Battlezoo Bestiary - Strange and Unusual
Battlezoo Bestiary - Strange and Unusual
Battlezoo Bestiary - Strange and Unusual
Within the pages of Battlezoo Bestiary: Strange and Unusual, you’ll find over 150
bizarre new creatures to confound and perplex players and their characters alike!
The creatures in this eldritch tome arose from the most imaginative and compelling
submissions from the 2021 RPG Superstar contest, including monstrosities like
the roiling, giggling, congealed laughter, the firefly-swarming salirus, and the two-
dimensional chiralus.
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Printed in China
MONSTER AUTHORS
James Abendroth, Erica Abenti, Mark T. Adkins, Jeffrey Anderson, Daniel Aznavorian, Stephen Bandstra, Lau Bannenberg,
Lorenzo Barquín, Stephen Bendig, Ryan Bentzinger, Nathan Berg, Adan Bermudez, Mavi Biglietto, Vittorio Boemio, Aaron B. Bradford,
Andrew Braithwaite, Michael Bramnik, Dave Breitmaier, Alexander Burley, Justin Cando, Carlos H. Caro, Jake Cassar, Matt Cavanaugh,
Brite Cheney, Alexander Eldritch, Aoife Ester, Hunter Evans, Luca T. Fassari, Davide Filippi, Ivis K. Flanagan, Logan France, Alex G. Friedman,
Sebastian Garde, David Greene, Kalen H.M., Elizabeth Harris, Katrina Hennessy, Elizabeth Heyeck, Charlie Ho, S.A. Janke,
Garry Stacey Johnston, Juho Kattelus, Erin A. Keston, Gregg Kieffner, Ryan King, Kitsune Kirin, Jameson Knopp, Jason Koellner, Ben Kojis,
Ivan Kulikov, W. Brian Lane,Jesse Lehto, Nick Lucas, Jason Luke, Jake Marohl, Marty Martinez, Marceline Miller, Francois Potvin Naud,
J.M. “Django” Nogueira, Brian Nowosatka, Nicholas Potter, Michael Robinson, Julian Röth, Gabriel M.S. Santos, Gabriel Santos,
J.A. Saunders, Tony Saunders, Kenneth Schleich, Aviv Schwarz, Juniper Scott, Daniel Seligmüller, Natthan Senteni, Lucas Servideo,
Jonathan T. Sims, Jacob Sloan, Rodney Sloan, Benjamin Sulzer, Ben Tait, Vincent Thériault, Brant Vallier, Dejan Veskovic, Michael Vieths,
Nick Volpe, David Walker, Anthony Wheeler, Joshua White, Spencer Whiting, Garrick J. Williams, Nathan Wright
MONSTER DEVELOPMENT
Mark Seifter & Grady Wang
MONSTER PARTS DESIGN
Stephen Glicker & Mark Seifter
EDITING LEAD
Stephen Glicker
EDITING
Stephen Glicker, Sébastien “Aleph” Greffier, and Mark Seifter
ART DIRECTION
Stephen Glicker & Mark Seifter
COVER ARTIST
Ameur Makhloufi
INTERIOR ARTISTS
Çağdaş Demiralp, Douglas Deri, Miguel Regodón Harkness, Kaion Luong, Yugin Maffioli, Dio Mahesa, Ameur Makhloufi, Bruno Mello,
Vinicius Menezes, Marco Morales, William O’Brien, Fabian Parente, Felipe Perez, Christoph Peters, Kiki Moch Rizki, Allan Santos da Silva,
Egil Thompson, Danh Tran, Allyson Vitor; Endsheet Illustrations & Page Border Illustrations © Stefan Poag 2023
RPG SUPERSTAR JUDGES
William Fischer, Stephen Glicker, Sen.H.H.S., Vanessa Hoskins, Luis Loza,
Patrick Renie, Jefferson Thacker, Mark Seifter, Linda Zayas-Palmer
PROOFREADERS
Nathan Berg, Justin Cando, Brook Freeman, David Greene, Sébastien Greffier, Ryan King,
Dylan Tice-Carroll, Brant Vallier, Joshua White, Nathan Wright
FOUNDRY VTT IMPLEMENTATION
Ian Blackstone, Ian Hildebrandt
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Stephen Glicker
LAYOUT
Stephen Glicker
DIRECTOR OF GAME DESIGN
Mark Seifter
PUBLISHER
Stephen Glicker
SPECIAL THANKS
Erik Mona, everyone at Paizo, Inc., all who entered the RPG Superstar contest, and the Roll For Combat fans!
Open Game Content: The Open Content in this book includes the
monster names, monster statistics, monster abilities, items, and the
suggested monster parts system. No portion of this work other than
the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in
any form without written permission.
Battlezoo Bestiary: Strange and Unusual (Pathfinder) is © 2023,
Skyscraper Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved. First Printing. 16 Continental Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583
rollforcombat.com
2
Introduction
Contents 6
Monsters A–Z 10
Monster Parts 170
Quick Start Guide for PCs................................................................................................................................................... 172
Quick Start Guide for GMs...................................................................................................................................................174
The Three Variants............................................................................................................................................................. 176
Gathering Ingredients......................................................................................................................................................... 178
Refining............................................................................................................................................................................. 182
Imbuing............................................................................................................................................................................. 188
Unusual Character Options................................................................................................................................................ 198
Appendix 202
Ability Glossary.................................................................................................................................................................. 202
Creature Traits................................................................................................................................................................... 204
Rituals............................................................................................................................................................................... 205
Languages......................................................................................................................................................................... 207
Suggested Monster Parts................................................................................................................................................... 208
Creatures by Type.............................................................................................................................................................. 220
Creatures by Level............................................................................................................................................................. 221
This book refers to several other Pathfinder products; however, these additional supplements are not required
to make use of this book. Readers interested in references to Pathfinder hardcovers can find the complete
rules of these books available for free at paizo.com/prd.
APG Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide
SOM Pathfinder Secrets of Magic
5
6
Introduction
As Zara slept and Krueger’s eyes began to close, I remained vigilant while slowly reflecting on
the day’s escapades. These lands are full of the most bizarre and outlandish beasts, undead,
aberrations, and worse that the three of us have ever seen. It’s as if the gods of mischief and
grotesquerie challenged each other to a cosmic contest to create something that they found...
interesting. My hand, the one that transforms into a tentacle, began to tremble. Was there another
presence nearby? Hopefully we wouldn’t find out before morning... or at least until I finish toasting
my marshmallow.
—Xan, Aberrant Soul
Welcome everyone to Battlezoo Bestiary: Strange and Unusual, which is both a book I am excited for you
to read and use in your games and a fitting description for the journey I have taken over the past few years
getting Roll For Combat up and running. Never did I expect the first Battlezoo Bestiary to become such a
massive success in such a short period of time, and for so many others to have the same love and excitement
for the RPG Superstar contest.
As many of you probably know, the original Battlezoo Bestiary grew from my love of roleplaying games,
Paizo’s amazing RPG Superstar contest, and the desire to continue the tradition of the contest—to give new
voices an opportunity to be heard and a method for them to break into the roleplaying industry. Simply
getting the opportunity to bring back the RPG Superstar contest was exciting enough, but seeing how many
others enjoyed the contest as much as I did and the thrill and excitement of seeing the winners get their name
in print next to their monster was immensely rewarding.
Of course, right away, people were asking when the next RPG Superstar contest was going to be run and
what the theme of the contest was going to be this time around. In the first contest, there was no theme, and
people could submit any type of monster to the contest. The result was a genuine hedgehog full of monsters
of all shapes and sizes. There was nothing wrong with that, but I wanted a bit more direction for the next
contest, something that would help tie all the monsters together into a common theme. But what could
possibly do that? It had to be something simple to understand but broad enough to allow for a wide range
of creatures.
And then one night, as many people have pointed out on our Discord, I was watching Tim Burton’s
Beetlejuice when Lydia Deetz utters the classic words, "I, myself… am strange and unusual," and I knew right
from that moment that was to be the theme of the contest. My favorite monsters of all time have always been
the oddballs, the bizarre, and the truly unique creatures that you remember long after the fight has concluded.
My dream would be to have an entire bestiary filled with monsters of this kind, so the theme Strange and
Unusual became the official theme for RPG Superstar 2021.
So, with the theme solidified, RPG Superstar 2021 was opened to the public, and the response was
overwhelming!
Not only was there a significant increase in participation from the prior contest, but the quality of the
entries was significantly stronger (not that the first Battlezoo Bestiary isn’t a fantastic book, but practice makes
perfect!). In the end, the winning entries more than met the mark, and we now have this amazing volume in
your hands.
Hopefully, the creatures you find in this book will help you run memorable games for your players and
inspire you to build unique adventures from the lore and hooks of these bizarre creatures. And, of course, the
winners get to see their monsters in print, with their name and award next to each entry.
Of course, we also expanded the Monster Parts system from the original Battlezoo Bestiary. We have
included both the base rules for the system in this book as well as new rules for creating staves, multiple
new imbuements, unusual character options, and the brand new aberrant soul player option because who
wouldn’t want to play a character slowly turning into a monster?
I hope you get as much enjoyment from these monsters and the new Monster Parts options as we did
creating them!
—Stephen Glicker
7
gear that would affect its attack modifier, such as a weapon with a
Reading Creature Statistics +1 weapon potency rune, those calculations are already included,
Each creature’s rules appear in a stat block, with a structure Damage amount and damage type, plus any additional effects (this
similar to those of feats, spells, and magic items. Because entry is Effect if the Strike doesn’t deal damage).
creatures have more abilities than those game elements, Ranged 1 As Melee, but also lists range or range increment with
however, their statistics include more entries, many of traits, Damage as Melee.
which have special formatting. Spells The entry starts with the magical tradition and whether the
A creature’s traits line sometimes begins with a rarity; spells are prepared or spontaneous, followed by the DC (and attack
if the creature’s rarity is common, no rarity is listed. The modifier if any spells require spell attack rolls). Spells are listed by
next entry is its alignment, which is given as a one- or two- level, followed by cantrips. A spell prepared multiple times lists the
letter abbreviation (CG for chaotic good, N for neutral, number of times in parentheses—for example, “(×2).” Spontaneous
LE for lawful evil, and so on); these abbreviations are spells list the number of spell slots after the spell level.
listed comprehensively on page 205. Next is the creature’s Innate Spells These are listed like other spells, but can also include
size (Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, Huge, or Gargantuan). constant, at-will, and focus spells. If the creature has a focus spell
Any other traits are then listed alphabetically. The traits as an innate spell, it works like other innate spells with listed uses,
appearing in this book, including some traits from the rather than costing Focus Points. Spells that can be used an unlimited
Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook, can be found in number of times list “(at will)” after the spell’s name. Constant spells
Creature Traits. appear at the end, separated by level. Rules for constant and at-will
Actions and activities the creature can use have the spells appear on page 202 in the Ability Glossary.
appropriate icons next to those abilities’ names noting Focus Spells If a creature has focus spells, this entry lists the spells’ level,
how many actions they require. A creature always has the Focus Points in the creature’s focus pool, the DC, and those spells.
the requisite proficiency ranks or other abilities required Rituals Any rituals the creature can cast appear here.
to use what’s listed in its stat block. For instance, a Offensive or Proactive Abilities Any actions, activities, or abilities
spellcasting creature can perform the Cast a Spell activity, that automatically affect the creature’s offense, as well as free
and a creature is never untrained with any of its items. actions or reactions that are usually triggered on the creature’s turn,
Some abilities are abbreviated in stat blocks and appear here in alphabetical order.
described in full in the Ability Glossary on pages 202–204.
ASKYRON CREATURE 18
RARE N HUGE ASTRAL
Perception +30; darkvision
Languages Residui
Skills Acrobatics +35, Athletics +31, Deception +35, Previous
Reality Lore +38, Stealth +35
Str +9, Dex +10, Con +6, Int +9, Wis +5, Cha +6
Outdated The askyron treats any result other than a critical success
to Recall Knowledge or Sense Motive as a critical failure. The
exception is any attempt to Recall Knowledge using its Previous
Reality Lore skill to remember information about its past reality.
AC 39; Fort +30, Ref +33, Will +27; +2 status to all vs. divine
HP 500; Immunities controlled, disease, mental, poison,
precision damage; Weaknesses force 10; Resistances acid 10
Alien Morality When subject to an effect with an alignment trait, an
askyron is treated as whichever alignment would be worst for it when
determining the outcome.
Speed 40 feet, burrow 40 feet, fly 90 feet
Melee 1 unmaker sceptre +37 (finesse, force, magical), Damage 3d10+17 force
Ranged 1 unmaker bolt +35 (force, magical, range increment 60 feet), Damage 3d10+17
force
Arcane Innate Spells DC 37, attack +29; 10th teleport; 7th disintegrate (at will), plane
shift; 5th tongues (at will); Cantrips (9th) shield
Ancient Oration 2 (arcane, transmutation, verbal, visual) The askyron speaks in
detail about how the previous world worked with such knowledge and authority that it
briefly returns to its original form. Until the start of its next turn, creatures that see it
take 9d6 mental damage (DC 40 basic Will save). On a critical failure, they are also
confused until the end of their next turn.
Godskiller When the askyron damages a target with a divine connection, such as a creature
capable of casting divine spells or an object with the divine trait, it deals 2d6 additional force
damage; this increases to 4d6 when using disintegrate. This applies only to the triggering target,
even if the same effect would damage other targets.
Scour When the askyron casts disintegrate, it doesn’t make an attack roll. Instead, every creature,
unattended object, and force effect within a 5-foot burst must attempt a Fortitude save as
if the askyron had succeeded on its attack roll.
17
Atoning Spirit
Whether the agent of a deity, the embodiment of a holiday, or a fey spirit seeking
COPPER AWARD to teach mortals a lesson, an atoning spirit appears to those in need, whether
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
they want its aid or not. An atoning spirit’s goal isn’t to harm their target but
BY MICHAEL VIETHS
instead to convince them to atone for their sins. They use powerful illusions and
insights into the target’s life to show their target visions of their lives that led to
FALSE WITNESS the transgressions and caught the atoning spirit’s attention.
Sometimes, when friends and family have An atoning spirit may appear in any form it likes, but they often choose
had enough of a loved one’s misbehavior, that of someone close to the target: a deceased friend or relative, or an older or
they’ll hire a caster or just dress themselves younger version of the target itself.
up to impersonate an atoning spirit in hopes A person can attract the attention of an atoning spirit either through the
of changing the reprobate’s ways. This type performance of an atone ritual or by encountering an atoning spirit and behaving
of intervention rarely has the lasting effects in a way that makes the spirit believe they’re seeking atonement. The atoning
of proper atonement and sometimes suffers spirit leaves once the creature has either properly atoned for its sins or sincerely
the awkwardness of an actual atoning spirit no longer wishes to atone.
showing up to disapprove of the falsehood.
ATONING SPIRIT CREATURE 6
RARE N MEDIUM INCORPOREAL SPIRIT
Perception +18; darkvision
Languages Common, Sylvan; tongues
Skills Deception +13, Diplomacy +15, Intimidation +15, Nature +18, Penitent Lore +18,
Religion +18, Society +15
Str +2, Dex +4, Con +1, Int +2, Wis +7, Cha +2
Know Penitent 1 (divination, linguistic, mental) The atoning spirit is able to read the
penitent’s mind, learning relevant bits of their past in order to ascertain how best to
influence them. The penitent may attempt a Will save.
Success The penitent is unaffected and is temporarily immune to Know
Penitent for 1 hour.
Failure The atoning spirit gains +2 circumstance bonus to
Diplomacy checks against the penitent, and the penitent takes
a –2 circumstance penalty on Deception checks against the
atoning spirit. These effects last for 1 hour.
Critical Failure As failure, but the circumstance bonus to Diplomacy
checks increases to +4, and the circumstance penalty to Deception
checks increases to –4.
Penitent Lore (divination) The atoning spirit is able to read a penitent’s
entire lifetime. Their Penitent Lore skill is specific to their target for the purposes of
knowing details about the penitent’s life and personality.
Show Vision 2 (auditory, illusion, mental, olfactory, visual) The atoning spirit
creates the effects of an illusory scene (Pathfinder Core Rulebook) of the
penitent’s past, present, or future. The illusions created by this ability are
interactive and react in a manner consistent with their appearance (food
has flavor and scent, loved ones behave as the target expects, etc.).
The vision must be consistent with the actions for which the penitent
is atoning.
AC 23; Fort +11, Ref +14, Will +17
HP 71; Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison,
precision, unconscious; Resistances all damage 5 (except force,
ghost touch; double resistance vs. non-magical)
Rejuvenation (divine, necromancy) When an atoning spirit is
destroyed, it reforms, fully healed, within 2d4 days, appearing in the
vicinity of the penitent. If it’s destroyed without a penitent, it instead
appears near a potential penitent.
Speed fly 30 feet
Melee 1 strike +15 (agile, finesse, magical), Damage 2d4+7
mental
Primal Spells DC 24; 6th teleport (at will, self and penitent only);
2nd invisibility (at will, self or penitent only); Constant (5th) tongues
Rituals DC 24; atone
18
Auroplasm
Auroplasms are mystical marauders of sentient gold that lust for one thing above
all others: more gold to add to their bodies. Each one has a main denomination, SILVER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
which they use as their face. If they absorb a significant quantity of a different
BY LAU BANNENBERG
coinage, they split off a new auroplasm to resolve the internal conflict. You can
simulate a newly split auroplasm by making it Small and giving it the weak
template, or an engorged one just before splitting by applying the effects of enlarge. AUROPLASM ORIGINS
As beings composed entirely of gold, auroplasms face both dragons and According to legend, auroplasms originate
adventurers as natural predators. But they themselves also hunt dragons for from a single incident, when a powerful
their hoards. Since they don’t care for most other treasures, they sometimes sorcerer was caught standing on a dragon’s
team up with adventurers, but adventurers with significant gold reserves should hoard and boiled alive in molten gold until
watch their backs. his fire resistance spells gave out. His fury,
frustration and greed fused with the hoard
AUROPLASM CREATURE 15 and created the first auroplasm.
RARE CE MEDIUM OOZE
Perception +23; darkvision, tremorsense (imprecise) 30 feet
Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Arcana +27, Athletics +27, Crafting +25, Deception +30, Diplomacy +27, Intimidation +30,
Society +25, Stealth +25
Str +6, Dex +0, Con +6, Int +6, Wis +4, Cha +7
AC 27; Fort +29, Ref +23, Will +26
HP 425; Immunities critical hits, fire, electricity, precision; Weaknesses base metal vulnerability,
cold 15; Resistances acid 15, piercing 15, slashing 15
Base Metal Vulnerability Auroplasms take 15 extra damage from weapons made of ordinary
metals, but not precious or special metals like silver or cold iron.
Conduct Electricity 5 Trigger The auroplasm is targeted by an electricity effect; Effect The
auroplasm changes the target to a creature in their reach that isn’t already a target of the effect.
Resolve the effect against the chosen creature instead.
Molten Mass A creature that hits an auroplasm with weapon or
unarmed attack must attempt a DC 33 Reflex save. On a failure,
the weapon or creature takes 3d6 fire damage (after dealing
damage to the ooze as normal). Thrown weapons take the
damage from this ability automatically with no save.
Radiant Heat (aura, fire) 30 feet. The auroplasm shimmers
with heat, making them concealed. A creature entering the
aura or starting its turn in it takes 3d6 fire damage (DC 33
basic Fortitude save). The auroplasm can deactivate or
reactivate this ability with a single action, which has the
concentrate trait.
Speed 25 feet, climb 25 feet
Melee 1 superheated tendril +30 (reach 10 feet), Damage
2d12+10 bludgeoning plus 2d12 fire and coin brand
Arcane Spontaneous Spells DC 36, attack +28; 8th dispel magic, horrid wilting, maze, mind
blank (4 slots); 7th crushing despair, dispel magic, fly, haste, prismatic spray, tempest of
shades (4 slots); Cantrips (8th) detect magic, mage hand, read aura, shield, telekinetic
projectile
Coin Brand (fire) When the auroplasm hits a creature with a superheated tendril Strike, it
sears the visage of its dominant coinage in the defender’s flesh. Treat Wounds or
regenerate removes this brand.
Engulf in Gold 2 The auroplasm channels its magic into the connections with
its coin brands, engulfing nearby branded creatures in gold. All creatures
with the auroplasm’s coin brand within 60 feet take 12d6 fire damage
with a DC 36 basic Reflex save. On a failure, the creature also takes
a –10-foot circumstance penalty to its Speeds for 1 minute,
and on a critical failure, it’s also immobilized for 1 round.
Lure of Lucre 1 (mental, visual) The auroplasm makes a
Feint against a creature within 30 feet. On a success
the creature is flat-footed against all attacks until
the end of the auroplasm’s next turn.
19
Ayd-rahiba
An ayd-rahiba is a frightening and implacable troop of aberrations that swarm
COPPER AWARD their victims from inside nearby walls, surrounding and devouring them.
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
What little is known about the ecology of ayd-rahiba concerns their bizarre
BY KENNETH SCHLEICH
habitat: they prefer to live within the walls of abandoned, desecrated structures.
Their exact physical features are unknown; they are hidden within the walls,
RAHIBA ROULETTE but when they attack, ichor-coated gangly black arms burst from behind plaster
Ayd-rahibas carry the mystery of their and crack the seams between stacked stone, plucking their victims off their feet
appearance to the grave, dissolving into and dragging them back to be crushed against the walls. The entire group of
black ichor when they die. Capturing the creatures moves and attacks with an eerily singular intent and coordination.
ichor requires a container made of organic Any structure home to an ayd-rahiba bears marks of the ayd-rahiba’s presence,
material like leather—it seeps through and these marks are an adventurer’s only clue of the impending danger. The
everything else. Those who accomplish the ayd-rahiba’s arms don’t emerge from the walls smoothly like an incorporeal
task may drink it to gain the ability to wall spirit: they burst out violently and physically. When an ayd-rahiba pursues
glide, but doing so is a gamble; the effect prey, their arms rip their way across surfaces, tearing plaster or even stone like
lasts a variable amount of time per dose, paper. Survivors noted seams of oddly repaired walls prior to being ambushed,
and should it end while the drinker is inside meaning that the creatures likely repaired the damage they caused to their own
a wall… the result is quite gruesome. lair in their violent hunts.
AYD-RAHIBA CREATURE 10
RARE CE GARGANTUAN ABERRATION TROOP
Perception +19; tremorsense (precise) 60 feet, occupying structure only
Skills Athletics +22, Intimidation +18, Stealth +20
Str +8, Dex +7, Con +5, Int +3, Wis +2, Cha +3
AC 29; Fort +19, Ref +22, Will +16
HP 200 (16 squares), Thresholds 133 (12 squares), 67 (8 squares); Weaknesses area
damage 10, lawful 10, slashing 10, splash damage 5; Resistances piercing 10
Retreat into the Walls 1 (move) The ayd-rahiba’s arms all retract into the walls in
unison, leaving only gaping holes behind. This grants the ayd-rahiba standard cover
and the ability to wall glide.
Troop Defenses
Speed 30 feet, climb 30 feet, troop movement, wall glide
Constricting Drag 1 Frequency once per round; Effect The ayd-rahiba arms squeeze
and pull on all creatures grabbed by it, rolling a single Athletics check and comparing
the result against each grabbed creature’s Fortitude DC. On a success, the ayd-rahiba
deals 2d8+6 bludgeoning damage and pulls the creature 5 feet towards its nearest
space (10 feet and double damage on critical success).
Grabbing Onslaught Frequency once per round; Effect The ayd-rahiba’s
arms lash out at all enemies in the squares it occupies or within 5 feet with
a DC 27 basic Reflex save. On a failure, the creature is grabbed until the
end of the ayd-rahiba’s next turn. The damage depends on the number of
actions. 1 2d8 bludgeoning damage 2 2d8+11 bludgeoning damage
3 2d8+17 bludgeoning damage.
Form Up 1
Swarming Tide The ayd-rahiba moves with an organization illogical to
mortal minds. It can move into other creatures’ spaces, and other creatures
can move into its spaces. The spaces it occupies are treated as difficult
terrain by other creatures. When the ayd-rahiba uses Form up, it can ignore
the 15 foot limitation as long as its squares all occupy a single room.
Troop Movement Whenever the ayd-rahiba Strides, it first Forms Up as a
free action to condense into a 20-foot-by-20-foot area (minus any missing
squares), then moves. This works just like a Gargantuan creature moving;
for instance, if any square of the ayd-rahiba enters difficult terrain, the
extra movement cost applies to the whole troop.
Wall Glide After Retreating into the Walls, the ayd-rahiba moves behind
the surfaces of walls, ceilings, and floors of a structure with illogical ease
in a wet, slapping slither. The surfaces bulge obviously in ways that defy
their material nature unless the ayd-rahiba Sneaks. After emerging to
attack, the ayd-rahiba can’t wall glide until it Retreats into the Wall.
20
Bannog
Bannog are a type of aberration from the realm of dreams that take the form
of evil humanoid rabbits with human-like ears that stretch to well over a foot COPPER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
above their heads. Capricious and malevolent, bannogs travel from dream to
BY PHILIP HOLM-LARS
dream in small family units in order to gang up on their prey. If they find a
dream that seems especially fun or energetic, they might leave a clutch of eggs
behind in that dream to gestate. BANNOG CHARACTERS
Although bannogs look mostly harmless, believing them to be so is a mistake. Some bannog misfits spend their lives on
They produce a magical membrane over their paws that works as a touch poison the Material Plane, which causes them
that allows them to absorb dream energy from mortal creatures. While it serves to become able to sustain themselves on
as an effective defense mechanism, bannogs are usually careful about overusing normal sustenance without the need for
it for fear of ending their food supply. The souls that bannogs trap with their souls and changes the way they interact with
poison usually don’t hold much value to them, since the dreams of the soulless dreams. These bannogs sometimes become
tend to be bland and depressing and to contain inferior energy. adventurers or mischievous pranksters
Since bannogs rely on souls to survive but are relatively weak among all instead of malevolent tormentors. For rules
creatures that feed upon souls, they are deathly afraid of most beings involved of playing a bannog PC, check out World of
in the soul trade. Rather than compete, if they meet any such creatures, they Battlezoo: Indigo Isles!
often try to offer their services as a desperate act of self-preservation.
Bannog thieves are cruel thrillseekers who enjoy the risks involved in hunting
for souls. They often enter the Material Plane from an unsuspecting creature’s
dream, steal the souls of everyone nearby except a single person, escape the
scene through that person’s dream, and then expect the survivor to be blamed
for the massacre.
BOWLFISH CREATURE 1
RARE CN TINY ABERRATION
Perception +8
Languages Common
Skills Athletics +6, Deception +7, Diplomacy +7, Intimidation +7, Performance +7,
Society +6
Str +1, Dex +4, Con +1, Int +3, Wis +3, Cha +4
AC 15; Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +10
HP 24
Speed 5 feet
Melee 1 jaws +9 (agile, finesse, deadly d8), Damage 1d6+1 piercing plus Grab
Occult Spells DC 17; Cantrips (1st) daze, ghost sound, prestidigitation
Blood Frenzy 1 Requirements The bowlfish has a creature grabbed; Effect The
bowlfish viciously feeds on its victim with its razor sharp teeth, dealing 1d4 piercing
damage with a DC 17 basic Fortitude save. On a failure, the creature also takes 1
persistent bleed damage.
Fish Dance 1 (enchantment, mental, occult, visual) The bowlfish erupts in a wonderful
and complex dance, immediately drawing the attention of all those around it to its
bizarre antics. Every creature in a 30 foot radius becomes fascinated, unless they
succeed at a DC 17 Will save. A creature that fails its saving throw against a bowlfish’s
Fish Dance ability stays fascinated this way as long as the bowlfish continues to spend
one action to Fish Dance each turn to keep dancing, without receiving any further saving
throws, although the fascination can be broken normally by hostile actions. Creatures
fascinated by a bowlfish’s Fish Dance must spend the first action on each of their turns
approaching the bowlfish, and they must instead spend all of their actions
approaching the bowlfish if they critically failed their Will save against the
bowlfish’s Fish Dance.
29
Bulbekken
Among the larger members of the gremlin family when fully grown, a bulbekken
GOLD AWARD resembles a miniature blue ogre, one riddled with bright orange boils and
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pimples, and a similarly colored pot belly that can spawn more of its kind. A
BY JAKE CASSAR
bulbekken’s diseased skin is no surprise, since the creatures’ favorite pastime
involves frolicking in urban refuse and eating the resident insects whole. They
PLAGUE CARRIERS don’t shy away from mud baths either. The boils on their skin reek of acid, and
Bulbekken skin is a reservoir for their bellies only grow larger with time as they gestate their spawn in mucus.
diseases it encounters, passing the Towards the later stages of life, one can even see the tiny bulbekkens kicking.
contagions to those who touch it. In At the end of their short lifespan, the boils and stomach of the bulbekken
the rare instances where a bulbekken explode, killing it, but birthing three new ones which remain and travel together
colony hasn’t been exposed to other as siblings until they grow up and burst themselves. The triplet bulbekkens
diseases, they spontaneously develop maintain a familial resemblance to their parent and each other, though they
their own: bulbenesis, which, if left often have completely differing personalities. One might be the quiet introvert
untreated, results in a fully grown while the other two squabble about everything under the sun, and each would
bulbekken bursting out of the victim. certainly have a unique preference for seasoning their morning beetle stew.
Nevertheless, though they might argue incessantly, a bulbekken’s family comes
second to nothing else.
The cycle of birth, growth, and bursting repeats in as little as two weeks
when the area is nasty enough, resulting in bulbekkens quickly infesting any
area they deem disgusting enough to call home. While they do quickly take
care of any insect population, no city wants an exponentially growing band
of plague-bearing bullies overrunning its garbage disposal sites and expanding
their territory on a whim.
In spite of this, bulbekkens are not impossible to negotiate with. Many an
adventurer has managed to convince a colony to immigrate to an even more
disgusting place to live. It’s especially easier to do so if the new home has
weaker creatures to bully, since these gremlins fancy themselves the biggest
threat around. Some stories even tell of bulbekkens being easily charmed
by song, but others contradict this with assertions that bulbekkens hate
any and all music. What’s certain is that their large, elephant-like ears
are as sensitive to sound as bulbekkens are about their ears’ appearance.
BULBEKKEN CREATURE 3
UNCOMMON CN SMALL FEY GREMLIN
Perception +6
Languages Undercommon
Skills Athletics +10, Intimidation +7
Str +4, Dex +0, Con +4, Int –1, Wis +1, Cha +1
AC 16; Fort +12 (+14 vs. diseases), Ref +7, Will +7; –2 to all vs. auditory
HP 70; Weaknesses piercing 5, cold iron 5
Belly Burst When the bulbekken takes at least 10 piercing or slashing damage and has
10 or more HP, it splits into three identical gremlins. First apply the damage to the
original bulbekken. Then that bulbekken splits open and dies, spawning three
smaller bulbekkens, each with a third of the original’s HP. Each of the new
bulbekken is Tiny instead of Small. All three appear in the same space
as the original and have their own uses of primal innate spells, with a
spell DC of 15 instead of 17. Tiny bulbekken lose the Belly Burst
ability and can’t Swallow Whole. After about a week, they grow to
full size, increase their spell DC to 17, and gain Belly Burst and
Swallow Whole.
Speed 25 feet
Melee 1 claws +12, Damage 1d8+4 slashing
Melee 1 strike +12, Damage 1d6+4 piercing plus Grab
Primal Innate Spells DC 17; 2nd vomit swarmAPG; 1st acidic
burst; Cantrips (2nd) prestidigitation
Pack Attack A bulbekken deals 1d4 extra damage to any creature that’s
within reach of at least two of the bulbekken’s allies.
Swallow Whole 1 (attack) Tiny, 1d8+3 bludgeoning, Rupture 10
30
Cadavalier
Cadavaliers are the twisted result of the unfettered or undisciplined use of
necromantic reanimation spells, where the divide between fallen cavalry and GOLD AWARD
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their trusty mounts is all but ignored.
BY BRANT VALLIER
Raised from bloody battlefields, cadavaliers are cultivated from the remnants
of cavalry charges ordered in vain by foolhardy commanders, haunted places
where the anguish of fallen soldiers resonates, bitter and resentful that they were DOPPELNAYERS
cut down in their prime. What emerges from these places are hollow vestiges of While one would not normally greet the
once-proud warriors astride regal steeds. They become vile mockeries of their sight of a nuckelavee with joy, the fey may
former selves, twisted into one horrible composite, and cruelly bound to ride mean the difference between life and
down their animator’s foes in relentless pursuit. death when one is being pursued by a
While a cadavalier improves upon the speed of their horse’s previously living cadavalier. Nuckelavees take offense at
form, their decomposition and cobbled-together nature often cause them to their appearance, considering cadavaliers
stumble from time to time on their gnarled hooves and twisted bones. Over to be mockeries of their own form, and
long stretches, swift-footed adventurers might be able to outpace them. become obsessed with destroying any
Though they retain some martial ability from their previous lives, when a cadavalier they encounter. Just don’t stick
cadavalier runs down their quarry at lance point, ultimately the hunger for around to be their next target.
living flesh overrides what echoes of discipline remain within their shell, and
their animalistic side takes control in a bloody frenzy of gnashing teeth and
stomping hooves.
CADAVALIER CREATURE 7
UNCOMMON NE LARGE MINDLESS UNDEAD ZOMBIE
Perception +15; darkvision
Skills Acrobatics +13, Athletics +15
Str +4, Dex +6, Con +6, Int –5, Wis +2, Cha –4
Slow A cadavalier is permanently slowed 1 and can’t use reactions.
Items steel shield (Hardness 5, HP 20, BT 10)
AC 24; Fort +15, Ref +18, Will +12
HP 175, negative healing; Immunities death effects, disease, mental, poison, unconscious;
Weaknesses positive 5, slashing 5
Frightful Presence (aura, emotion, fear, mental) 30 feet, DC 22
Speed 50 feet
Melee 1 lance arm +18 (reach 10 feet, deadly d8), Damage 2d8+8 piercing
Melee 1 hoof +18 (agile), Damage 2d4+8 bludgeoning
Melee 1 jaws +18, Damage 2d6+8 piercing plus Grab
Break Off 4 Requirements The cadavalier’s last action was a critical success on a
lance arm Strike; Effect The cadavalier’s lance arm impales its victim and breaks
off, leaving them bleeding and staggered. The target takes 1d8 persistent bleed
damage, and they are clumsy 1 as long as the lance remains within their body.
The broken lance can be removed with a successful DC 20 Medicine check,
though if the bleeding had stopped, removing the lance can reopen
the wound. Any result except a critical success on the Medicine
check causes the target to take 1d8 persistent bleed damage.
The cadavalier can’t use its lance arm Strike again until it
retrieves its arm (from the victim’s corpse or after the arm
is removed) and reattaches it with an Interact action.
Gnaw 1 Requirements The cadavalier has a
creature grabbed with its jaws. Effect The
cadavalier gnaws and chews on the grabbed
target with its jaws, dealing 2d6+6
piercing damage (DC 22 basic Fortitude
save). On a critical failure, the creature is also sickened 1 from the pain.
Grave Charge 2 The cadavalier Strides twice and then makes a lance arm
Strike. As long as it moved at least 20 feet, it gains a +4 circumstance bonus
to its damage roll.
Rearing Thrash 1 Frequency once per round; The cadavalier rears up and brings its front two
hooves down onto its target. The cadavalier makes two hoof Strikes, each using the cadavalier’s
current multiple attack penalty. Both Strikes must have the same target.
31
Carnivorous Chapeau
The result of decades of long research headed by a group of disreputable
COPPER AWARD wizards and experimental alchemists, carnivorous chapeaus serve many
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purposes for their unsavory creators. While they are often employed as an
BY JACOB SLOAN
unexpected vector or tool for assassination, they also function as torture
devices or even traps for greedy and unwary intruders who can’t resist the
HANG ON TO YOUR HAT allure of an extremely fashionable piece of headwear.
Recent attempts to rebrand carnivorous The construction and form of carnivorous chapeaus are not limited to
chapeaus as “hats no gust of wind can a stereotypical hat made entirely of cloth material. In truth, a carnivorous
take” have experienced surprising success chapeau is capable of appearing like any kind of headgear, assuming its creator
when combined with iron skull caps. chooses to construct it in that manner. The possibilities for carnivorous
chapeaus are endless, including forms as varied and disparate as a leather
cap, an iron helmet, or even a golden crown. Carnivorous chapeaus are
able to follow simple commands such as “attack when there is only
a single creature you can sense” or “attack when you hear this
word,” though more complex instructions can wind up being too
complicated for a carnivorous chapeau to understand, leading to
imperfect performance or even drastically unwanted behavior.
Few assassins appreciate it when their creation kills the wrong
target.
Although potentially lethal in the right situation, the use
of carnivorous chapeaus faded somewhat among shadowy
organizations and disgruntled nobility due to its limited ability
to pursue once a victim escapes. Although rumors insist that
carnivorous chapeaus are merely prototypes for a more
dangerous construct, their most common and traditional
use is to affix them to an interrogated creature as a
simple means of causing pain and injury.
CHRONOCEROS CREATURE 7
UNCOMMON N LARGE BEAST
Perception +14 (+18 with all-seeing eyes open); low-light vision; scent
(imprecise) 60 feet
Skills Acrobatics +13, Athletics +17, Survival +15
Str +6, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +0, Wis +2, Cha –2
All-Seeing Eyes 4 (divination, occult) Requirements The chronoceros
hasn’t acted yet this turn; Effect The Chronoceros opens its additional eyes, or
closes them if they were already open. Having its additional eyes open grants
the chronoceros the ability to use its special abilities. However, the mental
strain causes the chronoceros to suffer 1 mental damage at the end of each of
its turns. If the chronoceros can’t act, its all-seeing eyes close on their own.
AC 24; Fort +20, Ref +15, Will +18
HP 150; Weaknesses mental 5; Resistances physical 5
Avoid Fate 5 (divination, misfortune, occult) Requirements The
chronoceros has its All-Seeing Eyes open; Trigger The chronoceros is
critically hit by a creature it can see; Effect The chronoceros foretells
the incoming danger. The attacking creature rerolls the triggering attack
roll. If the second attack roll is also a critical hit, then the triggering attack
remains a critical hit. In all other cases, the triggering attack becomes a
normal hit instead. Regardless of the result, the chronoceros takes 1d4
mental damage.
Speed 35 feet
Melee 1 horn +18, Damage 2d10+9 piercing
Chronoceros Charge 2 (divination, occult) Requirements The chronoceros
has its All-Seeing Eyes open; Effect The chronoceros Strides twice, then makes a horn Strike.
As long as the Chronoceros moved at least 20 feet, the Strike’s damage increases by 1d10.
The chronoceros’s movement doesn’t trigger reactions based on movement (such as Attack of
Opportunity). The chronoceros then takes 1d6 mental damage.
Glimpse of the Future 1 (divination, occult) Requirements The chronoceros has its All-Seeing
Eyes open; Effect The chronoceros focuses its gaze on a creature it can see within 30 feet. That
creature is flat-footed to the chronoceros until the chronoceros uses this ability against a different
target, closes its eyes, or loses line of sight to the chosen creature. After using Glimpse of the Future
and at the start of each turn if the ability is active, the chronoceros takes 1 mental damage.
37
Citric Evaporite
Citric evaporites, also known as crystal oozes or lava oozes, can be found in
SILVER AWARD two locations: deep underground, near certain volcanic flows, or near salt-rich
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seasonal lakes. Those found near the lakes are typically more sluggish and can
BY ELIZABETH HEYECK
easily be dispersed by aqueous deluges. Those found underground can easily
slip into lava, becoming nearly invisible before erupting out at terrifying speeds
DON’T BE SALTY towards unsuspecting prey.
The nature of the citric evaporite’s attacks Citric evaporites exist in two forms: their salt citrate crystalline form, which is
leaves a layer of salt covering its victims. slow-moving, reasonably docile, and slowly consumes nearby citrate formations;
This residue is insufficient to constitute and their molten form, which is fast, unpredictable, and prone to aggressive
its own creature, though it can cause the destruction. The molten form seeks out nearby heat sources, including warm-
corpse to continue moving in eerie ways blooded creatures, to maintain its heat capacity.
until it cools down. Finding these bodies When a citric evaporite attacks, on first inspection, victims see a well-formed
is the safest way of harvesting citric but slightly cloudy crystal formation. Small bits of the crystal can be ground,
salt, which is why those in that lucrative creating a powdery salt that might work well for baking. But those who venture
trade are always unfailingly polite and that close are quickly disillusioned as the crystal reaches out to wrap around them.
offer to let others go ahead of them. Small samples of the citric salt harvested from a citric evaporite are extremely
useful in storing magical and thermal energy, though extreme care must be
taken near water sources.
47
Ebirath
Ebirath is an enormous lobster, believed by some to be the incarnation of a
COPPER AWARD lobster deity. Interestingly, lobsters do not die of old age. Usually, they die from
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being eaten or from growing too large to molt on their own. A particularly
BY ALEXANDER ELDRITCH
obsessed druid discovered this fact a few hundred years ago and was inspired
to create an avatar of the ancient lobster deity, Ebirath, by continually helping
A RIVALRY FOR THE AGES a single lobster molt. Legends say that Ebirath was a betrayer god banished for
Ebirath is not the only unaging creature attempting to flood the world so that aquatic ancestries, especially those with
amassing worshipers. An ancient clam in lobster qualities, could rule the world.
a trench deep beneath the ocean waves Presently, the druid’s efforts have gained a whispered notoriety. A new sect of
has gathered an army of locathahs. the ancient religion has sprouted around the new incarnation of Ebirath, and
Above water on another continent, a this sect has come to include other druids, sorcerers, and witches whose powers
centuries-old tortoise senses Ebirath’s seemingly arise from this great crustacean.
apotheosis and commands its cabal to Ebirath has developed the ability to telepathically communicate, possibly due
prepare for a possible confrontation. to some divine influence from the original lobster deity. Ebirath prefers to spend
Conflict is not inevitable when young its time in saltwater, and as such, the sect’s hideaway is a repurposed aqueduct
gods emerge—perhaps they band funneling ocean water to their patron.
together to form a new pantheon of giant
sea creatures instead. The world waits EBIRATH CREATURE 18
with bated breath as they inch toward UNIQUE N GARGANTUAN ANIMAL AQUATIC
confrontation. At their current rate of travel, Perception +26; darkvision, tremorsense (imprecise) 25 feet, wavesense (imprecise) 50 feet
the world will be waiting a long time, but Languages Aquan, Common; telepathy 50 feet
that matters not to these immortals. Skills Acrobatics +29, Athletics +36, Diplomacy +29, Intimidation +34, Nature +28, Religion +28,
Stealth +29
Str +10, Dex +3, Con +9, Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +3
AC 42; Fort +33, Ref +27, Will +30
HP 365; Weaknesses fire 15; Resistances piercing 15, slashing 15
Speed 50 feet, climb 25 feet, swim 80 feet
Melee 1 big claw +35 (reach 20 feet), Damage 3d12+22 slashing plus Improved Grab
Melee 1 little claw +35 (agile, reach 15 feet), Damage 3d8+22 slashing
Melee 1 tail +35 (reach 20 feet), Damage 3d10+22 bludgeoning plus Improved Push
Aquatic Ambush 1
Constrict 1 3d12+7 bludgeoning, DC 40
Ebirath’s Wrath 5 Frequency once per
hour; Trigger Ebirath’s Hit Points are
reduced to half or lower. Effect Ebirath
goes into a frenzied rage, immediately
Furiously Assaulting the three closest
creatures, regardless of whether or
not the creatures are Ebirath’s allies.
Furious Assault 2 Ebirath
makes a big claw Strike and then
two Strikes with either its little
claw or its tail. If Ebirath makes
all the attacks against different
creatures, it doesn’t apply the
multiple attack penalty until
after all the Strikes are complete.
Otherwise, it applies the multiple attack
penalty normally.
Sonic Claw Snap 2 Requirements Ebirath
doesn’t have a creature grabbed using its big claw’s
Improved Grab; Effect Snapping its big claw, Ebirath produces a blast of powerful sound waves
in a 20-foot burst within 40 feet, dealing 5d10 sonic damage. All creatures within range must
attempt a DC 40 fortitude saving throw, with the following effects.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature takes half damage.
Failure The creature takes full damage and is stunned 1.
Critical Failure The creature takes double damage, is deafened for 1 round, and is stunned 3.
48
Emperor Shark Penguin
Despite the name bestowed upon them by hunters who quake at the sight of the
rows of razor-sharp triangular teeth, emperor shark penguins are not descended COPPER AWARD
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from any actual shark but are instead aberrant penguins cross-mutated with
BY ANDREW BRAITHWAIT
sea devils. First created by ice witches to defend their frozen domain against
intruders, these warped aberrations are the evolved result of a single experiment
to cross a penguin, a flightless bird that forms deep social bonds to survive AN ARMLESS ARMS RACE
its harsh icy environment, with a sea devil, a bloodthirsty, shark-toothed Sea devils, who did not take kindly to
amphibious humanoid. ice witches experimenting on them,
With their crueler and more barbarous mutations becoming more and more retaliated by creating their own breed of
pronounced in subsequent generations, emperor shark penguins today are ruthless toothy hunters to eradicate emperor shark
marauders with short tempers and beaks lined with rows of teeth. Growing to a penguins. Thus the leopard shark seal
similar height and heft as an adult dwarf, the penguins form regimented rookeries came into existence. The ice witches then
that blockade narrow ice floes along caravan corridors. When merchants and crossed sharks with sea devils, giving
other caravanners send hunters to eradicate these blockades, the penguins take them the ability to breathe air, thus birthing
pleasure in working together to extract their toll in blood. They have also been the devil shark. And then the sea devils
observed hauling themselves out of the water to swarm such apex predators of retaliated again and created the giant
frozen coastlines as polar bears and even frost worms. shark squid. Thankfully, the introduction of
Using their powerful swim flippers to launch themselves out of the water, so many predators caused an ecosystem
emperor shark penguins slide across the ice on their bellies, pop to their feet, collapse before killer shark whales came
and unleash a flurry of grievous bites before their prey can even recognize the about, and all the new aberrations starved
blitz. Despite their ability to attack in concert to bring down powerful foes, to death, leaving the world with just the
humanoid or otherwise, emperor shark penguins attack larger creatures only for emperor shark penguins once more.
brutal sport and abandon their kills to other scavengers; they instead subsist on
a diet of bait fish.
While the current dominant form of emperor shark penguin is thought to be
incapable of speech, adventurers returning bloodied to ice fishing lodges have
reported tales of sadistic, intelligent-sounding laughter shared among bands of
marauding penguins, and it’s not inconceivable that a rookery in some remote
corner of the world is on the verge of adding language to its toolkit.
ERYGLOID CREATURE 3
UNCOMMON N SMALL FEY OOZE
Perception +6; magic sense 40 feet, no vision
Languages Sylvan; can’t speak any language
Skills Athletics +10, Stealth +6
Str +4, Dex –5, Con +5, Int +1, Wis +1, Cha +1
Magic Sense An erygloid continuously senses nearby magical
objects, with the effects of 4th-level detect magic, and the motions
of those carrying such objects.
AC 10; Fort +10, Ref +4, Will +6; +2 status bonus to all vs.
magic
HP 95; Immunities critical hits, precision,
unconscious, visual; Weaknesses cold iron 5;
Resistances acid 5
Speed 10 feet, climb 10 feet, swim 10 feet
Melee 1 toothy tendril +12 (versatile P), Damage
1d6+5 bludgeoning plus magic acid and Grab
Constrict 1 1d6+3 bludgeoning plus magic acid, DC 22
Magic Acid An erygloid’s body is covered in a magical acid that
eats away at living creatures but is more efficient at digesting
magic. On a successful toothy tendril Strike or when a creature
fails its save against Constrict, the erygloid deals 1d6 additional acid damage and
attempts to counteract one spell affecting the target, or one of the target’s magic items, with a
counteract modifier of +10 and a counteract level of 2. On a success, the erygloid ends the spell
or causes the item to become a mundane item of its type for 10 minutes; this doesn’t change the
item’s non-magical properties. If the chosen item is an artifact or similar item, the counteract check
automatically fails. Strangely, an erygloid’s magic acid doesn’t affect several common mundane
materials, specifically including teeth, glass, stone, and metal, which causes shards of these
materials to accumulate inside an erygloid’s body.
50
Euphoria Ooze
The result of an enchanter’s successful experiment, euphoria ooze emits an
addictive gas that brings unparalleled happiness to those who inhale it. The SILVER AWARD
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experiment proved lucrative, and soon more of its kind were produced and
BY JAKE CASSAR
farmed for the drug. Some inevitably escaped, using their unusual elasticity and
overpowering aura to slip through their confines.
Though mindless, euphoria oozes possess a particular affinity for magic. This IT’S A KEEPER
causes them to settle around magical environments and seek out spellcasters An unanticipated function that enchanters
when they can. In turn, enterprising adventurers often embark on ill-advised later discovered is the euphoria ooze’s
journeys to catch and harvest these creatures, underestimating the potency of ability to preserve food. Since it was
their fumes. These ventures frequently end with the adventurers falling in battle created to be low-maintenance, the ooze
to the vapors or succumbing to their addiction. does not need to eat to survive. Instead,
Euphoria oozes appear and feel more solid and rubbery than most others of it synthesizes its biological requirements
their kind. In fact, the minimal oil their body excretes sizzles and evaporates using air, water, and light. That means it
into dark smoke at the slightest spark, protecting it while dampening its elastic lacks the acid other oozes use to digest
abilities for a brief time. matter. Instead, its body provides airtight
storage and oils that act as preservatives.
LIQUID EUPHORIA ITEM 4 Stick travel rations or leftovers inside its
UNCOMMON ALCHEMICAL CONSUMABLE DRUG INHALED POISON body, and they will remain safe to eat for
Price 18 gp years!
Usage held in one hand; Bulk L
Activate Interact
Skilled alchemists can extract the oil from a euphoria ooze to make a flammable liquid whose
vapors can be inhaled for intense joy, though the side effects can be nasty.
Saving Throw DC 21 Fortitude; Onset 1 minute; Maximum Duration 1 hour; Stage 1 +2 item
bonus to Will saves against fear and emotion effects (10 minutes); Stage 2 stupefied 2, clumsy 2
(1 minute); Stage 3 confused (1 hour)
FETCHFISHER CREATURE 7
UNCOMMON N HUGE BEAST SHADOW
Perception +15; greater darkvision, light blindness
Languages Common, Shadowtongue, Undercommon
Skills Athletics +17, Deception +13, Fetchling Lore +13, Stealth +20
Str +6, Dex +6, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +4, Cha +0
Shifting Mass As fetchfisher brood swarm.
Snatching Ambush 5 Requirements Initiative
has not yet been rolled. Trigger A creature
that hasn’t observed the fetchfisher moves
within 15 feet of the fetchfisher. Effect
The fetchfisher uses Snatch and Drag
and then rolls initiative.
AC 22; Fort +13, Ref +17, Will +15
HP 170
Speed 15 feet, climb 15 feet
Melee 1 claw +18, Damage 2d10+9
slashing and Improved Grab
Melee 1 jaws +18, Damage 2d12+9 piercing
Constrict 1 2d10+3 bludgeoning, DC 25
Shadow Step 1 (conjuration, primal, shadow, teleportation)
Requirements The fetchfisher is in an area of dim light or darkness or is
standing in the shadow of any Large or larger object; Effect The fetchfisher
instantly teleports to another location that’s in dim light or darkness or to a space
that’s in the shadow of any Large or larger object. Either way, the destination must be within 60 feet.
Snatch and Drag 2 The fetchfisher stretches their arm and snatches away their prey. The
fetchfisher makes a claw Strike against a creature within 15 feet, despite the claw normally
having a reach of 5 feet. If the fetchfisher hits and uses Improved Grab, it moves the creature to
the nearest square adjacent to the fetchfisher.
57
Fetchfisher
PLATINUM AWARD
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Greater Fetchfisher
While the majority of fetchfishers seem content to subsist off of small-scale
BY ALEX G. FRIEDMAN
banditry, there are rare individuals with more terrible aspirations. Fetchfishers can
develop a taste for evil magic and negative energy, as they naturally produce a
GREATER FETCHFISHER RIVALS small amount of primal shadow magic. A fetchfisher who regularly consumes such
Many of the more sadistic schemers who power eventually undergoes a transformation into a greater fetchfisher.
occupy a similar niche to fetchfishers, Few understand fetchfisher metamorphosis, as it is a blessedly rare occurrence.
such as bogeymen and bugbears, tend to At some point, after consuming enough magical energy, the fetchfisher enters
think of themselves as the apex predators their den and hibernates, usually guarded by generations of their own offspring.
of the dark. A greater fetchfisher might After a few months, the greater fetchfisher emerges, monstrously transformed.
observe these half-clever haunters for Greater fetchfishers are heavily muscled, with a larger, fish-hooked killing claw
months from the darker places between on the index digit of each forepaw. Their jawbones extend beyond the snout in a
shadows. While a bogeyman savors the grotesque, fleshy, crocodilian maw, lined with multiple rows of teeth. While the
process of terrorizing and baiting victims beast’s eyes aren’t as thoroughly transformed, their positioning shifts higher on
until they are encircled within their trap, a the skull for a broader field of view. Those unlucky enough to encounter a greater
greater fetchfisher waits and bides their fetchfisher swear they exhibit a higher predatory intellect than their kin.
time. Only once their allies are in place An area that has been routinely hunted by a greater fetchfisher has several telltale
and their mark has conveniently gathered signs. Ambient light seems bleary. Shadows might extend further than they should
victims for the kill do they strike. Then, and diminish light more completely. Shadowy places, like woods and gullies, might
like a leviathan appearing before a shoal develop the stench of rancid cooking fat. These are side effects of frequent travel by
in the gloom, the greater fetchfisher greater fetchfishers, as their slime residue settles into the nooks where shadows fall.
gorges itself on predator and prey alike.
GREATER FETCHFISHER CREATURE 13
UNCOMMON N HUGE BEAST SHADOW
Perception +24; greater darkvision, light blindness
Languages Shadowtongue, Common, Undercommon
Skills Athletics +27, Deception +24, Fetchling
Lore +24, Stealth +30
Str +8, Dex +8, Con +7, Int +4, Wis +5,
Cha +5
Shifting Mass As fetchfisher brood swarm.
Snatching Ambush 5 (range 15 feet) As
fetchfisher, except the greater fetchfisher uses Snatch
and Dive instead of Snatch and Drag.
AC 31; Fort +24, Ref +25, Will +20
HP 340
Speed 15 feet, climb 15 feet
Melee 1 claw +27 (reach 10 feet), Damage 3d12+14 slashing
and Improved Grab
Melee 1 jaws +27 (agile), Damage 3d10+14
piercing
Shadow Step 1 (conjuration, primal,
shadow, teleportation) As fetchfisher.
Snatch and Dive 3 The greater
fetchfisher stretches their arm and snatches
away their prey before diving into the shadows.
The greater fetchfisher makes a claw Strike against a creature within 15
feet, despite the claw normally having a reach of 10 feet. If the greater
fetchfisher hits and uses Improved Grab, they move the creature to
the nearest square adjacent to the greater fetchfisher. The greater
fetchfisher can then Shadow Step. If it chooses to Shadow Step, the
grabbed creature must attempt a DC 30 Will save. On a failure,
the target teleports with the greater fetchfisher, arriving
in the same relative position and remaining
grabbed. On a success, the greater
fetchfisher can choose not to teleport if
it wants to keep the creature grabbed.
58
Feth Velaunt
A feth velaunt is both a creature and a curse, appearing as a transparent eel-like
creature with an ophidian head and hard, oversized fins. It grows and absorbs GOLD AWARD
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bodies until it can threaten an entire small settlement on its own.
BY SPENCER WHITING
A feth velaunt forms when a curse afflicts the local dead, causing them to lose
all their color and opacity before crawling out of their grave to wander into the
ocean. Worse, under the waves, the bodies of the dead merge together, forming FETH VELAUNT FINALES
a creature of singular desire: to continue growing. Eventually, the citizenry discovers the grisly
parade of mindless, transparent bodies,
FETH VELAUNT CREATURE 9 or there aren’t enough corpses to sustain
RARE NE HUGE ABERRATION AMPHIBIOUS CURSE growth. That’s when it surfaces. Long and
Perception +18; darkvision eel-like, transparent as fine glass, the
Languages Aklo creature drags itself onto land with its fins.
Skills Athletics +20, Intimidation +18, Occultism +13, Stealth +13 (+20 underwater) Its belly is a miasma of coiling, whipping
Str +6, Dex +2, Con +6, Int –3, Wis +4, Cha +2 tendrils. It tethers dozens of creatures and
AC 25; Fort +21, Ref +15, Will +18; +2 to all saves against curses tucks them up under its belly. Then,
HP 175; Weaknesses mental 5; Resistances cold 5 it slips back underwater so that its
Accursed Absence The feth velaunt is as much a curse as it is a creature, and the way it fades gathered victims dreamlessly drown.
back and forth between the two aspects of itself makes it significantly harder to harm it. While these statistics are perfect for a
Whenever a Strike would hit the feth velaunt, the attacking creature must attempt a DC 9 newly arisen feth velaunt, with enough
flat check. On a failure, the Strike phases through the feth velaunt and misses. Afterwards, time and bodies, it could become a
regardless of the result of the flat check, the DC decreases by 2. This reduction is gargantuan creature capable of
cumulative, and once the flat check DC reaches 1, creatures no longer need to attempt it destroying cities.
when they hit the feth velaunt with a Strike. At the beginning of the feth velaunt’s turn, the
flat check DC resets to 9.
Speed 25 feet, Swim 40 feet
Melee 1 jaws +21 (Reach 10 feet), Damage 2d12+9 piercing plus 1d6 mental
Melee 1 tether lash +19 (Reach 30 feet), Damage 2d8+12 bludgeoning plus tether
Harvest 2 The feth velaunt unleashes a barrage of tether lashes in a 30 foot cone. All
creatures in the area of the barrage must attempt a DC 28 Reflex saving throw. On
a failure, they’re tethered and take 4d8 bludgeoning damage, and on a critical
failure, they take double damage and are affected by tether. The feth velaunt
can’t Harvest again for 1d4 rounds.
Mind Crush 1 (nonlethal) Frequency once per round; Effect The
feth velaunt sends a wave of psychic energy to crush the minds
of the victims attached to its tethers. Each creature
tethered by the feth velaunt takes 6d6 mental damage
with a DC 25 basic Will save. Creatures restrained by
the tether treat the result of their saving throw as one
degree of success worse than they rolled.
Tether If the feth velaunt hits a creature with its tether lash, that
creature becomes grabbed by the feth velaunt (Escape DC 30).
Unlike normal for the grabbed condition, a creature grabbed by
a feth velaunt isn’t immobilized, though it can’t move outside of
the tether’s reach. A creature can sever the tether by attacking
the tether, which has an AC of 20, and dealing at least 15 slashing
damage. If the feth velaunt attempts to move in a way that would
exceed the reach of any tether, creatures attached to those tethers
can attempt an Escape action as a reaction. If they fail to Escape, or
don’t attempt to Escape, such creatures are dragged along with the
feth velaunt at a distance equal to the tether’s reach. This is forced
movement. The reach of all current tethers decreases by 15 feet at
the start of the feth velaunt’s turn each round, dragging all tethered
creatures towards it if the reach becomes less than the distance
between the creature and feth velaunt. If a tether’s reach reaches 0
in this way, the tethered creature becomes restrained. Creatures who are
restrained in this way are moved along with the feth velaunt when it moves.
Each time the feth velaunt takes damage, all creatures currently tethered take
1d4 mental damage; this damaging effect has the nonlethal trait.
59
Fethrotte
A fethrotte is a markedly unintelligent, cantankerous, solitary creature that
COPPER AWARD typically leads a short, painful life due to their singular purpose—a disposal
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system created to devour dangerous chemicals in alchemical laboratories. It
BY SPENCER WHITING
moves slowly on its disproportionately small, overworked feet as it drags its
distended, corpulent belly behind it. Behaviorally, fethrottes are aggressively
CAUTIONARY TAILS territorial. Normal food will no longer sustain them, and so they are utterly
Alchemists tempted to speed up the reliant on its alchemist creator and the lab where its food is generated. Try to
cleanup process by keeping more than remove a fethrotte from its home, and it will fight obsessively and mercilessly.
one fethrotte quickly learn that fethrottes It may appear to be a common giant rat, but elemental grotesqueries come
eat anything they consider food, including belching from between its gnarled teeth, and mutagenic mutations enable it to
each other. The last thing an alchemist alter its very body to better rend an intruder.
needs in a lab is more explosions, so a While a fethrotte is not a particularly uncommon sight in an alchemical lab
chain reaction of detonating cannibalized today, the specific origins of the creature are lost to time, though the haunting
rats is not an appealing concept. They’ve procedure to create one has spread since then. The process involves feeding
also learned to monitor fethrottes that a mundane giant rat a caustic mixture of mutagens and other alchemical
survive longer than usual. Their rate of drippings to create a servant perfectly suited to cleaning up the dangerous fluids
mutation increases as they grow, and they and runoff of an active laboratory. Adventurers are advised to pay heed to an
may develop undesirable traits such as addendum penned after an alchemical researcher’s final entry by their assistant:
spewing elemental damage in a cone, “Do not touch the corpse of a fethrotte, or your assistant will be entirely out of
changing sizes uncontrollably, growing a job.”
wings, or birthing copies of themselves.
Perhaps taking the time to clean up FETHROTTE CREATURE 3
one’s own messes isn’t so bad after all. UNCOMMON N MEDIUM ALCHEMICAL ANIMAL
Perception +7; low-light vision
Skills Acrobatics +7, Athletics +9, Stealth +9
Str +3, Dex +2, Con +4, Int –4, Wis +1, Cha +0
AC 20; Fort +12, Ref +9, Will +6
HP 50
Matching Miasma 5 Trigger The fethrotte takes acid, cold, electricity, fire, poison, or sonic
damage; Effect The next jaws Strike the fethrotte makes deals 1d6 additional damage of the
same energy type. The jaws Strike gains the corresponding energy trait.
Volatile Contents (acid, cold, electricity, fire, poison, sonic) When the fethrotte is killed, it
bubbles and froths and undulates with growing intensity. If it is touched or moved, it
detonates in a foul spew, dealing 1d6 damage each of acid, cold, electricity, fire,
poison, and sonic in a 10 foot emanation (6d6 total, basic Reflex save against
DC 20). If no one interacts with it, the body detonates 1d4 minutes later in
a 20 foot emanation.
Speed 20 feet
Melee 1 jaws +12, Damage 1d6+6 piercing plus Grab
Heedless Mutation 1 (manipulate) Frequency Once per
round; Requirements The fethrotte has taken
damage since the last time it used Heedless
Mutation; Effect With a grotesque twisting and
expansion of its mouth and teeth, the fethrotte
gains a +1 status bonus to its damage rolls
with its jaws Strikes, but becomes clumsy
1. This effect is cumulative with multiple
uses to a maximum of a +4 status bonus
to damage rolls and clumsy 4. Two
minutes after first using this ability or
if the fethrotte loses consciousness,
all changes from Heedless Mutation
revert and it gains the drained condition
equal to twice the previous status
bonus and clumsy condition. If this
would result in a drained condition higher than 4 (due to the
status bonus and clumsy condition being 3 or 4), the backlash is fatal, and the fethrotte dies
immediately as its head snaps back to its normal size.
60
Fosterkin
Fosterkin are benevolent aberrations who love and care for young creatures
without parents. According to popular folklore, fosterkin were created when COPPER AWARD
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an orphan made a powerful wish upon a star to have loving parents, and that
BY DAVID GREENE
wish was granted by strange benevolent entities beyond the stars. The child’s fur
coat, or perhaps their rug, came to life and transformed into the first fosterkin, a
creature filled with parental love for the child who innately knew how to provide A WORLD APART
adequate care and protection. The child’s wish surged in their heart, growing Fosterkin are often uncomfortable in
and changing into a wish to share this strange form of parental love with all crowded cities and instead prefer raising
the world’s children. Thus, hundreds of rugs or coats nearby transformed into their children in a rural setting. Some lead
a flock of fosterkin, who would each seek out children of their own to foster. nomadic lifestyles, training their wards to
The validity of this origin story is debatable, but it’s certainly true that fosterkin be adventurers and survivalists. Others
are unable to procreate. Despite this, fosterkin have a primal urge to protect and raise build treehouse villages or networks of
children. These friendly creatures hide throughout various civilizations, searching underground burrows to emulate the
for children in need of parents. Skittish by nature around adult humanoids, societies their children came from. Dozens
fosterkin move discreetly through cities and towns by disguising themselves as fur of fosterkin and children may make up
coats and rugs, a ruse that comes naturally to these furry creatures. these communities, with grown children
Fosterkin can’t bear to see children suffer, and they feel the worst thing in the that the fosterkin previously raised acting
world is when terrible parents don’t love or care for their children. Thus, they seek as intermediaries between them and those
out abusive households and wait for opportune moments to steal children away in an industrial society.
from their terrible parents. When a favorable moment occurs, the fosterkin makes
its presence known to the abused child, innately knowing how to soothe the youth.
If the child agrees, the fosterkin then sneaks away with its newly adopted ward.
If confronted, a fosterkin prefers to use nonviolent means to escape its adversary,
however it will give its life if necessary to protect its ward. Once a foe is rendered
incapacitated, the fosterkin attempts to modify the foe’s memory so that it forgets
the encounter with the fosterkin.
With the child’s consent, the fosterkin can use this same power to erase childhood
trauma from its adopted offspring. Fosterkin raise children as if they were their
own, and few things can match the love and support a fosterkin parent provides.
Rumor has it that a ritual exists to draw the stars’ attention and create new
fosterkin. However, if such a ritual exists, it has long been hidden.
FOSTERKIN CREATURE 12
RARE CG MEDIUM ABERRATION
Perception +22; darkvision
Languages Common, Sylvan
Skills Athletics +22, Deception +7 (+25 to Impersonate a fur coat or rug),
Occultism +22, Parenting Lore +20, Stealth +25
Str +5, Dex +4, Con +3, Int +2, Wis +5, Cha +7
AC 32; Fort +19, Ref +22, Will +25
HP 211
Comforting Aura (emotion, mental, occult) 30 feet. Allies in the fosterkin’s aura feel soothing comfort.
At the beginning of their turns, they reduce their frightened condition by 1 (in addition to reducing it
normally at the end of their turns). Additionally, if they have the fleeing condition from a fear effect,
they can choose to take no actions and stay in place, rather than running away, whichever they prefer.
Speed 30 feet
Melee 1 fist +24 (magical), Damage 3d6+11 bludgeoning plus Improved Grab
Innate Occult Spells DC 32, attack +24; 6th modify memory, sleep (×2); 5th soothe (×2); 4th modify
memory (×2), sleep (×2); 1st sanctuary (×4)
Cushioning Blows The fosterkin can make nonlethal fist Strikes without penalty.
Sleepy Embrace 2 (enchantment, incapacitation, occult, sleep) Requirements The fosterkin has
a creature grabbed with its fist. Effect The fosterkin rocks the target to sleep, with a DC 32 Will save.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target is enfeebled 1 for 1 minute.
Failure The target falls unconscious for 1d6 rounds and is enfeebled 2 for 1 minute. For the duration of
the unconscious condition, they can’t attempt Perception checks to wake up.
Critical Failure The target falls unconscious and is enfeebled 4, both for 1 minute. For the duration of
the unconscious condition, they can’t attempt Perception checks to wake up.
61
Frenzied Trashfire
A frenzied trashfire is an elemental creature formed of a large, roiling mass of
SILVER AWARD trash and debris, surrounded by a dangerous fire. These creatures can spring up
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without warning in trash yards or other areas where pollution is common. While
BY MARK T. ADKINS
a frenzied trashfire is sentient, all known descriptions of these creatures describe
them as being driven by a relentless rage. While that rage is often directed at
LET IT GLOW the markers (or excesses) of civilization, it’s hard to know if the creature’s violent
Some cities have found frenzied actions are deliberate or happenstance.
trashfires to be quite useful. They Scholars speculate that frenzied trashfires might be the result of failed magical
reduce the size of trash yards while experiments by druids aimed at striking a blow against civilization and the all-
preventing other unsavory creatures too-common pollution that it brings in its wake. This leads many to wonder if
from taking up residence in them. other types of pollution-tainted elementals might exist.
Establishing a relationship with a Due to their fragility to blunt attacks, frenzied trashfires prefer to attack from
trashfire requires magic to calm it and a distance, often hiding behind walls of flaming trash that they have created.
a translator to negotiate with it. Each
trashfire has a different personality, FRENZIED TRASHFIRE CREATURE 8
so while some only want the city to UNCOMMON CN MEDIUM ELEMENTAL FIRE
burn, others have more of a live and let Perception +16; darkvision
live attitude and are perfectly content Languages Ignan
consuming trash peacefully for others. Skills Acrobatics +16, Athletics +14, Filth Lore +12
Str +2, Dex +4, Con +2, Int –1, Wis +3, Cha +0
AC 27; Fort +16, Ref +18, Will +13
HP 145; Immunities bleed, fire, paralyzed, poison, sleep; Weaknesses bludgeoning 10, cold 10
Consume Debris The frenzied trashfire naturally draws trash, refuse, and other debris into its body
to fuel its flames. At the beginning of its turn, if the frenzied trashfire is standing on a significant
pile of trash, it absorbs some of the trash pile into itself and recovers 2d6 Hit Points.
Vulnerable to Momentum Because the frenzied trashfire has a body composed
largely of trash, weapons that build up a great deal of momentum and
scatter that debris are very effective against it. Critical hits from
weapons with the backswing, forceful, or sweep traits
cause the frenzied trashfire to become clumsy 2 for 1
round.
Speed 30 feet; trash walker
Melee 1 burning refuse +18 (agile), Damage 2d6+4
bludgeoning plus 2d6 persistent fire
Ranged 1 thrown refuse +20 (range increment
50 feet), Damage 2d10+4 bludgeoning plus 2d6
persistent fire
Primal Innate Spells DC 23; 3rd stinking cloud (×2)
Wall of Burning Refuse 3 (evocation, fire,
primal) The frenzied trashfire Strides or Steps up
to three times, in any combination. During
its movement, it can target up to 8
contiguous squares through which
it passes, leaving a wall built out
of 10 foot tall piles of burning
trash in its wake. Other than
the size and shape, this
wall has the effects of a wall
of fire spell. The frenzied
trashfire can see through the
concealment caused by this effect.
A frenzied trashfire can’t use this ability again until it
spends at least 1 minute absorbing more
trash into its body.
Trash Walker The frenzied
trashfire ignores difficult terrain
and greater difficult terrain
created by trash, refuse, or debris.
62
Furnace Newt
Curious and playful, cat-sized furnace newts are nevertheless quite dangerous.
Should a creature intrude upon their territory, furnace newts fight fiercely to COPPER AWARD
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defend their homes, but furnace newts’ true power lies in their unique physiology.
BY NICHOLAS POTTER
Furnace newts live in hot, volcanic regions and are well adapted to high
temperatures. As a furnace newt is exposed to more and more heat, it siphons
some of the thermal energy to empower itself, growing larger and, in turn, A SPICY ADDITION
radiating heat and fire around itself. This makes furnace newts popular additions Recently, the furnace newt has taken the
to the domains of creatures that make use of fire, as the newt can add significant culinary world by storm as enterprising
firepower to their side in a prolonged fight. chefs discovered that having one live in
Most furnace newts have a strong enough preservation instinct to vent heat until their smoker adds a distinct pungency
they maintain a small size, but sometimes, in the heat of battle, a furnace newt to its output. Some restaurants take the
won’t have the time or inclination to shed excess energy. Many cautionary tales concept a step further and serve finger
exist of cabals of young wizards capturing a furnace newt to defend their tower but food directly atop of furnace newts.
then accidentally detonating it by using too many fire spells in its vicinity. The newts are quite content with this
Despite the danger they present, however, furnace newts also enjoy popularity arrangement, so long as they get a share
as companions, especially among blacksmiths who can provide regular access to of the food while basking in the attention.
a comfortably hot environment. Connoisseurs describe the resulting flavor
as earthy, rustic, and toasty, while less-
FURNACE NEWT CREATURE 3 distinguished diners complain the smoked
UNCOMMON N SMALL BEAST ELEMENTAL FIRE meats taste “bog standard” and “like a
Perception +9 cow drowned in a swamp of peppers.”
Languages Ignan; can’t speak any language
Skills Acrobatics +10, Athletics +7, Stealth +10
Str +0, Dex +4, Con +3, Int –2, Wis +0, Cha +4
Fire Amplification (fire, aura) The furnace newt naturally exudes an aura that empowers fire within
its radius. Creatures within 30 feet of a furnace newt gain a +1 status bonus to damage rolls
whenever they deal fire damage. This status bonus increases depending on the furnace newt’s
increasing size from All-Consuming Fire, to +2 if the newt is Medium, +3 if the newt is Large, and
+4 if the newt is Huge.
AC 18; Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +5
HP 45; Immunities Fire; Weaknesses Cold 3
All-Consuming Fire (fire, polymorph, primal, transmutation) Whenever a creature other than
a furnace newt uses a spell or ability with the fire trait within 30 feet of the furnace newt, the
furnace newt feeds on the thermal energy of the fire, growing in size to the next size category
(from Small to Medium, from Medium to Large, or from Large to Huge). This ability
can take effect multiple times, though at most once per round. If the newt is
already Huge when this ability is activated, it must attempt a DC 23 Fortitude
save or explode, killing it and dealing 4d4 fire damage to all creatures in a
15-foot emanation (DC 19 basic Reflex save). On a successful save, the
newt doesn’t absorb the heat and remains Huge. Whenever a creature
uses a cold spell or ability within 30 feet of the furnace newt, it instead
shrinks one size category, to a minimum of Small. If the newt was
already Small, it is instead slowed 1 until the end of its next turn.
Like the growth, this can take effect multiple times, but only
once per round.
Speed 25 feet, climb 25 feet
Melee 1 bite +12 (finesse, fire), Damage 1d8 piercing plus
raging flames
Ranged 1 boiling spit +12 (fire, range increment 20 feet),
Damage 1d6 fire plus raging flames
Raging Flames The bigger the flames, the more powerful a furnace
newt’s attacks. A furnace newt’s Strikes deal an additional 1d4 fire damage when it’s Small, but
this damage increases when its size increases from All-Consuming Fire. Its Strikes instead add
2d4 damage if it’s Medium, 3d4 damage if it’s Large, and 4d4 damage if it’s Huge.
Vent Heat 1 (fire) Frequency once per round; Requirements The furnace newt is Medium
or larger due to all-consuming fire; Effect The newt sheds excess heat. It shrinks one size,
and the heat coming from its body deals 2d4 fire damage to all creatures within a 10-foot
emanation (DC 19 basic Reflex save).
63
Fury Sphere
Fury spheres are immense otherworldly metal spheres that were originally
COPPER AWARD created by powerful immortal beings of good and law, early in the history of
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the universe. Each of these primordial spheres was infused with the spirit of a
BY NICK LUCAS
blessed being and put into place to help control a piece of celestial machinery.
For a time, this was good, and the celestial spheres were happy... at least, until
TRAPPING A SPHERE the day something went horribly wrong. The immortals who set the universe in
When slain, the spirit of a fury sphere can order crafted a new and supposedly superior machine. But what is old and used
be contained in a smaller vessel of Bulk 2 is no longer perfect and ordered, so the immortal celestials cast the old pieces
or less in the next 10 minutes with a DC away to be melted down.
25 Arcana, Religion, or Occultism check.
But the celestial spheres weren’t merely some common metal to simply accept
The sphere trapped in the new vessel can
be used as one of the ingredients for an
being smelted and reworked into something new. They felt their creators’
animate object ritual, creating an object betrayal, and so by infusing themselves with wrath and hatred, representing
that will begrudgingly follow commands. the diametric opposite of their old essence, they managed to escape their
destruction and crash through the Heavens themselves. Multitudes of fury
spheres poured into the planes, full of vengeful hatred for the gods and mortals
whom they once toiled to serve. They now delight in chaos and the destruction
of all things peaceful in order to spite their creators and strike back at the
world that wronged them and left them behind. They’d rather watch
the universe burn than allow themselves to become obsolete and
quietly disappear.
Each fury sphere has a unique androgynous and rage-
fueled face that appears on the surface of the sphere and
always remains upright, no matter how fast the sphere
is rolling. Fury spheres are made of shimmering metals
of various hues. Some are the color of brass, some are
silver, and some are black gunmetal, but on the inside,
all are made of solid steel. Fury spheres are enormous
spheres, 8 feet in diameter, that weigh over 60 tons.
Occasionally, a fury sphere comes up with a plan to
seek out a high mountain, a labyrinth, a dungeon, or
another area with narrow ledges and passages. Some
evil beings have learned to negotiate and work together
with fury spheres, promising untold destruction and
chaos in exchange for the collaboration.
GASPER CREATURE 9
RARE CN MEDIUM ABERRATION AIR ELEMENTAL
Perception +16; breathsense 100 feet, no vision
Languages Aklo, Auran (can’t speak any language)
Skills Athletics +20 (+24 to Jump), Elemental Plane of Air Lore +16, Stealth +16
Str +6, Dex +2, Con +6, Int –2, Wis +2, Cha +2
Breathsense (air) A gasper’s only precise sense is its breathsense, which perceives breathing
creatures. A breathing creature within the listed range who holds its breath and plugs its
airways is invisible to the gasper for as long as it hold its breath. To plug its airways in this way, a
creature must have one hand free to fully plug its nose and cover its mouth.
Gasper’s Plight When a living creature within the breathsense range sees the gasper, the skin
on the gasper’s head crimps shut until no living creature can see it for 1 minute. The gasper
immediately begins suffocating, compelling it to kill any living witnesses or escape in order to
survive. A gasper can last for a total of 12 rounds before falling unconscious. Gaspers don’t lose
any air rounds using their actions or abilities.
AC 26; Fort +21, Ref +15, Will +15
HP 225; Immunities inhaled effects, visual effects; Weaknesses bludgeoning 10; Resistances
slashing 10 (Sip of Air)
Sip of Air 5 (air) Trigger The gasper takes piercing or slashing damage; Effect The gasper inhales
air from the quickly sealing wound holes. It regains 2 rounds of air, but it loses its immunity to
inhaled effects until the start of it’s next turn.
Speed 40 feet
Melee 1 fist +21 (magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d12+12 bludgeoning
Melee 1 spine +21 (agile, magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d8+12 piercing
Desperate Assault 2 (attack, move) The gasper Leaps up to its Speed in a straight line and
Strikes against up to two creatures in reach at the end of its movement. It doesn’t increase
its multiple attack penalty from these Strikes until after it makes both of them.
65
Gastrophage
Throughout the land, trolls are a menace to small towns and villages. Aside
SILVER AWARD from fire and the occasional flask of acid, trolls have little to fear... aside from a
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gastrophage, that is. Gastrophages are the natural predators of trolls; however,
BY DAVID GREENE
they are by no means a welcome sight, as gastrophages are happy to supplement
their diet with livestock and townsfolk. The stomach bile of a gastrophage is
THE LAND IS HEALING? highly corrosive, and these beasts have many pores along their skin from which
Some believe that gastrophages are they can spray this foul substance. When a gastrophage encounters a troll, it
nature’s response to trolls, whose rushes towards its prey and sprays corrosive bile at the unfortunate troll. The
populations ravage the land if left beast then sinks its teeth into the troll as the bile begins to predigest the victim.
unchecked. It’s an odd perspective to The bile is far too corrosive for even a troll’s legendary regeneration to repair,
take given that gastrophage rampages and the troll is soon torn apart limb from limb.
can be more destructive than the problem Like trolls, gastrophages have powerful regenerative abilities and are able to
they purportedly solve. The kernel of heal nearly any wound. However, unlike a troll, they can heal severe wounds
truth behind the belief comes from the caused by flame and corrosive acid. Only freezing temperatures are capable of
phenomenon of gastrophages emerging slowing a gastrophage’s metabolism enough to halt its regeneration.
out of the earth en masse. This behavior When prey is plentiful and close at hand, gastrophages are known to spray
is due to their weakness to cold, however. bile from all of their pores at once, covering all within their vicinity in corrosive
During winters, gastrophages retreat bile, including themselves. This makes for a horrific sight as the beast dissolves
underground. Those who find deep cavern and reforms unhindered as it assails its prey. These acidic beasts have no innate
networks remain active, while those resistance to their own bile and instead rely on their rapid regeneration to
in shallow burrows instead hibernate, counteract their own stomach acid. A gastrophage coated in bile is even more
suppressing their acid generation. dangerous, as those attacking the beast risk exposing themselves to the bile.
Gastrophages have voracious appetites due to the high metabolism required
by their regenerative flesh. However, they prefer easy prey and are quick to give
up when chasing elusive targets.
GASTROPHAGE CREATURE 9
N LARGE BEAST
Perception +18; darkvision
Skills Athletics +20
Str +6, Dex +2, Con +4, Int –4, Wis +1, Cha +2
AC 25; Fort +20, Ref +17, Will +15
HP 190, regeneration 25 (deactivated by cold); Weaknesses cold 10
Acid Defense (acid) While the gastrophage is under the effects of persistent acid
damage, each time an adjacent creature deals slashing or piercing damage
to the gastrophage, the attacker is sprayed with the gastrophage’s acidic
bile, which deals 2d4 acid damage (DC 25 basic Reflex save).
Speed 35 feet
Melee 1 jaws +21, Damage 2d10+12 slashing
Melee 1 tail +21 (agile, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d8+10 piercing
Ranged 1 bile +19 (range increment 30 feet), Damage 2d8+10
acid
Corrosive Strikes (acid) While the gastrophage is under
the affects of persistent acid damage, its jaws and tail
Strikes deal an additional 1d6 acid damage.
Gastric Explosion 2 (acid) Corrosive bile sprays
forth from the pores in the gastrophage’s skin. This
deals 8d6 acid damage in a 20-foot emanation (DC
28 Reflex save). The gastrophage automatically takes
2d6 persistent acid damage upon using this ability but is
otherwise unaffected by its own emanation. It can’t use
gastric explosion again for 1d4 rounds.
Critical Success The creature takes no damage.
Success The creature takes half damage.
Failure The creature takes full damage and 2d6
persistent acid damage.
Critical Failure The creature takes double damage
and 2d6 persistent acid damage.
66
Gladelich
When spellcasters seek to outsmart death, there are a number of paths to follow.
One vile method is lichdom, of which there are many paths since every lich ritual COPPER AWARD
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is unique. While many liches are metamorphosed from arcane magic, there are
BY CHARLIE HO
other secrets available only to those with a primal inclination—the gladelich.
A gladelich is a variant of the infamous lich; however, rather than a phylactery,
their source of immortality is their soul grove—a collection of trees where the BAD DRYAD
ritual to transform them into a gladelich was performed. Once a soul grove arises The gladelich’s corruption extends beyond
along with the gladelich, the land becomes tainted with negative energy, and its soul grove. Nearby dryads may resist
new trees can’t grow there via normal means. Instead, new saplings in the soul its evil for a time but ultimately succumb.
grove sprout only from the souls of mortals who die in the grove, typically after They become the gladelich’s first line of
being brought there by the gladelich. Each time a gladelich rejuvenates from a defense against those searching for the
temporary demise, their new body is transmuted from a tree in their soul grove. soul grove. Adventurers may think they are
Potential gladeliches can pursue their undeath in three main ways. The first still in safe territory, only for the seemingly
is to petition the vitae of the land, sometimes known as nature spirits, to grant pristine forest to ambush them.
them the necessary power in a bargain; the second is to seize the power for
themselves by force; and the last is to simply be chosen by the woods, placing a
mantle of responsibility on the vile spellcaster. Regardless of method, once the
ritual is complete, the soul grove is theirs to ward for eternity.
GLADELICH CREATURE 13
RARE NE MEDIUM PLANT UNDEAD
Perception +26; darkvision
Languages Common, Elven, Necril, Sylvan; speak with animals, speak with plants
Skills Arcana +22, Crafting +24 (can craft magic items; +26 woodworking), Intimidation +23,
Medicine +24, Nature +30, Stealth +22, Survival +28
Str +2, Dex +3, Con +2, Int +5, Wis +7, Cha +4
Soul Grove (consecration, necromancy, plant, primal) Each gladelich has a soul grove, which
allows them to rejuvenate. This area, a 40-foot emanation around the spot where the
gladelichdom ritual took place, is tainted with a dread filter that perpetually sheathes
the grove. Light in the area becomes dim light instead. When a gladelich
is destroyed, its soul immediately transfers to its soul grove via its
rejuvenation. A gladelich can be permanently destroyed only if its
soul grove is found and destroyed.
Items animal staff (greater)
AC 31; Fort +19, Ref +22, Will +28; +1 status to all saves vs.
positive
HP 225, negative healing, rejuvenation (see Soul Grove);
Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious; Weaknesses fire 10;
Resistances cold 10, physical 10 (except magic bludgeoning)
Frightful Presence (aura, emotion, fear, mental) 60 feet, DC 30
Speed 30 feet
Melee 1 withering branch +25 (finesse, magical), Damage 3d8+7 negative plus Siphon Life
Ranged 1 needle +25 (conjuration, plant, primal, range increment 40 feet), Damage 3d12 piercing
Primal Prepared Spells DC 37, attack +27; 7th corrosive bodySOM, finger of death, necrotizeSOM;
6th dispel magic, nature’s reprisalSOM, slow, true seeing; 5th cloudkill, tree stride (×2), wall of
stone; 4th air walk, freedom of movement, pass without trace, petal stormSOM; 3rd animal vision,
haste, slow, wall of thorns; 2nd entangle, longstrider, shape wood, tree shape; 1st fear (×2),
fleet step, gust of wind; Cantrips (7th) detect magic, puff of poisonSOM, read aura, tanglefoot;
Constant (7th) speak with animals, speak with plants
Dread Grove Creatures entering a gladelich’s soul grove other than the gladelich and its allies
become doomed 1. If a creature in the soul grove has dealt fire damage to any plants in
the past 24 hours, they become doomed 2 instead.
Siphon Life 5 Trigger The gladelich deals damage with its withering branch Strike; Effect
The gladelich regains Hit Points equal to half the damage dealt.
Steady Spellcasting If a reaction would disrupt the gladelich’s spellcasting action,
the gladelich attempts a DC 15 flat check. On a success, the action isn’t disrupted.
Woodland Stride The gladelich ignores difficult terrain and greater difficult terrain from non-
magical foliage.
67
Goblin Circus Troupe
Goblin acrobats, bomb jugglers, fire eaters, dog tamers, clowns, and musicians
SILVER AWARD form a goblin circus troupe led by a ringmaster. When left to their own devices,
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the troupe leaps and cartwheels around, banging their instruments and making
BY RODNEY SLOAN
an awful noise. Anyone who doesn’t applaud loudly enough—and the troupe
can’t hear much over their din—gets pelted with whatever the goblins have on
CULTURE SHOCK hand, which usually includes bombs and random circus props.
The number one piece of guidance With their courage bolstered by their numbers, goblin circus troupes love to
for those about to experience a goblin perform in densely populated human cities where the city watch has difficulty
circus troupe is: do NOT pelt the troupe keeping them under control.
with rotten vegetables. Goblin culture
considers this expression of displeasure GOBLIN CIRCUS TROUPE CREATURE 6
to be a sign of approval instead. Excited CE GARGANTUAN GOBLIN HUMANOID TROOP
troupe members may be so thrilled by Perception +11; darkvision
the audience participation that they bring Languages Goblin
offenders into the act. These kidnappings Skills Acrobatics +13, Athletics +13, Nature +11, Performance +14
have put a new spin on the concept Str +4, Dex +5, Con +4, Int +1, Wis +1, Cha +2
of running away to join the circus. Cavorting Tide The goblin circus troupe is less organized than most troops. It can move into other
creatures’ spaces, and other creatures can move into its spaces. Its spaces are difficult terrain
to other creatures.
AC 23; Fort +14, Ref +17, Will +11
HP 90 (16 squares), Thresholds 60 (12 squares), 30 (8 squares); Weaknesses area damage 10,
splash damage 5
Cacophonous Aura (auditory, aura, mental) 30 feet. Whenever a living creature
within the aura starts its turn, the creature must attempt a DC 21 Will save.
Critical Success The creature is immune to this ability for 1 hour.
Success The creature is unaffected.
Failure The creature is stupefied 2 until the end of its next turn.
Critical Failure The creature is stupefied 2 for 1 minute.
Troop Defenses
Speed 25 feet, troop movement
Encore! 2 (auditory, mental, visual)
Requirements No enemy is within 10 feet of
the goblin circus troupe. Effect The goblin circus
troupe puts on the show of their lives. Creatures
within 120 feet that can see and hear the goblin
circus troupe must attempt a DC 24 Will save.
Success The target is unaffected.
Failure The target is fascinated by the goblin
circus troupe for 1 minute.
Critical Failure The target is fascinated by the
cavorting troupe and stupefied 2 for 1 minute.
Form Up 1
Pelt Them! 2 The goblin circus troupe pelt their target
with a volley of stones, bombs, and random props. This
volley is a 10-foot burst with a range of 30 feet that deals
2d8 bludgeoning damage and 2d4 fire damage
(DC 21 basic Reflex save). When the goblin
circus troupe is reduced to 8 or fewer squares,
this area decreases to a 5-foot burst.
Smash Them! 1 to 3 Frequency once per round; Effect The goblin circus
troupe engages in a coordinated attack against each enemy in their squares and within
5 feet (DC 21 basic Reflex save). The damage depends on the number of actions. 1 1d8
bludgeoning damage and 1d4 fire damage 2 1d8+7 bludgeoning damage and 1d4 fire damage
3 1d8+11 bludgeoning damage and 1d4 fire damage
Troop Movement Whenever the goblin circus troupe Strides, the troupe first Forms Up as a free
action to condense into a 20-foot-by-20-foot area (minus any missing squares), then moves.
This works just like a Gargantuan creature moving; for instance, if any square of the troupe
enters difficult terrain, the extra movement cost applies to the whole troupe.
68
Golden Coinivore Swarm
This deadly guardian is composed of thousands of hungry maws masquerading
as a tremendous wealth of golden coins. COPPER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
A golden coinivore swarm can lie dormant for months on end, waiting for prey
BY JEFFREY ANDERSON
to stumble upon them. Their beguiling appearance, slowing poison, and endless
tearing teeth then make short work of any fleshy morsel they can catch. This
hunger makes a golden coinivore swarm difficult to keep alongside other creatures, SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE
as they invariably turn upon their companions. The swarm only ignores other FRIENDS
coinivores and beings without edible flesh, such as most constructs, oozes, and Some thieves guilds keep golden coinivore
spirits. Thankfully, golden coinivore swarms are extremely territorial and usually swarms for both defensive and offensive
don’t willingly venture far from whatever lair they have come to call home. purposes. They place the creatures inside
Anyone who survives an encounter with a golden coinivore swarm, however, false entrances to their vaults, where they
might later discover a few extra coins in their pockets and purse, as a very small ambush rivals who think they are easy
number of nascent coinivore queens in each swarm seek not blood but a home pickings. They may also use them to pay
for a new brood. In this way, coinivores have been slowly spreading to the most debts, unleashing murder on foes foolish
unexpected of places. enough to accept the bags of gold. Legend
It should be noted, though, that an individual coinivore drone, once separated speaks of one ambitious thief who gifted a
from its swarm, becomes rather docile, and they have been kept by some as swarm to a dragon. It did not kill the dragon
unconventional pets or even familiars. but infested the hoard so thoroughly that the
dragon abandoned it in disgust, leaving easy
GOLDEN COINIVORE SWARM CREATURE 8 pickings for the thief.
UNCOMMON N LARGE ABERRATION SWARM
Perception +16; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet
Skills Athletics +14, Stealth +18, Survival +16
Str +0, Dex +4, Con +4, Int –4, Wis +2, Cha +0
Fool’s Gold 1 (concentrate) Until the next time it acts, the golden coinivore swarm appears to be a
normal pile of golden coins. As part of this action it can enter an adjacent open container capable
of holding at least 8 Bulk of items. It has an automatic result of 38 on Deception checks and DCs
to pass as normal coins.
AC 25; Fort +16, Ref +16, Will +14
HP 130; Immunities precision, swarm mind; Weaknesses area damage 10, splash damage 10;
Resistances physical 10
All That Glitters (aura, enchantment, incapacitation, mental, occult, visual) 60 feet. Any creature
within the aura that both sees the golden coinivore swarm and values gold must attempt a DC 23
Will save to resist becoming captivated.
Success The creature is unaffected and is temporarily immune for 24 hours.
Failure The creature is fascinated, and it must spend each of its actions to
move closer to the golden coinivore swarm as expediently as possible,
while avoiding obvious dangers. If a fascinated creature is adjacent to
the golden coinivore swarm, it stays still and doesn’t act. If attacked by
the golden coinivore swarm, the creature is freed from the fascination
at the end of the golden coinivore swarm’s turn. Otherwise, the
fascination lasts 1 minute, and hostile actions against the fascinated
creature and its allies don’t end the fascination early.
Critical Failure As failure, but if attacked by the
golden coinivore swarm, the creature can attempt
a new save against the fascination at the start
of its next turn, rather than being freed at the
end of the golden coinivore swarm’s turn.
Speed 20 feet, climb 20 feet
Coinivore Venom (poison) Saving Throw DC 23
Fortitude; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 1d6
poison damage and a –5-foot status penalty to all Speeds (1
round); Stage 2 1d8 poison damage and a –10-foot status penalty to
all Speeds (1 round); Stage 3 2d6 poison damage and immobilized (1 round)
Money Hungry 1 The coinivores swarm over and devour creatures in their space with an endless
hunger. Each enemy in the swarm’s space takes 4d6 piercing damage with a DC 26 basic
Reflex save. Those who fail their saving throw also take 1d6 persistent piercing damage and are
exposed to coinivore venom.
69
Golem of Wonder
Rods of wonder and related artifacts have long captured the imagination of
SILVER AWARD artificers and spellcasters. So, it was all but inevitable that someone would
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imbue a magical creature with the chaotic magic found in these curious items.
BY BRITE CHENEY
These brightly colored and bejeweled constructs are feared, not because of
any expert spellcasting or massive damage, but because it is so hard to prepare
WONDERING WHY for them. Their attacks are based on chaos and randomness, making it virtually
Like most artifacts, golems of wonder are impossible to guess what they will do next. This unpredictability makes a golem
so difficult and expensive to construct of wonder a formidable foe.
that their makers are left pondering what
purposes they could serve that would GOLEM OF WONDER CREATURE 11
be more valuable than the golem itself. RARE CN LARGE CONSTRUCT GOLEM MINDLESS
They are less consistent guardians than Perception +19; darkvision
their more lethal counterparts, and they Skills Acrobatics +20, Athletics +22
have additional weaknesses to sensory Str +7, Dex +3, Con +7, Int –5, Wis +2, Cha –4
magic. A few have ended up at casinos, AC 31; Fort +24, Ref +18, Will +21
where their scintillating appearances and HP 176; Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued, healing, magic (see
chaotic abilities allow them to double as below), mental, necromancy, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, poison, sickened, unconscious;
both an attraction as well as security. Resistances physical 10 (except adamantine)
Golem Antimagic harmed by lawful and sonic (5d10, 2d8 from areas and persistent damage);
healed by chaotic (2d8 HP); slowed by divination
Last Throes of Chaos When the golem of wonder is destroyed, creatures within a 30-foot
emanation are affected by Invoke Wonder, rolling the effect separately for each creature.
Vulnerable to Sensory Magic Magical effects that affect the golem of wonder’s senses, such as
a synesthesia spell, affect the golem of wonder normally. This bypasses the golem’s normal
immunity to mental effects, but only for such spells.
Speed 25 feet
Melee 1 fist +24 (magical, reach 10 feet), Damage varies (see chaos damage below)
Chaos Damage When a golem of wonder makes a fist Strike, roll 1d6 to determine type and severity
of damage; 1: 2d8+10 slashing, 2–3: 2d10+12 force, 4–5: 2d12+15
bludgeoning, 6: 2d12+22 electricity
Invoke Wonder 1 (arcane, chaotic, evocation) Frequency once per
round; Effect The golem points its finger at a target within 60 feet
and unleashes the chaotic magic upon which it was built. Roll a d20
on the following table to determine the effect. Targets only receive
a saving throw if the effect calls for it. Any DC required is 30.
1: Roll twice, targeting different creatures within range each
time. Ignore any further results of 1 on these rolls.
2–3: Large glass beads form on the target’s arms, weighing them
down. They are enfeebled 1 until they take a single action, which has
the manipulate trait, to break the beads.
4–5: The target switches places with another random creature within
30 feet of the golem.
6–8: The target’s mind is overwhelmed by the chaos, causing them to
become stupefied 2 for 1 minute. They can spend an action, which has
the concentrate trait, to attempt a Will save. On a success, the stupefied
condition ends early.
9–11: The golem casts solid fog. Roll 1d4. On a 1 or 2, the fog is centered
on the golem, and on a 3 or 4, it’s centered on the target.
12–13: The golem is quickened for 3 rounds. It can only use the
additional action to Invoke Wonder.
14–15: The golem casts slow on the target.
16–17: The target must succeed at a Fortitude save or
their limbs temporarily lengthen for 2 rounds. For the
duration, their reach increases to 10 feet if it’s shorter, but they are clumsy 2.
18–19: All the target’s nonmagical items, including any clothing, glow with a harmless blue light
for 10 minutes. This casts dim light in a 10 foot radius and can’t be extinguished.
20: 10d6 pebbles shoot from the golem of wonder’s hand, doing the same amount of bludgeoning
damage to all creatures in a 60 foot line in the direction of the target, with a basic Reflex save.
70
Gorehed
Goreheds are a conglomeration of humanoid and frog, with a head that resembles
that of a humanoid with one eye, a large maw of serrated teeth to better tear flesh, COPPER AWARD
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and a wrinkled, compact body like a frog with large webbed hands and clawed
BY LUCAS SERVIDEO
feet. While capable of bipedal travel, for more support, goreheds travel on all
fours. Goreheds love humanoid flesh, and they use their mimicking voices to lure
prey into their lairs. Goreheds make their lairs in swampy regions, where they HOLD YOUR TONGUE
can drown their prey and infect them with their young. Gorehed lairs modify the Goreheds have an inflated sense of self-
natural environment, sometimes causing a nuisance for those in the area. These worth. They boast to each other about
lairs are made of mud, stone, and trees and built to withstand the elements. the size of their heads, the height of their
Goreheds are intelligent but don’t seem to use any crafted tools or weapons, leaps, the precision of their imitations...
preferring to rely on their natural abilities instead. Any fabric or items goreheds pretty much every aspect of themselves,
retain are from prey, not crafted by the goreheds themselves. Goreheds which makes their one inferiority complex
instinctually tend to distrust and fear magic. Once they notice a spellcaster, stand out even more: goreheds are jealous
goreheds usually retreat unless they outnumber their potential prey. Goreheds of frog tongues. Stuck with the pathetic,
typically hunt in packs of four or more to make sure they have the advantage stubby tongues of humanoids, goreheads
over a single target, and they sometimes employ as many as ten adults in a envy frogs for how far their tongues reach.
hunting party when going after large prey. That is why they cut tongues from their
Goreheds usually hunt to eat and breed, but even when they are already well- victims, not for display as trophies but
fed, they enjoy luring prey to their deaths just for fun. No one is sure of the to tie to the ends of their own tongues in
origin of these bizarre creatures. Rumors say they came from an opening in the hopes that they will somehow merge into
sky, but nothing has been found to prove this. an extended organ.
GOREHED CREATURE 5
NE SMALL ABERRATION AMPHIBIOUS
Perception +12; darkvision
Languages Aklo, Common
Skills Acrobatics +12, Athletics +11, Deception +13, Nature +9, Stealth +12 (+16 in
swamps), Survival +9
Str +4, Dex +5, Con +4, Int –2, Wis +2, Cha +4
Corpse Incubation After killing a creature, a
gorehed drags the corpse underwater and
inserts an egg sack into the base of its
neck. The gorehed nymph grows within
the corpse, feeding on the dead flesh
and utilizing the head as a safe space
to grow until it matures, roughly 1 week
later.
Sound Imitation A gorehed who succeeds at a Deception check to Lie can mimic
any voice they have heard. They have a +4 circumstance bonus to this
check.
AC 22; Fort +12, Ref +15, Will +9
HP 72
Fleeing Leap 5 Trigger A foe ends their turn, and the gorehed
is within that foe’s reach; Effect The gorehed Leaps up to half
its Speed away from the triggering foe. It can’t end the movement
adjacent to another foe. This movement doesn’t trigger reactions.
Speed 20 feet, swim 25 feet; swamp stride
Melee 1 jaws +15, Damage 2d8+4 piercing plus Grab
Melee 1 claws +15 (agile, finesse), Damage 2d6+4
slashing
Demoralizing Mimicry 1 (auditory) The gorehed
uses its mimicry to frighten a creature, potentially by
creating what sound like the shrieks of victims or saying
something unsettling in a friend’s voice. They Demoralize a
creature, using Deception instead of Intimidation to do so.
Pack Attack A gorehed’s Strikes deal an additional 1d4 damage to creatures within the reach of at
least two of the gorehed’s allies.
Swamp Stride A gorehed ignores difficult terrain caused by swamp terrain features.
71
Groundgullet
At first glance, a groundgullet might appear to be nothing more than a rank, slimy,
COPPER AWARD and slightly red pit in the ground. In fact, its body is composed of membranes that
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make up the walls of the pit, which undulate as they slowly burrow through the
BY AVIV SCHWARZ
ground. Inside, one finds muscular feelers, acidic glands, and a potent, decentralized
nervous system. Groundgullets can seamlessly blend into their surroundings when
GROUNDGULLET ORIGINS covering their maw, making them dangerous ambush predators.
The first groundgullets are believed
to have been bred by an ancient GROUNDGULLET CREATURE 8
cyclops kingdom as a bizarre means of UNCOMMON N MEDIUM ABERRATION
garbage disposal, but a small number Perception +16; no vision, tremorsense (precise) 500 feet
of the creatures have since spread Skills Stealth +18
to other regions around the world. Str +6, Dex +3, Con +5, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +1
AC 26; Fort +19, Ref +15, Will +14
GROUNDGULLET ENCOUNTERS HP 160; Immunities blinded, visual
Though usually not cruel, some Speed burrow 20 feet; shifting earth
groundgullets have developed a Melee 1 tendril +18, Damage 2d12+10 bludgeoning
predilection for human flesh and lurk Ranged 1 spewed rock +18 (thrown 30 feet, reload 1), Damage 2d12+10 bludgeoning
outside settlements to feed on wanderers. Churn 1 (attack) Frequency once per round; Effect The groundgullet churns its insides, damaging the
When threatened, groundgullets pummel creatures within. Creatures Swallowed inside the groundgullet take 2d8+6 bludgeoning damage, with
their assailants with volleys of debris, a DC 26 basic Reflex save. Creatures that fail this save also fall if they were attempting to Climb out.
digestive acids, and the stench of Cover Pit 3 The groundgullet closes a thick membrane above its opening, which immediately
their decomposing previous meals. matches the appearance of the surrounding terrain. It gains standard cover and attempts to
Hide. If a Small or Medium creature moves into the groundgullet’s space, it can use Swallow
as normal. Otherwise, its cover can support up to 2 Bulk of unattended objects. Creatures with
the Trap Finder feat or similar abilities gain the benefits against a groundgullet using Cover Pit.
Decomposing Belch 2 All creatures within a 30-foot emanation must attempt a DC 24 Fortitude
save. Creatures adjacent to or sharing the groundgullet’s space take a -2 circumstance penalty
to this check.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected and is temporarily immune for 1 hour.
Success The creature is unaffected.
Failure The creature is sickened 1.
Critical Failure The creature is sickened 2.
Shifting Earth A groundgullet’s body is a 15-foot deep pit. It can Burrow through earthen
material such that its opening remains on the surface. When it does, it visibly
disturbs the earth along its path, turning it into difficult terrain. It can instead
choose to Burrow at half Speed and leave no trail. A groundgullet
can move through other creatures’ spaces, and it can share
the space of other Medium or smaller creatures.
Spray 2 The groundgullet sprays churned rock and
stomach acid. It deals 2d6 bludgeoning damage and 2d6
acid damage to creatures in a 20-foot cone, with a DC 24
basic Reflex save.
Swallow 4 Frequency once per round; Requirements
The groundgullet doesn’t contain a creature inside it;
Trigger The groundgullet enters another creature’s space or
another creature enters the groundgullet’s space; Effect
The creature falls into the groundgullet. It can attempt to
Grab an Edge (DC 26 Reflex save); on a critical success,
the creature can Step as part of the reaction, and if it does
and leaves the groundgullet’s space it doesn’t fall. Creatures
inside the groundgullet are forced to move along with it, and at
the beginning of their turn they take 3d6+8 acid damage (DC 24
basic Fortitude save) and are affected by Decomposing Belch. The
groundgullet loses the cover granted by its Cover Pit ability when taking
this action. While it has a creature swallowed, a groundgullet’s opening must
remain on the surface as it Burrows. A creature can Climb out of the groundgullet with a successful DC
26 Athletics check, which they can reduce using rope or other tools; if they have a way to reach to the
top of the 15-foot pit, they can simply pull themselves out with a single action, which has the move trait.
72
Guillotine Head
A guillotine head is a disembodied, rolling undead head, a cousin of the
beheaded. During times of great killing and death, officials place the heads of SILVER AWARD
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those killed by a guillotine or blade in great baskets as trophies to display to the
BY STEPHEN BANDSTRA
public. With so much death, necromantic energies can send tendrils of unlife
into these heads, causing them to awaken. A guillotine head has but one goal: to
kill the one who removed their head and then cause as much death as possible HEAD OF THE FAMILY
to those who cheered them on. Guillotine heads may find allies in family
A guillotine head is driven by its need to rip and tear with its teeth, often members who also seek revenge for their
gnashing its teeth uselessly in the air if it hasn’t had a chance to feed within the loved one’s untimely decapitation. Few
past few hours. Guillotine heads have no physical need to sate their undead hunger things in the world are as terrifying as
for food, though, as their form is simply a decomposing head. Those who have a charge of orphans with their parents’
observed these creatures attempting to eat have claimed that any flesh that passes heads in picnic baskets, ready to be
through their mouth quickly comes out of the base of their sliced neck. thrown in the world’s grisliest game
A single guillotine head is not a great threat, though sometimes they form into a of dodgeball. This strategy does have
massive swarm of undead heads, sweeping across a city as an angry wave of undeath. drawbacks, as victims of guillotine heads
This typically happens if a single bloody executioner kills countless people, as may themselves reanimate as guillotine
the victims work together to hunt down their shared executioner to enact their heads if their attackers devour their
vengeance. In this event, they can become an unstoppable swarm, consuming bodies first.
anything in their wake and leaving behind a mess of chewed flesh and offal.
When these guillotine heads gather, their chittering and grinding teeth are DON’T BLINK
enough to clear whole city blocks. It is such a horrific noise that it’s been known A researcher once asked a colleague
to cause people’s ears to bleed and their bowels to loosen. facing execution to blink as many times as
If the guillotine heads can successfully locate their original bodies, they can possible during his beheading so that they
reattach themselves, potentially transforming into another type of corporeal could determine how long a disembodied
undead. head retained consciousness.
Unfortunately, the colleague became a
GUILLOTINE HEAD CREATURE 0 guillotine head. Rumors say that he is still
UNCOMMON NE TINY UNDEAD blinking to this day.
Perception +5; darkvision
Languages Common, Necril; can’t speak any language
Skills Stealth +5, Survival +3
Str +3, Dex +1, Con +0, Int +0, Wis +1, Cha –1
AC 13; Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +6
HP 22, negative healing; Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious
Speed 15 feet; rolling movement
Melee 1 jaws +7 (reach 0 feet), Damage 1d4+3 piercing
Grinding Teeth 2 (auditory) The guillotine head grinds its teeth, producing a sickening noise.
All living creatures within 15 feet of the guillotine head must attempt a DC 14 Will save. The
guillotine head can’t use Grinding Teeth again for 1d4 rounds.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target is sickened 1.
Failure The target is sickened 2.
Critical Failure The target is sickened 2
and fleeing for 1 round.
Rolling Movement Whenever the
guillotine head Strides, it is
only capable of rolling and can
only ascend gentle slopes. The
guillotine head is unable to climb
stairs but can fall down them if
necessary. If the guillotine head
descends a slope, its Speed is
doubled during that part of its
movement.
Torn Flesh When the
guillotine head critically
hits with a jaws attack, it deals
1d4 persistent bleed damage.
73
Guiltbound
When a murderer shares a grave with their victim and the murder weapon (whether
GOLD AWARD interred in a mass grave, buried at sea, or through sheer coincidence), the profane
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energies of the massacre fuse the three together, causing them to rise from the grave as
BY KALEN H.M.
a hideous amalgam. Bound together, the murderer is eternally presented with a grisly
reminder of the deed they committed in life: the victim’s corpse, likewise reanimated
GRISLY SENTRY and perpetually gripped by fear, dangles from the murderer in place of one of its arms.
A guiltbound can often unintentionally A guiltbound is unable to venture far from its burial site and can often be found
act as a guard for small communities, lingering near its grave. Paradoxically, their horrific appearance contradicts their
remaining unaware of innocent denizens behavior, as they tend to ignore those who have never committed murder and
while unerringly pursuing interlopers usually don’t pose an immediate danger to those who have lived a peaceful life.
with a history of killing. A guiltbound Most give them a wide berth regardless. Moreover, some communities have used
possesses no nuance about who it sees as guiltbound as a way of determining guilt: if a guiltbound can see a suspected
a murderer; justifications of self-defense murderer, they are likely the perpetrator. In such cases, the guiltbound often
will prove to be no defense at all. also conveniently fulfill the role of executioner.
GUILTBOUND CREATURE 10
UNCOMMON CE MEDIUM UNDEAD
Perception +17; darkvision, murdersense
Languages Common, Necril
Skills Athletics +22, Intimidation +22
Str +7, Dex +0, Con +5, Int +3, Wis +3, Cha +6
Murder Weapon The guiltbound is linked to their murder weapon, either a specific type of
weapon (hatchet, for example) tied to the murder that created them, or one determined
randomly. The guiltbound wields a spectral version of this weapon, with its murder
weapon Strikes gaining the weapon’s damage and traits, using a damage
die one size higher for a simple weapon (the listed damage is for a
longsword). A guiltbound also possesses weakness 10 to that specific
type of weapon.
Murdersense A guiltbound can only sense creatures that
have damaged it within the last 24 hours, or those who have
killed another living, sapient being (not animals or mindless
creatures) with any of its senses. Other creatures are thus
invisible, inaudible, and otherwise undetectable to a guiltbound.
AC 27; Fort +23, Ref +16, Will +18
HP 275, negative healing; Immunities death effects, disease,
fear, paralyze, poison, unconscious; Weaknesses murder
weapon 10, positive 5
Speed 20 feet
Melee 1 murder weapon +22 (magical, see murder
weapon), Damage 2d8+10 negative plus mounting terror
Melee 1 dangling corpse arm +21 (reach 10 feet,
sweep), Damage 2d6+10 bludgeoning plus Grab and
mounting terror
Mounting Terror (emotion, fear, negative) A creature
struck by the guiltbound begins to experience the moments
that led up to the murder, eventually reliving the heart-
stopping instant before the victim’s death. They must attempt
a DC 23 Will save, and they take a –2 circumstance penalty to
their save if they’ve damaged the guiltbound in the last round.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature is frightened 1.
Failure The creature is frightened 2 and takes 1d8 negative damage.
Critical Failure The creature is frightened 3, doomed 1, and takes 4d8 negative damage.
Victim’s Scorn 2 (divine, necromancy, negative) Requirements There are no enemies within
the guiltbound’s reach. Effect The dangling corpse scorns those who are too cowardly to save it
from its torment, launching a torrent of hate in an 80 foot line, dealing 8d6 negative damage (DC
26 basic Reflex save). Creatures that damaged the guiltbound with a melee attack within the last
round treat their save result as one degree better than they rolled.
74
Gunpowder Bear
Gunpowder bears are tiny construct creatures that were given life by vexgit
gremlins. They resemble cuddly toy bears with a knapsack and a string coming COPPER AWARD
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out of their back. Despite this benign appearance, gunpowder bears are vicious
BY TONY SAUNDERS
creatures with razor-sharp teeth that they will gladly sink into any creature that
dares pick them up. Gunpowder bears are known for their driving need to seek
and detonate objects with the potential to explode, in which case they make use FLARE BEARS
of the small bag of tindertwigs they carry to help them set any necessary fires. Detonations don’t always go according to
Gunpowder bears are known to manipulate those unaware of their malign plan. If someone removes a gunpowder
nature by luring them closer to objects they plan to detonate. In a fit of euphoria, bear’s trigger mechanism or its cord
an enraptured gunpowder bear pulls the string on its back, causing the creature doesn’t work for any reason, the bear
to self-destruct in a fiery explosion. Since the invention of the first gunpowder attempts to self-immolate instead. It may
bears, their vexgit creators have found the creatures difficult to control, which turn a tindertwig on itself or throw itself on
has resulted in countless accidents and unintended consequences. Even so, they a nearby flame source. If a group of bears
still prove useful when deployed in enemy territory. are present, they may even attempt to help
each other, resulting in the endearing but
GUNPOWDER BEAR CREATURE 1 terrifying sight of an unlit bear running into
UNCOMMON CE TINY CONSTRUCT GREMLIN the arms of a flaming one. These attempts
Perception +4; darkvision burn unevenly, resulting in the bears
Languages Undercommon blasting off in random directions before
Skills Crafting +7, Deception +3, Stealth +7, Thievery +7 finally exploding.
Str +1, Dex +4, Con +1, Int +3, Wis +1, Cha +0
Euphoria If a gunpowder bear is within 30 feet of a flammable object with the potential to explode,
it must attempt a DC 20 Will save. On a failure, it becomes infatuated with detonating the object
and is fascinated; on a critical failure, the gunpowder bear must spend each of its turns to Stride
towards the object until it can use Pull The Cord to detonate the object. On a successful Will
save, the gunpowder bear is temporarily immune to euphoria for 10 minutes. If exploding
the object would result in injury to at least two other non-gremlin creatures, the
DC of the Will save increases to 25 and the gunpowder bear loses its
temporary immunity.
Items tindertwig (×3)
AC 15; Fort +7, Ref +10, Will +5
HP 30; Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, doomed, drained,
fatigued, healing, mental, necromancy, nonlethal attacks,
paralyzed, poison, sickened, unconscious; Weaknesses fire
5
Exploding Fluff (fire) When a gunpowder bear is reduced to 0
Hit Points by taking fire damage, it automatically explodes as if it had
used Pull The Cord.
Speed 20 feet
Melee 1 jaws +9 (finesse, reach 0 feet), Damage 1d8+1
piercing plus Latch
Melee 1 claw +9 (agile, finesse, reach 0 feet),
Damage 1d6+1 slashing
Latch 1 Requirements The gunpowder bear’s last
action was to hit a target larger than itself with its
jaws; Effect The gunpowder bear’s teeth latch
onto the creature it bit. This is similar to grabbing
the creature, but the gunpowder bear moves with that
creature rather than holding it in place. The gunpowder bear is flat-footed
while latched onto a creature. A creature a gunpowder bear has latched to
takes a –1 circumstance penalty on their save against its Pull The Cord.
Pull The Cord 1 (fire, manipulate) The gunpowder bear pulls the cord
attached to its back and immediately explodes. Creatures and objects
in a 5-foot burst around the creature take 2d6 fire damage (basic
Reflex DC 17). Objects that are flammable automatically take damage
as if they had failed the save and might explode (GM’s discretion).
The gunpowder bear is immediately destroyed upon using this
action and is reduced to a fine powder.
75
Handless Mage
Although considered macabre by some, the creation of the hand of the mage
SILVER AWARD magic item requires the use of a severed hand, generally sourced from a deceased
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arcane spellcaster. Sometimes, however, the dead aren’t so content with being
BY BEN KOJIS
robbed, especially of a part of their body. When a handless mage rises from their
grave, they won’t rest until their corpse is returned to its original state.
HANDY-DANDY TRADE A handless mage is always paired with a specific hand of the mage, and since the
No small number of people have found handless mage rose from its grave only to return what was stolen, they spend their
success asking a handless mage to time searching endlessly for it in often futile attempts to recover it. Only after they’ve
obtain another hand of the mage to righted this wrong can a handless mage rest, gladly moving on to the afterlife.
trade for their own hand back. While some handless mages may resort to physical violence against those who
hold their specific hand of the mage, others are more than content to trade what
few goods or services they can offer for their missing extremity. Depending on
the mage, they might consider parting with a magic staff or, in some rare cases,
their old spell book.
ILLICERU CREATURE 11
UNCOMMON CN HUGE ABERRATION
Perception +20; tremorsense (precise) 60 feet, scent (imprecise) 120
feet, no vision
Languages Common
Skills Athletics +22, Deception +24, Diplomacy +22, Stealth +20
Str +5, Dex +7, Con +5, Int +5, Wis +3, Cha +7
AC 30 (32 when targeting tentacles); Fort +22, Ref +23 (+25 when
targeting tentacles), Will +18
HP 180; Immunities visual effects
Naturally Invisible The illiceru is invisible at all times, though the human-
like ends of its tentacles are always visible. Due to this, creatures that can’t
see the illiceru are not flat-footed to its tentacle Strikes. These tentacles
can be targeted by Strikes and spells instead of the illiceru itself to avoid the
flat check to target a hidden or undetected creature, although the illiceru
has a +2 circumstance bonus to its AC and Reflex saves when the target
is a tentacle.
Speed 35 feet, climb 20 feet
Melee 1 jaws +24, Damage 3d12+8 piercing
Melee 1 tentacles +24 (agile, reach 20 feet), Damage 3d8+8
bludgeoning plus Gluttonous Capture
Gluttonous Capture 1 Requirements The illiceru’s last action
was a success with a tentacle Strike; Effect The illiceru pulls
the creature it hit into an adjacent space, then makes a jaws
Strike against it. On a success, the illiceru then Grabs the
target.
Plea for Help 1 (mental) One of the illiceru’s tentacles
cowers and begs for help, distracting and frightening a foe.
The illiceru attempts a Deception check against a creature’s Will DC.
Regardless of the result of the check, the target is temporarily immune to this
monster’s Plea for Help for 1 minute.
Critical Success The target becomes frightened 3 and is flat-footed to the
illiceru’s next tentacle Strike this turn.
Success As a critical success, except the target is frightened 2.
Swallow Whole 1 (attack) Large, 2d8+8 bludgeoning plus 2d6 acid, Rupture 20; the illiceru is not
invisible to creatures inside it.
80
Imaginary Friend
Imaginary friends are fiercely protective manifestations of daydreams. Anomalies
that cause tears between the Dreamlands and reality can cause an imaginary COPPER AWARD
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friend to manifest from the thoughts, memories, and unwavering belief of those
BY RODNEY SLOAN
who first imagined them. They often appear as the ideal form of their creator
and are usually of the same age and heritage, though some imaginary friends
appear as animals, constructs, dinosaurs, or mythical creatures. OTHER IMAGINARY FRIENDS
Imaginary friends are brave and daring, and their willingness to sacrifice Medium imaginary friends are common,
their own existence to protect their comrade is unparalleled. Imaginary and they gain no benefits or penalties
friends aren’t naturally aggressive, though; they’re amicable companions whose because of their larger size. Large
selflessness goes a long way toward explaining their readiness to lay down their creatures usually have Large imaginary
life for a companion. friends, in which case you might choose to
also apply the elite adjustments described
IMAGINARY FRIEND CREATURE 4 in Pathfinder Bestiary. Flying and aquatic
RARE N SMALL DREAM ETHEREAL INCORPOREAL humanoids usually have an imaginary
Perception +11; darkvision friend with a comparable fly or swim
Languages Common (can’t speak any language); telepathy 100 feet (can only communicate with Speed. Imaginary friends that appear as
bonded friend) animals or mythical creatures replace
Skills Acrobatics +12, Athletics +12, Deception +10 their imaginary weapons with comparable
Str –5, Dex +5, Con +3, Int +2, Wis +3, Cha +2 unarmed attacks that deal force damage.
Friend Bond An imaginary friend is bound to the creature that imagined it, and it must remain within
120 feet of that creature. If it strays further than 120 feet, it vanishes and reappears within 1 day
within 10 feet of its bonded friend. It is destroyed if its bonded friend dies.
AC 20; Fort +9, Ref +13, Will +11
HP 30; Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious;
Resistances all damage 5 (except force or ghost touch, double resistance against non-
magical)
Imaginary Shield 5 Trigger A creature attempts a melee Strike against the
imaginary friend’s bonded friend; Effect The imaginary friend Steps. If it ends
its movement adjacent to its
bonded friend, the imaginary
friend takes the damage
from the Strike instead of its
bonded friend. The imaginary
friend’s resistance applies to
this damage, but the resistance
isn’t doubled even if the attack
was non-magical.
Natural Invisibility A imaginary friend is
naturally invisible to all creatures except
for its bonded friend.
Together, Charge! 5 Trigger The imaginary
friend’s bonded friend Strides. Effect The
imaginary friend Strides twice and makes an
imaginary sword Strike. As long as the imaginary friend
moved at least 20 feet, it gains a +2 circumstance bonus on
its attack. If the bonded friend is equal or lower level than the
imaginary friend, the bonded friend gains a +2 circumstance
bonus to its next attack. After using this ability, the imaginary
friend is stunned 2.
Speed 25 feet
Melee 1 imaginary sword +16 (force, magical, two-hand
d12), Damage 1d8+5 force
Ranged 1 imaginary bow +14 (deadly 1d10, force,
magical, range increment 100 feet, reload 0, volley 30
feet), Damage 1d8+5 force
Knee Whack 2 The imaginary friend Steps then makes an imaginary sword Strike against
a target within reach. If the attack hits, the imaginary friend immediately attempts to Trip the
target; this Trip attempt doesn’t apply or increase the imaginary friend’s multiple attack penalty.
81
Inkblot Ooze
Thought to have first been created by the interactions between a spilled bottle of
SILVER AWARD magical ink and an overstuffed spellbook, inkblot oozes are well known for being
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
the bane of bookish types the world over due to their propensity for ruining
BY AOIFE ESTER
entire libraries. Even in combat, an inkblot ooze tends to focus its attentions on
whichever foe is carrying the most literature, a behavior that is theorized to be
THE INKBLOT TEST an attempt to propagate its kind by emulating its creation. When they can’t find
The inkblot test is a fairly well-known exam further texts to spoil, inkblot oozes are known to hibernate inside books and
for determining if a person has thought spring out of them once they are opened.
disorders. The examiner presents images
of ink on paper, often in symmetrical INKBLOT OOZE CREATURE 6
patterns, and asks the patient what the UNCOMMON N LARGE MINDLESS OOZE
ink depicts. Not so well-known is the fact Perception +10; ink sense (imprecise) 30 feet, motion sense 60 feet
that the inkblot test was made up on the Skills Athletics +15, Stealth +9
spot by an academic who was consulting Str +4, Dex –4, Con +5, Int –5, Wis +0, Cha –5
a book infested by an inkblot ooze. The Ink Sense The inkblot ooze has a special sense allowing it to detect the pigments present in ink,
ooze leapt out of the book and danced in alerting it to the presence and general quantity of ink within the listed range.
dizzying patterns before fleeing. Faced Motion Sense An inkblot ooze can sense nearby motion through vibration and air or water
with the choice of losing a client due to movement.
damaged books or improvising a new AC 14; Fort +17, Ref +8, Will +10
test, the panicked doctor pretended to HP 190; Immunities critical hits, mental, precision, unconscious, visual
have planned the ooze’s appearance and Curious Symmetry (aura, mental, visual) 60 feet. The inkblot ooze’s constantly-shifting,
asked, “So how did that make you feel?” symmetrical form stimulates the imaginations of nearby creatures, luring them into a hypnotic
daze. Any creature within the area that can see the inkblot ooze must attempt a DC 22 Will save.
On a failure, the creature is fascinated for 1d4 rounds, and on a critical failure they are also
stupefied 1 for the same duration. At the end of this duration, or if a creature succeeds at its save,
it is then temporarily immune to the aura for 1 minute.
Speed 20 feet, climb 10 feet
Melee 1 pseudopod +17, Damage 2d10+8 bludgeoning plus inkspill
Hide in Pages 3 (move) Requirements The inkblot ooze is adjacent to a book with at least 10
pages; Effect The inkblot ooze seeps into the pages of the book. It has an automatic result of
35 on Deception checks and DCs to pass as a regular feature of the book. It can’t act except to
dismiss the effect, either by using this ability again, or as a reaction
to the book being opened. While hidden within a book, the inkblot
ooze’s Curious Symmetry aura is suppressed.
Inkspill Whenever an inkblot ooze makes a
successful pseudopod Strike against a creature or
unattended object, the inkblot ooze spills some of
its form over a text within its
reach, such as a book or
scroll, in an attempt to ruin
it. The text must be either
the target of the Strike or on
an object held or worn by the
target. If the text is held or worn
by a creature, that creature can
attempt a DC 22 Reflex save
to protect the text. On a failure
the text is covered in inky
ooze, rendering it unusable.
On a critical failure, or against an
unattended object, in addition to the
failure effects, a random spell, formula, or
page within the text is permanently erased.
A text ruined in this way can be recovered
over the course of an hour with a successful DC 25
Crafting check, and a spell or formula erased by a
critical failure can be relearned for half its usual cost
by using the page in the process.
82
Iron Houndmaster
When a construct workshop ceased production of hound and guard type
constructs and scrapped the remaining models, a rogue construct crafter found COPPER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
the scrap and tried to make them work again. The result was a batch of iron
BY KITSUNE KIRIN
houndmasters, mismatched mechanical patrol units that excelled at locating
and capturing any trespasser foolish enough to enter their patrol field.
SEPARATION ANXIETY
IRON HOUNDMASTER CREATURE 8 Allowing an iron houndmaster to separate
RARE N MEDIUM CONSTRUCT MINDLESS is a risky proposition because the halves
Perception +20; darkvision may not combine back together correctly.
Skills Acrobatics +18, Athletics +16, Stealth +16, Survival +18 When multiple houndmasters are on the
Str +4, Dex +6, Con +3, Int –5, Wis +6, Cha –5 field, the closest halves attempt to rewire
Split Anatomy The iron houndmaster’s two halves are not fully wired to function in unison. When themselves together at the end of combat.
the iron houndmaster rolls initiative, its hound half uses its normal initiative roll and its master The result may be two masters or two
half uses the result of its initiative roll –5. Neither half can Delay. Instead of getting three actions hounds fused together, with a resulting
and one reaction as normal, each half of the iron houndmaster gains two actions and one duplication in their abilities.
reaction on its respective turn. The halves calculate their multiple attack bonus separately. Only
the master can use the metal fist and shock stick Strikes, and only the hound can use the metallic
fangs and dart gun Strikes.
Release the Hound When the iron houndmaster is reduced to 60 or fewer Hit Points, its two halves
separate. Its remaining Hit Points are split between the hound and the master, rounding up.
While separated, the two halves gain 3 actions and a reaction on each of their turns, the hound’s
Speed increases to 50 feet, and both halves have their AC reduced to 24.
AC 27 together, 24 separated; Fort +13, Ref +19, Will +16
HP 132; Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued, healing, mental,
necromancy, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, poison, sickened, unconscious
Speed 30 feet
Melee 1 metal fist +18 (agile, finesse), Damage 2d8+8 bludgeoning
Melee 1 shock stick +18 (electricity, finesse), Damage 2d6+8 bludgeoning plus 1d12 electricity
Melee 1 metallic fangs +18 (agile, finesse), Damage 2d8+8 piercing
Ranged 1 dart gun +18 (range 60 feet, reload 0), Damage 2d6+8 piercing
Bring Down 2 Requirements Only the hound half can use this action; Effect The hound
performs a metallic fangs Strike. On a hit, it also knocks the
target prone, and on a critical hit, the target takes an
additional 1d8 persistent bleed damage.
Net Cannon 1 (attack) Requirements Only
the hound half can use this action; Effect
The hound half launches a net at a target
within 60 feet. The target attempts a DC 26
Reflex save.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature is flat-footed until the
end of the hound’s next turn, though it can use
an Interact action to end the effect early.
Failure The creature is caught in the net. It is immobilized
and flat-footed until it Escapes, with an Escape DC
of 26.
Critical Failure As failure, but the creature is also knocked
prone. The iron houndmaster can’t use Net Cannon
again for 1d4 rounds.
Subduing Strike 2 Requirements Only the master
half can use this action; Effect The master makes a
melee Strike. On a hit, the target takes the normal damage
from the Strike and attempts a DC 23 Fortitude save; this
additional effect has the incapacitation trait.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target is stunned 1.
Failure The target is stunned 2.
Critical Failure The target is stunned 4.
83
Irus
Iruses are a family of fey creatures who find beauty in remote places most
PLATINUM AWARD humanoids and other mortal folk overlook. Unfortunately for those who
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pass through their domains, they assume anyone in their territory is there to
BY JAMES ABENDROTH
despoil it and react violently.
Each irus is made up of a main body and a swarm of smaller bodies, each
WADIRUS DRUGS with a different physical shape. Both body and swarm are a single creature,
Shady black market dealers have begun however, and an irus can control the smaller bodies as easily as an arm or leg.
to ask unscrupulous adventurers to Should the main body be destroyed, one of the smaller creatures will
intentionally provoke wadiruses in order slowly grow into a new main body.
to process their poison into a new form There is some evidence that all iruses are actually the same species adapted
of drug. So far, none of the experimental to different environments. For example, a swarm body from one type of irus
wadirus drugs have made it to the market, can cleave off and form a new main body of a different type if it encounters
as they have all had horrifying side effects. the correct environment.
Wadirus
Some people in urban areas view jungles as pristine wildlands that are good for
nothing but pillaging resources for their own purposes. Those
who would dare attempt to exploit jungle lands risk running
afoul of many dangerous creatures, but none are so dedicated
to protecting their arboreal homes as the froglike fey
guardians known as wadiruses.
A wadirus has the appearance of a giant
tree frog with black and bright blue, green,
or yellow markings all over its body.
Its entire spine is covered by a crest
of large, multicolored, iridescent
feathers. These quills aren’t just
present for decoration, however,
and a wadirus can use its tongue to
pluck one of its quills off its spine
and flick it as a dart with surprising
range. Though wadiruses have
opposable thumbs, their legs aren’t
particularly well-suited for bipedal
movement, and therefore they rarely
stand upright or use weapons or tools.
WADIRUS CREATURE 5
UNCOMMON CE MEDIUM FEY
Perception +15; low-light vision
Languages Common, Sylvan
Skills Acrobatics +13, Athletics +13 (+16 to High Jump or Long
Jump), Deception +11, Intimidation +11, Nature +13, Stealth +12
(+14 in jungles), Survival +12 (+14 in jungles)
Str +2, Dex +5, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +5, Cha +4
Prodigious Leaper A wadirus doesn’t automatically fail
High Jump or Long Jump attempts if it doesn’t Stride
first, allowing it to make long and high leaps without
any kind of running start.
AC 21, all-around vision; Fort +11 (+13
vs. poisons), Ref +14, Will +12
HP 95, swarm rejuvenation;
Weaknesses cold iron 5
Poison Skin Any time a creature touches the wadirus
or hits it with an unarmed melee attack, and any time an
adjacent creature hits it with a weapon attack, the creature is
exposed to its wadirus poison.
84
Irus
Swarm Rejuvenation A wadirus’s swarm is part of its true self. After defeating a wadirus, its
swarm disperses, and 2d4 days later, one of the constituent creatures grows into a new wadirus PLATINUM AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
if even a single one escapes. While the exact circumstances and surroundings determine how
BY JAMES ABENDROTH
long the wadirus’s foes have to dispatch the fleeing creatures before they escape, usually its
foes have only a single round. Typically, this requires the application of an area effect or splash
weapon within 1 round to the space where the wadirus collapsed. After any amount of area or SWARM REJUVENATION:
splash damage is dealt to that space, the character dealing the damage must attempt a DC A SURVEY AND ANALYSIS
15 flat check. Each subsequent area or splash damage effect performed on the area reduces OF THE FIELD
the DC of this flat check by 2, to a minimum of DC 5. If any of these flat checks succeed, none The metaphysical process of swarm
of the creatures escapes, and the wadirus is destroyed permanently. At the GM’s discretion, rejuvenation is complicated, and among
clever means of trapping or otherwise detaining the vermin may extend the time allowed to the scholars who sought to understand
finish off the wadirus. it, many died to irus attacks before one
Speed 25 feet, climb 20 feet, swim 20 feet extremely persistent researcher managed
Melee 1 foot +15 (finesse), Damage 2d10+4 bludgeoning plus wadirus poison to publish a treatise named Swarm
Melee 1 tongue +15 (agile, finesse, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d8+4 bludgeoning Rejuvenation: A Survey and Analysis of
Ranged 1 quill +15 (agile, range increment 30 feet), Damage 2d6+4 piercing plus wadirus poison the Field, which is currently recognized as
Primal Innate Spells DC 19, attack +11; 3rd animal vision (at will), wall of thorns; 2nd entangle, the most prominent collection of theories
fungal infestationAPG; Cantrips (3rd) tanglefoot and data on the subject.
Frog Swarm 2 The wadirus fills a 5-foot burst within 25 feet with its frog swarm. The frogs do
no damage, but all creatures within this area when the wadirus moves it or at the start of their According to the text, when an irus’s
turn are exposed to wadirus poison. Once per turn, the wadirus can move the burst up to 25 feet central body is defeated, it spreads the
or dissipate it with a single action, which has the concentrate trait. If the wadirus’s frog swarm primal energy of its fey self throughout
is ever more than 100 feet from the wadirus, it automatically dissipates. Once the frog swarm the swarm of creatures that make up its
dissipates, the wadirus must use this action to send the swarm forth again. If it uses Frog Swarm extended body. Each of these creatures
before the swarm has dissipated, doing so dissipates the existing swarm before sending it forth is connected to the others and the main
once again. body by an invisible web of magical links,
Jump Kick 2 The wadirus Strides then Leaps. If it lands adjacent to a creature it can make a foot similar to arteries or a ley line network, and
Strike against that creature. If the Strike is successful the creature is pushed 5 feet (10 feet on a the web persists after the body’s death.
critical success).
Wadirus Poison (Poison) Saving Throw DC 20 Fortitude; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage This means that no matter how many
1 1d6 poison damage (1 round); Stage 2 1d8 poison damage and enfeebled 1 (1 round); Stage of the swarm’s constituents are killed,
3 1d8 poison damage and sickened 1 (1 round); Stage 4 1d8 poison damage and sickened 2 (1 the irus can quickly shift their energy
round); The sickened condition caused by wadirus poison can’t be reduced or removed until the into whichever manages to survive.
target is no longer affected by wadirus poison. However, the transfer isn’t lossless, and
an unpredictable amount of the essence
spills out during the process, especially if
Salirus many of the swarm’s constituent creatures
Many see nothing but stagnation in swamps. As nature’s bog guards, saliruses also perish. This leads to a significant
know different. They see the decay and rot as nature’s way of reclaiming what variation in how long it takes for the irus
is no longer needed and know that life thrives just beneath the murky surface to rejuvenate, as the more energy it loses,
of the water. Like their brethren in other terrains, these fey creatures have a the longer it takes to return.
close connection to their swamps and punish anyone who would pollute their
territory.
A salirus can move unfettered through their natural environment, unimpeded
by underbrush, and can walk across water as easily as land. They use this to their
advantage, ambushing opponents when their targets are hampered by either
water or plants and using their maneuverability to keep their distance.
A salirus has the appearance of a humanoid beetle, complete with compound
eyes, wicked mandibles, and a soft but obvious carapace. Its body ends at its
torso, though, and six long, insectile legs spring from its waist. Each leg ends in
a splayed-toed, webbed foot.
The salirus is constantly surrounded by a cloud of fireflies that flash in a
rainbow of colors. As with all iruses, this swarm is actually a part of the salirus,
and the salirus can control it as easily as any other part of its body. In fact, should
a salirus’s main body be destroyed, one of these fireflies becomes the repository
of its consciousness and slowly grows into a duplicate of the destroyed body.
Only by completely destroying this swarm of fireflies that make up a salirus’s
extended body can a salirus be truly slain.
85
Irus
SALIRUS CREATURE 6
PLATINUM AWARD UNCOMMON CE MEDIUM FEY
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Perception +17; low-light vision
BY JAMES ABENDROTH
Languages Common, Sylvan
Skills Acrobatics +15, Athletics +12, Deception +11, Intimidation +11, Nature +15, Stealth +16,
SALIRUS AND WISPS Survival +13, Swamp Lore +14
Occasionally, a salirus teams up with Str +2, Dex +5, Con +4, Int +3, Wis +5, Cha +2
will-o’-wisps to lead a more dangerous Items +1 composite longbow
group of adventurers astray in their AC 23, all-around vision; Fort +12, Ref +17, Will +13
swampy home. The wisps and the HP 120, swarm rejuvenation; Weaknesses cold iron 5
salirus intersperse the salirus’s colorful Swarm Rejuvenation See wadirus.
fireflies with the wisps’ dancing lights Speed 25 feet; water stride, woodland stride
to completely befuddle, ambush, and Melee 1 mandibles +17 (agile, finesse), Damage 2d6+8 piercing
then terrorize their opponents. Ranged 1 composite longbow +17 (deadly d10, range increment 100 feet, volley 30 feet),
Damage 1d8+7 piercing
Primal Innate Spells DC 21; 4th solid fog; 3rd animal vision (at will), stinking cloud; 2nd entangle,
sudden blightAPG; Cantrips (3rd) dancing lights
Illuminate 1 (light) Requirements The salirus hasn’t used Obfuscate this turn; Effect The salirus
fills a square within 60 feet with its swarm of fireflies. Any invisible creatures in the square or
that have a portion of themselves in the square become concealed rather than undetected, as
the fireflies settle on them. The fireflies remain in the square until the salirus moves them again
by using either Illuminate or Obfuscate. Any creatures that move out of the square regain their
invisibility. Whether there are any creatures in the square the salirus selects or not, the fireflies
shine bright light in a 10-foot radius.
Obfuscate 1 (light) Requirements The salirus hasn’t used Illuminate this turn; Effect
The salirus surrounds itself with its swarm of fireflies, hiding from view. It is concealed until
the beginning of its next turn. It can’t use this concealment to Hide or Sneak, as normal for
concealment that makes its position obvious.
Target 1 (light) The salirus sends a single firefly to land on a creature to improve its
aim. The salirus gains a +2 circumstance bonus to its attack roll on the next bow
Strike against the creature made before the end of its turn. If the Strike hits it deals
an additional 1d8 precision damage.
Water Stride The salirus can stand and move on the surface of water or other liquids without
falling through. It can go underwater whenever it wishes, but in that case, it must Swim
until it returns to the surface.
Woodland Stride A salirus ignores difficult terrain and greater difficult terrain from non-
magical foliage.
Caxirus
Reefs are locations full of
beautiful and often dangerous life.
Unfortunately, many people forget that they
are also carefully balanced and fragile ecosystems.
Caxiruses are more than happy to violently remind
them why they should respect the danger and
sanctity of reefs.
A caxirus finds and protects one reef from any
who would despoil it, whether intentionally
or not. An ambush predator, they most
commonly attract interlopers with the
flashing bioluminescence of their lure
and the swarm of fish that surrounds
them. Then, as their prey gets close,
they douse the light of their lure and
sneak up on their victim while the
unsuspecting prey continues to be
distracted by the smaller fish.
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Irus
Caxiruses are experts at ambushing their prey, using the small school of
bioluminescent fish that always attends them as a distraction before striking PLATINUM AWARD
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from hiding. More often than not, their victims are so fascinated by the smaller,
BY JAMES ABENDROTH
harmless fish that they never see the main caxirus, with their dangerous teeth
and claws, coming.
The main body of a caxirus, in sharp contrast to the sleek fish that make up CAXIRUSES AND CHOCHORI
their swarm, looks much like an anglerfish, complete with a stubby body, toothy While caxiruses ruthlessly hunt any who
maw, and glowing lure. Unlike an anglerfish, a caxirus has a pair of crustacean- disrespects their reefs, they are willing to
like claws instead of pelvic fins, and its eyes sit at the ends of long stalks that it tolerate the presence of the coral people
can rotate independently. known as chochori, as long as the chochori
in question spiritually revere the reef and
CAXIRUS CREATURE 8 give regular offerings to the caxirus.
UNCOMMON CE LARGE AQUATIC FEY
Perception +18; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 100 feet
Languages Common, Sylvan
Skills Athletics +18, Deception +16, Intimidation +18, Nature +16, Stealth +18, Survival +16
Str +6, Dex +3, Con +4, Int +4, Wis +6, Cha +3
AC 26, all-around vision; Fort +16, Ref +13, Will +18
HP 175, swarm rejuvenation; Weaknesses cold iron 10
Flashing School (aura) 20 feet. Creatures within the caxirus’s aura are surrounded by a swarm
of multicolored flashing fish. A creature entering the aura or starting its turn in the aura must
attempt a DC 23 Fortitude save.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected and is temporarily immune to
flashing school for 1 minute.
Success The creature is unaffected.
Failure The creature is dazzled for 1 round.
Critical Failure The creature is blinded for 1 round and
dazzled for 1 minute.
Swarm Rejuvenation See wadirus.
Speed swim 30 feet
Melee 1 jaws +18, Damage 2d10+10 piercing
Melee 1 claw +18 (agile, reach 10 feet), Damage
2d6+10 slashing plus Grab
Primal Innate Spells DC 23; 4th coral eruptionSOM,
hydraulic torrent; 3rd animal vision (at will), crashing
waveAPG; 2nd darkness; Cantrips (4th) spoutSOM
Constrict 1 2d6+7 bludgeoning, DC 26
Douse Lure 1 The caxirus turns off the illumination
in its lure, obscuring itself in the flashing lights of its
school. It makes a Hide check without requiring cover or
concealment. While it can Hide, it can’t use this hidden
condition to Sneak and become undetected, since it is
still clearly positioned in the midst of its school.
Pounce 1 The caxirus Strides and makes a Strike at the
end of that movement. If the caxirus began this action
hidden, it remains hidden until after the Strike.
Sneak Attack The caxirus’s Strikes deal 2d6 extra
precision damage to flat-footed creatures.
Nafirus
High mountain peaks are generally deserted,
desolate places, and that’s just how a nafirus
likes it. Nafiruses view the presence of almost any
living creature, particularly landbound creatures and
even more especially humanoids, as a desecration of
these pristine places’ stark beauty. As such, they rapidly
and violently attack any interlopers in their domain.
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Irus
Unlike other iruses, nafiruses care little for subtlety. Instead, they dive down
PLATINUM AWARD on their victims in cacophonous, multicolored fury. In combat, they zealously
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
use their mobility, snatching climbing opponents off of walls to plummet to
BY JAMES ABENDROTH
their doom and driving flying creatures to the ground.
A nafirus has a body like a large gliding bird, such as a condor or eagle, with
NAFIRUS SYMPHONIES plain brown plumage. However, just above its wings, instead of an avian head, a
Nafiruses might be evil, but they love humanoid torso and head grow, complete with arms, hands, and an additional
music, and they often compose complex, set of feathered wings.
haunting symphonies to be performed by A nafirus is attended by a mass of songbirds, each no larger than a human hand.
their own songbirds. While nafiruses are While these birds all have the same shape and structure, they have wildly varying
ordinarily the most territorial of iruses, colorations and patterns. The songbird swarm has an impressive range of notes and
there are tales of accomplished bards can make beautiful songs, but they are also capable of painfully discordant tones.
managing to encroach on a nafirus’s
mountain respectfully and survive the NAFIRUS CREATURE 9
encounter by sharing their own musical UNCOMMON CE MEDIUM FEY
compositions with the nafirus. Perception +19; low-light vision
Languages Common, Sylvan
Skills Acrobatics +18 (+20 to Maneuver in Flight), Athletics +18, Deception +17, Intimidation +19,
Nature +18, Performance +17, Stealth +17, Survival +18
Str +3, Dex +6, Con +4, Int +3, Wis +4, Cha +6
Items caterwaul sling
AC 27, all-around vision; Fort +18, Ref +21, Will +15
HP 200, swarm rejuvenation;
Weaknesses cold iron 10
Swarm Rejuvenation See
wadirus.
Speed 10 feet, fly 60 feet
Melee 1 talon +21 (agile,
finesse), Damage 2d10+9
piercing plus Grab
Ranged 1 sling +21, Damage
2d6+9 bludgeoning
Primal Innate Spells DC 25;
5th lightning stormAPG; 4th freedom of
movement; 3rd animal vision (at will), wall of wind; 2nd ash cloudSOM; 1st gust of
wind; Cantrips (5th) electric arc
Cacophonous Call 2 (evocation, primal, sonic) The songbird swarm releases a
blast of sound, dealing 5d6 sonic damage in a 30-foot cone (DC 25 basic Reflex
save.) Because the swarm is the origin of the blast, the cone can originate at any
point within 60 feet of the nafirus, rather than just in the nafirus’s space.
Down to Earth 2 (mental) The songbird swarm surrounds a flying target,
dragging it down with their weight and disrupting its sense of direction with their
song. The target attempts a DC 25 Will save.
Success The target falls up to 60 feet. If this brings it to the ground, it is
unharmed.
Failure The target falls up to 80 feet. If this brings it to the ground, it takes 10d6 bludgeoning damage.
Critical Failure The target falls up to 100 feet. If this brings it to the ground it takes 12d6
bludgeoning damage and is stunned 1. If the target doesn’t reach the ground, it must attempt
another save against Down to Earth at the beginning of its next turn.
Go For the Eyes 2 (incapacitation) The nafirus sends its swarm of songbirds to attack an
opponent within 120 feet. The target takes 6d8 damage and must attempt a DC 26 Reflex save.
Critical Success The target takes no damage and one of the attacking birds is injured, dealing
1d8 damage to the nafirus.
Success The target takes half damage.
Failure The target takes full damage and is blinded for 1 round.
Critical Failure The target takes double damage and is blinded permanently.
Snatch A nafirus can Fly at half Speed while it has a creature grabbed or restrained in its talons,
carrying that creature along with it.
88
Jadrani
A jadrani is a giant undead bird formed from a slain and corrupted phoenix.
Jadrani lair in dark caves and sleep in mountains of corpses of those foolhardy COPPER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
enough to seek their so-called fountain of youth, not knowing the true source of
BY JAKE CASSAR
this myth. The withering and rejuvenation of a jadrani mark a contradiction in its
nature. Where its aura is said to reverse the aging of living creatures, its very being
is an affront to life itself. Jadrani use these tales for their own vile ends, sometimes EXTINGUISHED HOPE
even allowing petitioners to live to spread their legend and attract additional fools Necromantic magic and acts of evil are
to their lair. Unlike a phoenix’s song, this creature’s song soothes no hearts. not sufficient to transform a phoenix
Should one of an jadrani’s hunters manage to slay it, the jadrani’s cursed flesh into a jadrani. Phoenixes are beacons of
and bones turn to dust and coalesce around its killer in a deadly curse. It helps kindness and hope. Foes must snuff out
itself to a banquet of their life force and emerges from their flesh and bones only those qualities entirely, driving a phoenix
seconds later, often felling them instantly and adding another corpse to the pile. into despair, before they can corrupt the
creature. While such an end is tragic, it
JADRANI CREATURE 16 does bear the silver lining that jadrani
RARE NE GARGANTUAN BEAST UNDEAD are reclusive—they do not actively go out
Perception +28; darkvision, lifesense 120 feet into the world to spread destruction in the
Languages Common, Necril, Shadowtongue, same way that phoenixes travel widely to
Skills Acrobatics +32, Athletics +28, Deception +26, Intimidation +30, Stealth +28 heal and console.
Str +6, Dex +8, Con +6, Int +7, Wis +6, Cha +6
AC 38; Fort +26, Ref +30, Will +30
HP 305, negative healing, regeneration 20 (deactivated by good or positive); Immunities death
effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious; Weaknesses good 10, positive 10
Jadrani Death Curse (curse, death, necromancy, occult) When a creature slays an jadrani,
the slaying creature must succeed at a DC 41 Will save or become a vessel for the jadrani’s
self-resurrection. On a failure, the jadrani returns to unlife fully healed 1d4 rounds later, with
the effects of a 7th-level resurrect ritual. This deals 10d10 negative damage to the host (DC
37 basic Fortitude save). An jadrani who died within an area devoted
to a good deity by a consecrate ritual can’t self-resurrect, and an
jadrani can self-resurrect only once per year.
Fountain of Youth (aura, occult, transmutation) 60
feet. When a living creature ends its turn in the
aura, it must attempt a DC 34 Fortitude save. If the
creature fails, its body regresses,
reversing muscle development,
balance, and coordination.
The creature appears
superficially youthful for
1 day but is also clumsy 1
and enfeebled 1 while the
appearance of youth lasts.
Speed 25 feet, fly 75 feet
Melee 1 beak +32 (finesse,
magical, reach 20 feet),
Damage 3d8+14 piercing
plus 2d6 negative
and 2d6 persistent
negative
Melee 1 talon +32 (agile,
finesse, magical, reach 20
feet), Damage 3d6+14 piercing plus 2d6 negative
Ranged 1 bone pinion +32 (magical, range increment 40 feet), Damage
3d6+14 piercing plus 2d6 negative
Occult Innate Spells DC 37; 8th spirit song
Bone Shards 2 The jadrani snaps its wings and throws shards of bones
in a 50-foot cone that deals 14d6 piercing damage to creatures in the
area with a DC 37 basic Reflex save. A creature that fails its save is also
immobilized until they spend an Interact action to wrench themselves free.
An jadrani can’t use Bone Shards again for 1d4 rounds.
89
Kawakami
Appearing as an incorporeal humanoid made from flowing water that turns silty
SILVER AWARD when angered, kawakami are protector spirits. They are a rare hybrid of kami and
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
primal spirits that came about to resolve a dispute over which group would protect
BY MICHAEL ROBINSON
river systems. These hybrid creatures are highly protective of a specific river, their
ward, and have a mercurial temperament that changes between embracing the
WATER ALWAYS WINS destructive power of their river’s flooding and the restorative gift of their river’s
Societies that respect a river can work with bounty. Although not hostile to those who respect their river, a kawakami is
its guardian for the benefit of all. Kawakami willing to take extreme action to protect their ward. If they fail to do so, often due
are happy to advise farmers where floods to excessive pollution from nearby societies, they can become stuck in one of their
are likely to occur so that they don’t build two states, causing damage to those relying on the river or the nearby ecosystem.
permanent structures in those areas. In
exchange, those areas become fertile KAWAKAMI CREATURE 9
land for a bountiful yield of crops when RARE N MEDIUM INCORPOREAL KAMI SPIRIT WATER
the waters recede, and the river remains Perception +18; low-light vision
healthy by purging itself of silt buildup. Languages Aquan, Common
Skills Acrobatics +18, Intimidation +18, Nature +20, Stealth +20
Str –5, Dex +4, Con +4, Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +3
River’s Mind A kawakami exists in one of two states: destructive or restorative. The Healing
Waves and Suffocating Ripple abilities change the kawakami’s state during combat, but at the
beginning of combat their state is determined by their current temperament.
Ward Every kami is bound to a ward: a specific animal, plant, object, or location. A kami can merge
with or emerge from their ward as a single action, which has the concentrate trait. While merged,
the kami can observe their surroundings with their usual senses as well as the senses of their
ward, but can’t move, communicate with, or control their ward. Additionally, a kami merged with
their ward recovers Hit Points each minute as if they spent an entire day resting. A kawakami’s
ward is a river, and they can observe anything within the river while merged.
AC 25; Fort +15, Ref +18, Will +21
HP 100; Resistances all 10 (except force or ghost touch, double resistance against
non-magical)
Speed fly 30 feet
Melee 1 hydrokinetic wave +20, Damage 2d8+11 bludgeoning
Primal Innate Spells DC 28; 5th control water; 4th hydraulic
torrent (×2)
Healing Waves 2 Requirement The kawakami is currently
in a restorative state; Effect The kawakami surrounds up to two
creatures within 30 feet (which can include itself) in restorative,
obscuring water, and then reverts to their destructive state and can’t
use this ability for 1d4 rounds. The targeted creatures recover 10d6 Hit
Points, and gain concealment against all enemies for one round.
Intercepting Swell 5 Requirement The kawakami is currently in a restorative
state; Trigger A creature within 15 feet damages the kawakami or an adjacent
ally; Effect Healing water blocks the blow, reducing the damage by 8, and
granting the damaged creature fast healing 5 for the next 2 rounds.
Hydropulse 1 (evocation, primal, water) Requirement The kawakami
is currently in a destructive state; Frequency Once per round;
Effect The kawakami unleashes a powerful explosion of water.
All creatures within a 10ft emanation of the kawakami take 5d6
bludgeoning damage (DC 26 basic Reflex save). On a failure, the
creature is also knocked prone.
Suffocating Ripple 2 (primal, water) Requirement The
kawakami is currently in a destructive state; Effect The kawakami
targets a creature within 100 feet from which a 10-foot emanation
of water and mud rapidly swells, and then reverts to a restorative
state and can’t use this ability for 1d4 rounds. All creatures within
the emanation take 10d6 bludgeoning damage (DC 28 basic Reflex
save). On a failure, the target must also attempt a DC 28 Fortitude save,
and they must start holding their breath on a failure. The affected creature, or
any adjacent creature, can use an Interact action to clear the suffocating creature’s airway.
90
Kayman Bacoo
On the flooded coasts of the fey realm, the roots of fey mangrove forests reach
deep to entangle the roots of Material Plane counterparts. Long ago, fey called SILVER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
bacoos climbed the roots into the Material Plane to see how mortals behaved.
BY ALEX G. FRIEDMAN
When they witnessed the callousness and brutality of the Material Plane, bacoos
decided the people must have been put here as a cruel joke. Some, who called
themselves kayman bacoos, found the most humor in the sweet lies of rum. BACOO CHARACTERS
Kayman bacoos are small crocodilian fey characterized by wild tempers and Kayman bacoo are one of several types of
prickly senses of humor. To kayman bacoos, offerings of rum, sweets, or flesh are related fey called bacoo, which enjoy food
the only reasons to grant the local humans any peace. They love rum despite their and drink offerings like rum, bananas, and
low tolerance for drink and refuse to restrain their appetites. milk. For full rules on playing a bacoo PC,
By day, they lounge in the trees bordering small villages or other human check out World of Battlezoo: Indigo Isles!
settlements, often nursing hangovers. But by night, kayman bacoos stalk the
eaves, looking for partygoers or merrymakers who might be drinking rum without
offering them a sip first. When they smell rum on someone’s breath, they silently
fall into line behind them and attempt to follow them home. If noticed, they ask
their prey some variation of “Out for a drink? Did you leave me any?”
Those who live in an area haunted by kayman bacoos know better than to go
carousing or host a party without leaving an offering of rum on their doorstep. Wise
locals can then answer truthfully that they have left rum out for the fey. Anyone
caught unprepared must make a choice: either invite the kayman bacoos in for a
drink or suffer their wrath. Kayman bacoos quickly succumb to the sedative effects
of alcohol, but their idea of what constitutes a party typically involves scatological
pranks and profound overapplication of rowdy magic.
Most communities tolerate their local kayman bacoos because they exterminate
rats and other pests. Even if they don’t appreciate their scaly
neighbors, driving off these gluttonous fey usually proves
beyond the means of the local authorities.
Kelpsteed
Kelpsteeds are curious, sapient plants with a drive to see the whole underwater
world. They have relatively slight frames, however, and on their own they can’t
swim very fast. Kelpsteeds take their name from the way they overcome
this: they like to form a partnership with a sturdier creature and
provide it with the mobility to get to faraway marvels
together.
Most scholars classify kelpsteeds into the
same family of plant creatures as keyweeds (the
eponymous “keyweed” family), another supposed
creation of enterprising druids. According to
legend, these druids needed a way to transport
their allies from place to place during some
ancient oceanic conflict, or so the theory
goes. Marine druids still often partner with
kelpsteeds, but kelpsteeds are free-willed
and often bargain for something in return,
such as a promise to travel to places the
kelpsteed wishes to explore.
Kelpsteeds are seen as a mixed omen
by sailors. While they can help one get
around quickly underwater, they don’t
provide the ability to breathe. Grizly
stories circulate of sailors being pulled
down into the depths and drowning in
the grip of young kelpsteeds who were
just looking for a partner. This can
be conflated with kelpies, malevolent
plantlike horses that intentionally
drown others. In more tropical waters,
sailors have learned to swim with kelpsteeds
much like dolphins, surfacing for deep breaths
of air and then swiftly swimming on.
92
Keyweed
Kelpsteeds don’t usually have separate communities of their own; they tend
to keep company with a swimming partner. They’re able to pick up scent trails PLATINUM AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
from many miles away, indicating other kelpsteeds are in the area, and when
BY LAU BANNENBERG
they do, they often encourage their partners to rendezvous. For kelpsteeds, this
is a time to meet new friends and mates and to swap stories. Kelpsteeds can live
for many decades, and if someone learns a compatible sign language, they can KEYWEED COMPANIONSHIP
often share lore covering a vast region. While younger keyweeds that haven’t
yet become convolute tend to remain
KELPSTEED CREATURE 1 separated from the complexities of intrigue,
CN SMALL AQUATIC PLANT they are still more social than some
Perception +7; low-light vision other kinds of plant creatures and enjoy
Languages Aquan, Sylvan (can’t speak any language; communicates via sign language) companionship, both with other plants as
Skills Athletics +7, Nature +6, Ocean Lore +6, Survival +6 well as non-plants. Keyweeds especially
Str +4, Dex +0, Con +3, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +3 enjoy hanging out with druids and other
AC 19; Fort +10, Ref +4, Will +7 creatures with primal magic. Companions
HP 13 who’ve spent time with a keyweed often
Speed swim 15 feet find their new friend’s perspective unusual
Melee 1 stinging tail +9 (reach 10 feet), Damage 1d4+2 piercing and kelpsteed venom and difficult to predict, though sometimes
Melee 1 frond +9 (agile), Damage 1d4+2 bludgeoning and Grab quite refreshing compared to what they
Hoist 1 (manipulate) The kelpsteed Swims into the square of an adjacent willing Medium or are used to encountering. Adventuring
smaller creature, and then wraps itself around them in a way reminiscent of a finned cloak. companions consider keyweeds’ skills
While the kelpsteed is hoisted in this way, the creature to which they’re hoisted gains a Swim especially useful, as locks, traps, and
speed of 30 feet; this doesn’t otherwise hinder the creature. When the creature the kelpsteed devices can prove an impediment to
is hoisted to moves, the kelpsteed is moved with it; this is forced movement. While hoisted the parties without a rogue or other expert
kelpsteed can’t move or use their Grab action, and the kelpsteed is slowed 1. The kelpsteed in those types of impediments. Slowly,
can use this action again to detach themselves. keyweeds learn more about the world
Kelpsteed Venom (poison) Saving Throw DC 16 Fortitude; Maximum Duration 4 rounds; around them from their companions, which
Stage 1 1d6 poison damage (1 round); Stage 2 1d6 poison damage and enfeebled 1 (1 round). aids them in the growth (both physical and
psychological) that they need in order to
become a convolute keyweed some day.
Keyweed By exposing themselves to a broad variety
Keyweeds are small, inconspicuous shrubberies gifted with locomotion of perspectives, they increase their rate of
and a remarkable ability to fold their leaves and vines. This enables them to growth and ensure that they will become
manipulate locks and other devices and infiltrate urban environments, which especially well-respected among the ranks
they do gleefully. of convolute keyweeds.
Although keyweeds are sapient and are able to communicate fluently in sign
language, most keyweeds aren’t deeply interested in the politics and societies of
the cities they inhabit. They know what interests them, and they stick to that:
they seek out the trickiest locks they can find and learn to open them. Then,
they use the peculiar vine-twistings required as a mating display. They usually
practice this in discreet locations such as abandoned and overgrown buildings,
but there are stories of young rogues who seek out these places to watch and
learn.
Keyweeds are capable combatants but tend to avoid confrontation, preferring
to hide and avoid unnecessary danger. Cornering a keyweed that’s been probing
one’s security measures can be quite difficult. When so cornered, a panicked
keyweed often uses their spore puffball in order to create a distraction, allowing
them to escape.
The origins of keyweeds are obscure and almost certainly not entirely natural.
Legend holds that it was an adventurer-druid who wished to make a point
to a roguish friend about how cities had nothing on primal magic. Whether
that’s true or not, druids have found that keyweeds are quite useful minions.
Most keyweeds get along especially well with druids, but even so, they are not
beholden to them.
Some thieves’ guilds have managed to establish a working relationship with
one or more keyweeds, enlisting the keyweeds in heists to serve as safecrackers
or lockpickers and paying the keyweeds by giving them special contraptions to
play with.
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Keyweed
KEYWEED CREATURE 3
PLATINUM AWARD CN SMALL PLANT
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Perception +12; darkvision
BY LAU BANNENBERG
Languages Common, Sylvan (can’t speak any language; communicates via sign language)
Skills Acrobatics +10, Athletics +9, Crafting +9, Society +9, Stealth +11, Thievery +13
KEYWEED KEEPSAKES Str +1, Dex +4, Con +1, Int +1, Wis +3, Cha +3
Keyweeds sometimes like to keep physical AC 19; Fort +6, Ref +12, Will +9
mementos of their past accomplishments, HP 75; Weaknesses fire 5, slashing 5
such as hanging onto the first lock they Speed 20 feet; climb 20 feet
ever picked or something from inside the Melee 1 vine +12 (agile, finesse), Damage 1d8+4 bludgeoning
first safe they cracked. These can lead an Clever Vines 2 The keyweed Strides up to once, and it then shapes itself into a suitable tool
adventurer to come across a bewildering and Disables a Device or Picks a Lock. It has an expert proficiency in Thievery for the purpose
trove of otherwise unrelated knickknacks. of determining what hazards it can disable, and it has an expert proficiency in Perception for
the purpose of determining what hazard it can detect.
Freeze 2 (concentrate) Until the next time it acts, the keyweed gets an automatic result of 30
on Deception and Stealth checks and DCs to appear to be an ordinary shrubbery.
Puffball 1 (poison) Frequency once per day; Effect The keyweed scatters spore puffs in a
20-foot emanation, which remain for 1 round. For the duration, all creatures in the area are
concealed, and all other creatures are concealed to them. Creatures in the area when the
keyweed first shoots out the Puffball must attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save, with the following
effects. Keyweeds are immune to this effect.
Success The creature is unaffected.
Failure The creature is sickened 1.
Critical Failure The creature is sickened 2 and slowed 1 as long as it
remains sickened.
Snagging Strike 1 The keyweed makes a vine Strike. If this Strike hits, the
target is flat-footed until the start of the keyweed’s next turn or until it’s no
longer within the reach of its vine, whichever comes first.
Sneak Attack The keyweed’s Strikes deal 1d6 extra precision damage to flat-
footed creatures.
Keeningreed
Believed to be cousins to keyweeds and kelpsteeds,
keeningreeds are the most mysterious member
of their family of plant creatures. They stalk
ancient battlefields, singing lullabies to the
spirits that linger. But precisely why they are driven
to do so is not known for certain.
Unlike their cousins, keeningreeds are capable of
speaking out loud, and they possess a whispering
voice that sounds like reeds rustling in the wind.
However, they rarely show interest in talking to the
living. Only those who have recently lost someone
tend to earn their attention.
Peasant superstition holds that this isn’t true
compassion; they say keeningreeds need the passion of
human grief in order to produce offspring.
Some believe that keeningreeds were the creation of an order of
druids that sought to heal the scars of an ancient war in their homeland. These
druids supposedly didn’t want to invite meddling priests to wield divine magic
in their domain, and so they created keeningreeds. Since then, keeningreeds
have spread quietly through shadowy woods and gloomy marshes.
While some raging spirits can only be laid to rest by direct force, often
keeningreeds prefer to take a gentler approach, conversing with the spirits and
soothing them before final departure. Sometimes keeningreeds take up the
unfinished business of a spirit, either in order to help them depart or to
honor their memory.
94
Keyweed
One company of adventurers became famous for allying with a keeningreed
on their adventures. The keeningreed provided them with details on treasures PLATINUM AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
that were theirs for the taking if the spirits haunting them could be given final
BY LAU BANNENBERG
satisfaction.
However, another version of the story has a grimmer ending. After many
adventures, it turned out that the final satisfaction was given to an enemy those KEENINGREED CHORUSES
adventurers had slain many years ago... Sometimes, a spirit’s wishes are too
great for a single keeningreed to fulfill on
KEENINGREED CREATURE 7 its own. In this case, a congregation of
CN SMALL PLANT several keeningreeds, known as a chorus,
Perception +15; low-light vision, spirit sense (imprecise) 30 feet might work together to achieve what a
Languages Common, Necril, Sylvan single keeningreed couldn’t on its own.
Skills Deception +15, Diplomacy +15, Intimidation +15, Nature +15, Occultism +15, Nearby settlements sometimes pass
Performance +20, Religion +15, Stealth +16, Survival +13 down stories of the eerie symphonies they
Str +1, Dex +3, Con +2, Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +6 heard during the night while such a chorus
Spirit Sense The keeningreed can sense the spirits of creatures, including living creatures, most was hard at work.
non-mindless undead, and haunts within the listed range.
AC 24; Fort +15, Ref +12, Will +18
HP 86; Resistances negative 5
Speed 25 feet, swim 20 feet
Melee 1 razor reed +13 (agile, finesse), Damage 2d10+3 slashing and 2d6 bleed
Ranged 1 threnody +15 (auditory, range 30 feet), Damage 2d6+6 sonic plus 2d6
positive
Primal Innate Spells DC 25, attack +17; 4th counter performance, enervationAPG, sound
burst; 3rd soothe (×3); Cantrips (4th) dirge of doom, ghost sound
Ghostreed (necromancy, primal) A keeningreed’s razor reed and threnody
Strikes both gain the effects of the ghost touch weapon property,
allowing them to damage incorporeal creatures effectively.
Last Respects 2 (auditory, concentrate, necromancy, primal)
The keeningreed sings a dirge to attempt to Disable a haunt using
its Performance skill. If the haunt can’t normally be disabled with the
Performance skill, use the Disable DC for one of the allowed skills
requiring a proficiency rank of master or lower (usually Religion).
Convolute Keyweed
When some keyweed grow older and more cunning, they
undergo a physical and mental chrysalis. Their fertility and
ability to exude spores fade. These elder keyweeds seem to wind
in on themselves, becoming more and more compact but poised to
explode into action like a tightly wound spring.
Convolute keyweeds, as they’re called, no longer have the biological
imperative to mate, but the instinct to manipulate devices remains and,
in fact, becomes even stronger. Convolutes vary in how
they deal with this drive; many search for some kind of
meaning to their existence.
Some convolutes find meaning in challenges, like
seeking out ever more secure locations to penetrate
or waging a competition with a rival, seeking to copy and exceed
each other’s exploits. Thieves’ guilds often share ghost stories of
accomplished members drawing the intense attention of a convolute.
Other convolutes become invested in causes. Whereas younger
keyweeds tend to be quite naive about humanoid intrigues, convolutes
throw themselves into complexity. They might go to elaborate lengths to
mask their involvement. One story tells of a powerful crusading knight
who had sworn not to lift her visor until an insidious conspiracy had
been defeated. After the final raid on their stronghold, it turned out that a
convolute had been puppeteering the armor from within.
95
Keyweed
CONVOLUTE KEYWEED CREATURE 11
PLATINUM AWARD UNCOMMON CN TINY PLANT
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Perception +24; darkvision
BY LAU BANNENBERG
Languages Common, Sylvan (can’t speak any language; communicates via sign language)
Skills Acrobatics +23, Athletics +21, Crafting +21, Society +21, Stealth +26, Thievery +26
CONVOLUTED CONSPIRACIES Str +5, Dex +7, Con +3, Int +3, Wis +5, Cha +5
Unlike younger keyweeds, convolute Encroachment Convolute keyweeds can pass through openings as small as one inch without
keyweeds have a special love of needing to Squeeze. Thanks to their many vines, they don’t need free hands to Climb or Grab
complicated stories and plots (the more an Edge.
complex, the better), which can cause AC 31; Fort +18, Ref +24, Will +21
them to become involved in situations HP 255; Weaknesses fire 10, slashing 10
with a much broader scope than other Tripping Vine 5 Trigger A creature within the convolute keyweed’s reach uses a move action or
keyweeds. They believe that this allows leaves a square during a move action it’s using; Effect The convolute keyweed extends a vine
them to contort and exercise their minds’ and attempts to Trip the triggering creature.
flexibility in the same way that they’ve Speed 40 feet, climb 40 feet; mobility
been building up their bodies all along. As Melee 1 razor vine +24 (agile, disarm, finesse, reach 15 feet), Damage 2d8+11 slashing
such, convolute keyweeds are also fans Ranged 1 whirling vine +24 (range increment 30 feet), Damage 2d8+11 slashing
of puzzles, riddles, and brain teasers, as Freeze 2 (concentrate) The convolute keyweed stops moving and attempts to appear as
well as mystery stories. When unraveling nothing more than a mundane tiny shrubbery. Until the next time it acts, the convolute keyweed
a mystery or conspiracy, they think of gets an automatic result of 45 on Deception and Stealth checks and DCs to appear to be an
themselves as traveling along the puzzle’s ordinary shrubbery.
body as if it were a winding plant, slowly Intrusion 2 The convolute keyweed Sneaks, Strides, or Climbs up to two times. Once their
getting to the root of the problem. movement is complete, the convolute keyweed then Disables a Device or Picks a Lock, using
its own body as a suitable tool to perform the task. Disabling the Device or Picking the Lock
does not automatically cause the convolute keyweed to become observed if it was previously
hidden or undetected, as long as the convolute keyweed successfully Sneaks for its first actions
of the Intrusion. The convolute keyweed has master proficiency in Thievery for the purpose of
determining what hazards it is capable of disabling, and it has master proficiency in Perception
for the purpose of determining what hazards it is capable of detecting.
Joint-Locking Strike 1 (manipulate) Frequency once per round; Requirement The target
is flat-footed against the
convolute keyweed; Effect
The convolute keyweed contorts
its vines to lock down its foe’s joints. The
convolute keyweed makes a razor vine Strike
and binds the target’s joints with vines and intricate
motions. If the Strike hits, the target is clumsy 2 and
enfeebled 2 (or clumsy 3 and enfeebled 3 on a critical hit),
and takes a –10-foot status penalty to its Speeds. The target
can end this effect with a successful DC 30 check to Escape;
otherwise, the effect lasts for a maximum of 1 minute.
Mobility When the convolute keyweed takes a Stride or Climb
action to move half their Speed or less, that movement doesn’t
trigger reactions.
Snagging Strike 1 The convolute keyweed lashes out, attempting to
snag its foe with its razor sharp vines. The convolute keyweed makes a razor
vine Strike. If this Strike hits and deals damage, the target is flat-footed until the start of
the convolute keyweed’s next turn or until it’s no longer within the reach of its razor vine,
whichever comes first.
Sneak Attack The convolute keyweed’s Strikes deals 2d6 extra precision damage
to flat-footed creatures.
Unlock Ailment 2 (manipulate, necromancy, primal) The convolute keyweed
contorts a willing creature’s body in a strange and metaphysical way, allowing it to attempt to
counteract a disease or poison afflicting the creature using its Thievery modifier against the
disease or poison’s DC, in order to end the affliction, with a counteract level of 6. Regardless
of success, the target is sickened 2 by the way the convolute keyweed contorts their body in
ways their body was never meant to move, and the creature is then temporarily immune to
Unlock Ailment for 24 hours.
96
Kolufs Krafsa
Kolufs krafsas are mammalian humanoids afflicted with a bizarre curse that
transforms them into something else, a pupal stage on the path to something SILVER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
terrifying and new. As a part of that transformation into a nonmammalian
BY LUCA T. FASSARI
creature, all the kolufs krafsa’s hair falls out. For ancestries like dwarves that
place great value on their thick, lustrous beards, the curse is especially horrifying.
Curiously, kolufs krafsas don’t always choose their victims randomly. Despite TWO WRONGS DON’T MAKE
the burgeoning evil of the curse within them, they prefer to attack those who truly A RIGHT
deserve it. Because of that, many kolufs krafsas respond to the pleas of oppressed Some kolufs krafsas seek out
commoners. A kolufs krafsa listens to those who invoke its name and strikes its werecreatures to bite them. They hope
victim in the quiet of the night. It carves up its victims, killing the lucky ones as that the new curse will counteract their
they are free from the creature’s curse. Those who survive an encounter with a current one, or at the very least help them
kolufs krafsa must prepare for sleepless nights, tearing their hair out to the point grow hair again. Sadly, they just end up
of exhaustion as their body transforms into a new kolufs krafsa. doubly cursed, hairless monstrosities
who roam the night without even their
KOLUFS KRAFSA CREATURE 6 moral compass for consolation.
RARE NE MEDIUM CURSED HUMANOID
Perception +10; darkvision
Languages Common, one additional language they knew before being cursed
Skills Athletics +15, Stealth +13
Str +5, Dex +3, Con +4, Int +2, Wis –2, Cha +0
AC 22; Fort +17, Ref +15, Will +9
HP 130; Immunities curses; Weaknesses silver 5
Split Ends 5 Trigger The kolufs krafsa is critically hit by an attack from a mammalian humanoid
who possesses hair; Effect Retaliating in anger for being distracted, the kolufs krafsa forces
the triggering creature’s hair to tear and frizz up while showing visions of its own cursed
transformation into a kolufs krafsa. The triggering creature must succeed a DC 21 Will save or be
frightened 2 and immobilized for 1 round.
Speed 30 feet, climb 20 feet
Melee 1 claws +17, Damage 2d6+8 slashing plus Grab
Clinging Grab The kolufs krafsa clings to its grabbed victim. This
causes it to enter the same space as a Medium or smaller
creature it has grabbed, or one square of a Large or larger
creature’s space. The kolufs krafsa can only have a single
creature grabbed, and while the kolufs krafsa is
grabbing a creature, the kolufs krafsa is
clumsy 2.
Curse of the Kolufs Krasa (curse,
occult, transmutation) The curse
affects only mammalian humanoids.
Saving Throw DC 21 Will save; Effect
Each night before going to sleep, the cursed creature feels their body
changing, and their hair begins to feel foreign and invasive. They tear
their own hair out until they fall asleep, and unconsciously continue
to do so as they sleep. The cursed creature takes 2d10 piercing
damage with a DC 21 basic Will save; this effect is nonlethal.
They also awaken fatigued. If the curse brings the creature to
0 Hit Points, or if the creature remains cursed for a full month,
the creature fully transforms into a kolufs krafsa.
Tearing the Hair 1 Requirements The kolufs krafsa has a
mammalian humanoid who possesses hair grabbed; Effect The
kolufs krafsa violently rips the hair off of the creature it has grabbed. The
creature takes 2d6 piercing damage and 1d6 persistent bleed damage,
with a DC 24 Fortitude save.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature takes half damage.
Failure The creature takes full damage and is exposed to Curse of the Kolufs Krasa.
Critical Failure The creature takes double damage and is exposed to Curse of the Kolufs Krasa,
and the curse’s initial DC is 24 instead of 21.
97
Lantern Leshy
The moment a leshy’s spirit leaves its physical body is generally dramatic and
SILVER AWARD explosive, but those clever or driven enough can either salvage the leshy’s form
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
afterward or prevent the explosion in the first place, often through magical
BY JAMES ABENDROTH
means. Once the leshy’s remains are gathered, it’s relatively easy for such
individuals to take the next step and reanimate them.
A WORSE HEADSPACE When a gourd leshy is the subject, the result is a lantern leshy. A lantern leshy’s
A lantern leshy can still store objects in its body is a tangle of withered vines and leaves, but their gourd heads remain
head in the same manner as a gourd leshy, surprisingly fresh and intact. Their creators often carve frightening faces, pictures,
but the magical flame destroys objects or symbols into these heads to make them more terrifying. And of course, a
that are flammable. Typical items a lantern magical fire glows from within the gourd head, giving the lantern leshy its name.
leshy might carry are metallic weapons Even the friendliest-looking lantern leshy possesses a vicious intellect, and
and torture implements. They arrange nothing brings them more joy than tormenting victims. A lantern leshy might
the objects around the flame so that it stalk their prey multiple nights in a row, playing cruel tricks. Eventually, they
casts enlarged shadows of them against grow bored with such games and kill their targets, often in slow and creative ways.
its face, giving their victims the terror of Nothing about the process of creating a lantern leshy bonds them to their
anticipating what cruelty it may inflict next. creator, and thus their loyalty varies wildly. A lantern leshy’s creator gains a lifelong
evil companion as often as they accidentally create their own murderer.
Odrazu
Also known as mirror devils, odrazu are
the grotesque remnants of narcissistic
creatures that, while they were still alive,
made a foolish pact with a devil in order
to further enhance their own charm. After
their demise, these mortals were transformed
into devils and infused with astral shards
and fragments of mirror entities that make
up creatures like fragmentors and tahagatas
to form a bizarre type of hybrid being
between a devil and an astral mirror creature. The
patron devil’s offers are often irresistible: incredible
good looks, a silver tongue, or an undeniable force of
personality. As payment for their bargain, the soul’s infernal
servitude sees them seeking out likewise egoistic mortals—easy marks for their
progenitor to eventually exploit. In the intervening time, however, odrazus
delight in inflicting small torments upon their victims.
A mortal’s reflection is a gateway to a tiny fragment of their soul. Though
far too meager a bounty for most devils to deign spending effort pursuing,
fiends as wretched and vain as odrazu are all too eager to lap up such table
scraps, delighting in the brief moment of restored glory that the reflection’s
energy affords them.
Creatures tormented by an odrazu often remain completely unaware of its
presence, beyond experiencing a general, inexplicable feeling of malaise and
hopelessness across all aspects of their lives. However, their obsessive behavior
might start to seem suspicious to others as they stare longingly at their own
reflection at interminable length. Then again, for an odrazu’s most likely
victims, such loathsome self-infatuation might not appear at all out of the
ordinary.
110
Mirrorborn
ODRAZU CREATURE 4
UNCOMMON LE SMALL ASTRAL DEVIL FIEND GRAND PRIZE
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Perception +14; greater darkvision
BY KALEN H.M.
Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100 feet
Skills Deception +12, Diplomacy +12, Intimidation +12, Performance +11, Religion +10,
Society +12, Stealth +12 THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Str +1, Dex +4, Con +1, Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +5 In addition to darkside mirrors, which send
Self-Absorption The odrazu is invisible to creatures who are fascinated by anything other than the forth alternative versions of those reflected
odrazu itself. within, it’s possible, though rare, to connect
AC 19, all-around vision; Fort +9, Ref +10, Will +14; +1 status to all saves vs. magic to realms beyond an ordinary mirror and
HP 70; Immunities fire; Weaknesses visual 10; Resistances physical 5 (except silver), poison 5 encounter mirrorborn. The phenomenon
Attack of Opportunity 5 Eyestalk only is far more likely in places brimming with
Narcissistic Compulsion (aura, divine, enchantment, mental, visual) 60 feet. An odrazu constantly astral energies or in locations where the
surrounds itself in a cloak of absolute vanity and self-absorption. A non-devil creature that ends veil between the mortal world and the world
its turn in the aura must attempt a DC 18 Will save. If it fails, then as long as it remains in the aura, beyond the mirror has been torn before,
if it sees its reflection in a reflective surface within the aura’s radius, it becomes fascinated with becoming thinner and thinner in the process.
its own reflection for 1 minute or until it can no longer see its reflection, whichever comes first. Those who enter through a mirror find that
While fascinated, the creature can’t willingly stop viewing its own reflection, or move such that it these mirror realms operate on their own
can no longer see its reflection. A creature that critically succeeds on their saving throw becomes bizarre rules, and while they eventually might
temporarily immune to narcissistic compulsion for 1 hour. re-emerge from another mirror, they often do
Speed 10 feet, fly 20 feet so changed.
Melee 1 tongue +14 (finesse, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d6+4 bludgeoning plus 1d6 evil
Melee 1 eyestalk +14 (agile, finesse, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d4+4 bludgeoning plus 1d6 evil OTHER MIRRORBORN
and clouded vision The mirrorborn presented here are just the
Clouded Vision (visual) A creature struck by an odrazu’s eyestalk is dazzled for 1 round, or for 2 tip of the iceberg, as the possibilities in the
rounds on a critical hit. infinite mirror universes are just as endless
Taste Reflection 1 (divine, enchantment) Frequency once per round; Effect Odrazu are capable as the multiverse itself. Some rumors of other
of sipping away at a fascinated creature’s reflection, and they do so regularly, both because they mirrorborn include:
adore the taste and to drain their victim’s soul energy away and take it for themselves. The odrazu • Darksiders, creatures originating from a
makes a tongue Strike against a fascinated creature who isn’t doomed; the fascinated creature darkside mirror who have become permanent
is flat-footed against this Strike. If the Strike hits and deals damage to the victim, the odrazu residents of this world, either seeking to
gains temporary Hit Points equal to twice the victim’s level and a +2 status bonus to Charisma- bring more residents from their reality or to
based skill checks for 24 hours. The struck creature must attempt a DC 21 Fortitude saving establish their own fiefdom in this one.
throw, becoming doomed 1 on a failure or doomed 2 on a critical failure. While the creature • Kryshards, malevolent entities that form
is doomed, it doesn’t cast a reflection in any reflecting surface. This Strike doesn’t otherwise from the reflective shards of shattered crystal
end the fascinated condition on the creature even though fascination normally ends after a balls and use mirrors to spy on many other
hostile action. However, if the creature was fascinated due to narcissistic compulsion, the lack creatures and use the information for their
of reflection means that the fascination automatically ends, as the creature can no longer see own foul purposes.
its own reflection. If the odrazu was unnoticed or undetected by the creature before Tasting • Mirror Mimes, creatures who hide within
its Reflection, it remains so after Tasting the creature’s Reflection, even though a Strike would mirrors and replace a creature’s natural
normally reveal its presence. While doomed by Taste Reflection, a creature can’t observe the reflection in order to devour that creature’s
odrazu unless the odrazu takes another hostile action against the creature, rendering the odrazu psyche, attempting to stay unnoticed by
effectively invisible to the creature mimicking the creature’s actions in front of
mirrors.
• Reflectors, creatures that position many
Tahagata mirrors across the battlefield when stalking
Tahagatas are bizarre astral mirror entities that, due to their composition, are their prey, shooting beams of light that
aware of the infinite variations of the other creatures around them that could bounce off the mirrors at unexpected angles
have come to pass but ultimately did not—selves that could have existed had and irradiate their victims.
the creature made different decisions or had the random variations of the
universe’s forces been slightly different.
When a tahagata juxtaposes itself with another creature, mimicking that
creature’s form, it instinctively knows details of that creature’s life, had they lived
out their life as one of these other near-infinite variations. However, these details
always diverge from reality in some way, sometimes subtly and at other times
wildly. The knowledge of this incongruity wracks the tahagata’s mind—only
by removing the original creature from existence (which puts a final end to its
continuously branching variations) can the tahagata lessen its anguish.
111
Mirrorborn
TAHAGATA CREATURE 6
GRAND PRIZE UNCOMMON CE MEDIUM ABERRATION ASTRAL
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Perception +17; darkvision
BY KALEN H.M.
Languages Aklo; tongues
Skills Acrobatics +13, Athletics +13, Deception +15, Intimidation +15, Occultism +15, Stealth +15
TAHAGATA IMPERSONATORS Str +4, Dex +4, Con +4, Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +4
Occasionally, a tahagata who destroyed Presaging Reflection (divination, occult, visual) A creature within 30 feet who Seeks as a 1
the original version of the creature minute activity (gazing carefully at the reflections upon the tahagata’s body) can see a glimpse
they juxtaposed attempts to continue of their own fate. This acts similarly to a read omens spell, but the predictions are made with one
impersonating that creature even after especially incorrect assumption. If the tahagata is aware of such observation, they can choose
the juxtaposition ends. Without any to purposefully twist the vision that the creature sees. In that case, the GM makes a secret DC 25
magical ability to assist, they must do so Will save for the observer; on a failure, the tahagata shows them a false vision of the tahagata’s
purely through mundane disguises, and design, often one that leads the observer to harm. A creature can only ever benefit from viewing
their fragmented memories of alternate any given tahagata’s reflection a single time.
timelines usually exposing them swiftly AC 22, all-around vision; Fort +14, Ref +14, Will +14; +2 status vs. morph and polymorph
even if they can pull that part off. HP 78; Weaknesses fortune weakness; Resistances physical 5 (while not Juxtaposed)
Enoptromancy 5 (concentrate, curse, divination, occult) Trigger The tahagata is
Juxtaposed and takes damage from one of the Juxtaposed creature’s allies. Effect The
Juxtaposed creature must attempt a DC 24 Will save; on a failure, the Juxtaposition ends
and the creature is affected by an inevitable disaster spell dealing 35 damage instead of
55, with the triggering ally being the source of the spell’s eventual damage, if possible.
Fortune Weakness A tahagata takes 10 additional damage from damaging effects with
the fortune trait or benefiting from an effect with the fortune trait (for instance, attacks
affected by a true strike spell).
Speed 35 feet
Melee 1 obsidian edge +14 (agile, deadly d10, magical, versatile P), Damage 2d6+8
slashing plus Grab
Ranged 1 obsidian shard +14 (magical, range increment 60 feet, versatile P), Damage
2d6+8 slashing
Occult Innate Spells DC 21; Constant (5th) tongues
Envisage 1 Requirements The tahagata has a creature grabbed; Effect The tahagata Juxtaposes
into the grabbed creature, and the two briefly meld, during which the tahagata can choose to
either imperceptibly swap places with the creature or remain in its original position, making it
impossible in either case to determine which is the original creature at a glance. Creatures who
successfully Seek against the tahagata’s Deception DC can discern which of the two is real.
Juxtapose 4 (occult, polymorph) Trigger The tahagata’s turn begins. Effect The tahagata peers
into the soul of a Large or smaller sapient creature that it can detect, seeing the variations of
that creature that could have existed, and changing its appearance to Impersonate one of these
nearly-indistinguishable variants until the beginning of its next turn. The creature must attempt
a DC 21 Will save; on a failure, while the tahagata remains Juxtaposed as them, the creature
rolls twice and takes the lower result whenever it makes a check against the tahagata (this is
a misfortune effect), while the tahagata rolls twice on checks it makes against the creature,
taking the higher result (this is a fortune effect).
Fragmentor
Fragmentors are the remnants of those who have been confronted
with alternate versions of themselves—from other dimensions, split
timelines, or malicious curses—and, in the process, had their sense
of self ruptured, leaving behind only thousands of formless slivers of
themselves. These slivers are drawn to other sapient creatures, often
creating simulacra of the creatures in a desperate bid to regain some
of the sense of self that they have irrevocably lost. While fragmentors
retain memories of their past lives, they are often inextricably tangled
with memories of their alternate selves, which makes communication
difficult at best and mindwarping at worst.
Fragmentors are also sometimes created as a byproduct when
a particularly tenacious tahagata is destroyed.
112
Mirrorborn
FRAGMENTOR CREATURE 7
UNCOMMON CE LARGE ASTRAL SWARM GRAND PRIZE
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Perception +15; darkvision, visionsense (imprecise) 120 feet
BY KALEN H.M.
Languages Aklo; telepathy 100 feet
Skills Stealth +16
Str +4, Dex +2, Con +6, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +6 FRAGMENTOR INSIGHT
Visionsense The fragmentor can sense any and all creatures who possess a visual sense that are While it’s exceptionally difficult to commu-
within 120 feet of it. Creatures whose visual senses are suppressed (or who aren’t processing nicate with fragmentors and even harder
much visual information, such as if they are closing their eyes) can’t be detected using to parse what they’re saying, fragmentors
possess a rare insight into what is, what
visionsense.
was, and what could have been due to their
AC 21; Fort +18, Ref +15, Will +12
jumbled memories, some of which come
HP 108; Immunities bleed, swarm mind; Weaknesses area damage 10, bludgeoning 10, splash from alternate versions of themselves. Those
damage 10; Resistances piercing 10 who wonder about the path not taken could
Phantasmal Defense 5 (concentrate, illusion, occult, visual) Requirement The fragmentor has do worse than to consult a fragmentor.
at least one phantasm manifested; Trigger The fragmentor would be hit by an attack. Effect
The fragmentor calls one of its existing phantasms, which instantly appears in a
square adjacent to the fragmentor, and interposes itself in the path of the attack.
The source of the attack must attempt a DC 11 flat check; on a failure, the
phantasm is destroyed, and the fragmentor changes the result of the
attack from a critical success to a success or a success to a failure.
Speed fly 30 feet
Distorting Edges 1 (evocation, occult) The fragmentor’s countless
shards warp and distort, spinning through the fragmentor’s space
with razor sharp edges. Each foe in the fragmentor’s space takes
4d6 slashing damage (DC 25 basic Reflex save).
Phantasms 4 (illusion, occult, visual) Trigger The fragmentor uses
Distorting Edges and at least one creature fails its save; Effect The
fragmentor creates a phantasm (two phantasms if the triggering
creature critically failed) in an unoccupied square within 10 feet.
Phantasms are Medium, quasi-real illusions, which resemble the form
of the triggering creature (changing size such that they are Medium,
even if the triggering creature isn’t). Phantasms act independently
of the fragmentor, taking their turns either immediately before
or after the fragmentor. Phantasms have 2 actions each turn
that they can use only to Fly. Phantasms have a fly speed of 30
feet, and their saving throw modifiers and AC are equal to the
fragmentor’s. Phantasms are substantial enough to provide
flanking, and other creatures cannot pass through their space.
A phantasm disappears if it is hit by an attack or fails a save, after
1 minute passes, if the fragmentor or the creature it was created from
dies or gains the dying condition, or if it is ever further than 100 feet away
from the fragmentor. A typical fragmentor can only have at most seven
phantasms at a time, but more powerful fragmentors might exist that
can have more phantasms.
Shatter Phantasm 1 (illusion, occult) The fragmentor destroys one
of its phantasms, creating a 10-foot burst centered at any point in
the phantasm’s space, which deals 3d6 piercing damage (DC 25
basic Reflex save). The fragmentor chooses one of the following
additional effects:
• The fragmentor teleports to the space previously occupied
by the phantasm. This additional effect has the conjuration and
teleportation traits.
• The fragmentor gains 10 temporary Hit Points as the shattered
phantasm’s fragments coalesce into its own form.
• Each creature that failed their saving throw against Shatter
Phantasm is also dazzled for 1 round (blinded for 1 round and
dazzled for 1 minute on a critical failure). Shatter Phantasm
gains the visual trait.
113
Mirrorborn
GRAND PRIZE
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Chiralus
A common refrain in folklore throughout the world paints some evil creatures
BY KALEN H.M.
(such as vampires) as so horrible, or perhaps so alien, that they are utterly unable
to cast a reflection, despite being normally visible. These tales often turn out
UNTETHERED to be true, but leave a lingering question of, “Why?” But perhaps the question
Travelers to the Astral Plane must should instead be, “Where?” As any magical scholar or seasoned adventurer will
be especially wary of chiralus, since attest, mirrors and the reflections seen in them often hold strange and mercurial
the creatures’ infinitely sharp form power. For those who seemingly defy such reflection, their visage may not be
can sever even an astral tether, cast back at them but instead cast away, drifting through the Astral Plane. These
tragically ending their journey. distorted figures—tiny fragments of pure malevolence—eventually coalesce
into a chiralus.
Just like a reflection on a mirror’s surface, chiralus are two-dimensional,
appearing impossibly flat and almost indistinguishable from a mundane mirror,
aside from the fact that living creatures don’t see their reflections within, instead
seeing the reflections of creatures who otherwise don’t have them, like vampires.
Observed side-on, a chiralus is almost imperceptible—a property they often use
to their deadly advantage, as they are driven by little else besides a primordial
desire to cut, sever, and kill.
CHIRALUS CREATURE 9
UNCOMMON NE LARGE ABERRATION ASTRAL
Perception +20; lifesense 120 feet
Languages Aklo (reversed speech)
Skills Stealth +21
Str +3, Dex +6, Con +4, Int +3, Wis +4, Cha +6
Depthless By using its two-dimensionality, a chiralus can pass through any gap,
however thin (so long as it would not be a perfect enough seal to stop the flow of
air), and can freely pass through other creatures’ squares.
Reversed Speech A chiralus speaks and writes backwards, which makes it
exceedingly difficult to understand what it’s saying, requiring a successful DC 20
Society check (to Decipher Writing when used on written text).
AC 25; Fort +15, Ref +21, Will +17
HP 140; Immunities grabbed, restrained; Weaknesses physical 10 (when prone)
Broken Mirror Curse (curse, misfortune) When a creature reduces the chiralus to 0 Hit Points, the
creature must attempt a DC 28 Will save. On a failure, the creature is afflicted with bad luck, and
must roll twice and take the worse result on the next seven non-trivial checks it makes within the
next 24 hours.
Two Dimensional Reorientation 4 Trigger The chiralus rolls for initiative, or its turn ends;
Requirements The chiralus is not prone. Effect The chiralus chooses one side of its square.
Until the next time it uses this ability or falls prone, whenever a hostile effect’s source originates
from the chosen side or the opposite side of its square (using the same method as determining
cover), the effect’s source must attempt a DC 15 flat check; on a failure, the effect doesn’t affect
the chiralus.
Speed fly 35 feet
Melee 1 sharp edge +20 (finesse, magical), Damage 2d10+7 slashing plus 2d6 persistent bleed
Ranged 1 haunting reflection +20 (illusion, occult, range 30 feet, visual), Damage 2d10+10
mental
Infinitesimal Slice 1 The chiralus Flies through another creature’s space and slices the creature
both bodily and spiritually. The creature takes 4d6 slashing damage with a DC 27 Reflex save.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature takes half damage.
Failure The creature takes full damage. The chiralus makes a counteract check (counteract
modifier +20, counteract level 5) against each magical effect directly linking the creature to
its allies, such as the shield other spell, and other effects at the GM’s discretion.
Critical Failure As failure, but the creature is drained 1, and if the creature is astrally projecting
(such as via the astral projection ritual), their silver cord is damaged, or severed if it was
already damaged.
114
Money-Grubber Swarm
Money-grubbers are tiny undead that gather together to pilfer shiny coins.
Sightings of the tiny creatures are often dismissed as the ramblings of losing COPPER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
gamblers or forgetful spenders, but everyone living in urban centers haunted
BY FRANCOIS POTVIN NAUD
by money-grubbers will, one day or later, find their purses lighter than usual
because of these pests.
A single money-grubber is completely harmless and simply shooing them A SPIRITUAL SUPPLEMENT
away will often be enough to get rid of them. Even if they manage to sneak The spiritual essence of money-grubbers is
their way into a purse, they will usually only be able to steal a single coin. strangely nourishing for most undead and
Because they always prioritize the shiniest coins, carrying a handful of polished spirits, and scholars have claimed to have
copper pieces is a common and effective practice around communities haunted recorded events of pretty much every kind
by money-grubbers. of spirit eating money-grubbers. Some even
However, when a great number of money-grubbers gather, they can say that after consuming money-grubbers
overwhelm beginner adventurers and steal away all their coins. This usually in great quantities, even benevolent spirits
ends up hurting the novices’ pride more than their bodies, but losing the spoils can be corrupted into powerful undead
of a recent dungeon delve before getting to spend them can be a career-ending abominations. The total disregard the
event for many. What these greedy wandering souls do with the coins they steal money-grubbers have toward anything not
is unknown, as no money-grubber hoard has ever been found. carrying coins makes them easy snacks, and
stronger spirits sometimes keep a swarm of
MONEY-GRUBBER SWARM CREATURE –1 them around as a quick way to power up when
UNCOMMON NE LARGE INCORPOREAL SPIRIT SWARM UNDEAD attacked.
Perception +4; darkvision, coinsense (imprecise) 60 feet
Skills Stealth +5, Thievery +5 (Steal coins only)
Str –5, Dex +3, Con +2, Int –4, Wis +1, Cha +0
Coinsense (detection, divination, divine) Money-grubbers can detect coins as an imprecise
sense. If they focus their senses on a creature by Seeking, they learn how many coins they are
carrying and how shiny these coins are.
Items a handful of coins (4 copper pieces)
AC 12; Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +2
HP 9, negative healing; Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, sleep,
swarm mind; Weaknesses area damage 2, splash damage 2; Resistances all damage 2 (except
force, ghost touch, mental, or positive; double resistance vs. non-magical)
Greedy Souls A money-grubber’s existence is linked to the coins they steal. If a creature
successfully Steals coins from the swarm, the swarm is dealt 1d4 mental damage, or
mental damage equal to the number of coins stolen, whichever is lower.
Nourishing Spirits Any spirit, undead, or creature with negative healing inside a money-
grubber swarm can take a single manipulate action with the evil trait to consume a
handful of money-grubbers. This deals 1d4 mental damage to the swarm, and the
creature gains temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt for 1 minute.
If the creature was an undead spirit, it also gains a +1
status to attack rolls and damage rolls for 1 minute.
A creature can only gain these benefits from
eating money-grubbers once per hour.
Speed 20 feet
Penny Pinching 2 The money-
grubber swarm rummages through
the possessions of all the creatures
within its space in order to steal
their shiniest coins, attempting
a Thievery check against all the
creatures’ Reflex DCs.
Success The money-grubbers can steal
up to 1d4 coins from the creature,
prioritizing the shiniest ones, at the
GM’s discretion. The constant tickling
and pinching also deal 1d4 mental damage to the
creature.
Failure The money-grubbers fail to steal any coins, but they still deal 1 mental
damage to the creature.
115
Owlpaca
This amalgamation of an owl and an alpaca came about after an eccentric magical
COPPER AWARD shepherd performed bizarre experiments to keep their herd safe from local
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
goblins who kept killing the previous guard dogs. After seeing the effectiveness
BY GREGG KIEFFNERE
of the new animal in protecting the shepherd’s flock, other herders in the area
started requesting owlpacas as well, and they’ve begun to spread from there.
HOOTS FOR DINNER Much like alpacas, owlpacas make excellent guards for their herds. For this
The owlpaca is an omnivore that prefers reason, it isn’t unheard of for adventurers to occasionally bring one along if no
a mix of grasses and rodents. Like regular one in the party has the ability to see in dim light. Much like owls, an owlpaca’s
alpacas, its spit consists of partially digested eyes are fixed in place, so they have to turn their heads in order to change their
meals from its stomach. An owlpaca view. With a longer neck, owlpacas are able to rotate their necks even further
that recently ate may add bludgeoning than an owl, to a maximum of 270 degrees in their youth, without tearing any
damage or the sickened condition to its spit tendons. If more than one owlpaca is watching over a herd, the two with the
depending on what comprised its meal. A longest necks flank the rest to give the most coverage.
partially digested mouse to the face gives While an owlpaca’s wool-like fiber isn’t as soft as that of other herd animals,
most predators cause to turn away. there are some herders whose herds now consist entirely of owlpacas. Owlpacas
need to be sheared every two years, but the shearer must be careful to avoid the
WHEN OWLPACAS FLY feathers in the process or the owlpaca might attack them. What makes this more
Some owlpacas are born with wings. Flight difficult is that each owlpaca has a non-standardized pattern of feather growth.
does not come naturally to them, but these Neglectful owners often let the wool around the feathers get matted rather than
rare mutants manage a fly speed of 10 risk shearing nearby.
feet when they reach maturity. While this Alpacas and other camelids are unable to crossbreed with owlpacas.
makes them slightly more powerful, since Researchers have wisely avoided ridicule by not experimenting to see if that is
they don’t have a damaging ranged option, true of owlpacas and owls.
this adjustment isn’t enough to noticeably
increase the owlpaca’s overall capabilities. OWLPACA CREATURE 3
UNCOMMON N MEDIUM ANIMAL
Perception +12; low-light vision, scent (imprecise) 30 feet
Skills Acrobatics +9, Athletics +9, Intimidation +7
Str +4, Dex +2, Con +4, Int –4, Wis +3, Cha +0
AC 18; Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +8
HP 50
Speed 25 feet
Melee 1 beak +12, Damage 1d10+6 piercing
Ranged 1 spit +10 (range 15 feet), Damage see owlpaca
spit
Eye Peck 2 The owlpaca pecks a creature’s eyes, using its
long neck to reach them. The owlpaca makes a beak Strike
against a Large or smaller creature with eyes. If the Strike
hits, the creature takes 1d4 persistent bleed damage and is
dazzled until it removes the bleed damage. If the creature
is also sickened by owlpaca spit, it’s blinded until it either
removes the bleed damage or the sickened condition.
Herd Alarm 1 (auditory, emotion, fear, mental) Requirements
The owlpaca is within 60 feet of two or more allies; Effect When
part of a herd, the owlpaca instinctively protects the others and alert
them of danger, unleashing a loud screech that terrifies potential
predators. Each creature in a 60-foot emanation must attempt a DC 19
Will save. Regardless of the result, creatures are temporarily immune for
1 minute. Other owlpacas automatically get a critical success, and if another
ally rolls worse than a success, they get a success instead.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature is frightened 1.
Failure The creature is frightened 2.
Critical Failure The creature is frightened 3 and fleeing for 1 round.
Owlpaca Spit If agitated, the owlpaca spews out a lob of bile at a creature’s eyes within
15 feet. On a hit, the target is sickened 1, and dazzled as long as it remains sickened.
If the creature also has persistent bleed damage from Eye Peck, it’s blinded until it
either removes the bleed damage or the sickened condition.
116
Paintbrush Fox
A paintbrush fox appears as a normal fox, but their silver fur is marred by a
black oil that profusely drips from their tail. The oil produced by a paintbrush COPPER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
fox is deep black and clings to almost any surface it contacts. By channeling
BY DAVID WALKER
primal magic through their oil, a paintbrush fox can form solid shapes that
can emulate creatures the paintbrush fox has previously observed. The fox can
command these oil creatures, giving an additional ally in times of distress or WHAT DOES THE FOX DRAW?
a simple companion in times of boredom. If forced to fight, paintbrush foxes The paintings that paintbrush foxes draw
generally ambush prey, using an oily ally to distract and defend. to mark their territory usually depict what
After maturing, a fox leaves their family den and ventures off to claim their they have recently seen. They may depict
own territory in a forest or vegetated plain. Paintbrush foxes have a strange habit landmarks in their territory or interesting
of drawing designs and figures on trees and other objects in order to mark their creatures that passed through without
territory, though a creature that enters a paintbrush fox’s turf is usually safe from disturbing the fox. The foxes become
harm as long as it doesn’t damage or usurp it. While paintbrush foxes generally excited when they meet other creatures
prefer to remain isolated, they adore observing travelers that pass through their with artistic ability and imitate their work.
territory. They even mimic the peculiar mannerisms of these travelers as best Some druids have taught paintbrush foxes
they can, down to their peculiar gaits and fidgety motions. If spotted by a more how to draw elaborate scenes or ritual
powerful creature, a paintbrush fox tends to panic and flee, but some have been marks for spells. In other cases, hooligans
coaxed into friendship by patient would-be allies. may teach a paintbrush fox crude drawings
A paintbrush fox’s oil creatures can easily be identified as artificial beings or vulgar phrases and delight in the results
with a brief examination from a sapient creature, but they can still fool wildlife while maintaining plausible deniability of
or inattentive onlookers. The oil creatures are always a varied shade of black any vandalism.
and gray with a glossy sheen over their skin. With the amount of detail the
fox includes, onlookers can even tell if the copy was based on someone they
recognize. While the oil creatures aren’t capable of speech, adept foxes have
picked up on projecting common phrases and noises they’ve heard to make their
copies seem fully capable of speech.
SAMARAN CREATURE 1
N TINY PLANT
Perception +8; low-light vision
Languages Arboreal, Common, Sylvan
Skills Acrobatics +6, Arboreal Lore +6, Athletics +2,
Crafting +8, Stealth +6 (10 in forests)
Str +0, Dex +3, Con +1, Int +3, Wis +1, Cha +1
Items peach pit halberd, holly leaf breast plate
AC 17; Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +4
HP 19; Weaknesses bludgeoning 2
Amplify Forest 5 Trigger Another samaran makes a Strike against an
adjacent creature. Effect The samaran using Amplify Forest Aids the Striking
samaran, even if it had not prepared to Aid.
Speed 30 feet
Melee 1 halberd +8 (versatile S), Damage 1d10 piercing
Melee 1 twig +9 (agile, reach 0 feet, finesse), Damage 1d8
bludgeoning
Ranged 1 branch +9 (range increment 10 feet), Damage 1d6
bludgeoning
Falling Branch 2 A samaran closes distance
quickly to surprise foes. The samaran
Leaps up to 30 feet and makes a
Strike with the following additional
effects depending on the Strike’s success.
Critical Success The Strike deals an
additional 2d8 damage (applied after doubling
the damage for the critical hit).
Success The Strike deals an additional 1d8 damage.
Failure The Strike still misses, but the target takes 1 bludgeoning
damage from the falling samaran.
Critical Failure The samaran falls painfully, taking 1d8 bludgeoning
damage and falling prone.
Soaring Leap 1 The samaran leaps great distances, using its wings
to support it. It Leaps up to 30 feet in any direction, even straight
up.
Twisting Fall A samaran’s stiff wings twist it along in the wind. It
does not take damage from falling. However, if it falls more than
30 feet, it is sickened 1 and stunned 1 from the twisting wings.
126
Savalir
Lethal and adaptive hunters of the dark caverns of the world, savalirs originated
from an order of drow assassins who sought advantage in bizarre and experimental SILVER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
alchemical elixirs. Centuries of consuming these unstable admixtures made
BY ANTHONY WHEELER
them faster, stronger, and more resilient than their targets and competitors alike,
but at a terrible cost. These projects of self-induced evolution in pursuit of ever
more perfect murder warped their bodies and minds, and modern savalirs are TRAINING DAY
now fleshwarps of their own making, unrecognizable as the elves they once Savalirs pride themselves on their
were. Though they were long ago driven out of drow society, their alchemical independence and only create new ones if
traditions have been literally internalized, as savalirs possess specialized organs they spot an especially promising drow or are
that can flood their systems with alchemical concoctions created on the fly. growing old. They teach these new savalirs
Savalirs are vicious and murderous to a fault, but their services can still be everything they know with the expectation
hired for difficult assassinations since they appreciate a challenge. Prospective that these apprenticeships end with either
employers must be extremely cautious with these arrangements, as savalirs the student or teacher assassinating the
would gleefully betray those who hired them at the first sign of weakness. other. It is rare for both to escape alive.
Savalirs hunt alone or in small packs, but remain aware of the location of drow
communities. As alchemically evolved beings, savalirs are incapable of biological
reproduction and so they kidnap drow rather than slay them outright. This is a
matter of self-interest, not mercy—savalirs inject their captives with alchemical
cocktails over the course of several months, slowly warping their unfortunate
victims into new savalirs.
SAVALIR CREATURE 10
RARE CE MEDIUM ABERRATION
Perception +19; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet
Languages Elven, Aklo
Skills Acrobatics +22, Intimidation +17, Stealth +22, Survival +17
Str +5, Dex +7, Con +7, Int +5, Wis –2, Cha –2
AC 29; Fort +23, Ref +21, Will +14
HP 148; Immunities acid
Pursuing Strike 5 Trigger A foe within reach attempts to move away from the
savalir; Effect The savalir can Stride or Climb up to its Speed, following the
foe and keeping it in reach throughout its movement until it stops moving
or the savalir has moved its full Speed. If the savalir ends its movement in
reach of the triggering creature it can make a Strike.
Speed 35 feet, climb 25 feet
Melee 1 claw +21 (agile, finesse), Damage 2d8+9 slashing
Ranged 1 caustic spit +21 (range increment 30 feet), Damage 2d10+9
acid
Alchemical Restoration 1 (alchemical, healing) Frequency once
per day; Effect The savalir floods its system with medicinal alchemy,
healing 5d6+12 Hit Points and gaining a +2 item bonus on saves against
disease and poison for 1 minute.
Befuddling Venom 2 (mental, poison) Frequency once per round;
Effect A savalir can infuse its spit with a powerful neurotoxin. The savalir makes a caustic
spit Strike. On a hit, the target must succeed a DC 29 Fortitude save or be confused for 1
minute. It can attempt a new saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the confusion.
Hermetic Organs 1 (alchemical, elixir, polymorph) Savalirs possess internal organs capable
of manufacturing alchemical elixirs on the fly. A savalir can choose to apply the effects of a
greater juggernaut mutagen, apply the effects of a greater quicksilver mutagen, or gain the
following benefits related to a chosen energy type. If the savalir chooses
the third option, they must also choose acid, cold, electricity, or
fire; they gain 15 resistance to the chosen damage type, add 1d6
damage of the chosen type with their melee Strikes, and change
their caustic spit’s damage entirely to the chosen type. Whichever
effect the savalir chooses, the effect lasts for only 1 minute. Once active, a savalir can
change the active elixir on its turn as a free action, but if the current effect hasn’t yet expired, the
savalir must succeed at a DC 7 flat check or become sickened 1.
Sneak Attack The savalir deals 2d6 precision damage to flat-footed targets.
127
Scyphozoid Eye
Scyphozoid eyes are the pinnacle evolution of the drifting parasites from some
COPPER AWARD unknown realm that fuse with victims’ bodies to form bell walkers (page 23).
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Visually, a scyphozoid eye resembles a massive jellyfish with almost completely
BY ADAN BERMUDEZ
transparent rubbery skin. Four massive oral arms and multiple thinner tentacles
hang in the air, emerging from under its hood and surrounding its mouth. The
KNOCK, KNOCK function of these arms is to melt any source of nourishment within their reach, while
The scyphozoid eye’s search for a way the thinner tentacles deliver a deadly toxin to the scyphozoid eye’s victims. Floating
home results in it being attracted to portals inside of the hood and constantly moving, a giant eye glows brightly with multiple
and teleportation magic. Those seeking to colorful patterns. This eye contains the creature’s core, akin to its brain.
use permanent instances of teleportation When the scyphozoid eye uses magic, an entrancing sequence of colorful waves
magic, such as teleportation circles or reflects from the normally transparent skin. These colors allow the scyphozoid eye
doorways between planes, must always to mentally manipulate its targets and launch powerful rays with dangerous effects.
be wary of a scyphozoid eye lurking As a lost being from its original, unknown home, a scyphozoid eye consumes
nearby or on the other side of a portal. sources of occult magic with the goal of finding its way back. If a scyphozoid eye
were ever to succeed, however, it would open a rift, allowing a massive invasion
of blight parasites to occur.
SECRADOW CREATURE 7
UNCOMMON N MEDIUM HUMANOID SHADOW
Perception +15; darkvision, exposure sense
Languages Common, Elven, Shadowtongue
Skills Acrobatics +17, Deception +15, Secret Lore +15, Society +15, Stealth +19
Str +5, Dex +6, Con +2, Int +4, Wis +2, Cha +4
Creator’s Knowledge The secradow can use its Secret Lore not just to know information about
the secret that spawned it, but also to know other information known to the creature keeping
the secret who spawned the secradow. It gains a +4 status bonus to Deception checks to
Impersonate that creature.
Exposure Sense A secradow can sense the direction of the nearest creature or object that holds
knowledge or evidence of its associated secret as long as it’s on the same plane. It can always
sense whether or not such a creature or object exists.
Never Show (auditory, Illusion, occult, visual) A secradow shrouds itself in an illusion of
invulnerability and perfect health. The secradow appears to be somehow unaffected by any
attack or effect used against it, even though it’s still being hurt just as badly as normal. The first
time each round a creature physically interacts with a secradow they must attempt a DC 30 Will
saving throw. Creatures that have been affected by never show in the last 24 hours gain a +2
circumstance bonus to their save. On a success, they realize the truth and see that the secradow
has been harmed by the attacks against it all along.
Items +1 shortsword, crossbow, 20 bolts
AC 25; Fort +11, Ref +17, Will +14
HP 115; Resistances negative 10
Exposure Whenever someone with a connection to the secradow’s secret (determined by the
GM, but this generally includes people affected by the secret directly or those who
know enough about the topic to be curious of the details) discovers the truth, the
secradow becomes drained 1, or has its drained condition increased by 1 if it’s
already drained, to a maximum of drained 4.
Rejuvenation (occult, necromancy) When a secradow is killed, it reforms on the Shadow
Plane after 2d4 days, fully healed. A secradow can only be permanently destroyed by revealing
the truth of the secret until it either becomes public knowledge or at least is established as fact to
everyone with a direct connection to the secret (as determined by the GM).
Split 5 Trigger The secradow is hit with a Strike, and it was aware of the attack; Effect The
secradow Steps and leaves an illusion behind momentarily; this doesn’t prevent the triggering
Strike from hitting due to reach, but it does grant the secradow the concealed condition against
the triggering Strike, forcing the attacker to succeed at the usual DC 5 flat check or lose the
attack. Using Split deactivates the effect of the secradow’s Never Show ability until the end of the
current turn, allowing everyone to see that the secradow has actually been hurt until the Never
Show ability returns.
Speed 25 feet
Melee 1 fist +18 (agile, finesse), Damage 2d4+9 bludgeoning
Melee 1 short sword +18 (agile, finesse, versatile S), Damage 2d6+9 piercing
Ranged 1 crossbow +18, Damage 2d8+4 piercing
129
Shrieking Auger
This agile furred quadruped might be confused for a small bear cub if not
GOLD AWARD for the screw-like horn in place of where its head should be, but despite
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
their surprisingly cuddly appearance, shrieking augers are terrifying ambush
BY DEJAN VESKOVIC
predators capable of taking down and slowly consuming creatures many times
their size.
THIS HOLE WAS MADE FOR ME A shrieking auger is an incredibly patient hunter; it’s perfectly willing to lie
Shrieking augers can also drill into earth in wait for hours before springing with great speed towards its prey. It scurries
or rock, leaving behind a perfectly circular over its victim’s body, then spins rapidly to drill its horn into the victim’s flesh.
entrance for curious creatures to investigate. In order to prevent removal as it continues to burrow, the shrieking auger rubs
These tunnels are not homes for the nomadic together specialized tines that run along its paws, creating a dreadful shrieking
creatures, instead serving as temporary noise that strikes fear into all but the most stalwart. As the victim tries to flee,
shelters to flee danger or as a way to find the shrieking auger twists and tugs to direct its steps away from friends and
water. Should a poor soul peer into a tunnel allies.
while it is still occupied, however, the Shrieking augers are undiscerning carnivores with broad palates. Regardless
shrieking auger bursts out, thrilled to find a of their prey’s flavor and consistency, a shrieking augur eventually grinds their
meal delivering itself. Augers who experience victims down to the pulpy consistency needed to suck the remains in through
such encounters a few times may then start the fourteen tiny mouth openings at the tip of their horn.
drilling holes as an ambush hunting strategy. Shrieking augers generally live laid-back nomadic lives, settling only long
enough within the carcass of a creature they’ve slain to eat their fill before
moving on in simple-minded pursuit of the next meal. They are all but
impossible to befriend or train, though some enterprising individuals have
certainly tried.
Goldsmyf
Goldsmyfs are the most sought-after
guardians in the dangerous enterprise of fey-
owned gastronomy. Imbued with powerful magic,
these creatures guard the thing most precious
to any business—the money. A goldsmyf waits
undetected in its disanimated form of three gold
coins for unsuspecting thieves who veer too
close to the till or the safe. Not only can these
guardians release a bursting puff of permanent dye
that paints the thieves, but they also explode into
flames when provoked.
The three coins of a disanimated goldsmyf
are usually marked so those in the know can
avoid touching the faux coins and setting off the
dye bomb. Untrained eyes can’t easily detect these
engravings, but they can be found even by those
who don’t know of them if they look carefully and
beat the natural talent of goldsmyf to disguise itself
as normal coins.
An animated goldsmyf uses its three coins to form the three segments
of an ant, with legs formed from green primal magic, mandibular pincers, and
glowing emerald eyes.
134
Smyf
GOLDSMYF CREATURE 10
RARE N TINY CONSTRUCT FEY PLATINUM AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Perception +22
BY DAVE BREITMAIER
Languages Gnome, Sylvan (can’t speak any language)
Skills Acrobatics +22, Stealth +22 (+25 in kitchens), Thievery +22
Str +5, Dex +6, Con +4, Int –2, Wis +7, Cha +4 GOLDSMYF ACCOUNTANTS
Disanimate 1 (concentrate, polymorph, primal, transmutation) A goldsmyf can disanimate Sometimes, a goldsmyf becomes bored
itself and take the form of 3 gold coins. In this form, the goldsmyf has no Speed and can take no of simply remaining in a restaurant’s
actions other than reanimating itself. While in its disanimated form, the goldsmyf also gains and vault disguised as ordinary coins. Such
can use the Deterrent Dye reaction. If all of its gold pieces are within 5 feet of each other, it can goldsmyfs turn their intellect toward
use this action again in order to reanimate. other pursuits, and, given that they’re
AC 29; Fort +16, Ref +20, Will +21 surrounded by coins, money, and financial
HP 225; Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued, healing, forms, they often take up accounting as a
necromancy, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, poison, sickened, unconscious; Weaknesses cold hobby. Goldsmyf accountants might not be
iron 10 mathematical geniuses, but their patience
Deterrent Dye 5 Requirements The goldsmyf is in its Disanimated form; Trigger A creature and ability to focus for long stretches on
touches one of the goldsmyf’s gold coin pieces; Effect The goldsmith forcibly expels blue dye financial topics still make them impressive
in a 20-foot radius. Unattended objects within the radius are permanently covered with dye and implacable when it comes to filing
(though the stain can be removed as normal for dye). Creatures within the radius must attempt a forms, counting money, or implementing a
DC 29 Reflex save with the following effects. The goldsmyf then reanimates. restaurant’s taxes.
Critical Success The creature avoids getting covered with dye and is unaffected.
Success The creature is stunned 1 and is permanently covered with dye.
Failure The creature is stunned 2, is permanently covered with dye, and takes 2d10 bludgeoning
damage.
Critical Failure The creature is stunned 3, is permanently covered with dye, and takes 4d10
bludgeoning damage.
Speed 20 feet, climb 20 feet
Melee 1 mandibles +23 (agile, finesse), Damage 2d10+11 piercing
Primal Innate Spells DC +29, attack +18; 7th plane shift (self only; to the fey realm or back to the
Material Plane only; x2); 5th passwall; 4th fire shield (×3), freedom of movement, solid fog;
2nd faerie fire (×2), glitterdust (×2); Cantrips (5th) detect magic, tanglefoot
Aurumfire Explosion 3 (concentrate, evocation, fire, primal) The goldsmyf can
cause itself to explode in a
fiery 30-foot emanation. Each
creature in the area takes 8d6 fire
damage (DC 29 basic Reflex save).
During the explosion, the goldsmyf
can release the three gold coins that
make up its body and use them as
projectile weapons. The goldsmyf can
target up to three creatures within the 30-
foot emanation, dealing 2d12 additional
piercing damage to those creatures
with the explosion; this damage is
part of the explosion and is subject
to the same basic Reflex save as
the fire damage. At the end of the
Aurumfire Explosion, the goldsmyf
reforms back to its animated ant form
adjacent to one of the creatures it
targeted with coins (or anywhere in
the emanation if it chose to target two
or fewer creatures with coins).
Breath Weapon 2 (evocation, fire,
primal) The goldsmyf breathes a blast
of flame in a 15-foot cone that deals 11d6 fire damage
(DC 29 basic Reflex save). The goldsmyf can’t use its Breath Weapon
again for 1d4 rounds.
135
Sorrow Portrait
Said to be created from paint mixed with the blood of a still-living victim,
COPPER AWARD sorrow portraits are magical paintings that can trap other creatures within
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their artificial painted world. Sadistic manor owners favor the use of sorrow
BY JUNIPER SCOTT
portraits, as they provide two benefits at once: they decorate the mansion
with a certain horrific aesthetic, and they provide protection to the dwelling
HAUNTING ART from potential intruders or other undesirables. Appearing as large paintings,
Anyone whose blood contributed to a sorrow sorrow portraits always depict some form of tragedy, but they lack a central
portrait has part of their essence tied to the humanoid subject.
painting. When they die, they become a Sorrow portraits typically spend most of their time dormant, impersonating
ghost who haunts the scenes painted with a regular, albeit macabre, painting. However, when a sorrow portrait detects
their blood. These ghosts cannot leave an unwelcome intruder, it suddenly flies from its placement and attempts
the painting, but they can speak to warn to transport that intruder into the twisted realm within the painting. Once
potential victims. The ghost can also aid its new subject is trapped, the sorrow portrait attempts to flee from any
or hinder a subject’s escape attempt. other would-be assailant so that the soul of its newly painted victim remains
imprisoned forever.
SQUICHLEK CREATURE 3
UNCOMMON CE TINY ABERRATION
Perception +9; darkvision
Languages Aklo; can’t speak any language
Skills Acrobatics +10, Athletics +7, Intimidation +9, Stealth +10
Str +1, Dex +4, Con +1, Int –1, Wis +0, Cha +1
AC 18, all-around vision; Fort +6, Ref +11, Will +9
HP 65; Weaknesses mental 5
No Breath A squichlek doesn’t breathe and is immune to effects that
require breathing (such as inhaled poisons).
Weak Mind A squichlek’s sensitivity to psychic energy makes it
especially susceptible to mental effects. The squichlek takes
nonlethal damage equal to its weakness to mental damage
whenever it is affected by a non-damaging mental ability or spell.
Speed 10 feet, fly 30 feet
Melee 1 beak +10 (finesse), Damage 1d12+5 piercing
Melee 1 tentacle +10 (agile, finesse), Damage 1d8+5 bludgeoning
plus agonizing enzyme
Agonizing Enzyme (occult, poison) A squichlek’s
tentacles secrete an enzyme that causes a brief, but
intense pain. A living creature hit by a tentacle Strike
or grabbed by the squichlek must succeed at a DC 19
Fortitude save or become stupefied 1 for 1 round from
the pain.
Disturbing Display 1 (concentrate, emotion,
enchantment, mental, occult, visual) The squichlek writhes its
tentacles in a particularly disturbing manner, and creatures in a
10-foot emanation must attempt a DC 19 Will save. Once a creature attempts this save,
it is temporarily immune to further Disturbing Displays for 1 minute.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature is flat-footed until its next turn.
Failure The creature is sickened 1, and is flat-footed for as long as it is sickened.
Critical Failure The creature is sickened 2 and is flat-footed for as long as it is sickened.
Tearing Beak The squichlek’s beak attack does an additional 1d4 persistent bleed damage against
flat-footed creatures.
138
Star Wyrm
Star wyrms are beings similar to true dragons that live in the vacuum of space.
They appear as countless motes of light that gather into the shape of a dragon. SILVER AWARD
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Intensely social creatures, their social groups—called constellations—are
BY JOSHUA WHITE
metaphysically connected. They are almost never found alone and occasionally
ally with other kinds of creatures.
As a loose collection of smaller elements, star wyrms are greatly harmed by FUSION CUISINE
foes who disrupt their integrity with precise strikes at their component stars. The star wyrm’s digestion process resembles
the processing of raw materials in the hearts
STAR WYRM CREATURE 19 of stars. The results are an alchemist’s
RARE LN LARGE DRAGON LIGHT dream come true, with organic material
Perception +32; darkvision transforming into metals and base metals
Languages Draconic, Voidspeech turning into precious ones. A star wyrm’s
Skills Acrobatics +33, Athletics +37, Diplomacy +37, Intimidation +33, Occultism +35, Stealth +33 conception of treasure revolves around
Str +10, Dex +5, Con +9, Int +6, Wis +5, Cha +9 philosophical concepts, for otherwise their
No Breath A star wyrm doesn’t breathe and is immune to effects that require breathing (such as latrines would be their hoards.
an inhaled poison).
AC 43; Fort +36, Ref +32, Will +29
HP 335; Immunities paralyzed, sleep; Weaknesses precision 20, chaotic 20; Resistances negative 20
Bolster Ally 5 Trigger the star wyrm gains temporary Hit Points from a source other than another
creature’s Bolster Ally; Effect One of the star wyrm’s allies within 30 feet gains half as many
temporary Hit Points as the star wyrm did. These temporary Hit Points last for 1 minute.
Extra Reaction The wyrm gains 2 reactions at the start of its turn each round.
Intercept Attack 5 Trigger One of the star wyrm’s allies is hit by a Strike that could have
targeted the wyrm; Effect The wyrm takes the effects of the successful Strike instead.
Speed 40 feet, fly 150 feet
Melee 1 jaws +36 (reach 10 feet), Damage
4d10+16 piercing plus leaking power
Melee 1 claw +36 (agile, reach 10 feet),
Damage 4d12+16 slashing
Melee 1 tail +36 (reach 20 feet), Damage
4d12+16 bludgeoning
Breath Weapon 2 The wyrm breathes in one of two
ways, as determined by its Celestial Attunement. The
wyrm can’t use its Breath Weapon again for 1d4 rounds.
• Void (arcane, necromancy, negative) The wyrm breathes
out the soul-sucking emptiness between stars in a 50-foot
cone that deals 12d10 negative damage (DC 42 basic Fortitude
save). The wyrm gains temporary Hit Points equal to half the
damage a single creature takes from the Breath Weapon; calculate
these temporary Hit Points using the creature that took the most
damage. These temporary Hit Points last 1 minute.
• Nebula (arcane, evocation, fire, positive) The wyrm breathes the
primordial stuff of proto-stars in a 50-foot cone that deals 20d6 fire
damage (DC 42 basic Reflex save) to the wyrm’s foes in the area, or
positive damage to undead foes, whichever is worse for each undead
foe. The wyrm’s allies in the area instead heal half as many Hit Points.
Celestial Attunement 1 (arcane, necromancy, negative) The star wyrm attunes to
either the emptiness of the void between the stars or the primordial potential of a nebula. This
attunement lasts until the star wyrm uses Celestial Attunement again, so when first encountered,
the star wyrm is attuned to one of these two cosmic sources, determined by the GM.
Leaking Power When attuned to void, the star wyrm’s jaw Strikes do 4d6 negative damage. When
attuned to nebula, their jaw Strikes do 4d6 fire damage, or positive damage to undead foes,
whichever is worse for each undead foe.
Share Attunement 1 The star wyrm shares its cosmic energy with an ally that doesn’t have the
Celestial Attunement ability within 30 feet. Each time that ally deals damage with a Strike before
the start of the wyrm’s next turn, they add the additional damage from the wyrm’s Leaking Power.
Teamwork An enemy is flat-footed to the star wyrm’s melee attacks due to flanking as long as it is
within reach of two of the star wyrm’s allies.
139
Stick Tongue
COPPER AWARD To the unsuspecting goblin, a stick tongue is the enormous tongue that snapped
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out of a tree’s foliage, wrapped itself around their armpits, and snatched them
BY ERICA ABENTI
up forever. In reality, they are large mantids with numerous joints that allow
them to navigate tree foliage nimbly and a toad-like tongue that lets them reach
DON’T LICK THAT their prey below. A stick tongue’s limbs are often thicker than the branches, and
Travelers in regions where stick tongues live they are covered in small, often scaly growths that resemble the leaves of their
try various tricks to protect themselves. The favorite trees.
most common involve wearing tearaway Their natural camouflage varies between regions. They may have a sappy,
clothing or coating their armor in slick oil, rotting bark appearance in haunted forests full of dead or undead trees or have
but other strategies aim to make themselves lush green, feathery growths to sway alongside a willow tree or even large, bushy
less appetizing targets. Some carry leaves in tropical environments.
pouches of ground chili peppers, thinking
the spiciness might stun the tongue. Other STICK TONGUE CREATURE 5
folk tales say that the smell of peppermint UNCOMMON N LARGE ANIMAL
sickens the creatures, preventing them Perception +11; low-light vision, scent (imprecise) 30 feet
from swallowing. Which strategies work Skills Acrobatics +14, Athletics +12 (+16 to Grapple with tongue), Stealth +14, Survival +10
best is unknown and may vary depending Str +5, Dex +5, Con +2, Int –4, Wis +2, Cha –4
on the unique tastes of each stick tongue. Clever Positioning A stick tongue leverages foliage to shield and obscure itself. It can always Take
Cover while in a tree and gains the benefits of Take Cover in a tree regardless of positioning
or line of sight. It prefers to have greater cover as often as possible, by choosing positions
that would normally grant cover without the use of this ability. If a stick tongue uses Stealth for
initiative while in a tree, it uses Take Cover as part of rolling initiative.
AC 22; Fort +11, Ref +15, Will +9
HP 57
Retract Tongue 5 Trigger An enemy targets the
stick tongue’s tongue with an attack; Effect The
stick tongue retracts its tongue back into its
mouth. It gains a +2 circumstance bonus
to AC against the triggering attack.
Any creature grabbed or restrained
by the tongue is released
immediately after the attack
resolves.
Vulnerable Tongue When
a creature is grabbed or
restrained by a stick tongue’s
tongue, creatures can attack
the tongue directly to harm
the stick tongue. The tongue
has the same AC as the
stick tongue normally does,
but it can’t benefit from any
circumstance bonuses due to cover.
Speed 30 feet, climb 30 feet
Melee 1 tongue +15 (reach 15 feet), Damage 2d4+7
bludgeoning plus Improved Grab
Melee 1 claw +15, Damage 2d8+7 slashing
Rehome 3 The stick tongue abandons its perch for a safer
tree. It Strides up to three times, ending its movement next to
another three, then Takes Cover in that tree.
Snatch 1 Requirements The stick tongue is in a tree and has
a creature grabbed with its tongue; Effect The stick tongue
attempts an Athletics check to Grapple its prey with its tongue.
If it rolls a success, it gets a critical success instead, and the
stick tongue then pulls the creature up to 10 feet toward it.
Swallow Whole 1 (attack) Medium, 1d6
bludgeoning and 1d6+7 acid, Rupture 12
140
Stiltwalker
Stiltwalkers are incredibly long-limbed monstrosities twisted from giants.
While they’re only encountered rarely, when a stiltwalker appears, it is COPPER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
the stuff of nightmares, able to decimate a village or small town’s entire
BY J.A. SAUNDERS
guard contingent on its own. Its body has a twisted and warped but almost
humanoid anatomy, with extreme proportions even compared to giants.
Each limb stretches 40 feet in length and ends in a single, vast hand. Its WHAT LIES BENEATH
torso, however, is a small, bulbous core balanced off these limbs. What creates stiltwalkers is a mystery.
A stiltwalker roams by moving on all fours and using its extreme reach to Common folk assume aberrations from
climb nimbly, tending to roost in areas of great verticality, such as along cliff space hang giants from the sky until their
faces, within vast redwood forests, or in immense caverns deep underground. limbs stretch and their minds break, but
When hunting, a stiltwalker seeks out opportunities to drag, drop, or those in the know whisper of hands from
toss prey to their doom and let gravity do the work that their strength can’t underground. Perhaps when stiltwalkers
accomplish. Once they notice nearby prey, they perch themselves at the throw their victims skyward, they are trying to
apex of the area, using their height to monitor for the slightest hint of save others from their creators.
movement before diving in with their limbs when prey arrives within reach
of an ambush.
Stiltwalkers tend to be solitary creatures, but on the rare occasion that
more than one stiltwalker attacks at a time, tales are told of dozens of awful
limbs crisscrossing the sky and entire towns being methodically dragged
out of their hiding holes one by one, tossed into the air, and dashed on the
ground in bloody pulp.
STILTWALKER CREATURE 12
RARE N GARGANTUAN ABERRATION
Perception +22; darkvision
Skills Acrobatics +25, Athletics +25, Intimidation +22, Stealth +25, Survival +22
Str +5, Dex +7, Con +5, Int –4, Wis +4, Cha +2
AC 33; Fort +21, Ref +25, Will +20
HP 245
Vulnerable to Trip A stiltwalker’s long dexterous limbs provide it most of its defense and its
main body is usually 30 feet in the air on its stilt-like legs, which means that being tripped
is even more painful for a stiltwalker than other creatures. A tripped stiltwalker takes
15 falling damage as its body slams into the ground. While flat-footed from being
prone, a stiltwalker takes a –4 circumstance penalty to AC instead of the usual –2
circumstance penalty, as its easy for its foes to attack its body directly.
Speed 40 feet, climb 40 feet
Melee 1 fist +26 (finesse, reach 40 feet), Damage 3d12+11 bludgeoning plus
Improved Grab
Melee 1 detritus +26 (range increment 30 feet), Damage 3d8+11 bludgeoning
plus stunning detritus
Stunning Detritus When a stiltwalker makes a telling blow with its thrown
detritus, the detritus clobbers its target so hard that it leaves the target
momentarily stunned and unable to react to the stiltwalker’s further
rampage. When the stiltwalker critically hits a creature with its detritus
Strike, and the critical hit deals damage to the detritus Strike’s target,
the target of the detritus Strike becomes stunned 1.
Trebuchet Toss 1 (attack) Requirements The stiltwalker has a
creature grabbed in one of its limbs; Effect The stiltwalker winds
up its lanky limb and tosses a grabbed creature high up into the air
far away from itself. The creature must attempt a DC 32 Fortitude save,
with the following effects. The stiltwalker’s multiple attack penalty applies to
Trebuchet Toss’s DC, even though Trebuchet Toss doesn’t have an attack roll.
Critical Success The creature not only isn’t thrown, they also struggle free of the grapple
and are no longer grabbed.
Success The creature isn’t thrown.
Failure The stiltwalker throws the creature up to 50 feet up into the air, and can also throw
the creature up to 50 feet laterally. Falling from this throw typically causes the creature
to take 25 falling damage and fall prone.
141
Susurration
Formed as a mass of disembodied humanoid tongues, a susurration floats a
SILVER AWARD few feet off the ground, lazily swirling as if caught in the eddy of a quiet river.
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Something lies at the heart of the tongues, but it can’t be clearly seen, and since
BY SPENCER WHITING
it disappears when the creature is destroyed, only the original creator knows
what’s there. Silence emanates forcefully from the susurration, blanketing the
TONGUE IN CHEEK nearby area in almost complete soundlessness. Behind the silence, however, is
When destroyed, a susurration simply falls an inaudible but noticeable hint of endless, sorrowful whispering. Dark, frigid
apart into a pile of tongues. Age and decay tendrils of undeath lance out from within the writhing mass.
catch up with the tongues based on how Reclusive spellcasters, often those pursuing lichdom or even viler paths to
long the susurration has existed—ancient power, find themselves warding their towers or lairs against potential intruders.
ones may have the tongues crumble to While many build up a host of guardians with common and successful minions
dust, while younger ones result in a rain like mimics or skeletal warriors, only the most talented and paranoid overlords
of tongues flopping to the ground. For would animate a susurration into existence.
whatever reason, multiple adventurers Whatever magic animates a susurration is a closely guarded secret, though over
have succumbed to the temptation of the years theories have risen to the surface. Did the tongues belong to talented
putting one of the tongues in their own sorcerers? Faithless heretics? People exceptional at channeling the power of the
mouths. The disembodied tongue springs world through their songs? Others have mused quietly if perhaps they were
to life, dissolving the fool’s original one donated willingly to the creator’s cause, perhaps from some secret cult of silence
and replacing it. The host becomes and horror that removed their own tongues for the foul ritual of animation.
unable to vocalize any sounds ever However it might have come to be, the magic driving a susurration imbues
again but suffers no other ill effects. it with a mindless duty to defend. It waits for decades on end in a dusty heap
until living creatures enter its designated territory. The only creatures safe from
this calculated, unbending malice are other undead. The living are not welcome
within the reach of a susurration.
SUSURRATION CREATURE 6
UNCOMMON N SMALL MINDLESS UNDEAD
Perception +14; lifesense 30 feet, tremorsense (imprecise) 60 feet
Skills Acrobatics +13 (+17 to Escape), Stealth +13
Str +0, Dex +4, Con +5, Int –4, Wis +0, Cha +5
AC 23; Fort +17, Ref +12, Will +10
HP 90, negative healing; Immunities death effects, disease, doomed, drained, fatigued,
mental, nonlethal attacks, paralyzed, poison, sickened, unconscious,
visual; Weaknesses positive 5
Voice Thief (aura, illusion, occult) 10 feet. The susurration is
surrounded by an aura of silence, with the effects of a 4th level
silence spell at all times. For the purposes of counteracting, this
effect is level 3 and has a DC of 21.
Speed fly 20 feet
Melee 1 myriad tongues +17 (finesse, negative), Damage
2d12+4 negative plus warding horror
Melee 1 invisible claw +17 (agile, finesse), Damage 2d10+4
slashing
Hole in the World 2 (manipulate, negative) The susurration
releases a wave of negative energy. All creatures in the
susurration’s voice thief aura take 3d8 negative damage with a
basic DC 22 Fortitude save. A creature that fails this save is also
sickened 1, and one that critically fails is sickened 2. As long as the
susurration isn’t grabbed or restrained, it can then choose to teleport
up to 20 feet away. This movement is a teleportation effect; it doesn’t
trigger reactions and isn’t impacted by difficult terrain or obstacles.
The susurration can’t use Hole in the World again for 1d4 rounds.
Warding Horror 1 (negative, mental) Requirements The
susurration’s last action was a successfully Strike with its myriad tongues
that dealt damage to a creature; Effect Twisting, shadowy coils of negative
energy and body horror branch out from the creature initially licked by the
susurration’s horrifying tongues. Up to two other creatures within 15 feet of the target
take 2d6 negative and 2d6 mental damage, with a basic Will save against DC 22.
142
Telepathic Earwig Swarm
Telepathic earwigs resemble tiny brown insects with long antennae and pincers
on their abdomens. Unable to reproduce on their own, these earwigs have COPPER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
developed a unique life cycle: they insert themselves into a host’s body, use their
BY BRITE CHENEYE
telepathic powers to control the mind of their host, and then begin the process
of using the creature to incubate new earwigs.
Throughout the gestation, they mentally control the host in order to create a EAR TODAY, GONE TOMORROW
suitable living and reproductive environment. The young earwigs continue to live The name earwig comes from the popular
within the host, taking over its actions and keeping it alive until it is no longer belief that the creatures crawl into people’s
useful. They will use the host to defend themselves if required, but by using their ears to lay their eggs. Earmuffs and ear
keen intellect and ability to read the host’s mind, they are often able to avoid plugs are no defense against the telepathic
danger and suspicion. When the host outlives their usefulness, the earwigs eject earwig swarm, though. Their eggs can enter
from its body violently, exploding from the host’s brain as a new swarm. the body anywhere, with their telepathic
Telepathic earwigs have learned to use their telepathy to link their minds abilities coaxing the body to let down its
together when not inside a host, which has the effect of boosting their telepathic defenses and absorb their offspring. Not all
powers and allowing them to cast occult spells. Fighting a telepathic earwig swarm infestations are lethal, however. A strong
isn’t necessarily about destroying every single earwig, but instead more about enough blast of psychic energy can cause a
disconnecting the hivemind enough that they can no longer amplify each other’s swarm to exit the host prematurely, in which
latent telepathic abilities, thereby becoming nothing more than regular earwigs. case they do pour out of the ears in their
rush to escape the mental damage.
TELEPATHIC EARWIG SWARM CREATURE 6
UNCOMMON N LARGE ABERRATION SWARM
Perception +14
Languages Aklo, Common; telepathy 60 feet
Skills Acrobatics +12, Athletics +10, Occultism +15
Str +2, Dex +4, Con +2, Int +5, Wis +5, Cha +3
AC 24; Fort +11, Ref +14, Will +17
HP 81; Immunities precision; Weaknesses area damage 8, splash damage 8;
Resistances bludgeoning 4, piercing 8, slashing 8
Speed 25 feet
Occult Innate Spells DC 21, attack +13; 4th confusion ; 2nd calm emotions, telekinetic maneuver;
1st charm, command (at will); Cantrips (3rd) daze, ghost sound
Earwig Infection (disease, enchantment, occult, mental) Saving Throw
Fortitude DC 24; Stage 1 stupefied condition from Psychic Sunder
doesn’t decrease on its own (1 day); Stage 2 Same as stage 1 and
drained 1 (1 day); Stage 3 Same as stage 1, drained 1, and
the creature must attempt a DC 5 flat check before taking
any action or lose the action (1 day); Stage 4 Same
as stage 2 and the creature must attempt a DC 11 flat
check before taking any action or lose the action (1
day); Stage 5 The creature become
permanently controlled by the larval
earwig swarm. If reduced to 0 HP while
controlled, the creature dies and spawns a new
telepathic earwig swarm.
Psychic Sunder 1 (divination, occult, mental)
Requirement The telepathic earwig swarm’s
previous action was Telepathic Barrage and a
creature failed its saving throw and took mental
damage; Effect The earwig swarm focuses its
telepathic powers on breaking down the mental defenses
of its victim. The swarm chooses a creature that failed its
saving throw against the Telepathic Barrage and took mental
damage. That creature becomes stupefied 1. This is cumulative across
multiple uses of Psychic Sunder to a maximum of stupefied 4. A creature who
reaches stupefied 4 in this way (or who is already stupefied 4) is exposed to the swarm’s earwig
infection. The stupefied condition from Telepathic Sunder decreases by 1 every hour.
Telepathic Barrage 1 (mental) Each creature in the swarm’s area takes 2d12 mental damage
(DC 21 Basic Fort save)
143
Testudan
A testudan is a massive chimera with faint relations to dragons, with the head
COPPER AWARD of a lion, six bear-like feet, the back of a turtle, and the tail of a serpent. These
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creatures tend to be solitary, never mingling even with members of their own kind
BY LOGAN FRANCE
except during mating season. Brash and ornery, the average testudan spends its
time bullying smaller creatures and attacking small towns until an army or group
TESTY ABOUT TRESSES of adventurers show up to send it running with its tail between all six of its legs.
Making a testudan retreat does not always
require besting it with a display of strength. TESTUDAN CREATURE 19
It is also possible to strike at its pride. RARE CE HUGE AMPHIBIOUS BEAST
Some towns have reported success hiring Perception +29; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 60 feet
a thief to shave off an offending testudan’s Languages Aquan, Draconic; can’t speak any language
mane in the dead of night, perhaps Skills Athletics +37, Intimidation +32
with the assistance of a mage with the Str +10, Dex +5, Con +10, Int –2, Wis +2, Cha +5
sleep spell to make doubly sure it does AC 40 (44 with Shell Defense); Fort +37, Ref +30, Will +27
not interrupt the process. The creature, HP 485; Resistances physical 15
horrified by its crudely shorn locks, hides Always Someone Better Though the testudan revels in its strength and power, it fears those who
until it feels it can show its face again. are more powerful than it. If the testudan fails a Will save or Perception check to disbelieve
against an illusion that makes it see a creature that appears more powerful than the testudan,
it becomes frightened 1 and takes 4d6 mental damage. On a critical failure, it becomes
frightened 2, takes 8d6 mental damage, and is fleeing for 1 round. It is then temporarily immune
to Always Someone Better for 1 minute.
Tail Lash 5 Trigger A creature within reach of the testudan’s serpent tail takes an action to Strike
or attempt a skill check; Effect The testudan Strikes with its serpent tail at the triggering creature
at a –2 penalty. If it hits, the creature takes a –2 circumstance penalty to the triggering roll.
Speed 40 feet
Melee 1 lion jaw +36 (poison, reach 15 feet), Damage 4d10+18 piercing plus 1d8
poison
Melee 1 bear claw +34 (reach 15 feet), Damage 4d8+18 slashing plus
Improved Grab
Melee 1 serpent tail +36 (agile, reach 20 feet), Damage 4d8+18 bludgeoning
Bestial Frenzy 2 The testudan makes up to six bear claw Strikes,
attacking a given creature no more than once. It doesn’t increase
its multiple attack penalty until after making all six attacks.
Shell Defense 1 The testudan retracts its limbs and head into
its shell and ends its turn. It gains a +4 circumstance bonus to
AC, increasing its AC to 44, as well as to Reflex saves against
area attacks. However, while in its shell, it can’t act except to
Shell Slam, Stand, or use the Shell Defense action again to re-
emerge. If the testudan is prone while in its shell, it doesn’t gain
the circumstance bonus to AC from Shell Defense and it must
spend two actions in order to Stand.
Shell Slam 2 Requirements The testudan is in its shell from
Shell Defense and is not prone; Effect The testudan Leaps up to
20 feet horizontally, passing over the space of any Large or smaller
creature before landing prone. Any creature within the testudan’s space
at the end of its movement takes 10d6 piercing and 10d6 bludgeoning
damage and must attempt a DC 38 Reflex save with the following
effects. Regardless of the result, the creature is moved out of
the testudan’s space to the closest empty space. If the testudan
attempts to pass through the space of a Huge or larger creature,
it stops its movement early and lands adjacent to the creature,
forcing that creature to make the Reflex save in addition to all
creatures in the testudan’s space.
Critical Success The creature takes no damage.
Success The creature takes half damage.
Failure The creature takes full damage and is knocked prone.
Critical Failure The creature takes double damage, is knocked prone, and is
paralyzed for 1 round.
144
Thicket Urchin
The hills have teeth. At rest, a thicket urchin resembles a hill covered in short,
evergreen shrubbery. When it hunts, however, it reveals its true form as an SILVER AWARD
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enormous fungal creature with a hard but porous shell. Bristling green spines
BY JEFFREY ANDERSON
extend from its shell, like those of its namesake, the mundane sea urchin. A
thicket urchin’s formidable armored shell has only one weak point: the soft
underbelly, which is hard to reach but can be tipped over, leaving the creature THICK AS THIEVES
helpless until it can right itself. Thicket urchins are so large that there
The spines of a thicket urchin are coated with a powerful hallucinogenic is space between their spines for small
poison that can be distilled into a potent drug for spiritual or recreational uses, creatures to hide in them, provided they
but the thicket urchin is too powerful for most to safely hunt. Instead, drug can deal with accidental scratches and the
peddlers scavenge spent harpoons and needles in the wake of its passing, and resulting poison. They are a natural fit for
locals give any new hills a wide berth. pukwudgies, who delight in driving thicket
urchins toward villages that they perceive
THICKET URCHIN CREATURE 15 as having slighted them. Should the thicket
N GARGANTUAN FUNGUS MINDLESS urchin fail to cause enough destruction, an
Perception +23; darkvision, tremorsense (imprecise) 120 feet entire band of pukwudgies may leap out to
Skills Athletics +30 finish the job.
Str +9, Dex –4, Con +8, Int –5, Wis +4, Cha –3
AC 37; Fort +29, Ref +23, Will +26
HP 340; Immunities mental; Weaknesses fire 10
Prone Vulnerability A thicket urchin suffers a –4 circumstance penalty to AC whenever it’s flat-
footed due to being prone instead of the usual –2 circumstance penalty. The only action it can
use while prone is to Stand, and it must attempt a DC 6 flat check to do
so or its action is lost.
Speed 15 feet
Melee 1 spine +30 (reach 10 feet), Damage 3d12+17 piercing
plus thicket urchin venom
Melee 1 body +30, Damage 3d6+17 bludgeoning
Ranged 1 harpoon +28 (brutal, range increment 60 feet),
Damage 3d10+14 piercing plus thicket urchin venom and
impale
Thicket Urchin Venom (poison) Saving Throw DC 33
Fortitude; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 2d6 poison
damage, clumsy 1, and stupefied 1 (1 round); Stage 2 3d6
poison damage, clumsy 2, and stupefied 2 (1 round); Stage 3
4d6 poison damage, clumsy 3, and stupefied 3 (1 round)
Drag 1 Requirements The thicket urchin has a creature
impaled; Effect The thicket urchin reels in its harpoon, pulling
an impaled creature toward it. The thicket urchin attempts an
Athletics check against an impaled target’s Fortitude DC.
Critical Success The thicket urchin pulls the target 30 feet
closer.
Success The thicket urchin pulls the target 10 feet closer.
Critical Failure The target is no longer impaled.
Hillock 1 (concentrate) The thicket urchin settles down and
disguises itself as a hill. Until the next time it acts, the thicket
urchin appears to be a normal hill covered in short evergreen
bushes. It has an automatic result of 47 on Deception checks
and DCs to pass as a normal part of the landscape.
Impale A creature hit by a thicket urchin’s harpoon Strike
becomes impaled on its barbed harpoon. Such a creature is
grabbed (Escape DC 37, or 39 if the harpoon was critical hit),
and exposed to thicket urchin venom at the end of each of its
turns as long as it remains grabbed.
Needle Storm 2 The thicket urchin sheds needles in a 30-foot
emanation, causing 8d6 piercing damage (basic Reflex save DC
36). A creature that fails its save is exposed to thicket urchin venom.
Trample 3 Large or smaller, body, DC 36
145
Thunderhead Willow
Thunderhead willows are electric trees native to alien forests, where incessant
GOLD AWARD thunderstorms roil. Much of their time is spent chasing these storms, as they rely
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
on lightning strikes for sustenance and to energize their natural abilities. They
BY BRIAN NOWOSATKA
also serve as lightning rods to protect the forest, lifting their many branches high
into the air and drawing the lightning to themselves. They then select the best
WIND IN THE WILLOWS time and place to discharge any excess energy.
Thunderhead willow seeds resemble When particularly large and fierce storms appear, these normally solitary
fluffy caterpillars that dislodge from their creatures gather in groves and feed off of the frequent lightning bolts as well
branches during the winds of strong as each other’s electric fields. Such gatherings are marked by dazzling electric
thunderstorms. These seed pods retain displays and a chorus of singing in modulated and buzzing tones.
some electrical impulse that allows them During calm weather, thunderhead willows relax their boughs and dig their
to crawl until they find a good spot to grow. roots into the ground, seeking subterranean electric pulses. At these times,
The electricity causes a tingling sensation many smaller forest creatures seek shelter under the umbrella of drooping, thin
in the mouth when eaten, which seems to branches, as the strong current pulsing through these spiny branchlets deters
appeal to some creatures. Digestion does many a predator with an unexpected shock.
not harm the seeds, so being eaten helps
disperse the willows over larger areas. THUNDERHEAD WILLOW CREATURE 9
UNCOMMON CN HUGE ELECTRICITY PLANT
Perception +18
Languages Arboreal, Sylvan
Skills Athletics +20, Stealth +16 (+21 in forests)
Str +6, Dex +3, Con +7, Int +1, Wis +4, Cha +1
AC 27; Fort +22, Ref +14, Will +15
HP 190; Immunities electricity; Weaknesses axe vulnerability; Resistances fire 10
Axe Vulnerability A thunderhead willow takes 5 additional damage from axes.
Branches Down 5 (electricity) Trigger A creature uses a move action within the thunderhead
willow’s reach or to enter the thunderhead willow’s reach; Effect The thunderhead willow’s
branches brush the creature, dealing 4d6 electricity damage (DC 25 basic Reflex save). On a
critical failure, the movement is disrupted.
Branches Up 5 (electricity) Trigger A spell or effect with the electricity descriptor is cast or
activated within 30 feet of the thunderhead willow; Effect The spell or effect is drawn towards
the thunderhead willow. Single-target spells and effects target only the thunderhead willow,
while all other spells and effects are reoriented to include the thunderhead willow as one
of its targets or in its area.
Speed 25 feet
Melee 1 bough +21 (reach 15 feet), Damage 2d6+10 slashing plus 2d6 electricity
Melee 1 root +21 (agile, reach 20 feet, trip), Damage 2d8+10 bludgeoning
Explosion 2 (fire, sonic) Frequency once per day; Effect The thunderhead
willow expends all of its collected energy, unleashing a thunderous blast that deals
5d6 fire damage and 5d6 sonic damage in a 30-foot emanation to creatures, non-
creature plants, and unattended objects (DC 28 basic Reflex save). Flammable
objects and creatures that fail the Reflex save also catch fire and take 1d6
persistent fire damage. Until Explosion is recharged, a thunderhead willow
deals no electricity damage with its bough Strike and is unable to use its
Whirling Dynamo ability or Branches Down reaction.
Lightning Collection (abjuration, nature) Whenever the thunderhead
willow is hit by an electricity spell’s attack roll, rolls a successful save
against a spell or effect that deals electricity damage, or is struck by
lightning, they absorb the energy. Until the end of thunderhead
willow’s next turn, its Strikes deal 1d6 additional electricity damage
and its Explosion and Whirling Dynamo deal 2d6 additional electricity
damage.
Whirling Dynamo 3 (electricity) The thunderhead willow spins
in place, generating a sparking electric field that deals 8d6 electricity
damage within a 15-foot emanation (DC 28 basic Reflex save). Creatures
that fail their save become electrically charged. They are flat-footed against
the thunder willow’s attacks and attacks by metal weapons for 1 minute. On a critical failure, they
are also stunned 1. The thunderhead willow can’t use Whirling Dynamo again for 1d4 rounds.
146
Tidragat
Tidragats, like other dragons, collect a hoard of treasure, though the contents
of a tidragat’s hoard are a little different than those of its larger brethren. Using COPPER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
its highly dextrous opposable front claws, a tidragat collects items that would be
BY GARRY STACEY JOHNSTON
inconvenient to lose; the more inconvenient its loss would be, the more value
the tidragat places on that particular item. Thus, their Hoard could contain the
hair brush of a noble who prided themselves on their appearance or the water SCAPEGOAT ENTOURAGE
skins from an adventuring party that was about to head out into the wilderness. Tidragats are popular with kobolds
Tidragats are usually smart enough to not take items that would be so because their size makes kobolds
inconvenient to lose that their victims are determined to track them down, feel closer to a true dragon. They also
except when it comes to items involving the art of wizardry. If there’s a wand, offer helpful advice to kobold warrens,
scroll, or spellbook to steal, tidragats can’t help themselves. Tidragats love improving their defensibility and the
playing with and learning how to use tools of wizardry, and most tidragats carry effectiveness of their members. In turn,
and use a few scrolls or a wand. A tidragat doesn’t normally keep a spellbook of tidragats task the kobolds with stealing
their own. Instead, they rely on spellbooks and scrolls that they’ve stolen from risky items for them, giving them a degree
others to provide the knowledge needed to prepare their spells, so two tidragats of separation from any retribution that may
will rarely have the same spells prepared. result from the thefts.
TIDRAGAT CREATURE 3
CN TINY DRAGON
Perception +8; darkvision, low-light vision
Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Acrobatics +10, Arcana +9,
Athletics +6, Deception +9, Stealth +11,
Thievery +11
Str +1, Dex +4, Con +1, Int +4, Wis +1, Cha +3
AC 19; Fort +6, Ref +13, Will +6
HP 45; Immunities paralyzed, sleep
Speed 30 feet
Melee 1 claw +10 (agile, finesse), Damage 1d6+5
slashing
Arcane Innate Spells DC 20; 2nd invisibility (at will, self
only); 1st invisible itemAPG (at will)
Arcane Prepared Spells DC 20, attack +12; 2nd knock,
illusory object; 1st color spray, floating disk, sleep;
Cantrips (2nd) daze, detect magic, ghost sound, mage
hand, telekinetic projectile
Numbing Breath 2 (arcane, evocation, poison) The tidragat
breathes a 15-foot cone of invisible numbing gas. Each creature in the area
must attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save, with the following effects. The tidragat
can’t use Numbing Breath again for 1d4 rounds.
Critical Success the creature is unaffected.
Success The creature is clumsy 1 and enfeebled 1 for 1 round as its body is
awash with pins and needles.
Failure The creature becomes numb for 1 minute. In addition to being clumsy 1 and
enfeebled 1, they automatically critically fail Perception checks that rely
on touch, and they take a –2 circumstance penalty when using
Perception for an initiative roll, as well as to any checks
that involve touch but also use other senses. If a numb
creature performs an action with the manipulate trait,
they must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or the action
is lost.
Critical Failure As failure, but the creature’s clumsy and
enfeebled conditions are 2 instead of 1.
Pickpocket A tidragat can Steal or Palm an Object that’s closely
guarded, such as in a pocket, without taking the –5 penalty.
The tidragat can also attempt to Steal from a creature in combat or
otherwise on guard. When doing so, Stealing requires 2 manipulate
actions instead of 1, and it takes a –5 penalty.
147
Time Golem
Intricate constructs worked from the immaterial threads of time itself, time golems
COPPER AWARD serve as guardians of the temples and vaults of their nameless eldritch creators. A
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time golem is a formable opponent who can erase opponents from existence.
BY GABRIEL M.S. SANTOS
Meddling Hands
A writhing mass of arms and
hands animated by the concentrated
embodiment of a trickster god’s
capacity for cleverness, manual
dexterity, and skill, the strange beings
known as meddling hands are exceptional
infiltrators and dangerous opponents.
While they are incredibly intelligent,
meddling hands don’t communicate
via language, and their methods and
reasoning are as inscrutable as the god
from which they attained life. So far as
any can tell, they perform actions at
the whims of their deific progenitor
as an extension of some unknowable
scheme.
Meddling Hands appear to be massive,
semi-upright writhing masses of arms and
hands, interlocking to create “limbs” and
something resembling a face.
150
Trickster Echoes
MEDDLING HANDS CREATURE 13
RARE CN LARGE ABERRATION PLATINUM AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Perception +20
BY NATHAN BERG
Skills Acrobatics +24, Athletics +27, Crafting +24, Medicine +24, Stealth +24, Thievery +27
Str +8, Dex +9, Con +5, Int +8, Wis +2, Cha +0
AC 33; Fort +23, Ref +26, Will +20 TRICKSTER’S TRAIL
HP 300; Weaknesses cold 10; Resistances bludgeoning 10 Adventurers who find themselves at odds
Delicate Fingers While the hands of thieves and spies grant the meddling hands exceptional with a trickster, chasing after the deity’s
agility and fine manipulation, it leaves the creature uniquely vulnerable to extreme temperatures. trail of plots and schemes, often find
Whenever the meddling hands takes cold damage, in addition to any other effects of the attack, their path obstructed by a variety of foes
it becomes clumsy 1 for 1 round. thrown in their way by the trickster deity
Speed 25 feet themselves. Chief among these opponents
Melee 1 fist +27, Damage 3d10+16 bludgeoning are the trickster echoes, whether they
Ranged 1 finger dart +27 (agile, range 30 feet), Damage 3d6+12 piercing arise naturally and inadvertently through
Deep Pockets 1 (conjuration, divine, extraplanar) The meddling hands Interacts to place one the trickster’s actions or the trickster
held object into an interdimensional pocket deep inside its teeming mass. This space functions intentionally creates them in order to
as a type I bag of holding. It can remove an object by using this ability again. The Deep Pocket oppose those who threaten to catch them
disgorges its contents into an adjacent square when the meddling hands dies. in the act.
Disable Organ 1 (interact, manipulate) The meddling hands strikes a nerve cluster, liver, or other
vital organ on a living creature within reach, choosing to inflict either the clumsy, enfeebled, This could lead to an entire adventure
or stupefied condition. The meddling hands attempts a Thievery check against the target’s or campaign: First, the adventurers
Fortitude DC. challenge the meddling hands setting up
Critical Success The target suffers the meddling hands’s choice of clumsy, enfeebled, or the trickster’s schemes. Then come across
stupefied 2 for 1 minute. A successful DC 32 Medicine check to Administer First Aid removes a congealed laughter while the trickster
the condition. chortles with glee as their plans near
Success As critical success, but the condition only lasts for 1 round. completion. As the adventurers begin to
Failure The target is unaffected. unravel the trickster’s lies, they come face
Critical Failure The target is unaffected, and the meddling hands is flat-footed until the to face (or perhaps face to faces?) with a
beginning of its next turn. many faces. Before they have grown strong
Make Light Work 2 The meddling hands performs any three of the following five actions once enough to challenge the trickster directly,
each: Battle Medicine, Pick a Lock, Steal, Trip, or Tumble Through. The actions combined the trickster sends a thousand skins to
take only the two actions spent to Make Light Work, even if they would normally take longer finish them off. Finally, the adventurers
to complete. When using the Steal action, a meddling hands can attempt to Steal even during confront the trickster to solve this cosmic
combat or while the target is on guard. jest once and for all.
Many Hands 2 The meddling hands makes fist attacks against all creatures within its reach.
These attacks count toward its multiple attack penalty, but it doesn’t suffer the penalty until after
the attacks have been made.
Uncanny Theft 1 Requirements The meddling hands’ last action this turn was a successful fist
attack against an opponent; Effect The meddling hands attempts a Thievery check to Steal an
object from the creature it hit with its fist. The meddling hands can attempt this Thievery check
even though it’s in combat and the target is on guard. If its fist attack was a critical success, it can
choose to Steal an item held by the target, such as a weapon or shield, albeit with a –5 penalty
to the check.
Congealed Laughter
Most trickster gods have many faces, and usually at least one of those faces is
malicious. A trickster god’s malice embodies schadenfreude at the suffering of
others and laughs at displays of depravity and cruelty. This cruel laughter echoes
across the darkness between the stars and in the minds of those who follow their
more wicked urges. Sometimes, this laughter reaches strange magical anomalies
in the void, and the two conjoin and congeal into a thick, mindless substance
that seeks out souls to devour so that it may grow and spread its heinous mockery
across the universe.
Congealed laughter is an ectoplasmic mass that resembles a dark storm cloud
roiling with countless vile mouths that cackle discordantly, pulsing with bright
veins of some strange extraplanar energy, floating through the planes in search
of souls to devour.
151
Trickster Echoes
CONGEALED LAUGHTER CREATURE 15
PLATINUM AWARD RARE CE GARGANTUAN MINDLESS OOZE
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Perception +25; emotionsense 100 feet, no vision
BY NATHAN BERG
Skills Athletics +33
Str +9, Dex –4, Con +8, Int –5, Wis +6, Cha +4
MINDLESS LAUGHTER Emotionsense (divination, divine, emotion, mental) A congealed laughter can sense nearby
Congealed laughter doesn’t have a mind creatures with emotions as a precise sense. This doesn’t allow the congealed laughter to
of its own. It merely embodies the eldritch sense creatures with literally no emotions, such as mindless creatures, but also certain sapient
and otherworldly sense of humor of a creatures without emotions. Typically, creatures without emotions list an immunity to emotion
trickster deity. Some might find it strange or mental effects.
that a creature composed of a complex AC 24; Fort +32, Ref +20, Will +26
mental and emotional phenomenon HP 420; Immunities critical hits, mental, precision, unconscious, visual; Weaknesses slashing 10;
such as laughter can fulfill its purpose Resistances bludgeoning 10
without a mind, but congealed laughter Distracting Aura (auditory, aura, emotion, enchantment, mental) 40 feet. The congealed laughter
proves with deadly certainty just how emits a constant discordant chorus of laughter in an aura around its amorphous form. Living
possible such a thing could be. creatures who begin their turn inside the congealed laughter’s distracting aura must succeed
at a DC 33 Will saving throw. On a failure, the creature is afflicted with fits of giggles. Until the
end of their turn, the creature must succeed at a DC 5 flat check to perform any activity with the
manipulate trait, as well as any spell with a verbal component. Failing the flat check means the
action or activity is wasted.
Split Whenever a congealed laughter that has 10 or more HP is hit by an attack that would deal the
congealed laughter piercing or slashing damage, after applying the damage to the congealed
laughter, the congealed laughter splits into two identical oozes, each with half the original’s
remaining Hit Points. One congealed laughter is in the same space as the
original, and the other is in an adjacent, unoccupied space. If no adjacent
space is unoccupied, the new congealed laughter automatically pushes
creatures and objects out of the way to fill a space (the GM decides
if an object or creature is too big or heavy for the new
congealed laughter to push).
Speed fly 30 feet
Melee 1 jaws +32 (reach 30 feet), Damage
3d12+17 piercing plus giggle fits
Devour Laughter 3 (emotion, mental)
Requirements The congealed laughter has a living
creature Engulfed, and the Engulfed creature failed
or critically failed its most recent saving throw
against giggle fits; Effect The congealed laughter
feeds on the Engulfed creature’s laughter. The
Engulfed creature suffers 16d6 mental damage
and must attempt a Will saving throw. If the
congealed laughter brings the creature to 0 Hit
Points, the creature dies and feeds the congealed
laughter, healing it for half the damage taken (to a
maximum of the creature’s remaining Hit Points). If the
congealed laughter has split, this healing is equal to only
one quarter of the damage taken, instead of one half.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target takes half damage, and it’s stupefied 1 for
1 round.
Failure The target takes full damage, and it’s stupefied 2 for 1 round.
Critical Failure The target takes double damage, and it’s stupefied 4 for 1 minute
and confused for 1 minute.
Engulf 2 DC 35, 5d6 acid, Escape DC 35, Rupture 25. A creature that begins their turn Engulfed
by the congealed laughter is affected by its giggle fits ability.
Giggle Fits (emotion, enchantment, mental) A creature Engulfed by the congealed laughter or
struck by its jaws Strike is afflicted with a horrible, uncontrollable urge to laugh along with it. The
creature suffers the effects of a hideous laughter spell with a DC of 34 until the beginning of the
congealed laughter’s next turn.
152
Trickster Echoes
Many Faces PLATINUM AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
A trickster deity’s duplicitous nature is well known; in fact, such a demeanor
BY NATHAN BERG
is absolutely integral to the god’s nature. That duplicity, distilled from the
trickster god’s essence, sometimes coalesces on the Material Plane into a
strange shapeshifter called many faces. MANY FACES, MANY LIES
Like the god from which they were created, these aberrant creatures are Trickster deities, such as the goddess Sewa
capricious and clever. While not outright malicious, they delight in disrupting on the world of Alacar, are known for taking
the everyday lives of mortal folk without much thought to the consequences various forms in order to deceive others and
for those they hurt. They live to deceive, not for material gain or cruelty, but achieve their goals. By obfuscating their
simply for the act itself. true identity, tricksters are able to convince
even savvy victims who would otherwise be
MANY FACES CREATURE 18 too skeptical to listen to anything a trickster
RARE CN MEDIUM ABERRATION said if they knew it came from the tongue of
Perception +30 a trickster.
Languages tongues
Skills Acrobatics +35, Deception +38, Stealth +35
Str +5, Dex +9, Con +3, Int +6, Wis +4, Cha +10
AC 42; Fort +27, Ref +33, Will +30
HP 380; Weaknesses mental 15 (while telepathic aura is active); Resistances bludgeoning 15
Telepathic Aura (aura, divine, enchantment, mental) 20 feet. The many faces constantly plucks
subconscious thoughts from those around it within the range of its telepathic aura, allowing it
to use its Familiar Face ability, but also leaving its mind more open to psychic assault. When
the many faces takes mental damage while its telepathic aura is active, the many faces must
succeed at a DC 40 Will save or be stunned 1 (or stunned 2 on a critical failure). If a spell or
effect causes the many faces’s telepathic aura to be suppressed, the many faces
also no longer possesses the weakness to mental damage for the duration of
the spell or effect. The Many Faces can suppress this aura for a round as a
single action, which has the concentrate and manipulate traits, but the aura
returns automatically at the start of its next turn.
Speed 25 feet
Melee 1 rending claw +35 (finesse), Damage 3d12+13 slashing
Melee 1 shifted glob +35 (range increment 60 feet), Damage 3d8+13 piercing
Divine Innate Spells DC 37; Constant (5th) tongues
Change Shape 1 (concentrate, divine, polymorph, transmutation) A many faces can
transform into any Large or smaller humanoid form, even a specific creature. This doesn’t
change its abilities or statistics, but it might change the type of its Strike damage to match
the new form.
Familiar Face 1 (concentrate, divine, emotion, fear, mental, transmutation, visual) The many
faces plucks a face from the subconscious mind of one target within its telepathic aura and alters
its form to match this face. The target must attempt a DC 40 Will saving throw. The many faces
can dismiss this face by using this ability again to choose a new target, or revert to its true form
as a single action, which has the concentrate trait. If the many faces changes to a new face while
a target who failed their save is still suffering from the frightened condition from Familiar Face,
the frightened condition ends early.
Critical Success The many faces accidentally chooses a face the target hates. The target
gains a +1 status bonus to attack rolls against the many faces until it dismisses or changes
faces.
Success The target is unaffected.
Failure The target is frightened 2.
Critical Failure The target is frightened 3 and flat-footed to the Many Faces as long as
they are frightened.
Sneak Attack The many faces’s Strikes deal an additional 2d6 precision damage to flat-
footed creatures.
Trickster’s Feint 1 (concentrate, mental, visual) Frequency once per round; Effect The
Many Faces is highly adept at deception, and uses it to great effect in combat. The Many
Faces rolls a single Deception check to Feint, and compares it to the Perception DC of
all enemies within 20 feet.
153
Trickster Echoes
PLATINUM AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Thousand Skins
The ultimate embodiment of the trickster god’s vicious cunning, a thousand
BY NATHAN BERG
skins is a master of violence that lives to shed the blood of those who have
wronged its deific master. A thousand skins knows no honor or rules when
THOUSAND SKINS ORIGINS it hunts; it only cares about enacting pain and death, particularly if the death
Thousand skins are born in the forgotten humiliates its enemy.
corners of the chaos-infused wilds of Thousand skins are perhaps best known for their hideous hide outfit, sewn
the fey realm, where trickster gods often from the flesh of slain opponents, including animals, humanoids, fiends, angels,
dwell. Some trickster gods even make a and many others. Each victim grants it more martial prowess as it absorbs the
pilgrimage to these locations to purposely slain opponent’s combat abilities via this grisly method. This makes a thousand
forge one of these terrifying warriors. skins a terrifying opponent to behold, let alone to fight.
A thousand skins appears as a large humanoid with raw-looking skin stretched
too tight over misshapen muscles, which are barely visible through several layers
of gore-soaked pelts from a variety of sapient creatures. Its yellow, pupilless eyes
glow with malice.
XOTLXOTL CREATURE 1
UNCOMMON CN SMALL ABERRATION AMPHIBIOUS XOTLXOTL
Perception +5; darkvision
Languages Aklo, Aquan
Skills Athletics +6, Nature +5, Occultism +6, Stealth +7, Survival +6
Str +2, Dex +3, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +3
Items Spear (×2)
AC 15; Fort +9, Ref +7, Will +5
HP 16; Resistances acid 2, poison 2
Perfect Healing Xotlxotl’s regrow lost limbs or organs in 1d4 days, and their wounds never leave
scars.
Vanish 5 Frequency Once per day; Trigger The xotlxotl is targeted with a Strike and can see the
attacker; Effect The xotlxotl becomes invisible until the end of it’s next turn and Steps 10 feet.
The invisibility occurs before resolving the Strike, but the movement happens afterward.
The invisibility ends early if the xotlxotl takes a hostile action.
Speed 25 feet, swim 15 feet
Melee 1 spear +8, Damage 1d6+2 piercing
Ranged 1 acidic spittle +9 (range 30 feet), Damage 1 acid plus 1d6 persistent acid
Ranged 1 spear +9 (range increment 20 feet), Damage 1d6+2 piercing
Sudden Mutation 1 Frequency Once per day; Effect The xotlxotl gains a +1 item bonus to
Fortitude saves and 5 temporary Hit Points, but suffers a –2 penalty to Will saves, perception
checks, and initiative rolls for 1 minute.
167
Zakurak
The sahkil tormentor Zakurak is the manifestation of mortals’ fear of dragons,
COPPER AWARD as well as the terrifying draconic presence possessed by true dragons. A massive
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
blend of dragon, skeleton, and arachnid, Zakurak often travels from the Ethereal
BY JAMESON KNOPP
Plane to the Dreamlands to infect the minds of ancient dragons, promising
them power in exchange for spreading terror.
DEVOTEE BENEFITS
Divine Ability: Strength or Charisma ZAKURAK CREATURE 24
Divine Font: harm UNIQUE NE GARGANTUAN FIEND SAHKIL
Divine Skill: Arcana Perception +42; darkvision, scent 120 feet; true seeing
Favored Weapon: dagger Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Infernal, Requian; telepathy 200 feet
Domains: destruction, dreams, Skills Acrobatics +39, Athletics +45, Deception +43, Dragon Lore +42, Intimidation +48,
nightmare, wyrmkin Nature +38, Occultism +39, Religion +40
Cleric Spells 1st: phantom pain, Str +11, Dex +9, Con +12, Int +7, Wis +10, Cha +13
2nd: illusory creature (dragons only), Easy to Call A sahkil’s level is considered 2 lower for the purpose of being conjured by the planar
5th: summon dragon binding ritual (and potentially other rituals, at the GM’s discretion), but it is always free to attack
Edicts: spread the dread of dragonkind, or leave instead of negotiate unless the primary caster’s check is a critical success.
convince dragons to act as terrifying AC 51; Fort +42, Ref +37, Will +38
monsters, collect a hoard of terrifying HP 500; Immunities death effects, fear; Weaknesses good 25
stories, objects and deeds Attack of Opportunity 5 If a frightened creature triggers an attack of opportunity, Zakurak can
Anathema: slay or degrade dragons in make 2 claw Strikes against that creature instead of 1 Strike.
view of those that fear them, improve the Feed on Fear Zakurak regains 50 Hit Points at the start of their turn as long as any frightened
fearsome reputation of other creatures creature is within 100 feet of them.
above that of dragons, offer comfort or Ferocity 5
assistance to the frightened and weak Frightful Presence (aura, emotion, fear, mental) 200 feet, DC 45
Follower Alignments: LE, NE, CE Mindcrushing Aura (aura, divine, emotion, enchantment, fear, mental) 10 feet, 2d6 evil damage
and 4d6 mental damage (DC 45 basic Will save)
Speed 60 feet, fly 200 feet
Melee 1 jaws +44 (evil, magical, reach 20 feet), Damage 5d10+23 piercing plus 1d10 evil and
Improved Grab
Melee 1 claw +44 (agile, magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 5d8+23 slashing
Melee 1 tail +44 (magical, reach 25 feet, versatile B), Damage
5d10+23 piercing plus Improved Push
Divine Innate Spells DC 48, attack +40;
10th summon dragon (adult red dragon only);
9th summon draconic legionSOM, summon
dragon (adult blue dragon or adult
green dragon only); 8th dispel magic
(at will), divine aura; 7th tempest of
shadesSOM, shadow raidSOM, warp mind;
6th spellwrack (×2); 3rd fear (at will);
Constant (10th) true seeing
Draconic Momentum Zakurak
recharges their Breath Weapon
whenever they critically hit with a Strike.
Mindcrushing Breath 2 (divine,
enchantment, evil) Zakurak breathes
a blast of concentrated fear energy that
deals 12d12 mental and 4d12 evil damage
in a 60-foot cone (DC 48 basic Will save). They can’t
use Mindcrushing Breath again for 1d4 rounds.
Skip Between 1 (conjuration, divine, teleportation) The
sahkil moves from the Material Plane to the Ethereal Plane or
vice-versa, with the effects of ethereal jaunt except that the effect
has an unlimited duration and can be Dismissed. A summoned sahkil can’t use Skip Between.
Snatch Between When using Skip Between, Zakurak can bring along any creatures they have grabbed.
Swallow Whole 1 (attack) Huge, 4d12+12 bludgeoning plus 1d8 evil, Rupture 44
Unsettled Mind Any creature affected by any of Zakurak’s mental spells or abilities becomes
stupefied 3 for the duration of that effect and for 1d4 rounds thereafter.
168
Zweiblade Guardian
Created to defend against one or many intruders, zweiblade guardians are
powerful, imposing constructs that can split apart into two when necessary. SILVER AWARD
RPG SUPERSTAR 2021
Their deadly whirling blades are capable of cutting down solitary foes, and their
BY NICHOLAS POTTER
resilient outer shell inures them from most serious harm.
The true terror one feels when facing these constructs comes when they take
enough damage, or when a lucky hit shatters their protective exoskeletons. TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY
Without the outer layer binding the interior together, the zweiblade guardian The zweiblade guardian’s inventor claimed
is free to move at full speed, and the truth of its construction is revealed: one the kitsune as inspiration, citing their two
animating spark controls two separate bodies. forms within one body. Little else is known
The guardians take full advantage of their newfound duality, immediately about the inventor due to a lack of other
transitioning to flanking tactics or dividing their attention between priority notable creations, leading to speculation
targets. Though each half only has one arm, those arms are more than powerful that they were a charlatan covering for
enough to make a split guardian a dangerous foe. However, the expensive repairs shoddy construction that caused their
necessary after a split make zweiblade guardians a relatively unpopular choice, regular constructs to split in two.
reserved primarily for rich eccentrics.
The Monster Parts system allows PCs to upgrade weapons and armor using SECTION SUMMARIES
pieces from foes they defeat. It is a perfect fit for adventures that take place far Battlezoo Bestiary: Strange and Unusual’s
from civilization, where the PCs need to scrounge and forage for all the gear Monster Parts chapter has seven sections,
they need. However, the aesthetics of using the parts of defeated monsters each detailing a variety of ways you can use
to improve and customize gear can be exciting and rewarding for PCs in all parts from monsters to enrich your game.
sorts of campaigns. Monster parts can replace some or even all of the standard The first six sections are all connected
rewards that PCs would receive, depending upon what works best for your to a brand new system to upgrade your
group. equipment using monster parts, while the
With this system, PCs can gather parts from monsters they defeat and use final section offers a new way to use monster
them to upgrade weapons, armor, and even skill items. The upgrades come parts.
in two major types—refinement improves the fundamental abilities of the Quick Start Guide for PCs (page 172):
item, and imbuing adds increasingly powerful special properties, which can This section is a fast and easy way to learn
sometimes branch along multiple paths. As weapons and armor become what you need to know to use the new
more refined, they can eventually be imbued multiple times, becoming truly system for upgrading your PC with monster
fearsome armaments. In order to achieve these upgrades, the PCs need to parts.
defeat monsters with parts that meet the requirements for the refinement or Quick Start Guide for GMs (page 174):
imbuing. This section is a quick guide to the choices
If you’re a player, your next step is to check out the Quick Start Guide for you need to make as the GM and how to
PCs on the next two pages, which will let you know what you need to do to implement the rules for upgrading with
use the new system. In the end it’s pretty simple: you kill monsters and use monster parts in your game.
their parts to first create and then upgrade your weapons, armor, and gear, but The Three Variants (page 176): This
as with all new things, it can take a little while to get used to the new way of section explains the three different versions
handling treasure. of the new system you can use depending on
Next, you might want to check out some of the benefits you can gain how big a role you want monster parts to play
on your items by refining or imbuing them, so you can start planning the in your game.
paths you’ll take and potentially aiming to kill specific types of monsters that Gathering Ingredients (page 178): This
provide the parts you’ll need. section outlines how to gather ingredients from
You can enhance your game further with the backgrounds, items, and monsters in order to use them to upgrade your
especially the innovative archetypes at the end of the chapter, which allow a items.
character to learn spells and special abilities from the monsters they defeat in Refining (page 182): This section
battle. covers the most basic way you use monster
If you’re a GM, you can start instead with the Quick Start Guide for GMs parts to upgrade your items, refining them
on page 174. You’ll need to make a few quick decisions on how you want to to increase their basic attributes.
use the new system, which you can figure out together with the group. Imbuing (page 188): This section
Don’t worry, all the math and extra work has been calculated for you, so covers the more advanced way to upgrade
once you know what you want to do, you’ll find a comprehensive set of tables items with monster parts by imbuing the
that do the work for you when it comes to figuring out how much value of item with special powers related to the
monster parts to give the PCs so that they can create awesome new items monsters’ abilities.
out of monster parts. If you’re midway through your campaign and want Strange & Unusual Character Options
to convert midstream, there’s also advice for how to swap over to the new (page 198): This section presents new
system quickly and easily with the minimum amount of friction and time backgrounds and an archetype with
spent updating characters, so you can get right to the action. connections to bizarre entities or knowledge.
There are even extra sidebars throughout the section with all sorts of
additional tweaks and tips, as well as ways to combine these rules with other
variants like automatic bonus progression and relics. The only limit is your
own imagination!
171
Quick Start Guide for PCs
If your character is using the Monster Parts system from this book, you can use the following steps
to create awesome items for yourself and your teammates out of monster parts.
This part works like normal. Normally, you need to kill monsters before you can harvest their parts, though if your
group is more peaceful, you might be able to find monster parts as quest rewards, or even unlock the powerful magical
effects of monster parts freely given.
Next, you gather ingredients from the monsters you defeated. The GM will tell you how much value the monster parts
have as well as their Bulk. To prevent you from having to carry a lot of materials and keep track of them all, you might
want to consider using them right away, but if not, you can hold onto them as long as you want. For more information,
see Gathering Ingredients on page 178. If you have plenty of downtime, you can try to get a higher total value of
monster parts from a monster’s corpse. For more information, see Gathering More From Monsters on page 181.
172
Step 3: Refine Item
Refining an item with monster parts is the first step towards creating an awesome custom item with the parts you’ve
found. During this step, you can either create the base mundane item from scratch by providing monster parts equal
to its Price, or you can start with an existing mundane item. Once you’ve chosen the item, refine it to make it more
powerful, using as many monster parts as you like, as long as they meet the item’s refining requirements. For instance,
you can refine a sword out of parts from a monster that had slashing or piercing unarmed attacks. As you reach certain
threshold values while refining, your item will level up, increasing its item level and potentially gaining more benefits.
You can’t refine an item higher than your own level. For more information, see Refining on page 182, and for an
example, see Example of Refining on page 187.
Imbuing an item is where the item starts getting really interesting. As you continue to refine your item, the item
eventually gains the capacity to be imbued with special imbued properties. A few types of items can even eventually
be imbued multiple times. Just like refining, you can imbue an item by using monster parts that meet the imbued
property’s requirements. For instance, if you want to imbue an item with fire, you’ll need parts from a fire monster or
a monster with fire abilities. Just like with refining, as you reach certain thresholds, the imbued property will level up,
potentially granting increased benefits. You can’t imbue a property on an item to be higher level than the item’s own
level. For more information, see Imbuing on page 188, and for an example, see Example of Imbuing on page 189.
173
Quick Start Guide for GMs
If you’re a GM and you want to start using the Monster Parts system from this book, you can use
the following steps to get your group started in no time!
To ensure that this system works great for any group that wants to upgrade items with monster parts, the system
includes three variants that vary depending on how heavily your group relies on this system compared to the magic
item system in the Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook. Start by talking to your players to gauge interest and
choosing the variant that’s right for you. For more information, see The Three Variants on page 176.
Once you know which variant you’re using, you can start giving your PCs monster parts as treasure. It’s most accurate
to use Table 1A, 1B, or 1C (depending on which variant you choose) to plan out monster part drops per level. You can
also use Table 2A, 2B, or 2C to determine the value of parts that a given monster grants the PCs; this method is much
more flexible and perfect for a sandbox campaign, but depending on if the group fights mostly single strong monsters
or many weak monsters, it might distort wealth over time. Thus, you might want to occasionally keep an eye out to be
sure the PCs don’t have too much or too little. For more information, see Gathering Ingredients on page 178.
174
Step 3: Communicate With
Your Players
Ask your players what sorts of items and imbued properties they want to create, and you can use that to help them
guide the story towards opponents that meet the necessary requirements. For instance, if one of the PCs is interested
in creating a weapon imbued with electricity, you could give them a rumor when they Gather Information about a
dungeon haunted by electric monsters. If you want to see the requirements for refining and imbuing for yourself, you
can check out Refining on page 182 and Imbuing on page 188.
Now all that’s left is to play the game with the new system! As the PCs defeat monsters, the players will have their
characters make decisions about how to use the parts they’ve found to upgrade their items. All you have to do is keep
giving them more parts, using the appropriate tables to do so, and they’ll do the rest. Continue to keep in mind what
sorts of refining and imbuing your PCs are interested in pursuing so that you can make sure they have a chance to find
the right sorts of monsters to accomplish their goals.
175
The Three Variants
Whether your group wants to use this system to replace variant replaces half but not all the permanent items,
all magic items, add it alongside magic items with this is the most difficult variant for a GM to apply to a
minimum disruption, or do something in between, this pre-published adventure. However, it provides enough
system provides both guidelines and specific tables to materials for the party to have an assortment of refined
make introducing monster parts as seamless as possible. items while maintaining permanent and consumable
Full Variant: With this option, the GM replaces all or magic items.
nearly all wealth with this subsystem.
Light Variant: With this option, the GM replaces
only currency with this subsystem. Other magic items Identifying Monster
still exist, even weapons and armor upgraded with runes,
as presented in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook. This is Part Items
easy to apply and has the flexibility of using plenty of Items made of monster parts gain a magic of their own
magic items from other sources, but the disadvantage is and can be identified just like other magic items can.
that there won’t be enough ingredients for more than a However, since this system deemphasizes the benefits
few items in the party to be built using this subsystem of the Crafting skill, you might consider allowing the
without falling behind in item levels. So the party will Crafting skill to identify all items built using the system,
likely have only a few refined items total, most likely with as a character with deep knowledge of the process of
only moderate levels of imbuing. crafting and the use of different crafting components
Alternatively, the GM can simply add the Light variant from various creatures might be able to use that to
without removing other rewards. This produces PCs that identify the effect of the finished product. This removes
are a little more powerful in terms of gear than expected. much of the value of the Crafter’s Appraisal skill feat from
Hybrid Variant: This option is halfway between the the Advanced Player’s Guide, but it nonetheless could be
other two; the GM replaces about half of permanent a useful tweak to add more value to the Crafting skill in
items, as well as currency, with this subsystem while a game using the Monster Parts system, especially the full
keeping the rest, as well as all consumables. Because this variant.
176
Investing Monster Part Items GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Worn monster part items are invested in exactly the same The following terms are used throughout this
way as any other invested item, and follow the same chapter, presented here so you can quickly look up
investiture limit of 10 invested items. their definitions without having to flip later in the
chapter to their appropriate sections.
Naming Monster Part Items Full Variant The variant of the monster part crafting system where
This new system gives your group incredible flexibility crafting with monster parts is the only form of itemization.
for advancing your items in various ways, but as a result, Gathering The process of collecting monster parts from the
there’s more information you might need to know about enemies you defeat.
an item than normal, as you and your players track Hybrid Variant The variant in between the full variant and the
the item’s refining level and various imbued property light variant where crafting with monster parts represents a
levels. When necessary, you can indicate the level of the significant chunk of all itemization, but there are still plenty of
weapon’s various features in parentheses. other items as well.
For example, a +3 major striking fire might (16) fire Imbued Property A special benefit you add to an item, such as
magic (18) cold technique (20) longsword (20) is a extra fire damage or the ability to cast a magic spell.
magical longsword that has been refined to level 20 and Imbuing The process of adding and improving imbued properties
has three imbued properties, fire might at level 16, fire on items crafted from monster parts.
magic at level 18, and cold technique at level 20. Most Light Variant The variant of the monster part crafting system
times you can abbreviate this name or even just use a where only a small amount of itemization depends on crafting
fanciful name based on the monsters whose parts you with monster parts, perfect for replacing the loose coin
used to refine and imbue the item, such as “Blade of the treasure in a campaign without access to shops.
Dueling Frostflame Dragons.” Monster Parts A new currency gathered from defeated monsters
and used to refine and imbue items.
Refinement Benefit A fundamental benefit gained by an item
Converting Your Game when the item is refined to a certain level, akin to fundamental
As you read these new rules, you might be in the middle of runes. One refinement benefit is the ability to imbue the item
an ongoing campaign but excited to start using monster with one or more imbued properties.
parts in your game right away. These tips will help you Refining The process of creating an item out of monster parts
convert your game to the new system with minimum fuss. and improving an item’s fundamental properties by using more
and more powerful monster parts. Refining an item raises its
LIGHT VARIANT level and grants refinement benefits based on the type of item.
You might not need to do anything at all to convert to Salvaging The process of taking apart an item made from
the light variant, since this variant assumes that only a monster parts to recover some of the component parts.
few items are made of monster parts. Most likely, take Transferring The process of transferring monster parts from one
the player or players most interested in having a monster refined item to another, granting the transferred benefits to the
part item or two aside and see if you want to convert any new item instead.
of their items using the tips from hybrid and full variants.
HYBRID OR FULL VARIANT Sturdy shields are simple to convert over, but you might
In the hybrid variant, many of the party’s weapons, not be able to convert over a special shield exactly, so in
armor, shields, Perception items, and skill items will be the hybrid variant you can just keep that shield.
using the new system, though perhaps not all. In the full For weapons and armor, you should be able to convert
variant, they all use the new system. In hybrid, it’s easiest fundamental runes to refining levels pretty easily. Many of
to try to convert whichever of those you can first and the most popular weapon runes have a might path that
leave behind the items that are most obviously steeped in does something similar, such as fire might working roughly
the base magic item system, such as specific magic items. similarly to flaming. For armor runes, there are fewer
In full variant, convert everything to a similar item. Here imbued properties to choose from, and the armor runes
are some best practices for converting items. that grant skill bonuses you can just replace with a skill
When converting a skill or Perception item, check to item, opening up two possible slots for imbued properties.
see if there’s a refined and imbued version that works for If the PCs have a precious material item or a specific
you and convert to the nearest equivalent item. If not, weapon like a staff or a flame tongue, consider leaving
and if you’re using the hybrid variant, you can always them as-is in the hybrid variant or else using the sidebar on
keep the old item. For example, a +1 shadow leather page 184 for the precious materials. You might even allow
armor could be converted into a +1 leather armor (5) and a specific item to be refined, but it should never be given
a +1 Stealth skill item (3). imbued properties, and the refining level should not alter
When converting a shield, use the same process. or adjust the effects of the specific item in any way.
177
Gathering Ingredients
The first step in upgrading weapons with monster parts as well as the monster that provided them (for instance,
is gathering suitable parts. After a battle, the PCs can “12 gp of giant crab parts”). This represents a variety
spend 10 minutes gathering the monsters’ parts (a PC of parts from those creatures, and the PCs can split the
can instead take their time to gain a greater value of value of parts as needed. For instance, if the PCs used
parts, see Gathering More from Monsters on page 181). 10 gp of those giant crab parts to refine a weapon, they
The time it takes to gather normally does not depend would have 2 gp of giant crab parts remaining.
on how big or numerous the monsters were, though It’s recommended that the PCs be allowed to allocate
the GM might determine that a battle with particularly and spend monster parts shortly after earning them, to
enormous or numerous monsters require multiple 10 avoid needing to drag along bulky materials and keep track
minute increments to gather all the parts. Gathering of a large list of parts from different creatures and values
parts automatically succeeds without a check. Monster (see Refining below for a discussion on how to allocate
parts vary in Bulk based on the original monster, but they these quickly). As the GM, you determine the value of the
generally tend to be extremely bulky. While the Bulk is at monster parts the PCs find. To determine how much value
the GM’s discretion, typical Bulk values are light Bulk for in monster parts, as well as other treasure, PCs should be
the parts of a Small creature, 1 Bulk for Medium, 2 Bulk earning over the course of a level, use the appropriate Party
for Large, 4 Bulk for Huge, and 8 Bulk for Gargantuan. Treasure by Level table: Table 1A for the Light variant,
As such, it is usually a good idea for PCs to use the parts Table 1B for the Hybrid variant, or Table 1C for the Full
quickly to upgrade their items via refining and imbuing. variant. These tables replace the Table 10-9: Party Treasure
While many monster parts are gathered by harvesting table of the Pathfinder Second Edition Core Rulebook.
them directly from monsters, most campaigns will For GMs looking to select treasure for a single encounter,
include opponents that are not sources of parts (such use the tables of monster parts per monster: Table 2A for
as human foes). These foes might instead carry refined the Light variant, Table 2B for the Hybrid Variant, or Table
items that the PCs can break down for useful parts for 2C for the Full variant. These tables work on the same
their own equipment, or even unrefined monster parts. encounter building assumptions used in the Pathfinder
The PCs can keep track of monster parts by their value, Second Edition Gamemastery Guide Treasure by Encounter
178
table. This means they provide approximately the right
amount of monster parts for the level if the GM uses about WHAT MAKES A MONSTER?
640 XP worth of monsters that grant monster parts, with This system works no matter how you define
the rest of the XP from hazards and achievements and the a monster, but, in most cases, PC ancestries like
rest of the wealth from “Extra Treasure” (as indicated in the humans, elves, or orcs aren’t a source for parts,
final column in the Gamemastery Guide’s table) found in except among evil groups that might wear leather
caches, treasure chests, and other such locations. The GM armor made of tanned human skin and the like.
can supply some or all of the Extra Treasure in the form of Similarly, while killing an angel for parts would
monster parts given as rewards for the PCs’ accomplishments. work following these rules, most groups would
In the Full variant, if the GM wants to have more monster likely balk at murdering a being of pure good.
battles than normal for each level, she can just use 800 XP When it comes to a diplomatic solution, an angel
worth of monsters instead of giving Extra Treasure (with the or other creature the PCs befriend might be willing
rest of the XP from hazards and achievements). to offer some shed feathers, scales, or so on to use
GMs can also use the monster parts per monster table to in item crafting. The way magic works, an angel’s
adjust a prepublished adventure to use this system. Simply feather freely given to a worthy ally after a quest
add the listed monster parts by level for each opponent, might have as much potential for crafting as
and then subtract the appropriate amount of other many feathers as those taken from the corpse of a
treasure elsewhere (just currency for Light, coin and half murdered angel. Since the system only measures the
the permanent items for Hybrid, and everything for Full). value of the parts and not the volume, you are free
Because treasure doesn’t vary at exactly the same rate as to make the decisions that work for your situation.
experience, it is possible that if your group’s encounters
are particularly skewed towards single opponents above
the party’s level or many weak opponents; these situations sets of tables to suit their style of running games.
might wind up giving a value of monster parts that is above For example, a group of 4 level 10 PCs using the full
or below expectations. This is especially true with very low variant just defeated a level 13 purple worm. According
level monsters and with monsters levels 17 through 20, the to Table 1C, the GM should give out a total of 8,000
values for low level monsters have been adjusted slightly to gp of monster parts for level 10 PCs, and the purple
reduce this effect. Because of these factors, the tables for worm was worth 120 XP, representing a little over 1/5 of
monster parts over the course of an entire level (Tables the total XP of monsters the party will face at this level,
1A through 1C) more accurately represent an appropriate so the GM decides to give the PCs 1,750 gp worth of
amount of treasure than the monster parts value per monster parts. If the GM needed an answer quickly and
monster tables (Tables 2A through 2C). However, the hadn’t planned out the treasure for the entire level, they
parts per monster tables are easier and more convenient to could instead use Table 2C, which says to give out 1,560
use when building encounters; GMs can use either or both gp worth of monster parts since the monster was level 13.
TABLE 1C: PARTY TREASURE BY LEVEL (FULL VARIANT) TABLE 2A: MONSTER PARTS GAINED PER MONSTER
Monster Parts Monster Parts per (LIGHT VARIANT)
Level (Value) Additional PC (Value) Creature Level Monster Parts (Value)
1 175 gp 45 gp -1 1.5 gp
2 300 gp 75 gp 0 2.25 gp
3 500 gp 125 gp 1 3.5 gp
4 860 gp 215 gp 2 5 gp
5 1,350 gp 340 gp 3 7 gp
6 2,000 gp 500 gp 4 12 gp
7 2,900 gp 725 gp 5 18 gp
8 4,000 gp 1,000 gp 6 30 gp
9 5,700 gp 1,425 gp 7 45 gp
10 8,000 gp 2,000 gp 8 64 gp
11 11,500 gp 2,875 gp 9 90 gp
12 16,500 gp 4,125 gp 10 125 gp
13 25,000 gp 6,250 gp 11 175 gp
14 36,500 gp 9,125 gp 12 250 gp
15 54,500 gp 13,625 gp 13 375 gp
16 82,500 gp 20,625 gp 14 560 gp
17 128,000 gp 32,000 gp 15 810 gp
18 208,000 gp 52,000 gp 16 1,250 gp
19 355,000 gp 88,750 gp 17 1,875 gp
20 490,000 gp 122,500 gp 18 3,000 gp
19 5,000 gp
20 8,750 gp
21 10,000 gp
22 17,500 gp
23 20,000 gp
24 35,000 gp
25 40,000 gp
180
TABLE 2B: MONSTER PARTS GAINED PER MONSTER TABLE 2C: MONSTER PARTS GAINED PER MONSTER
(HYBRID VARIANT) (FULL VARIANT)
Creature Level Monster Parts (Value) Creature Level Monster Parts (Value)
-1 3.5 gp -1 6.5 gp
0 5 gp 0 9 gp
1 7 gp 1 13 gp
2 12 gp 2 22 gp
3 18 gp 3 30 gp
4 27 gp 4 50 gp
5 45 gp 5 80 gp
6 65 gp 6 125 gp
7 100 gp 7 180 gp
8 140 gp 8 250 gp
9 200 gp 9 360 gp
10 275 gp 10 500 gp
11 390 gp 11 720 gp
12 560 gp 12 1.030 gp
13 840 gp 13 1,560 gp
14 1,250 gp 14 2,300 gp
15 1,850 gp 15 3,400 gp
16 2,800 gp 16 5,150 gp
17 4,300 gp 17 8,000 gp
18 7,000 gp 18 13,000 gp
19 12,000 gp 19 22,500 gp
20 17,500 gp 20 30,000 gp
21 24,000 gp 21 45,000 gp
22 35,000 gp 22 60,000 gp
23 48,000 gp 23 90,000 gp
24 70,000 gp 24 120,000 gp
25 96,000 gp 25 180,000 gp
REFINING ARMOR
You can use monster parts to refine a suit of armor or
explorer’s clothing. The monster must have suitable
materials: hairs, fibers, or silk for explorer’s clothing
and padded armor; skin for leather and hide armors; or
some sort of hard component like bones or horns for
armor typically made of metal. Monsters lacking any sort
of armored component, such as oozes, do not provide
suitable components. Refining a suit of armor grants the
following benefits, as shown on Table 4B. Just like magic
armor created using the normal rules, refined armor has
the invested trait.
Increased Item Bonus to AC The armor increases its
item bonus to AC by the listed amount.
Imbuing You can imbue the armor up to the listed
number of times (see Imbuing on page 188).
185
TABLE 4C: REFINEMENT BENEFITS BY LEVEL (SHIELD)
OTHER ITEMS Item Level Refinement Benefits
Except in the full variant, other magic items exist 1
in the world, using the system from the Pathfinder 2
Second Edition Core Rulebook rather than the rules 3 Hardness 5, HP 30, BT 15
for upgrading items with monster parts. However, 4 imbuing
if your group is using the full variant, you might 5 Hardness 6, HP 36, BT 18
still want to include some types of items other 6
than the ones listed, such as potions or talismans. 7 Hardness 7, HP 42, BT 21
To do that, just decide what type of monster parts 8 Hardness 8, HP 48, BT 24
apply towards creating a given item, and let the 9 Hardness 9, HP 54, BT 27
PCs refine that item by paying the item’s Price in 10 Hardness 10, HP 60, BT 30
monster parts. For instance, you might decide that 11
healing potions made from monster parts require 12 Hardness 11, HP 66, BT 33
parts from a creature with the positive trait or 13 Hardness 12, HP 72, BT 36
blood from a creature with regeneration or fast 14
healing, such as a troll. In that case, a PC could 15 Hardness 13, HP 78, BT 39
use 12 gp of troll parts to refine a lesser healing 16 Hardness 14, HP 84, BT 42
potion. As normal, a character can’t use this process 17 Hardness 15, HP 90, BT 45
to create an item of a level higher than their own. 18 Hardness 16, HP 96, BT 48
19 Hardness 17, HP 102, BT 51
20 Hardness 18, HP 108, BT 54
REFINING SHIELDS
You can typically use monster parts to refine a shield if REFINING PERCEPTION ITEMS
the monster has Hardness, resistance to physical damage, Perception items are worn magic items that enhance
or resistance to one of the three physical damage types Perception, and you can refine them out of monsters
(bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage). In some with special senses. You can use monster parts to refine
cases, you and the GM might decide together that a a Perception item if the monster has a special sense in
monster with resistance to physical damage because it is its stat block other than low-light vision. Refining a
amorphous or gaseous doesn’t provide appropriate parts Perception item grants the following benefits, as shown
to refine a shield. Refining a shield grants the following on Table 4D. Perception items are worn items, and just
benefits as shown on Table 4C. When refining a buckler, like worn items created using the normal rules, refined
reduce the listed Hardness by 2, HP by 12, and BT by 6. Perception items have the invested trait.
You can’t refine a tower shield in this way. Item Bonus to Perception The item grants the listed
Hardness The shield has the listed Hardness. item bonus to Perception checks.
HP The shield has the listed number of Hit Points. Imbuing You can imbue the Perception item once,
BT The shield has the listed Broken Threshold. starting at level 3 (see Imbuing on page 188).
Imbuing You can imbue the shield once, starting at
level 4 (see Imbuing on page 188). TABLE 4D: REFINEMENT BENEFITS BY LEVEL
(PERCEPTION ITEM)
Item Level Refinement Benefits
1
2
3 item bonus to Perception (+1), imbuing
4
5
6
7
8
9 item bonus to Perception (+2)
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17 item bonus to Perception (+3)
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REFINING SKILL ITEMS TABLE 4F: REFINEMENT BENEFITS BY LEVEL (STAFF)
Skill items refer to a category of worn magic items that Item Level Refinement Benefits
enhance a specific skill, and you can refine them out of 1
monsters good at that skill. You can use monster parts 2
to refine a skill item if the monster has the skill listed in 3 1 cantrip
its stat block. Refining a skill item grants the following 4
benefits, as shown on Table 4E. Skill items are worn 5 2 1st-level spells
items, and just like worn items created using the normal 6
rules, refined skill items have the invested trait. 7 2 2nd-level spells
Item Bonus to Skill The item grants the listed item 8
bonus to skill checks with its associated skill. 9 2 3rd-level spells
Imbuing You can imbue the skill item once, starting at 10
level 3 (see Imbuing on page 188). 11 2 4th-level spells
12
TABLE 4E: REFINEMENT BENEFITS BY LEVEL 13 2 5th-level spells
(SKILL ITEM) 14
Item Level Refinement Benefits 15 2 6th-level spells
1 16
2 17 2 7th-level spells
3 item bonus to skill (+1), imbuing 18
4 19 2 8th-level spells
5
6 EXAMPLE OF REFINING
7 The party’s level 7 fighter recently lost their favorite
8 weapon, and so they want to refine an amazing longsword
9 item bonus to skill (+2) out of the teeth of the tyrannosaurus they just defeated.
10 They’re using the hybrid variant and have 275 gp of
11 tyrannosaurus parts. Although a tyrannosaurus doesn’t
12 have a slashing attack, longswords have the versatile
13 piercing trait, which means the fighter can use the teeth
14 to refine their longsword. They start the refinement by
15 building the tyrannosaurus tooth longsword (0) for 1 gp,
16 and then put the remaining 274 gp into the longsword’s
17 item bonus to skill (+3) refinement. Next, they refine the sword and spend 250
gp, which means the fighter has refined the longsword
REFINING STAVES to item level 6, and it gains the appropriate benefits: a
Just like any other kind of item from the base crafting +1 item bonus to hit, a second weapon damage die, and
system, you can choose to build a magic staff normally the ability to imbue an imbued property. The sword is
using refinement as a single-step process by simply paying now a +1 striking longsword (6), with 24 gp of monster
the material cost for the base item. However, if your group parts remaining. Finally, the fighter decides they want
uses the rules for personal staves from Pathfinder Secrets of their longsword to reach level 7 as quickly as possible, so
Magic, you can also refine a personal staff incrementally they apply the remaining 24 gp of monster parts to the
using the monster part system. Refining staves uses the longsword, which makes the final weapon a +1 striking
same costs as weapons and armor, but staves are a little longsword (6) refined to 274 gp—just 86 gp more of parts
different. They can’t accept imbued properties, but they for the longsword to reach 7th level!
can be refined as weapons in addition to being refined In addition, the fighter is particularly excited about
as staves. Doing so gives them two different item levels, that imbued property, as the group also recently defeated
one as a weapon and one as a staff, and they use these 2 magma scorpions, and now they have fiery plans for
item levels separately to determine any necessary DCs what comes next for their +1 striking tyrannosaurus tooth
and other statistics. The level-by-level benefits of refining longsword (6) (to see the fighter’s next steps, check out
a staff are summarized on Table 4F. Any time the table Example of Imbuing on page 189).
lists a number of spells, the staff gains that many spells,
all of which must share a single trait that isn’t too broad to
use (such as incapacitation, spell schools, or traditions).
Spells The staff gains the listed number of spells at the
listed spell level.
Imbuing You can’t imbue the staff, but you can refine
it as a weapon.
187
Imbuing
Once you’ve refined an item to a high enough level, you lower. Much like in refining, you can keep contributing
unlock the ability to imbue the item. The necessary level monster parts and imbuing the property past that point,
to unlock imbuing varies from item to item; see Tables and in that case, the imbued property’s level increases
4A through 4E for more details. Imbuing an item follows immediately once you refine the item enough to increase
a similar process as refining: add monster parts that meet the item’s refining level. Unlike refining, which only has
the requirements for the imbued property you want to a single option depending on the type of item, you can
add to the item. You can’t use monster parts if they do not choose from several options when you imbue an item, and
meet the requirements for the imbued property. some of them have multiple upgrade paths, allowing you
For example, if you are imbuing a cold property, you to customize your item to match your personal playstyle.
can’t use parts from a monster that doesn’t have any cold
abilities. Track this value separately from the monster TABLE 5A: IMBUING COST BY ITEM LEVEL
parts you use to refine the item, and if the item is high (WEAPONS AND ARMOR)
enough level and of the right type to be imbued multiple Item Level Total Cost
times, track the value for each imbued property separately. 1 20 gp
Continue adding value to the imbued property as you use 2 35 gp
more parts to imbue the property, just like with refining. 3 60 gp
When you reach the values specified in Table 5A (if 4 100 gp
imbuing a weapon or suit of armor) or Table 5B (if 5 160 gp
imbuing a shield, Perception item, or skill item), the 6 250 gp
imbued property levels up, potentially granting increased 7 360 gp
benefits to the item. Just like with refining, the value and 8 500 gp
benefits are cumulative, and you can keep adding value 9 700 gp
to increase the imbued property’s level further and gain 10 1,000 gp
more benefits. An imbued property’s level can never be 11 1,400 gp
higher than the item’s level or your level, whichever is 12 2,000 gp
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13 3,000 gp
14 4,500 gp VARIANT: RELIC IMBUING
15 6,500 gp Relic aspects and gifts, originally created to support
16 10,000 gp relics in the Pathfinder Second Edition Gamemastery
17 15,000 gp Guide, are a natural fit for crafting with monster
18 24,000 gp parts. Is the weapon refined with parts from aquatic
19 40,000 gp and water monsters on one side and fiends on the
20 70,000 gp other? That could lend itself well to a relic with the
fiend and water aspects. In general, relics keep the
TABLE 5B: IMBUING COST BY ITEM LEVEL refining process but replace imbuing for an item,
(SHIELDS, PERCEPTION ITEMS, AND SKILL ITEMS) using the relic rules to grant gifts instead. If you’re
Item Level Total Cost interested in mixing and matching, you might
1 10 gp consider creating imbued properties based on relic
2 20 gp gifts or relic gifts based on imbued properties!
3 35 gp
4 60 gp
5 100 gp certain criteria. In this case, the item gains a command
6 160 gp and Interact activation the same number of actions as
7 240 gp the listed spell, with an effect of casting the listed spell.
8 340 gp The item’s DC for any effects is based on its item level,
9 470 gp using the value from the Magic Item DCs table, found
10 670 gp in the Pathfinder Second Edition Gamemastery Guide. If
11 950 gp the item needs to make a spell attack roll or counteract
12 1,350 gp check, its modifier is equal to its DC - 10.
13 2,000 gp Some imbued properties, especially for weapons, have
14 3,000 gp multiple upgrade paths, reflecting the different ways you
15 4,300 gp can adjust the imbuing process. These paths are magic
16 6,500 gp (emphasizing thematic spells), might (emphasizing direct
17 10,000 gp damage), and technique (emphasizing special effects and
18 16,000 gp damage over time). If the weapon is capable of holding
19 25,000 gp multiple imbued properties, you can apply the same imbued
20 45,000 gp property to the weapon multiple times as long as you choose
a different path each time.
EXAMPLE OF IMBUING To use an activated ability
The party’s level 7 fighter just refined a level 6 longsword of an imbued property on
out of tyrannosaurus parts (see Example of Refining on a held item, such
page 187). Realizing they could also imbue a property, as a weapon, you
they decided the only thing better than a tyrannosaurus must be wielding the
tooth longsword is one that’s on fire! Fortunately, the item. Any effects are
group recently defeated 2 magma scorpions, gaining 280 cumulative.
gp worth of parts. Since the magma scorpions have the For instance, if you
fire trait or an attack or spell that deals fire damage (they wanted to make the ultimate
have both!), the fighter imbues all the parts into their fire sword, you could
longsword, choosing to imbue the property of fire. The imbue the sword
fighter has three choices of path for this imbued property with fire from
and chooses the path of might. Imbuing 250 gp of parts each of the
increases the imbued property’s level to 6 (the current magic, might,
maximum, since the item level of the longsword is 6), and technique
and lights the tyrannosaurus tooth longsword aflame, paths. You would
allowing it to deal 1d4 additional fire damage! The final combine the fire
weapon is a +1 striking fire might (6) tyrannosaurus tooth damage and persistent
longsword (6) refined to 274 gp! fire damage from all three
paths to determine the
IMBUED PROPERTIES weapon’s total effects,
The following imbued properties are available when meaning you would
imbuing items with different kinds of monster parts. eventually deal 5d10
Sometimes an imbued property lists that the item gains persistent fire damage
either a specific spell or a chosen spell that follows on a critical hit!
189
12th The armor’s activation gains a frequency of once per hour
Imbued Property Stat Blocks instead of once per day. Even when it isn’t activated, adjacent
An imbued property stat block reads as follows. creatures that hit you with a melee attack, as well as creatures
that touch you or hit you with an unarmed attack, take 1
IMBUED PROPERTY’S NAME IMBUED piercing damage each time they do. If they Grab or Grapple
TRAITS you, the damage increases to 1d4 piercing damage instead.
Type This entry lists the types of item you can imbue with this property When activated, the damage from the activation increases this
(weapon, armor, shield, perception item, or skill item) damage; they aren’t cumulative.
Parts If present, this entry lists the requirements for monster parts you 14th The damage from the activation increases to 3d6, or 6d6 when
can use to imbue this property. creatures Grab or Grapple you.
Effect These are the effects of the imbued property. While a few 16th The armor’s activation takes only a single action, instead of
properties, like sturdy, have a scaling effect explained in text, most two actions.
properties have a list of imbuing levels and the benefits the item 18th The damage from the activation increases to 4d6, or 8d6 when
gains when the imbued property reaches each of those levels, creatures Grab or Grapple you. The damage when the armor
separated by semicolons. These effects are cumulative. If an isn’t activated increases to 1d4, or 2d4 when creatures Grab or
imbued property has multiple paths, each path is separated by a Grapple you.
divider. Some imbued properties have activated abilities. To use 20th The armor’s activation gains a frequency of once per 10
an activated ability of an imbued property on a held item, such as a minutes instead of once per hour. Furthermore, in addition to its
weapon, you must be wielding the item. one action activation, the armor can be activated as a reaction
Path If present, this entry provides the name of the path; any triggered when a creature Grabs or successfully Grapples you.
mechanical notes that apply to the entire imbued property or path When you activate the armor in this way, the triggering creature
are noted here takes the increased damage from the armor. This usage is still
2nd The effect the imbued property provides at level 2 subject to the armor’s frequency of once per 10 minutes.
4th The effect the imbued property provides at level 4 (and so on)
SHIELD IMBUED PROPERTY
ARMOR IMBUED PROPERTY The following imbued property is available for shields.
The following imbued property is available for armor.
MIRRORED
SPIKED
MIRRORED IMBUED
SPIKED IMBUED ABJURATION MAGICAL
EVOCATION MAGICAL Type Shield
Type Armor Parts The monster must have a status bonus on saves against
Parts The monster must have a reaction, free action, or magic, golem antimagic, or an ability to counter or reflect magic
passive ability that deals piercing or slashing damage. or ranged attacks, such as Counterspell or spell
Effect You imbue the armor with vicious spikes. turning.
2nd The armor gains the following activation: Effect You imbue the shield with reflective power.
Activate 2 Interact; Frequency once 2nd The shield gains the following activation:
per day; Effect You cause vicious spikes Activate 5 command; Frequency once per day;
to protrude from the armor. For 1 minute, Trigger A foe’s ranged Strike critically fails against
adjacent creatures that hit you with a melee you; Requirements The shield with the mirrored
attack, as well as creatures that touch you or imbued property is raised; Effect You turn a poorly
hit you with an unarmed attack, take 1 piercing aimed attack back at your foe. Reroll the triggering
damage each time they do. If they Grab or Strike against the foe who made it, using either the
Grapple you, the damage increases to 1d4 same attack bonus the foe made with that Strike
piercing damage instead. or your most accurate ranged attack bonus with a
4th The damage from the activation weapon or unarmed attack, whichever is lower. On a
increases to 1d4, or 2d4 when success, the foe suffers the full effect of the reflected
creatures Grab or Grapple you. attack.
6th The damage from the activation 4th The shield’s activation gains a frequency of once
increases to 1d6, or 2d6 when per hour instead of once per day.
creatures Grab or Grapple you. 6th The activation uses the higher of the same
8th The damage from the activation attack bonus the foe made with the triggering
increases to 2d4, or 4d4 when creatures Strike or your own ranged attack bonus, instead
Grab or Grapple you. of the lower.
10th The damage from the activation 10th The trigger changes to “A foe’s ranged Strike
increases to 2d6, or 4d6 when or ranged spell attack roll critically fails against
creatures Grab or Grapple you. you,” allowing you to use the activation against
190
spells in addition to Strikes. When reflecting a spell, you can
choose to use your spell attack bonus on the reflected attack roll MASTER ALL 13 ELEMENTS
if it’s higher than the other two options. The weapon-imbued properties in this book cover
12th The shield’s activation gains a frequency of once per 10 6 of the 13 elements in Battlezoo Eldamon. You
minutes instead of once per hour. can find the other seven elements in the original
16th The shield’s activation triggers any time a foe fails with a Battlezoo Bestiary: the negative property works for
ranged Strike or ranged spell attack roll against you, instead of the death element, the positive property works for
only on a critical failure. the life element, and all the rest have properties
20th Once per day, you can use the shield’s activation with the with names that are clearly connected to the
trigger of “A foe targets you with a spell” instead of the usual element names.
trigger. This still counts toward the shield’s frequency. When you
use this alternate trigger, the shield can reflect even spells that
don’t have spell attack rolls, and the reflection happens before Path Technique
determining the attack roll or saving throw, but the shield must 4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 persistent slashing damage as
succeed at a counteract check (counteract level 10, counteract blades of wind surround and slash them; this additional damage
modifier +33) against the triggering spell or the reflection fails. has the air trait.
6th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional slashing damage from
WEAPON IMBUED PROPERTIES blades of wind; this additional damage has the air trait.
The following imbued properties are available for 8th The persistent slashing damage on a hit increases to 1d6. On
weapons. a critical hit, you can push the target up to 5 feet away from you.
12th The additional damage and persistent slashing damage dealt
AIR by this imbued property ignores resistances (as does the damage
from hazardous terrain caused by this imbued property’s 16th
AIR IMBUED level effect). Even if the main weapon deals slashing damage,
AIR EVOCATION MAGICAL this benefit only applies to the slashing damage from this imbued
Type Weapon property.
Parts The monster must have the air trait or an attack or spell with the 14th The persistent slashing damage on a hit increases to 1d8.
air trait. 16th While suffering from the persistent slashing damage, the
Effect You imbue the weapon with slicing blades of wind. surrounding blades of air damage the creature the more it moves,
Path Magic; Choose when you first imbue the weapon for the granted slashing at them each time they do. All terrain is hazardous
spells to be either arcane or primal. terrain for them, dealing 2 slashing damage for each square
2nd The weapon can cast gale blastSOM as a cantrip, heightened to through which they move (this includes the movement from being
half the item’s level rounded up. pushed by a critical hit). On a critical hit, you can push the target
4th The weapon can cast gust of wind once per day. up to 10 feet away.
6th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional slashing damage from 18th The persistent slashing damage on a hit increases to 1d10.
blades of wind; this additional damage has the air trait. 20th On a critical hit, you can push the target up to 20 feet away.
8th The weapon can cast wall of wind once per day.
10th The weapon can cast air walk once per day. DARKNESS
12th The weapon can cast elemental giftSOM (air only) once per day.
14th The additional slashing damage increases to 1d4. DARKNESS IMBUED
16th The additional slashing damage increases to 1d6. DARKNESS EVOCATION MAGICAL
18th The weapon’s elemental gift (air only) heightens to 8th level. Type Weapon
20th The weapon can cast 9th-level whirlwindSOM once per day. Parts The monster must have an attack or spell with the darkness trait.
Path Might Effect You imbue the weapon with creeping darkness.
4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional slashing damage from Path Magic; Choose when you first imbue the weapon for the granted
blades of wind; this additional damage has the air trait. spells to be either arcane or divine.
6th The additional slashing damage increases to 1d4. 2nd The weapon gains a two-action Interact and command
8th The additional slashing damage increases to 1d6. On a critical activation allowing it to attempt to counteract the light cantrip
hit, you can push the target up to 5 feet away from you. (but not other light effects) with a counteract level equal to half
12th The additional slashing damage dealt by this imbued property the item’s level rounded up.
ignores resistances. Even if the main weapon deals slashing 4th The weapon can cast penumbral shroud once per day.
damage, this benefit only applies to the additional damage. 6th The weapon can cast darkness once per day.
14th On a critical hit with the weapon, you can push the target up to 8th The weapon can cast chilling darkness once per day.
10 feet away from you. 10th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional cold damage as the
18th The additional slashing damage increases to 1d8. darkness saps warmth; this additional damage has the darkness
20th On a successful Strike with the weapon, before applying the trait.
additional slashing damage, the target gains weakness 1 to air 12th The weapon’s chilling darkness, darkness, and penumbral
until the beginning of your next turn. shroud heighten to 4th level.
191
14th The additional cold damage increases to 1d4. even on a success or critical success, everything around it is
16th The weapon’s chilling darkness, darkness, and penumbral concealed to it unless it has greater darkvision.
shroud heighten to 6th level. 18th The additional cold damage increases to 1d8.
18th The cold damage increases to 1d6. 20th On a successful Strike with the weapon, before applying the
20th The weapon can cast 9th-level eclipse burst once per day. additional cold damage, the target gains weakness 1 to darkness
Path Might until the beginning of your next turn.
4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional cold damage as the Path Technique
darkness saps warmth; this additional damage has the darkness 4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 persistent cold damage as
trait. encroaching darkness slowly drains their warmth away; this
6th The additional cold damage increases to 1d4. additional damage has the darkness trait.
8th The additional cold damage increases to 1d6. On a critical hit, 6th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional cold damage as the
darkness shrouds the target’s vision, causing everything around darkness saps warmth; this additional damage has the darkness
it to be concealed to it unless it has darkvision. trait.
12th The additional cold damage dealt by this imbued property 8th The persistent cold damage on a hit increases to 1d6. On
ignores resistances. a critical hit, darkness shrouds the target’s vision, causing
14th On a critical hit with the weapon, the target must attempt a everything around it to be concealed to it unless it has darkvision.
Fortitude save against the weapon’s DC. On a failure, it’s blinded 12th The additional damage and persistent cold damage dealt by
for 1 round by magical darkness unless it has greater darkvision; this imbued property ignores resistances.
14th The persistent cold damage on a hit increases to 1d8.
16th While suffering from the persistent cold damage, the shrouding
darkness interferes with the target’s vision. Everything around it
is concealed to it unless it has darkvision. On a critical hit with
a weapon, the target must attempt a Fortitude save against the
weapon’s DC. On a failure, it’s blinded for 1 round by magical
darkness unless it has greater darkvision; even on a success
or critical success, everything around it is concealed to it
unless it has greater darkvision.
18th The persistent cold damage on a hit increases to 1d10.
20th The persistent darkness devours the light. Each time the
target takes the persistent cold damage from this property, the
darkness attempts to counteract one light effect on the target
or the target’s belongings with a counteract level of 10 and a
counteract modifier of +33.
EARTH
EARTH IMBUED
EARTH EVOCATION MAGICAL
Type Weapon
Parts The monster must have the earth trait or an attack or spell with
the earth trait.
Effect You imbue the weapon with churning earth.
Path Magic; Choose when you first imbue the weapon for the granted
spells to be either arcane or primal.
2nd The weapon can cast scatter screeSOM as
a cantrip, heightened to half the item’s level
rounded up.
4th The weapon can cast pummeling rubbleAPG once per
day.
6th The weapon’s pummeling rubble heightens to 2nd
level.
8th The weapon can cast earthbind once per day.
10th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional piercing
damage from spikes of stone; this additional damage
has the earth trait.
12th The weapon’s earthbind and pummeling rubble
heighten to 4th level and the weapon can cast stoneskin once
per day.
192
14th The additional piercing damage increases to 1d4.
16th The weapon’s earthbind, pummeling rubble, and stoneskin ELONGATING
heighten to 6th level.
18th The additional piercing damage increases to 1d6. ELONGATING IMBUED
20th The weapon’s stoneskin heightens to 8th level, and it can cast MAGICAL TRANSMUTATION
earthquake once per day. Type Weapon
Path Might Parts The monster must have reach of 10 feet or more on one or more
4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional piercing damage from of its Strikes.
spikes of stone; this additional damage has the earth trait. Effect You imbue the weapon with the ability to elongate itself.
6th The additional piercing damage increases to 1d4. 2nd The weapon gains the following activation:
8th The additional piercing damage increases to 1d6. On a Activate 2 Interact; Effect You elongate your weapon,
critical hit, the piercing rock shards attach the target’s feet to increasing your reach. You Strike with the weapon, and you
the ground, forcing extra effort to break the rocks and move have reach 10 feet for the Strike, or reach 15 feet if the weapon
from its current space. As long as it was on the ground, its first already had the reach trait.
5 feet of movement are difficult terrain, typically preventing it 4th The activation increases the weapon’s reach for the Strike to 15
from Stepping. This effect lasts until it moves or for 1 minute, feet (or 20 feet if it had the reach trait).
whichever comes first. 6th The activation increases the weapon’s reach for the Strike to 20
12th The additional piercing damage dealt by this imbued property feet (or 25 feet if it had the reach trait).
ignores resistances. Even if the main weapon deals piercing 8th The activation increases the weapon’s reach for the Strike to 30
damage, this benefit only applies to the additional damage. feet (or 35 feet if it had the reach trait).
14th On a critical hit, the rocks connecting the creature to the ground
fragment into damaging shards when the creature moves. If the
creature breaks the rocks connecting it to the ground by moving,
it takes an additional 1d8 piercing damage, which has the earth
trait. If the creature instead chooses to wait the effect out for 1
minute without moving, it doesn’t take the additional damage.
18th The additional piercing damage increases to 1d8.
20th On a successful Strike with the weapon, before applying the
additional piercing damage, the target gains weakness 1 to earth
until the beginning of your next turn.
Path Technique
4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 persistent piercing damage as
stone spikes grow and pierce them; this additional damage has
the earth trait.
6th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional piercing damage from
spikes of stone; this additional damage has the earth trait.
8th The persistent piercing damage on a hit increases to 1d6. On
a critical hit, the piercing rock shards attach the target’s feet to
the ground, forcing extra effort to move from its current space.
As long as it was on the ground, its first 5 feet of movement are
difficult terrain, typically preventing it from Stepping. This effect
lasts until it moves or for 1 minute, whichever comes first.
12th The additional damage and persistent piercing damage dealt
by this imbued property ignores resistances. Even if the main
weapon deals piercing damage, this benefit only applies to the
piercing damage from this imbued property.
14th The persistent piercing damage on a hit increases to 1d8.
16th While a target is suffering from the persistent piercing damage,
the earth spikes growing on the target transform into an earthen
shield that blocks their attacks against you. Whenever they hit
you with a Strike, you gain resistance to physical damage (except
adamantine) to that Strike with a value equal to the persistent
piercing damage.
18th The persistent piercing damage on a hit increases to 1d10.
20th Foes suffering from the persistent piercing damage become
very partially petrified in their extremities, making fine movements
difficult. They are clumsy 1 as long as they have the persistent
piercing damage.
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VARIANT: AUTOMATIC BONUS LIGHT
PROGRESSION AND IMBUING LIGHT IMBUED
What if your campaign uses the automatic EVOCATION LIGHT MAGICAL
bonus progression subsystem? You can still use Type Weapon
imbuing, replacing refining with the automatic Parts The monster must have an attack or spell with the light trait.
bonus progression. This works in a simple way for Effect You imbue the weapon with shining light.
weapons and armor: bonuses happen automatically Path Magic; Choose when you first imbue the weapon for the granted
per the automatic bonus progression rules. Use spells to be either arcane or divine.
monster parts to imbue weapons and armor, 2nd The weapon can cast light as a cantrip, heightened to half the
gaining the ability to imbue the item at the same item’s level rounded up.
levels as normal on Tables 4A and 4B. 4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional fire damage as the
For shields, either use the normal refining and light warms from within; this additional damage has the light trait.
imbuing rules, or you might consider adding 6th The weapon can cast faerie fire once per day.
the shield refining rules as an “automatic shield 8th The weapon can cast searing light once per day.
progression” for 1 shield per character since those 10th The weapon’s searing light heightens to 4th level.
are the only items that have refinement and aren’t 12th The weapon’s faerie fire heightens to 4th level, and it can cast
part of the automatic bonus progression. chromatic raySOM once per day.
For Perception and skill items, there’s one 14th The fire damage increases to 1d4.
decision you need to consider: imbued properties 16th The weapon’s chromatic ray, faerie fire, and searing light
for skill items and Perception items are intentionally heighten to 6th level.
a much lower cost than imbued properties for 18th The fire damage increases to 1d6.
weapons and armor, to encourage imbuing these 20th The weapon can cast 9th-level sunburst once per day.
items with additional abilities. This works in much Path Might
the same way that skill and Perception items in the 4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional fire damage as the
normal magic item rules have extra abilities built light warms from within; this additional damage has the light trait.
in, while weapons and armor only add abilities 6th The additional fire damage increases to 1d4.
with property runes. With the automatic bonus 8th The additional fire damage increases to 1d6. On a critical hit,
progression, a character eventually receives six the target must attempt a Fortitude save against the weapon’s
different skill potencies, but you probably don’t DC. On a failure, it’s blinded by the light for 1 round.
want this to mean the character can gain up to six 12th The additional fire damage dealt by this imbued property
imbued properties, allowing them to cast six spells ignores resistances.
per day for not much more than the cost of six 14th On a critical hit with the weapon, the target is dazzled for 1
scrolls of the same spells. You can easily avoid this round by the light even on a success or critical success on its
by disallowing the imbuing of skill and Perception Fortitude save.
items, but for a middle ground, you might only 18th The additional fire damage increases to 1d8.
allow one or two imbued skill items, increase the 20th On a successful Strike with the weapon, before applying the
cost of imbuing these items to double the listed additional fire damage, the target gains weakness 1 to light until
cost, or both. In any case, due to apex items being the beginning of your next turn.
baked into automatic bonus progression, the apex Path Technique
imbued properties shouldn’t be available. 4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 persistent fire damage as the
light continues to sear them; this additional damage has the light
trait.
10th The activation increases the weapon’s reach for the Strike to 6th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional fire damage as the
60 feet (or 65 feet if it had the reach trait). light warms from within; this additional damage has the light trait.
12th The activation increases the weapon’s reach for the Strike to 8th The persistent fire damage on a hit increases to 1d6. On a
90 feet (or 95 feet if it had the reach trait). critical hit, the target must attempt a Fortitude save against the
14th The activation increases the weapon’s reach for the Strike to weapon’s DC. On a failure, it’s blinded by the light for 1 round.
120 feet (or 125 feet if it had the reach trait). 12th The additional damage and persistent fire damage dealt by
16th The weapon’s elongating activation can be used as only a this imbued property ignores resistances.
single action once per hour. 14th The persistent fire damage on a hit increases to 1d8.
18th The weapon’s elongating activation can be used as only a 16th While suffering from the persistent fire damage, the light
single action once per 10 minutes, rather than once per hour. limns the creature, outlining it and preventing it from becoming
20th The weapon’s base reach increases to 10 feet if it doesn’t concealed or becoming invisible. A visible creature can’t be
have the reach trait, or to 15 feet if it has the reach trait. This also concealed while suffering from the persistent fire damage; if
increases the reach when using the activation to 125 feet (130 the creature is invisible, it’s concealed while suffering from the
feet if the weapon has the reach trait). persistent fire damage, rather than being undetected.
194
18th The persistent fire damage on a hit increases to 1d10.
20th The persistent light cancels out the darkness. Each time the WATER
target takes the persistent fire damage from this property, the
light attempts to counteract one darkness effect on the target WATER IMBUED
or the target’s belongings with a counteract level of 10 and a EVOCATION MAGICAL WATER
counteract modifier of +33. Type Weapon
Parts The monster must have the water trait or an attack or spell with
THROWING the water trait.
Effect You imbue the weapon with flowing water.
THROWING IMBUED Path Magic; Choose when you first imbue the weapon for the granted
EVOCATION MAGICAL spells to be either arcane or primal.
Type Weapon 2nd The weapon can cast spoutSOM as a cantrip, heightened to half
Parts The monster must have a ranged unarmed attack or Rock the item’s level rounded up.
Throwing or a similar ability. 4th The weapon can cast hydraulic push once per day.
Effect You imbue the weapon with advantages when thrown, such as 6th The weapon’s hydraulic push heightens to 2nd level.
the power to return to you when you throw it. 8th The weapon can cast aqueous orbAPG once per day.
2nd When you make a thrown Strike with this weapon, it flies back to 10th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional bludgeoning damage
your hand at the end of your turn. If your hands are full when the from a crashing wave of water; this additional damage has the
weapon returns, it falls to the ground in your space. water trait.
4th Instead of flying back to your hand at the end of
your turn, the weapon flies back to your hand after
each Strike is complete, allowing you to use it to
make multiple thrown Strikes with it in sequence.
6th The weapon’s range increment increases by 10
feet.
8th After making a Strike with the weapon, instead of
having it return to your hand, if your next action is a
Strike, you can have the weapon Strike starting from
the previous target’s location. If you do, you use this
position to determine the distance, cover, and other
factors to the new target. You can continue to do so as
long as you continue Striking, and when you stop, the
weapon returns to your hand as normal.
10th The weapon’s range increment increases by 20 feet,
instead of 10 feet.
12th When you throw the weapon, it spins with whirling
blades or creates a shockwave nearby, dealing 1 splash
damage of the weapon’s normal type to the target and
all adjacent creatures. As normal for splash damage, this
damage is combined together against the target on a hit,
and it also applies on a failed Strike, but not on a critical
failure.
14th The weapon’s range increment increases by 30 feet,
instead of 20 feet.
16th The weapon gains the following activation:
Activate 3 command, envision; Frequency once
per day; Effect You spin around, launching myriad
duplicates of your weapon at foes all around you. Make
thrown Strikes against all foes within 30 feet. These
Strikes don’t increase your multiple attack penalty until
after you’ve finished making all of them.
18th The weapon’s range increment increases by 40 feet,
instead of 30 feet.
20th When you make a thrown Strike with the weapon against
a foe, instead of having the weapon return to you, you can
choose to hold onto the weapon and have it pull you through
the air to the nearest available space to your target along the
path of the throw.
195
12th The weapon’s aqueous orb and hydraulic push heighten to 4th Path Technique
level and the weapon can cast hydraulic torrent once per day. 4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 persistent bludgeoning damage
14th The additional bludgeoning damage increases to 1d4. as torrents of water continue to pummel them; this additional
16th The weapon’s aqueous orb, hydraulic push, and hydraulic damage has the water trait.
torrent heighten to 6th level. 6th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional bludgeoning damage
18th The additional bludgeoning damage increases to 1d6. from a crashing wave of water; this additional damage has the
20th The weapon can cast 9th-level horrid wilting once per day. water trait.
Path Might 8th The persistent bludgeoning damage on a hit increases to 1d6.
4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional bludgeoning damage On a critical hit, the target is also knocked prone by the force
from a crashing wave of water; this additional damage has the of the enormous wave unless it succeeds at a Fortitude save
water trait. against the weapon’s DC.
6th The additional bludgeoning damage increases to 1d4. 12th The additional damage and persistent bludgeoning damage
8th The additional bludgeoning damage increases to 1d6. On a dealt by this imbued property ignores resistances. Even if the
critical hit, the target is also knocked prone by the force of the main weapon deals bludgeoning damage, this benefit only
enormous wave unless it succeeds at a Fortitude save against applies to the bludgeoning damage from this imbued property.
the weapon’s DC. 14th The persistent bludgeoning damage on a hit increases to 1d8.
12th The additional bludgeoning damage dealt by this imbued 16th While suffering from the persistent bludgeoning damage,
property ignores resistances. Even if the main weapon deals the target is drenched in water, potentially making their footing
bludgeoning damage, this benefit only applies to the additional slippery. Each turn, they must succeed at a Reflex save against
damage. the weapon’s DC, or else everywhere they walk, the ground is
14th On a critical hit with the weapon, if the target is knocked prone, difficult terrain for them.
they take 3d6 bludgeoning damage from the hard landing. 18th The persistent bludgeoning damage on a hit increases to 1d10.
18th The additional bludgeoning damage increases to 1d8. 20th Foes suffering from the persistent bludgeoning damage
20th On a successful Strike with the weapon, before applying the have difficulty speaking as long as they have the persistent
additional bludgeoning damage, the target gains weakness 1 to bludgeoning damage, as the sloshing waves pour into their
water until the beginning of your next turn. mouth when it opens. Unless they can breathe underwater or
don’t breathe, they must succeed at a DC 5 flat check every time
they use an action with the linguistic trait or cast a spell with a
verbal component or the action or spell is disrupted.
WOOD
WOOD IMBUED
EVOCATION MAGICAL WOOD
Type Weapon
Parts The monster must have the plant trait or an attack or spell with
the plant trait.
Effect You imbue the weapon with growing wood.
Path Magic; The spells granted by this imbued property are always
primal.
2nd The weapon can cast tanglefoot as a cantrip, heightened to
half the item’s level rounded up.
4th The weapon can cast protector treeSOM once per day.
6th The weapon’s protector tree heightens to 2nd level.
8th The weapon’s protector tree heightens to 3rd level and it can
cast entangle once per day.
10th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional piercing damage
from thorns and pointed branches; this additional damage has
the plant trait.
12th The weapon’s entangle and protector tree heighten to 4th level
and the weapon can cast petal stormSOM once per day.
14th The additional piercing damage increases to 1d4.
16th The weapon’s petal storm and protector tree heighten to 6th
level and it can cast tangling creepers once per day but can no
longer cast entangle.
18th The additional piercing damage increases to 1d6.
20th The weapon’s petal storm heightens to 8th level, and it can
cast 8th-level nature’s reprisalSOM once per day.
196
Path Might thorns and pointed branches; this additional damage has the
4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional piercing damage from plant trait.
thorns and pointed branches; this additional damage has the 8th The persistent piercing damage on a hit increases to 1d6. On
plant trait. a critical hit, vines attempt to entangle the target; they must
6th The additional piercing damage increases to 1d4. attempt a Reflex save against the weapon’s DC. On a failure,
8th The additional piercing damage increases to 1d6. On a critical they’re immobilized, and on a success they take a –10-foot
hit, vines attempt to entangle the target; they must attempt circumstance penalty to their Speeds. Either condition ends after
a Reflex save against the weapon’s DC. On a failure, they’re 1 round or if they spend an Interact action to remove the effect,
immobilized, and on a success they take a –10-foot circumstance whichever comes first.
penalty to their Speeds. Either condition ends after 1 round or if 12th The additional damage and persistent piercing damage dealt
they spend an Interact action to remove the effect, whichever by this imbued property ignores resistances. Even if the main
comes first. weapon deals piercing damage, this benefit only applies to the
12th The additional piercing damage dealt by this imbued property piercing damage from this imbued property.
ignores resistances. Even if the main weapon deals piercing 14th The persistent piercing damage on a hit increases to 1d8.
damage, this benefit only applies to the additional damage. 16th Even on a normal hit, the vines on the target grow longer and
14th On a critical hit with the weapon, if the target succeeds at their impede their movement. They take a –5-foot circumstance penalty
saving throw, they take a –20-foot circumstance penalty to their to their Speeds for 1 round, on until they spend an Interact action
Speeds, instead of a –10-foot circumstance penalty. pulling off the vines to remove the effect, whichever comes first.
18th The additional piercing damage increases to 1d8. On a successful Reflex save after a critical hit, the circumstance
20th On a successful Strike with the weapon, before applying the penalty increases to a –20-foot circumstance penalty.
additional piercing damage, the target gains weakness 1 to 18th The persistent piercing damage on a hit increases to 1d10.
damage and effects with the plant trait until the beginning of your 20th The pollen, spores, and seeds from the plants growing on your
next turn. foes when they take the persistent piercing damage spreads
Path Technique between them, growing more and more plants. At the end of a
4th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 persistent piercing damage foe’s turn, when they take damage from the imbued property’s
as thorns and vines continue to sprout from within them; this persistent piercing damage, the plants spread to all foes
additional damage has the plant trait. adjacent to the foe not already sprouting plants, and they take
6th Strikes with the weapon deal 1 additional piercing damage from the persistent piercing damage as well.
197
Strange & Unusual Character Options
These pages will do little, I fear, to instill in you true a reference to a different intangibility, such as an aberrant mind
comprehension of the peculiarities described therein. I know or aberrant heart? Before you continue reading, make your
because I was once you. I longed to study the most unusual own inference, think about how you would justify it, and then
cases and explore the process by which we become… something proceed further.
more—something different. I read through clinical tomes The truth is, the aberrations that have become a part of an
explaining all the facts and figures, and, in the youthful aberrant soul are so anathematic to the very nature of mortality
academic bliss of my ignorance, I believed myself an expert on that it is our soul itself that is at risk from our exposure. This
the matter. Played make-believe, more like, but I would only is not meant to be alarmist; somehow speaking about threats
come to understand that later. to souls always raises some hackles. Rather, it is a self-reflection
This book is not like those others. This story is not like the grounded in analysis, inference, and data. To explain, allow me
ones you have seen before. My reader, wise or foolish as you are, to give some examples from my own experience.
you will be following me on my own journey, and in so doing, —From Death of the Self or New Beginning?,
you will understand a side of the process you could never know a psychological exploration of the aberrant soul
from dry academic dissertations alone. Instead, I invite you to transformation, written by the aberrant soul Xan
experience the highs and lows, the excitement and the horror,
and all the little details that make this what it is and that make Strange and Unusual
me who I am. Perhaps then you won’t make the same mistakes
I did; you’ll make different mistakes instead. Or if you do repeat Backgrounds
my decisions, you’ll do so with your eyes open, understanding Some characters have already wandered far beyond the
exactly what you’ve chosen for yourself. realm of the ordinary even before they begin their first
To begin, I’ll ask you a question to get you thinking about adventure. The following backgrounds represent several
the philosophical implications of the matter: why do we call such bizarre beginnings. Horror’s godchild requires some
someone in the throes of an aberrant transformative process an buy-in from the GM and the rest of the group since the
“aberrant soul?” Why not something more tethered to the body, GM will need to insert a specific NPC, and so it is rare
such as an aberrant mutation or aberrant fleshwarp, or perhaps while the others are common, despite being so unusual.
198
ABDUCTED BY THE UNSEEN BACKGROUND TOUCHED BY THE BEYOND BACKGROUND
The formative event in your life, whether during your childhood or Too often in your childhood, you gazed into the abyss, and eventually
adulthood, was being abducted by them. You’re not sure exactly the abyss gazed back. Whatever form it took, you’ve experienced
who they are. All you know is that they were able to infiltrate your life unusual occurrences and become inured to them. Your own gaze has
easily enough to abduct you without any traces or clues, but then they now become unsettling to others, who see the echoes of the beyond
released you some time later, leaving you with only a vague and hazy deep within your eyes.
memory of your lost time. You might call your abductors something Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Constitution or
odd, like “The Unseen.” Whether you’re trying to move past your Charisma, and one is a free ability boost.
abduction or are determined to dig up details, your abduction has left You’re trained in the Intimidation skill, and the Aberration Lore
you forever changed, and you rely on special magic to protect others skill related to one city you’ve visited often. You gain the Intimidating
from sharing your fate. Glare skill feat.
Choose two ability boosts. One must be to Constitution or Wisdom,
and one is a free ability boost.
You’re trained in the Occultism skill, and the Conspiracy Lore skill.
You gain the Root MagicSOM skill feat.
WEAPON TRAITS
The bonuses from these weapons traits are included in
creatures’ statistics, but the traits appear because they’re
relevant for the clumsy and enfeebled conditions.
Brutal A ranged attack with this trait uses its Strength modifier instead
of Dexterity on the attack roll.
Finesse This melee attack is Dexterity based. Even if a weapon
normally has the finesse trait, this trait is omitted in the Strike entry if
the monster is applying its Strength.
207
MONSTER PARTS
Suggested Monster Parts
We have compiled a list of the various monster parts ABANDONED CREATURE 2
you can gather from each monster outlined within this Monster Parts 5/12/22 gp
book. You can present directly to the players after they Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), armor (light, medium),
have defeated the creature so they can determine how to perception item, skill items (Athletics)
best use the parts to refine and imbue items. No roll is Eligible Imbued Properties acid, constitution, dexterity, energy
needed to determine what the parts can do. Using this resistant (negative), evil, mental, negative, poison, strength,
list will significantly save time; otherwise you will need throwing, wild
to present the stat block to the players and they’ll have
to spend time determining the possible components that ADADA CREATURE 17
can be salvaged from the monster. Monster Parts 1,875/4,300/8,000 gp
The refinements and imbued properties listed in Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing, slashing), armor (light,
these stats blocks are a suggested starting point for each medium), perception item, skill items (Arcana, Athletics, Crafting,
creature. However, there’s a fair degree of judgment Lore [Art], Performance)
calls used in making certain decisions, so you and your Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, charisma, constitution,
group can and should adjust them depending on your dexterity, elongating, energy resistant (positive), intelligence, spells
group’s preferences or needs. For example, when refining (Divine: freedom of movement, mind blank, teleport), strength,
armor, you need to determine if a creature can provide wild, winged
the equivalent of cloth, leather, or metal. Dragons in this
table provide any type of armor, as perhaps the wings AKAKY CREATURE 3
could be used for cloth, the skin for leather, and the Monster Parts 7/18/30 gp
scales and bones for metal. But perhaps in your game Eligible Refinements perception item, skill items (Acrobatics,
you only want dragons to provide heavy armor. These Intimidation, Society)
are all judgment calls, so feel free to adjust, especially if Eligible Imbued Properties chaotic, cold, dexterity, energy resistant
your players have a good explanation of why they think (negative), evil, fortification, negative, wild, winged
the part should work for a different refining or imbuing
option. AMALGAMESS CREATURE 10
However, keep in mind that the other categories Monster Parts 125/275/500 gp
that are directly based upon abilities and skills, should Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, slashing), armor
probably be kept as presented as those are less up to (light, medium), perception item, skill items (Arcana, Athletics,
interpretation. And if you adjust any of these abilities Intimidation)
from the initial stat blocks presented in this book, you Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, charisma, constitution,
should change the properties in turn. For example, if elongating, energy resistant (positive), fire, fortification,
you want to change the ice zuggle into a fire zuggle, you intelligence, mental, negative, spells (Arcane: fleet step, fly,
should also remove the cold imbued property from the hydraulic push, mage hand, produce flame, tanglefoot, touch of
list of options in favor of the fire imbued property. idiocy, vampiric touch, ventriloquism), spiked, strength, water, wild
Also note, these lists are derived from the original
monster stat block and not any listed alternate abilities ARRONGTATA COMMANDER CREATURE 4
detailed in some monster descriptions. If you decide to Monster Parts 12/27/50 gp
utilize a variable version of a creature, or you change a Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), armor (light), shield,
creature to better suit your game, make sure to adjust perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Lore [Warfare],
their monster parts accordingly. Nature)
Of course, this is your game, and you can adjust these Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, dexterity, energy
tables however you wish; perhaps you don’t even require resistant (positive), spells (Primal: speak with plants), strength,
any limitations! Whatever you choose, try to keep it wild
consistent for both yourself and your players so that it
feels fair. ARRONGTATA HAWK RIDER CREATURE 3
Monster Parts 7/18/30 gp
CREATURE NAME LEVEL Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), armor (light), shield,
Monster Parts value light variant/hybrid variant/full variant perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Lore [Warfare],
Eligible Refinements Suggested refinements from the creature Nature)
are listed here. You might determine the creature has additional Eligible Imbued Properties bane, dexterity, energy resistant
refinements available or lacks any of these refinements. (positive), intelligence, spells (Primal: speak with plants), strength,
Eligible Imbued Properties Suggested imbued properties from the wild, winged
creature are listed here. You might determine the creature has
additional imbued properties available or lacks any of these imbued
properties.
208
ARRONGTATA SWARM CREATURE 5 BATHTUB OOZE CREATURE 3
Monster Parts 18/45/80 gp Monster Parts 7/18/30 gp
Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), armor (light), shield, Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), perception item, skill
perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Lore [Warfare], items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Stealth)
Nature) Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, energy resistant
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, dexterity, energy (positive), mirrored, negative, strength, wild
resistant (positive), fortification, mental, spells (Primal: speak with
plants), strength, sturdy, wild BELL WALKER CREATURE 10
Monster Parts 125/275/500 gp
ASKYRON CREATURE 18 Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), armor (light, heavy),
Monster Parts 3,000/7,000/13,000 gp shield, perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Arcana, Lore
Eligible Refinements armor (light, medium, heavy), perception [Fungus], Occultism, Stealth, Survival)
item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Lore [Previous Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, elongating, energy
Reality], Stealth) resistant (positive), evil, poison, strength, sturdy, wild
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, dexterity, energy resistant
(acid, positive), evil, force, fortification, good, intelligence, lawful, BETWEEN CREATURE 12
mental, mirrored, spells (Arcane: disintegrate, plane shift, shield, Monster Parts 250/560/1,030 gp
teleport, tongues), strength, throwing, wild, winged Eligible Refinements perception item, skill items (Acrobatics,
Occultism, Stealth)
ATONING SPIRIT CREATURE 6 Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, charisma, dexterity,
Monster Parts 30/65/125 gp energy resistant (positive), evil, fire, force, throwing, wild
Eligible Refinements perception item, skill items (Deception,
Diplomacy, Intimidation, Lore [Penitent], Nature, Religion, Society) BLINK DRAKE CREATURE 11
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, dexterity, energy resistant Monster Parts 175/390/720 gp
(positive), mental, spells (Primal: atone, invisibility, teleport), wild, Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, piercing), armor (light,
winged medium, heavy), shield, perception item, skill items (Acrobatics,
Athletics, Deception, Intimidation, Stealth)
AUROPLASM CREATURE 15 Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, dexterity, elongating,
Monster Parts 810/1,850/3,400 gp energy resistant (positive), force, spells (Arcane: blink, blink
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), perception item, charge, dimension door, unexpected transposition), wild, winged
skill items (Arcana, Athletics, Crafting, Deception, Diplomacy,
Intimidation, Society, Stealth) BLOODSPORT REMNANT CREATURE 10
Eligible Imbued Properties acid, bane, charisma, constitution, Monster Parts 125/275/500 gp
electricity, elongating, energy resistant (acid, electricity, fire, Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), armor (light, medium),
positive), fire, fortification, intelligence, light, mental, mirrored, shield, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation, Performance)
negative, poison, spells (Arcane: crushing despair, detect magic, Eligible Imbued Properties charisma, constitution, dexterity, energy
dispel magic, dispel magic, fly, haste, horrid wilting, mage hand, resistant (negative), evil, mental, strength, sturdy, wild
maze, mind blank, prismatic spray, read aura, shield, telekinetic
projectile, tempest of shades), strength, sturdy, wild BOE ERCHITU CREATURE 7
Monster Parts 45/100/180 gp
AYD-RAHIBA CREATURE 10 Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, piercing), armor (light,
Monster Parts 125/275/500 gp medium), perception item, skill items (Athletics, Intimidation)
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), armor (light, medium, Eligible Imbued Properties bane, charisma, constitution, energy
heavy), shield, perception item, skill items (Athletics, Intimidation, resistant (positive), evil, lawful, negative, strength, wild
Stealth)
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, dexterity, elongating, BOG BOMBER CREATURE 10
energy resistant (positive), evil, strength, sturdy, wild Monster Parts 125/275/500 gp
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, piercing), armor (light,
BANNOG THIEF CREATURE 5 medium, heavy), perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics,
Monster Parts 18/45/80 gp Intimidation, Stealth)
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), armor (light), Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, elongating, energy
perception item, skill items (Lore [Dreamlands], Stealth, Survival, resistant (fire, positive), fire, strength, wild
Thievery)
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, dexterity, energy resistant
(positive), evil, mental, poison, wild
209
BOWLFISH CREATURE 1 CELESTIAL GEOMETRY CREATURE 14
Monster Parts 3.5/7/13 gp Monster Parts 560/1,250/2,300 gp
Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), armor (light), skill items Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, piercing), armor (light,
(Athletics, Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Performance, medium, heavy), shield, perception item, skill items (Athletics)
Society) Eligible Imbued Properties bane, cold, constitution, earth, electricity,
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, charisma, dexterity, energy resistant (cold, electricity, fire, positive, negative), fire, sonic,
energy resistant (positive), intelligence, mental, spells (Occult: spells (Arcane: dimension door, teleport), strength, sturdy, wild, winged
daze, ghost sound, prestidigitation), wild
CHIRALUS CREATURE 9
BULBEKKEN CREATURE 3 Monster Parts 90/200/360 gp
Monster Parts 7/18/30 gp Eligible Refinements weapons (slashing), armor (light), perception
Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing, slashing), armor (light, item, skill items (Stealth)
medium), skill items (Athletics, Intimidation) Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, constitution, dexterity,
Eligible Imbued Properties acid, bane, charisma, constitution, energy energy resistant (positive), mental, throwing, wild, winged
resistant (positive), spells (Primal: acidic burst, prestidigitation,
vomit swarm), strength, wild CHOSAINTOR CREATURE 2
Monster Parts 5/12/22 gp
CADAVALIER CREATURE 7 Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing, slashing), armor (light,
Monster Parts 45/100/180 gp medium), skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Diplomacy,
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, piercing), armor (light), Intimidation, Stealth)
perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics) Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, charisma, dexterity, energy
Eligible Imbued Properties constitution, dexterity, elongating, energy resistant (positive), mental, spells (Primal: charm, prestidigitation,
resistant (negative), evil, mental, negative, strength, wild tame), wild
212
GOBLIN CIRCUS TROUPE CREATURE 6 GUILLOTINE HEAD CREATURE 0
Monster Parts 30/65/125 gp Monster Parts 2.25/5/9 gp
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), armor (light), Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), perception item, skill items
perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Nature, (Stealth, Survival)
Performance) Eligible Imbued Properties dexterity, energy resistant (negative),
Eligible Imbued Properties constitution, dexterity, energy resistant evil, strength, wild
(positive), mental, strength, wild
GUILTBOUND CREATURE 10
GOLDEN COINIVORE SWARM CREATURE 8 Monster Parts 125/275/500 gp
Monster Parts 64/140/250 gp Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), armor (light),
Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), armor (heavy), perception perception item, skill items (Athletics, Intimidation)
item, skill items (Athletics, Stealth, Survival) Eligible Imbued Properties chaotic, charisma, elongating, energy
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, dexterity, energy resistant (negative), evil, negative, strength, wild
resistant (positive), mental, wild
GUNPOWDER BEAR CREATURE 1
GOLDSMYF CREATURE 10 Monster Parts 3.5/7/13 gp
Monster Parts 125/275/500 gp Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing, slashing), armor (light),
Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), armor (medium, heavy), perception item, skill items (Crafting, Deception, Stealth, Thievery)
skill items (Acrobatics, Stealth, Thievery) Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, dexterity, energy resistant
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, dexterity, energy resistant (negative, positive), evil, fire, intelligence, wild
(negative, positive), fire, light, spells (primal: detect magic, faerie
fire, fire shield, freedom of movement, glitterdust, passwall, plane HANDLESS MAGE CREATURE 9
shift, solid fog, tanglefoot), throwing, wild Monster Parts 90/200/360 gp
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), perception item, skill
GOLEM OF WONDER CREATURE 11 items (Arcana, Deception, Diplomacy, Survival)
Monster Parts 175/390/720 gp Eligible Imbued Properties energy resistant (negative), evil,
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, slashing), armor intelligence, mental, spells (Arcane: charitable urge, mage hand,
(medium, heavy), shield, perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, phantom pain, telekinetic maneuver, telekinetic projectile), wild
Athletics)
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, constitution, dexterity, HAUNTING SPOON CREATURE 1
electricity, elongating, energy resistant (negative, positive), force, Monster Parts 3.5/7/13 gp
strength, sturdy, wild Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), armor (light, medium),
shield, perception item, skill items (Acrobatics)
GOREHED CREATURE 5 Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, dexterity, energy
Monster Parts 18/45/80 gp resistant (negative, positive), mental, sturdy, wild, winged
Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing, slashing), armor (light),
perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, HEAT GLUTTON CREATURE 10
Nature, Stealth, Survival) Monster Parts 125/275/500 gp
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, charisma, constitution, dexterity, Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing, slashing), armor (light,
energy resistant (positive), evil, strength, wild medium), perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics,
Intimidation, Stealth, Survival)
GREATER FETCHFISHER CREATURE 13 Eligible Imbued Properties bane, cold, constitution, dexterity,
Monster Parts 375/840/1,560 gp elongating, energy resistant (fire, positive), evil, spiked, strength,
Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing, slashing), armor (light, wild
medium), perception item, skill items (Athletics, Deception, Lore
[Fetchling], Stealth) ICTIOCTOR CREATURE 4
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, dexterity, elongating, Monster Parts 12/27/50 gp
energy resistant (positive), spiked, strength, wild Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, slashing), armor (light,
medium), shield, perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics,
GROUNDGULLET CREATURE 8 Intimidation, Occultism)
Monster Parts 64/140/250 gp Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, charisma, dexterity,
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), armor (light), energy resistant (positive), intelligence, poison, spells (Occult:
perception item, skill items (Stealth) vomit swarm), strength, sturdy, throwing, wild
Eligible Imbued Properties acid, bane, constitution, energy resistant
(positive), strength, wild
213
ILLICERU CREATURE 11 KEENINGREED CREATURE 7
Monster Parts 175/390/720 gp Monster Parts 45/100/180 gp
Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), armor (light), perception Eligible Refinements weapons (slashing), armor (light), perception
item, skill items (Athletics, Deception, Diplomacy, Stealth) item, skill items (Deception, Diplomacy, Intimidation, Nature,
Eligible Imbued Properties acid, bane, charisma, constitution, Occultism, Performance, Religion, Stealth, Survival)
dexterity, elongating, energy resistant (positive), intelligence, Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, charisma, energy resistant
mental, strength, wild (negative, positive), intelligence, mental, negative, positive, sonic,
spells (Primal: counter performance, dirge of doom, enervation,
IMAGINARY FRIEND CREATURE 4 ghost sound, soothe, sound burst), throwing, wild
Monster Parts 12/27/50 gp
Eligible Refinements perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, KELPSTEED CREATURE 1
Athletics, Deception) Monster Parts 3.5/7/13 gp
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, dexterity, energy Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, piercing), armor (light),
resistant (positive), force, mental, wild skill items (Acrobatics, Lore [Ocean], Nature, Survival)
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, charisma, constitution,
INKBLOT OOZE CREATURE 6 elongating, energy resistant (positive), poison, strength, wild
Monster Parts 30/65/125 gp
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), perception item, skill KEYWEED CREATURE 3
items (Athletics, Stealth) Monster Parts 7/18/30 gp
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, energy resistant Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), armor (light),
(positive), mental, strength, wild perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Crafting, Society,
Stealth, Thievery)
IRON HOUNDMASTER CREATURE 8 Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, charisma, dexterity,
Monster Parts 64/140/250 gp energy resistant (positive), poison, wild
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, piercing), armor
(heavy), perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Stealth, KOLUFS KRAFSA CREATURE 6
Survival) Monster Parts 30/65/125 gp
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, dexterity, electricity, energy Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing, slashing), armor (light,
resistant (negative, positive), strength, throwing, wild medium), perception item, skill items (Athletics, Stealth)
Eligible Imbued Properties constitution, energy resistant (positive),
JADRANI CREATURE 16 evil, strength, wild
Monster Parts 1,250/2,800/5,150 gp
Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), armor (light, medium, LANTERN LESHY CREATURE 2
heavy), perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Monster Parts 5/12/22 gp
Deception, Intimidation, Stealth) Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, slashing), armor
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, dexterity, elongating, energy (light), perception item, skill items (Deception, Intimidation,
resistant (negative), evil, force, lawful, negative, spells (Occult: Occultism, Stealth)
spirit song), throwing, wild, winged Eligible Imbued Properties bane, charisma, constitution, dexterity,
energy resistant (negative), evil, fire, light, mental, negative, poison,
KAWAKAMI CREATURE 9 strength, throwing, wild
Monster Parts 90/200/360 gp
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), skill items (Acrobatics, LIVING BONES CREATURE 3
Intimidation, Nature, Stealth) Monster Parts 7/18/30 gp
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, charisma, constitution, dexterity, Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning), armor (heavy), shield,
energy resistant (positive), intelligence, spells (Primal: control perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Diplomacy,
water, hydraulic torrent), water, wild, winged Society)
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, dexterity, energy resistant (cold,
KAYMAN BACOO CREATURE 4 electricity, fire, positive), good, positive, spiked, strength, sturdy, wild
Monster Parts 12/27/50 gp
Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), armor (light, medium), LIVING CONSTELLATION CREATURE 10
perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Intimidation, Nature, Monster Parts 125/275/500 gp
Performance, Stealth, Thievery) Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), armor (light, medium),
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, charisma, dexterity, earth, energy shield, perception item, skill items (Arcana, Deception, Intimidation,
resistant (positive), evil, intelligence, light, mental, spells (Primal: Nature, Occultism, Stealth)
dancing lights, glitterdust, jump, mud pit, pest form, restyle, spout, Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, charisma, dexterity,
vomit swarm), water, wild elongating, energy resistant (positive), evil, fire, good, light, mental,
spells (Primal: guidance, guiding star, light, searing light), strength,
sturdy, throwing, wild, winged
214
LIVING FIGMENT CREATURE 6 MEDDLING HANDS CREATURE 13
Monster Parts 30/65/125 gp Monster Parts 375/840/1,560 gp
Eligible Refinements skill items (Deception, Intimidation, Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, piercing), armor
Performance, Stealth) (medium), shield, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Crafting,
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, charisma, dexterity, energy Medicine, Stealth, Thievery)
resistant (acid, cold, electricity, fire, negative, positive, sonic), Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, dexterity, energy resistant
mental, wild, winged (positive), intelligence, strength, throwing, wild
215
OWLPACA CREATURE 3 PSYCHOGENIC LAGOMORPH CREATURE 8
Monster Parts 7/18/30 gp Monster Parts 64/140/250 gp
Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), armor (light, medium), Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), armor (light, medium),
perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation) skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Stealth, Survival)
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, energy resistant Eligible Imbued Properties bane, charisma, constitution, dexterity,
(positive), mental, strength, throwing, wild energy resistant (positive), force, intelligence, mirrored, spells
(Occult: telekinetic projectile), spiked, wild, winged
PAINTBRUSH FOX CREATURE 2
Monster Parts 5/12/22 gp Q-METAL MORPHOID CREATURE 14
Eligible Refinements weapons (piercing), armor (light), perception Monster Parts 560/1,250/2,300 gp
item, skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Crafting, Deception, Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, piercing, slashing),
Performance, Stealth, Survival) armor (heavy), shield, perception item, skill items (Athletics, Stealth)
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, charisma, constitution, dexterity, Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, dexterity, elongating,
energy resistant (positive), spells (Primal: ventriloquism), wild energy resistant (fire, positive), fire, strength, throwing, wild
217
THICKET URCHIN CREATURE 15 Eligible Imbued Properties charisma, constitution, dexterity, energy
Monster Parts 810/1,850/3,400 gp resistant (negative), evil, intelligence, lawful, mental, negative,
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, piercing), armor (light, sturdy, throwing, wild
heavy), perception item, skill items (Athletics)
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, constitution, elongating, energy VASPERTIL CREATURE 10
resistant (positive), poison, throwing, wild Monster Parts 125/275/500 gp
Eligible Refinements armor (light, medium), perception item, skill
THOUSAND SKINS CREATURE 20 items (Acrobatics, Religion, Society, Stealth, Survival)
Monster Parts 8,750/17,500/30,000 gp Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, darkness, dexterity,
Eligible Refinements weapons (slashing), armor (light, medium), energy resistant (negative), spells (Occult: darkness, dimension
skill items (Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation, Stealth) door, freedom of movement, nondetection), strength, wild
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, constitution, dexterity,
elongating, energy resistant (positive), evil, mental, strength, wild VENGEWHISPER CREATURE 11
Monster Parts 175/390/720 gp
THUNDERHEAD WILLOW CREATURE 9 Eligible Refinements perception item, skill items (Intimidation, Lore
Monster Parts 90/200/360 gp [Life], Stealth)
Eligible Refinements weapons (bludgeoning, slashing), armor (light, Eligible Imbued Properties chaotic, charisma, dexterity, energy
medium), skill items (Athletics, Stealth) resistant (acid, cold, electricity, fire, negative, sonic), evil, force,
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, chaotic, constitution, electricity, mental, sonic, spells (Occult: confusion, ghost sound, invisibility,
elongating, energy resistant (fire, positive), fire, strength, wild mage hand, nightmare, phantom pain, telekinetic projectile), wild,
winged
TIDRAGAT CREATURE 3
Monster Parts 7/18/30 gp VILE ASCENDER CREATURE 10
Eligible Refinements weapons (slashing), armor (light, medium, Monster Parts 125/275/500 gp
heavy), perception item, skill items (Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Eligible Refinements weapons (slashing), armor (light), skill items
Deception, Stealth, Thievery) (Acrobatics, Crafting, Deception, Nature, Society, Stealth, Survival,
Eligible Imbued Properties bane, charisma, dexterity, energy Thievery)
resistant (positive), intelligence, light, mental, poison, spells Eligible Imbued Properties acid, bane, charisma, constitution,
(Arcane: color spray, daze, detect magic, floating disk, ghost sound, darkness, dexterity, energy resistant (positive), mental, spells
illusory object, invisibility, invisible item, mage hand, telekinetic (Primal: acid splash, darkness, dimension door, entangle, haste,
projectile), wild, winged locate, tanglefoot), strength, wild
219
FEY
Creatures by Type Level 1 false tarrasqueU, plug-tailed wollyU; Level 2 chosaintorU,
The following lists organize the creatures by their major crystalline owlU; Level 3 arrongtata hawk rider, bulbekkenU, erygloidU,
types, subdivided by level. A superscript “U” indicates lorekithU, spellfilcherU; Level 4 arrongtata commander, coppersmyfU,
that a creature is uncommon, “R” that it’s rare, and “Uq” kayman bacoo; Level 5 arrongtata swarm, wadirusU; Level 6
that it’s unique. meatmongerU, salirusU, silversmyfR; Level 8 caxirusU; Level 9 cathartic
wormR, nafirusU; Level 10 goldsmyfR, vile ascenderR; Level 15
ABERRATION cunomaglosU; Level 20 thousand skinsR
Level 1 bowlfishR, xotlxotlU; Level 2 emperor shark penguinU; Level 3
contortion swarmU, squichlekU; Level 4 contortion creeperU; Level 5 FIEND
bannog thiefU, gorehed, precognateR; Level 6 tahagataU, telepathic Level 4 ictioctorU, odrazuU; Level 7 lucent demonsheepR; Level 9
earwig swarmU; Level 7 eye stalkerU; Level 8 caster detritus, golden fury sphereR; Level 10 amalgamessR, demon shepherdR; Level 15
coinivore swarmU, groundgulletU; Level 9 chiralusU, feth velauntR, proselytizerU; Level 24 zakurakUq
gasperR; Level 10 amalgamessR, ayd-rahibaR, bell walkerU, living
constellation, mirage crawlerU, savalirR; Level 11 illiceruU; Level 12 FUNGUS
betweenR, contortion crownR, fosterkinR, stiltwalkerR; Level 13 Level 8 tree of eyesU; Level 10 bell walkerU; Level 15 thicket urchin
meddling handsR, scyphozoid eyeR; Level 14 psychic rat kingR;
Level 18 many facesR HUMANOID
Level 0 feddry; Level 6 goblin circus troupe, kolufs krafsaR; Level 7
ANIMAL secradowU; Level 10 amalgamessR
Level -1 extra toe; Level 3 arrongtata hawk rider, fethrotteU, owlpacaU;
Level 5 cryptfowl swarmU, stick tongueU, twistwere wolfU; Level 6 MONITOR
wackadodoU; Level 7 lucent demonsheepR, wildcat gorgerU; Level 8 Level 10 vaspertilR; Level 17 adadaR
war tortoiseR; Level 18 ebirahUq
OOZE
ASTRAL Level 3 bathtub oozeU, erygloidU; Level 4 euphoria oozeU; Level 6
Level 4 odrazu ; Level 6 tahagata ; Level 7 fragmentor ; Level 9
U U U
inkblot oozeU; Level 9 wandering plagueU; Level 10 whorl oozeU;
chiralusU; Level 10 living constellation; Level 18 askyronR Level 11 citric evaporite; Level 13 wannabe knightU; Level 15
auroplasmR, congealed laughterR
BEAST
Level 1 plug-tailed wollyU; Level 2 paintbrush fox; Level 3 furnace PLANT
newtU; Level 5 fetchfisher brood swarmU; Level 7 boe erchituR, Level 0 living origami; Level 1 kelpsteed, samaran; Level 2 lantern
chronocerosU, fetchfisherU; Level 8 psychogenic lagomorphU, leshy; Level 3 keyweed, midnight lily; Level 5 ribcage vineU; Level 7
shrieking auger; Level 9 gastrophage; Level 10 heat gluttonU; keeningreed; Level 9 thunderhead willowU; Level 11 convolute
Level 12 curse eaterR, maramaculaUq; Level 13 greater fetchfisherU; keyweedU; Level 13 gladelichR
Level 14 psychic rat kingR; Level 16 jadraniR; Level 19 testudanR
SHADOW
CONSTRUCT Level 5 fetchfisher brood swarmU; Level 7 fetchfisherU, secradowU;
Level -1 carnivorous chapeau ; Level 1 gunpowder bear , haunting
U U
Level 13 greater fetchfisherU
spoonU; Level 3 mercurial knight; Level 4 coppersmyfU; Level 6
living figmentR, silversmyfR; Level 8 iron houndmasterR; Level 9 fury SPIRIT
sphereR, zweiblade guardian; Level 10 goldsmyfR; Level 11 golem Level -1 money-grubber swarmU; Level 1 haunting spoonU; Level
of wonderR; Level 12 silkwurmR, sorrow portraitR; Level 14 celestial 3 akakyU, arrongtata hawk rider, living bonesR; Level 4 arrongtata
geometryR, possibility golemR; Level 21 time golemR commander; Level 5 arrongtata swarm, writer’s blockR; Level 6
atoning spiritR; Level 9 kawakamiR; Level 11 vengewhisperR
DRAGON
Level 3 tidragat; Level 9 cathartic wormR; Level 10 bog bomberU; UNDEAD
Level 11 blink drakeR; Level 19 star wyrmR Level -1 money-grubber swarmU; Level 0 guillotine headU; Level 2
abandonedU, lantern leshy; Level 3 akakyU; Level 4 unscaled tyrantR;
DREAM Level 5 ribcage vineU; Level 6 susurrationU; Level 7 cadavalierU;
Level 4; imaginary friendR; Level 5 bannog thiefU Level 9 handless mageU; Level 10 bloodsport remnantU, cloaked
cadaverR, guiltboundU; Level 11 vengewhisperR; Level 13 gladelichR;
ELEMENTAL Level 16 jadraniR
Level 3 furnace newtU; Level 8 frenzied trashfireU; Level 9 gasperR;
Level 14 q-metal morphoidR
ETHEREAL
Level 4 imaginary friendR
220
Creatures by Level
The following tables present every single creature stat level. Each entry also details the creature’s prize ranking;
block that can be found in Battlezoo Bestiary: Strange its type traits, which are useful for summoning and some
and Unusual. These creature stat blocks are organized by other abilities; its rarity; and its page number.
223
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15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE characters, dialogue, locations, organizations, plots, storylines, and trade dress. (Elements
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Alexander Augunas, Kate Baker, Brian Bauman, Logan Bonner, Carlos Cabrera, James Case,
Jessica Catalan, John Compton, Paris Crenshaw, Jesse Decker, Fabby Garza Marroquín, Battlezoo Bestiary: Strange and Unusual (Pathfinder) © 2023, Skyscraper Studios, Inc.
Steven Hammond, Sasha Laranoa Harving, Joan Hong, Nicolas Hornyak, Vanessa Hoskins, All Rights Reserved. Printed in China.
224
Befriend, Train, Battle, Evolve
With Battlezoo Eldamon,
Eldamon, you can finally become the monster trainer of
your dreams. Befriend over 160 elemental monsters and battle with them
as an eldamon trainer or embody the powers of the elements yourself as
an elemental avatar! With 13 distinct elements, this book contains more
playstyles and character options than you can shake a lotusnek at!
BATTLEZOO.COM 225
Unleash Your Inner Dragon!
With Battlezoo Ancestries: Dragons,
Dragons, you can channel the might of
wyrms for your next PC! Using both the ancestry rules and innovative
archetypes, you can grow your dragon’s abilities and even focus your
class feats into gaining draconic power.
Featuring 45 different dragons with details on how to play any of these
dragons, or even your own homebrewed dragons, in your next campaign!
226
BATTLEZOO.COM
Become The Monster!
With Battlezoo Ancestries: Year of Monsters,
Monsters, you finally get a chance to play
as a monster. Discover the might and mysteries of 12 unique monstrous
ancestries,, including powerful demons, cunning doppelgangers,
ancestries
sentient dungeons, tricky gremlins, intelligent weapons, sneaky mimics,
brawny minotaurs, serene nymphs, determined oni, fairytale sidhe,
amorphous slimes, and medusakin sthenos.
Which one will you play next?
BATTLEZOO.COM 227
Search For Pirate Treasure!
Prepare to set sail for the Indigo Isles! Mysteries abound in the pirate town
of Rumplank, but none is as well known as the legend of Poppy von Barnacle’s
lost treasure. Will the characters rise to the challenge and return to Rumplank with
pockets full of gold? Or will the dangers of the Indigo Isles claim yet one more party
of would-be privateers? A mega adventure taking characters from level 1 to 11!
228
BATTLEZOO.COM
Discover the Unfamiliar!
Within the pages of Battlezoo Bestiary: Strange and Unusual, you’ll find over 150
bizarre new creatures to confound and perplex players and their characters alike!
The creatures in this eldritch tome arose from the most imaginative and compelling
submissions from the 2021 RPG Superstar contest, including monstrosities like
the roiling, giggling, congealed laughter, the firefly-swarming salirus, and the two-
dimensional chiralus.
rollforcombat.com
9 798988 119807
Printed in China