Fantasy Monster: Rancid Duelist

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Rancid Duelist

A half-rotten corpse wearing a surprisingly elegant courtly clothing, with a splendid blade sheathed at the belt.

CR 5; 1,600 XP

LE Medium Undead

Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9

Defense
AC 18, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 natural)
hp 51 (6d8+24)
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +8

Defensive Abilities redirect attack, rejuvenation; DR 10/magic and piercing; Immune channel resistance +4, undead traits

Offense
Speed 60 ft.

Melee rapier +10/+10 (1d6+5, 18–20/×2)

Special Attacks greater finesse, honorable challenge

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th, concentration +10)

Constant—haste, magic weapon

Statistics
Str 10, Dex 18, Con —, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 19

Base Atk +4; CMB +8 (+10 disarm); CMD 21

Feats Combat Expertise^B, Combat Reflexes, Improved Disarm^B, Improved Initiative, Iron Will
Skills Acrobatics +10, Diplomacy +10, Knowledge (nobility) +7, Perception +9, Sense Motive +9

Languages Common plus another language suitable for the place and period

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure standard (masterwork rapier, elegant cloths, and courtly jewelry, likely out of fashion)

Special Abilities

Greater Finesse (Ex) A rancid duelist uses their Dexterity to determine melee attack rolls, melee weapon damage rolls, and CMB. They also use their full HD to determine their CMD instead of their base attack bonus.

Honorable Challenge (Su) A rancid duelist can issue a challenge to a sapient being within 30 feet as a swift action. If the recipient accepts the challenge, both the rancid duelist and the target immediately heal 50 points of damage, and then both are surrounded by protective blessing that halves damage from all other sources for the next 6 rounds or until one of the duelists is defeated. A living creature dropped to 0 hit points during the honorable challenge is immediately killed by a death effect. Anyone else attempting to make an attack or use any effect—harmful or helpful—on the rancid duelist or the challenged opponent while the honorable challenge lasts is struck with a magic backlash that deals 2d6 points of damage (this damage can disrupt casting of a spell or prevent finishing an attack if it incapacitates the attacker). A rancid duelist can be provoked into issuing honorable challenge with a successful Diplomacy or Knowledge (nobility) check (DC 20 to target the person making the check, 30 to convince the duelist to challenge another person present).

Redirect Attack (Su) A rancid duelist that is targeted with a melee or ranged attack and has an adjacent foe other than the attacker, can redirect the attack against an adjacent foe as an immediate action. The attack is resolved normally.

Rejuvenation (Su) A rancid duelist reforms within 1d10 hours unless defeated during the honorable challenge. Interestingly, a pair of rancid duelists locked in a honorable challenge is incapable of defeating each other.

A rancid duelist forms when a duelist can't stop dueling, even after death. They might had won or lost their final duel but they still come for more. Rancid duelists follow the letter of dueling codes, but at the same time they are ruthless and merciless entities, continuing to exist for the thrill of duels or a specific unfinished duel.

While all rancid duelist can be eloquent, a few rancid duelist are even more ongoing than others, deliberately seeking high society events to find people to challenge to the duels.

Fantasy Monster: Watchful Lantern

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Watchful Lantern

An eerie light emanates from a baroque lantern made of wrought iron, held by a metal arm. The whole construction bobs slowly through the air, throwing weird shades on the nearby walls.

CR 6; 2,400 XP

N Small Construct

Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +10

Aura exposing light (60 ft.)

Defense
AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 19 (+2 deflection, +2 natural, +4 shield, +1 size)
hp 54 (8d10+10)
Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5

Defensive Abilities hardness 10, protective field; Immune construct traits

Offense
Speed fly 20 ft. (perfect); low-ceiling

Special Attacks exposing light (60 ft., vulnerability to force damage)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th, concentration +8)

Constant—shield

At Will—magic missile (4 × 1d4+1)

Statistics
Str 10, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 11

Base Atk +10; CMB +9; CMD 19 (can't be tripped)

Feats Hover^B
Skills Fly +10, Perception +10; Racial Modifiers +10 Perception

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins
Organization solitary, pair, or group (3–6)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Exposing Light (Su) The eerie glow emanating from the lantern's unnatural flame reveals invisible and incorporeal creatures and objects within 60 feet. It also makes all the exposed creatures vulnerable to force damage.

Low Ceiling (Su) Watchful lantern's fly speed is a magical effect that restricts it to moving no higher than 10 feet above the floor.

Protective Field (Su) A watchful lantern has +2 deflection bonus to AC and +2 resistance bonus to all saving throws.

Watchful lanterns are magical constructs that are supposed to guard specific areas from intruders, particularly sneaky infiltrators, invisible assassins, and bodiless spirits—though those found in old ruins rarely seem to be bothered by nearby restless spirits of local denizens...

Construction: Watchful Lantern

The creator has to start with an intricately wrought lantern made of iron, reinforced glass and precious metals costing 2,000 gp and special minerals that will burn forever costing another 3,000 gp.

CL 10th; Price 20,000 gp

Requirements Craft Construct; dancing lantern, magic missile, purge invisibility, creator must be at least 10th caster level; Skill Craft (glass) DC 25; Cost 12,500 gp.

Fantasy Monster: Streaking Gauntlet

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Streaking Gauntlet

A steel gauntlet floats in the air.

CR 2; 600 XP

N Diminutive Construct

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

Defense
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+4 size)
hp 11 (2d10)
Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +0

Defensive Abilities hardness 8; Immune construct traits

Offense
Speed fly 20 ft. (perfect); low-ceiling

Melee slam +6 (1d4) or weapon +6 (weapon)

Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft. (5 ft. with weapon)

Special Attacks powerful charge (+2d6), wrest weapon

Statistics
Str 10, Dex 10, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1

Base Atk +2; CMB –2 (disarm +6); CMD 8 (16 vs. disarm or sunder, can't be tripped)
Skills Fly +14

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins
Organization solitary, pair, or group (3–6)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Low Ceiling (Su) Streaking gauntlet's fly speed is a magical effect that restricts it to moving no higher than 10 feet above the floor.

Wrest Weapon (Ex) A streaking gauntlet can grab a one-handed weapon sized for Small or Medium creatures and wield it without any penalties, dealing the weapon's normal damage on a successful attack within reach of a Small or Medium creature. An unarmed streaking gauntlet can attempt disarm maneuvers without provoking attacks of opportunity, gaining +8 racial bonus to its CMB check and to its CMD against disarm or sunder attempts.

Streaking gauntlets are magically animated gauntlets that can handle weapons far larger than themselves. Depending on their commands, they may guard a location from intrusion, or merely prevent visitors from wielding weapons within designed zone.

Construction: Streaking Gauntlet

The creator has to start with a masterwork steel gauntlet costing 150 gp.

CL 5th; Price 4,150 gp.

Requirements Craft Construct; locate object, pilfering hand, creator must be at least 5th caster level; Skill Craft (armor) DC 20; Cost 2,000 gp.

Fantasy Monster: Youth-Seed

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Youth-Seed

A thick bundle of narrow, feathery leaves surrounding a beautiful central flower growing out of a thick pod.

CR 11; XP 12,800
N Small Plant

Init +14; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +21

Defense
AC 25, touch 21, flat-footed 18 (+10 Dex, +4 natural, +1 size)
hp 147 (14d8+84)
Fort +14; Ref +14; Will +10
Defensive Abilities evasion, uncanny dodge; Immune plant traits

Offense
Speed 30 ft.; climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft.

Melee 3 tendrils +15 touch (4d6 plus fatigue)

Space 5 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks sap vitality

Statistics
Str 18, Dex 30, Con 20, Int 13, Wis 19, Cha 13
Base Atk +10; CMB +13; CMD 33 (41 vs. trip)

Feats Ability Focus (Sap Vitality), Acrobatic Steps, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Nimble Moves, Toughness

Skills Acrobatics +24, Climb +12, Perception +21, Stealth +31 (+41 in light or heavy vegetation), Swim +12; Racial Modifier +10 Stealth in light or heavy vegetation

Language doesn't communicate

SQ youth-pod, water breathing

Ecology
Environment warm forests and underground
Organization solitary
Treasure special (youth-pod)

Special Abilities

Sap Vitality (Su) A youth-seed touch drains vitality from those it touches with its tendril, dealing damage on a successful melee touch attack and making the target fatigued on a failed Fortitude saving throw (DC 20). The youth-seed heals hit points equal to damage it dealt to living creatures. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Youth-Pod (Su) A youth-seed stores drained vitality in a bulbous pod beneath its flower. After the youth-seed is killed, its pod can be harvested and consumed to rejuvenate single mortal recipient, restoring their effective age to young adult. Each creature can only benefit from age rejuvenating effect only once. Alternatively, the youth-pod can be used in place of normal components for raise dead, reincarnate, resurrection, or any restoration spell, or a limited wish used to produce effects intended to heal or remove negative conditions. If the youth-seed is killed with death effect, its youth-pod becomes corrupted, cursing the rejuvenated consumer to rise as an undead creature of some sort after their death.

Youth-seeds are extremally rare plant beings that live in secluded places. They defend themselves by draining vital forces from attackers and storing it to sustain themselves in harsh times—an ability that also makes them a tempting target for those who would seek to extend their lives, if they know of the plant's existence.

Youth-seeds are poorly suitable for farming, requiring many years of draining vitality from other creatures before their youth pods fully mature and develop their life-giving properties, and can't be harvested without killing the creature. They are also skittish and try to flee any enclosures and are virtually untamable. No youth-seed has every reproduced in captivity—nor was their reproduction in native environments ever described—further undermining all attempts to farm youth pods.

Fantasy Monster: Quaff-Bird

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Quaff-Bird

A grotesque-looking bird, with a bulbous body, two pairs of partly feathered, partly membranous wings, membranous gular sac, long tube-like beak and even longer tongue.

CR 1/2 200 XP

N Tiny Magical Beast

Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, detect potions 60 ft.; Perception +5

Defense

AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +2 size)

hp 6 (1d10+1)

Fort +3; Ref +3; Will +1

Defensive Abilities evasion

Offense
Speed 10 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect)

Melee bite +4 (1d3)

Ranged spit potion +4 touch (potion effects)

Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft. (5 ft. with steal maneuver)

Special Attack sip potion

Statistics
Str 1, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 3, Wis 13, Cha 11
Base Atk +1; CMB +0 (+4 steal); CMD 5

Feats Weapon Finesse

Skills Fly +13, Perception +5, Stealth +9

Languages they can learn how to repeat (and even possibly understand) single words or very short sentences in various languages, but seem to be unable to grasp any more complex grammar beyond repeating learned phrases

Ecology
Environment temperate or warm forests, ruins, and underground
Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–10)
Treasure incidental

Special Abilities

Detect Potion (Su) A quaff-bird can sense presence of magical potions within 60 feet range as if it had a constant detect magic spell in effect. This sense can be fooled with other magical liquids, magical potions, and some liquid magical components.

Sip Potion (Su) A quaff-bird can consume a single potion as a standard action. Alternatively, it can attempt a steal maneuver against a creature holding a potion or carrying it in easily accessible location (such as bandolier, belt pouch, etc.) as a standard action without provoking attacks of opportunity. On a successful CMB check it sips the contents of a single potion. The consumed potion is stored within the quaff-bird sack and slowly digested over a number of hours equal to the consumed potion's caster level without triggering its effect. A quaff-bird can hold a single potion in its gular sac. It can deliberately trigger the consumed potion as a swift action gaining its benefits or spit it on another creature within 10 feet as a standard action with a successful ranged touch attack if it decides so—quaff-birds seem to understand the general function of consumed potions intuitively as if they succeeded Perception check to identify their effects.

Quaff-birds normally feed on honey, plant sap, overripe fruits, and various insects, but they grow agitated and gluttonous when they come into presence of magical potions, which they will try to consume fervently, making them annoying pests to alchemists, potion brewers, and adventurers.

A fresh corpse of quaff-bird that consumed a potion but hadn't digested or used up the potion yet, can be used as a substitute component for a prepared or known spell when creating a magic item.

Some guardsmen keep quaff-birds to look for contraband potions, while less scrupulous individuals butcher them and use their potion-infused carcasses while creating magic items.

A quaff-bird can be selected as an improved familiar (requires caster level 3).

Fantasy Monster: Name-Wolf

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Name-Wolf

A blue-grey wolf with intricate silver patters spelling ancient glyphs on its fur.

CR 8; 4,800 XP

N Medium Magical Beast

Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, smell name; Perception +22

Defense

AC 21, touch 15, flat-footed 16 (+5 Dex, +6 natural)

hp 102 (12d10+36)

Fort +10; Ref +12; Will +7; +4 vs. language-dependent effects
Defensive Abilities nameless 

Offense
Speed 50 ft.

Melee bite +18 (2d4+8 plus trip)

Special Attack devour name (DC 18)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th, concentration +13)

Constant—magic fang, tongues

Statistics
Str 20, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 15, Wis 17, Cha 15
Base Atk +12; CMB +17; CMD 32 (36 vs. trip)

Feats Acrobatic Step, Combat Reflexes, Improved Vital Strike, Nimble Moves, Power Attack, Vital Strike

Skills Acrobatics +20, Perception +22, Stealth +20; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Survival when tracking by scent of someone whose name it knows

Languages Aklo, Common, Sylvan; tongues

Ecology
Environment cold or temperate forest
Organization solitary, pair, or leading a pack of wolves and similar creatures
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Devour Name (Su) When a name-wolf successfully deals damage to a sapient creature that is prone, stunned, incapacitated, surprised or otherwise unaware of the name-wolf, the name-wolf can eat part of the target's name, consuming its identity in the process unless the target resists with a successful Will saving throw (DC 18). From now on, everyone who met the target before has to succeed a Will saving throw (DC 18) to recognize the victim, otherwise they treat the target as a complete stranger. People who have deep emotional ties to the victim suffer –4 penalty to their saving throws. People who witnessed devouring of the target's name receive +4 bonus to their saving throws. This is a language-dependent curse effect. If the name-wolf that devoured the target's name was killed, any attempt to remove the curse has a corresponding DC increased by 10. As a side effect, this curse renders the victim immune to effects that target their name or require knowledge of their true name. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Nameless (Ex) Name-wolves—despite being sapient, speaking creatures with individual personalities—have no names of their own and cannot be named, though they can bear nicknames, usually based on the place they roam. All forms of magic that rely on or affect names have no effect on them.

Smell Name (Su) Name-wolves automatically learn names of people who they detect directly with their scent.

Name-wolves are cunning predators that feed on flesh of livestock and names of speaking folk. They usually avoid killing sapient beings unless forced to, and can even be bargained to a degree—some villages even going as far as offering them names of a few elders each year, in addition to chickens, goats, and pigs.

And once in a while, someone might actually deliberately seek a name-wolf to lose their old identity and begin a sort of new life. Or maybe avoid even worse fate tied to their old name.

Greater Name-Wolves (CR 10) are giant advanced name-wolves that operate in packs that can strip whole places of their names, erasing backwater villages and lone forts from the memories of all but their denizens.

Fantasy NPC: The Egg Of Yr

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The Egg Of Yr

An enormous ovoid of a luminescent crystal floats over a metal platform walking on four spider legs of bronze and steel.

CR 12; 9,6400 XP

N Gargantuan Construct

Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, deathwatch; Perception +18

Defense
AC 27, touch 11, flat-footed 26 (+5 deflection, +1 Dex, +15 natural, –4 size)
hp 157 (15d10+60); fast healing 10
Fort +12, Ref +13, Will +15

Defensive Abilities crystalline shell; DR 10/epic; Immune acid, cold, construct traits, electricity, fire

Offense
Speed 40 ft.

Melee 3 claws +21 (2d6+10)

Space 20 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks prismatic pulse (100 ft., DC 20)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th, concentration +23)

Constant—deathwatch

At Will—gentle repose (a single Large or smaller body stored within at a time, indefinitely)

Statistics
Str 30, Dex 13, Con —, Int 16, Wis 17, Cha 17

Base Atk +15; CMB +29; CMD 40 (46 vs. trip)
Feats Critical Focus, Great Fortitude, Improved Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative,  Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Staggering Critical, Toughness

Skills Knowledge (nature) +18, Knowledge (planes) +18, Knowledge (religion) +18, Perception +18, Sense Motive +18

Language telepathy 100 ft.

Crystalline Shell (Ex) The Egg's crystalline form has +5 deflection bonus to AC and +5 resistance bonus to all saving throws, it also has 50% chance of reflecting any ray back on the attacker.

Prismatic Pulse (Su) Once engaged in combat, the Egg's luminescence starts to shimmer and throb with a steadily increasing rate. Every 1d4+1 rounds thereafter, the Egg can release a pulse of prismatic energy washing over everyone within 100 feet as a full-round action, affecting each creature that lacks total cover as if it was exposed to a random color of prismatic spray spell (saving throw DC 20). The Egg becomes dazed for one round after releasing the pulse. If the Egg is destroyed, it releases one more pulse that spreads up to 1 mile from its current location. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Source Of Rebirth (Su) The Egg Of Yr can return a Large or smaller dead creature to life by absorbing the corpses inside and rebuilding the target over 20d6 hours, though it always needs a mostly intact head of the deceased to proceed (though it could have been preserved in multitude of ways as long as there are no major missing parts nor too much decay). If the mostly complete body was provided, the creature will be revived as if resurrection was used. If the body was heavily damaged or the victim died of old age, a new body of a random species is grown, as per reincarnate spell (though it can revive creatures that died to death effects or even outsiders). The revived creature comes back to life with no negative levels.

If the stories are true, the Egg Of Yr might contains the essence of life itself within its crystalline frame. Who bound that power and give it such shape, no one knows, but if found, the Egg can be persuaded to revive the dead. At other times, it comes and offers to return the dead to life of its own volition—though projections of its inhuman thoughts can be hard to interpret. It always demands a task to be fulfilled by the family, friends, and companions of the beneficiary, or maybe from a seemingly random passerby—sometimes easy, sometimes hard, always enigmatic and occasionally weird. There seems to be a limit on how often the Egg can return the dead to life, for it never provides such aid multiple times in a short period of time or to multiple victims of a single event, though the exact limits of its powers are unknown.