Fantasy NPC: Huntmaster Alvaris, Arranger Of Accidents

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Huntmaster Alvaris, Arranger Of Accidents

A dashing young man in the most fashionable hunting attire, with a devilishly charming smile and cold eyes of a dedicated hunter.

CR 8; 1,600 XP

LE Medium Outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)

Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +20

Defense
AC 21, touch 18, flat-footed 21 (+3 armor, +5 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 insight)

hp 102 (12d10+36)
Fort +11, Ref +11, Will +11

Defensive Abilities alert hunter, stray arrow; DR 5/good and silver; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee +2 animal bane spear +17/+12/+7 (1d8+5, ×3)

Ranged +2 animal bane composite longbow +19/+14/+9 (1d8+5, ×3) or +17/+17/+12/+7

Special Attacks feral amok, hunter is prey

Statistics
Str 16, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 17, Cha 15

Base Atk +12; CMB +15; CMD 33
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Point-Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot

Skills Bluff +17, Disguise +17, Knowledge (nature) +17, Knowledge (nobility) +17, Perception +20, Ride +20, Sense Motive +20, Survival +20

Language Celestial, Common, Infernal, Sylvan; telepathy 100 ft.

SQ change shape (alter self)

Notable Gear +2 wild padded armor (high quality hunting attire), +2 animal bane spear, +2 animal bane composite longbow

Alert Hunter (Su) Huntmaster Alvaris gains +2 insight bonus to AC, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks. He can always act in the surprise turn, and doesn't lose his Dexterity bonus to AC when flat footed or against unseen attackers.

Feral Amok (Su) Huntmaster Alvaris can incite aggression in nearby animals, targeting one animal within 60 feet as a swift action, or any number of them as a standard action. Targeted domesticated animals become agitated for 1d4 rounds—horses attempt t0 throw off their riders, hunting dogs and raptors attack their handlers, and other domesticated animals might bolt and run, while wild animals attack in rage, gaining +4 morale bonus to Strength and Constitution and +2 morale bonus to Will saves. Animal companions, animal cohorts, and similar animals sharing special bond with their handlers can make a Will saving throw (DC 18) to avoid attacking their masters. Handlers and riders can try to retain control over their animals as a standard action by making Handle Animal or Ride check, as appropriate, against the same DC. This is an emotion compulsion effect.

Hunter Is Prey (Su) Huntmaster Alvaris can forcibly transform one touched animal or humanoid into a Small, Medium, or Large animal native to the region. This acts as polymorph, except it can affect unwilling target and lasts for 2d6 hours (Huntsman Alvaris can't dismiss it earlier, though it ends if he is killed or banished from the same plane). Affected target reads as animal to magic that detects animals (though true seeing reveals the victim's true form), and becomes vulnerable to animal bane weapon property. A successful Fortitude saving throw (DC 18) renders the target immune to this effect for 24 hours.

Stray Arrow (Su) As an immediate action, Huntmaster Alvaris can redirect a physical projectile aimed at a target within 60 feet (including himself) against another target within the same area. Critical hit multiplier of such redirected attack is increased by one.

Huntmaster Alvaris is a professional, specializing in arranging discreet hunting accidents. His services can be acquired for a favor or two (which he trades to devils in the area to push the infernal agenda), though he is always willing to accept a soul if someone is in hurry or bad at making such deals.

He loves his job and likes to play with and trick his victims, and can occasionally offer an extra casualty or two, free of charge. He doesn't like to finish the victim himself–seeing that as failure on his part—though he will do that if that will be necessary to fulfill the contract if other tricks and arrangements failed to complete the job.

Fantasy NPC: Lady GweHuaNi, The Royal Ministress Of Salt

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Lady GweHuaNi

A tall woman whose skin is parched and dried, almost like an old hide, her sparse hair is thin and colorless, and her once-resplendant exotic clothing is falling apart.

CR 5; 1,600 XP

LN Medium Undead

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +15

Defense
AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+2 deflection, +2 Dex, +4 natural)

hp 59 (7d8+28)
Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +10

Defensive Abilities salt path; DR 10/—; Immune undead traits

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee 2 slams +9 (1d6+4)

Special Attacks salt burst (10-ft. burst, 5d6, Reflex DC 17 for half)

Statistics
Str 18, Dex 14, Con –, Int 15, Wis 17, Cha 19

Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 23
Feats Alertness, Skill Focus (Appraise), Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Skill Focus (Profession [salt production])

Skills Appraise +15, Climb +11, Diplomacy +17, Knowledge (engineering) +, Perception +15, Profession (salt production) +13, Sense Motive +15

Language a long-forgotten language of her kingdom, Aquan, Sylvan, Terran

Notable Gear a seal-ring of her office (grants +2 deflection bonus to AC and +2 resistance bonus to saving throws to anyone duly appointed to the office of the Royal Minister Of Salt)

Salt Burst (Su) As a standard action, lady GweHuaNi can detonate a deposit of salt within 60 feet, be it naturally occurring salt rocks, a large pile of processed salt, or one of the squares of her salt path. The deposit explodes dealing 5d6 points of bludgeoning and piercing damage in a 10-ft. burst, with a successful Reflex saving throw halving the damage. Corporeal creatures that fail their saving throw are embedded with salt shards that makes them sickened with intense pain for 1d4 rounds (unless they are immune to pain effects). About half the salt of the affected deposit, up to approximately 700 pounds is lost, while the rest is spread over much larger area as dust, unsuitable for further targeting with this ability. The saving throw DC of this earth effect is Charisma-based.

Salt Path (Su) When lady GweHuaNi is angry, stressed, or in combat, whenever she moves, she leaves a path of salt crystals in the squares she moved over, which act like spike stones, dealing damage and potentially causing leg injuries (DC 17) to anyone moving through.

When the workers started to excavate an ancient and long abandoned salt mine, they were not prepared for what they were going to find. Lady GweHuaNi was an officer of an ancient kingdom, the original owners of the salt mine. She was responsible for overseeing the harvest of salt—immensely important strategic resource, and one of the main sources of the realms wealth—and took her duties seriously, personally inspecting facilities, negotiating deals with salt misers, and making sure that the workers are treated fairly. Her career came to a premature end when the salt mine she was visiting was suddenly flooded and partially collapsed.

The brine in which the lady GweHuaNi drowned, preserved her body for centuries if not millennia, long after any traces of her civilization faded from memories. The land itself changed, the people moved, and new kingdoms arose, with her only vaguely aware of passage of time, until the new machines pumped the salty waters out of the mine, and workers belonging to nations she never saw before started breaking the salt crystals again.

Lady GweHuaNi, once a distant relation to the royal family, holding a key administrative position of the realm has yet to find her way in a new world of strange people, strange customs, strange laws, strange politics, and even stranger mining technologies supplementing the well known miners with picks. Even if those picks are now made of different metal that was reserved for royalty in her time.

Despite of the time abyss between her times and now, she is unused to not being in position of power, and while her undying body has little need for aristocratic comforts, she still expects them because of her long gone position.

Fantasy Monster: Horn Golem

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Golem, Horn

A disturbing, towering figure made of a mass of tangled horns and antlers of various animals.

CR 7; XP 3,200
N Large Construct

Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +3

Defense
AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, +8 natural, –1 size)
hp 85 (10d10+30)
Fort +3; Ref +6; Will +6

DR 5/adamantine; Immune construct traits, magic immunity

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee 4 gores +12 (1d8+3, 19–20/×2 plus 1d8 bleed)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks tearing blows

Statistics
Str 16, Dex 16, Con —, Int —, Wis 17, Cha 1
Base Atk +10; CMB +14; CMD 27 (31 vs trip)

Skills Perception +3, Stealth –1 (+9 in forests); Racial Modifiers +10 Stealth in forests

Ecology
Environment ruins, forest glades
Organization solitary or gang (2–4)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Magic Immunity (Ex) A horn golem is immune to spells and spell-like abilities that allow Spell Resistance. In addition, certain spells and effects function differently against the creature, as noted below.

• Magical effects that cause disease turn the component horns brittle for a short time, giving the horn golem vulnerability to bludgeoning and slashing damage (+50%) for 1d4 rounds.
• Whenever a magical polymorphy effect is used on a horn golem, or within 60 feet of one, the horn golem heals for 1d10 points of damage per spell level of the effect as its horns try to reshape themselves only to revert back in their original form.

Tearing Blows (Ex) A horn golem's gore attacks threaten a critical hit on a natural 19–20, and inflict additional 1d8 points of bleed damage if the critical hit is confirmed.

Horn golems are found at the edges of deep forests, guarding glades, ruins, and ancient holy sites, likely being creations of druidic sects or witch cults made in a flawed image of nature spirits and deer godlings.

Demon-Horn Golems (CR 9) have advanced and giant templates, with AC 26, 115 hp, Ref +7, Will +8, Str 24, Dex 18, Wis 21, Cha 5; Atk 4 gores +16 (2d6+7, 19–20/×2 plus 1d8 bleed). It also has gains DR 10/adamantine and good, reinforced (+2 hp per HD), and its attacks have bane (evil outsiders) property. Despite the name, it is made from horns and spikes harvested of all kinds of evil outsiders.

Fantasy Monster: Broken Jughead

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Broken Jughead

An anthropomorphic figure with a small amphora in place of head.

CR 4; XP 1,200
N Medium Construct

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +2

Defense
AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +5 natural)
hp 42 (4d10+20)
Fort +1; Ref +3; Will +3

DR 5/bludgeoning; Immune construct traits; Resist acid 30

Offense
Speed 20 ft.

Melee 2 slams +6 (1d4+2) and acid splash +6 touch (2d6 acid)

Special Attacks acid spill (10-ft. cone, 4d6 acid, Reflex DC 14 for half)

Statistics
Str 14, Dex 14, Con —, Int —, Wis 15, Cha 11
Base Atk +4; CMB +6; CMD 18

Skills Perception +2, Profession (server) +10, Stealth +2; Racial Modifiers +8 Profession (server)

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins
Organization solitary, pair, or service (3–10)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Acid Spill (Su) A broken jughead can suddenly spill a few gallons of acid from its head as a full-round action (or as an immediate action whenever it is tripped or otherwise knocked prone), covering its square and adjacent spaces with quickly evaporating acid that deals 4d6 points of acid damage to everything within the area (a successful Reflex DC 14 saving throw halves the initial damage). The corrosive puddle and fumes last for 1d4+1 rounds, dealing 2d6 points of acid damage to any creature that ends their turn in the affected area. A broken jughead can't use acid spill for the next 1d4+1 rounds, and it loses its acid splash attack during that time. The saving throw DC is Dexterity-based.

Acid Splash (Su) When a broken jughead takes a full-attack action, in addition to its normal slam attacks, it can splash an adjacent enemy with acid, dealing 2d6 points of acid damage on a successful melee touch attack. If the attack misses, it leaves a corrosive puddle on the square where the target stands, dealing 2d6 points of acid damage to any creature that ends their turn standing in the liquid, evaporating at the start of the jughead's next turn.

Brand new jugheads are fancy utility constructs made to provide water, using creative magic to serve water, or in case of more expensive models, either olive oil or even young wine.

When abandoned, damaged, or deprived of proper maintenance, jugheads quickly become erratic when it comes to following instructions, and their output is easily corrupted, turning refreshing drinks into corrosive sludge. They might try to perform their old tasks, get stuck on a single action, react completely randomly to instructions received, or fail to understand them. Even when they try to fulfill their functions, the noxious acid they produce instead of their original output can be easily lethal to unsuspecting user.

A full functional jugheads are CR 3, without acid splash and acid spill attacks, capable of producing about a gallon of icy cold, cool, room-temperature, hot, or boiling hot water per round on command, as set during their creation, and cost about 6,500 gp (8,500 gp for models capable of producing water of variable temperature, as commanded). Those that produce oil, vinegar or wine cost 12,500 gp. All models understand basic instructions in a single language set when they are created, though each additional language understood adds 500 gp to the price. A few really show off owners had them imbued with comprehend languages for 4,000 gp instead. Water, oil, and wine produced by jugheads evaporates after 24 hours if not consumed, just like products of create water spell.

Fantasy Monster: Caprifungus

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Caprifungus

Body of this goat is covered with bulbous growths, stalks, and mold. Its fur, on closer inspection, seems more like filaments of a creeping fungus than animal hair. Its head lacks eyes, being tightly covered in hardened tumors that extend into a mass of horn-like structures. Wiggling tendrils extend from its mouth, searching around for vegetation to consume.

CR 7; XP 3,200
N Small Plant

Init +8; Senses blindsight 60 ft., scent; Perception +11

Defense
AC 20, touch 16, flat-footed 15 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 natural, +1 size)
hp 85 (10d8+40)
Fort +11; Ref +7; Will +6

Immune plant traits

Offense
Speed 40 ft.

Melee gore +12 (2d4+4 plus spore headbutt), 2 hooves +12 (1d4+4)

Special Attacks spore headbutt (sickened for 1d4+1 rounds, Fort DC 19 for 1 round)

Statistics
Str 18, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 2, Wis 17, Cha 11
Base Atk +7; CMB +10; CMD 25 (29 vs trip)

Feats Acrobatic Steps, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Nimble Moves, Run

Skills Acrobatics +14, Perception +11, Stealth +11; Racial Modifiers +10 Acrobatics

SQ spread spores

Ecology
Environment plains and forests
Organization solitary, pair, or herd (5–16)
Treasure incidental

Special Abilities

Spore Headbutt (Ex) Creature hit with caprifungus gore attack is spread with chocking spores and becomes sickened for 1d4+1 rounds. A successful Fortitudes saving throw (DC 19) reduces duration of this effect to a single round. The saving throw DC of this poison effect is Constitution-based.

Spread Spores (Ex) Caprifungi consume prodigious amounts of vegetable matter and convert it to fungal spores and, well, fertilizer. It takes a caprifungi 1 minute to clear one 5-ft square of light foliage or reduce heavy foliage to light. It will turn into a patch of fungal vegetation over the next 2d4 hours, with 25% chance of growing over the following 2d6 hours into a hampering obstacle in the form of a fungal structure. After consuming approximately fourteen hundred 5-ft. squares of vegetation, a caprifungus spawns a cyst that grows into another caprifungus over the next 24 hours.

Caprifungi are mobile goat-shaped growths of fungus that eat plants and spread more fungus everywhere. Their hunger seems endless, and they generally pay little attention to their surroundings—predatory animals and beasts seem to find them unappealing at best—but they fight fiercely when attacked or blocked from eating. It's likely they originally were actual goats, infected with some sort of strange fungus, though some more conspiracy-minded individuals point fingers at druids of darker sects dedicated to the cycle of death and renewal through decay. And there is always a possibility they are results of a discarded experiment of some careless wizard.

A single caprifungus approaching a farm field is a cause for concern as they spawn quickly, and a group of them can wreak havoc to vast areas of farmland and wildlands alike.

Fantasy Monster: Tooth-Collector Hag

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Hag, Tooth-Collector
A misshapen, disproportionate female of clearly inhuman persuasion and indeterminable age, with her neck and limbs stretching far too long, and her visage sporting toothless smile and large yellow eyes.

CR 3; XP 800
LE Large Monstrous Humanoid
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9

Defense
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 13 (+2 Dex, +4 natural, –1 size)
hp 32 (5d10+5)
Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +5

Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee 2 claws +6 (1d8+2)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks tooth-puller, tooth-trap

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th, concentration +5)

3/day—contagion (various tooth-related diseases), remove disease

Statistics
Str 14, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 13, Cha 11
Base Atk +5; CMB +8; CMD 20
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Nimble Moves
Skills Climb +10, Craft (carving) +9, Intimidate +8, Perception +9, Profession (tooth-extractor) +6, Stealth +10; Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth

Languages Aklo, Common, Giant

Ecology
Environment rural or urban
Organization solitary, or coven (3 hags of any kind)
Treasure standard

Tooth-Puller (Ex and Su) A tooth-collector hag can attempt to initiate or maintain a grapple with a standard action without provoking attacks of opportunity. When a tooth-collector hag starts its turn pinning an opponent, it can make a grapple check as a standard action to forcibly pull one of the opponent's teeth, inflicting bleeding 1. A tooth-collector hag can surgically pull a tooth from a helpless, bound, or willing creature in 1 minute. This process can be painless if the hag wishes so (usually when performing the surgery on willing or sleeping creature), though if they do that as a service to others, it costs extra.

Tooth-Trap (Ex and Su) A tooth-collector hag can spill contents of a bag of low quality teeth as a standard action, covering up to four 5-ft. squares adjacent to each other with at least one of them adjacent to the hag, with hardened teeth that act as caltrops. A tooth-collector hag can use this ability no more than three times before she needs to replenish her supplies of low-quality teeth.

Tooth-collector hags collect, trade, and carve teeth of other creatures into memorabilia. Occasionally, they trade found bones for teeth with bonepicker hags, and they are more than willing to rob tooth fairies and tooth gremlins—occasionally pitting groups of both against each other and then taking the spoils of both for themselves.

Tooth-collector hag bases the value of the collected teeth on their rarity, strange features, interesting abnormalities, and carvings.

Fantasy Monster: Gvar

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Gvar

An incessant murmur of incomprehensible voices, cries, and other sounds of a crowd.

CR 4; XP 1,600

CE Fine Undead (incorporeal, swarm)

Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0

Defense
AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 18 (+8 size)
hp 33 (6d8+6)
Fort +3; Ref +2; Will +5

Defensive Qualities incorporeal, unseen crowd; Immune nonmagical damage, weapon damage, undead traits

Weakness vulnerable to sonic damage

Offense
Speed fly 20 ft. (perfect)

Melee swarm (4d6 nonlethal sonic plus maddening voices)

Space 10-30 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attacks incomprehensible voices (DC 14), maddening murmur

Statistics
Str —, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 13
Base Atk +4; CMB —; CMD —

Skills Fly +16, Perception +0, Stealth +36 (+46 while standing still); Racial Modifiers +20/+40 Stealth from being invisible

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins
Organization solitary or crowd (2–10)
Treasure incidental

Incomprehensible Voices (Su) Anyone hearing the constant noise of gvar that has three or more ranks in Linguistics, knows six or more languages, or is under effects of comprehend language or tongues, or is otherwise deeply interested in languages, has to succeed a Will saving throw (DC 14) to avoid being fascinated, as they compulsively try to comprehend the mixed voices they hear. This fascination isn't ended by gvar's nonlethal damage, though other threats or actions of witnesses might break it, for a moment at least. This is a sonic, compulsion, language-dependent effect (even if it is caused by lack of comprehensible language). The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Maddening Murmur (Su) Gvar is an insidious threat, because victims suffering its nonlethal sonic damage perceive them as growing frustration and strain, not as actual damage. When the nonlethal damage caused by gvar should cause a victim to become unconscious, the victim goes on a vicious rampage for the next 1d4+1 rounds, lashing with their most dangerous attacks and abilities against anything they would perceive as annoying, threatening, or offensive, while often uttering incomprehensible gibberish (this does not impact their use of deadly spells). Afterwards, the victim drops unconscious unless her total nonlethal damage was lowered below their current hit points value.

Unseen Crowd (Su) Gvar is composed of deathless sounds themselves, invisible and formless, tangled together in an immaterial tapestry. It behaves as in incorporeal swarm, but it can't pass through the stolid walls, and it spills from 10-ft. square as the available space permits, covering up to a 30-ft. square of a colossal entity. Gvar can't enter areas of magical silence. If it enters consecrated, desecrated, hallowed, or unhallowed area, it becomes visible as a mass of vague and indistinct shapes in the air.

Gvar is the restless murmur of long dead people talking, arguing, crying, and peddling their wares, with all the accompanying sounds of living crowd, forever lingering behind in dead neighborhoods, fallen cities, and forgotten markets.

Gvar's constant babbling isn't lethal in itself, but its stress erodes sanity of listeners to the point where they unleash a quick burst of random violence, which occasionally causes a chain of violence as other nearby people either succumb to gvar's influence or simply resort to violent self-defense against those who did.