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Monday, October 16, 2017
Here Be Monsters 4: Out of the Primal World WINNER
Congratulations again to all our Top Five. However, as a classic movie once taught me, there can be only one, so special congratulations to the winner of Here Be Monsters 4: Out of the Primal World...
Kim Frandsen's gravestone dryad!
I'll be in touch with all the winners about your prizes.
Monday, October 9, 2017
Here Be Monsters 4: Out of the Primal World voting booth
The Top 5 have been revealed and now it's time to vote for your favorite monster!
For those who need one last look to make their decision, the finalists are:
- Gravestone Dryad by Kim Frandsen
- Grynthak by Mark Nordheim
- Gorviel by Jeremy Corff
- Despoiler by by Jeff Schultz
- Calliope Pachyderm by Aaron Tysen
We are using the Poll Maker website for voting. Clicking the link below takes you to the voting booth where you can cast your vote. You can vote for one monster. You can change your selection by voting again, but only your final vote will be recorded.
VOTE!
The voting is open for seven days, i.e. until Oct. 16. The winner will be revealed shortly after the voting closes.
Also, thanks again to everyone who's helped us with this contest: Adam Daigle, Legendary Games, Rusted Iron Games, Rogue Genius Games, Wayfinder, and artist Tommi Salama, and to all of you who've entered, commented, and voted.
HBM4 Top 5: Calliope Pachyderm by Aaron Tysen
This pale purple
elephant is about the size of a pony. Four trunks of varied length
writhe betwixt its silvery tusks.
Pachyderm,
Calliope CR 5
XP 1600
CN Medium magical
beast
Init +0;
Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception
+9
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch
10, flat-footed 16 (+6 natural)
hp 51
(6d10+18)
Fort +8, Ref
+5, Will +2
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.
Melee gore +8
(1d8+2), slam +8 (1d6 +2)
Special Attacks
bardic performance, infrasonic rumble (DC 16)
Spell-Like
Abilities (CL 6th; concentration +9)
At will—invisibility
(self only)
3/day—charm
person (DC 14)
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex
10, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +6;
CMB +8; CMD 18 (22 vs. trip)
Feats
Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Perform (trunks))
Skills
Perception +9, Perform(trunks) +12, Stealth +9;
Languages
Common, Sylvan
SQ veridical
hallucination
ECOLOGY
Environment
temperate plains
Organization
solitary, duet, or ensemble (3-10)
Treasure
standard
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Bardic
Performance (Su) A calliope pachyderm may use bardic performance
as a 6th-level bard (10 rounds/day) and can use countersong,
fascinate, inspire competence, inspire competence and suggestion.
Levels in the bard class stack with this ability.
Infrasonic
Rumble (Ex) As a standard
action, a calliope pachyderm can produce a stomach-churning tone at a
frequency so deep as to be inaudible to most humanoids. All creatures
within 30 feet must succeed at a DC 16 fortitude save or be sickened
for 1d6 rounds. This is a sonic effect that does not require line of
sight. The save DC is Charisma-based. Calliope pachyderms are immune
to this ability.
Veridical
Hallucination (Su) A calliope pachyderm's at-will invisibility
does not render it invisible to creatures under the influence of
alcohol. A single, strong drink consumed within the past hour is
generally sufficient to see the elephant.
Cheerful, undersized
elephants with oversized appetites, calliope pachyderms roam the land
in search of food, drink and entertainment. They love music, and
their many trunks comprise their own, personal pipe organs. A
pachyderm can produce a wide variety of pitches and timbres, ranging
from shrill whistles, through mellow, reedy tones, all the way down
to ground- and gut-shaking infrasound. Calliope pachyderms find it
hard to resist joining in with other creatures' performances; they
revel in improvising wild, contrapuntal harmonies, often while
remaining invisible.
Calliope pachyderms
are strict herbivores and avoid violence. Nevertheless, they can be a
dangerous nuisance, due to their voracious appetites and the means by
which they seek to satiate them. Despite their small size, these
creatures can easily consume as much provender as full-sized
elephants. They crave alcoholic beverages, particularly distilled
spirits, which they drink by the bucketful. While they are certainly
capable of using their clever trunks to open granary doors and turn
taps, they prefer to compel other creatures to supply their desires.
In order to feed and
amuse itself, a calliope pachyderm will lurk invisibly around the
edges of a settlement, looking for just the right victim. The ideal
candidate is a lone drunkard, staggering home after a long night in
the tavern. Once the poor soul is away from the crowd, the elephant
appears in front of him, using charm person
and its bardic abilities to compel him to fetch enormous quantities
of food and drink. A few nights of this is, sadly, often sufficient
to deplete a farmer's store of fodder, leaving his animals at risk of
starvation over the winter. For the pachyderm, the benefits of this
foraging method go beyond free meals. The real joy comes in watching
the victim try to explain the situation to his neighbors, who are
unlikely to believe in invisible elephants.
The tusks of the
calliope pachyderm are formed from an exotic, silvery alloy. With
careful drilling, they can be crafted into flutes of exceptional
warmth and clarity of tone. A pair of unworked tusks might be worth
several hundred gold pieces to a skilled artisan. Of course, the
pachyderms themselves take exception to this practice and do not
hesitate to avenge their kin, usually in elaborate, embarassing ways.
Calliope pachyderms
grow to be 4 feet tall and weigh about 700 pounds. They appear in a
wide variety of pastel shades, sometimes with exotic patterns. Rare
individuals sport bright butterfly wings, far too small to allow them
to fly.
HBM4 Top 5: Despoiler by Jeff Schultz
This hulking bipedal creature walks around on its knuckles like a gorilla as a thin cloud of smog pours out into the air around it from thick tubes on its back and shoulders. It roars, exposing a toothy maw beneath beady black eyes.
Despoiler CR 8
XP 4,800
CE Large aberration
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +15
Aura smog cloud (10 ft., DC 18)
DEFENSE
AC 21, touch 12, flat-footed 18 (+3 Dex, +9 natural, -1 size)
hp 102 (12d8+24)
Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +10
DR 10/magic or cold iron; Immune disease, poison
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee bite +15 (1d8+8 plus disease), 2 slams +15 (1d6+8 plus disease)
Ranged rock +11 (1d8+12)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks disease, rock throwing (120 ft.)
STATISTICS
Str 26, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 9
Base Atk +8; CMB +17; CMD 30
Feats Awesome Blow, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack
Skills Climb +25, Intimidate +8, Perception +15
Languages Aklo
SQ cleansing weakness
ECOLOGY
Environment any land
Organization solitary, blight (2-4)
Treasure incidental
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Cleansing Weakness (Su) The polluted nature of the despoiler leaves it vulnerable to certain spells. A remove disease or neutralize poison spell deals 1d6 damage per caster level and negates the despoilers disease effect on attacks for 1d4 rounds. A delay poison spell does no damage, but does negate the disease effect for 1d2 rounds.
Disease (Su) Despoiling Disease: Bite and slam—injury; save Fort DC 18, onset 1d2 days, frequency 1/day, effect 1d4 Con damage, cure 2 consecutive saves.
Any Medium or larger fey creature killed while infected with despoiling disease quickly rots and bloats over a 24 hour period as it morphs into a new despoiler unless the body is destroyed. Tiny or Small size fey morph into 1d4 boilborn after a 24 hour period.
Smog Cloud (Ex) The despoiler is surrounded by a 10 foot radius cloud of putrid gases that assault the lungs. Creatures within the cloud must make a DC 18 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. Creatures remaining in the cloud are sickened until they leave and for 1d4 rounds after. Once per day, the despoiler can create an effect duplicating a stinking cloud (DC 18) centered on itself for five rounds. The save DC for both of these effects is Constitution based and a creature immune to poison is immune to these effects.
Despoilers arise in areas of natural beauty that have been tainted by some form of pollution, either natural or magical. The realm of the fey is particularly prone to passageways to other planes and places that taint the surrounding area and can lead to blights of despoilers savaging the area. Despoilers stand 14 feet tall and weigh 2,500 pounds, but they usually seem shorter as they walk crouched over. They appear heavily muscled with thick, scaly smokestacks erupting from their shoulders as well as smaller smokestacks in pairs down to the lower back.
Most despoilers arise from pollutants in the environment around them However, they also possess toxic organs in their body that creates a disease used to poison and corrupt fey. The disease generated by despoilers spreads from the point of impact and moves through the body, liquefying and rotting flesh. While it is lethal to any creature vulnerable to disease, in fey the disease corrupts and twists their flesh and pulls from the ambient magic in their nature to create new organs, cysts, muscle, and flesh that twist the fey creature after death into a new despoiler or boilborn oozes in a relatively short period of time.
Despoilers seem to only care about spreading destruction and pollution from wherever they were spawned. They hate fey above all else and if they feel any emotion asides from rage, it would be glee at corrupting fey creatures. The feeling of hatred is mutual for the fey, who frequently find themselves calling in favors or coercing mortals in order to find someone who can destroy any local blight of despoilers that may arise without leading to even more of the creatures. Despoilers do not ally with other creatures, but have in the past been manipulated or controlled by enemies of the fey to be used as a weapon.
HBM4 Top 5: Gorviel by Jeremy Corff
This shaggy beast has a mix of simian and insectile features. Hunched forward, knuckling about on long forearms that end in hooked claws, a massive hump of bone and chitin rests between its shoulder blades. A furious buzzing accompanies the creature, as well as a sickly-sweet musk.
Gorviel CR 4
XP 1,200
N Large magical beast
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light
vision; Perception +7
Aura heart of the swarm (5 ft.)
DEFENSE
AC 20, touch 11, flat-footed 18; (+2 Dex, +9
natural, –1 size)
hp 60 (6d10+12)
Fort +8, Ref +7, Will +2
Immune mind-affecting effects;
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +9 (1d6+5 plus trip), gore +9 (1d8+5)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks chittering roar
STATISTICS
Str 20, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 2,
Wis 10, Cha 6
Base Atk +4; CMB +10; CMD 21
Feats Cleave, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Acrobatics +6, Climb +17, Perception +7
ECOLOGY
Environment Warm forests
Organization solitary
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Heart of the Swarm
(Su) As an immediate action
the gorviel can fill the air around it with a swarm of its beetlish brood, which
expands into all adjacent squares. This cloud moves with the gorviel, and the ever-shifting
swarm provides the gorviel with partial concealment from ranged attacks. Creatures
other than the gorviel and its swarm within the cloud at the beginning of their
turns take 1d6 points of damage. Any creature damaged by the swarm must succeed
at a DC 15 Fortitude save or be staggered for one round. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Area-effect attacks that deal 10 or more points of damage to the gorviel
destroy its swarm cloud for 3 rounds, after which a new brood matures in the
hump and the gorviel can unleash its cloud again. When a gorviel dies, its swarm
disperses and the individuals soon perish on their own.
Chittering Roar
(Ex) As a standard action, a gorviel
can unleash a terrible chittering roar, affecting all creatures in a 15-foot
cone. Any creatures in the area of the cone must succeed at a DC 15 Fortitude
save or be dazed for 1 round and deafened for 1 minute by the cacophony. A gorviel
can use this ability once every 1d4 rounds. This is a sonic effect, and the
save DC is Constitution-based.
The boundless life
energy of the primal world provides fertile soil for many of nature’s stranger creatures,
allowing unusual traits and beasts to thrive, and one such is the gorviel. What possibly started as a mutualistic
relationship between hive insects and primeval apes may have developed further
over many centuries, or perhaps the creature was simply created as is in an
experiment by some deity only to be later abandoned as a concept. Whatever
their origin, the gorviel are common enough in parts of the primal world now.
The hulking form of
the gorviel mixes traits of mammal and insect throughout, with chitinous armor
and shaggy fur, as well as a face that combines the long horn and eyes of a
beetle with the nose and mouth of a great ape. This body is both a mobile hive
and queen mother to the colony of beetle-like males that live in its massive
hump. A self-contained family, the gorviel
roams the forests of the primal world, feeding on nuts, fruit, and any prey the
queen and her brood can incapacitate. When conditions are right and food is
plentiful the gorviel will build a nest in bushes or bramble and birth a new
queen, ceding a portion of her insectile host to the offspring, then abandoning
them and moving on to new territory. The
young gorviel matures quickly, reaching full size in a few months and replacing
her swarm as she grows.
Opportunistic hunters,
gorviel engage their swarm at the first sign of conflict. They open combat with their chittering roar
ability, then rush to close with foes. Once in melee range they use their long
arms and claws to trip enemies until all threats have been worn down by their
hungry brood. When all prey has been
thoroughly pacified, the gorviel and her swarm settle in to feed on the
remains, stripping the carcasses down to the bone as they feast.
HBM 4 Top 5: Grynthak by Mark Nordheim
The head and forelimbs of a bloated wart-covered toad front the writhing body of an enormous bone-white maggot. The creature’s wizened, narrow eyes are partially obscured by the layer of glistening slime that covers its skin.
Grynthak CR 14
XP 38,400
CN Huge magical beast (extraplanar)
Init +8; Senses
darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +25
DEFENSE
AC 28, touch 12,
flat-footed 24 (+4 Dex, +16 natural, -2 size)
hp 212 (17d10+119)
Fort +17, Ref
+16, Will +12
Defensive Abilities defensive lore
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.,
climb 40 ft.
Melee bite +23
(2d8+8/19–20 plus grab), 2 claws +23 (2d6+8), tongue +23 (1d8+8 plus grab and
pull)
Space 15 ft.; Reach
15 ft. (30 ft. with tongue)
Special Attacks
absorb stories, pull (tongue, 10 ft.), regurgitate story, swallow whole (4d6+12
bludgeoning damage, AC 18, 21 hp)
STATISTICS
Str 27, Dex
19, Con 24, Int 15, Wis 20, Cha 18
Base Atk +17; CMB
+27 (+31 grapple); CMD 41 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Cleave, Combat
Reflexes, Critical Focus, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Iron
Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Sickening Critical
Skills Bluff +13, Diplomacy
+13, Knowledge (history) +19, Perception +25, Perform (oratory) +12, Sense
Motive +13
Languages Aklo,
Common, Sylvan
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate
forest (Primal World)
Organization
solitary or symposium (2–4)
Treasure standard
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Absorb Stories (Su) Once per round as a free action, the grynthak can transfer knowledge
of one exciting story or tale of derring-do from an enemy it has grappled or
swallowed into its own memory. The enemy loses all knowledge of the story so
absorbed as if affected by modify memory
unless it succeeds at a DC 22 Will save. This is a mind-affecting effect. The
save DC is Charisma-based.
Defensive Lore (Su) Three times per day as an immediate action, the grynthak can call upon
its vast memories of heroic tales to quickly determine the optimal defense
against an incoming attack. The grynthak can choose either to gain DR 20/— against
the attack or to gain a +5 bonus to the saving throw against the attack.
Regurgitate Story (Su) Once every 1d4 rounds as a standard action, the grynthak can belch
forth a 60-ft. cone of brown, viscous fluid infused with the essence of a story
known to it. Each creature that contacts the fluid must succeed at a DC 22 Will
save or be forced to reenact the infused story for 1d4 rounds. An affected
creature can take no actions of its own choice but can defend itself normally. Each
round, the grynthak may choose to have the creature move up to its speed, speak
lines chosen by the grynthak to fulfill its role in the story, or awkwardly
pantomime any other actions required by the story, thereby provoking attacks of
opportunity. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect. The save DC is
Charisma-based.
Tongue (Ex) A
grynthak’s tongue is a primary attack with reach equal to twice the grynthak’s
normal reach. The grynthak does not gain the grappled condition when using its
tongue to grapple a foe.
Grynthaks, sometimes called fabulavores or eaters
of stories, are grotesque creatures that combine aspects of larval insects and
amphibians. They derive sustenance from learning new tales of heroism and
valor, possessing insatiable appetites for myth and legend. Typical grynthaks
seek to parley with travelers and ascertain whether their quarry is likely to
know any stories of interest. Once they discover a person of interest,
grynthaks offer a friendly exchange of stories; however, they become irritable
if a conversation partner withholds information or ends the discussion
prematurely. Such encounters frequently end with physical attacks by the
grynthaks, who seek to absorb the stories directly from their victims.
Grynthaks are native to the labyrinthine
hollows and root systems of the colossal trees of the Primal World. They are
prodigious travelers, constantly moving in search of new lore, who often set up
temporary lairs far from their forest homes, even venturing to other planes or
worlds if they can reach them. Adventurers and scholars sometimes seek out
grynthaks, hoping to barter for bits of rare knowledge or lore; this is a
dangerous endeavor as many grynthaks resent being used as knowledge brokers and
may become physically aggressive. Occasionally, grynthaks form partnerships
with carnivorous creatures to share prey – the grynthaks absorb stories from
their victims before the carnivores devour them.
A typical grynthak is 20 feet long and weighs
4,000 pounds.
HBM4 Top 5: Gravestone Dryad by Kim Frandsen
With flesh consisting of dead wood and hair entwined with twigs and leaves, this clawed once-beautiful female reeks of rot and earth.
Gravestone Dryad CR 7
XP 3,200
NE Medium undead
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., lifesense, low-light vision,; Perception +11
----- Defense -----
AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+4 Dex, +5 natural)
hp 85 (10d8+40);
Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +10
DR 5/silver; Immune undead traits;
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee claw +11 (1d4 plus 1d2 Con drain)
Special Attacks entomb
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th, concentration +14)
Constant – speak with dead
At will—entangle, stone shape
3/day—charm person, deep slumber, inflict light wounds
1/day—animate dead, suggestion
----- Statistics -----
Str 10, Dex 19, Con --, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 18
Base Atk +7; CMB +7; CMD 19
Feats Alertness, Deceitful, Improved Initiative, Stealthy, Weapon Finesse, +2
Skills
Bluff +10, Climb +9, Craft (sculpture) +11, Disguise +14, Escape Artist
+15, Knowledge (nature) +8, Perception +13, Sense Motive +12, Stealth
+19, Survival +8;
Languages Common, Elven, Sylvan; speak with dead
SQ entomb, grave meld, grave swap
----- Ecology -----
Environment any graveyard
Organization solitary
Treasure standard
----- Special Abilities -----
Entomb (Su) Three
times per day as a standard action, a gravestone dryad can entomb a
living being within 100 ft. in a dirt coffin, causing them to rapidly
suffocate as per the suffocation spell, Reflex DC 18 negates.
However, unlike the spell, the target can escape the dirt coffin with a
DC 30 Escape Artist check or by destroying the dirt coffin (treat as
stone, Hardness 8, 30 hp, break DC 25).
Anyone
killed in this manner automatically rises as a zombie, under the
gravestone dryad's control at the end of the next round, automatically
breaking free of the dirt coffin. (This does not use up the grave stone
dryad’s daily use of animate dead).
Grave Meld (Su) A gravestone dryad can meld with a grave, similar to how the spell meld into stone
functions, though the grave need only be half the size of the
gravestone dryad. She can remain melded with a grave as long as she
wishes.
Grave Swap(Su)
Three times per day as a standard action, a gravestone dryad can swap
physical location with any corpse within 100 ft. The corpse and
gravestone dryad will then swap physical locations and the corpse will
for the next hour assume the physical appearance of the gravestone
dryad, similar to disguise self.
Gravestone
dryads are twisted versions of their former selves, created when a
dryad's tree is felled near a cemetery. The combined loss of the dryad's
death, tree and the collective sorrow of the mourners at the cemetery
calls to the dryad's soul and reunites it with its former body,
immediately setting out for the graveyard. Once there, it merges with the graves and awaits its first prey, craving the life that it once had. First seen near large battlefields, reports of gravestone dryads have now been received from all corners of the world.
The
gravestone dryad craves life (though doesn't need it for sustenance)
and despises the living, knowing that they experience what it desires.
And what it can't have, it destroys. To
this end, the gravestone dryad lurks, listens and watches during the
day, sending out zombie minions by night to lure or force back victims,
though it is not above an opportunistic kill during the day. The
gravestone dryad is patient however and can go weeks before taking its
next victim to avoid discovery. She will try to kill at least once per
month.
Much
as the gravestone dryad wants to destroy life, however, there is
nothing they hate more than the “normal” fey, and they go out of their
way, even if it means exposing themselves, to destroy any fey they can
find and have been known to move to areas that contain portals to the
fey worlds, simply to destroy them as they’re passing from one world to
the other. In return, the fey seek out the gravestone dryads, trying to
destroy them permanently, though often the fey fall prey to their own
self-assurance and wind up being animated under the gravestone dryads
control.
They fear that one day gravestone dryads and corrupted treants might
work together to destroy the fey realms, but so far these fears have
been unfounded.
Friday, September 15, 2017
Here Be Monsters 4: Out of the Primal World begins NOW
Having
survived monsters from online wishes; Hell breaking loose; and from beyond the
stars, Swords for Hire is getting ready for a battle between creatures from the
mysterious realm of the fey!
Here Be Monsters 4: Out of the Primal World, the fourth season of the annual Pathfinder RPG monster
design contest from Swords for Hire Development, begins NOW!
We're calling on game designers to
create a single monster with the theme "Out of the Primal World"—creatures
whose origins tie to the strange realm of the fey. But there's a twist:
Monsters may be any creature type EXCEPT fey. Five finalists will be picked by
the Swords for Hire team, consisting of Paizo contributor Mikko Kallio, accomplished freelancer Jacob W. Michaels, and RPG Superstar Mike Welham.
The Top 5 entries will go on to be
judged Jacob and Mike, as well as Joe
Kondrak, who has made the list of finalists in the first three Here Be
Monsters contests (and thus isn't eligible to compete anymore). Special guest
judge Adam Daigle, a Paizo developer
who has designed and developed hundreds of Pathfinder monsters, will return for
his third year to add his comments before the finalists going on to a public
vote to determine the grand winner.