Fantasy Monster: Knotmane

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Knotmane

A terrible bundle of matted hair reaching out with dirty braids.

CR 1; XP 400
NE Tiny undead

Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 30 ft.; Perception +4

Defense
AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +2 size)
hp 16 (3d8+3)
Fort +2; Ref +2; Will +3

DR 2/slashing; Immune undead traits

Weakness vulnerable to fire

Offense
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.

Melee slam +4 (attach)

Space 2-1/2 ft; Reach 5 ft.

Special Attacks strangulate

Statistics
Str 10, Dex 13, Con —, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 13
Base Atk +2; CMB +3 (+7 maintaining grapple); CMD 11 (15 to escape its grapple, can't be tripped)

Feats Improved Initiative, Nimble Moves

Skills Acrobatics +3, Climb +8, Perception +4, Stealth +9

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins
Organization solitary, pair, or  or set of decorations (3–12)
Treasure incidental (occasionally old combs and other adornments worn in hair)

Special Abilities

Strangulate (Ex) A knotmane has +4 racial bonus to maintain its grapple. It deals 2d4 points of nonlethal damage when it maintains grapple. Creatures rendered unconscious by knotmane start to suffocate.

Knotmanes are animate tangles of hair that fell off dead or undead creatures—including but not limited to thick beards, barbarian braided scalps, and princely coiffures. Details of their behavior varies greatly between specimens, likely influenced by the psyche of the original owner of the hair—or maybe their inhibited selves, often presenting contradictory behaviors. Some are shy and curious, some are aloof and clingy, and yet others are friendly but unpredictable. All tend to be at least a bit murderous, though, trying to strangle people at random.

Occasionally, sapient corporeal undead deprived of hair by their very own state keep a knotmane or a couple as wigs or prop beards. Keeping knotmane familiar might be a growing fashion among those few liches that actually care about their appearance.

A knotmane is a suitable Improved Familiar for casters of 5th or higher level.

There is ongoing gossip of greater knotmanes that are fully sapient and capable of animating dead bodies or controlling minds of those who wear them as wigs.

Fantasy Monster: Creeping Drapery

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Creeping Drapery

A canvas of cloth covers a wall, embroidered with historically significant, if embellished scenes.

CR 4; XP 1,200
N Medium Construct

Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0

Defense
AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 42 (4d10+20)
Fort +1; Ref +4; Will +1

DR 5/slashing; Immune construct traits

Weakness vulnerable to fire

Offense
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.

Melee slam +7 (1d6+4 plus grab)

Special Attacks constrict (1d6+4), smothering, wrap-around

Statistics
Str 16, Dex 16, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 11
Base Atk +4; CMB +7 (+11 grapple); CMD 20 (can't be tripped)

Skills Climb +11, Perception +0, Stealth +3 (+23 when staying motionless)

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins
Organization solitary, pair or set of decorations (3–12)
Treasure incidental (high quality or exotic threads left after its destruction)

Special Abilities

Smothering (Ex) A creeping drapery inflicts non-lethal damage with its constrict attack. Creatures that are pinned or wrapped-around by creeping drapery can't speak.

Wrap-Around (Ex) A creeping drapery that has pinned a creature of its own size or smaller, can completely wrap itself around its victim with a successful grapple check, tying up the target up with its own body. A creeping draper can only wrap around a single creature at a time and can't make grapple checks against other targets while doing so. It can move at half its speed while carrying a wrapped creature.

Creeping draperies are animate curtains, rugs, tapestries, or blankets, capable of wrapping themselves around people on command. Some creeping draperies might stalk across corridors and chambers of abandoned castles and restricted wings of palaces.

Skulking Shroud (CR 4) is a variant that lacks climb speed or smothering special attack and has Climb skill bonus of +3. After the skulking shroud kills a humanoid being, it wraps around the victim's corpse, preserving it with a constant gentle repose effect. The shroud may also be commanded to cover already dead body for the same benefit.

Constructing Creeping Drapery

The creator has to start with a finely woven canvas worth at least 500 gp.

CL 12th; Price 8,500 gp

Requirements Craft Construct, animate rope, unseen servant, and either spider climb or gentle repose (skulking shroud); Skill Craft (cloth) DC 20; Cost 4,500 gp.

Fantasy NPC: Sir Boney, The Skeleton Knight

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Sir Boney, The Skeleton Knight

A skeleton wearing knightly finery, a few decades out of fashion, 

CR 6; 2,400 XP

LN Medium Undead (augmented human)

Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +6

Defense
AC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18 (+6 armor, +1 Dex, +2 shield)

hp 66 (6d10+2d8+24); fast healing 1
Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +9

Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, reconstitute; DR 5/bludgeoning; Immune cold, undead traits

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee +1 longsword +13/+8 (1d8+7)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; concentration +8)

At Will—mount (an undead shade of a warhorse), unseen servant (a visible shade of a page)

Statistics
Str 18, Dex 13, Con –, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 15

Base Atk +7; CMB +11; CMD 22
Feats Combat Expertise, Improved Disarm, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Nimble Moves, Toughness, Weapon Focus (longsword), Weapon Specialization (longsword)

Skills Diplomacy +6, Knowledge (local) +9, Knowledge (nobility) +9, Perception +6, Profession (landowner) +10, Ride +12

Language Common, Duc, Halfling

Notable Gear a family heirloom +1 longsword, cloak of resistance +1, masterwork breastplate and large shield, silver chain worn by landed knights a few decades ago

Reconstitute (Su) When dropped to 0 hit points, Sir Boney remains falls helpless and remains inert and unaware of his surroundings until his fast healing restores him to full hit points. Continuous damage can keep him down but unless ground into dust and scattered over large area, he will get up again. Technically, giving him proper burial with full ceremony would keep him dead in the grave but he reconstitutes fast enough to interrupt the ceremony and rendering it invalid (as would be hacking at his corpse during the funeral to keep him down).

Sir Bonfrey Altaros is an old landed knight who is in complete denial about being already dead. He keeps on going as if he was still alive, detesting the nickname under which he is know—honestly believing it is reference to his rather scrawny physique and his restrained (and now really non-existent) eating habits that he blames on his irritable bowels.

He resisted attempts to persuade him that he is already dead and should be buried, including a few minor duels. A  court dismissed a lawsuit regarding his estate, finding the plaintiff lacking in standing without even summoning Sir Bonfrey—thankfully for the dead knight, he has no heirs and his out of the way lands presented little value to his neighbors. His halfling tenants aren't complaining either as he require little of them in the terms of rent—they are supposed to supply him with food for him, his horses, and his household servants, and provide certain services when asked for. Bonfrey doesn't eat anymore, his horse vanish when he doesn't ride it, and the household is occasionally manned by a few old tenants themselves, so he trusts the village elders when they claim they fulfilled their quotas—his mind seems to have a blind spot for anything that could shatter his delusions of life.

Fantasy Monster: Wolfraith

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Wolfraith

An utterly black wolf with red-shining eyes full of twisted intelligence.

CR 7; XP 800
CE Medium Magical Beast

Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +13

Defense
AC 20, touch 17, flat-footed 16 (+3 deflection, +4 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 84 (8d10+40)
Fort +10; Ref +10; Will +6

Defensive Abilities malign will; Immune death, disease, fear, negative energy damage

Weakness deathly presence

Offense
Speed 50 ft.

Melee bite +13 (3d6+20)

Special Attacks vampiric bite

Statistics
Str 22, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 17
Base Atk +8; CMB +15; CMD 31 (35 vs trip)

Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Toughness

Skills Acrobatics +15, Perception +13, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +15; Survival +2 (+6 scent tracking); Racial Modifiers +4 Survival while tracking by scent

Language understand Common and two other languages (can't speak)

Ecology
Environment temperate forest, hills, and plains, ruins
Organization solitary, pair or pack (3–8)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Deathly Presence (Su) While a wolfraith is a living being, its intelligence is derived from spiritual vestige. When a wolfraith is exposed to a positive energy channeled to harm undead, turn them, or destroy, negative energy channeled to rebuke or control undead, or effects that would exorcise or expel possessing spirit, it has to succeed a Will saving throw or it becomes confused for 1d4+1 rounds. The driving intelligence is too deeply embedded in the wolf's brain to be actually banished without killing the beast, though.

Malign Will (Su) A wolfraith has +2 bonus to Will saving throws. Whoever uses a mind-affecting ability on a wolfraith, contacts it with telepathy, or attempts to change its attitude  with animal empathy, becomes shaken for 1d4 rounds and has to succeed a Will saving throw (DC 17) or become nauseated for 1 round. Whoever tries to use a mind-affecting ability that is supposed to be used on regular animals (such as charm animal or dominate animal), suffers –2 penalty to the saving throw and duration of both effects is increased to 2d4 rounds and 1d4+1 rounds respectively. This is a mind-affecting madness effect. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Vampiric Bite (Su) A wolfraith jaws count as a magical weapon, it also has +2 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls and gains temporary hit points equal to the damage it inflicts with its bite on living creatures. A wolfraith always uses its Power Attack feat.

Wolfraiths are wolves that before their birth were possessed by spiritual vestiges of evil, dead people, and retain all of their old malice and cunning. A wolfraith roaming an area can be easily mistaken for a werewolf, thanks to its human-like intelligence and biases driving its actions.

Regular wolves usually shun wolfraiths, sensing their abominable nature. Rarely, a wolfraith my rise as a leader of a wolf pack, either its own siblings, or a shoddy assembly of outcasts too broken and desperate to care.

Fantasy Monster: False Mummy

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False Mummy

A tall and gaunt figure tightly wrapped in yellowed linens.

CR 3; XP 800
N Medium Construct

Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +2

Defense
AC 15, touch 10, flat-footed 15 (+5 natural)
hp 31 (2d10+20); rebind self
Fort +0; Ref +0; Will +2

Defensive Abilities channel backlash; Immune construct traits

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee 2 slams +6 (1d4+4)

Statistics
Str 18, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 15, Cha 15
Base Atk +2; CMB +6; CMD 16

Skills Perception +2, Stealth +0 (+20 when staying motionless)

SQ death aura

Ecology
Environment ruins, graveyards
Organization solitary, pair or squad (3–6)
Treasure incidental (fake jewelry)

Special Abilities

Channel Backlash (Su) A false mummy exposed to channeled positive or negative energy used to harm undead, turn undead, rebuke undead, or control undead, wherever it was caught in an area effect or targeted directly, causes a mystical backlash dealing 2d6 points of damage to the creature that channeled the energy (DC 13 Will save to negate). The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Death Aura (Su and Ex) A false mummy registers as having a moderate undead aura to detect undead spells and effects. Knowledge checks made to identify a false mummy have their DC increased by 10.

Rebind Self (Su) When there are no intruders around, a false mummy with access to clay and linen stored within specially marked vessels will automatically spend one hour using those supplies to repair all damage suffered.

False mummies are decoys made to thwart necromancers and tomb robbers seeking to steal mummified bodies. They are made of wooden skeletal frame covered in plaster and bound tightly with linen bandages, in a semblance of an actual mummy.

When a false mummies guard tombs that aren't forgotten or abandoned yet, the keepers, either the family, or priests of mortuary deities, or more rarely a civil magistrate responsible for upkeep of graves, might occasionally check on the tombs and leave fresh jars of clay and bales of linen in ritually marked vessels so the false mummies can repair damage suffered while dealing with intruders.

Monstrous False Mummy (CR 5) is a fake mummy of a sacred animal, such as a lion, a bull, a crocodile, or a hippopotamus. It is a Large Construct with 4 HD, 52 hp, AC 18, Fort +1, Ref –1, Will +3, Atk bite +9 (2d8+9), CMB +11, CMD 20 (24 vs trip), with its channel backlash ability dealing 4d6 points of damage and stunning the channeler for 1 round (DC 14). They lack the ability to rebind their bodies, but are often accompanied by humanoid (or ape)-shaped false mummies that are programmed to repair them, though it takes four mummy-hours of work.

Constructing False Mummy

The creator has to start with a wooden frame, and cover it with fresh plaster and linens.

CL 12th; Price 5,000 gp (15,000 gp for monstrous false mummy)

Requirements Craft Construct, eagle's splendor, gentle repose; Skill Craft (carpentry, pottery, or sculptures) DC 20 (25 for monstrous false mummy); Cost 2,500 gp (7,500 gp for monstrous false mummy).