#if i ran the zoo
“Déélgééd” © Traci Shepard, accessed at Arcane Beasts and Critters here
[Of the various Pathfinder interpretations of folkloric and mythological monsters, the “delgeth” is among the most In Name Only adaptations. A flaming elk that starts forest fires where it runs is a cool concept. But it sure as hell isn’t the original déélgééd/delgeth/teelget, which is one of the Ayane from Navajo legend. So this is another “If I Ran the Zoo” monster.]
Teelget
CR 13 CE Magical Beast
This creature is enormous, with its belly over the height of a human standing up. It is shaped vaguely like a deer, except that it has no head—rather, the front half of its body splits open into a gargantuan maw. It has a pair of antlers growing where its neck should start, and a row of beady black eyes over its mouth. Its hooves are cloven and sharp.
The teelget is a monstrous deer like carnivore with supernaturally keen vision despite its headless nature. Its eyes are small but very precise, and they have been known to spot prey from miles away and chase them down. A teelget favors flat environments where its eyesight can come in handy, and is almost impossible to sneak up on. Their monstrous appearance belies their intelligence—a teelget is clever and insightful, and use this intellect primarily as an engine for sadism.
Weak opponents flee in terror from the charge of a teelget, and stronger ones may wish they had. A teelget can lower its horns and charge for devastating damage, raking through multiple enemies at once. If it can’t line up multiple foes, or if a single enemy seems to be particularly troublesome, it remains in melee, bringing its shark-like teeth and powerful hooves to bear along with its horns. Although they are forked like antlers, the appendages of a teelget are true horns—they are not lost or covered in skin at any point, but are deadly weapons throughout the year.
Teelget CR 13
XP 25,600
CE Gargantuan magical beast
Init+7;Sensesdarkvision 120 ft., Perception +32, telescopic vision
Aurafrightful presence (90 ft., Will DC 21)
Defense
AC28, touch 10, flat-footed 24 (-4 size, +3 Dex, +1 dodge, +18 natural)
hp172 (15d10+90); ferocity
Fort+15,Ref+12,Will+13
DR15/magic;Resistcold 10, fire 10; SR24
Offense
Speed60 ft.
Meleegore +24 (2d8+13), bite +24 (2d6+13), 2 hooves +22 (1d8+6)
Space20 ft.; Reach15 ft.
Special Attacks bounding charge,powerful charge (gore, 4d8+21)
Statistics
Str37,Dex17,Con23,Int12,Wis22,Cha18
Base Atk +15;CMB+32;CMD46 (48, 50 vs. trip)
FeatsCombat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Mobility, Multiattack, Power Attack, Stand Still
SkillsAcrobatics +21 (+33 when jumping), Perception +24, Sense Motive +21; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception
LanguagesCommon, Sylvan
Ecology
Environmentwarm plains and deserts
Organizationsolitary or pair
Treasurestandard
Special Abilities
Bounding Charge (Ex) As a full round action, a teelget can move up to twice its speed, and make a single gore attack against every foe it passes. When it does so, it gains the bonuses and penalties for making a charge. Its movement provokes attacks of opportunity as normal, and it may only attack each opponent once. It must end its movement adjacent to the last opponent it strikes.
Telescopic Vision (Su) A teelget suffers a -1 penalty on Perception checks related to vision for every 100 feet of distance.
“Corrupted dryad” © Linda Lithen, accessed at her ArtStation here
[Earlier in this project, I said that the most egregious gap between actual folklore and Pathfinder’s folklore monsters was the delgeth/teelgeet. That was because I forgot about the xtabay. Pathfinder’s version are small flowers that smell sweet and put victims to sleep before eating them. The real version is a Maya succubus figure, one of many seduce and destroy monsters in Latin American folklore. Flowers are involved in the story, but the sweet smell is a direct misreading of the original.]
Xtabay
CR 8 CE Undead
This skeletal figure appears to be made of bones, vines and branches woven into a humanoid shape. Colorful but stinking flowers grow along its body.
A xtabay is an undead creature formed from the souls of hypocrites, people who were morally reprehensible but who maintained an outward appearance of virtue in order to impress or exploit others. Many of these even manage to deceive themselves, convinced of their righteousness until it came time to account for their deeds before the judges of the dead. Rather than accept damnation, these souls escape back into the Material Plane, animating their bones in combination with the vegetation growing on their graves.
Xtabay are hideous in sight and smell, the flowers growing along their bodies emitting a carrion stink. They can conceal their appearance with illusions, usually appearing as a beautiful woman and disguising their stench with phantasmal perfumes. In this guise, they lure travelers to their death. A xtabay may toy with a victim for some time, as their gaze addles the mind and charms its victims. Most victims do not even realize they are in danger until the xtabay drops its beautiful façade and grasps them in its thorny embrace.
Although most xtabay take the form of lovely women as a habit, they can disguise themselves as any creature. Sexual temptation is a favorite ruse, but they also can appear as a valuable horse, exotic animal or missing child. They have the ability to control plant life, creating spikes and vines that entangle victims while moving through these obstacles with supernatural ease. Most xtabay value their existence, as they do not want to suffer the consequence of their cruelty in life. Thus, they usually flee when outmatched or badly damaged.
Xtabay CR 8
XP 4,800
CE Medium undead
Init+8;Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., Perception +14
Aurastench (10 ft., Fort DC 19)
Defense
AC23, touch 15, flat-footed 17 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +7 natural)
hp90 (12d8+36)
Fort+7,Ref+8,Will+11; channel resistance +2
DR10/bludgeoning and magic
Defensive Abilities freedom of movement,thorny body
Offense
Speed30 ft.
Melee2 claws +13 (1d6+3 plus grab)
Special Attacks charming gaze, sneak attack +2d6, thorny embrace
Spell-like Abilities CL 12th, concentration +15
Constant—freedom of movement
At will—veil(self only, DC 19)
3/day—speak with plants, thorny entanglement (DC 16)
1/day—command plants (DC 17),spike growth (DC 16), wall of thorns
Statistics
Str16,Dex19,Con-,Int13,Wis12,Cha17
Base Atk +9;CMB+12 (+16 grapple); CMD30
FeatsDefensive Combat Training, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (claw)
SkillsBluff +13, Disguise +16, Knowledge (nature) +11, Perception +14, Stealth +17, Survival +11
LanguagesCommon, Sylvan
Ecology
Environmentany forests
Organizationsolitary
Treasurestandard
Special Abilities
Charming Gaze (Su) Range—30 ft.; effect charmed (as charm person); duration 1 hour; save Will DC 19. The save DC is Charisma based. This only effects humanoids.
Thorny Body (Ex) A creature that strikes a xtabay with a melee weapon, natural weapon, unarmed strike or touch attack must succeed a DC 20 Reflex save or take 1d6+3 points of piercing damage. The save DC is Dexterity based.
Thorny Embrace (Ex) A creature grappled by a xtabay takes damage from its thorny body each round (no save).
