Fantasy NPC: Lord Quaysall and Lady Dorvenor, Spectral Heads

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Lord Quaysall and Lady Dorvenor, Spectral Heads

A pair of glowing blue-grey heads floats around, both attractive despite their clearly spectral nature. Both wear intricate hairstyles and courtly hats a few decades old.

CR 5 (as a pair); 1,600 XP

CE and LE Tiny Undead (incorporeal)

Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +8

Defense
AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 14 (+2 deflection, +1 Dex, +2 size)

hp 26 (4d8+8)
Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +5

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

Offense
Speed fly 20 ft. (perfect)

Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attacks vile utterance

Statistics
Str —, Dex 13, Con —, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 15

Base Atk +3; CMB +2; CMD 14 (can't be knocked prone)
Feats Hover, Improved Initiative

Skills Bluff +9, Diplomacy +9, Fly +13, Knowledge (nobility) +8, Perception +8, Sense Motive +8, Stealth +9

Language Common, Duc, Infernal

SQ courtly bearing

Courtly Bearing (Ex and Su) Being executed courtiers, both Lord Quaysall and Lady Dorvenor treat Bluff, Diplomacy, and Knowledge (nobility) as class skills.

Rejuvenation (Su) Lord Quaysall and Lady Dorvenor are bound to haunt the royal palace until both of them are destroyed at exactly the same time, otherwise they will both recover within 1d4 days.

Vile Utterance (Su) Both Lord Quaysall and Lady Dorvenor can utter deplorable words from beyond the veil of death that stop heartbeat, wither plants, and scare animals. Using this ability is a standard action that targets either one or all beings within 20 feet that can hear them. A successful Will saving throw (DC 14) negates all effects. Affected living targets suffer 3d6 points of damage. Creatures of animal intelligence also panic for 1d4+1 rounds. Mindless undead are dazed for 1d4+1 rounds. Evil creatures suffer –2 penalty to their saving throw against this effect. Creatures that are sleeping, unconscious, unable to hear, or fascinated by something else can't be affected by this ability. This is a sonic necromantic effect. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Both of those spectral heads were courtiers of little prominence and much overinflated egos and sense of self-importance. When their kingdom faced a period of unrest, they tried to fan the flames of riots and start a revolution, hoping to turn it against the royal family and take over themselves. They were far from the master intriguers they viewed themselves to be, though, with their blatant meddling attracting scorn of the protesters and ire of the crown alike. For their actions, they were executed, and to make thing worse, made scapegoats for both the riots and their handling, allowing the court to appease the people and pardon the real culprits.

Now they haunt the capital and the royal palace, fiercely bickering or weaving complex but futile intrigues in turn. Sometimes, they approach lesser nobles, courtiers, and politicians trying to coax them into attempt the most convoluted, self-serving, and inane schemes. At other times, they try to suck up to royal family and greater nobles, or pester and disturb palace servants and guards.

Fantasy Monster: Voracious Turf

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Voracious Turf

This patch of lawn looks weirdly suspicious... Wait... Why is it moving?! Why is it moving so faaaaassttt?!! Get it off of me!

CR 12; XP 19,200
N Colossal Plant

Init +1; Senses blind and deaf, lifesense 120 ft., tremorsense 120 ft.; Perception +25

Defense
AC 27, touch 3, flat-footed 26 (+1 Dex, +24 natural, –8 size)
hp 170 (20d8+80)
Fort +16; Ref +7; Will +11

Defensive Abilities always suffer half damage from effects that allow a Reflex saving throw for half; DR 10/slashing; Immune plant traits; Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee none

Space 30 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attack crushing trample (10d8, DC 21)

Statistics
Str 30, Dex 13, Con 18, Int –, Wis 19, Cha 1
Base Atk +15; CMB +33; CMD 44 (can't be tripped or forcibly moved)

Skills Perception +25, Stealth +21; Racial Modifiers +20 Perception, +20 Stealth

SQ too big to notice

Ecology
Environment cold and warm plains and forest glades
Organization solitary, pair, meadow (3—9)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Crushing Trample (Ex) A voracious turf can move over any number of Large or smaller creatures and obstacles as a full-round action (a staggered voracious turf can use crushing trample as a standard action, moving up to half of its speed). Any creature that is within the area over which voracious turf moves may either make an attack of opportunity against the turf or attempt a Reflex saving throw (DC 21) to avoid being run over and crushed. Creatures that succeed their saving throw are pushed to the sides or front of moving voracious turf. Creatures that failed their Reflex saving throw or never attempted it, are crushed for 10d8 points of bludgeoning damage, immobilized prone underneath the voracious turf, and forced to hold their breath. On their turn they can attempt to escape as a full-round action by making a successful Escape Artist or grapple check against the voracious turf's CMD, or a Reflex saving throw against DC of 21. Alternatively, they can attempt to attack the turf with light weapons held, cast spells or use other abilities if they make a concentration check (treating crushing damage of this ability as continuous effect), or do nothing to save their breath. On its turn, voracious turf can deal crushing damage to all creatures already underneath it instead of taking any actions (even especially if it would be unable of taking any actions for some reason). The saving throw DC is Dexterity-based.

Too Big To Notice (Ex) A voracious turf is exceptionally flat for a colossal creature, ignoring size penalty to Stealth checks. It cannot move over Large obstacles, though, nor can it move through the space occupied by other specimens of its kind.

Voracious turf is a colony of motile grass, taking the form of a big moving patch of turf, with the grass roots intertwined with soil and clay, and extensive muscle-like fibers carrying it around like thousands of legs.

Voracious turfs often migrate in search of better quality soils—which they tend to degrade quite fast. Crushing other living creatures, animal and plant alike, into pulpy mush helps fertilize the soil for a time, delaying turf migrations.

Fantasy Monster: Strawman

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Strawman

A silhouette of a man made of tightly bound straw.

CR 1; XP 400
N Medium Construct

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

Defense
AC 12, touch 10, flat-footed 12 (+2 natural)
hp 15 (1d10+10)
Fort +0; Ref +0; Will +0

DR 5/slashing; Immune construct traits

Weakness vulnerable to fire

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee 2 slams +2 (1d4+1)

Statistics
Str 12, Dex 10, Con —, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 11
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 12

Feats Blind-Fight

Skills Craft (baskets) +4, Profession (farmer) +4

Language understand Common

SQ create strawman, farmer, fragile, semblance of life

Ecology
Environment rural
Organization solitary, pair, or village (3+)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Create Strawman (Su) Strawmen make more of their kind whenever they can, weaving new strawmen bodies out of available straw, cord, and pieces of old rags. It takes six, twelve hour workdays to create a new strawman, and up to three strawmen can work together on a single new strawman.

Farmer (Ex) Strawmen treat Craft (weaving) and Profession (farmer) as class skills.

Fragile Strawmen are much less sturdy than other Constructs of comparable size, and receive only half the regular bonus hit points for their size category.

Semblance Of Life (Su) When the creation process includes significant amount of personal clothing, the resulting strawman has a semblance of a somewhat bland (usually) humanoid being fitting the local population, gaining +20 bonus to Disguise checks made to pass as one of local denizens, and is capable of actual speech, knowing the dominant local language. If strand of hair, a handful of bodily fluids, or a piece of humanoid bone is used in the creation process, the newly created strawmen looks (and sounds) like a copy of an individual whose bodily matter was used and gains +20 bonus to Disguise checks to pass as that individual. Such strawman also inherits +4 bonus in four skills that the original individual had (those count as one skill rank in each, making it trained skills, with all four skills counting as class skills).

Strawmen are constructs made from straw, hay, and rags that obsessively build more of their kind once they find supplies of those materials. While they are not aggressive, they are stubborn and quite unwilling to stop until the available supply is converted to more of their kind.

Occasionally a small group of strawmen can settle in abandoned farms or even depopulated villages, where they create more of their kind, and some might even deliberately cultivate and harvest grasses and even grain just to have more straw.

When not having supplies to make more, strawmen are usually mimicking lives of simple farmers, going through the motions of farming—which is occasionally used by actual farmers who "hire" them as farmhands, though they need some supervision to avoid harvesting growing plants for straw before the grain is ripe.

Some people are worried by the strawmen tendency to create more and more human-like strawmen, causing suspicions there is a much more sinister secret behind their spread.

Fantasy Monster: Scorchblin

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Scorchblin

A burning goblin runs around screaming.

CR 1; XP 400
CE Small Undead (goblinoid)

Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +0

Aura running conflagration (10 ft.)

Defense
AC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+1 Dex, +1 size)
hp 16 (3d8+3)
Fort +2; Ref +2; Will +3

Defensive Abilities erratic stride; Resist cold 10, fire 10

Offense
Speed 30 ft.

Melee none

Statistics
Str 10, Dex 13, Con —, Int 5, Wis 11, Cha 13
Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 11

Feats Nimble Moves, Run

Skills Acrobatics +2, Climb +4, Profession (demolitionist) +1

Languages blabbers in a mixture of Common and Goblin

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins, underground
Organization solitary or conflagration (2–16)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Erratic Stride (Ex) A scorchblin moves around in unpredictable and wobbly motion. All attacks of opportunity against scorchblin are made with –4 penalty.

Running Conflagration (Su) A scorchblin constantly burns producing waves of flames and heat. Anyone exposed to a scorchblin's aura suffers fire damage at the end of their turn on a failed Reflex saving throw (DC 12, or the highest DC among multiple triggering scorchblins)—they suffer 1d4 points of fire damage, added together, for each of the following circumstances: they started their turn within a scorchblin's aura, they struck a scorchblin with one or more non-reach melee attack since the end of their last turn, they end their turn within a scorchblin's aura. Flammable objects within the aura suffer 2d4 points of fire damage. A scorchblin also gives illumination comparable to a sunrod (30 ft. of bright light, increase illumination level by one step within another 30 feet). The saving throw DC is Charisma-based. Note that the aura inflicts damage at the end of the turn, even if the scorchblin emitting it is already destroyed.

When some goblins die in fire or explosion, they don't stop moving. Instead, they keep going on, spreading the lovely-lovely destructive fire around. While they operate mostly on destructive insanity, their retain enough of mental clarity to recognize potential flammables and explosives... And then they rush them and doing whatever they can to ignite them.

Fantasy Monster: Dire Dog

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Dog, Dire

A massive shaggy dog, large enough to be ridden by a human.

CR 7; XP 3,200
N Large Animal

Init +9; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +15

Defense
AC 20, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+5 Dex, +6 natural, –1 size)
hp 85 (10d8+40)
Fort +10; Ref +12; Will +7

Offense
Speed 50 ft.

Melee bite +13 (2d8+10)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.

Special Attacks warning growl

Statistics
Str 24, Dex 20, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 15, Cha 13
Base Atk +7; CMB +4; CMD 16 (20 vs. trip)

Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Toughness, Vital Strike

Skills Intimidate +11, Perception +15, Survival +6; Racial Modifiers +4 Survival while tracking by scent

Ecology
Environment urban, rural
Organization solitary, pair or pack (3–6)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Warning Growl (Ex) A dire dog gains bonus to Intimidate checks equal to its HD. It can demoralize a single foe within 30 feet that can hear it as a move action. A dire dog can select Dazzling Display feat without meeting its prerequisites.

These dogs were breed over generations, by carefully picking the largest and fiercest pups and  crossing them multiple times with dire wolves—the rumors claiming they were also hybridized with bears are definitely outlandish. What isn't outlandish, are the stories of those dogs being used to hunt actual bears, or even more powerful beasts, nor their occasional use as mounts by certain groups and cultures.

They are generally friendly toward humanoids and loyal toward those who raise and keep them, showing surprising amount of gentleness and prudence when dealing with pups and children—threaten their masters, their friends, or their wards, and they quickly turn into vicious guardians, though.

New Feats

Here are two new feats dealing with dogs in general and dire dogs specifically.

Dire Dog Companion

You keep a dire dog as your companion or even a mount.

Prerequisite: Animal companion or equivalent feature.

Benefit: You can have a dire dog as an animal companion or a mount. It uses dog animal companion statistics but is one size category larger (Medium at level 1-3, Large after level 4th advancement), adjusting its statistics in the following way: +4 Strength, –2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, increase natural armor bonus by 2, and its bite damage die size by one step (to 1d8 for Medium and 2d6 for Large). Your dire dog companion can select Dazzling Display feat by growling at the enemies.

Dog-Whisperer

You have a knack for dealing with canines.

Benefit: You can affect canines as if you had wild empathy feature with level equal to one-half your character level, or gain +4 bonus to existing wild empathy checks when using it on canids. You also gain +4 bonus to Handle Animal checks made on canids, and you can make Handle Animal checks to teach, rear, and train canids untrained.

Fantasy Monster: Captivating Landscape

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Captivating Landscape

A magnificent painting of a peaceful landscape with some barely visible silhouettes in the background.

CR 14; XP 38,400
N Huge Construct

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

Defense
AC 24, touch 14, flat-footed 22 (+4 deflection, +2 Dex, +10 natural, –2 size)
hp 208 (16d10+120)
Fort +10; Ref +12; Will +12

Defensive Abilities enhanced durability 5; DR 5/magic and slashing; Immune construct traits; SR 25

Weakness vulnerable to fire

Offense
Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.

Melee 4 slams +20 (3d6+6 plus flesh to paint)

Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

Special Attacks flesh to paint (DC 27), magic strikes (+1 enhancement to attack and damage rolls)

Statistics
Str 20, Dex 14, Con —, Int —, Wis 15, Cha 15
Base Atk +16; CMB +23; CMD 39 (51 vs. trip and overrun)

Skills Climb +13, Perception +2, Stealth –6 (+14 when staying motionless)

Ecology
Environment urban, ruins
Organization solitary, pair, or exhibition (3–6)
Treasure standard (typically highly adorned pieces of a frame)

Special Abilities

Enhanced Durability 5 (Ex) A captivating landscape has +5 racial bonus to all of its saving throws and 5 additional hit points per Hit Die.

Flesh To Paint (Su) Any creature dropped to 0 or less hit by a captivating landscape slam attack is sucked into the painting and appear as one of background figures on the landscape depicted. Such creature remains half-aware of its surroundings, kept in a dream-like state. Captured creatures can be released with break enchantment (DC 27) or freedom cast on the captivating landscape—individual creatures trapped within the painting can be targeted, though pinpointing them on the painting can be challenging during the combat, at least without superior Perception and/or skills related to creating and critique of paintings, leaving a chance that wrong creatures are released if there are more victims than the break enchantment's target limit. Destruction of a captivating landscape causes the death and loss of the bodies of captured victims, though they might be recovered individually with true resurrection or wish spell. A specific captured victim can be cut out by dealing 1/10th of the captivating landscape total hit points with called shots (–4 to attack rolls) explicitly targeting that victim's depiction. Such cut-out depiction will survive the destruction of the landscape and can be targeted with break enchantment or freedom, or be treated as a remains of the victim's body for purpose of reincarnation or resurrection.

Vulnerability To Fire (Ex) A captivating landscape suffers +50% damage from fire effects. If the landscape suffered any fire damage, each individual captured victim has 50% of its depiction being scorched beyond recognition and lost forever (or at least until true resurrection or wish is used to bring them back to life).

Captivating landscape is a massive wall-covering canvas depicting a scene, usually a peaceful rural or wilderness scenery, that is capable of capturing and keeping forever those it defeats. 

Constructing Captivating Landscape

The creator has to paint the 

CL 16th; Price 100,000 gp.

Requirements Craft Construct, geas/quest, imprisonment or maze, limited wish, polymorph any object, ; Skill Craft (painting) DC 30; Cost 50,000 gp.

Fantasy NPC: The Thrice-Lost Merchant

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The Thrice-Lost Merchant

An older man with confused gaze, wearing once-resplendent robes, now dirty and torn. He seems to be outlined by a pale-bluish glow, and glimmering at the edges.

CR 4; 1,200 XP

LN Medium Undead (incorporeal)

Init +2; Senses darkvision; Perception +4

Aura lost in the wilderness (1 mile)

Defense
AC 16, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+4 deflection, +2 Dex)

hp 42 (5d8+20)
Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +6

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

Offense
Speed 40 ft.; woodland stride, trackless step

Melee corrupting touch +5 touch (4d6 plus deprivation, Fort DC 16 partial)

Special Attacks deprivation (fatigued, DC 16)

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

Base Atk +3; CMB +3; CMD 19
Feats Alertness, Skill Focus (Appraise), Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Skill Focus (Profession [merchant])

Skills Appraise +13, Diplomacy +15, Knowledge (geography) +10, Perception +12, Perform (oratory) +12, Profession (merchant) +13, Sense Motive +12

Language Common, three other foreign languages

Corrupting Touch (Su) Living creatures that fail their Fortitude saving throw against the Thrice-Lost Merchant's corrupting touch become fatigued until they eat a full meal. Creatures that don't eat feel pangs of hunger (which might be unfamiliar experience for them) for an hour or so but suffer no negative consequences.

Lost In The Wilderness (Su) Mere proximity of the Thrice-Lost Merchant twists directions and mislead senses. Anyone within a mile of the ghost suffers –5 penalty to Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nature), Perception, Survival, and any related Profession checks made to find their way, locate someone or something, navigate, orient in wilderness, track, and guide others. Using spells or spell-like abilities that find way, locate, determine direction, or transport around requires succeeding a concentration check (DC 16 plus the spell level). This is a mind-affecting illusion (pattern) effect.

The Thrice-Lost Merchant was a successful trader and traveler, journeying far and wide with his wares. That was his talent, that was his joy, and that was his doom.

He was visiting a foreign realm, when the conflict between two local factions—a sun-following druids and moon-worshipping witches—reached its peak and a calamity occurred. Over a single night, the chaos overwhelmed the capital as the natives started turning into trees, starting at the palace itself and spreading outwards. People tried to flee, hoping to outrun the catastrophe, though few managed to run far, as their legs turned into the roots, breaching the streets, and their flailing arms froze into branches of young trees.

The Thrice-Lost Merchant was among the few that managed to abandon the doomed city, losing the wealth stored in the now overgrown warehouse, and escape into the wilderness, as the surrounding fields were turning themselves into forlorn forests. While he was a well-traveled man, he was no real outdoorsman himself, always relying on guides, porters, and caravans, and thus he got lost in the accursed woods that were mere scattering of copses and groves days before. Knowing little of local fruits and nuts, confused by thicket of unnaturally growing plants, he finally perished as hunger overcame him, losing his life.

The fear and bewilderment of the unexpected catastrophe chained the spirit of the Thrice-Lost Merchant to the land that claimed his life, keeping him around roaming the trackless wilds of the forest that now covers the fallen realm.

The Thrice-Lost Merchant wanders in the depths of the forest, seeking someone who could release him by finding his bones and taking them back for a proper funeral in his homeland... Which might be harder than it sounds as his mere presence causes everyone to lose their way.

While he is vaguely aware of presence of other entities dwelling within the boundaries of the forest, he knows little of the reasons of the realms downfall, never being privy to the details of the final confrontation, nor the fates of the king and his family, the druids, or the witches. His confused wanderings never seems to get him close to the local powers that could help him, if there are any nearby.