Fantasy Monster: Firebrand Devil

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Devil, Firebrand

A insectoid-looking figure, its gaunt torso and long limbs are covered with chitinous exoskeleton, and its head adorned with multiple composite eyes.

CR 5; XP 1,600
LE Medium Outsider (devil, evil, extraplanar, lawful)

Init +8; Senses see in darkness; Perception +10

Aura flames of revolution (100 ft.)

Defense
AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+4 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 57 (6d10+24); regeneration 5 (good or silver)
Fort +5; Ref +9; Will +6

DR 5/good or silver; Immune fire, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10; SR 16

Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.

Melee 4 claws +8 (1d4+2) or club +8/+3 (1d6+3)

Ranged thrown bombs +10 touch (3d6+3 fire, 6 splash damage in 10-ft. splash radius)

Special Attacks infernal bombs

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th, concentration +9)

Constant—glibness, tongues, undetectable alignment

3/day—arcane lock, dimension door, invisibility (self only), knock

Statistics
Str 14, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 17, Wis 13, Cha 17
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 22

Feats Improved Initiative, Point-Blank Shot, Toughness

Skills Bluff +12 (+32 to convince someone of truthfulness of your words), Disguise +12, Climb +10, Craft (alchemy) +12, Knowledge (local) +12, Perception +10, Perform (oratory) +12, Sense Motive +10, Sleight of Hand +12, Stealth +12

Languages Celestial, Draconic, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.; tongues

SQ change shape (Small or Medium humanoid, alter self)

Ecology
Environment urban or rural (Hell)
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Fires Of Revolution (Su) The very presence of firebrand devils seems to make their surroundings even more flammable. All objects and creatures within this aura gain vulnerability to fire (+50% fire damage). Attempts to extinguish fires and stop burn damage, both with mundane and magical methods have their DC increased by 5, including attempts to dispel fire effects.

Infernal Bombs (Su) Firebrand devils can draw some volatile chemicals and mix them into an improvised explosive bomb in a similar way to mortal alchemist, though in actuality, they excrete them at moment's notice, without having to worry about running out. When firebrand devils throws a bomb, they can add one of the following effects: increase range increment to 40 ft., increase splash radius to 20 ft., exclude up to its Intelligence bonus secondary targets from splash damage on a successful bomb attack, create a 10-ft. cloud of smoke where the bomb landed, cause the target of direct hit to catch fire, suffering 1d6 points of fire damage per round until extinguished (extinguishing the flames is a full-round action that requires a successful Reflex saving throw against DC of 16, or 21 in range of fires of revolution; rolling on the ground provides additional +2 bonus to the save). Alternatively, firebrand devils can delay the explosion of the bomb for up to 6 rounds, either placing them on the ground as booby traps, or passing them to another creature that can throw them (though they are unlikely to be proficient in bombs). Each firebrand devil can only have three delayed bombs in effect at any one time. Delayed bomb will immediately explode if dropped, damaged, or stepped upon.

The tyrannical order of hell stands for strict hierarchies and is opposed to people's revolutions on principle. And yet, there are devils whose purpose is to organize riots, rebellions, and insurrections, and aid revolutionaries...

Its a subversion of course, a gambit to play both ends against the middle. Firebrand devils take on forms and role of dissatisfied citizens and seek other dissenters to root them out, gather as many of them as it is remotely possible, and finally to betray them to secret police, inquisition, or royal guards at the most disastrous moment. If the right moment never  comes and the revolution actually succeeds, then it shows that the old regime was too weak and undeserving of its position in the first place, and now, the firebrand devil is in the right position to influence the new government toward the form and ideology pleasing to the infernal powers.

Firebrand devils delight in their role as agent-provocateurs, enjoying insinuating themselves into existing groups, and swaying others to the cause, presenting revolutionary fervor with a borderline hammy style and zeal. That occasionally leads them to overcomplicate and overly extend their schemes and investigations. Their arrogant preference of capturing as many dissidents as possible in a single sweep, instead of picking them one by one, often delays safe decapitation of the movement and might even lead to actual revolutions where there would be none without their interference.

Fantasy Monster: Needle Swarm

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Needle Swarm

A cloud of needles, pins, and an occasional nail whirls through the air, carried by invisible force.

CR 3; XP 800
N Fine Construct (swarm)

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

Defense
AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 18 (+8 size)
hp 33 (6d10)
Fort +2; Ref +2; Will +2

Immune construct traits, weapon damage

Weakness susceptible to rust

Offense
Speed fly 20 ft. (perfect)

Melee swarm (2d6)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Statistics
Str 1, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
Base Atk +6; CMB —; CMD —

Skills Craft (tailoring) +10, Fly +16; Perception +0; Racial Modifiers +10 Craft (tailoring)

SQ lightning work

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins, plains (near fields of cotton or similar fiber-producing plants), hills and mountains (where sheep wool is processed)
Organization solitary, pair, or manufacture (3–6)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Lightning Work (Ex and Su) A needle swarm ordered to craft an item of clothing can work tirelessly without stopping, and does it over twice as fast as a mundane worker, effectively producing a week of work in 24 hours, or a day of work in approximately four hours.

Susceptible To Rust (Ex) A needle swarm can be affected by rust effects, even if the effect normally would only affect a single creature.

Needle swarm was designed by a wizard obsessed with fine clothing and the art of tailoring, desiring new attires at the moment's notice. He devised a number of spells for conjuring splendid raiments, but after an unfortunate incident with a poorly aimed greater dispel magic at a ball, he vouched to resort to physically-made garments from then on, at least in public.

While he had extensive theoretical knowledge of apparels, fabrics, and threads, his practical skills were less than stellar, and the tailors he kept on retainer could not keep up with his demands, especially with his constant interference and input. Finally, he decided to make his own magical outfitter, distilling the mastery of the craft and imbuing it into swarm of needles that could work faster than any mundane artisan.

His creation was a true masterpiece. And of course it ended being copied by others, though imperfectly—the inferior knockoffs lack the supreme skill of the original, and usually are restricted to a limited number of design that they keep producing out of available materials. They are also prone to malfunctions or even go rogue, trying to process wrong materials, reworking the same piece of material over and over and over again, or flee their designated facilities looking for fabric and threads to sew into their preprogrammed design all over the world. Some even end attacking those who would take the output of their work.

Still, many owners of textile mills think the risks are worth the investment in long term.

The original needle swarm has Intelligence 15, Charisma 13, Alertness, Hover, Skill Focus, Craft (tailoring) +21, Knowledge (nobility), Perception, and Sense Motive bonuses of +8, and a rather quirky personality of a self-perceived artistic genius who seeks novel challenges and hates repetition.

Constructing needle swarm

The creation process requires etching thousands of high quality needles with arcane markings that adds 1,000 gp to the total cost of the creation.

CL 12th; Price 6,000 gp

Requirements Craft Construct, fabricate, make whole, unseen servant, 10 ranks of Craft (tailoring); Skill Craft (etching) or Spellcraft DC 20; Cost 3,500 gp.

Fantasy NPC: The King of Pins

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The King Of Pins

A visibly distraught man, with disoriented gaze and hands covered with cuts, scars, and bandages. His clothing is a mess of tears, patches, and stitches.

CR 2; 600 XP

CN Medium Outsider (human, native)

Init +2; Senses normal; Perception +8

Defense
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +2 Dex)

hp 22 (3d10+6); regeneration 2 (adamantine)
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +3

Defensive Abilities half bleed and piercing damage, mantle of pins

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee unarmed strike +3 (1d3 plus 2d4 piercing)

Special Attacks hail of pins (10-ft. burst, 15-ft. cone or 30-ft. line, 3d6 piercing, DC 13 half)

Statistics
Str 10, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 7

Base Atk +3; CMB +3; CMD 15
Feats Diehard, Endurance

Skills Craft (tailoring) +6, Knowledge (local) +6, Perception +8, Profession (pin expert) +8, Sleight Of Hands +8, Stealth +8

Language Common, Sylvan, Terran

Hail Of Pins (Su) As a standard action, the King of Pins can command all the pins and needles stuck in his clothing to assault his foes, dealing 3d6 points of piercing damage in either a 10-ft. burst centered on him, 15-ft. cone, or 30-ft long line. The King Of Pins can't repeat the same area of effect on consecutive turn. A successful Reflex saving throw (DC 13) halves the damage. The needles and pins count as magic, cold iron, and silver. The saving throw DC is Dexterity based.

Human Blood (Su) The King Of Pins might be a mystical nexus for all the pins and needles nearby, but he still retains vestiges of mortality and counts as human being whenever it would be important.

Mantle Of Pins (Su) Pins, needles, and similar tools of metal or bone mysteriously find their way to their king, with or without his knowledge, lovingly sticking into his clothing and occasionally even stinging his flesh to first blood, though they do him little harm aside of drawing a few drops of blood and annoyance of pain. They are nowhere near as gentle with those who would harm him, though, dealing 2d4 points of piercing damage to anyone striking the King of Pins with an unarmed strike or a natural attack, or attempting a grapple check on him, and add those damage to the King Of Pins unarmed strike and successful grapple checks. The King Of Pins has always some pins and needles at hand if he would need them.

The King Of Pins is anything but regal. A barely coherent nervous wrack of a vagabond, deeply afraid of, and yet thoroughly obsessed with pins and needles. They find their way to him somehow, always, and everywhere, and he welcomes them—even if he hates being constantly stung and cut by his mantle—collecting them and appreciating as if they were the most important thing in the world... Apparently in his mind they are.

Communicating with the King Of Pins is difficult. He usually babbles about pins, oversharing a lot of useless details and trivia, though occasionally, he mentions things that might be of use to someone, somewhere. Getting him to focus his chatter on anything is an exercise in patience. Threats and intimidation might work for a moment or two, but their effects are unreliable and much more shorter-term than slower and gentler methods—often too short to have him reveal anything useful.

Fantasy NPC: The Lingering Secretary

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The Lingering Secretary

A tall and gaunt figure of pale man of indeterminate age, wearing an ancient vest with faded aristocratic livery. He has a single foggy monocle concealing his left eye, an eternally sour frown, a balding spot on the top of his head, and fingers stained with ink.

CR 9; 6,400 XP

LN Medium Undead (incorporeal)

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +21

Aura eternal paperwork (60 ft.)

Defense
AC 19, touch 19, flat-footed 19 (+3 deflection, +2 Dex, +4 insight)

hp 102 (12d8+48)
Fort +9, Ref +8, Will +13

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

Offense
Speed fly 30 ft. (perfect)

Melee corrupting touch +11 (9d6, Fort. DC 21 half)

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

Base Atk +9; CMB +11; CMD 26
Feats Ability Focus (corrupting touch), Alertness, Hover, Skill Focus (Profession [secretary]), Toughness, Weapon Focus (touch)

Skills Diplomacy +18, Fly +10, Knowledge (local) +19, Knowledge (nobility) +19, Linguistic +19, Perception +21, Profession (bureaucracy) +17, Profession (secretary) +23, Sense Motive +21

Language Common plus 16 other suitable languages

Corrupting Touch (Su) The Lingering Secretary's can choose to destroy a page of paper, parchment, papyrus, or similar material with his touch, though magical materials and those held or carried by other creatures can resist destruction with a Fortitude saving throw (DC 21). Alternatively, he can use his touch to erase a word or a sentence, as if using erase spell. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Eternal Paperwork (Su) The Lingering Secretary is always aware of nearby texts, books, scrolls, letters, and notes rendered on paper, parchment, papyrus, and similar materials, and has a general idea of their content, except for writings pertaining to his person, identity, and family, or those that were magically concealed by spells of 6th or higher level or their equivalents. Any of the written materials exposed to the eternal paperwork aura remains immune to incidental damage from time, decay, rot, moisture, heat, and vermin for the next 24 hours (though not to massive damage caused by catastrophic events or deliberate harm). The Lingering Secretary can telekinetically manipulate written records to a limited degree, pulling them into his grasp from afar, holding them, passing them into hands of another person and sending them back to where they were taken from. He can drop them where he is standing, though he hates to do that (aside of dropping them on the desk for future reading by his patron). When he holds a written text he can read it with supernatural speed, understanding content of a page in a single round and he can cast any spell from a scroll he previously read.

Rejuvenation (Su) The Lingering Secretary returns from destruction swiftly, reappearing within 2d4 hours and quickly apologizing for the unauthorized leave.

Unfazed (Su) The Lingering Secretary gains +4 insight bonus to AC and his saving throws. He is never surprised, nor can he be flanked. He treats all his skills as class skills. He also seems to be aware whenever the lord or lady of the manor is in the office.

The Lingering Secretary was the best secretary anyone could dream of—competent, obedient, dutiful, and loyal—which led to his untimely death. He served a might aristocrat who, after a snub from the royal court engaged in an intrigue that would turn the tables. Instead, the intrigue backfired and the conspirators were accused of secretly preparing for a rebellion and executed for alleged treason, together with some of their aides and a few unconnected scapegoats.

The Lingering Secretary could hardly deny knowledge of the intrigue, being the one who handled correspondence of his employer. His skepticism of the shape of the intrigue (which was not nearly as treasonous was it was presented at the court), which he noted multiple times was irrelevant—he died trying to stop the henchmen of the royal chancellor from taking the possession of his employer's seal which could be used to forge the materials damning the conspirators enough for execution, rejecting the offer exchange a suitable testimony for clemency. What hurt him the most, though, was the fact that conspiracy was betrayed by a secretary of another magnate, bribed into passing the letters to the chancellor agents, and the poor management of the correspondence in general.

Now he lingers behind, haunting the manor of the dead magnate, bound (or maybe simply choosing) to serve whoever is its the current master, regardless of the latter's actual opinion or consent. If he isn't particularly fond of the lord or lady of the manor, the Lingering Secretary can be a real pain in the ass, being quite skilled by now in malicious compliance, and passive-aggressive servile wit.

Fantasy Monster: Unfair Bride

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Unfair Bride

A veiled bride, moving with exquisite grace, her gown emphasizing her silhouette.

CR 9; XP 6,400

LE Medium Fey

Init +10; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +28

Defense

AC 23, touch 23, flat-footed 16 (+6 deflection, +6 Dex, +1 dodge)

hp 115 (21d6+42)

Fort +9, Ref +18, Will +12

DR 10/cold iron and magic; Immune pain, poison

Offense

Speed 30 ft.

Melee 2 sleeves +18/+13 (2d4+4 plus reposition)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (15 ft. with sleeves)

Special Attacks glamorous gown

Statistics

Str 14, Dex 22, Con 14, Int 17, Wis 11, Cha 23

Base Atk +10; CMB +16 (+18 with sleeves); CMD 45

Feats Agile Maneuvers, Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Defensive Combat Training, Diehard, Dodge, Endurance, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Nimble Moves, Weapon Finesse

Skills Bluff +30, Intimidate +30, Knowledge (nobility) +23, Perception +28, Perform (dance) +30, Perform (sing) +30, Profession (housekeeping) +21, Profession (pillow arts) +21, Sense Motive +28

Languages Common, Elven, Sylvan

SQ assumption of name, matrimonial oaths

Ecology

Environment urban

Organization solitary

Treasure standard

Assumption Of Name (Su) An unfair bride can assume the name and semblance of a willing person that is being forced into a marriage, taking them as their own (until she assumes a new identity when making a deal with another involuntary bride). From now on, not only does she respond to that name and bears that appearance, but the magic itself treats them as her rightful name and appearance for purpose of divinations and oaths. The person whose semblance was assumed is changed as well, looking like an obviously different person, though somehow similar to her old self.

Glamorous Gown (Su) An unfair bride wears a magical gown that can change and alter according to her will. It can take form of whatever attire she wants as a swift action, she can even make it completely disappear or appear on her body as needed. When she needs to engage in violence, the sleeves of this attire will extend and lash at her enemies acting as two +2 weapons, and she suffers no penalties with fighting with both of them at the same time. Whenever she hit a Medium or smaller enemy with her sleeve, she can attempt a reposition maneuver as a free action, without provoking attacks of opportunity.

Matrimonial Oaths (Su) Once the groom willingly marries the unfair bride, she gains certain degree of power over him. She becomes immune to any mind-affecting effects he might try to use on her, and she can deprive him of, or return his virility at whim. 

An unfair bride comes from the fairy Otherlands in response to pleas for reprieve from women being forced into marriage. Once she arrives and speaks with her marks about the circumstances of their plight, she offer to replace the petitioners, taking names, and their shapes.

Afterwards, she proceeds with the forced wedding and, depending on her harsh judgment of people involved, she might disrupt the ceremony, killing or otherwise punishing those she deems guilty of pushing for the marriage to happen, or she might play long game, marrying the groom, and then beginning to torment him, his family, and whomever she considers to be responsible. She might resort to subtle manipulation, psychological abuse, or even outright violence, depending on the capabilities of those responsible for marital coercion. Pitting the groom against his family (if they were the ones who arranged the marriage) is a common tactic, and if they are highborn, her meddling might lead to clan feuds, or even wars.