Fantasy Monster: Ink Splotch

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Ink Splotch

A splash of ink-black jelly slithers around leaving a dark stain trail.

CR 2; XP 600
N Tiny Ooze

Init +2; Senses blind, blindsight 60 ft.; Perception +2

Defense
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size)
hp 19 (3d8+6)
Fort +5; Ref +3; Will +3

Immune ooze traits

Weakness susceptible to water

Offense
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.

Melee lash +4 (2d4 plus blinding ink)

Ranged spit ink +6 touch (30 ft. range, blinding ink)

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

Special Attack blinding ink (DC 13)

Statistics
Str 10, Dex 14, Con 14, Int —, Wis 15, Cha 1
Base Atk +2; CMB +2; CMD 12 (can't be tripped)

Skills Climb +8, Perception +2, Stealth +10

SQ flowing ink

Ecology
Environment ruins, urban
Organization solitary, pair, or mess (3—10)
Treasure standard (thick residue suitable for production of magic inks)

Special Abilities

Blinding Ink (Ex) A creature hit with an ink splotch's lash attack or a spit ranged touch attack becomes blinded until it takes a full-round action or two standard actions to clear their eyes (or single standard action and some clear water). A successful Reflex saving throw (DC 13) renders them dazzled for 1d4+1 rounds instead. Nonliving surfaces hit with either become permanently stained with ink until removed with erase or similar cleansing magic. The saving throw DC is Dexterity-based.

Flowing Ink (Ex) An ink splotch body is made of gelatinous substance that resembles thick ink and leaves stain of such as the creature moves. An ink splotch can be targeted with erase or purify food and water, becoming invisible for 1d4+1 rounds. It doesn't leave inky trail during that time. Incidentally, ink splotches are a bountiful source of ink for anyone willing to keep one around.

Susceptible To Water Ink splotches react to clear water as if it was acid, suffering 1d6 points of acid damage on contact, and 10d6 points of acid damage when immersed.

Ink splotches are a widespread but poorly know bane of libraries. Those little oozes feed on fungi, lichens, and minute vermin that infest books, cloth, papyrus, parchment, and paper, but they get little appreciation for that service, because, as their name suggest, they leave ink-like stains almost everywhere they move, especially on cloth, papyrus, parchment, and paper...

A single ink splotch might remain undetected for years, its traces being confused for spilt ink, but a group of them can cause immense damage to a collection of writings unless dealt with quickly. A few cunning saboteurs devised ways of bottling ink splotches and using them as living weapons against writings of all sorts–administrative records, judicial verdicts, books of law, theological volumes, royal decrees...

An ink splotch might be kept as an improved familiar (requires 3rd caster level). When trained and supervised, it can act as an infinite source of mundane ink, and produce approximately 1 gp worth of magical ink per week. It can also wreck havoc with books and scrolls if unchecked.

Fantasy NPC: Needler Fine, The Tattooist

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Needler Fine, The Tattooist

A slender figure, with long and sinewy arms covered in abstract tattoos... Except you know that if you look close enough, long enough, you will see the inherent pattern, the shapes, you need to focus enough...

CR 8; 4,800 XP

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

Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +18

Defense
AC 21, touch 16, flat-footed 15 (+3 armor, +6 Dex, +2 natural)

hp 102 (12d10+36); regeneration 5 (good or silver)
Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +11

DR 5/good or silver; Immune cold; SR 19

Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.

Melee 2 tattooing needles +15/+10/+5 (1d4+3, 17–20/×2)

Ranged tattooing needles +19/+14/+9 (1d4+3, 17–20/×2)

Special Attacks tattooing needles, unnerving gaze (30 ft., DC 19)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th, concentration +15)

At Will—greater teleport (self with 50 lbs. of gear only)

Statistics
Str 14, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 17, Cha 17

Base Atk +12; CMB +14; CMD 30
Feats Bleeding Critical, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Improved Initiative, Inscribe Magical Tattoo^B, Nimble Moves, Skill Focus (Craft [tattoo])

Skills Acrobatics +21, Bluff +18, Climb +10, Craft (tattoo) +23, Intimidate +18, Linguistics +17, Perception +18, Sense Motive +18, Stealth +21

Language Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Infernal, and twelve other languages

SQ tattooing master

Tattooing Master (Su) Needler Fine can make tattooing process intensely pleasant, intensely painful, or both at the same time, or he can choose to make it perfectly tolerable, if somehow boring. He can even tattoo a sleeping person without waking them up, though they usually suffer from rather unpleasant dreams in meantime. Tattoos inked by Needler Fine are often easy to misread or misinterpret, with clients always seeing what they asked for, while others looking at them might see quite different images formed of the same lines, often reflecting the client's (or the observer's) secrets, sins, flaws, or past misdeeds.

Tattooing Needles (Su) Needler Fine has all the needles he'll ever need. He can always draw a new one as a free action if he is ever disarmed or throws it, and can attack with two of his needles without penalties. His tattooing needles count as +1 keen silver and cold steel daggers that ignore up to 10 points of damage reduction of living and undead corporeal beings. Dropped, stolen, or thrown needles turn into dust after an hour.

Unnerving Gaze (Su): A creature that succumbs to Needle Fine's unnerving gaze (or more accurately, his unnerving tattoos) becomes fascinated.

Needler Fine is a master of his art, but cruel and manipulative one. He will cover your body with tattoos that you will love, but for others, they will be a window into the darkest depths of your soul–or so they will think. He will cover your body with tattoos of highest quality, but you will suffer pain of highest quality in return. He will cover your body with tattoos you desire, but you will carve the pleasure of his needles piercing your skin again even more.

Fantasy Monster: Big Bell Beetle

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Big Bell Beetle

An enormous beetle covered in shiny and smooth chitinous shell, with too many legs, and too many antennae.

CR 12; XP 19,200
N Gargantuan Vermin

Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., tremorsense 120 ft.; Perception +24

Defense
AC 27, touch 15, flat-footed 24 (+6 deflection, +3 Dex, +12 natural, –4 size)
hp 19 (22d8+66)
Fort +16; Ref +10; Will +11

Defensive Abilities resonant shell; Resist acid 20, cold 20, electricity 20, fire 20

Offense
Speed 50 ft., burrow 30 ft.

Melee bite +19 (3d6+7), 2 slams +19 (3d6+7)

Space 20 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks resounding slam

Statistics
Str 24, Dex 16, Con 16, Int –, Wis 19, Cha 11
Base Atk +16; CMB +27; CMD 44 (56 vs. trip and overrun)

Feats Combat Reflexes^B, Defensive Combat Training^B, Improved Initiative^B

Skills Perception +24; Racial Modifiers +20 Perception

Ecology
Environment underground
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure incidental

Special Abilities

Resonant Shell (Ex) When a big bell beetle is hit with a physical, force, or sonic attack, its shell resonates sending a disruptive sound wave that can be heard echoing for miles underground. All creatures within 60 feet, including constructs and undead, become deafened for 1 round and staggered for 1d4 rounds (a successful DC 21 Fortitude saving throw reduces staggered effect to 1 round). Duration of deafness caused by this ability stacks. The piercing sound also shatters delicate glass and crystal objects unless they succeed Fortitude saving throw. The saving throw DC of this sonic effect is Charisma-based.

Resounding Slam (Ex) A big bell beetle can trigger its resonant shell by hitting a solid wall or a large obstacle as a standard action, or when it bull-rushes a particularly hard opponents, like metal, stone, or wooden constructs.

Big bell beetle is a massive insectoid beast that lives in deep tunnels. It has peculiar, highly durable shell with air sacks underneath that act as resonant cavity, amplifying any blows falling onto its surface into deafening bangs echoing far and wide.

Occasionally, underground settlements might keep a big bell beetle as a living warning gong and a guardian beast.

Eggs of big bell beetles have similar resounding quality when struck, though the pitch is different, prompting the parent to arrive quickly and ferociously attack any intruders.

Fantasy Monster: Sniffer

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Sniffer

A ball of fluffy fur with a visible snout rolls across the ground.

CR 2; XP 600
N Tiny Aberration

Init +2; Senses exceptional scent; Perception +10

Defense
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size)
hp 19 (3d8+6)
Fort +3; Ref +3; Will +5

Offense
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft.

Melee bite +4 (2d5)

Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Statistics
Str 10, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 15, Cha 13
Base Atk +2; CMB +0; CMD 12

Feats Alertness, Nimble Moves

Skills Climb +8, Perception +10, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +10

Language none; olfactory telepathy.

Ecology
Environment any
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none

Special Abilities

Exceptional Scent (Ex) A sniffer sense of smell is so acute, it can detect creatures from 120 feet, and pinpoint their location from 20 feet, doubled upwind, halved downwind, and doubled again with intense smells. A sniffer can also make Perception checks to track by scent (DC 10 for a fresh trail, +2 per hour).

Olfactory Telepathy (Ex) A sniffer can sense and project feeling of base needs, wants, emotions, and experiences (e.g., "Hungry", "Play!", "Bored", "Wet!") through scents within 30 feet (or double that for sudden and extreme feelings like fear and pain).

Sniffers are strangely cute balls of fur with prominent snouts and an attitude that could only be described as aggressively friendly. They are curious, playful, and obsessed with new smells, as scent seems to be their main long-range sense. There are no bad smells for them, only exciting and boring, familiar and new. They lack sight or hearing, though their touch and taste seem to be quite acute as well.

A sniffer can become a familiar (Improved Familiar feat and 5th caster level required).