2023-05-28

Fantasy Monster: Hedge Frog

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Hedge Frog

A bundle of leaves, brambles, and thorns skitters around like a frog.

CR 4; XP 1,200

N Medium Plant
Init +8; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6

Defense

AC 17, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 natural)
hp 38 (7d8+7)
Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +4
Defensive Abilities plant traits, superb jumper

Offense
Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee bite +7 (2d6+3) or pummeling tongue +7 (4d6+3 plus trip)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (15 ft. with tongue)
Special Attacks pummeling tongue

Statistics
Str 14, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 15, Cha 7
Base Atk +5; CMB +7 (+11 trip); CMD 22
Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Nimble Moves
Skills Acrobatics +10 (+40 jumping), Climb +11, Perception +6, Swim +11, Stealth +8 (+18 hiding in vegetation); Racial Modifiers +30 Acrobatics while jumping, +10 Stealth hiding in vegetation
SQ hold breath

Ecology
Environment temperate or warm marshes, aquatic
Organization solitary, pair, or army (3–8)
Treasure incidental

Pummeling Tongue (Ex) As a full-round action, hedge frog can lash with its powerful tongue, striking a single target at the three times its normal reach (15 feet for Medium hedge frog).

Superb Jumper (Ex) A hedge frog can always jump as if it had running start, gains +4 bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity triggered by its movement while jumping, and treats Acrobatics as a class skill.


Hedge frogs are plant creatures that vaguely resemble frogs and dwell near or in water, hunting big insects and small birds to fertilize the soil with their carcasses. They occasionally move into ponds of abandoned (or not so abandoned) gardens, when they can vary between being a mere nuisance to an actual threat to stray children and pets.

Introducing them deliberately to your garden is inadvisable and yet, it does happen among the more eccentric nobility, witches, and druids.


2023-05-21

Fantasy Monster: Shanteur Gremlin

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Gremlin, Shanteur

An implacably dressed bluish imp with a mane of blond hair, carefully trimmed to a courtly fashion a few decades out of date, holding a lute.

CR 1; XP 400

CG Tiny Fey
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +7

Defense

AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +2 size)
hp 14 (4d6)
Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +4
DR 5/cold iron

Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee desperate clawing and biting +2 (2d4–2)
Ranged arrows flung from a lute +5 (1d4, ×3)
Special Attacks an earnest chant
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Statistics
Str 6, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 13
Base Atk +2; CMB +1; CMD 9
Feats Endurance, Nimble Moves
Skills Acrobatics +8, Diplomacy +8, Knowledge (local) +8, Knowledge (nobility) +5, Perception +7, Perform (sing) +8, Perform (string instrument) +10, Sense Motive +0, Stealth +9
Languages Common, Elven, Sylvan

Ecology
Environment urban, forests
Organization solitary, duo, band (3–5)
Treasure standard (including Tiny masterwork lute)

An Earnest Chant (Su) A shanteur gremlin can start to sing as a swift action. As long as the gremlin continues singing (a free action) and for 1d4 round thereafter all non-fey sapient creatures within 60 feet that can hear it suffer –2 penalty to skill checks and are distracted potentially disrupting their concentration (DC 13+spell level concentration check is required to cast spells or maintain concentration). On the other hand, it also grants +2 bonus to saving throws against fear, pain, and language-dependent effects because of the distraction and people's brain trying to shut off of their surroundings anyway. Sapient fey creatures instead gain +1 morale bonus to attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks. Gremlins double that bonus. The concentration check DC is Charisma-based. This is a mind-affecting sonic effect.


A shanteur's song is something to be heard before you can appreciate not hearing it... The melody is there, somewhere, hidden between dissonances and discord, constantly promising it will become a masterpiece, very-very soon, but it never actually delivers. And yet, some people find it hard to chastise the shanteur gremlins over that artistic felony, because of the latter's utter and earnest dedication to their art. Thankfully, they often can be dissuaded from singing for too long, either by appealing to their sense of self-care, gluttony, or by redirecting their attention to another group of listeners.

Shanteurs are almost invariably hopeless romantics, deeply confident in their (non-existent) ability to spot burgeoning love and always happy to provide stirring music accompaniments to a lover's tryst, more often than not providing such assistance out of their own initiative, or even at the rival's suggestion. That tendency isn't helped much by their lack of understanding of more intimate details of love, romance, or sexuality, beyond the general framework of courtly ballads.

Relations between shanteurs are complicated—while they occasionally work together when presented with an opportunity for a magnificent performance before a captive audience, they often squabble over details, each trying to introduce their own themes and dominate the melody.

And before you ask–no, no ones knows how do they manage to fire Tiny arrows out of their lutes. Must be fey magic. They do not cause targets to fall in love on the first sight, though. That was a solitary incident when a shanteur gremlin somehow, somewhere, acquired a bunch of arrows of love. They all spent by now... We hope.


2023-05-14

Fantasy Monster Gloryling Gremlin

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Gremlin, Gloryling

A big-headed, wide-chested imp with thing long arms and short legs. It wears a fancy but impractical helmet and it's jacket is covered with pieces of metal and colorful ribbons.

CR 2; XP 600

CN Tiny Fey
Init +6; Senses low-light vision; Perception +0

Defense

AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size)
hp 21 (6d6)
Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +5
Defensive Abilities blue falcon, evasion; DR 5/cold iron

Offense
Speed 40 ft.
Melee 2 claws +4 (1d3–1)
Special Attacks sneak attack 1d6, stolen valor
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Statistics
Str 8, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 13
Base Atk +3; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats Defensive Combat Training, Improved Initiative, Nimble Moves
Skills Acrobatics +11, Bluff +10, Knowledge (nobility) +9, Perform (oratory bragging) +10, Sleight Of Hand +11, Stealth +19
Languages Common, Sylvan
SQ desk jockey

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins
Organization solitary, pair feud
Treasure standard

Blue Falcon (Su) Whenever an enemy makes an attack opportunity, throws a splash weapon, or uses an area effect in gloryling's line of sight, the gremlin can attempt to redirect it as an immediate action. If the initiator fails a Will saving throw (DC 14), the attack of opportunity is directed against the attacker's ally within reach, while splash weapons and area effects automatically deviate 1d8 squares in random direction from their intended zone of effect. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based. Note that glorylings usually have a rather poor grasp of who is and isn't an enemy.

Desk Jockey (Su) Where gloryling roams, the supplies go missing or are left to spoil, crucial messages are delivered to wrong people, the books and accounts are misfiled or misplaced, and the the general logistics suffer. Any skill checks that involve administration, management, organization, etc., suffer –5 penalty. Any loses of supplies and materials due to mismanagement, poor maintenance, and spoilage are increased by 50%.

Stolen Valor (Su) When a creature within 60 feet of a gloryling receives a beneficial magical effect, the glorylin can hook up to its effects as an immediate action, splitting the healing or temporary hit points received, or other effects' duration in half between the original recipient and oneself.


Glorylings infest military camps and depots, armies on the move, castles, and outposts, usually trying to stay close to headquarters or quartermaster departments. Each and every gloryling is deeply convinced of its own tactical, operational, and strategic genius, and dedicated to make military organization around better—by meddling with the orders, schedules, plans, and written procedures. They also improve logistics by moving around supplies and materiel according to their own perception of the most optimal placement...

While they deeply desire the recognition and glory for their achievements and improvements they bring, they are well aware that jealous officers of lesser aptitude will attempt to thwart them, undermine their plans, and even rid of them if they act openly, forcing them to share the blessing of their immense military intellects secretly, and occasionally even underhandedly, despite the distress it causes to their pride and sense of dignity.

While obvious and undisputed masters of command and warfare, glorylings will happily admit they are not front line soldiers and will gladly leave actual combat to others, more suitable cannon fodder, thank you very much, avoiding violence by fleeing if they must.


2023-05-07

Fantasy Monster: Bone Gremlin

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Gremlin, Bone

A wiry, bony creature with long, chisel-like claws and small but wicked jaw that splits into three, revealing long, slick, ash-grey tongue.

CR 1; XP 400

N Tiny Fey
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +7

Defense

AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +2 size)
hp 14 (4d6)
Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +4
Immune disease

Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee 2 claws +3 (1d3–1) and tongue +3 touch (2d4 acid)
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft. (5 ft. with tongue)

Statistics
Str 8, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 7, Wis 11, Cha 7
Base Atk +2; CMB –1; CMD 10
Feats Nimble Moves, Skill Focus (Craft [bone-sculpting])
Skills Climb +7, Craft (bone-sculpting) +10, Perception +7, Profession (anatomist) +7, Stealth +16
Languages understands Aklo and Sylvan
SQ bone-candles, bone-sculpting

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

Bone-Candle (Ex) A bone gremlin can take 1 minute to make a candle out of piece of bone. It will burn for an hour. Bone gremlins use them to illuminate their surroundings when working on their creations underground.

Bone-Sculpting (Ex) A bone gremlin can use its chisel-like claws, teeth, and its corrosive saliva to mold, shape, and fuse bones, creating works of disturbing art. Its appendages act as masterwork tools for that purpose with their bonus to skill checks already included in the stat block.


Bone gremlins are usually considered the pests of graveyards, boneyards, catacombs, battlefields, and morgues—they gather and move bones, turning them into weird and disturbing sculptures, totems, and trinkets. Their claws are shaped like chisels, and their corrosive saliva softens bones, making them malleable for a time, fusing together when they harden.

Bone gremlins don't kill living beings, aside of self-defense, but they will take bones from any dead things they encounter, steal exhibits from museums and corpses from their resting place, and scrounge reserve bodies from under necromancers' noses. They also occasionally become targets of ghouls and other bone-eating scavengers, intelligent or not, trying to consume the gremlins' works of art.