[Commissioned by @alquitranofmystara. If you check my page for supporting the Codex, you may notice one new addition that hasn’t been there before. “I am not interested in monsters from Warhammer”. I have done some Warhammer monsters before, namely a handful of skaven, but have declined conversions of things like Space Marines and Warhammer’s Orks. I figured that I was okay covering ideas that are more obscure bits of the lore. Until the fimir.
I love the look of the fimir, kind of a Muppet Viking. My friend growing up had a copy of Hero Quest, which had a few fimirs in it, so we used those as miniatures for all sorts of tough humanoids. But when I was doing the research for this entry, I found that they have a number of traits that fall into my list of Least Favorite Monster Tropes
They have a strong biologically determinate caste system, despite being chaotic (literally serving Chaos in WHF)
They have an uneven sex ratio and balance of power between the sexes
They can only reproduce via raping humans.
That last part has been quietly ignored in more recent editions of Warhammer Fantasy, as well it should be. But it continues to stress for me how grim and pessimistic and un-fun all of the Warhammer flavor text I’ve encountered is. So this is my last Warhammer monster. If you’re interested in a very deep dive into the fimir’s history, including why they were created, why they went ignored for a decade or two, and what Alan Lee piece inspired their look, check out this article. My version strips out the biologically determinate caste system and replaces the rape with a different, less tasteless, form of reproduction.]
Fimir CR 3 CE Monstrous Humanoid This humanoid creature stands a head taller than a man. It has a beaked snout with a pair of curved tusks in the lower jaw, over which glares a single baleful eye. It is clad in mail and carries a stout axe. The creature’s tail ends in a lump of bone.
Fimirs are marsh-dwelling raiders whose numbers are bolstered by sinister magic. They were once fey creatures, but in dealing with demons they lost their connection to the First World. Fimir are sexless and can only reproduce by sculpting a new fimir body out of mud, reeds and bone, and then pouring life into it with the still beating heart taken from a humanoid sacrifice. As such, fimir need to raid other peoples on a regular basis in order to grow or maintain their numbers, taking captives for this awful ritual.
Fimirs prefer to fight from a position of strength, and usually travel in numbers. Their skin is amphibian like, smooth and moist, and dries painfully when exposed to direct sunlight. In order to minimize exposure, their formations usually fight from within a bank of magically conjured fog. The single eye of a fimir can see through this fog with ease, putting enemies at a disadvantage. Fimir usually wear armor and carry weapons into combat—axes, morningstars and longspears are all favored armaments. Even when unarmed, a fimir packs quite a punch in its club-like tail. Most fimirs have a solid mass of bone (dealing bludgeoning damage), but a few have bladed tails (slashing damage) or bony spikes (piercing damage) instead.
Fimir settlements are focused around a central stone stronghold, where the clan gathers to feast and boast, and several smaller outbuildings used as workshops or storage. Slaves do most of the menial tasks, either captives who have not yet been sacrificed or fimir who have fallen into slavery due to disgrace and failure. These drudges have their tails docked to deprive them of natural weaponry, and are sometimes used as fodder in warfare. Fimir advance by class level, with witch and barbarian being popular choices. Divine spellcasters among the fimir include sinister death druids and clerics of various demon lords.
Most fimir use male pronouns, but a few, particularly witches, take on feminine pronouns. Regardless of gender, fimir decorate their bodies with jewelry and tattoos.
Fimir CR 3 XP 800 CE Medium monstrous humanoid Init+1;Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, mistsight, Perception +8 Defense AC18, touch 11, flat-footed 17 (+1 Dex, +6 armor, +1 natural) hp32 (5d10+5) Fort+2,Ref+5,Will+4; +4 vs. disease, paralysis, poison, sleep, stunning Defensive Abilities born of earth; Weaknesssun sickness Offense Speed20 ft. (30 ft. unarmored) Meleebattleaxe +8 (1d8+3/x3), tail slap +6 (1d8+1) or tail slap +8 (1d8+4) Rangedjavelin +6 (1d6+3) Spell-like Abilities CL 3rd, concentration +4 3/day—obscuring mist Statistics Str16,Dex13,Con12,Int10,Wis10,Cha13 Base Atk +5;CMB+9 (+11 bull rush); CMD20 (22 vs. bull rush) FeatsImproved Bull Rush, Multiattack (B), Power Attack, Skill Focus (Stealth) SkillsPerception +8, Stealth +9, Survival +8, Swim +7 LanguagesAklo SQburly,swamp stride Ecology Environmentcold and temperate marshes Organizationsolitary, pair, gang (3-8), raiding party (9-24 plus 0-1 3rd level witch or barbarian per 10 individuals) or clan (40-400 plus 1 3rd level witch and 1 3rd level barbarian per 10 individuals, plus 1 6th – 8th level witch or barbarian) Treasurestandard (breastplate, battleaxe, five javelins, other treasure) Special Abilities Born of Earth (Ex) Because of their unusual, quasi-natural physiologies, a fimir gains a +4 racial bonus on all saves against disease, paralysis, poison, sleep and stunning effects. Burly (Ex) A fimir gains a +1 racial bonus to its CMB and CMD. Swamp Stride (Ex) A fimir can ignore difficult terrain from mud, vegetation, shallow water and other natural features of marshy environments. Sun Sickness (Ex) A fimir is sickened in an area of natural sunlight. Tail Slap (Ex) A fimir’s tail slap is a primary natural weapon.
[Much like the sorrowsworn before them, this is a monster family with a weird and shifting pedigree. So much so, in fact, that they have a different name every time they appear! This family of monsters first appeared in 3.5′s Monster Manual V as the ushemoi, subterranean aberrations whose gimmick was hyperspeed Lamarckian evolution. They get tougher the longer you fight them, you see; some of them gain attack bonus and AC the more damage they take, others gain better spellcasting the more spells they cast. This was, clearly, a lot of paperwork for a GM, and so that gimmick was dropped when they reappeared in 4e’s core Monster Manual as the foulspawn. There were five foulspawn, as opposed to only four ushemoi, because there was one for each of the main monster “roles” in the 4e system (controller, brute, soldier, skirmisher, artillery) and they were designed to be used together in encounter building. Their appearances were tweaked slightly, but the foulspawn are clearly built on top of the ushemoi. In Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, they became “starspawn” instead of “foulspawn”, and the abilities of the brute and the soldier were collapsed back into one creature. And they didn’t get illustrations! The only starspawn that gets a picture is the “larva mage”, which is the D&D 5e version of the Worm that Walks. Some of the unused illustrations (like the one above) have made it to the internet, as well as some of the new pictures they’re getting in Monsters of the Multiverse.
So I had a lot of decisions to make with these entries. Which version of the ushemoi/foulspawn/starspawn to use as my base? Which name to give them? What pictures to use? I’m sticking to the 4e foulspawn designation, but giving them ushemoi as an endonym, and the ushemoi species names as type endonyms (although the lashemoi is the least like the grue it eventually became). My base is the 5e statistics, but I am incorporating more of their 4e abilities, because 5e monsters tend to be a little boring mechanically. And I’m making them natives of Aucturn because it seems like a logical place in the Pathfinder setting for them to live. @thecreaturechronicle placed them there as well, as the spawn of the daelkyr, but I’ve made them more “natural” lifeforms from that unnatural world.]
Foulspawn (Ushemoi) The planet Aucturn slumbers. Believed by the maddest sages to be the embryonic form of an Outer God, that mysterious world nevertheless has characteristics of life. And like large organisms the multiverse over, smaller things live on it, surviving on its excretions and relying on it for shelter. These commensal creatures are the foulspawn.
Foulspawn are vaguely humanoid creatures with warped bodies and even more warped psyches. They are spawned in pits where secretions of Aucturn mingle with organic debris, and the larger the wound, the more fecund it is in foulspawn. They call themselves the ushemoi when speaking in Aklo. Foulspawn can be found carrying out strange, destructive missions on multiple worlds, presumably in some way serving the needs of their home planet. As Aucturn is the site of a careful détente between the servitors of the Great Old Ones and the Dominion of the Black, ushemoi may be found among either of these forces, although they are not slavishly loyal to either.
Foulspawn is a subtype of aberration with the following racial abilities: Madness (Ex)Foulspawn use their Charisma modifier on Will saves instead of their Wisdom modifier, and are immune to insanity and confusion effects. Only a miracleorwish can remove a foulspawn’s madness. If this occurs, the foulspawn gains 6 points of Wisdom and loses 6 points of Charisma. No breath (Ex) as the universal monster ability. Telepathy60 ft.
Foulspawn Grue CR 3 NE Aberration This small humanoid creature has stooped posture and wrinkled skin, from which black bristles protrude at irregular intervals. Its hands and feet end in sharp, cracked nails. It has no nose and a fanged maw.
Grues are among the weakest and most numerous of the foulspawn. The bristles that grow off of their bodies are filamentous structures more akin to the contents of a blackhead than anything else, and foulspawn grues spend much of their idle time picking and squeezing at them. Foulspawn grues are fidgety and twitchy in general, and often giggle nervously. They are called “lashemoi” in Aklo.
Foulspawn grues prefer to attack from ambush or alongside larger, more powerful foulspawn. Their madness is contagious, and creatures standing too close to a foulspawn grue suffer from flashes of color, emotional surges and other minor hallucinations. They usually target the weakest seeming individuals, and enjoy drawing out their assaults into extended torment sessions rather than finishing off any one victim. This also helps to spread their maddening bite, which causes more potent confusion. One side effect of the maddening bite is to make its victims target the grue that bit them above other targets, which allows more powerful foulspawn to take advantage of the distraction.
Foulspawn Grue CR 3 XP 800 NE Small aberration (foulspawn) Init+3;Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., Perception +2 Auraconfounding (20 ft.) Defense AC16, touch 15, flat-footed 12(+1 size, +3 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 natural) hp27 (5d8+5) Fort+2,Ref+4,Will+6 Immuneconfusion and insanity effects Offense Speed30 ft. Melee2 claws +7 (1d4), bite +7 (2d4 plus maddening bite) Spell-like Abilities CL 3rd, concentration +6 3/day—daze monster (DC 14, no HD cap), mind thrust I (DC 13) 1/day—dimension door Statistics Str10,Dex16,Con13,Int9,Wis3,Cha14 Base Atk +3;CMB+2;CMD16 FeatsDodge, Nimble Moves, Weapon Finesse SkillsAcrobatics +9, Climb +6, Escape Artist +9, Perception +2, Stealth +13 LanguagesAklo, telepathy 60 ft. SQmadness, no breath Ecology Environmentany land or underground Organizationsolitary, pair, pack or envoy (2-12 plus 1-8 mixed foulspawn) Treasureincidental Special Abilities Confounding Aura (Su) All creatures other than foulspawn within 20 feet of a foulspawn grue suffer a -1 penalty on all saving throws and a -4 penalty on all concentration checks and Perception checks. This is a mind-influencing confusion effect. Maddening Bite (Su) A creature bitten by a foulspawn grue must succeed a DC 14 Will save or be confused for 1d4 rounds. Any results of “attack nearest creature” are treated as “attack the foulspawn grue that attacked you most recently” instead. This is a mind-influencing confusion effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Madness (Ex)Foulspawn use their Charisma modifier on Will saves instead of their Wisdom modifier, and are immune to insanity and confusion effects. Only a miracleorwish can remove a foulspawn’s madness. If this occurs, the foulspawn gains 6 points of Wisdom and loses 6 points of Charisma.
[Commissioned by @martyslittleusedblog, based on a quest giver NPC/plot device from the Rayman series of games. Making a dream lord be a big frog who smokes a pipe has to be a drug reference, right? I leaned into it a little here, but also drew connections to D&D’s famous chaotic batrachians, the slaadi.]
Dream Lord, Polokus CR 21 CG Outsider (extraplanar) This creature appears as a vaguely humanoid frog, with long arms, short legs and a pot belly. His skin is a pale cream color, and he has an enormous red beard that hangs down to the ground and seems to move on its own accord. He clutches an umbrella in his hands and a pipe between his teeth.
Polokus The Bubble Dreamer, the Creator CG dream lord of creativity, hedonism and play DomainsChaos, Good, Knowledge, Luck SubdomainsFriendship, Imagination, Thought, Whimsy Worshipersartists,craftsmen, dreamers Minionsbaku,fey creatures, slaadi Holy Symbol a pipe blowing bubbles Favored Weapon heavy mace Obediencespend an hour daydreaming, either while blowing bubbles or while under the effects of a mind-altering substance. Gain a +4 sacred bonus against sleep effects. Boons1:eagle’s splendor 2/day; 2: minor creation 2/day; 3: cloak of dreams 2/day
According to his faithful, Polokus is responsible for creating all of the creatures and characters that appear in the Dimension of Dreams in his own dreams. When he sleeps well, these dream entities are playful and friendly; when he has nightmares they are cruel and unpleasant. Whether this is true or not, Polokus is a force of creation and creativity, and his whims shape the Dimension of Dream and echo into the worlds beyond. Polokus alternates his time in fervent bouts of crafting, playing with other dream entities, or dozing while under the effects of his ever-present pipes.
Polokus dislikes combat, but that doesn’t mean that he is weak. He takes a backseat approach, summoning armies of entropic creatures and dream azatas to fight in melee while he disrupts enemy tactics with hexes and spells. His beard is prehensile—although it cannot wield a weapon, it can be used to deliver touch attacks or even grab and constrict foes. Polokus prefers nonlethal methods, such as putting enemies to sleep or putting them into a telekinetic sphere for safekeeping. Although some of his tactics can incapacitate creatures indefinitely, like endless slumber and microcosm, Polokus will usually release them after a few days or weeks in order to check on their progress and see if they’re willing to reconsider their agenda of violence.
Polokus has an interesting relationship with the slaadi. He is friendly with the slaad lords Rennbuu and Chourst, and seems to like the company of slaadi in general, although he chides their more violent tendencies and tries to steer them towards acts of creation, not destruction. There are some rumors that he has been steering the course of slaad evolution, even rigging the ecological contest that led to the descendants of frogs escaping the Spawning Stone and spreading through the multiverse. Some proteans see Polokus as an interesting variable in their experiments, whereas others view him as a nuisance or even with jealousy.
Polokus’ Perplexing Parasol Price89,192 gp;Auramoderate conjuration and enchantment; CL12th Slotnone;Weight8 lbs. This item is a fully functioning umbrella, but is strong as steel and dangerous in combat. Polokus’ perplexing parasol strikes as a +4 merciful heavy mace, and casts touch of idiocy (CL 12th) on a creature that it strikes with a critical hit. RequirementsCraft Magic Arms and Armor, cure light wounds, touch of idiocy; Price44,596 gp.
Polokus’ Pleasing Pipe Price8,400 gp;Aurafaint transmutation; CL4th Slotnone;Weight10 lbs. Smoking from this hookah produces a variety of minor pleasant effects, as per a polypurpose panacea spell. Up to four individuals may smoke from the hookah simultaneously. The owner of the Polokus’ pleasing pipe can change the effect as a standard action, but all individuals smoking from the same pipe at the same time must gain the same effect, and a creature can only gain one effect at a time from Polokus’ pleasing pipe. RequirementsCraft Wondrous Item, polypurpose panacea;Price4,200 gp.
This is pretty cool! Is “Dream Lord” a pre-existing thing or did you make the category up to be similar to other demigod categories?
Dream Lord as a collection of demigods is my own invention, sort of. It was really @arachcobra‘s idea to give the Dimension of Dreams its own demigods, but my idea to make them between CRs 21 and 25. Similar to this one, they also wanted a character based on a video game! My first Dream Lord was Troupe Lord Grimm from Hollow Knight
