#pathfinder 1e

Image © Rooster Teeth, accessed at the RWBY Wiki here

[Commissioned by @glarnboudin​. I knew RWBY was a thing, an animated web series thing, but the size of the franchise completely passed me by. There are comic books, manga, multiple video games. And its monsters, the grimm, appear in all of them. The beowolf is an entry-level monster, capable of being slain in large numbers by our heroes in splash pages and the like, but I still wanted them to be tougher than mundane wolves. I’ve also included my (derived solely from browsing wikis) take on the grimm as a whole here, as a subtype.

And yes, RWBY purists, the canon beowolves don’t have a wind breath ability. Given the fairy tale nature of their premise, I wanted to give them some sort of reference to the Big Bad Wolf.]

Grimm
The kytons and sahkils are united in their affection for fear and pain, and in their flouting of both morality and mortality. Unlike many other groupings of fiends, they sometimes collaborate, uniting their forces in order to change the cosmos for the worse. One of their most fecund creations are the grimm—foul parodies of animals that feed on negative emotional states. These form in pits of tarry liquid that congeal on the Plane of Shadow, and they can bleed over into the Material Plane where the borders between worlds are thin. On some worlds, they have all but replaced mundane animals. Both kytons and sahkils may keep grimms as guard animals, living torture equipment, and general pets.

All grimm appear as caricatures of the animal form, black with bony spurs and jagged claws. Their heads are skull-like and marked with red lines, and these glow along with their eyes when the creatures are riled. Grimms are as much of shadow as flesh, and when slain dissolve completely, leaving no physical remains. Unlike many other shadowy beings, they have no trouble with bright light, although they prefer the darkness. Grimms are immortal, and some are quite ancient. Although most grimms are barely more intelligent than the animals they resemble, as they age they gain both intelligence and power, and elder grimms can achieve human levels of intellect.

“Grimm” is a subtype of outsider with the following racial traits:
Immune to emotion effects
Resist acid 10 and cold 10
Negative energy affinity
Intimidating Prowess as a bonus feat
Animalistic (Ex) A grimm is not proficient with any manufactured weapons.
Grimms understand Infernal but cannot speak

Grimm, Beowolf
CR 2 NE Outsider (extraplanar)
This creature is a vaguely humanoid wolf, its posture stooped and its hands more like paws. It has black fur marked by white bone spurs, and its head is a skull-like mask.

Beowolves are the most common grimms, as wolves are found as figures of fear in many cultures. They are pack hunters, traveling in large groups to sniff out and take down prey. Beowolves are nimble creatures, and often make use of terrain in order to slow down less agile enemies. Their combat strategies are relatively simple, although they can generate gusts of supernatural wind simply by exhaling. Most beowolves use this ability to knock down temporary shelters to feast on the cowering creatures inside.

A beowolf that survives for an extended period of time may grow into an alpha beowolf. Such creatures are Large in size, with 6 HD. An alpha beowolf is a CR 4 creature. Beowolves instinctively follow alpha beowolves and will fight to the death to protect one. Beowolf paws are dexterous enough to grasp rocks and clubs, and some beowolves take Catch Off-Guard or Throw Anything as feats. It would take a very patient instructor to teach a beowolf how to use more complicated weaponry.

Beowolf CR 2
XP 600
NE Medium outsider (extraplanar, evil, grimm)
Init+2;Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., Perception +5, scent
Defense
AC14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural)
hp16 (3d10)
Fort+3,Ref+5,Will+1
Immuneemotion effects; Resistacid 10, cold 10
Defensive Abilities negative energy affinity
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Meleebite +5 (1d6+1), 2 claws +4 (1d4+1)
Special Attacks huff and puff
Statistics
Str13,Dex14,Con10,Int3,Wis11,Cha12
Base Atk +3;CMB+4;CMD15
FeatsIntimidating Prowess (B), Nimble Moves, Weapon Focus (bite)
SkillsAcrobatics +6, Climb +5, Intimidate +7, Perception +4, Stealth +6, Survival +4 (+8 tracking by scent); Racial Modifiers +4 Survival when tracking by scent
LanguagesInfernal (cannot speak)
SQanimalistic
Ecology
Environmentany land and underground (Plane of Shadow)
Organizationsolitary, pair, pack (3-12) or horde (13-36)
Treasurenone
Special Abilities
Animalistic (Ex) A beowolf is not proficient in any manufactured weapons.
Huff and Puff (Su) As a standard action, a beowolf can exhale a thirty foot line of wind that acts as a gust of wind spell. It may use this ability three times per day, but must wait 1d4 rounds between uses.

Image © @a-book-of-creatures​, accessed at his site here

[”Hollow skin monster” is a not uncommon body horror trope, but does have some folkloric bonafides, albeit obscure ones. The amixsak is another Yupik monster. I can tell you, it is tempting to just make the World Tour series an “A Book of Creatures” series, but I’m trying to mix it up, and draw art from other sources as well.]

Amixsak
CR 8 NE Undead
This creature resembles the hollow skin of a walrus, blood oozing from the tears in its flesh. Without muscle or bones, it still moves with grim purpose, slithering along.

If a marine mammal is killed by hunters without the proper rituals to appease its spirit being performed, an amixsak can result. These undead are single minded hunters of humanoids, stalking them from the water and either sinking their boats or pulling them in to drown.  Creatures grabbed by an amixsak are thoroughly entwined in their folds of skin, and others trying to help them escape may deal as much damage to the grabbed victim as to the undead monster. Although they form from aquatic creatures, they are surprisingly fast on land, crawling along in an inchworm-like motion.

Amixsak have a dim sapience, enough to help them avoid common ambush tactics and understand the speech of their prey. Like the marine mammals they once were, they often gather together in pods. Because of the variety of sizes of pinnipeds and whales, amixsak come in many sizes, represented with the young or giant templates. A whale that spawns an amixsak is more likely to spawn multiple of the monsters, with each arising from a different sheet of flensed skin and blubber. Only through truly wasteful harvests can a Gargantuan amixsak, the hollow skin of an entire whale, be created.

Amixsak               CR 8
XP 4,800
NE Large undead
Init+6;Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., lifesense 30 ft., Perception +10
Defense
AC21, touch 11, flat-footed 19 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +10 natural)
hp102 (12d8+48)
Fort+8,Ref+8,Will+10
DR10/ magic and piercing or magic and slashing; Immunecold, undead traits
Offense
Speed30 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee2 slams +15 (2d6+7/19-20 plus grab)
Space10 ft.; Reach5 ft.
Special Attacks capsize, constrict (2d6+10), smother
Statistics
Str25,Dex15,Con-,Int6,Wis14,Cha18
Base Atk +9;CMB+17 (+21 grapple); CMD30
FeatsDefensive Combat Training, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Stealthy
SkillsEscape Artist +9, Perception +10, Stealth +13, Swim +19
LanguagesCommon (cannot speak)
SQcompression, entwine
Ecology
Environmentany aquatic or coastal
Organizationsolitary, pair or pod (3-12)
Treasureincidental
Special Abilities
Entwine (Ex) An amixsak wraps so closely against its victims that any attack that targets a grappling amixsak deals half damage to the forsaken shell and half damage to the grappled victim. Apply damage reduction or energy resistance after splitting the damage.

Image by Mike Sass, © (?) Wizards of the Coast. Accessed at the artist’s website here

[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 3^rd, 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.

Image © Wizards of the Coast, by Thomas Baxa

[Commissioned by @justicegundam82​. The nagahydra first appeared in the somewhat infamous Serpent Kingdoms for Forgotten Realms in 3.5. Infamous because of the wacky balance issues; it was this book that allowed the exploits of Pun-Pun, a charop build that could become literally immortal by level 6 or so. The nagahydra isn’t that bad, but is pretty close, being originally able to cast one spell per head per round, with no restrictions. That’s a recipe for a TPK, even for a CR 18 monster, but I wanted to capture a certain amount of that flavor. I borrowed a level cap from the spell weaver, which will interact with the number of heads the nagahydra has in what should hopefully be a fun way.]

Nagahydra
CR 18 N Aberration
This immense serpentine creature has scales of multiple colors and textures, and a ridge of spines running down its back. It has five heads, each of which is human-like but scaled and fanged.

Nagahydras are among the most powerful of naga-kind, and perhaps the most monstrous. They have five heads, which are frequently mismatched, with scale colors and facial features characteristic of multiple species of nagas. They have the hydra-like ability to heal quickly and to grow two heads if one is severed, although accessory heads quickly die back, instead of remaining permanently. Whether the transformation into a hydra-like entity was something done by nagas or to nagas remains unclear—different nagahydras have different explanations, if they bother to discuss this history at all.

Much like other nagas, nagahydras are gifted magic users. Due to the flexibility of their spellcasting, no two nagahydras are likely to have the same tactics or the same spells to draw from. However, they can cast multiple spells at once, using multiple heads to intone different verbal components and make arcane gestures simultaneously. A nagahydra that has grown accessory heads can cast even more spells simultaneously, and some nagahydras with minions or summoned allies instruct them to cut off a head or two to allow them to grow more just before a difficult combat is anticipated.

Most nagahydras live in forest environments, particularly tropical rainforests and tropical seasonal forests. They are carnivores and sit comfortably at the top of the food chain, often choosing other monstrous prey to consume for the sport of it. The alignments of nagahydras vary, but the appearance of the heads they have does not necessarily reflect their alignments. Some with the washed out purples and banded reds of dark and spirit nagas are nevertheless good, and some with the golden scales of guardian nagas are of the foulest evil. Nagahydras are skilled liars and clever conversationalists, and even evil ones like to engage in riddles and stories. Nagahydras have a single personality and motivation no matter their number of heads, although they can engage in multiple separate conversations separately.

Nagahydra          CR 18
XP 153,600
N Huge aberration
Init+9;Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., Perception +26, scent
Defense
AC30, touch 13, flat-footed 25(-2 size, +5 Dex, +17 natural)
hp290 (20d8+180); fast healing 15
Fort+18,Ref+15,Will+18
Offense
Speed30 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee5 bites +24 (2d6+10/19-20 plus poison)
Space15 ft.; Reach10 ft.
Special Attacks multicasting, pounce
SpellsCL 15^th, concentration +22 (+26 casting defensively)
7^th(5/day)—creeping doom (DC 24), prismatic spray (DC 25)
6^th(7/day)—chain lightning (DC 24), disintegrate(DC 23), heal(DC 23)
5^th(7/day)—cone of cold (DC 23), overland flight, spell resistance, waves of fatigue
4^th(7/day)—cure critical wounds (DC 21), dimension door, greater invisibility, wall of fire
3^rd(8/day)—fireball(DC 21), greater magic fang, heroism,protection from energy
2^nd(8/day)—eagle’s splendor, mirror image, scorching ray, see invisibility, spiritual weapon
1^st(8/day)—divine favor, expeditious retreat, mage armor, magic missile, shield of faith
0^th—acid splash, detect magic,light, mage hand, mending, open/close, read magic, resistance, stabilize
Statistics
Str30,Dex20,Con30,Int21,Wis23,Cha25
Base Atk +15;CMB+27;CMD42
FeatsArcane Strike,Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes (B), Empower Spell, Eschew Materials (B), Extend Spell, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Spell Focus (evocation), Spell Penetration, Weapon Focus (bite)
SkillsAppraise +15,Bluff +22, Fly +16, Diplomacy +22, Intimidate +25, Knowledge (arcana) +23, Knowledge (dungeoneering, religion) +15, Linguistics +15, Perception +26, Sense Motive +21, Spellcraft +23, Stealth +13, Swim +28; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception
LanguagesAbyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal, 10 others
SQhydra traits, regenerate head
Ecology
Environmenttemperate and warm forests
Organizationsolitary or nest (2-4)
Treasurestandard
Special Abilities
Fast Healing (Ex) A nagahydra’s fast healing ability is equal to 10 plus its current number of heads (minimum fast healing 15). This fast healing applies only to damage inflicted on the hydra’s body.
Hydra Traits (Ex) A nagahydra can be killed by severing all of its heads or slaying its body. Any attack that is not an attempt to sever a head affects the body, including area attacks or attacks that cause piercing or bludgeoning damage. To sever a head, an opponent must make a sunder attempt with a slashing weapon targeting a head. A head is considered a separate weapon with hardness 0 and hit points equal to the nagahydra’s HD. To sever a head, an opponent must inflict enough damage to reduce the head’s hit points to 0 or less. Severing a head deals damage to the nagahydra’s body equal to the hydra’s current HD. A nagahydra can’t attack with a severed head, but takes no other penalties.
Multicasting (Ex) A nagahydra can choose to cast multiple spells as a standard action, as long as all of those spells have a casting time of one standard action. Each level of spells cast in a single round requires the use of one head (0^th level spells count as 1^st level spells for this purpose). If it has more or less heads than its normal number (because of severing or the regenerate head ability), it can cast more or less levels of spells when it casts multiple spells. For example, a nagahydra with its normal allotment of heads could cast a 2^nd level and 3^rd level spell in the same action, or a 4^th level spell and a 1^nd level spell, or five 1^st level spells.
Poison (Ex) Bite—injury;saveFort DC 30; duration1/round for 4 rounds; effect1d6 Con damage; cure2 saves. The save DC is Constitution based.
Regenerate Head (Ex) When a nagahydra’s head is destroyed, two heads regrow in 1d4 rounds. A nagahydra cannot have more than twice its original number of heads at any one time. To prevent new heads from growing, at least 5 points of acid or fire damage must be dealt to the stump (a touch attack to hit) before they appear. Acid or fire damage from area attacks can affect stumps and the body simultaneously. A nagahydra doesn’t die from losing its heads until all are cut off and the stumps seared by acid or fire. Heads beyond its usual allotment of five die and are shed 24 hours after growing.
SpellsA nagahydra can cast spells as a 15^th level sorcerer. It can also cast spells from the cleric list, and from the Scalykind domain. A nagahydra does not gain additional benefits from the sorcerer class, such as bloodline spells, unless it takes levels in sorcerer.

Image accessed at Acorn Pies here

[The mannegishi are Little People found in the legends of the Cree, and are closely tied to the memegwesi of the Ojibwa (of which the above is a picture) and similar entities found throughout Algonquian language-speakers. They are also difficult to find legit information about. The reason for this is my perennial/occasional nemeses as a student of folklore: cryptozoologists.

Karl Shuker, who I thought was better than this, claimed that the Dover Demon was a mannegishi, and thus almost all searches for it turn up pictures of noseless Grey Alien types. The folkloric mannegishi is hairy and wears clothes, as opposed to the naked, hairless Dover Demon, and no authentically Native stories mention traits like glowing eyes or six fingers. The only real link is noselessness, which isn’t found in all mannegishi stories, only those of the Menominee, who live in Wisconsin. A long way from Dover, Massachusetts.

The Native-Languages.org site linked above is the best source of legit information I could find online. Even the Wikipedia page is a chimera of Dover Demon and actual folklore, although there is a tag that states that the page needs to be cleaned up.]

Mannegishi
CR 5 CG Fey
This little man is scarcely taller than a toddler. He has a round, child-like face, but a beard grows from his chin, and hair protrudes from underneath his clothes.

Mannegishi are fey creatures of rock and rivers. They live in boulders near rapids, where they hunt, fish and gather berries and nuts for their food. Mannegishi act as stewards of these ecosystems, making sure they remain in balance and protecting them from overharvesting or damming. Mannegishi are generally benevolent, but do demand respect. They greatly appreciate gifts of food or trinkets, and those that do not do so are likely to find themselves the victim of pranks.

Despite their small stature, mannegishi are very strong. They augment this strength with magical control over the weight and density of rocks; their stone-tipped spears strike as hard as those of man-size, and the rocks they lob strike with the force of a small catapult. Mannegishi rarely fight to the death unless truly angered, however, preferring to negotiate a settlement or, barring that, run away and hide inside their boulder homes.

Mannegishi are sometimes found living alone, but more often associate in family groups. These groups work together to float canoes carved from stone, a truly baffling sight for the unaware (especially when the mannegishi within are invisible). They are fond of children, and often help children lost in the woods find their way home, or help them discover a good source of food if hungry. As is common with trickster spirits, they themselves are somewhat easy to fool. Mannegishi usually have a good sense of humor about the tables being turned.

Mannegishi Boons and Banes (CL 6^th, 3^rd level, Will DC 14)
Mannegishi are most likely to use their boon on a lost child or someone who properly leaves gifts for them when on the land they consider their charge. A mannegishi often will give its boon while sneaking up invisibly on a beneficiary, with the blessed person only realizing in hindsight that they’ve received magical aid. Their bane they give to those that act callously or destructively towards rivers and stone, but that they think can grow and learn the error of their ways.
Boon:You have an uncanny sense of woodcraft. You gain a +4 sacred bonus on Knowledge (geography), Profession (sailor) and Survival checks, and always know which direction is north. This boon lasts for 1 week.
Bane:The land itself seems to reject you. You suffer a -4 penalty on Knowledge (geography), Profession (sailor) and Survival checks. You must succeed a DC 14 Will save every night or suffer from nightmares, leaving you without the benefits of rest. This bane lasts for 1 week.

Mannegishi        CR 5
XP 1,600
CG Small fey (earth)
Init+4;Senseslow-light vision, Perception +9, tremorsense 30 ft.
Defense
AC19, touch 15, flat-footed 15(+1 size, +4 Dex, +2 armor, +2 natural)
hp51 (6d6+30)
Fort+7,Ref+9,Will+6
DR10/cold iron or piercing
Offense
Speed30 ft.
Meleespear +7 (1d8+4/x3) or slam +7 (1d4+3)
Rangedrock +9 or +7/+7 (2d6+3)
Special Attacks rock throwing (50 ft.)
Spell-like Abilities CL 6^th, concentration +8
At will—invisibility, warp wood (DC 14)
3/day—barkskin, stone call, wood shape
1/day—air walk, control water, stone shape, stone tell
Statistics
Str16,Dex19,Con20,Int13,Wis13,Cha14
Base Atk +3;CMB+5;CMD19
FeatsPoint Blank Shot, Quick Draw, Rapid Shot
SkillsAcrobatics +12 (+20 in wet and slippery terrain),Bluff +10, Climb +10, Knowledge (geography, nature) +8, Perception +9, Profession (sailor) +6, Stealth +16, Survival +9; Racial Modifiers +8 Acrobatics in wet and slippery terrain
LanguagesCommon, Sylvan, Terran
SQdensity control,rock hopper, stone hideaway
Ecology
Environmenttemperate hills and forests
Organizationsolitary, pair or family (3-8)
Treasurestandard (leather armor, stone spear, 20 pebbles, other treasure)
Special Abilities
Density Control (Su) A mannegishi can control the density of any stone object it touches. It can make a stone object of up to a 5 foot cube float; larger objects require multiple mannegishi to work in unison. Any stone weapon it wields deals damage as if it were one size category larger. The density remains what the mannegishi desires for 1 minute after the mannegishi stops touching the object.
Rock Hopper (Ex) A mannegishi gains a +8 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made in wet and slippery terrain. It is not counted as flat-footed while balancing, and does not suffer a penalty to its speed.
Stone Hideaway (Su) When a mannegishi touches a rock of at least 5 foot square and spends a full round action, it can designate that rock as a stone hideaway. The stone hideaway counts as an extraplanar space with a 20 foot radius, which always remains comfortable in temperature and has a controllable light source as per a tiny hut spell. The entrance is three feet wide, opaque from the outside but transparent from the inside. The stone hideaway is permanent until that mannegishi decides to designate another rock. When it does so, any contents of the previous stone hideaway are shunted outside of the rock without damage.

Image © Wizards of the Coast, by Cory Trego-Erdner. Accessed at the artist’s ArtStation page here

[Behold, a man!

The look for the Wretched were explicitly based on a plucked chicken crossed with a lamprey. While I was doing these entries, I noticed that of the Sorrowsworn, four out of five of them are grappling based. So I stripped that from the Wretched and gave them a new signature ability. I’ve noticed that the notes on the Sorrowsworn in general are a little low. Are people sick of them all in a row like this? There are two more families of monsters in Mordenkainen’s I’m planning on covering (the starspawn/foulspawn/ushemoi and the variant trolls). Should I alternate between them for variety’s sake?]

Sorrowsworn, the Wretched
CR 2 NE Aberration
This armless biped has muscular clawed legs and a circular mouth ringed with multiple rows of teeth. Its eyes are large and glistening.

The Wretched are the least of the sorrowsworn, manifesting feelings of self-loathing and guilt. They are rarely found alone, as they are fairly weak and easy meat for other monsters of the Plane of Shadow. In packs, they are truly dangerous, overwhelming a single foe with an onslaught of necromancy-infused bites. They constantly duck and weave underfoot of other sorrowsworn, which sometimes attack them out of irritation. The Wretched never leave the sides of even the most abusive sorrowsworn, as they feel they deserve such ill treatment.

The Wretched   CR 2
XP 600
NE Small aberration (extraplanar, sorrowsworn)
Init+1;Sensesdarkvision 120 ft., Perception +2, see invisibility
Defense
AC15, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +3 natural)
hp14 (4d8-4)
Fort+0,Ref+2,Will+2
Immunehit point damage from mind-influencing abilities; Resistcold 10, electricity 10, fire 10
Defensive Abilities cushioning shadow, harvester of sorrow
Weaknessdemoralized
Offense
Speed40 ft.
Meleebite +5 (1d10+1 plus chill bite)
Special Attacks pack tactics
Statistics
Str12,Dex12,Con9,Int5,Wis7,Cha10
Base Atk +3;CMB+2;CMD14
FeatsDodge, Mobility
SkillsAcrobatics +5 (+9 when jumping), Climb +5, Perception +2, Stealth +9
LanguagesCommon, Shadowtongue
Ecology
Environmentany land (Plane of Shadow)
Organizationsolitary, pair, gang (3-14) or pack (2-7 plus 2-7 mixed sorrowsworn)
Treasureincidental
Special Abilities
Chill Bite (Su) A creature bitten by a Wretched sorrowsworn must succeed a DC 12 Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of damage and 1 point of Strength damage. An undead creature bitten does not take extra damage, but must succeed a DC 12 Will save or be panicked for 1d4+2 rounds. This is a necromancy effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.
Cushioning Darkness (Su)In areas of dim light or darkness, a Wretched sorrowsworn gains DR 1/- .
Demoralized (Ex) A Wretched sorrowsworn takes an additional -1 penalty whenever it takes a morale penalty to dice rolls.
Harvester of Sorrow (Su) A Wretched sorrowsworn heals as a result of the suffering of others. It gains fast healing 4 if at least one creature within 15 feet has one or more of the following conditions: confused, cowering, dying, exhausted, fatigued, frightened, nauseated, panicked, shaken, sickened, staggered, or stunned.
Pack Tactics (Ex) A Wretched sorrowsworn can share a space with any one creature with the sorrowsworn subtype without penalty. It is treated as flanking whatever foe that sorrowsworn attacks that round, as if they were in two opposite squares.

Image by Sam Wood, © Green Ronin Publishing

[Commissioned by Soluman Blevins. Hadriel first appeared in the 3.0 book Legions of Hell, as the leader of two whole factions of devils, the Submitted and the Obeyed. This was yet another “BDSM is Evil” themed monster, which were a common theme in RPGs trying to be “edgy” in the 90s and 00s. And her backstory, rebelling against the misogyny of Hell, gives her original flavor text something of a girlboss vibe. I have nothing against either BDSM or rebelling against misogyny, so I wanted to make sure there was something genuinely evil about my take on Hadriel. Long story short, Hadriel is a TERF.

There is a 5e conversion of The Book of Fiends, which has rather more of an art budget and is in full color. I don’t like that rendition of Hadriel as much; she’s more conventionally beautiful and doesn’t even have visible bone hooks. Sam Wood’s more extreme take is very cool and very HR Giger meets Clive Barker.  I suspect Hadriel might even have been an influence on Magic: the Gathering’s Elesh Norn, with the sweeping headdress and corset of gore.]

Hadriel
Duchess of Domination, Lady Cindara, Mistress
Concernsaristocracy, radical feminism, sadomasochism
DomainsCharm, Evil, Law, Nobility
SubdomainsAristocracy, Devil, Lust, Tyranny
Worshipersfemale supremacists,noblewomen, slavers
Minionserinyes, handmaiden devils, kytons
Unholy Symbol a crossed sickle and riding crop
Favored Weapon sickle
Obediencespend one hour inflicting pain on a sapient creature without killing it. You may use yourself for this purpose if you do not have a subject on hand. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against the staggered and stunned conditions.
Boons1:eagle’s splendor 2/day; 2: charm monster 2/day; 3: waves of ecstasy2/day (as 6^th level spell)

Malebranche, Hadriel
CR 21 LE Outsider (extraplanar)
This giant humanoid is cruelly thin, with violet skin stretched over bone. Her face is beautiful, but cruel, and a mane of spines grows from the back of her head. Bony hooks protrude from her wrists, and she wears a corset made of bones and a skirt made of tanned leather.

Hadriel, the Duchess of Domination, is a powerful and ambitious devil who became a malebranche on her own initiative. Originally an erinyes, she expected and demanded more power, eventually carving her own body into a stronger and more monstrous form and joining the court of Mephistopheles. In the misogynistic hierarchies of Hell, this entailed acting as a consort to a male pit fiend, who met with a “tragic accident” and had his resources usurped by Hadriel. She has since moved to the Material Plane as her primary base, seeking to sacrifice an entire planet to Hell in order to curry Asmodeus’ favor and gain further advancement. Part of this process has been spurring a cult to form on her behalf, granting her a sliver of divine power.

Hadriel is a sadistic combatant, and although she can end fights in an instant with her mind controlling abilities, prefers to drag them out. She wants to leave enemies broken, beaten and humiliated before making them her slaves. She has two auras, the first inspiring fear and the second an enthralling mental weakness. In melee, she fights with her bone hook and quill-like horns, but rarely fights alone, instead working along with a squad of bodyguards and thralls. She has no compunctions about abandoning a losing battle, leaving her minions behind to die as punishment for their failure.

The Duchess of Domination has shapechanging abilities, and commonly travels the Material Plane under the guise of Lady Cindara, a woman of great wealth and vague royal descent. Lady Cindara is the leader of the Shrieking Violet Society, a women’s club that acts as a front for Hadriel’s cult. Every headquarters is the site of an infernal sigil, part of a plan to transform an entire planet into a magic circle and transport it physically into Hell. Initially, the Shrieking Violet Society seems to be a place for upper class women to converse and advocate for their position, but the more initiated one becomes, the crueler revelations are made. Hadriel’s experiences with misogyny have warped her perspective into a complete reversal, envisaging a perfect society where “proper women” completely dominate men and rule over them with an iron fist. The Shrieking Violet definition of a “proper woman” is narrow, and trans women, gender nonconforming people and others who do not fit their criteria are seen as abominations to be exterminated.

Hadriel stands ten feet tall in her natural form. Her pride prevents her from ever assuming male guise through shapeshifting or illusion magic.

Hadriel   CR 21
XP 409,600
LE Large outsider (devil, extraplanar, evil, lawful, malebranche, shapechanger)
Init+11;Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., detect chaos, detect good, Perception +37, see in darkness, true seeing
Aurafrightful presence (60 ft., Will DC 34), heady perfume (10 ft., Will DC 31)
Defense
AC37, touch 25, flat-footed 26(-1 size, +11 Dex, +5 deflection, +12 natural)
hp391 (27d10+243); regeneration 10 (good, silver)
Fort+19,Ref+26,Will+24
DR20/good and silver; Immunecharm and compulsion effects, death effects, fire, poison; Resistacid 30, cold 30; SR32
Defensive Abilities pain to pleasure
Offense
Speed40 ft.
Melee2 claws +35 (2d8+9/19-20 plus grab), gore +35 (2d6+9)
Space10 ft.; Reach10 ft.
Special Attacks rend (2 claws, 2d8+13), utter domination
Spell-like Abilities CL 21^st, concentration +32 (+36 casting defensively)
Constant—detect chaos, detect good, tongues, true seeing
At will—charm monster (DC 25), greater command (DC 26), greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. objects only), misdirection(DC 24)
3/day—dream, false vision (DC 26), geas/quest, greater dispel magic, mass inflict pain (DC 27), mass suggestion (DC 27), nightmare(DC 26), veil(DC 27), quickened waves of ecstasy (DC 27)
1/day—irresistible dance, mass hold monster (DC 30), overwhelming presence(DC 30), summon (9^th level, 1 devil of CR 20 or lower, 100%), unholy aura (DC 29)
Statistics
Str28,Dex32,Con27,Int30,Wis25,Cha33
Base Atk +27;CMB+37 (+41 grapple); CMD64
FeatsCombat Casting,Combat Reflexes,Critical Focus,Deceitful,Deflect Arrows (B),Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (claw), Iron Will, Quicken SLA (waves of ecstasy), Persuasive, Power Attack,Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical, Toughness
SkillsBluff +45, Diplomacy +45, Disguise +45, Intimidate +45, Knowledge (arcana, history, local, religion) +37, Knowledge (nobility, planes) +40, Perception +37, Perform (oratory) +38, Sense Motive +37, Spellcraft +37, Stealth +37, Use Magic Device +38
LanguagesCelestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal, telepathy 300 ft., tongues
SQchange shape (humanoid or animal, greater polymorph)
Ecology
Environmentany land or urban (Hell)
Organizationunique
Treasuretriple standard (ring of protection +5, rod of splendor, other treasure)
Special Abilities
Heady Perfume (Su) Hadriel exudes a cloying scent that clouds the mind. Any creature within 10 feet of Hadriel must succeed a DC 31 Will save or be affected as per a mind fog spell, taking a -10 penalty to Wisdom checks and Will saves while in the aura and for 2d6 rounds thereafter. A creature that succeeds its save is immune to Hadriel’s heady perfume for the next 24 hours. Hadriel may use this perfume even when in another form. This is a mind-influencing compulsion effect, and the save DC is Constitution based.
Malebranche Traits (Ex/Su) Hadriel is a malebranche, a powerful unique fiend. She possesses the following traits:

• Immunity to charm and compulsion effects, death effects, fire, and poison.
• Resistance to acid 30 and cold 30.
• Telepathy 300 feet.
• Hadriel’s natural weapons, as  well as any weapon she wields, are treated as epic, evil and lawful for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Pain to Pleasure (Ex) Hadriel makes no saves against pain effects, but gains benefits instead of penalties. Any damage dealt by a pain effect are treated as temporary hit points that last for 1 hour or until expended. Any penalty to attack rolls, saving throws, skill and ability checks or damage become morale bonuses to those rolls that last for the duration of the effect.
Utter Domination (Su) Three times per day, Hadriel can control the will of another creature within 60 feet as a standard action. Treat this as a dominate monster effect (Will DC 34, CL 27^th), except that the creature gains no saving throw against actions against their nature. The dominated creature can make a saving throw to resist an obviously self-destructive command, but if it succeeds that saving throw resists that command specifically for the next 24 hours, not breaking the domination effect completely. This is a mind influencing compulsion effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.

Image © @a-book-of-creatures​. Accessed at A Book of Creatures here

[One of the main purposes of me doing a World Tour block is to incorporate a bunch of monsters that I’ve learned about in the years since I’ve had a dedicated folklore block. Lots of new monsters from books I’ve read, and from A Book of Creatures, which is still one of the best monster sites on the internet. This particular nightmare comes from Yupik folklore.]

Itqiirpak
CR 16 CN Outsider (extraplanar)
This giant floating hand is about as far across as a human is tall. It has a mouth set at the tip of each finger and a larger mouth set in the palm, all of which have gnashing, disturbingly human, teeth.

An itqiirpak, or living fireball, is a chaotic outsider that represents destruction by natural forces. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and meteorite impacts are their favorite, but they also preside over droughts, floods and tsunami. Even though they have a fiery aspect and use fire as a weapon, they are not sensitive to cold, and may even be found swimming in the depths of the sea or in the icy vacuum of space.

Combat with an itqiirpak often begins seemingly at random, with the monster plunging from the sky or rising from the depths, screaming all the while. Each of their mouths is capable of inflicting a deadly bite, the center maw most of all. They can also shoot bolts of fire from their fingers, which they use to blow holes in structures or attack from a distance. They prefer to split their attacks up among as many individuals as possible, but if they are sorely pressed by a single foe, they will grab them in their fist like body and chew them to death.

Although the natural disasters that itqiirpaks preside over appear to be random, they are often engineered by these outsiders. Itqiirpaks control the weather, heat up magma chambers, cause earthquakes, even steer the course of asteroids to send them spiraling towards a planet. Their precise goals are difficult for mortals to comprehend, but they frequently target populations with large numbers of chaotic individuals. Proteans often work with itqiirpaks and defend them. It is possible that the protean choirs use itqiirpaks to create metaphysical raw materials—more chaotic souls entering the afterlife, leading to more quintessence feeding into the chaotic planes.

Itqiirpak               CR 16
XP 76,800
CN Large outsider (chaotic, extraplanar)
Init+7;Sensesblindsight 120 ft., blindsense 240 ft., blind, detect chaos, Perception +26
Auracloak of chaos (DC 24)
Defense
AC31, touch 19, flat-footed 25 (-1 size, +6 Dex, +4 deflection, +12 natural)
hp237 (19d10+133)
Fort+17,Ref+24,Will+21
DR10/stone and lawful; Immunefire, gaze attacks, visual spells and effects; Resistcold 10, electricity 10; SR27
Offense
Speed15 ft., fly 60 ft. (perfect)
Melee5 bites +25 (1d8+7/19-20), great bite +25 (2d8+10/19-20 plus grab)
Ranged5 fire bolts +25 touch (4d6)
Space10 ft.; Reach5 ft.
Special Attacks chew (2d8+10), cumulative fire, powerful blows (great bite)
Spell-like Abilities CL 16^th, concentration +22
Constant—cloak of chaos (self only), detect chaos
At will—dispel magic, fireball (DC 19), wall of fire
3/day—control weather, empoweredflame shield, quickened fireball(DC 19)
1/day—earthquake, fire storm (DC 24), meteor swarm (DC 25)
Statistics
Str24,Dex25,Con24,Int18,Wis19,Cha23
Base Atk +19;CMB+31 (+35 grapple); CMD43 (cannot be tripped)
FeatsCritical Focus,Empower SLA (fire shield), Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Critical (bite, great bite), Power Attack, Quicken SLA (fireball), Staggering Critical, Stunning Critical
SkillsFly +35, Intimidate +28, Knowledge (geography, nature) +23, Knowledge (planes, religion) +26, Perception +26, Sense Motive +26, Stealth +25, Swim +28
LanguagesAbyssal, Celestial, Ignan, Protean
SQflight, no breath
Ecology
Environmentany (Maelstrom)
Organizationsolitary, shower (2-4) or storm (5-8)
Treasureincidental
Special Abilities
Chew (Ex) This functions as the constrict special attack, except that the itqiirpak deals bludgeoning, slashing and piercing damage.
Cumulative Fire (Su) All fire damage dealt by an itqiirpak’s abilities in the same round is counted as a single attack for the purposes of interacting with fire resistance and hardness. Fire damage dealt by an itqiirpak’s abilities is not halved for any object or creature with hardness.
Damage Reduction (Ex) Stone weapons, including weapons made of flint or obsidian, overcome the damage reduction of an itqiirpak (as long as they are also lawful).
Fire Bolt (Su) An itqiirpak can shoot a single ray of fire as an attack action and five rays of fire as a full attack action. Treat this as a ranged touch attack with a range of 120 feet and no range increment. A creature struck by one of these rays takes 4d6 points of fire damage. An itqiirpak may fire all of its rays at the same target or at different targets.

Image by Cory Trego-Erdner, © Wizards of the Coast. Accessed at the artist’s ArtStation gallery here

[I feel like there’s more thematic overlap between the Lonely and the Lost than there is between the other sorrowsworn. It’s worth noting that this is the sorrowsworn that has the most artistic representation online, in the form of fanart for Critical Role. It’s still somewhat remarkable to me how much of D&D’s public face comes from Critical Role.]

Sorrowsworn, the Lost
CR 7 NE Aberration
This creature appears like a gaunt humanoid, its face twisted into a wide eyed expression of shock and worry. Its torso is lumpy and asymmetrical, and it has five arms, each ending in a long blade.

The Lost sorrowsworn are anxiety embodied. They jump at shadows, overreact to loud noises, and respond to any stimulus from a stranger with lethal violence. Their mantis like claws grasp and clutch at enemies, and anyone held in their embrace has the Lost’s mental state of perpetual fear imposed on it. Worse yet, if the Lost is injured while it holds its prey, the damage is transmitted psychically to the grappled creature as well. In mixed groups, Lost sorrowsworn are near the bottom of the pecking order, easily bullied by their peers. Lost and Lonely sorrowsworn feed off of each other’s negative emotional states, driving each other to frenzies of panic and despair.

The Lost               CR 7
XP 3,200
NE Medium aberration (extraplanar. sorrowsworn)
Init+2;Sensesdarkvision 120 ft., Perception +9, see in darkness
Defense
AC20, touch 13, flat-footed 17 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +7 natural)
hp78 (12d8+24)
Fort+6,Ref+8,Will+8
Immune hit point damage from mind-influencing abilities; Resist cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10
Defensive Abilities cushioning shadow, harvester of sorrow
Weaknesslingering dread
Offense
Speed30 ft.
Melee5 claws +12 (1d6+3 plus grab)
Special Attacks clutching fear, psychic embrace
Statistics
Str17,Dex15,Con15,Int6,Wis10,Cha12
Base Atk +9;CMB+12 (+16 grapple); CMD26
FeatsDefensive Combat Training, Dodge, Improved Critical (claw), Lightning Reflexes, Lunge, Power Attack
SkillsClimb +12, Perception +9, Stealth +11, Swim +12
LanguagesCommon, Shadowtongue
Ecology
Environmentany land or underground (Plane of Shadow)
Organizationsolitary or gang (2-7 mixed sorrowsworn)
Treasureincidental
Special Abilities
Clutching Fear (Su) A creature grappled by a Lost sorrowsworn must succeed a DC 17 Will save or be frightened for as long as it is grappled and for 1d4 rounds thereafter. A creature that passes its save is immune to the clutching fear of that Lost for the next 24 hours. This is a mind influencing fear effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.
Cushioning Darkness (Su) In areas of dim light or darkness, a Lost sorrowsworn gains DR 3/- .
Harvester of Sorrow (Su) A Lost sorrowsworn heals as a result of the suffering of others. It gains fast healing 12 if at least one creature within 15 feet has one or more of the following conditions: confused, cowering, dying, exhausted, fatigued, frightened, nauseated, panicked, shaken, sickened, staggered, or stunned.
Lingering Dread (Ex) Any fear effect that a Lost sorrowsworn suffers from has double its normal duration.
Psychic Embrace (Su) Whenever a Lost sorrowsworn takes damage while grappling an opponent, the opponent must succeed a DC 17 Will save or take the same amount of damage. This is a mind influencing effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.

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 © Brent Hollowell

[Welcome to Creature Codex: World Tour! It’s been a while since I’ve done a dedicated block of mythological/folkloric entities, and my theme this time around is “no theme in particular”. I’m going to be spending a month on each of the six (inhabited) continents, with the hope of highlighting some cultures and traditions that I’ve otherwise neglected. For example, the Australasia chunk will contain monsters from New Zealand, Melanesia and Polynesia in addition to mainland Australia. I also will be using this opportunity for more “if I ran the zoo” monsters; new stat blocks for monsters I don’t like the official Paizo versions of.

First up is North America, and we’re starting with the aniwye, a giant killer skunk from the Anishinaabe people. This image has been circulating around for a while representing the aniwye, but as near as I can figure, was originally intended to be a honey badger inspired monster. Brent Hollowell’s original art blog is gone, and although most pieces from it have reappeared on his newer official web presence, this one has not. There is an aniwye in D&D 5e through Tome of Beasts 2 by Kobold Press: that one is a shapeshifter, inspired by versions where an ogre is turned into a skunk after he is killed. My version draws from a Cree version of the story where Wolverine kills Aniwye, in which Aniwye has supernatural tracking abilities.]

Aniwye
CR 10 LE Magical Beast
This creature appears like a skunk the size of an elephant. It has long flat claws on its forelegs, an array of fangs, and a white stripe running along its back. Its stench is eye-watering.

The aniwye is a giant skunk that behaves more like a dragon. They are overlords of wide ranges of woodland territory, demanding fealty and tribute. The domain of an aniwye may have little outward indication of ownership, although aniwye do decorate trailheads and landmarks with trophies taken from their victims. Most aniwye are so territorial that they demand no other sapient creature cross their path, and if they find that one has, will track it down to kill it in retribution. Aniwye are phenomenal trackers, able to follow a trail at top speed without penalty, and gaining supernatural knowledge of the creatures they are tracking.

In combat, an aniwye uses its corrosive blast as much as it can. Its glandular secretions are so powerful that an aniwye stinks without spraying, but the spray is blinding and can corrode through stone, wood and flesh. In between blasts, an aniwye fights with its claws and teeth. They are stubborn combatants, and in defense of their territory typically fight to the death, spraying to the last breath.

Aniwye are voracious omnivores that consume primarily meat, fruit and berries. They have a special fondness for venomous animals and poisonous plants. The tribute they demand of other creatures often takes the form of foods rather than more permanent goods, especially baked, fermented or otherwise prepared. A single male aniwye tends to rule over a larger territory, with several smaller female territories within it. The females remain dispersed except during the winter, when the whole harem typically gathers together. Aniwye are typically less active during the winter, although they do not hibernate. 

Aniwye                                CR 10
XP 9,600
LE Huge magical beast
Init+7;Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., Perception +17, scent
Aurastench (30 ft., Fort DC 21)
Defense
AC23, touch 11, flat-footed 20 (-2 size, +3 Dex, +12 natural)
hp136 (13d10+65)
Fort+13,Ref+13,Will+10
Immuneacid, poison; SR21
Defensive Abilities ferocity
Offense
Speed40 ft.
Meleebite +18 (2d6+7), 2 claws +18 (1d8+7)
Space15 ft.; Reach10 ft.
Special Attacks corrosive blast (60 foot cone, Ref DC 21, 13d6 acid damage plus blindness, 1d4 rounds), death burst, quarry
Statistics
Str24,Dex16,Con21,Int10,Wis19,Cha13
Base Atk +13;CMB+22;CMD35 (39 vs. trip)
FeatsAlertness, Blind-fight, Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack
SkillsClimb +12, Perception +17, Sense Motive +14, Survival +20; Racial Modifiers +8 Survival
LanguagesInfernal, Sylvan
SQpredictive tracker
Ecology
Environmenttemperate forest and hills
Organizationsolitary, pair or harem (3-6)
Treasurestandard
Special Abilities
Corrosive Blast (Su) The spray of an aniwye acts as a breath weapon, except that it is released from anal glands instead of breathed out. A creature that takes acid damage from an aniwye’s corrosive blast must succeed a DC 21 Fortitude save or be blinded for 1d10 minutes. The save DC is Constitution based.
Death Burst (Su) When it takes damage that would kill it, an aniwye may use its corrosive blast as an immediate action. If its corrosive blast has not recharged, this blast deals minimum damage (15 on a failed save).
Predictive Tracker (Su) When it uses Survival to follow a creature’s tracks, an aniwye learns that creature’s species, age, gender, alignment, class and level or Hit Dice. It may also designate a creature identified in this fashion as its quarry, even if it does not have line of sight to that creature.
Quarry (Ex) As a standard action, an aniwye may denote one target within its line of sight, or that it has identified with its predictive tracker ability, as its quarry. Whenever the aniwye is following the tracks of its quarry, it can take 10 on his Survival skill checks while moving at normal speed without penalty. In addition, it receives a +2 insight bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls made against his quarry, and all critical threats are automatically confirmed. It can dismiss this effect at any time as a free action, but it then cannot select a new quarry for 24 hours. If the aniwye sees proof that its quarry is dead, it can select a new quarry after waiting 1 hour.

“Nocturne” © Lois van Baarle, accessed at her ArtStation here

[Commissioned by @abominationimperatrix​. The anchheri is a monster from Uttarakhand, the state in India making up the foothills of the Himalaya. As related in the superb book Ghosts, Monsters and Demons of India, its characteristics have been transplanted into the “acheri”, an “Indian” undead attributed to the Chippewa that does not exist in any authentically native sources. GMDI doesn’t say who’s responsible for this, but I know. The oldest attribution of the “acheri” to “Amerindian tribes” is in Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were by Michael Page and Robert Ingpen. I’ve complained about this book before. Whether this was an intentional alteration (the book has many of those), or a result of lazy scholarship (confusing “Indian” for India with “Indian” for Native American), the damage has been done, and most images of the anchheri online are clad in buckskins. The most accurate pop culture anchheri, possibly because its creators weren’t relying on English language sources, is in Shin Megami Tensei]

Anchheri
CR 7 CE Undead
This humanoid child has an odd, cruel smile, clawed hands and sunken, glowing eyes. Her skin seems tightly drawn around her bones, and has a hue of decomposition.

An anchheri is both tragic and dangerous, as they are the undead remains of children who died an unnatural death. They hide during the day in mountainous caves and crevices, and descend from the mountains at night to frolic and play. Mortals who join in these games risk being attacked. An adult will usually be just shredded with tiny claws, or put to sleep and its blood drunk, but anchheri are more subtle on their attacks on children. The touch of an anchheri’s shadow spreads plague, and a child who dies from this disease becomes a new anchheri. Thus, a single one of these monsters can become an infestation rapidly, and tales are told of entire villages emptied of children.

Anchheri are difficult to slay without access to magic weapons and divine magic, so some communities have taken to propitiating them instead. Anchheri love gifts; clothing, jewelry and toys are all appreciated. They fear the color red, perhaps because it reminds them of their own blood spilled, and so people wearing red clothing are usually safe from an anchheri initiating attack. Giving an anchheri red clothing, however, is a sure way to insult it and invite violence. The mind of an anchheri is childlike, and they are fairly easy to trick.

An anchheri stands between three and five feet tall. Because of their willowy frames, they are treated as creatures of Small size regardless of height.

Anchheri                CR 7
XP 3,200
CE Small undead
Init+4;Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., Perception +10
Defense
AC19, touch 15, flat-footed 15 (+1 size, +4 Dex, +4 natural)
hp85 (10d8+40)
Fort+7,Ref+7,Will+6
DR10/magic;Immuneundead traits
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2; Weaknessred aversion
Offense
Speed30 ft.
Melee2 claws +12 (1d4-1), shadow +7 touch (disease)
Special Attacks blood drain (1d2 Con), create spawn,sneak attack +3d6
Spell-like Abilities CL 7^th, concentration +11
3/day—deep slumber (DC 17), fly, stone call
Statistics
Str8,Dex18,Con-,Int13,Wis9,Cha18
Base Atk +7;CMB+5;CMD19
FeatsCombat Expertise, Deceitful,Improved Feint, Nimble Moves, Weapon Finesse
SkillsBluff +14, Climb +10, Disguise +17, Escape Artist +12, Perception +10, Perform (dance) +6, Stealth +19
LanguagesCommon, Necril
Ecology
Environmentany land or urban
Organizationsolitary, pair, gang (3-6) or party (7-12)
Treasurestandard
Special Abilities
Create Spawn (Su) Any humanoid child killed by an anchheri’s disease rises as a free willed anchheri at the next new moon.
Disease (Ex) Bubonic plague—contact; saveFort DC 19; onset1 day; frequency1/day;effect1d4 Con damage, 1 Cha damage, target is fatigued; cure2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Charisma based.
Red Aversion (Ex) An anchheri must succeed a DC 20 Will save in order to attack a creature wearing red clothing. If the anchheri fails that save, it cannot attack that creature for the next 24 hours. If that creature attacks the anchheri, the aversion is broken.
Shadow Touch (Su) An anchheri can make a touch attack with its shadow as a secondary natural weapon. A creature touched takes no damage, but is exposed to the anchheri’s disease.

Screenshot from “Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue”

[April Fools! “Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue” is a histrionic anti-drug PSA from the early 90s, in which a bevy of cartoon characters try to rescue a teenager from the horrors of drug use. Like Reefer Madness, only with Bugs Bunny and the Muppet Babies. What’s especially funny about the show is that the most stoned-seeming characters are part of this intervention: Winnie the Pooh, Garfield, Alf, Michelangelo (of all the Ninja Turtles!) and Slimer all make appearances.

Rather than use established villains (wouldn’t it have been great to see Cobra Commander dealing crack?), “Cartoon All-Stars” introduces a new character, Smoke, voiced by George C. Scott. Think Hexxus, only with smaller goals and much less horny. This seemed like a good choice for a div, which are fiends of corruption and destruction, and at least theoretically tied to genies. “Druj” is a term for divs in general, meaning “liar”, and Uta specifically is the div of poisoning through food and drink.]

Div, Druj Uta
CR 4 NE Outsider (extraplanar)
This creature resembles a smoky humanoid from the waist up, tapering away into a trail of vapor from the waist down. Its eyes are yellow and heavy lidded, and the top of its head twists like smoke from a campfire. It is well-dressed, its body seemingly incorporating formal attire.

The druj uta, sometimes just called a smoke div, is a creature that represents the corrupting influence of drug addiction. They are expert pushers and cajolers, getting people to try drugs and facilitating their addictions through both words and magical influence. Once their mark is addicted, the druj uta encourages them to lie, cheat and steal in order to feed their habit, delighting as they descend farther into evil. People who try to intervene are viewed as potential new converts, and a druj uta’s first instinct is to try to talk them into taking drugs as well. Druj utas enjoy corrupting children most of all; the only small blessing is that their div compulsions prevent them from doing physical harm to a child. Gaslighting and mental manipulation are fair game, however, as is attacking anyone who tries to come to the child’s rescue.

Druj utas are physically very weak, barely capable of manipulating physical objects. They are gaseous creatures, and can drift through cracks and crevices, making them difficult to damage with physical weapons. Their touch is infused with negative energy, and they can create a wide variety of magical effects that sap strength and spread poison. Most druj utas are cowards, and would much rather flee than fight to the death.

Druj Uta                 CR 4
XP 1,200
NE Medium outsider (div, evil, extraplanar)
Init+4;Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., Perception +7, see in darkness
Auraaddiction (60 ft.)
Defense
AC15, touch 15, flat-footed 10 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp42 (5d10+15)
Fort+4,Ref+8,Will+4
DR5/good and magic; Immunefire, poison; Resistacid 10, electricity 10; SR15
Defensive Abilities amorphous,protection from good
Offense
Speedfly 30 ft. (perfect)
Meleetouch +9 (2d8+3 negative energy)
Spell-like Abilities CL 5^th, concentration +8
Constant—protection from good (self only, DC 14)
At will—charm person (DC 14), chill touch (DC 14)
3/day—ghoul touch (DC 15), ray of enfeeblement (DC 14), spectral hand
1/day—create drug, poison (DC 17), suggestion(DC 16), vampiric touch
Statistics
Str1,Dex18,Con16,Int13,Wis10,Cha17
Base Atk +5;CMB+0;CMD15
FeatsDodge, Hover, Persuasive, Weapon Finesse (B)
SkillsBluff +10, Diplomacy +12, Fly +15, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (local) +5, Perception +7, Sleight of Hand +10, Stealth +10
LanguagesAbyssal, Celestial, Common, Infernal, telepathy 100 ft.
SQsmoke form
Ecology
Environmentany land or urban (Abaddon)
Organizationsolitary, pair or dealership (3-6)
Treasurestandard
Special Abilities
Aura of Addiction (Su) All save DCs to resist or overcome drug addiction made within 60 feet of a druj uta suffer a -2 penalty.
Smoke Form (Ex) A druj uta is a gaseous creature. It can fly with perfect maneuverability and squeeze through cracks as narrow as 1 inch with no reduction of speed. It also gains the amorphous defensive ability. However, it is treated as a Tiny creature for the purposes of wind effects. A druj uta can manipulate physical objects, but has a Strength score of 1.
Touch (Su) At will, a druj uta can make a touch attack that deals 2d8 points of negative energy damage, plus the creature’s Charisma modifier. This does not heal the undead, only harm the living, as if it were channeling negative energy.

Image © Paizo Publishing

[In Alien Archive, the frujai colony is a CR 19, but has statistics that overall fit more closely to the CR 20 mark in Pathfinder 1e. So I took this opportunity to have my first CR 20 plant!]

Frujai Colony
CR 20 N Plant
This massive creature resembles a walking, three legged beehive made of filaments and spongy greenish material. At one end, it has a huge scissoring maw. Several chunks of rock slowly orbit in the air around it.

The frujai colony is the stage of the frujai life cycle that is reproductive and intelligent. Without them, new frujai would not grow and hunt, and the workers would not have a place to shelter in the deadly winters of Orikolai. The workers can sneak up on and pursue prey that could otherwise escape the slow and massive colony, and new workers add genetic diversity to the colony’s broods each year. Frujai colonies have a philosophical mindset, viewing themselves as ecological stewards that ensure that the fit survive, the weak are culled, and that nutrients are recycled throughout the planet. This philosophy is sometimes thought of as evil by outsiders, but it is more a matter of profound pragmatism and lack of sentimentality.

A frujai colony can manipulate gravity as easily as moving its own body, and usually keeps a shield of gravitic force around itself to protect itself from hazards. This gravity field also holds a frujai colony’s sole concession to vanity—they decorate the space around them with rocks, bones and other debris that have interesting shapes, colors or patterns. These clatter to the ground if the colony uses its gravity manipulation for other tasks, such as offense or flight. Frujai colonies rarely fight alone. Even in the rare occurrence where all of their workers are dead or foraging, they can create temporary workers out of their own biomass. These disposable soldiers live for only an hour before collapsing into a loose pile of tissue, which the frujai consumes if it is still alive and present.

Although most of the time, a frujai colony is content being accompanied solely by its workers, sometimes they long for more intellectual pursuits. Several frujai colonies may converge during astronomical events such as solstices, equinoxes or comet appearances in order to discuss their findings through their long lives and expound on their personal philosophies. The colonies often trade some of their workers at this time, in the interests of increasing genetic diversity and providing stimulating new experiences for their favored workers (or trying to get rid of less favored ones). Other sapient creatures, if visiting the planet at the time, may participate in these conferences as well, but may find themselves hunted if the frujai colonies decide that they are more useful as a source of calories than as a source of information.

Frujai    CR 20
XP 307,200
N Colossal plant
Init+4;Senseslow-light vision, Perception +25
Defense
AC33, touch 2, flat-footed 33 (-8 size, +31 natural)
hp405 (30d8+270)
Fort+26,Ref+12,Will+16
Immuneplant traits
Defensive Abilities absolute gravity
Offense
Speed30 ft., climb 20 ft.
Meleebite +27 (6d10+12), 2 slams +26 (4d12+12)
Rangedgravity anchor +14 touch (15d12+9 force plus maneuver)
Space30 ft.; Reach30 ft.
Special Attacks control gravity, slough minion
Statistics
Str34,Dex11,Con28,Int15,Wis18,Cha29
Base Atk +22;CMB+42 (+46 bull rush, reposition, trip); CMD52 (56 vs. bull rush, reposition, 58 vs. trip)
FeatsBlind-fight,Dazzling Display, Greater Vital Strike, Hover,Improved Initiative, Improved Vital Strike, Intimidating Prowess, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Shatter Defenses, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (bite)
SkillsClimb +41, Fly +9, Intimidate +42, Knowledge (dungeoneering, geography) +20, Knowledge (nature) +23, Perception +25, Survival +25, Swim +33
LanguagesAklo, Frujai, telepathy 300 ft.
SQaberrant mind
Ecology
Environmentany forests
Organizationsolitary, hive (1 plus 4-40 frujai workers) or communion (2-5 plus 8-200 frujai workers)
Treasurestandard
Special Abilities
Aberrant Mind (Ex) A frujai gains class skills and skill ranks as if it were an aberration.
Absolute Gravity (Su) A frujai worker’s control of gravity gives it a +4 bonus to its CMB and CMD involving bull rush, reposition and trip attempts. It can ignore the effects of supernatural gravity control, like reverse gravity and can treat its personal gravity as if it were in light gravity or heavy gravity, if it so chooses.
Control Gravity (Su) As a free action at the start of each of its turns, a frujai colony chooses which two of these five effects it can use each round. If it ceases to use an ongoing effect, such as flight or gravity shield, the effect ends immediately.
Flight:The frujai colony gains a fly speed of 40 feet (poor maneuverability). If it ceases to use this ability while still in the air, it descends at a rate of 60 feet per round and takes no damage when it lands.
Gravity Anchor:As a standard action, the frujai colony can fire a bolt of pure gravity. Treat this as a ranged touch attack with a range of 300 feet and no range increment. A creature struck takes 15d12 points of force damage, plus the frujai’s Constitution modifier, and is subject to a bull rush or trip attempt, as the frujai chooses. The frujai does not move with a creature bull rushed in this manner.
Gravity Field: The frujai colony alters gravity in a 60 foot radius within 200 feet of itself. In this area, it can create an area of high gravity or low gravity, or reverse gravity as the spell.
Gravity Shield: The frujai colony gains a +4 deflection bonus to its AC and CMD.
Gravity Wave: As a standard action, the frujai colony creates a wave of gravity in an 80 foot cone. All creatures in the area take 7d12+9 points of force damage and are pushed back 10 feet. A successful DC 34 Reflex save halves the damage and negates the pushing effect. The save DC is Constitution based.
Slough Minion (Ex) As a standard action up to 3 times per day, a frujai colony can take 30 points of damage and create a frujai worker in an adjacent square. This worker exists for 1 hour before dying, if not slain in combat.

“Morrigan” © Natalia Nesterenko, accessed at her ArtStation here

[Commissioned by @hiswrathundoesthewicked​. This is, to my knowledge, the first attempt at giving one of the Eldest, the fey equivalent of demigods in Pathfinder, a stat block. I borrowed formatting and abilities from the demon lords and empyreal lords in order to do so. Morrigan, or the Morrigan, is an Irish goddess of war and death, and casts a long shadow over modern interpretations of Celtic myth and culture, neopaganism, and the concept of fey in fantasy. So much so that there’s already two Eldest canonical to Pathfinder, Madgh and Shyka the Many, that poach some of her flavor. So I had to make sure that this Morrigan stood out and had a niche.

She also casts a long shadow over horny artists on the internet, although she does come by it more honestly than some other mythological figures. In surviving myths, she does try to seduce Cúchulainn, who refuses her, and has sex with the god Dagda before his battle with the fomorians. Both a Darkstalkers character and a Dragon Age character are named Morrigan in her honor, and both of them wear very revealing clothing. Most artistic depictions of the actual goddess Morrigan also involve deep cleavage, open robes and boobplate. Part of the reason I chose this art was because it looks regal and fierce and not at all sexualized.]

Morrigan
The Phantom Queen, Queen of Crows
N Eldest Fey of battle, death and scavengers
DomainsAnimal, Death, Luck, War
SubdomainsBlood, Fate, Feathers, Tactics
Worshippersdruids, tengu, warriors
Minionsnorns, valkyries, vilderavns
Holy Symbol bird skull with blood painted over the eyes
Favored Weapon bastard sword
ObedienceWash your hands, face and weapons in blood. This can be your own blood or someone else’s. Gain a +4 sacred bonus on saves vs. death effects
Feysworn Boons
1. Battle Gift (Sp) deathwatch3/day,spiritual weapon 2/day or vampiric touch 1/day
2. Fight On (Su) You gain ferocity as a supernatural ability.
3. Death to All Foes (Sp) You can cast wail of the banshee once per day.

Eldest, Morrigan
CR 28 N Fey
This woman is statuesque and muscled, with a cruel beauty. She appears almost entirely human, except that her hands are stained red and end in bird like talons instead of nails. She wears an iron crown and a cloak of black feathers.

Morrigan the Phantom Queen is the fey patron of warfare. Unlike many other powers of war, she is stridently neutral, giving succor or inflicting banes on warriors of any creed, cause or alignment as she sees fit. Her primary interest in war is in generating the dead and feeding her beloved beasts, scavengers all. Although in different places she may be associated with boars and eels, vultures and hyenas, her favorites are the crows, who act as her eyes and ears in the sky, and in whose feathers she is perpetually adorned.

Morrigan is more interested in turning the tides of battles than in fighting herself. She frequently visits battlefields in the form of a crow, using her spell-like abilities and curse of unluck to make a peasant into a hero, a king into a fool, and generally make wars more deadly and more interesting. She may offer her services intentionally to a warrior in exchange for some favor, but just as often bestows her gifts capriciously. In combat, she is deadly with sword and bow, and the grievous wounds she inflicts delay healing from all sources. Morrigan never fights to the death if she can help it, as there are so many other battles to influence and decomposers to feed.

The creatures that serve Morrigan come from all manner of alignments, interpreting her silences and cryptic pronouncements as they see fit. Norns attempt to weave her battles into their tapestries of fate, and she is on good terms with Madgh, their patron. Valkyries and einherji fight for her glorious honor, and take the finest warriors to join their ranks when they die. Vilderavns use her doctrines to destabilize nations and sew dissent among armies. Morrigan has cordial relations with the psychopomps, as she has little interest in the flow of souls. The Horseman of War despises her and views her as competition, but Morrigan pays that position little mind.

Morrigan               CR 28
XP 4,915,200
N Medium fey (Eldest, extraplanar, shapechanger)
Init+10;Senseslifesense 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +51
Defense
AC47, touch 31, flat-footed 47(+10 Dex, +6 deflection, +13 natural, +8 armor)
hp682 (35d6+560); regeneration 20 (deific or mythic)
Fort+29,Ref+30,Ref+29
DR20/epic and cold iron; Immuneability damage, ability drain, charms, compulsions, curses, death effects, energy drain, fear, poison; Resistacid 30, cold 30, electricity 30, fire 30; SR39
Defensive Abilities cloak of feathers, ferocity,freedom of movement, improved uncanny dodge, recovery
Offense
Speed30 ft., fly 60 ft. (good)
Melee+5 adamantine bastard sword +36/+31/+26/+21 (1d10+20/17-20), claw +25 (1d6+7 plus curse of unluck) or 2 claws +30 (1d6+13 plus curse of unluck)
Ranged+5 adaptive composite longbow +33/+28/+23/+18 or +31/+31/+26/+21/+16 (1d8+20/x3)
Special Attacks festering critical
Spell-like Abilities CL 28^th, concentration +39
Constant—freedom of movement, shield of faith
At will—astral projection, bestow curse (DC 25), greater teleport, haste (M), heroism (M), rage (DC 24), threefold aspect, vampiric touch (M)
3/day—blade barrier (DC 27) (M), finger of death (DC 28) (M), geas/quest,greater dispel magic, heal (DC 27) (M), harm(DC 27) (M), quickened mass bull strength, summon fey, transformation(B),vision
1/day—animal shapes, mage’s disjunction (M),power word kill (M), wail of the banshee (DC 30)
(M) = can use the mythic version of this spell-like ability in her fey realm
Statistics
Str36,Dex31,Con42,Int30,Wis29,Cha33
Base Atk +17;CMB+28 (+32 disarm, sunder); CMD58
FeatsAlertness,Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Deadly Aim, Disruptive, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword), Great Fortitude, Greater Disarm, Greater Penetrating Strike, Greater Sunder, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Critical (bastard sword, longbow), Improved Disarm, Improved Sunder, Improved Vital Strike, Penetrating Strike, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Quick Draw, Quicken SLA (mass bull strength), Rapid Shot, Spellbreaker, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (bastard sword, longbow), Weapon Specialization (bastard sword, longbow)
SkillsAcrobatics +48, Bluff +49, Diplomacy +49, Disguise +49, Fly +52, Heal +44, Intimidate +46, Knowledge (local, nature) +48, Knowledge (history, nobility, religion) +45, Perception +51, Sense Motive +51, Stealth +48, Survival +44
LanguagesAklo, Auran, Celestial, Common, Infernal, Elven, Necril, Sylvan, telepathy 300 ft.
SQbattle gift,change shape (animal, giant or humanoid, greater polymorph), Eldest traits, visions of murder,warrior fey
Ecology
Environmentany land
Organizationunique
Treasuredouble standard (+5 adamantine bastard sword, +5 adaptive composite longbow, 60 arrows, other treasure)
Special Abilities
Battle Gift (Sp) Morrigan can use her transformationspell-like ability as if it had a range of touch.
Cloak of Feathers (Su) When wearing a garment made out of feathers, Morrigan gains a +8 armor bonus to AC without a maximum Dex bonus or armor check penalty, and a fly speed of 60 feet with good maneuverability. This is an effect of Morrigan, not her cloak.
Curse of Unluck (Su) Claw—injury;saveWill DC 38; frequency1/hour;effecttarget must reroll any roll decided by the GM and take the worse result; durationuntil removed. The save DC is Charisma based. Morrigan also inflicts this curse with her natural weapons when assuming a form with natural weapons using change shape.
Eldest Traits (Ex, or Sp) Morrigan is one of the Eldest, powerful fey lords that rule over domains of the First World. The Eldest have the following traits

• The Eldest can grant spells to their worshipers, granting access to four domains and four subdomains
• An Eldest’s natural weapons, as well as any weapon they wield, are treated as being epic and any alignment possessed by the Eldest
• Immunity to ability damage, ability drain, charm effects, compulsion effects, energy drain and fear effects
• Regeneration (Ex) Only damage from a deific or mythic source can     deal permanent damage to the Eldest
• Rejuvenation (Ex) When an Eldest is slain, they return to life in its realm in 1d10 days. An Eldest may only use this ability once per year—if they are slain again in the meantime, they are slain for good.
  
• Summon Fey (Sp) Three times per day as a standard action, an     Eldest can summon up to a CR 20 encounter of fey creatures or Tane (such as bandersnatches, jubjub birds, thrasfyr, sards, etc). This is the     equivalent of a 9^th level spell.

Festering Critical (Su) Whenever Morrigan confirms a critical hit made against an opponent, that foe must succeed a DC 38 Will save or be unable to heal physical or ability damage from any source for 1 minute. Multiple failed saves increase the duration. This is a curse effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.
Recovery (Ex) At the end of her turn, Morrigan can automatically shake off any one condition affecting her except for dead. If she is suffering from multiple conditions, she chooses which to remove each round.
Visions of Murder (Su) By concentrating, Morrigan can see through the eyes of any crow within 100 miles that she chooses.
Warrior Fey (Ex) Morrigan gains 11 bonus combat feats, and is treated as being a 20^th level fighter for the purposes of qualifying for feats. She is proficient in all simple and martial weapons, in shields and in all armor.

Fey Realms
An Eldest gains the following additional powers while in its realm (the statistics above do not include these abilities):

• Mythic: An Eldest functions as a 10th mythic rank creature, including the mythic power ability (10/day, surge +1d12). It may expend uses of mythic power to use the mythic versions of any spell-like ability denoted with an asterisk (*) just as if the ability were a mythic spell.
• Use of the following  spell-like abilities at will—demand,discern location,fabricate,major creation, and polymorph any object (when used on     objects or creatures that are native to the realm, the polymorph duration  factor increases by 6).
• Use of the following spell-like abilities once per day—dimensional lock*,miracle(limited to physical effects that manipulate the realm or to effects that are relevant to the Eldest’s areas of concern)
• Heightened Awareness (Ex): An Eldest gains a +10 insight bonus on Perception checks and Initiative checks.

Image © @a-book-of-creatures​, accessed at his website here

[The auñ pana is a creature I first heard about through @a-book-of-creatures​, and all of the sources I can find for it online are paraphrases of that entry. It’s a monster from the Yanomani, and exists in print in ethnological studies that are difficult to get a hold of. So my version likewise spins off of the short, but intriguing, info on ABOC. They school with other (undescribed) killer fish, which inspired me to give them the powers of a trident of fish command, and they seem to turn people into animals more out of spite than anything, which inspired me to take them in the Mafiosi direction I went. Also, I was recently reminded of The Sign of the Seahorse, a children’s book where a grouper crime boss is the villain.]

Auñ Pana
CR 9 LE Magical Beast
This creature looks like a fish the size of a rhinoceros, except that it has shaggy hair growing from its sides and belly. It has two slender, disturbingly human-looking arms, and a short snout packed with rows of razor sharp teeth.

The auñ panas are lords of the tropical rivers in which they dwell. A hybrid of arapaima and piranha, they are steady and determined swimmers, but they don’t have to be particularly fast.  They use their magical mastery of fish and other aquatic animals to charm them into complacency long enough for them to tear their prey to shreds. Although they are deadly in the water, they can also leave the water and drag themselves on land using their forelimbs (albeit very slowly).

Auñ pana are social among themselves, existing in a strict hierarchy based on age, skill and ferocity. These schools work to control larger territories, and to exact tribute from sapient creatures above and below the water. An auñ pana demands exotic foods (particularly plant or animals that live in dry land), treasure and the occasional life as sacrifices, and disrupt fishing, destroy boats or bridges, and otherwise make life miserable for those that refuse. Like a good protection racket, they do add an element of stability to the lives of their charges, keeping other aquatic monsters at bay unless they join the gang. They also have been known to make examples of those that resist or refuse them by transforming them into animals—pigs and monkeys are popular choices.

Auñ Pana             CR 9
XP 6,400
LE Large magical beast (aquatic)
Init+5;Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., Perception +14, scent
Defense
AC23, touch 14, flat-footed 18 (-1 size, +5 Dex, +9 natural)
hp115 (11d10+55)
Fort+12,Ref+12,Will+9
Immunepoison;Resistacid 10, electricity 10; SR20
Offense
Speed5 ft., swim 40 ft.
Meleebite +15 (2d8+5 plus bleed/19-20), 2 slams +15 (1d6+5 plus grab)
Space10 ft.; Reach5 ft. (10 ft. with slam)
Special Attacks bleed (1d8),fish command
Spell-like Abilities CL 11^th, concentration +14
Constant—speak with animals
1/day—baleful polymorph (DC 18)
Statistics
Str21,Dex21,Con21,Int12,Wis18,Cha16
Base Atk +11;CMB+17 (+21 grab or sunder); CMD32
FeatsGreater Sunder, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Sunder, Iron Will, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Stealth), Staggering Critical (B)
SkillsIntimidate +14,Knowledge (nature) +8, Perception +14, Stealth +14, Swim +17
LanguagesAquan, Common, speak with animals
SQamphibious,double damage against objects
Ecology
Environmentwarm freshwater
Organizationsolitary, pair or school (3-8)
Treasurestandard
Special Abilities
Double Damage Against Objects (Ex) An auñ pana that makes a full attack against an object or structure deals double damage to it.
Fish Command (Su) Three times per day as a standard action, an auñ pana can attempt to charm animals with a swim speed, as per the charm animal spell (CL 11^th). An auñ pana can affect up to 22 HD of animals at a time, but the animals must be within 60 feet and no two animals can be more than 30 feet from each other. An animal can resist this ability with a successful DC 18 Will save—it gets a +5 bonus to this save if it is currently in combat with the auñ pana or its allies. The save DC is Charisma based.

Image © Paizo Publishing

[The first of a two-parter. The frujai is one of the more conceptually interesting monsters in Alien Archive, and one of the most frustrating in practice. A living hive of fungal matter that acts as an ecological shepherd is super cool, but the flavor text refers almost entirely to the reproductive cycle of the drones, which are different from the soldiers that get a stat block, but only barely. And it doesn’t tell us anything about how the soldiers work or where they come from! It also implies that all drones that survive become their own colonies, which seems like it goes against the whole “ecological shepherd” thing. So I’ve collapsed the drone and soldier into a single entity, the worker and made their life cycle somewhat more sensible, incorporating the colony into it and borrowing some more from fungal reproduction (remember, these are supposed to be fungi)]

Frujai Worker
CR 12 N Plant
This creature looks like an odd flightless bird, or perhaps a dinosaur, composed out of spongy greenish material. Its head sits on a long neck, it has no forelimbs, and its hind limbs end in short claws. A whip like tail lashes behind it.

Orikolai is a strange, toroidal world, and its unusual shape and orbit create drastic varieties in its climates and seasons as it orbits its star. The dominant predators on this world include the frujai, a colonial fungal organism. The most common frujai are the workers. A frujai worker is born in the spring, grown from a spore sewn on a frozen corpse by a frujai colony. The workers grow to a free-living stage on this corpse, then leave and wander in small groups, hunting either independently or in small flocks. In this first summer, they grow to maturity, and then find a frujai colony in the early autumn to join forces with. In some cases, this colony can be its parent, but often they are not. During the winter, the colony takes the strongest of its workers into its own body, allowing them to fuse their cells and fertilize it, creating a new batch of spores to be sown later. A frujai worker that cannot find a colony, or is rejected by its colony and left to fend for itself over winter, becomes cannibalistic. In so doing, if it eats enough of its fellows, it can combine their cells to create a massive body for itself and become a colony of its own. Most workers without a colony die over the winter of starvation or cold, but a few survive to try to join a colony the next spring, and even fewer manage to grow to become a new colony.

A frujai worker can manipulate the forces of gravity, dealing with the fluctuations that come from living on a non-spherical planet. It can increase its personal gravity to deal with low gravity areas, decrease its gravity in high gravity zones, or shoot gravitic bolts at prey in order to damage and push them around. Its primary melee attack is to slam foes with its pointed head—it typically reduces foes to a pulp before engulfing them for easy digestion or to regurgitate into their colony. Despite their strange and animalistic appearances, frujai are sapient. The workers are not very smart, and once they have been adopted by a colony, they typically let the larger, more intelligent frujai do their thinking for them.

Frujai Worker    CR 12
XP 19,200
N Large plant
Init+2;Senseslow-light vision, Perception +13
Defense
AC26, touch 11, flat-footed 24 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +15 natural)
hp171 (18d8+90)
Fort+16,Ref+10,Will+10
Immuneplant traits
Defensive Abilities absolute gravity
Offense
Speed30 ft., climb 20 ft.
Meleeslam +20 (2d6+12)
Rangedgravity anchor +14 touch (5d12+5 force plus maneuver)
Space10 ft.;Reach10 ft.
Special Attacks colony guard
Statistics
Str26,Dex15,Con20,Int7,Wis14,Cha15
Base Atk +13;CMB+22 (+26 bull rush, reposition, trip); CMD34 (38 vs. bull rush, reposition, trip)
FeatsCombat Reflexes,Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Nimble Moves, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Skill Focus (Stealth) Vital Strike
SkillsClimb +15, Intimidate +13, Perception +13, Stealth +12, Survival +13
LanguagesFrujai, telepathy 100 ft.
SQaberrant mind
Ecology
Environmentany forests
Organizationsolitary, squad (2-8) or hive (4-40 plus 1 frujai colony)
Treasureincidental
Special Abilities
Aberrant Mind (Ex) A frujai gains class skills and skill ranks as if it were an aberration.
Absolute Gravity (Su) A frujai worker’s control of gravity gives it a +4 bonus to its CMB and CMD involving bull rush, reposition and trip attempts. It can ignore the effects of supernatural gravity control, like reverse gravity and can treat its personal gravity as if it were in light gravity or heavy gravity, if it so chooses.
Colony Guard (Ex) Whenever a frujai colony takes damage, all frujai workers in the range of its telepathy gain a +4 competence bonus on attack rolls and a +10 foot bonus to their move speed for 1 round.
Gravity Anchor (Su) As a standard action, a frujai worker can fire a bolt of pure gravity. Treat this as a ranged touch attack with a range of 150 feet and no range increment. A creature struck takes 5d12 points of force damage, plus the frujai’s Constitution modifier, and is subject to a bull rush or trip attempt, as the frujai chooses. The frujai does not move with a creature bull rushed in this manner.

Image © Capcom

[Commissioned by @arachcobra​, who wanted some monsters from the Resident Evil series. The chimera only appears in RE1 and its remakes, since it’s explicitly a failed attempt at making a bioengineered super soldier. They exist in the game basically as living jump scares, and can be taken out with a single shotgun blast, so I knew I didn’t want these to be high level threats. I love the asymmetry of the design, and how goopy and gross it looks.]

Flymera
CR 1 N Aberration
This creature appears as a gross fusion of insect and humanoid. Its head is like a humanoid skull with compound eyes, and multiple twitching limbs grow haphazardly from its hairy body. A stunted pair of useless wings sprouts from its back.

A flymera is a hideous fusion of insect and man, an experiment in fleshwarping that succeeded only in its fecundity. Since flies are commonly used in labs due to their short lifespans, rapid breeding and easy maintenance, their essence was a logical first step in creating hybrid monsters. The low intelligence and distractability of flies make them impossible to use as soldiers, but their ease in climbing and squeezing into small places made them difficult to eradicate once escaped from captivity. They grow to maturity rapidly and breed prolifically, and a single male and female can create a whole population of these monsters in a matter of weeks.

Flymeras are ambush predators, hiding in cracks and crevices and ambushing those that come close. They are inattentive and distractible, but their sensory hairs allow them to detect vibrations at close range, which is usually how they notice prey. A single flymera is not much of a threat to even a novice adventurer, but they are often found in numbers. Such associations do not cooperate much, instead competing to kill and eat the biggest morsels.

Because of their unstable makeup, different flymeras have different numbers of arms—anywhere from one to six are possible. Regardless of how many limbs they have, only one of them has a claw sufficient to rend flesh. Other limbs may have a human-like hand, or small claws for gripping onto surfaces.

Flymera               CR 1
XP 400
N Medium aberration
Init+6;Sensesdarkvision 60 ft., Perception +3, tremorsense 10 ft.
Defense
AC13, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +1 natural)
hp13 (2d8+4)
Fort+2,Ref+2,Will+1
Defensive Abilities fortification (25%)
Offense
Speed30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Meleeclaw +3 (1d4+3)
Statistics
Str15,Dex14,Con15,Int2,Wis8,Cha7
Base Atk +1;CMB+3;CMD15
FeatsImproved Initiative
SkillsClimb +22, Escape Artist +6, Perception +3, Stealth +6; Racial Modifiers +4 Escape Artist, +4 Stealth
SQexpert climber,snug
Ecology
Environmentany land and underground
Organizationsolitary, pair, cluster (3-8) or swarm (10-40)
Treasurenone
Special Abilities
Expert Climber (Ex) A flymera is treated as constantly being under a nonmagical spider climb effect, doubling its racial bonus to Climb checks to +16.
Snug (Ex) A flymera suffers half of the normal penalty to AC and attack rolls when squeezing.

Image © Traci Shepard, accessed at Arcane Beasts and Critters here

[By the standards of cryptids, the minhocão has a pedigree in legitimate science, first reported in Europe by famed botanist Augustin Saint-Hilaire and later discussed in Nature Magazine. It was Saint-Hilaire’s opinion that the minhocão was a large undescribed species of lungfish, although not nearly as large as the 20-50 meter claims that sometimes get thrown around. Since then, different cryptozoologists have played pin the character on the animal, with Bernard Heuvelmans claiming it was a giant burrowing glyptodont (!) and Karl Shuker giving it a caecelian identity. It’s this latter one that shapes most existing artistic representations, and what I went with for my version.

What do I think? I think that there may well have been a lungfish at the heart of some of the reports, but it’s probably just misidentifications and folklore surrounding the anaconda.]

Minhocão
CR 10 N Animal
This creature looks something like an immense earthworm, except that earthworms do not have fang filled jaws, or short tentacles on the upper jaw. Its skin is leathery, and small scales are visible beneath the surface.

The minhocão, or giant caecilian, is an enormous burrowing amphibian found in poorly drained soils in warm environments. They are ambush hunters, preying on creatures both above and below the surface. Giant vermin are a favored prey, but if these are scarce, they will grab livestock, megafauna or even giants in their jaws and drag them below ground to devour. They are sometimes hunted by purple worms and other even stronger predators, but defend themselves with a hemolytic toxin in their skin. A creature that touches a minhocão with its bare hands (or worse, mouth) have their blood cells die, fluid accumulate under their skin, and eventually die of liver and kidney failure.

A minhocão is completely blind. Its eyes are covered by skin, and it senses the world with nostrils set on short tentacles and a powerful sense of vibration. They are typically solitary, but females are attentive parents. They grow extra layers of fatty skin along their bodies, which the juveniles eat, regrowing it and repeating the process several times before the young minhocãos are strong enough to hunt on their own. They prefer subtropical climes to tropical ones.

Minhocão as Animal Companions
Starting Statistics: Size Medium; Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft., swim 20 ft.; AC +3 natural armor; Attack bite (1d8); Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 13, Cha 8; Special Qualities blind, blindsight
7th-Level Advancement: Size Large; AC +3 natural armor; Attack bite (2d6); Ability Scores Str +8, Dex -2, Con +4; Special Qualities grab, toxic skin (Con based DC)

Minhocão           CR 10
XP 9,600
N Gargantuan animal
Init +6; Senses blindsight 60 ft., blind, Perception +10
Defense
AC 24, touch 8, flat-footed 21 (+2 Dex, +16 natural, –4 size)
hp 138 (12d8+84)
Fort +14, Ref +10, Will +7
Immunegaze attacks, visual spells and effects
Defensive Abilities toxic skin
Offense
Speed 20 ft., burrow 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee bite +18 (4d6+19/19–20 plus grab)
Space 20 ft.; Reach 20 ft.
Special Attacks swallow whole (2d8+19 bludgeoning, AC 18, 13 hp)
Statistics
Str 36, Dex 14, Con 23, Int 1, Wis 13, Cha 8
Base Atk +9; CMB +26 (+30 grapple); CMD 38 (can’t be tripped)
FeatsBlind-fight, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Toughness
Skills Perception +10, Stealth +11, Swim +21; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth
SQhold breath
Ecology
Environment warm swamps or underground
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none
Special Abilities
Blindsight (Ex) A minhocão’s blindsight is based on detecting scent and vibrations. If it is in an area of strong scent, such as a stinking cloud spell, it is treated as having tremorsense instead.
Toxic Skin (Ex) A creature that strikes a minhocão with an unarmed strike or natural weapon exposes itself to the creature’s poisonous skin. Skin—contact;save Fort DC 22; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect1d4 Constitution damage; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution based.

bogleech:

Crablins (crab goblins), is that a thing yet

The D&D retro-clone Swords and Wizardry has the cliessids, which are crab goblins:

I did Pathfinder stats for them here