Fantasy Monster: Digger-Wight

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Digger-Wight

A hunched withered figure in tattered leather apron, wielding a crocked pickaxe.

CR 5; XP 6,400
NE Medium Undead

Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +14

Defense
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+2 armor, +3 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 55 (10d8+10); fast healing 5
Fort +4; Ref +6; Will +8

Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4; DR 10/gold; Immune undead traits

Weakness attracted to gold

Offense
Speed 30 ft., burrow 10 ft.

Melee pickaxe +10/+5 (2d4+4, 20/×4) or 2 slams +10 (1d4+3)

Special Attacks spew sludge

Statistics
Str 16, Dex 16, Con —, Int 11, Wis 13, Cha 13
Base Atk +7; CMB +14; CMD 27

Feats Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Skill Focus (Profession [miner]), Power Attack, Vital Strike

Skills Appraise +10, Knowledge (engineering) +10, Perception +14, Profession (miner) +17

Languages understands Common, occasionally mutters single words, such as "Gold-gold..."

SQ excavating swing

Ecology
Environment mines, gold-bearing hills
Organization solitary, pair, or camp (3–5)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Attracted To Gold Digger-wights will spend at least one move action to approach closest visible gold item that came within their line of sight since the end of their previous turn. Objects that stay within the digger-wights' line of sight longer lose its appeal, and no longer attract them.

Excavating Swing (Su) A digger-wight can use its pickaxe to break a 5-ft. block of soft stone, clay, mud, or earth as a full-round action, and can burrow through ground as long as it has its pickaxe. A digger-wight left to itself will always find, construct or repair a pickaxe in short time.

Spew Sludge (Su) A digger-wight can vomit a spray of watery sludge as a standard action, in a 15-ft. long cone-shaped burst, dazzling all creatures within for 1d4+1 rounds, and pushing away 5 feet and knocking down Medium or smaller creatures that fail a Reflex saving throw (DC 16). It also quenches nonmagical fires within area.

Gold-fever led many to their deaths... And brought some of them beyond their doom, leaving them a hollow shells obsessing sorely over digging more and more gold until their desire is satiated allowing them to pass on. Often in places where gold was depleted, or never as plentiful as they initially thought in the first place.

Fantasy Monster: Martyr's Heart

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Martyr's Heart

A beating heart floats in the air, still dripping blood.

CR 9; XP 6,400
LE Diminutive Undead

Init +9; Senses lifesight 120 ft.; Perception +25

Aura stigmatic (120 ft.)

Defense
AC 23, touch 23, flat-footed 18 (+4 deflection, +5 Dex, +4 size)
hp 114 (12d8+60)
Fort +9; Ref +9; Will +12

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

Offense
Speed fly 30 ft. (perfect)

Special Attacks crimson arcs (60 ft., up to three targets, 4d6 +1 Con bleed, DC 21 Fort negates)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th, concentration +17)

Constant–shield of faith

Statistics
Str 1, Dex 20, Con —, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 21
Base Atk +9; CMB +14; CMD 27

Feats Defensive Combat Training, Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Initiative, Improved Iron Will, Iron Will

Skills Fly +21, Perception +25, Stealth +25; Racial Modifiers +8 Fly, +8 Perception, +8 Stealth

Ecology
Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Crimson Arcs (Su) As a standard action, a martyr's heart can lash at up to three different living targets with arcs of crimson energy. Each target that fails a Fortitude saving throw (DC 21) starts to bleed (4d6 hit point damage and 1 Con damage). The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Lifesight (Su) A martyr's heart senses its general surroundings within 120 feet as if using blindsight, and it can accurately discern living creatures from objects and non-living beings.

Stigmatic Aura (Su) A martyr's heart projects its pain, suffering and religious ecstasy. No bleeding effect can be stopped within 120 feet of a martyr's heart. At the beginning of its turn, a martyr's heart gains temporary hit points equal to total amount of bleed damage suffered by living creatures with the boundaries of this aura since the heart's last turn. Those who bleed while within the aura feel a sort-of religious euphoria along with the pain.

Martyr's heart form out of hearts ripped from the chests of still-living, would-be saints, absorbing both the pain and the desire for suffering, sharing the martyr's stigmata with those nearby.

Certain powerful martyr's hearts are minor relics in their own, requiring special measures to either destroy or purify them.

Fantasy NPC: Eternal Tenants, An Eremite Extraordinary

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The Eternal Tenants, An Eremite Extraordinary

A vaporous image of a robed ascetic walks slowly across a labyrinthine gardens.

CR 7; 3,200 XP

LG Medium Undead (incorporeal)

Init +10; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +25

Defense
AC 20, touch 20, flat-footed 14 (+4 deflection, +2 Dex, +4 insight)

hp 85 (10d8+40)
Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +11

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

Offense
Speed fly 30 ft. (perfect)

Melee pacifying touch +20 (7d6 plus calm emotions, DC 19 Will save partial)

Special Attacks confounding words (DC 19)

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

Base Atk +7; CMB +7; CMD 30
Feats Defensive Combat Training, Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes

Skills Bluff +17, Fly +10, Heal +14, Knowledge (religion) +14, Perception +25, Profession (garden philosopher) +14, Sense Motive +17, Stealth +10

Language Common, Celestial

Confounding Words (Su) The Eremite can utter a statement, often but not always in a riddle form that surprises and confounds listeners. All sapient creatures within 30 feet that can hear the Eremite speaking have to make a Will saving throw (DC 19) or become fascinated by his statement for at least 1d10 minutes. In combat or other violent altercations, those who fail the saving throw are affected by calm emotion effect for 1 round and staggered for 1d4+1 rounds instead. A successful saving throw renders the listeners immune to this effect for the next 24 hours. This is mind-affecting language-dependent divination effect. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Pacifying Touch (Su) An incorporeal touch from the Eremite deals 7d6 points of damage and overwhelms the target with a sense of calm serenity, affecting them with calm emotions for 1d4+1 rounds. A successful Will saving throw (DC 19) halves the damage and negates calming effect. The Eremite can choose to use the calming effect of his touch without dealing damage. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Some aristocrats keep their own pet hermits – holy people, monks, ascetics, philosophers,  or madmen (and often some form of combination of any of those traits). They don't require that much space and maintenance, though their presence on noble estates comes and goes out of fashion in unpredictable patterns.

This particular hermit stays on, with little regard for changing fashion. It's hard to say what exactly binds this ghost to a garden-maze where he was originally hosted – unfinished business? Sense of duty? Quirky humor? Some lost trinket buried in the garden when his abode was torn down?

He shows and vanishes at random times, often inappropriate (he seems to have a penchant to interrupt couples seeking intimate discretion in the depths of gardens), delivering enigmatic, but deeply sounding riddles, statements, and even some occasional piece of actual advice.

Fantasy Monster: Snowling Ball

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Snowling Ball

An oversized snowball rolls around on its own.

CR 5; XP 1,600
N Medium Construct (cold)

Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +2

Defense
AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+4 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 53 (6d10+20); cold healing 10
Fort +4; Ref +8; Will +4

DR 10/bludgeoning; Immune cold, construct traits

Weakness susceptible to fire

Offense
Speed 40 ft.; ignores difficult terrain caused by snow and ice

Melee slam +8 (3d6+3 plus 3d6 cold)

Special Attacks roll through (DC 15)

Statistics
Str 14, Dex 18, Con —, Int —, Wis 15, Cha 1
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 22 (can't be tripped)

Feats Great Fortitude^B, Improved Initiative^B, Lightning Reflexes^B

Skills Acrobatics +4, Perception +2

Ecology
Environment any cold
Organization solitary, pair, or snowfight (3–6)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Cold Healing (Ex) A snowling ball gains fast healing 10 in cold or colder environment.

Roll Through (Ex) A snowling ball can roll with great speed and force as a full-round action, moving up to twice it speed in a straight line. Each corporeal creature in the line that fails a Reflex saving throw (DC 15) suffers snowling ball's slam damage and is knocked prone. Creatures that are already prone, get no saving throw suffering slam damage and are staggered for 1d4 rounds. Snowling ball stops in its tracks if it hits Large or larger corporeal creature or obstacle.

Susceptible To Fire A snowling ball is vulnerable to fire (+50% damage). If it suffers fire damage it loses its cold healing ability, halves its speed, and doesn't deal cold damage for 1 round.

Snowling balls are animate orbs of snow (with occasional chunks of ice inside) that are made by frost giants and ice dragons as toys for their young. And like all toys, they get lost, misplaced, or thrown out once they are no longer needed or wanted. Unlike most toys, though, they don't don't stay discarded for long, driven by their programming to keep playing with moving targets, often to the detriment of lesser, less sturdier creatures.

Some of them might respond to certain commands in Draconic or Giant, others, not so much.