps) or lore-wise...

Also, the shrieker fungus also has 0 ft movement speed, so there's precedent!

[Metastachydium]

Nice creations all around!

Thank you, and an extra big thank you for the commentary!

Martikhoras: That is a big boy. Bigger than you give it credit for, I feel. Having all spells from the Fire domain means that it will be surrounded by Huge and Greater elementals 20 hours per day, it has extreme damage potency, high speed, pounce, and especially an absurd AC (even its touch AC isn't that bad, especially combined with desert mirage) which, combined with its ridiculously high saves, makes me question where to even start (I mean, it fits in a forcecage, but it will just spam summons and/or spike volleys). It's not as strong as a Phaethon, but it could definitely compete. I'd say something between CR 27 and 30 would be better, probably 28, or 29 if you increase its SR to actually interesting levels (SR ~40).

Not unlike most everyone on this miserable planet, WotC included, I'm… Kind of bad at assigning CR to epic ****. I'm all convinced, by you, though, and I'll take it up to 28.

Also, why is the spike attack melee? Shouldn't it be 6 ranged spikes, like regular manticores?

…
This is a phenomenon that sociolinguistics calls perseveration: I accidentally repeated a word for the simple reason that I used it shortly before. Will fix that, thanks!

If the belly is an extradimensional space, how can you deal damage to it? It would be fun to only allow damage to affect the stomach as if it were incorporeal.

The original idea was that it's like a bag of holding or portable hole and one can puncture it, but that makes weird things happen. I dropped that as probably too much, but left in the easiest explanation of why it has a bigger volume than it should have any right to, figuring openings just create portals back onto whatever plane the big M. is at, but I get that it's a tad inelegant. Should I clarify/modify?

Arimasps: Nothing much to say, they're slightly underpowered, but the permanent class skills and trapfinding are interesting. Could be cool to know where they live (underdark, I suppose?), and if they're natives from there, or bred by yuan-tis, or changelings who ventured into the underdark and lost their transformative abilities, as disguises aren't that important in the dark?

They are surface-dwelling, but highly specialized spelunkers, probably developed from human stock through quasi-natural adaptation. Their mythical originals live up in the frozen north; I figure these have the same deal and originally began exploring downwards for
a. the constant temperature; and
b. the relative scarcity of aboveground resources.

Ourogriff: Like an hippogriff, but instead of a horse, you have... a tail? What? Why is it called Ourogriff instead of liongriff?

Two reasons:
1. the griffon already fills the "it's an eagle, but also a lion" niche; and
2. [VERY smugly.] that would be leontogriff anyhow, because Greek.

The name comes from ουρος ('guard, guardian'), by the way (even though they do have tails as well).

Anyway, it's... Surprisingly bland. "Pouncing felines" is nothing new. The SLAs probably won't come up, and otherwise it's basically a spell-less androsphynx. Is that why ot has such a high Wisdom? As a remainder of cleric spellcasting that it used to have?

Not really. I derived it from the griffon, mechanically. High WIS is something it needs mostly for the awareness angle, to further bolster the mostly WIS-based Favoured Enemy skills ("so suspicious of Humanoids it can Favour the whole type" is supposed to be, perhaps, its signature shtick anyhow). And while the at-will SLAs are just thematically fitting dressing indeed, I figured Hold Monster and a bit of Telekinesis remote controlling with good DCs does have its uses.

Maybe knowing more about what it guards, even if we don't know who put it here, who give it a bit more depths.

Oh! I (and for I, kindly substitute Monsieur Flaubert, if you will) can answer that! Behold:
"[it is] the master of deep splendours. [It] know[s] the secrets of the tombs wherein the Kings of old do slumber.

"A chain, issuing from the wall, maintains their heads upright. Near them, in basins of porphyry, the women they loved float upon the surfaces of black liquids. Their treasures are all arrayed in halls, in lozenge-shaped designs, in little heaps, in pyramids;—and down below, far below the tombs, and to be reached only after long travelling through stifling darkness, there are rivers of gold bordered by forests of diamonds, there are fields of carbuncles and lakes of mercury." (transl. by L. Hearn)

In a D&D context, the latter bit is likely, in fact, on the other side of some Underdark portal to the Inner Planes, likely Earth or Mineral, but the Griff has no way to tell that (lacking the Knowledge (the planes) training and all that).

That or expanding on the "mate" thing, making it wholesome and sad when the PCs inevitably kill them both.

Hm. Good thinking!

Perindent: Again with the high Wisdom, and this one doesn't even need it for Will saves, it's immune to mind-affecting.

Repel Dragons is WIS-based, and on second thought, I should have explicitly made Turn Dragons WIS-based as well. I'll most likely will, too, so thanks again!

When creating a creature like that, one of the question is always "Will the PCs care about its abilities, why would the PCs care". And the fact that a tree despises dragons is pretty inconsequential. It's a weird world-building, but once again, we do not know why, so there's no way to fix it, and the quest it may give being just "get these dragons out my property" isn't great either.

I'll openly admit I make… Questionable decisions on that front, deliberately and for the heck of it. You should see my Celestial Stag (a joke in its natural habitat, a freaking one-shot weapon of mass destruction out of it for no good reason other than that it does the same in the source material I used, and I'm CRAZY)! So… I mostly just saw the Peridexion (aka Perindens, a name I lazily anglicized) in the Physiologus and I was like, "this is a shrub that feeds and protects birdies; I want to do stats for it!"

Still, it would be remiss for me not to mention that I'm currently in a RHoD campaign, and I just found the idea of a party hiring shrubs to help defeat an Evil draconic invasion too funny to pass up.

I don't know, it doesn't appeal to me either mechqnically (no wide-use ability, 5 slaps) or lore-wise...

I'll be honest and open: my stuff is lean on lore for a reason. Sometimes (read: all too often) I look at official lore on official creatures and my reaction ranges from "yeah, sure" through "dude, cringe" to "where's this developer I want to strangle them". I liked the idea of the Skum a lot more before I learned they are a slave race bred from other slave races to do slave race muscle slave work for giant seas slugs, for instance; the whole "they are Abyss-dwelling murderers for the fun of murder because reasons" thing for Abrians is really wanton and stupid; everything I've ever read about the Drow just makes me want to see the whole subrace fall over and die; and what they did to the Kenkus… I mean, "they are criminal scum incapable of forming a cohesive society of their own so they parasitize other societies, but somehow they still have a racial language"? That's what they went for a cute birdy race? Just **** you, WotC.

I don't want to make the same mistake, you know? Accordingly, while I'm developing a setting of my own as we speak where my word is Truth and Truth is my word, I'm wary of going into too much detail on things outside that.

Also, the shrieker fungus also has 0 ft movement speed, so there's precedent!

Best. Stealth Insult. I ever received! Well done!

[Tzardok]

You'd propably like the kenku of 2e (honorable trickster type birdmen living in clans and having a penchant for illusion) a lot more. afroakuma once theorized that the shift from those kenku to 3.x' stunted kenku may be the result of Vecna's meddling during Die, Vecna, Die! and that the kenku's god (Quorrlin, a god of retribution who actually never liked being responsible for a whole race) is missing them and angry about it and so started a crussade to steal them back.

Hmm.. maybe I should convert the 2e kenku... on the other hand, the Rokugan kenku are probably good enough to fill the role...

[Metastachydium]

You'd propably like the kenku of 2e (honorable trickster type birdmen living in clans and having a penchant for illusion) a lot more. afroakuma once theorized that the shift from those kenku to 3.x' stunted kenku may be the result of Vecna's meddling during Die, Vecna, Die!

[With righteous fury.] DIE, VECNA, DIE!!

and that the kenku's god (Quorrlin, a god of retribution who actually never liked being responsible for a whole race) is missing them and angry about it and so started a crussade to steal them back.

Awwww.

Hmm.. maybe I should convert the 2e kenku... on the other hand, the Rokugan kenku are probably good enough to fill the role...

Mechanically, I like them a lot, actually! They aren't strong, no (for which we have the OA Tengu, so no biggie), but they have very crowlike abilities, what with the guile, the good cooperation and the mimicry thing. It's the fluff I have considerable difficulty finding an excuse (let alone a good excuse) for.

EDIT: Still, the more BIRDIES, the merrier! If you'd like to convert one, I'm the last person who'd try to stop you.

[Metastachydium]

Quick and dirty creepy update while I'm here. From below the waves, forth bursts the

Limnic
Limnics are thick, but entirely transparent clouds of almost unthinkably small elemental beings. Although the naked eye cannot usually tell empty air apart from a limnic, there is a crucial difference between the two: limnics are unbreathable and any that get trapped within one will die unless they manage to escape.

Size/Type: Fine Elemental [Air, Swarm]
Hit Dice: 14d8+28 (91 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: Fly 20 feet (perfect), swim 20 feet
Armor Class: 24 (+8 size, +4 Dex, +2 deflection), touch 24, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/–
Attack: Swarm (3d6 nonlethal plus smother)
Full Attack: Swarm (3d6 nonlethal plus smother)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Smother
Special Qualities: Coagulation, darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits, immune to weapon damage, acid and fire, invisible, swarm traits, vulnerability to sonic
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +13, Will +6
Abilities: Str –, Dex 18, Con 14, Int –, Wis 14, Cha 7
Skills: –
Feats: –
Environment: Warm aquatic
Organization: Solitary, cloud (4–40) or cover (100–1400)
Challenge Rating: 10
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: –
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Limnics employ little in the way of strategy. They emerge from the water and simply descend upon opponents, choking to death those that cannot or will not flee.

Coagulation (Ex)
Whenever a limnic takes at least 10 points of cold damage, some of it coagulates into a cloud of dry, white, crystalline particles. Whenever this happens, the limnic so affected loses its invisibility and its maneuverability drops to average for 1d10 rounds or until it takes at least 10 points of fire damage.

Invisible (Ex)
Each fine creature that enters into a limnic's composition is not only almost imperceptibly minuscule, but also colourless and gaseous in nature, rendering the swarm virtually invisible. Not even see invisibility or similar spells can reveal a limnic's exact location.

Smother (Ex)
Any creatures that needs to breathe must hold its breath or begin to suffocate for as long as it shares its space with a limnic. This ability effectively replaces the Distraction special attack of other swarms.

[Metastachydium]

Have some snail things for now. Next time, I'll fire up something, well, kind of odd and then slow [looks down, chuckles] down to rebuffer and stuff. Anyway, snails:

Eliga
Though they have a dislike for the term, given their eyestalks, soft, boneless, legless bodies, a yellowish brown or gray in colour and their elegantly coiled shells, snailfolk describes eligas quite well. Eligas are slow, meticulous and unobtrusive; outside mating, they rarely even bother their own kind with their presence.

Eligas speak their own language called Selat and Common.

Size/Type: Medium Aberration
Hit Dice: 2d8+2 (11 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 10 feet (2 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (-1 Dex, +5 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+0
Attack: Sickle +0 melee (1d6)
Full Attack: Sickle +0 melee (1d6)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: –
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., ease of climbing, trail, vulnerability to fire and desiccation, wide vision
Saves: Fort +1, Ref -1, Will +3
Abilities: Str 9, Dex 8, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +4, Move Silently +6, Spot +2, Survival +2
Feats: Stealthy
Environment: Temperate or warm hills
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1
Alignment: Often neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +0

Combat
Eligas are no warriors, but when it comes to fight or flight, the latter is rarely a viable path for them, unless terrain they can traverse and their foes cannot. Therefore, they usually choose to fight, albeit quite defensively, trying to outlast their opponents.

Ease of Climbing (Ex)
Due to the sticky slime it secretes, an eliga can climb virtually any surface, no matter the angle and how smooth or rough it is. Eligas climb at their full land speed and need not make Climb checks. Eligas are not slowed by ditches, walls or rubble.

Trail (Ex)
The mucus that aids an eliga's movement comes with certain drawbacks, chief of which is that it stays behind as an easily spotted sign of its passage. Due to this trail, Survival checks made to track an eliga receive a +4 circumstance bonus that decreases by 1 point for each passing day or every 2 hours of rain.

Wide Vision (Ex)
Its shell is not the only defense an eliga possesses. Since its eyes sit on top of long stalks it can freely twist and raise or lower, it cannot be flanked and it receives a +2 racial bonus on Spot checks.

♣

And let's add to that their big guy buddies, the

Ghadarga
Rotund and heavy, ghadargas, or at least what is visible of them, seem to consist for the most part of a pair of bulky, tough brown shells, one roughly spherical, the other, the thicker outer bit, domed. Five holes on the former let the four short but muscular legs and the snubbed head with its hornlike antennae and overlarge, round, peaceful brown eyes emerge from underneath.

Though a fully domesticated ghadarga is rare, eligas will sometimes climb upon their backs and have themselves carried. Ghadargas rarely mind this, as they learned to see an added layer of defense, rather than a potential threat in these opportunistic riders.

Size/Type: Large Aberration
Hit Dice: 5d8+40 (62 hp)
Initiative: -2
Speed: 30 feet (6 squares)
Armor Class: 25 (-1 size, -2 Dex, +18 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+12
Attack: Headbutt +7 melee (1d8+5) or shell bash +7 melee (2d8+7)
Full Attack: Headbutt +7 melee (1d6+5) and 2 foreclaws +2 melee (1d4+2) or shell bash +7 melee (2d8+7)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Bulk
Special Qualities: Blindsense 20 ft., darkvision 60 ft., DR 5/piercing, pull back
Saves: Fort +1, Ref -1, Will +3
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 6, Con 25, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha 8
Skills: Climb +8, Spot +2, Survival +4, Swim +6
Feats: Alertness, Improved Toughness
Environment: Temperate or warm hills
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 5
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 6–10 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Ghadargas are usually tame and even docile, but if they do feel threatened or are scared, they will lash out with blind desperation at perceived foes, using, first and foremost, their massive shell to bludgeon and shove around opponents. Retreating into the safety of their shells is generally a last resort.

Bulk (Ex)
A ghadarga's outer shell is broad and heavy; such is its breadth and weight, in fact, that when it is used to push an opponent back or out of the creature's way, it makes fighting back quite difficult. When making a bull rush or overrun attempt, a ghadarga may choose to turn around as a swift action and move backwards. Its land speed then decreases to 20 feet, but the attempt provokes no attack of opportunity and the ghadarga receives a +4 circumstance bonus on the opposed check that follows.

Pull Back (Ex)
As a move action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity, a ghadarga can pull its head and limbs back into its inner shell and move its outer shell forward onto the latter. A ghadarga hiding under its outer shell cannot move and loses the benefit of its blindsense ability, but its natural armour bonus to AC increases by 6 and the value of its damage reduction doubles.

[Metastachydium]

So, mondays. Ever feel like you want to whip the people around you into this weird frenzy where they all start engaging in needlessly brutal, bloody and uncivilized riots? There's no shame in that, you see; so does the

Grib
The grib looks like an unremarkable human man of average height with short, sparse reddish hair and a beard. The resemblance is only skin deep, nevertheless: the boneless body of the grib consists of nothing but a uniform, spongy, wet, cold mass held together by its case of leathery texture. The air feels thicks and smells of freshly disturbed soil around the creature and usually a fawning crowd of followers swarm about it.

As dangerous as it is disquieting, the grib has plans. Plans to shake the world – and change it forever.

The grib speaks Common.

Size/Type: Medium Aberration [Earth]
Hit Dice: 17d8-17 (59 hp)
Initiative: +5
Speed: 30 feet (6 squares)
Armor Class: 33 (+1 Dex, +8 +4 chain shirt, +14 deflection), touch 25, flat-footed 32
Base Attack/Grapple: +12/+10
Attack: +3 quarterstaff +14 melee (1d6+2)
Full Attack: +3 quarterstaff +14/+9/+4 melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Disappear, spore cloud
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 120 ft., uncanny grace
Saves: Fort +18, Ref +20, Will +23
Abilities: Str 7, Dex 13, Con 8, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 38
Skills: Bluff +24, Disguise +22, Intimidate +26, Knowledge (local) +8, Perform (oratory) +22
Feats: Ability Focus (Disappear), Ability Focus (Spore Cloud), Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Persuasive
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or mob (the grib and one or more followers)
Challenge Rating: 17
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: –
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
The grib doesn't fight. The grib has fanatics to fight for it, and the ability to make that crowd swell.

Disappear (Su)
Once per week as a full-round action, the grib can erase a being it is familiar with from existence. The target of this ability must succeed on a DC 34 Fortitude save or vanish without a trace, alongside all written mentions and pictorial representations of it that are found on the same plane. Creatures other than the one disappeared retain all their memories of it, but the disappeared being itself cannot be retrieved in any way short of a miracle spell. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Spore Cloud (Su)
A cloud of invisible spores exudes from and hangs in the air about the grib at all times. Any creature that gets within 40 feet of it must succeed on a DC 34 Will save each minute it remains exposed or its attitude towards the grib changes to fanatical. Affected creatures, furthermore, are always automatically hostile towards anyone openly displaying a religious symbol or heraldry, as well as anyone they see handling gold. Other than death, only a heal or miracle spell can undo this effect; a remove disease spell or any equivalent ability can, however, suppress it for 1d4 minutes. This is a mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Uncanny Grace (Su)
The grib adds its Charisma modifier as a deflection bonus to AC and as a competence bonus on all saves. Attempts to use the Diplomacy or Intimidate skills on the Grib automatically fail.

♣

What? I did kind of imply it's going to be stupid last week. Speaking of which, teasers: next time, we'll have some giants or an ooze, and after that, a planty almost as creepy as the yellow creeper (unless I fail at making it creepy; then it won't be creepy).

[Metastachydium]

O-kay. So, recently, I realized we are on a forum called Giant in the Playground, and yet, the only Giant I ever made is a revision of preexisting stuff from MM2 and as such, not even in this thread. This shall now be remedied with a double update (and with the Boring Cone standing by for the time being, essentially ready). Now,

Rift Giant
The denizens of long, thin rocky valleys up in the mountains, rift giants are tall, thin, sinewy beings, almost to the point of looking sickly. Their spidery arms hang well below their knees; in contrast, their legs seem disproportianetly short. Regardless of sex, they are invariably bald, but usually sport long, gray-brown beards. Though not particularly hostile unless provoked, they don't like strangers or, for that matter, company.

Rift giants speak Giant and sometimes Orc.

Size/Type: Huge Giant
Hit Dice: 8d8+32 (68 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 feet (6 squares), climb 30 feet
Armor Class: 15 (-2 size, +1 Dex, +2 leather armour, +4 natural), touch 9, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+20
Attack: Heavy pick +10 melee (2d6+9, ×4) or dart +10 ranged (1d8+6)
Full Attack: Heavy pick +10/+5 melee (2d6+9, ×4) or dart +10/+5 ranged (1d8+6)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./20 ft.
Special Attacks: –
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., long-arm, low-light vision, slight build,
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +4
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 8
Skills: Climb +14, Hide +5, Move Silently +4, Spot +4, Survival +4
Feats: Brutal Throw, Lightning Reflexes, Stealthy
Environment: Any mountains
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating:
Alignment: Often neutral
Advancement: By character class Favoured Class: Ranger
Level Adjustment: +4

Combat
Rift giants are patient hunters that rely on their surprisingly good stealth and the advantages the terrain they inhabit offers. Still, once combat is joined, they prefer to fight hand-to-hand rather than from afar, making good use of their far-reaching arms.

Long-Arm (Ex)
The arms of a rift giant are as long and thin as its body is, overall. A rift giant's reach is 5 feet longer than usual for a creature of its size.

Slight Build (Ex)
The physical stature of rift giants lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category smaller. Whenever a rift giant is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as Hide), the rift giant is treated as one size smaller if doing so is advantageous to it. A rift giant is also considered to be one size smaller when squeezing through a restrictive space. A rift giant can use weapons designed for a creature one size smaller without penalty. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject's size category.

Skills
A rift giant has a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened.

♣

Brownwater Giant
Usually over a good twenty-four feet tall, broad-shouldered, long-legged, thick-skinned brownwater giants prowl swamps and shallow coastal waters, content with their lot and ready to let be any that will leave them alone. Any who will not is generally quick to learn that while slow to anger, these expert hunters are as tough as their mud brown hide.

Brownwater giants speak Giant and Aquan.

Size/Type: Huge Giant
Hit Dice: 11d8+44 (93 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 30 feet (6 squares) in hide armour; base speed 40 feet
Armor Class: 22 (-2 size, -1 Dex, +3 hide armour, +12 natural), touch 7, flat-footed 22
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+26
Attack: Spear +17 melee (2d6+15, ×3) or spear +8 ranged (2d6+15, ×3)
Full Attack: Spear +17/+12 melee (2d6+15, ×3) or spear +8/+3 ranged (2d6+15, ×3)
Space/Reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special Attacks: –
Special Qualities: Blindsense 15 ft., darkvision 60 ft., hold breath, low-light vision, wading
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +2, Will +6
Abilities: Str 30, Dex 8, Con 19, Int 11, Wis 17, Cha 8
Skills: Hide -7, Jump +11, Listen +5, Move Silently +5, Spot +5, Survival +11, Swim +11
Feats: Alertness, Athletic, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (spear)
Environment: Temperate and warm swamps
Organization: Solitary, pair or party (4–9)
Challenge Rating:
Alignment: Often neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Besides its strength, the greatest assets of a brownater giant are its familiarity with the swamps and the ease with which it can traverse them. The giants know that much and will stay in the water if at all possible. Very defensive overall, they rarely bother to pursue a fleeing foe and reluctant to engage any who does not enter their realm anyhow

Blindsense (Ex)
A brownwater giant does not need to make Spot or Listen checks to pinpoint the location of a creature within range of its blindsense ability, provided that it has line of effect to that creature, and both the giant and the creature are within the same body of water. Any opponent the giant cannot see still has total concealment against the giant, and it still has the normal miss chance when attacking foes that have concealment.

Hold Breath (Ex)
A brownwater giant can hold its breath for a number of rounds equal to four times its Constitution score before it risks drowning.

Wading (Ex)
Brownwater giants do not treat water or mud (including shallow and deep bogs) no deeper than 10 feet as difficult terrain.

[Metastachydium]

Aand… Creepy planty time! (Although it's not even a creeper.) Meet and greet the

Skogsro
Uncompromising protectors of the forests, the skogsro are terrifying entities that lurk among the trees, always waiting. Their true form is bipedal and vaguely feminine, with barklike skin, six fingers or toes on feet and hands and a mane of stiff, hard branches with narrow, grey-green leaves for hair. Their torso is hollow with a large, gaping opening on their backs, from which a tail (in fact, a long, slender but powerful prehensile vine) seems to hang all the way to the ground. Nevertheless, they rarely show themselves as such: when not masquerading as trees, they disguise themselves as petite human women, usually clad in a long, loose dress with a cloak and a headsquare or hood covering their hair. Under this guise, they lure perceived enemies of the woods (such as loggers, farmers or hunters – but they are known to bear a grudge against nymphs and satyrs as well, perhaps for the frequent consorting of these beings with various humanoids) into the thickets. Those that follow them are rarely seen again.

Most skogsro speak Common and Sylvan, but they are known to learn other languages spoken nearby to aid their hunting.

Size/Type: Medium Plant
Hit Dice: 8d8+16 (52 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 feet (6 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+3 Dex, +5 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+14
Attack: Slam +10 melee (1d6+4) or tailvine +10 melee (1d8+4 and hollow grab)
Full Attack: 2 slams +10 melee (1d6+4) or tailvine +10 melee (1d8+4 and hollow grab)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Consume foe, deceptive assault, hollow grab
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, plant traits, regeneration 8, spell-like abilities
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +5, Will +4
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 19
Skills: Bluff +10, Disguise +14, Hide +8, Knowledge (local, nature) +1, Listen +2, Move Silently +3, Spot +2, Survival +4
Feats: Ability Focus (Consume Foe), Improved Grapple^B, Skill Focus (Disguise)
Environment: Cold forests
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 9
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 9–18 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Skogsro will usually avoid fighting groups, using stealth and subterfuge to pick off and devour opponents one by one. Should they fail, they retreat and hide to wait for a better opportunity – or easier prey.

Consume Foe (Su)
As long as the skogsro's hold is maintained, an opponent pulled into the hollow on the creature's back must succeed on a DC 24 Fortitude save or have the hollow close over it and be consumed entirely within the round. Items worn or carried by such a victim fall to the ground on a square adjacent to the skogsro at the beginning of the following round, when the hollow opens up again. No method short of a Miracle or True Resurrection spell can restore a creature so consumed to life. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +4 racial bonus.

Deceptive Assault (Ex)
The skogsro are veritable masters of turning against their prey the exact moment it was lulled into a false sense of security. Against a flat-footed foe, the deceptive skogsro can add its Charisma modifier to grapple checks.

Hollow Grab (Ex)
If the skogsro succesfully hits a Medium or smaller opponent with its tailvine, it can immediately thereafter start a grapple as a free action. If it manages to establish a hold, it may, as a free action, pull its foe into the hollow on its back and attempt to consume it.

Regeneration (Su)
Fire and silvered weapons deal normal damage to the skogsro.

Spell-Like Abilities
At-will: disguise self, obscuring mist, tree shape. Caster level 8th.

[Bhu]

I need to peek in here more often :)


Good to see someone doing up the rarer mythical critters.

[Metastachydium]

I need to peek in here more often :)


Good to see someone doing up the rarer mythical critters.

Hey, thanks! And you know you're always welcome to peek.

[Metastachydium]

A quick and dirty, earth-y update, coming up. I'll make it double.

Boring Cone
Conical masses of lusterless, gray or brown-gray slime the size of a fat badger, boring cones are underground predators drilling through rock tirelessly in search of a good spot to ambush prey. In solid, igneous rocks, they are known to sometimes leave behind peculiar tunnels of a strikingly round cross-section.

Size/Type: Small Ooze [Earth]
Hit Dice: 4d10+12 (34 hp)
Initiative: -3
Speed: 10 feet (2 squares), burrow 20 feet
Armor Class: 11 (+1 size, -3 Dex, +3 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 11
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/-1
Attack: Acid spear +4 melee (1+1d4 acid)
Full Attack: Acid spear +4 melee (1+1d4 acid)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Acid spear, rapid digestion
Special Qualities: Blindsight 10 ft., DR 4/piercing or slashing, ooze traits, stonesense
Saves: Fort +4, Ref -2, Will +3
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 5, Con 17, Int –, Wis 14, Cha 2
Skills: –
Feats: –
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 3
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 5–7 HD (Small), 8–11 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
Boring cones wait in ambush with only their tips sticking out of the walls of the caverns they inhabit, so that they can locate prey with their blindsight. Upon sensing movement within reach, they attack immediately.

Acid Spear (Ex)
Boring cones attack by way of extending the pointed tip of their body towards prospective victims. This attack deals piercing damage, as well as 1d4 points of additional acid damage. The acid of a boring cone only dissolves stone and flesh.

Rapid Digestion (Ex)
A boring cone breaks down and processes the flesh it consumes remarkably fast. Whenever the creature deals acid damage to an opponent, it regains an equal amount of hit points. A boring cone can never acquire more hit points than its initial maximum amount through the use of this ability.

Stonesense (Ex)
Just as a dwarf can tell its distance from the surface, so can a boring cone determine the direction of the closest open space and its distance from the creature's tip when it burrows through stone.

♣

Magnetis
A clumsy, shapeless heap of silvery metal with thick arms and legs, the magnetis is commonly considered a variant of the more commonly seen earth elemental. Whatever the truth, the two creatures are indeed vrey much alike in size and temperament, although the magnetis is lighter of body and somewhat quicker of mind.

Magnetids speak Terran.

Size/Type: Large Elemental [Earth]
Hit Dice: 6d8+24 (51 hp)
Initiative: -1
Speed: 30 feet (6 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (-1 size, -1 Dex, +6 natural), touch 8, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+13
Attack: Slam +8 melee (2d4+5)
Full Attack: 2 slams +8 melee (2d4+5)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Whitefire
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., elemental traits, trap weapon
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +1, Will +1
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 8, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 12
Skills: Climb +10, Listen +5, Search +5, Spot +5
Feats: Alertness, Cleave, Power Attack
Environment: Elemental Plane of Earth
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 7–11 HD (Large), 12–15 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: –

Combat
A magnetis is slow to anger, but once it is provoked into fighting, it never stops swinging its clublike arms until it sees its foes fleeing or dead. While not a terribly subtle fighter, it recognizes the advantages its soft body provides and attacks opponents with slashing weapons in preference to other melee threats.

Trap Weapon (Ex)
The metallic body of a magnetis is far more malleable than it looks. Whenever the wielder of a bludgeoning or piercing weapon deals at least 10 points of damage to a magnetis, such an opponent must succeed on a DC 17 Strength check or the weapon used gets stuck. The same Strength check can thereafter be attempted once each round as a standard action. The DC is Constitution-based.

Whitefire (Ex)
The substance magnetids are composed of is flammable. Whenever a magnetis suffers 5 points of fire damage or more, a portion of it combusts, emitting an incredibly bright, white flash. Opponents that can see the magnetis must then succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude saving throw or be blinded for 1d6 rounds; a success indicates that the opponent is merely dazzled for the same duration. The save DC is Constitution-based.

♣

In the next installment, we'll go fully extraplanar! As always, don't hesitate to drop questions, comments and "the reason you suck" speeches right here!