#arduin
Image © @tredlocity
[Commissioned by @crazytrain48. Back to the weird world of Arduin, which isn’t that much weirder than classic D&D, only a little sideways. If there’s ethereal spiders, why not astral lions? Both the glowing eldritch mane and the eyes in said mane are new to this version.]
Phandelyon
CR 6 N Magical Beast
This creature looks much like a lion, with shimmering blue fur and a mane made of eldritch energy. Green and gold eyes flicker open and closed through the mane and its claws are coated in silver.
Phandelyons are big cats of the Astral Plane. They are descended from a population of lions that was brought to the Astral through wizardry, and were mutated by the energies that permute that realm. They spend as much time on the Astral and Material Planes, popping back and forth to investigate whatever catches their attention. Both male and female phandelyons grow manes, although the manes of the females are somewhat shorter. The eyes that appear in their manes are fully functional, and allow them to see 360 degrees and across planar boundaries.
A phandelyon’s tactics are much like those of a mundane lion, but are enhanced by its magical abilities. They typically appear from the Astral Plane to make a surprise charge, pouncing on foes, grabbing them and raking them with their back claws. They are cooperative hunters, and multiple phandelyons will pounce on the same prey in order to drag it down. If grievously injured, they typically flee back into the Astral. Most phandelyons are more curious than hostile towards humanoids, but the sight of a dozen blue lions suddenly surrounding a party often means that the humanoids attack first and ask questions later.
On the Astral Plane, no time passes, so a phandelyon only hungers when it spends time on the Material. As such, they need rather less food than mundane big cats, and their prides can get larger and remain stable. They spend the most time in the Material Plane when rearing young—pregnancy, growth and weaning all require time to pass, and thus mothers remain on the Material Plane while pregnant and nursing. The male phandelyons keep watch over their pride from the Astral Plane, staying close by in that transitive realm and ambushing anyone who would attack their cubs. Phandelyon prides can be found almost anywhere, although they typically avoid densely populated areas. For some reason, phandelyons love dwarves (perhaps their beards remind them of a mane), and are often found near the borders of dwarven territories.
Phandelyon CR 6
XP 2,400
N Large magical beast (extraplanar)
Init+8;Sensesall-around vision, astral sight, darkvision 60 ft., Perception +14
Defense
AC18, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +5 natural)
hp60 (8d10+16)
Fort+7,Ref+10,Will+7
DR10/magic
Offense
Speed40 ft.
Meleebite +11 (1d10+4), 2 claws +11 (1d6+4 plus grab)
Space10 ft.; Reach5 ft.
Special Attacks eldritch claws, pounce, rake (2 claws +11, 1d6+4)
Statistics
Str18,Dex18,Con13,Int8,Wis17,Cha11
Base Atk +8;CMB+12 (+16 grapple); CMD26 (30 vs. trip)
FeatsAlertness,Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Toughness
SkillsAcrobatics +13 (+17 when jumping), Perception +14, Sense Motive +5, Stealth +5, Survival +5; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Perception
LanguagesDwarven (cannot speak)
SQastral jaunt
Ecology
Environmentany land (Astral Plane)
Organizationsolitary, pair, gang (3-6) or pride (7-20)
Treasurenone
Special Abilities
Astral Jaunt (Su) A phandelyon can enter the Astral Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa, as a swift action three times per day. A phandelyon cannot take other creatures with it between planes.
Astral Sight (Su) A phandelyon on the Astral Plane can see onto the Material Plane in a 60 foot radius, and when on the Material Plane can see onto the Astral Plane in a 60 foot radius.
Eldritch Claws (Ex) The claw attacks of a phandelyon count as magic and silver for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
Image © @tredlocity
[Commissioned by @crazytrain48. Arduin loves its hell-animals, and was early enough in the development of RPGs that it invented some before D&D got around to it. So in the original Arduin Trilogy, this is a hellcat, released two years before D&D got around to their own version in the Fiend Folio. “Doomtiqer”is given as an alternate name. Arduin’s hellcat is ridiculously lethal: its claws deal 1 point of level drain each and its bite 2, in an edition where level drain meant literally losing a level, permanently and irreversibly. The Compleat Arduin edition changed that to no-save Con drain, which is only marginally better.]
Doomtiqer
CR 9 NE Outsider (extraplanar)
This creature resembles an exaggeration of a house cat, stretched to the size of a tiger. Its eyes and claws glow a sickly green, and its fangs have an opalescent sheen. Its fur is a solid black, seeming to drink in the light around it.
Doomtiqers are sometimes called “hellcats” by laymen, but they are a different breed of monster entirely. Native to Abaddon, they act as top predators in ecosystems of fiendish animals, although they do not actually eat their kills. Instead, they play with them, keeping their victims alive but suffering before mutilating their corpses. The scavengers that are attracted to their kills serve as a new stock of victims.
A doomtiqer attacks from ambush, entering battle with a deadly pounce. If prey is not killed outright, the doomtiqer makes hit and run attacks in order to draw out their enjoyment of the hunt. A doomtiqer’s claws cause supernaturally intense pain, and its saber teeth drain life force. If they are outnumbered, they even the odds with a fearful yowl, hoping to leave some of their enemies cowering in fear. Doomtiqers are confident and sadistic enough that they often fight to the death, but they flee from either real or magically evoked sunlight.
Doomtiqers play into negative feline stereotypes, in that they are aloof and cruel. Conjurers value their abilities in battle, but find them stubborn and difficult to control. A doomtiqer rarely stays in one place for long, and so becomes restless and destructive if limited to a small area. A doomtiqer can move via shadows, breaching seemingly impenetrable barriers in order to sate its curiosity. They hate anything that looks like a dog, and go out of their way to kill blink dogs, moon dogs, hound archons, and other good aligned canines.
Doomtiqer CR 9
XP 6,400
NE Large outsider (evil, extraplanar)
Init+7;Sensesdarkvision 120 ft., Perception +17, true seeing
Defense
AC23, touch 17, flat-footed 23 (-1 size, +7 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural)
hp115 (11d10+55); fast healing 5
Fort+8,Ref+14,Will+12; +4 vs. poison
Immuneacid, cold, confusion and insanity, fear, paralysis
Weaknesssusceptible to daylight
Offense
Speed50 ft., sprint
Melee2 claws +15 (1d8+6 plus pain), bite +15 (1d10+6 plus energy drain)
Space10 ft.; Reach5 ft.
Special Attacks energy drain (2 levels, DC 17), pounce, yowl
Spell-like Abilities CL 11th, concentration +13
Constant—true seeing
3/day—shadow step
Statistics
Str22,Dex24,Con21,Int6,Wis17,Cha15
Base Atk +11;CMB+17;CMD35
FeatsDodge, Iron Will, Mobility, Nimble Moves, Spring Attack, Step Up
SkillsAcrobatics +21 (+29 when jumping), Climb +20, Perception +17, Stealth +25; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth
LanguagesDaemonic
Ecology
Environmentany land (Abaddon)
Organization solitary or pair
Treasureincidental
Special Abilities
Pain (Su) A creature struck by a doomtiqer’s claw attack must succeed a DC 17 Fortitude save or suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls and AC for 1d4+1 rounds. Additional failed saves do not increase the penalty, but do increase the duration. This is a pain effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.
Sprint (Ex) Once per hour, a doomtiqer may move up to ten times its speed with a charge or run action.
Susceptible to Daylight (Ex) Sunlight burns away a doomtiqer’s flesh, suppressing its fast healing and dealing 5 points of damage per round to the creature. A daylightspell harms a doomtiqer in a similar fashion, except that the creature gets a Fortitude save every round (based on the caster’s spell DC) to avoid the damage.
Yowl (Su) As a standard action, a doomtiqer can give off a horrible screech. All creatures in a 60 foot radius must succeed a DC 17 Will save or cower in fear for 1d4+1 rounds. On a successful save, the creature is shaken for 1 round and immune to the yowl of that doomtiqer for the next 24 hours. This is a mind-influencing fear effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.
