Fantasy Monster: Bother-Goose

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Bother-goose

A thick goose, with a serrated beak, and patches of scales visible here and there through the feathers.

CR 4; XP 1,200
N Medium Magical Beast

Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +10

Aura screeching (60 ft.)

Defense
AC 17, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+5 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 39 (6d10+6)
Fort +6; Ref +10; Will +3

Offense
Speed 30 ft., swim 15 ft.; wing leaps

Melee beak +8 (1d6+2) and 2 wing slaps +8 (1d6+2)

Special Attacks wing pounce

Statistics
Str 14, Dex 20, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 13
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 23

Feats Combat Reflexes, Disruptive^B, Improved Initiative, Run

Skills Acrobatics +5, Perception +10, Swim +10

Ecology
Environment urban, rural
Organization solitary, pair, or a gaggle (5—12)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Screeching (Ex) When agitated or engaged in violence (which is often), bother-geese produce a constant screeching, honking noise that bestows –2 penalty to concentration checks and skill checks that require focus and patience made within 60 feet of a conscious bother-geese. This penalty increases to –4 if there are at least 4 bother-geese present, and –6 if there are nine or more. The screeching gets modulated in particularly annoying way when there are invisible creatures present or magic is used within 60 feet. All bother-geese gain Disruptive as a bonus feat.

Wing Leaps (Ex) While bother-geese are (thankfully) incapable of actual flight, they can still use their wings to help them move around – a bother-goose can intermix short, 10-ft. jumps into their movement, charging, or running, allowing them to clear small patches of difficult terrain or low obstacles with ease. They can also glide when jumping from high, moving up to 15 feet horizontally per 5 feet of fall, falling 20 feet per round, without harm. Bother-geese can always take 10 on Acrobatics check.

Wing Pounce (Ex) Bother-geese can jump while charging, either combining multiple short, 10-ft. leaps intermixed with a minimum 10 ft. of movement between leaps, or make a single large leap at any point of the movement. A charging bother-goose can make two wing slap attacks at the end of charge against its target.

Bother-geese were originally breed as watch-beasts and guardians, capable of detecting intruders and alerting everyone. It might went too well, though. While bother-geese are perfectly capable of rousing the slowest and most drunk soldiers from stupor, they are easily agitated and alarmed by slightest disturbances, unexpected movement, unknown guests, or even misplaced everyday objects. They are also quite aggressive and prone to violence against anyone they don't know well, dislike, or who did something out of ordinary. Even a wrong piece of clothing or known voice distorted by a stuffed nose can trigger their incessant clamor.

A number of flocks apparently run feral, though they might have been simply abandoned by overwhelmed owners.