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.

Here Be Monsters 3: The victor comes From Beyond the Stars!

 Jeremy Corff's eon-scarred probe earned about one third of the votes cast, winning this year's Here Be Monsters design contest. Congratulations,Jeremy !

I'll be contacting the winner and the runners-up within a few days about the prizes from our sponsors Legendary Games, Rusted Iron Games, Zenith Games.

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest, and thanks to my fellow judges Adam, Mikko, and Mike, all the voters, Tommi Salama and Hugo Solis.

Here Be Monsters 3: 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:

• Strife Wasp by Joe Kondrak
• Voidweaver by Matt Roth
• Eon-Scarred Probe by Jeremy Corff
• Void Herald by Eric Hindley
• Star Cinder by Isaac Volynskiy

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 Dec. 12. 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, Zenith Games, and artists Hugo Solis and Tommi Salama, and to all of you who've entered, commented, and voted.

HBM3 Top 5: Star Cinder by Isaac Volynskiy

Light dims around this small humanoid creature composed entirely of condensed ash, its single empty eye trembling under an unseen pressure.

 
Starcinder CR 7

XP 1,600

NE Small outsider (elemental, evil, extraplanar, fire)

Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +12

Aura dead weight aura (15 ft., DC 17)

DEFENSE

AC 20, touch 18, flat-footed 13 (+7 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)

hp 85 (10d10+30);

Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +8

Defensive Abilities negative energy affinity; Immune cold, fire, elemental traits;

OFFENSE

Speed fly 60 ft. (good)

Melee 2 slams +10 (2d6+4 plus destabilizing touch)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Special Attacks destabilizing touch (DC 19)

STATISTICS

Str 18, Dex 24, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 9

Base Atk +10; CMB +13; CMD 30

Feats Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Greater Sunder, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, Weapon Finesse,

Skills Acrobatics +20, Bluff +12, Escape Artist +20, Fly +26, Knowledge (planes) +15, Perception +14, Sense Motive +14, Stealth +20

Languages Ignan

SQ form of annihilation, starflight

ECOLOGY

Environment any (Space)

Organization solitary, gang (2–3), form (4)

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Dead Weight Aura (Su) Neither light nor hope escape a starcinder’s presence. The illumination level in its aura drops one step and when a creature comes within 15 feet of a starcinder, it must succeed at a DC 17 Will save or be able to move at no more than half its normal speed and be shaken long as the creature remains within the starcinder’s aura and for an additional 1d3 rounds after leaving it. Once a creature successfully saves against the aura, it is immune to that particular starcinder’s aura for 24 hours; otherwise, reentering the aura forces a creature to save again. Starcinders are immune to each others’ auras.  This aura is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Destabilizing Touch (Su) Whenever a creature is dealt bludgeoning damage by a starcinder, it must succeed a DC 19 Fortitude save or gain vulnerability to bludgeoning damage until the end of the starcinder’s next turn.  An object struck by a starcinder instead loses 10 hardness.  An attended object or magic object can attempt a DC 19 Fortitude save to negate this effect.

Form of Annihilation (Sp) As part of taking a total defense action, a starcinder can prepare itself to merge with at least three other adjacent starcinders.  Once the fourth starcinder uses this action, they must maintain concentration as if casting a 9th level spell for one round.  Afterwards, the starcinders collapse into a sphere of annihilation which has a move speed of 5ft. The starcinders can maintain this form for up to 24 hours before separating, and cannot assume the form again for another week.

Starflight (Su) A starcinder can survive in the void of outer space. It flies through space at incredible speeds. Although exact travel times vary, a trip within a single solar system normally takes 3d20 months, while a trip beyond normally takes 3d20 years (or more, at the GM's discretion)—provided the starcinder knows the way to its destination.

When a star dies, the thousands of fire elementals which resided in the star die with it.  Rarely, gravitational forces and negative energy bind the dead ashes together into a new elemental, the starcinder.  Starcinders are forces of structural instability, seeking to band up with others of their kind and rampage in areas with dense fire elemental populations (such as a planet’s molten core or a star).  

Each fire elemental destroyed by a starcinder has a 1% chance to be reborn as a starcinder in a random part of the universe.

SEE BELOW FOR COMMENTS FROM JUDGES ADAM DAIGLE, MIKKO KALLIO, JACOB W. MICHAELS, AND MIKE WELHAM:

HBM3 Top 5: Void Herald by Eric Hindley

Four writhing tentacles emerge from a central body that is little more than a gelatinous mass wrapped around a monstrous, pulsating eye.

Void Herald      CR 8

XP 4,800

NE Large aberration

Init +2; Senses all-around vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +17

Defense

AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +8 natural, -1 size)

hp 102 (12d8+48)

Fort +7, Ref +8, Will +12

DR 10/cold iron; SR 19

Immune cold

Offense

Speed 5 ft., fly 40 ft. (perfect)

Melee 4 tentacles +12 (1d6+4 plus grab)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 15 ft.

Special Attacks enervating grasp

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +15)

Constant—tongues

At will—breath of life (DC 18), gentle repose

1/day—symbol of pain (DC 18)

Statistics

Str 19, Dex 14, Con 17, Int 18, Wis 14, Cha 17

Base Atk +9; CMB +14 (+18 grapple); CMD 27 (can't be tripped)

Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Endurance, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Toughness

Skills Acrobatics +2 (-10 to jump), Diplomacy +15, Fly +23, Heal +14, Knowledge (geography) +16, Knowledge (planes) +16, Perception +17, Sense Motive +14, Survival +17

SQ void hibernation

Ecology

Environment any

Organization solitary, pair, or envoy (3-6)

Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Enervating Grasp (Su) When a void herald has an opponent grappled with 2 or more tentacles, it can swivel its eye to drain the life force from them. The void herald makes a grapple check with a +2 bonus for each tentacle after the first that is grappling the target. If this check is successful, the void master bestows one negative level on the target. This functions like the energy drain universal monster ability. A successful DC 19 Fortitude save is required to remove these negative levels. If the void herald uses this ability, it loses all-around vision for one round. The save DC for this ability is Charisma based.

Void Hibernation (Ex) Void heralds can enter a state of hibernation for an indefinite period when travelling through space or in other harsh conditions. The void herald encases itself in a gelatinous cocoon, a process that takes 10 minutes. The cocoon has hardness 10 and 60 hit points, and is immune to fire and bludgeoning (including falling) damage. If the cocoon remains intact, the void herald within remains unharmed. The void herald can move the cocoon using its fly speed. The cocoon remains until it contacts a hard surface, such as the surface of a planet.

There are unspeakable things in the spaces between the stars, some of which have untold power. Void heralds serve as ambassadors for these enigmatic entities, exploring new worlds for their masters. They are capable of diplomacy, and often present a friendly and helpful façade. When a void herald speaks, its voice always speaks the listeners native tongue and it seems to come from somewhere a few feet away from the void herald itself. They often have great information, bringing new technologies to a world or other advanced knowledge, such as medicine or engineering. In exchange for its help, a void herald will often ask for a few creatures to act as sacrifices.

In truth, void heralds are sent to test the durability and usefulness of indigenous life for their masters. They can bend the laws of reality to grant themselves power over life and death. They excel at bringing a creature to the brink of death with their energy drain and then bringing them back to life. How long creatures can endure such punishment is vital for their mysterious masters, though few know what fate befalls those deemed suitable by the void heralds.

A void herald is about six feet across and weighs only 120 pounds.

SEE BELOW FOR COMMENTS FROM JUDGES ADAM DAIGLE, MIKKO KALLIO, JACOB W. MICHAELS, AND MIKE WELHAM:

HBM3 Top 5: Eon-Scarred Probe by Jeremy Corff

Hovering silently in the air, this construct is composed of three broad segmented tentacles connected to a central orb with a flickering red gem in the center. The limbs writhe and twitch to some unknown song, and it has an air of unimaginable age.

Eon-Scarred Probe CR 10

XP 9,600

N Medium Construct (robot)

Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception + 10

DEFENSE

AC 23, touch 13, flat-footed 20 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +10 natural)
hp 131 (13d10+20 plus 40 hp force field)
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +10

Defensive Abilities hardness 10; Immune construct traits; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10

Weaknesses vulnerable to critical hits and electricity

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect)

Melee 3 slams +20 (1d6+ 6)

Special Attacks binary laser array, song of alien stars

STATISTICS

Str 22, Dex 15, Con --, Int 8, Wis 19, Cha 1

Base Atk +13; CMB +19 (can’t be tripped )

Feats Alertness, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Weapon Focus Slam, Hover, Wingover

Skills Fly +15, Knowledge (history) +5, Linguistics +7, Perception +10

Languages Aklo

SQ self repair

ECOLOGY

Environment any

Organization solitary

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Binary Laser Array (Ex): As a full round action, a probe can beam a message from its laser array once every 1d4 rounds. The beam always starts at an intersection adjacent to the probe and extends in the direction of the probe's choice. The beam is a 200ft line that deals 12d6 fire damage. Those caught in the line can attempt a DC18 Reflex save to take half damage. Invisible creatures are immune to damage caused by the laser array.

Force Field (Ex) An eon-scarred probe is sheathed in a layer of shimmering energy that grants it 40 bonus hit points. All damage dealt to a probe with an active force field is reduced from these hit points first. As long as the force field is active, the probe is immune to critical hits. A probe’s force field has fast healing 10, but once its hit points are reduced to 0, the force field shuts down and does not reactivate for 24 hours.

Self-Repair (Ex) A probe’s nanites heal it of damage at the rate of 10 hit points per hour. Once per day, as a full-round action, it can heal itself of 60 points of damage.

Song of Alien Stars (Ex) As a move action, an eon-scarred probe can emit a barrage of scrambled psychic impressions. All creatures other than probe within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be confused for 1 round as they experience garbled fragments of alien life and culture. This is a mind-affecting effect. Once a probe begins its song it can maintain it as a free action every round, necessitating another save for all creatures within the range.

Eon-scarred probes are first contact robots sent forth by their long forgotten creators millenia ago to travel the cosmos and find alien life. Originally built to find sentients and communicate the culture of their progenitors via their laser array and pre-recorded psychic messages, unfortunately millions of years, travel through the expanse of space, and exposure to forces unimagined by their makers have left the probes warped. They still seek out sentient life to make first contact, but the recordings have long since become mind jarring gibberish and the laser array is extremely ill suited for communicating with organic life. Invariably the sentients either defend themselves from the hazardous attempts at communication, or flee the inexorable pursuit of the robot only to be tracked down and 'contacted' into oblivion. Once the probe has finished it departs and resumes its search.

SEE BELOW FOR COMMENTS FROM JUDGES ADAM DAIGLE, MIKKO KALLIO, JACOB W. MICHAELS, AND MIKE WELHAM:

HBM3 Top 5: Voidweaver by Matt Roth

Hundreds of vaguely arachnid limbs hold a wiry, larvae-like woman aloft. The air twists around the otherwise limbless figure as she looks on with eight glittering, sorrowful eyes.

Voidweaver CR 6

XP 2,400

N Medium aberration

Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., see in darkness; Perception +16

Aura graviton (60 ft., DC 17)

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 natural armor)

hp 67 (9d8+27); fast healing 2

Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +9

Defensive Abilities gravitational superiority; DR 10/magic; Immune cold; Resist fire 10

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect)

Melee 4 claws +8 (1d6 plus implosion)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Special Attacks gravityweave (+10 ranged, DC 17, 9 hp)

STATISTICS

Str 11, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 11

Base Atk +6; CMB +5; CMD 19 (can't be tripped)

Feats Deflect Arrows^B, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (claws), Multiattack, Weapon Finesse

Skills Acrobatics +16, Fly +24, Knowledge (planes) +14, Perception +15, Sense Motive +15, Stealth +16

Languages Aklo, Common

SQ no breath

ECOLOGY

Environment any (space)

Organization solitary or nest (2-6)

Treasure standard

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Graviton Aura (Su) A voidweaver manipulates the flow of gravitons in a 60-ft.-radius, creating an area of objective directional gravity (of light, heavy, or normal strength). The voidweaver controls the gravity's direction and strength and may alter it as a full-round action. Creatures that enter the aura must make a DC 17 Will saving throw to control their personal gravity, treating the voidweaver's aura as subjective directional gravity for 24 hours. Creatures that make their save but do not actively control their movement (see Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Gamemastery Guide) treat this as an area of no gravity. Creatures may attempt a save each round they remain in the aura. The save DC is Wisdom-based.

Gravitational Superiority (Ex) Voidweavers are gravitationally independent and may choose to ignore any other gravity effect (such as planets or reverse gravity). A voidweaver gains Deflect Arrows as a bonus feat and, once per day when hit by an attack, can force creatures to make new saves against its graviton aura.

Gravityweave (Ex) Gravityweave is treated as the web universal monster ability with the following differences: it has a range increment of 60 feet with a maximum range of 5 range increments, is effective against creatures two size categories larger, imposes a –8 penalty to Fly checks, uses Wisdom to determine its DC, is incorporeal, and is invisible (requiring a DC 30 Perception check to spot the slight spatial distortion where they lie). Gravityweave may be layered over 1d4 hours to create an area of heavy, light, or objective directional gravity. Creatures that fail to notice the gravityweave and become entangled are immediately subjected to the gravitational effect. 

Implosion (Su) Once per round, when a voidweaver hits a living target caught in gravityweave, it can compress the gravitation field to deal extra damage. The creature takes 1d10+3 damage and must make a DC 16 Fortitude saving throw or be slowed (as the spell) for 1d4 rounds. The save DC is Intelligence-based.

Voidweavers are the result of bizarre gravitational tinkering by a group of too-curious wizards. Its arachnid-like protrusions are complex organs enabling voidweavers to spin gravity like a spider's web. Though not inherently evil, their voracious appetites, tendency to crush meals to balls of organic matter, and anomalous gravitational fields make them seldom appreciated. Voidweavers are capable of gravity-propelled, slumbering starflight, but most voidweavers that take to the stars form collective nests in asteroid belts to pull in passerby with vast nets of gravityweave. The average voidweaver stands 5 feet tall and weighs 110 pounds.

SEE BELOW FOR COMMENTS FROM JUDGES ADAM DAIGLE, MIKKO KALLIO, JACOB W. MICHAELS, AND MIKE WELHAM:

HBM3 Top 5: Strife Wasp by Joe Kondrak

 

A single translucent tendril wriggles between the disgusting mandibles of this enormous black wasp. Dappled with twinkling specks of light, its leathery wings resemble the nighttime sky.

Strife Wasp CR 6

XP 2,400

N Large aberration

Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +12

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +5 natural, –1 size)

hp 76 (9d8+36)

Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +7

Immune cold; Resist electricity 10, fire 10

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., fly 80 ft. (perfect)

Melee bite +10 (1d8+5), sting +11 (1d6+5 plus poison)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Special Attacks cerebral extraction, malign venom, poison, spiteful glimmer

STATISTICS

Str 21, Dex 18, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 12

Base Atk +6; CMB +12; CMD 26 (34 vs. trip)

Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Focus (sting)

Skills Fly +15, Perception +12

SQ auroral transit, no breath

ECOLOGY

Environment any

Organization solitary, pair, constellation (3–6), or invasion (7–19)

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Auroral Transit (Su) When a strife wasp flies through a cloud of ionized gas such as a planet’s aurora or a comet’s tail, it supernaturally senses the locations of similar phenomena across a vast expanse of space, and can transfer itself to one of those locations as a standard action.

Cerebral Extraction (Ex) Using a tendril specialized for just such a purpose, a strife wasp can extract a portion of cerebral tissue from the brain of an adjacent, helpless creature as a full-round action. This deals 1d4 points of Intelligence and Wisdom damage unless the target succeeds at a DC 18 Fortitude save. The save DC is Dexterity-based.

Malign Venom (Ex) Any round a creature fails its save against a strife wasp's poison, it must succeed at a second DC 18 Will save or become hostile toward its allies for 1 round as if affected by murderous command. This is a mind-affecting poison effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Poison (Ex) Sting—injury; save Fort DC 18; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1d2 Wisdom damage plus malign venom; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Spiteful Glimmer (Su) As a standard action, a strife wasp can cause the twinkling lights on its wings to brightly pulse with eldritch light. Creatures within 30 feet that can see the strife wasp must succeed at a DC 15 Will save or be overcome with spite for 1 round, as if affected by murderous command. This is a mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Strife wasps are strange, alien bugs that travel throughout the universe, hunting and spreading misery wherever they roam. Though they can fly through the upper atmosphere and even outer space, strife wasps do not fly quickly enough to navigate interplanetary or interstellar distances. Instead, they travel from one planet to another by teleporting between the planets’ auroras.

Strife wasps possess a rudimentary intelligence, but are driven primarily by instinct and appetite rather than malign intent. In order to produce viable eggs, they must ingest unspoiled cerebral tissue. After ingesting a suitable amount of such tissue, a strife wasp travels to a comet using its auroral transit ability, and then lays its eggs on the comet’s icy surface. To properly incubate, the eggs require a substantial period of cold and darkness, hatching only after the comet makes a complete trip around its parent star. Scholars and seers on planets repeatedly plagued by strife wasps associate the arrival of the strange invaders with the appearance of particular comets. A typical strife wasp is 12 feet long and weighs 900 pounds.

SEE BELOW FOR COMMENTS FROM JUDGES ADAM DAIGLE, MIKKO KALLIO, JACOB W. MICHAELS, AND MIKE WELHAM.

Here Be Monsters 3: From Beyond the Stars observations

It's always interesting to see how people interpret themes, as oftentimes game designers find themselves mining similar territory for their creations. It's a trait we've seen many times in Paizo's RPG Superstar, and it holds just as true in this contest.

In this case, we noticed a few similar features in many of the monsters submitted: tentacles and eyes (or lack thereof). For what it's worth, having one of these commonalities didn't hurt a monster's chance to make the Top 5 -- at least one monster with one or more of these features made the cut.

Nearly a quarter (7) of the submitted monsters had tentacles of some sort. I feel like we can thank the Cthulhu mythology for that, though that's mostly a guess: The tentacled monsters in this competition weren't all Cthulhu-esque and actually seemed to mine a wide range of inspirations.

We also thought we noticed a trend toward monsters with just a single eye, leading to the quip that in space, no one needs depth perception. Crunching the numbers for this blog post, though, it turned out that it was a little less of a trend than we thought as we were going through them: It turned out only four creatures had a central orb. (I think, as happens with Superstar voting to winnow down the magic items, sometimes you feel like you see something and just become hyper-aware of it, leading to the perception that thing is occurring more often than it does.)

Finally, we also had a similar commonality with naming: "Void" was a popular choice, with four monsters submitted with some variation of it in the name. "Star" came in second place, appearing in three monsters' names.

Here Be Monsters 3: From Beyond the Stars stats

One of the things the Swords for Hire crew really enjoys about running contests is seeing what kind of entries we'll get. While the first Here Be Monsters had a more wide-open theme (contestants were asked to pick a monster from a fan wish list for the not-yet-published Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 5 on the Paizo forums), the second (Hell Breaks Loose) and third contests have had a more unifying theme. That's seen competitors tend to focus on similar areas in their designs, though there's still plenty of variation.

Creature types

Of the 26 monsters submitted for From Beyond the Stars, nearly half (11) were aberrations (which probably isn't surprising as the theme almost screams aberration). Outsiders (5) took up the No. 2 position, while we also had a scattering of constructs (3), monstrous humanoids (2) and oozes (2). A single fey, humanoid and undead were also submitted, but we received no animals, dragons, magical beasts, plants, or vermin.

The subtypes were pretty limited; one of the constructs had the robot subtype, a couple of the outsiders carried the phantom subtype, and we had one incorporeal and a couple shapechanger monsters, but there were no swarms or troops in this year's submissions. Edited to add: I realized as I was going through the entries again that there was in fact a swarm; my apologies.

Challenge rating

The (mean) average CR of the submitted monsters was 8.15, while the median average is 7 (I think; I don't have much call to do math anymore, so I'm operating from memory here, folks).

The lowest CR we received was 3, while our high submission was 18.

Alignments

Seven of the nine possible alignments were represented, with the consensus apparently being that space creatures are neither chaotic good nor lawful neutral.

Twelve of the monsters were evil, with three of those chaotic evil, one lawful evil and the rest (8) neutral evil.

Two monsters were good, one of them lawful good, the other neutral good.

The remaining monsters were neutral, three of them chaotic neutral, and nine of them true neutral.

For those of you who, like Mikko, prefer to see your alignments in tables, here are the same statistics:

	Lawful	Neutral	Chaotic
Good	1	1	--
Neutral	--	9	3
Evil	1	8	3

Sizes

Kiel asked in the comments about the sizes of the entries: They were all 590-610 words, as required in the rules. Wait, what? Oh, wrong type of size. (See, I like bad jokes...)

The monsters ranged from Fine to Huge, though most of them (11) were Medium. Six creatures were Small, while five were Huge, four were Large, and one was Fine.

And, yes, for those of you who note the oddity in that set of statistics, those numbers are in fact doublechecked and are correct.


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We'll have some more details on the contest entries in the next couple days, taking a fun look at some of the areas we saw some parallel design from our competitors.