Fantasy NPC: Ragged Plantmann

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Ragged Plantmann

This person is tightly wrapped in dirty old clothes, covered from toe to the head, with an old, mossy hood covering the face.

CR 3; 800 XP

N Medium Plant

Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +11

Defense
AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 natural)

hp 33 (6d8+6)
Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +4

Defensive Abilities falling apart at seams; Immune plant trait

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee 2 slams +6 (1d6+2)

Statistics
Str 14, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 11

Base Atk +4; CMB +6; CMD 18
Feats Dodge, Mobility, Nimble Moves

Skills Knowledge (nature) +7, Perception +11, Stealth +11

Language understands Common and Sylvan (doesn't speak); speak with plants allows caster to easily communicate with Ragged Plantmann for its duration

Falling Apart At Seams (Ex) When Ragged Plantmann drops to 0 or less hit points, the clothing that supports its form burst apart, leaving a patch of moss and vines on the ground—Ragged Plantmann's natural form. Ragged Plantmann can only creep slowly (approximately 5 feet per minute) until it finds some clothes and rags to fill in. Once Ragged Plantmann finds new clothing and rags to inhabit, it recovers all of its hit points over 1d4 hours. Burning Ragged Plantmann thoroughly in this state, or reducing it to 0 or less hit points with disintegration, blight, or similar effect that annihilates body or kills plants will kill it permanently.

Ragged Plantmann came into existence on a verdant trash heap, when someone threw away a bundle of rags and old clothing. Over time, mosses, fungi, and vines growing around filled the scraps of fabric and leather, taking on their shape, and somehow, growing into a semblance of sapience. This spontaneous awakening instilled a sense of self and a degree of curiosity, but also a strong desire for self-preservation—and Ragged Plantmann has to continue to add more and more layers of clothing and rags, wrapping them around itself as structural support to retain its shape and ability to meaningfully interact with the surrounding world as anything more than an overgrown patch of moss.

Ragged Plantmann is a timid being, already having experienced how easily humanoids mistake its shambling form for a monster, and yet, completely dependent on the old and discarded clothing they make to maintain its own anthropomorphic shape. Usually, it scavenges through garbage dumps, but occasionally, it succumbs to temptation and steals drying clothing—much more solid and durable than old rags.

Fantasy Monster: Ghost Cube

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Ghost Cube

An enormous cube made of translucent, flickering force fields spins and whirls in the air.

CR 16; XP 76,800
N Colossal Construct

Init +10; Senses blindsight 120 ft.; Perception +24

Defense
AC 32, touch 32, flat-footed 32 (+10 deflection, +10 Dex, +10 dodge, –8 size)
hp 245 (30d10+80); fast healing 20
Fort +10; Ref +20; Will +14

Defensive Abilities all-around vision, evasion, hardness 30; Immune construct traits

Weakness susceptible to disintegration

Offense
Speed fly 30 ft. (perfect)

Space 30 ft.; Reach 30 ft.

Special Attacks absorb spirits, ether anchoring, ether arcs (4d6, DC 25), ether pulse (20d6, DC 25)

Statistics
Str —, Dex 30, Con —, Int —, Wis 19, Cha 19
Base Atk +30; CMB +38; CMD —

Feats Hover^B

Skills Fly +10, Knowledge (religion) +0 (incorporeal undead +20), Perception +24; Racial Modifiers +20 Knowledge (religion) pertaining to incorporeal undead, +20 Perception

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Absorb Spirits (Su) An incorporeal or gaseous creature that is pulled or moves inside the ghost cube space is absorbed and trapped within the overlapping manifold force fields that form the construct's interior. A ghost cube can retain any number of incorporeal or gaseous creatures of any size inside, as long as their total HD doesn't exceed four times the ghost cube's HD (advanced ghost cubes can hold six times their HD of absorbed ghosts). Absorbed spirits are compressed and frozen in (imperfect) stasis, incapable of action and having only the faintest awareness of passing time and events taking place outside. If a ghost cube absorbs more spirits than it can hold, it will release excess entities, with creatures whose HD is closest to the overflow being vented, chosen randomly between creatures of the same HD.

Ether Anchoring (Su) An incorporeal or gaseous creature that was struck by either ether arcs or ether pulse has its speed halved until end of its following turn. If the saving throw against either ability was failed, the creature has its speed reduced to 0 instead.

Ether Arcs (Su) Ghost cube can emit up to six arcs of glimmering force as a standard action, with each arc dealing 4d6 points of force damage to a single target within ghost cube's reach, and moving them by 5 feet (a successful Will saving throw against DC 25 halves the damage and negates the forced move). Generally, incorporeal and gaseous targets are pulled toward the ghost cube, while fully corporeal targets are pushed away from the cube. Ghost cube can direct ether arcs against the same target or split them, as needed. The saving throw DC is Strength-based.

Ether Pulse (Su) As a standard action, ghost cube can emit a wide pulse of etheric force, affecting all creatures within the cube's reach, dealing 20d6 points of force damage and pushing them away (fully corporeal creatures) or pulling them toward the cube (incorporeal and gaseous beings) by 5 feet. A successful Will saving throw (DC 25) halves the damage and negates the forced movement. Ghost cube cannot use ether pulse again for 1d4+1 rounds. The saving throw DC is Strength-based.

Susceptible To Disintegration (Su) Disintegration spells and effects ignore ghost cube's hardness and disrupt the complex interaction of force fields that compose the construct. In addition to suffering damage, on a successful saving throw, the ghost cube is staggered for 1 round, and one random incorporeal or gaseous being trapped inside flees. On a failed saving throw, the ghost cube becomes confused (results 51–75 causes the ghost cube to move its speed in a random direction) for 1d4+1 rounds, with one trapped being fleeing each round. Either way, on a confirmed critical hit, 1d3 creatures flee instead of one.

Ghost cubes were created by a cabal of not-quite-sane occult researchers, obsessed with studying bodiless vestiges of the dead. Somehow, they managed to combine multiple intricately overlapping forcefields into a functional permanent construct, a seemingly impossible feat of artifice.

The cabal created at least a few of those themselves, sending most of them to procure incorporeal specimens for the cabal's research. Ghost cubes are supposed to return to their masters once their storage are full, to transfers the captured samples into permanent storage, though they can get lost on their way, their bases of operation might get destroyed, or they might fall into a loop of trying to absorb too many entities, venting the excess leaving a storage space for a few more, attempt to absorb more, getting overfull, venting, and trying to fill again, and again.

Constructing ghost cube

The creation process requires expenditure of 12,500 gp in material components suitable for making wall of force permanent as well as complex math needed to design the internal geometry.

CL 12th; Price 142,500 gp

Requirements Craft Construct, geas, maze, permanency, wall of force; Skill Profession (mathematician) DC 40; Cost 77,500 gp

Fantasy Monster: Grave Worms

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Grave Worms

A swarming mass of bloated grey and pink earthworms that look disturbingly similar to writhing intestines...

CR 9; XP 3,200
N Fine Vermin (swarm)

Init +1; Senses scent, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +0

Defense
AC 19, touch 19, flat-footed 18 (+1 Dex, +8 size)
hp 115 (21d8+21)
Fort +13; Ref +8; Will +7

Defensive Abilities swarm traits; Immune disease, mind-affecting effects, weapon damage

Weakness repelled by salt

Offense
Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft.

Melee swarm attack (10d6)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attacks voracious devourers

Statistics
Str 1, Dex 12, Con 12, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
Base Atk +15; CMB —; CMD —

Ecology
Environment temperate or warm
Organization solitary, pair, or hecatomb (3–10)
Treasure incidental

Repelled By Salt (Ex) Salt is harmful to individual worms forming the swarm. While the swarm moves it might push over small amounts of salt, losing some of the constituent worms in the process, but larger amounts of salt, at least a few inches thick and tall, will stop them from progressing. Soaking oneself in brine, or rubbing with salt mixed with some sticky substance (which might take about a minute) will grant immunity to grave worms swarm attack for 2d6 minutes (or 1d6+1 rounds in rain or other extremally humid environment. A bottle of strong brine can be used like an acid flask against a swarm of grave worms.

Voracious Devourers (Ex) Swarms of grave worms devour flesh with a terrifying speed and appetite. Each body of dead Medium creature within grave worms space is stripped clean of flesh, skin, and most other soft tissues in 10 rounds. They don't consume hair, bones, or teeth, nor do they eat Undead flesh, ignoring it completely.

When a disaster, disease, war, or other calamity leaves an excessive number of corpses, the worms that bloated on them might form dangerous swarms seeking to devour more and more flesh, multiplying in numbers quickly. Once conditioned to consume humanoid and animal remains, they pursue their meals with little regard if the prey is still living.

As grave worms don't consume Undead flesh, they are occasionally used by necromancers and liches, though they are hard to maintain—once the steady supply of easily accessible flesh, dead or living, runs out, the swarms dissipate over a few days—or start devouring each other if trapped away from their natural environment.

Fantasy NPC: Livya Arna, Failed Golddigger

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Livya Arna, Failed Golddigger

A short and curvy maid in a torn ball gown, unhealthily grayish, and seemingly blurring at the edges.

CR 3; 800 XP

Female human ghost commoner 3

NE Medium Undead (incorporeal)

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +8

Defense
AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+3 deflection, +2 Dex)

hp 25 (3d8+12)
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +1

Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, incorporeal, rejuvenation; Immune undead traits

Offense
Speed fly 30 ft. (perfect)

Melee corrupting touch +3 (3d6 plus fatigue, Fort. DC 14 partial)

Statistics
Str —, Dex 14, Con —, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 17

Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 16
Feats Iron Will, Skill Focus (Perform [dance]), Toughness

Skills Fly +16, Knowledge (local) +4, Perception +8, Perform (dance) +8, Profession (milkmaid) +6, Stealth +10

Language Common

Corrupting Touch (Su) Those who fail their Fortitude saving throws against Livya's corrupting touch become fatigued for 1d4+1 rounds in addition to suffering full damage, feeling as if they were running (or dancing) for hours. Her corrupting touch counts as silver against creatures particularly susceptible to its effects and any werebeasts that are negatively affected by silver that fail their saving throw are sickened with burning pain as if silver was stuck in their wounds until they wounds are cleaned, healed, or regenerated.

Rejuvenation (Su) Livya Arna reforms near the largest concentration of the silver coins she was counting when she died, or by one of the coins at random, if they are split evenly.

Livya Arna never intended to live her whole life as a simple peasant. She dreamed bigger—in her own mind at least—than her family and neighbors, hoping to find a way out of the village where she lived, and into wealth and comfortable life.

The new squire arrived and took over nearby manor and over time, gossip started circulating regarding his quirky behavior, but she didn't mind them. When he finally invited her, after a number of other young women from nearby villages, she though her moment has come.

To her disappointment, Honorable Balzaine showed little interest in her, losing himself in dance itself. Her best attempts at flirting with him seemed to fail to move him at all. Finally, she snapped, and shouted wild accusations against him. He froze for a moment, and coldly ordered her to leave, never to return, handing her a purse of silver.

Angry, indignant, and embarrassed by blatant disregard for her (much overestimated) charms, she went into the night. On her way home, she started to count the coins she received, coins she assumed were bribe to keep her accusations to herself. While far from being a hoard, they were still far more than she had to her name. Not enough to start a new life, but still something. She veered through the forested wetlands, not wanting to show herself in her home village in the middle of night to avoid hurting her vanity by anyone getting even a hint of her being unceremoniously sent away. When she stopped to count her coins again, something leaped on her. The last thing she saw was a shape of a wolf, flash of red eyes, and snapping fangs.

And then there was the mist, and she was wandering through the forest again, trying to find the lost silver coins and avoid the wolf. Over and over again.

In her mind, it was clearly the fault of the Pale Squire, he must have sent wolf after her, or maybe he was the wolf. She wasn't sure. She wants revenge, and she wants compensation—and not merely silver this time. She wants her deserved share of riches and comforts.