Needle-kin

These foul nature spirits inhabit desolate pine forests in the cold reaches, preying on any living creature that passes through their domain. Each Needle-kin is a about two feet in height, resembling nothing so much as a whipcord thin, fur-less monkey covered in hundreds of dead pine-needles. Their eyes gleam with an evil yellow sheen and they are armed with both fangs and claws. They move through the trees of their domain with unnatural speed and grace, easily keeping pace with their prey.

Needle-kin form loose packs, each inhabiting an area of two or three square miles. Any living creature passing through their territory is hunted down and slain with brutal efficiency. Needle-kin hunt both by sight and sound, herding their victims into dead ends and impassible terrain, then attacking in force. They have the following abilities and characteristics:

• Great climbing ability - Needle-kin can traverse trees quickly enough to keep up with a running man.
• Superb endurance - These foul spirit creatures are tireless in their pursuit.
• Great vision and hearing - Their supernatural senses easily detect any prey within their territory. Their senses give them Great tracking ability.
• Good claw and fang attacks - Needle-kin swarm their foes, inflicting bleeding wounds on anyone they strike. A successful bite attack requires the victim to make a Fair test of toughness or be Chilled, reducing movement speed by one rank for three rounds.
• Good toughness - Despite their small size and apparently lack of protection, Needle-kin have tough, bark-like skin. Their partially magical nature grants them Good resistance to magical attacks, though Fire-based magic inflicts an extra rank of damage.
• Flesh-needles - Each Needle-kin can launch the pine needles that cover their skin at foes like tiny missiles. each Flesh-needle inflicts Fair damage when it strikes, and the victim must make a Fair test of will or suffer a round of dizziness and disorientation. Needle-kin can fire up to three such missiles at a single target per round, and have an unlimited supply.

Ripplepedes

These quasi-elemental creatures inhabit the still, dark waters of stagnant lakes and swamps, their nearly invisible centipede-like forms creating scarcely a ripple on the calm surface of the waters they inhabit. Each three-foot long Ripplepede has a slender body lined with thousands of feathery legs. At the head end a cluster of rigid, hooked spines line a circular mouth opening, while the tail ends in a three-pronged, flexible tail. Their transparent, nearly liquid forms skitter and crawl across the surface as they search for the rare metals they consume for sustenance. Ripplepedes are most comfortable in contact with water, but can travel on land for an hour or more with no ill effects. They travel in groups of five to ten individuals, roaming the waterways and shorelines of their habitat in search of food.

Ripplepedes have no interest in living creatures, but are drawn to any source of metal they detect. They can sense any sizable aggregation of metal within 300 feet. Their hooked jaw spines exude a potent solvent that dissolves away metal on contact, leaving a gelatinous goo the creatures suck up with their tube-like mouth. A single Ripplepede can dissolve and consume a pound of metal each round if left undisturbed.

Ripplepedes have the following characteristics:

• Fair toughness - Their quasi-elemental nature makes these creatures somewhat resilient. They gain a one rank bonus to defense versus mundane weapons, but magical weapons quickly disrupt their rather delicate bodies.
• Ripplepedes swim at Superb speed, but on land they crawl along at Poor speed.
• Ripplepedes are almost transparent, giving them Superb stealth in water, Great stealth on land.
• If disrupted in contact with a sizable body of water, Ripplepedes regenerate to full health within one day.
• Ripplepedes consume metal by touch, dissolving and consuming about one pound of any metal, iron, gold, silver, etc. each round. Treat this attack as Great strength acid for purposes of determining resistance, though it does not affect any other substances.
• Ripplepedes have little in the way of combat capabilities. They can strike at foes with their three-pronged tails with Fair accuracy inflicting Average damage, but they prefer to avoid combat. If discovered on land they will flee toward the nearest body of water and use their superior swimming ability to evade any pursuit.

The Dead Mothers

These undead apparitions appear when a woman dies in childbirth, but her infant survives. They are shadowy female forms with long dark hair, usually dressed in fine robes or gowns of brocaded silk or wool. They only appear during the nighttime hours, moving gracefully from shadow to shadow. They could almost pass for human except for their faces, which are no more than blank white ovoids, pierced only by shadowed black pits where their eyes would be. Each Dead Mother carries a short wand or rod woven from reeds and twigs.

Dead Mothers are driven by one purpose, to find a child to accompany them into the afterlife. They prowl the edges of civilization, peering through windows and creeping into unguarded halls and rooms, looking for a newborn child to steal. Should they find such a child, they begin to stroke it with their reed wand, pulling the infant into their own shadowy realm. The Dead Mother must carry out this minor ritual on three successive nights to successfully claim the child as their own.

Dead Mothers are immune to all physical attack. They can be driven away for one night by exorcism magic or ritual (requiring a Great test of such magic to succeed). Anyone seeing a Dead Mother must make a Great test of will or be fascinated by the creature's graceful, almost dance-like, movements. Males suffer a one rank penalty to this test. When in the presence of a vulnerable infant, any female blood-ancestor of the child is immune to this fascination effect and can drive off the Dead Mother for the night simply by gazing upon their blank, white face.

Infants that are exposed to the midnight light of a full moon become immune to the appetites of Dead Mothers, and for this reason children born before midnight on such a night are considered blessed. Parents often invite a newborn's grandmothers to stay with them until the child can be properly protected to assist with guarding the infant from the depredations of these sorrowful undead.

The Blastirab

The Blastirab is a dangerous inhabitant of sandy beaches and shallow bays. In general form it resembles a gigantic, hulking crab, a many-legged monstrosity complete with heavy nipping claws. The creatures range in size from six-inch hatchlings to twelve-foot wide terrors. They are fearless predators, attacking any living creature that strays near their sandy burrows with claws and jets of sandy, gooey water they spit from their strangely tube-like mouths.

As mentioned Blastirabs live in sandy coastal areas, preferring warm waters to cold. They dig burrows lined with sticky sand just below the tide-line, using them as hiding places for their ambush hunting tactics. Blastirabs have well developed gills paired with primitive lungs that allow them to survive out of the water for several hours at a stretch. Blastirabs have few natural enemies, though their tasty flesh makes them a target for well organized humanoid hunting parties.

Blastirabs have the following characteristics:

• Superb armor plating. The creature's thick shell makes it a very tough nut to crack. This plating covers the creature's entire body. It can even retract its stalk-like eyes beneath its tough carapace.
• Good ambush skill. When hidden away in its den the Blastirab is very difficult to spot. Its shell is often covered with barnacles and sea growth that make it look like nothing more than a rock or coral outcropping.
• Great claw attack. The creature can attack a single target with its heavy paired claws. Any creature hit with both claws in a single round will automatically be crushed and torn in each subsequent round.
• Sand Spit. The Blastirab can spit forth a mixture of sea water, sand and sticky saliva in a narrow jet 30 feet long with Great accuracy. Any target struck by this jet takes Fair damage, is blinded for 1d4 rounds, and must make a Good balance check or be knocked off their feet. The sticky goo clings to the target, slowing movement by one rank with each application. The Blastirab can spit forth this jet once every three rounds and can target anyone within range, it's long tubular mouth giving it a great deal of control.

With apologies to friends who can't type "blasting crabs" in IM.

The Wolves of Shiral

This supernatural pack has been mentioned in legend and story for decades, a black stain of terror that has touched every culture with its dark presence. Though the reasons and stories surrounding the appearance of the Wolves varies, their description is constant, a pack of gray-furred beasts, each the size of a pony, armed with dagger-like teeth. Legend claims the Wolves are peerless hunters, tracking their prey by smell and sight, their slit-pupil, yellow eyes cutting through the blackest night or thickest fog.

The Wolves of Shiral are native to another plane of existence, a grim, shadowy realm where they are little more than predatory beasts. They can only appear in the mundane world with assistance. There are three ways the Wolves can be called forth from their native plane of existence:

• Summoning Ritual - The Wolves can be called forth with a carefully prepared ritual. Researching this rite requires access to a Superb quality library of magical lore. Due to the Wolves' terrible nature this lore is often kept locked away by powerful organizations, so anyone seeking this information must navigate a maze of bureaucratic red tape and organizational obstructionism. Fully researching the ritual requires four Epic tests of ritual lore once the appropriate materials are at hand. The actual ritual requires a Superb expenditure of coin on tools and components, which include diamond dust for inscribing magical sigils, a silver-bladed dagger to carry out the requisite human sacrifice, a silver chalice to the victims blood, and a red silk robe laced with silver thread to protect the ritualist. The actual ritual requires three Epic tests of ritual magic on the part of the ritualist, though carrying out the ritual at the proper time (midnight on the night of a new moon) reduces the difficulty of these tests to Great.
• Wolfhead Stone - This unique artifact was found by Dwarf miners in ages past. It is a nugget of pure silver the size of two fists, its tarnished form  bearing the shape of a snarling wolf's head. No hammer or fire has been discovered that can affect this relic. Legend says the Dwarves set the nugget in a heavy gold setting suspended from a silver chain. Anyone that obtains the Stone can call forth the Wolves by bathing it in the blood of a human sacrifice at midnight on the night of a new moon.
• Altar of Doom - In a haunted wood stands a monolithic altar to some unknown god. Black power radiates from this site, tainting the surrounding woods with fear and shadow. Legend says that anyone with the will to brave these dark woods and sacrifice themselves upon the black altar can summon forth the Wolves of Shiral to exact revenge upon their enemies.

When a successful summoning is carried out the nine Wolves appear, ready to hunt down and slay anyone named by their summoner. The Wolves have the following characteristics:

• Epic toughness and endurance. The Wolves move with Great speed over all terrain, hunting by day or night with equal ease. Their tough bodies are immune to mundane weaponry and they have Superb resistance to all forms of elemental damage.
• Their Superb senses cut through the foulest weather or deepest dark, unraveling complex trails or obscuring spells with ease. The pack's own trail is obscured by Superb magic that disguises their passage and misdirects spells seeking their location.
• The Wolves are immune to spells of warding or protection. Any attempt to return them to their own plane of existence before their mission is complete suffers a three rank penalty.
• When their prey is located the Wolves attack with Epic strength razor sharp fangs and claws, inflicting terrible bleeding wounds that heal at one-quarter the normal rate.
• The howls of the hunting pack reduce the strongest soul to shaking terror. Anyone within 60 feet of the pack must make a Superb test of will every three rounds or suffer a cumulative one rank penalty to all skill tests.

The Wolves are as capricious as they are deadly. After they have carried out their assigned task there is a 20% chance they will turn on their summoner. This chance rises by 10% for each day the pack has been active.

Note that there is only one pack, and if someone attempts to summon them while they are already active the original summoning breaks, causing the pack to seek out and destroy both summoning parties.

Snapper Worms

These giant predatory caterpillars lurk in primeval forests and jungles, creeping along the branches of giant trees and vines in search of prey. The Snapper ranges in size from two to twelve feet long, Their smooth gray-skinned bodies are slender and cylindrical, with six stubby gripping legs at the rear and six sharp claw-like legs at the front. The creatures head is little more than a pair of huge compound eyes and narrow nipper-like jaws.

Snapper Worms are the larval form of a short-lived giant moth. The innocuous gray moths live only long enough to mate and lay eggs before dying. Typically eggs are laid in early Spring. Two foot long Worms emerge after a very short gestation, voraciously feeding on both animal and plant matter, In late Autumn the now gigantic Worms burrow into loose debris and weave a tough silken cocoon, where they hibernate through the cooler months, emerging as adults the following Spring to begin the cycle anew.

The cocoons of Snapper Worms are prized for the tough silk strands that make up the protective shell. Hunting parties with specially trained dogs seek out the buried cocoons in early Winter, spearing the helpless larva and stripping away the outer husk, which can be used to make tough armor or very strong rope. The wings of the short-lived moth form are prized as a dye base.

Snapper Worms are omnivorous. They voraciously consume all manner of leaves and flowers, preferring young shoots and buds. They are also quite capable hunters. Their typical tactic involves anchoring themselves to a large branch or trunk and extending their body outward, mimicking a branch. When prey, any creature smaller than themselves, wanders near, they lunge forward, grabbing their victim with claw-like front limbs and biting with sharp jaws.

These hungry creatures have the following attributes and characteristics:

• Average toughness - Snapper Worms have rather soft bodies, making them vulnerable to physical attack.
• Great stealth - When in their ambush posture the creatures are very difficult to spot until they strike.
• Superb vision - The creature's huge compound eyes provide it with an excellent sense of its surroundings.
• Great claw and bite attacks - On their initial attack the Snapper Worm gains a two rank bonus to attack accuracy and can strike with six claw attacks and one bite. On subsequent rounds they strike with up to two claws and one bite. All attacks must be directed at the same target.
• Numbing bite - Any successful bite attack by a Snapper Worm injects a Good quality poison into the target's bloodstream. This venom numbs the target, making them clumsy and slow. Unless a Good resistance check is made the victim will suffer a one rank penalty per bite to all skill checks.
• Silky webs - Snapper Worms can spin silk fibers, strong enough to support their own considerable weight. They use these strands to pull themselves into the forest canopy. A Worm will typically have a strand available as an escape should an ambush go awry.

Snapper worms were inspired by the humble Geometridae moths. Weird Animals are always a good source of inspiration!

Weird Animals

There are some really, really, messed up creatures in our own world. When I see stuff like this, I don't feel so bad about some of the things I make up.

Warning, link NSFW (language mostly)

The World's 50 Freakiest Animals

Some good inspiration mixed in with some... "Wait.. WHAT?"

There's also Bogleech's biology page, which features another array of real-life inspiration.

Sleep well!

Man-eater Spirits

These bestial undead creatures are created when man-eating predators are slain without the proper rites and rituals being observed to placate their victim's souls. Driven by a predator's endless hunger, the Man-eater Spirit haunts the wilds where its origin creature was killed, possessing other creatures to satisfy a hunger that only the flesh of man can satisfy.

Man-eater Spirits appear as large predators, their exact shape determined by their creature of origin. All Spirits have pale white fur, tinted blood-red around claws and fangs. Their eyes gleam with faint greenish light, and a faint odor of carrion surrounds them. Their bodies are translucent, reflecting their partially insubstantial nature. They are constrained to the area surrounding the site of their death, never straying more than a dozen miles from this point.

These undead creatures are driven by a never-ending desire for blood and slaughter. Though they are completely insubstantial during daylight hours, at night they will stalk and kill any living creature that enters their territory, their preferred prey being man. Man-eaters possess a fierce cunning and knowledge of their home terrain. Their typical tactics include using their abilities to divide groups into scattered individuals, then isolating and cutting down individual targets. After drinking the blood of their victim, the Spirit will often drag the remains into an obvious spot to cause further terror.

Man-eater Spirits have the following characteristics:

• As undead spirits the creatures appear only at night, becoming completely insubstantial between dawn and dusk.
• Each Man-eater inherits the physical capabilities of its creature of origin. For example a tiger-based Spirit would have claw and bite attacks as well as the ability to climb and move quietly. Any attack or defense abilities possessed in life gain one rank of improvement due to the creature's magical nature.
• Man-eaters are immune to mundane weaponry. Normal weapons simply pass through their insubstantial bodies. Even a simple blessing will neutralize this power.
• Because of their insubstantial nature, all Man-eaters have Superb stealth and hiding abilities.
• Terrorizing Growl - Six times per day the Man-eater can emit a terrible growl, which causes fear to anyone within a 100 foot radius. Mundane animals automatically flee in terror, though intelligent beings can make an Average test of willpower to resist the effects.
• Shadow Eyes - Man-eaters can project glowing, illusionary eyes that seem to hover in the shadows on the edge of vision. They can maintain three sets of Shadow Eyes at will. The Man-eater Spirit can shift their point of view to any set of Eyes at will.
• Predatory Possession - Any mundane predator that crosses a Man-eater Spirit's territory is subject to possession by the Spirit (a Good test of will allows the predator to escape unharmed). Possessed predators are driven to stalk and kill any creature that crosses their path, their normal instincts overridden by the Spirit's never-ending need for slaughter. A single Spirit can possess up to three predators at a time. The possessed creature hut ceaselessly, day or night, until slain, or exorcised with a Great test of exorcism magic.

Man-eaters slain by magical weapons or spells dissipate until the rising of the next full moon, when they are returned to their unliving doom. To permanently destroy a Man-eater, a ritual must be performed at the site of their origin creature's death. This ritual must be performed on the night of the new moon beginning at midnight and requires a tooth or claw from the original creature's remains and a bone or token from at least one of their victims. Researching the ritual is a Good test of ritual lore. Performing the ritual is a Great test of ritual magic. During the ritual the Man-eater is summoned to the site, and the ritualist must be protected for the six rounds required to complete the ritual.

Shadow Caryatid

These unusual undead are manifestations of the restless souls of innocent women slain by violence, driven to avenge their deaths. No one understands the exact conditions required to cause one of these creatures to appear, since the perpetrator of the violence usually doesn't survive long enough to explain.

Shadow Caryatids appear only between sunset and sunrise, vanishing instantly in the direct rays of the sun. They appear as a life-sized statue carved from pale marble depicting a slender female figure dressed in long, flowing robes and wearing a veil that covers her face. To most observers there is little else to see, but to the Caryatid's target, there is a sinister aspect to the figure, a hint of menace in the blind shadows hidden by the veil, a faint scent of blood in the air around her.

Caryatids are undead creatures, but not particularly evil. They avoid contact with anyone other than their victim, and never move while under observation, appearing to be nothing more than a mundane piece of statuary. They have the following characteristics:

• Resilient Form - The stone flesh of a Caryatid has Superb toughness and quickly regenerates any damage done. Even if reduced to powder a Caryatid's body will fully reform with the next sunset.
• Sudden Movement - A Caryatid can shift position in the blink of an eye, moving up to 200 yards in a single round, so long as she is unobserved. The creature is utterly silent while moving, and can instantly freeze in place.
• Dread Aura - A 30 foot radius aura of dread surrounds the Caryatid, instilling a desire to flee in anyone within the area of effect. A Fair test of willpower negates this ability, though the Caryatid's victim suffers a one rank penalty on this test.
• Hand of Doom - If the Caryatid is able to touch her target, the victim must make a Superb test of willpower or have the attribute drained one rank. This power only affects the Caryatid's target. Should the victim be reduced to zero willpower they are slain, their mind destroyed by the Caryatid's fearful aura. Victims slain by a Shadow Caryatid are invariably found crushed beneath a fallen statue.

The Shadow Caryatid will relentlessly follow their victim wherever they travel, moving swiftly and silently throughout the night. They approach their victims from behind, and always strike a grasping, reaching pose when near their target. As the victim's willpower is slowly destroyed they become more and more panic-stricken as terror slowly erodes their mind. Should their victim be brought to justice by mundane means the Shadow Caryatid will be freed from their unnatural life, their soul freed to ascend to whatever afterlife awaits them.

ShirshiSreen

The ShirshiSreen is a hideous arachnid creature with a bizarre composite nature. Each ShirshiSreen is a collective, each part a complete creature, each part subsumed by the greater whole.

ShirshiSreen begin life as an undifferentiated cluster of eggs laid on a food source, generally decaying organic matter (a dead tree or the remains of some unlucky creature). Eggs hatch within a day and the grub-like larva immediately begin to feed, doubling in size within a few hours. In short order the grubs begin to mutate, developing legs, eyes and chitinous shells, then transforming into the various forms that make up an adult ShirshiSreen:

Queen Brain

Each cluster of eggs produces a single Queen Brain, a stubby-legged creature with huge multi-faceted eyes and a tough chitin shell. Most of the Queen Brain's body atrophies, allowing a network of dense nerve fiber to fill the vacated space. A mature Queen Brain is little more than a stomach and brain in a shell. The Queen Brain's legs allow the creature the crawl at a painfully slow pace, but they are ideally suited for their true purpose, clinging to the Spindle Legs.

Spindle Legs

Each ShirshiSreen has three to six of these creatures associated with it. They provide the colony with both mobility and defense. Each Spindle Leg is spider-like in appearance, with four to six well developed walking legs, two grasping limbs altered to grasp and protect the Queen Brain, and two fore-limbs bearing spiny protrusions suitable for defense on their outer face and delicate claws for holding and manipulating on their inner face. The creature's bodies are covered in a protective chitin shell. Their head is a stubby protrusion, almost hidden by deep-set, multi-faceted eyes and powerful biting jaws.

Swarmers

The smallest members of the ShirshiSreen collective, the Swarmers are beetle-like, with six of their many legs mutated into delicate feather-like wings which fold beneath thick, chitinous shells.  Their remaining limbs end in a cluster of curving spines and claws. When inactive, Swarmers cling to the much larger Spindle Legs and Queen Brain, but they spend a great deal of time scouting for food sources to feed the ever-hungry collective. Like the rest of the ShirshiSreen Collective, Swarmers have well-developed, multi-faceted eyes. Each Swarmer also has a pair of spiny mandibles capable of inflicting a venomous bite.

The ShirshiSreen Collective

ShirshiSreen inhabit dense woodlands, preferring the warm tropical environments. The typical collective consists of a central Queen Brain supported and carried by three to six attached Spindle Legs and dozens of much smaller Swarmers. A newly formed ShirshiSreen has a combined leg-span of a foot or so, but the creatures continue to grow throughout their multi-year lifespan. Huge specimens with ten foot legs and yard long Queen Brains have been reported.

ShirshiSreen are predatory in nature. Swarmers scout the surroundings, and when prey is located, the entire Collective attacks. Typically the Queen Brain will remain at a distance, with one or two Spindle Legs for mobility, while the remaining Spindle Legs and the Swarmers carry out a frontal assault. Once prey is neutralized the entire Collective quickly shreds the corpse and feeds it to the Queen Brain, the only member creature with a true digestive system. The Brain digests the remains into a soupy goo that she then shares with the rest of her Collective.

Each ShirshiSreen shares a collective consciousness, controlled and directed by the Queen Brain's dominating psyche. Collectives manifest a certain level of intelligence. Larger specimens use tools, construct primitive shelters, and lay traps for the unwary. ShirshiSreen are territorial in nature, and disputes often lead leading to violent confrontation.

As previously mentioned ShirshiSreen are egg-layers. Queen Brains are female and Spindle Legs are male. ShirshiSreen breed during the spring months, and during breeding season Collectives permanently exchange Spindle Legs, providing genetic diversity to the species. During the spring months each Queen Brain will lay three to five new egg clusters, which will hatch into new ShirshiSreen. Queens also lay individual eggs year-round, which are fastened to the Queen's own body by attendant Swarmers. These eggs hatch into new Swarmers or Spindle Legs and replace any lost colony members. If a Collective's Queen Brain is slain all its member creatures die as well.

Queen Brain Attributes:

• Good toughness shell
• Terrible mobility
• Average bite attack
• Collective attunement - The Collective operates as a singular creature so long as the Queen Brain is active, sharing all sensory information and coordinating actions as a single living being.
• Great psychic sensitivity - The Queen Brain can sense the mental energies of living beings within 60 feet. This sensitivity extends to reading surface thought and divining basic intent.
• Great sensation projection - Using its psychic abilities, the Queen Brain can project sensory illusions onto a chosen target. Sensations such as intense pain, horrible smells or blinding lights are typical results. Each projection lasts 2d6 rounds, and a Great test of will can negate the effect.

Spindle Leg Attributes:

• Great toughness shell
• Great mobility, including the ability to climb and cling to sheer surfaces using powerful clawed pincers.
• Good claw attacks (two each round) capable of inflicting bleeding wounds. Two successful claw attacks in a round allow an automatic bite attack next round.
• Good bite attack. A successful bite injects the target with flesh-destroying venom that inflicts Average damage each round for 1d4 subsequent rounds.

Swarmer attributes:

• Good toughness shell.
• Fair flight ability with Good maneuverability but Poor endurance.
• Fair bite attack with spiny mandibles. Each successful bite injects a flesh-destroying venom that inflicts Average damage each round for 1d4 subsequent rounds.

Ice Slayers

These elemental creatures of crystal and ice inhabit chill wastelands and icy caverns. They are roughly humanoid, ten or more feet tall, with slender crystalline bodies that shimmer with faint internal light. Veins of bluish-green liquid flow and pulse beneath the surface of their icy flesh, and three to seven bright purple sparks of light dot their heads, serving as the creature's eyes. When they move Ice Slayers emit a faint squeaking sound, like snow underfoot on a clear and cold night.

Ice Slayers are generally hostile, though they can be compelled to service with appropriate spells (a Superb test of compulsion magic). They normally spend vast amounts of time gathered in clusters, joined in a semi-aware communal state, appearing as nothing more than spires and spikes of ice. When roused they are fierce foes, employing deadly tactics and capable of both mundane physical assault and icy magical attacks.

Ice Slayers have the following characteristics:

• Great toughness - their icy flesh is exceedingly difficult to damage. Slashing and crushing weapons are reduced in effectiveness by two ranks, Piercing weapons are able to exploit narrow crevices and cracks in their form and do normal damage.
• Elemental resistance - Ice Slayers have Superb resistance to all forms of elemental damage, save fire, which they are vulnerable to (Mediocre resistance). Water- or cold-based attacks actually heal one rank of damage per attack.
• Watery Regeneration - When in contact with water (liquid or frozen) Slayers regenerated one rank of damage every three rounds.
• Ice Weapons - Slayers can form razor-sharp weapons made from magical ice in a single round. These weapons inflict Good damage, and chill the target, slowing it for 1d2 rounds with each successful attack. Typical weapons include swords, axes and spears.
• Icy Rain - Ice Slayers can surround themselves with a storm of bitterly cold, freezing rain, which coats any surface with an icy glaze in a single round. Movement rates for normal creatures within the affected area are halved, and there is a 10% chance per round that a combatant will loose their grip on their weapon or their footing. Icy Rain can be summoned three times per day and lasts ten rounds per summoning.
• Ice Lance - All Ice Slayers can summon a magical lance of ice which they can launch at any target within 120'. This lance travels in a straight line toward the target, striking anyone in its path for Great cold damage. Those struck must make a Good resistance check or be frozen to the ground for 1d4 rounds.

Toadstool Ray

These creatures inhabit dense forests and swamps, using their gas-filled bodies to float through the air in search of prey. They begin life as a large, flat grayish mushroom, about two feet across. Gradually their stem withers to a narrow tail and their body slowly shifts and spreads, taking on a manta-like shape. The hollow chambers within their body fill with a putrescent vapor that's lighter than air, and eventually they rise from the ground in slow flight, shifting direction with flaps of their primitive wings. Their stem becomes a flexible tail, tipped with a sharp spine, while their flesh exudes a sticky tar-like substance, which serves to seal any vapor leaks and as a weapon. Typical specimens have a three or four foot wingspan and a two to three foot long tail.

The creatures have primitive senses, capable of sensing changes in air pressure. They attack by dropping on prey from above, lashing at it with their tails and enveloping it with their sticky bodies. Any damage inflicted is quickly sealed with the sticky tar that coats the creature's body, but not before a cloud of foul vapors escapes, choking and possibly blinding the target.

Once prey is secured the Ray feeds on the corpse, then deposits spores on the remains, restarting the life cycle.

Toadstool Rays have the following characteristics:

• Mediocre toughness - Rays are somewhat fragile and easily damaged. They heal superficial damage at a Good rate however.
• Average flight - Rays can fly slowly, but are more inclined to lurk and drift on air currents.
• Good tail attack - The sharp spine on the Ray's tail inflicts average damage.
• Envelop - There is a Good chance a Ray can envelop smaller targets, effectively trapping them with their bulk. Multiple Rays will cooperate using this tactic, and are capable of smothering even large targets. An enveloped target has a Fair chance each round of being pinned or suffocated by the Ray's body.
• Gas cloud - Any blow suffered by the Ray has a good chance of causing a five foot radius cloud of noxious gas to spray forth. Anyone in the area of effect must make a Good resistance check or be blinded and disoriented for 1d3 rounds.

Beast Constructs

I used these creatures in a campaign a few years back. I removed some of the campaign-specific material from this write-up. Hopefully they still make some sense.

These bizarre creatures are constructed from the dessicated and mummified remains of dead beasts, sewn together and enchanted with necromantic energies; each beast an amalgam of various parts and components from multiple natural creatures. The magical arts involved in creating these hideous creatures are long lost, having died out along with the ancient death-worshiping race that first perfected them. Some rare examples of these beasts live on, guarding the forgotten tombs and temples of this long-lost race.

Beast Constructs are mindless creatures, each a pieced-together horror made up of two or more mundane creatures stitched together with silvery threads of necromantic power. Constructs are generally 'programmed' with a specific task or mission, then left to their own devices. All constructs have the following characteristics:

• Superb toughness - all constructs gain tremendous physical toughness and vitality from the necromantic processes that create them.
• Magic resistance - constructs are immune to mind-affecting spells or enchantments.
• Life detection - the necromantic energies that animate these creatures allows them to accurately sense any living creature within 100 yards.
• Regeneration - constructs recover from damage at a Fair rate, generally healing all damage within one day.

Some typical constructs include:

• Hound Serpents - Hound-headed lizard creatures with long slender legs webbed with bat-like wings. Hound Serpents are capable of leaping, gliding flight, and fight with Good bite and claw attacks. Their enchanted fangs paralyze foes who fail to resist their spell.
• Lion Shells - Tortoise-shelled creatures with the heads of lions, these slow-moving beasts are incredibly tough and emit a terrible roaring noise in addition to a Superb bite attack. Those that succumb to the roaring noise (Good resistance check for anyone within 30 feet) are deafened and confused by the terrible sound.
• Alligator Hound - These creatures have hyena bodies with one or two alligator heads and a thick reptilian tail. They move with Good speed and attack with Great biting attacks (one per head) and a powerful tail lash (Good damage). Thrice per day the creatures can vomit forth a jet of water 30 feet long and three feet wide. Anyone struck by this powerful stream is knocked prone (Good test of reflexes to avoid).
• Vulture Serpent - These huge serpents have vestigial wings and an over-sized vulture's head. They attack with a powerful constrictive attack (Good damage each round), and a nasty bite, which transfers one rank of vitality from victim to beast each time it succeeds.

Command Rods

These relics are made from bone and brass. Each consists of a short bone handle fitted with a disc of brass inscribed with a representation of one or more Beast Constructs. These rods grant control over the depicted creature(s), and a Good test of divination magic will reveal the command words required to activate their magics. Each Command Rod will also inflict Legendary damage upon any Beast Construct, but using a Rod in this fashion destroys it.

Jar of Wisps

This magic item is a rounded jar of opalescent, milky glass, surrounded by an ornate lattice of shiny, silvery metal. A heavy stopper, made from the same metal and set with a polished chunk of golden amber, is threaded into the jar's narrow neck, creating an air-tight seal. Under the proper conditions the jar seems to glow with an inner, golden-tinged light. The item radiates Great elemental, protection, and summoning magic, and a Great test of divination magic will reveal the item's powers.

The Jar is a magical portal to the elemental plane of electricity and light. Each evening, when exposed to the rays of the setting sun, the Jar opens a gateway and calls forth a mindless elemental placing the creature in under the control of the Jar's owner. Each summoned elemental is stored within the Jar, which can hold up to three such creatures, until the lid is removed, releasing the creatures to do the owner's bidding. Once released from the Jar the elementals remain under the owner's control for eight hours, before returning to their own plane of existence. The elementals appear as small globes of pure yellow light, and have the following characteristics:

• Great flight ability. The elementals are swift and agile fliers, able to stop and turn instantly.
• Shocking Bolt - The elementals can inflict a jolting energy attack upon anyone within ten feet, inflicting average damage.
• Illumination - The creatures can brighten or dim their form, creating a light as dim as a match or as bright as a good lantern.
• Hypnotic Dance - The elementals can move in a hypnotic pattern which is capable of beguiling anyone looking at it (Good test of will to avoid being ensnared). Those affected mindlessly follow the elemental, enchanted by the desire to capture and hold the glimmering lights.

The elementals are weak combatants, Having only Mediocre defenses and Poor toughness. They are immune to mundane weapons, but susceptible to magical attack. If destroyed their mundane manifestation bursts into a globe of electrical energy which inflicts Good damage on anyone within ten feet.

The 2009 Bestiary - Part Two

Part One can be found here. The bestiary is a wrap up on all the creature articles from last year. Each article is referenced with a direct link and brief description for easy browsing. Tags are good, but sometimes a quick list is a good thing. Here are the rest:

• If you're decorating a wizard's tower, Living Drapes might be just the thing.
• Storm Swallows are constructed creatures with a shocking punch.
• The lowly Muck Worm is an underestimated dungeon pest.
• My own take on Mud Men, minor elementals with a thirst for the life energies of living creatures.
• Insidious Plants introduces a variety of flora that aren't really creatures in the usual sense.
• The parasitic Mind Eaters are a threat to sanity and intelligence.
• Sun Gliders are a pretty basic desert predator. Hey not everyone can be a super-monster.
• If you need a predatory plant for a swamp, Strangler Moss might be just the thing.
• And if you need a creature for the river that feeds the swamp, there are Giant Hellgrammites.
• Parachute Spiders are a lurking jungle predator.
• The Saguaronid is a plant-based desert dwelling carnivore.
• The Screwfish is a threat to unwary ocean swimmers.
• Need a guardian for a sandy tomb or beach front temple? Sand Constructs might be a good fit.
• Revenant Spiders are deadly necromantic hunters.
• The Door Haunts are extra-dimensional creatures suitable for a weird horror setting.
• Why populate the forest when the entire forest is a living Shadow Wood?
• When is a ghoul not an undead? When it's a Jungle Ghoul.
• The Drone Swarm is a step up from the average cloud of summer mosquitoes.
• The floating Sea Star is a potential threat to any passing ship.
• Shade Flock http://rpgdump.blogspot.com/2009/10/shade-flock.html is a manifestation of the plane of shadow.
• The lowly Mageworm is a magical pest with a big appetite.
• The Desert Wight is a potent undead foe.
• The Eye of the Demon is an artifact manifested by the Watcher with a Thousand Eyes.

If my count is right, and I managed to actually catch every creature post from the last year, these two articles cover 41 different creatures. There are a few stinkers in there (every bestiary needs its Flumph!) but on the whole I'm fairly pleased with most of these. I hope you find something useful for your own gaming here. If you do, please drop me a comment, I love to hear about anyone making use of these humble offerings. Good gaming!

The 2009 Bestiary - Part One

I got tired of digging around in blogger via tags to locate specific creature articles from last year, so I decided to create a year end wrap up covering all the various creatures and critters from last year. Hopefully this list, along with the one-liner descriptions will serve as a useful reference. The links below represent the creatures from January through June of 2009 and are in chronological order. Enjoy!

• Horrid Minions introduced Fungal Brains and Zombies, creatures that appeared in the Brother's Revenge adventure arc.
• Mishta's Mouse is a magically constructed familiar.
• Velvet Worms are creepy nocturnal worms inspired by a real life creature.
  
• Deadly Maladies introduced a couple nasty parasitic organisms from an old tropical dungeon game.
• Mishta's Stalker is a deadly serpent construct.
• The Gunja are restless undead spirits, intent on achieving final peace.
• The Tomb Guardian is a magical construct designed to use an adventurer's own body against them.
• Another creature based on real life, Giant Shrews are just nasty.
• The Crevice Creature is a lurking aquatic horror.
• Snow Monkeys are primitive primates suitable for cold northern climates.
• The Carnivorous Water Lily was something I used in my One Page Dungeon entry from 2009.
• The Demon Spawner is a malevolent demonic being that uses mind-controlling parasitic worms.
• The Venomous Water Spider was another creature from my One Page Dungeon.
• The desert dwelling, burrowing Sand Diggers are suitable for any hot and dry setting.
• The Malevolent Head is alive, sort of.
• If you're in need of a minor demonic summoning, then Hell Crows might fit the bill.
• Awww what a cute puppy! When the puppy is a Serpent Dog, not so much.
• The gigantic but decentralized Carnifungus can serve as both creature and locale.

Finally, no bestiary would be complete without my favorite monsters!

So there you have it, the first six months of 2009. I was expecting to finish off the entire year in one article, but the list is longer than I thought. I'll get the next part up soon!

Lurking Murderer

A hellish predatory creature of the cold reaches, few survive an encounter with one of these vicious hunters. Some believe a creature of such concentrated fury must have been created by a demented wizard or wrought as punishment by an angry god, but most believe the Lurking Murderer is a natural beast, its numbers kept in check only by the harshness of its native arctic climate and the scarcity of prey.

The Lurking Murderer resembles nothing so much as an over-sized, six-legged wolverine with a pale gray coat of long, thick fur. Each of their six legs ends in a heavily clawed foot, each capable of inflicting serious damage on any opponent willing to face the creature's wrath. Lurking Murderers also have powerful jaws capable of crushing bone with ease. The average adult specimen is about five feet long from its nose to the end of its stubby tail.

Lurking Murderers are capable climbers, often ambushing prey from elevated positions in rocks or trees. They prefer hunting during the night, and actively avoid sunlight. They are capable scent hunters and will pursue prey over great distances, their curious waddling gait belying their ground covering hunting pace.

In combat these creatures are agile foes with a massive array of armaments at their disposal. Their fierce claws and powerful bite can bring down the largest prey, and their heightened senses, stealth and speed allow them to establish a tactical advantage in the opening moments of an attack.

Lurking Murderers have the following characteristics:

• Superb vitality and quickness, making the creatures difficult to hit and kill.
• Superb sense of smell and hearing.
• Superb stealth and hide ability.
• Great running speed.
• Epic claw and bite attacks inflicting Superb damage. The creature can use up to four claw attacks in a normal combat round.
• Leap Attack - If attacking from an elevated position, its favorite ambush tactic, it can attack with all six sets of claws on its initial strike.
• Rake - Should a Lurking Murderer hit with more than three claw attacks in a single round, it will rake its opponent with all six sets of claws in the next, automatically hitting with each attack.

Lurking Murderers are normally solitary, territorial creatures. They lair in rocky caves or under dead-falls, and occasionally may have some form of inedible treasure in their lair. During the spring season encounters with a female and 2-3 young are possible. Females defending their young gain a Good bonus to attack accuracy and damage.

No one has ever tamed a Lurking Murderer.

This was the original AD&D 2nd edition stat block for these creatures:

• Frequency: Very Rare
• Number Appearing: 1 or 4-7
• AC: 2
• Hit Dice: 6d8+6
• Move: 18"
• % In Lair: 30%
• THACO: 12
• Number of Attacks: 5
• Damage: 1d8/1d8/1d8/1d8/2d12
• Special Attacks: Leap, Rake, surprise on 1-5
• Special Defenses: Surprised only on 1
• Magic Resistance: Standard
• Intelligence: Animal/Low
• Alignment: N
• Size: S-M (4'-6'long)
• Exp. Value: 1200+10/hp

The Bone Snatcher

This foul undead creature inhabits the watery depths of large rivers and streams, lurking along the banks near bridges, trails or fords in hopes of securing victims to feed its endless hunger for recently drowned flesh. Bone Snatchers are created when a murder victim is drowned in running water, though no one understands exactly what triggers the metamorphosis from corpse to undead predator.

Initially, Bone Snatchers take the form of a recently drowned human, a pale and bloated corpse streaked and smeared with the ooze and muck of their watery domain. Over time the transformation turns any hair the creature once had greenish-gray. Their nails and teeth lengthen and transform into sharp claws, while the flesh of their hands and feet slowly shifts and transforms, becoming webbing between fingers and toes. Their skin slowly stretches tight over their skeletal form as the creature's flesh decays away, leaving them thin and pallid, little more than webbed skin stretched over a bony frame.

The final transformation occurs when a Bone Snatcher claims a victim. After consuming their flesh, the Snatcher incorporates the victim's bones into their own bodies, magically fusing their limbs and spine into two flexible tentacle-like arms ending in bony claws connected to Bone Snatcher's shoulders and back. The skull of each victim is mounted as a sort of trophy to the creature's chest or waist (though some say these skulls retain some form of consciousness). As additional victims are consumed existing limbs are extended or new limbs are created. There are stories of Bone Snatchers with a dozen or more tentacle-arms, each ten or twenty feet long.

Bone Snatchers hunt by lurking in the shallow waters of rivers near trails, bridges or fords. When they sense approaching prey they leap forth to seize their victim with sharp claws and fangs, then drag them beneath the water's surface to rend and tear flesh as the victim drowns. Bone Snatchers prefer to hunt under the cover of darkness, but have no fear of sunlight. They have the following characteristics:

• Great strength and toughness.
• Superb swimming ability.
• Good damage and accuracy with claws and fangs.
• Elemental resistance - The creature's watery form grants them a Fair resistance bonus to fire damage and a Good resistance bonus to cold damage.
• Watery regeneration - Bone Snatchers recover one rank of damage per hour when submerged in running water.
• Tentacle-arms - Each Bone Snatcher has 1d6-1 tentacle-arms which it uses in combat. Each arm has Good toughness and strikes with good damage and accuracy.
• Ambush - Bone Snatchers are cautious predators with a certain native cunning. When attacking from ambush they gain a Good bonus to all combat checks during the first three rounds of battle.

Bone Snatchers maintain a lair of sorts, digging a pit or using an existing underwater cave as a base of operations. They have no real use for treasure, but collect the valuables carried by their victim and arrange them in their den as a sort of grisly trophy hall.

If submerged, a damaged Bone Snatcher will regenerate fully provided some portion of its original skull remains. Tentacle-arms do not regenerate so hit and run tactics may weaken a powerful creature. The only way to permanently lay a Bone Snatcher to rest is to burn their remains completely and scatter the ashes.

Reflection Spectre

These extra-planar creatures inhabit the same twisted realm as the Door Haunts. Like their doorway lurking kin they are drawn to the mundane realm by strong emotion, feeding on uncertainty and fear caused by the sudden perception of things that aren't really there. Reflection Spectres are granted passage to the mundane world by broken reflections. Their favored means of access is a broken mirror, and many a magical theorist believes they are the source of the seven years bad luck from a broken mirror superstition.

Reflection Spectres take on the shadowy, broken form of whatever image was being reflected when the reflecting surface was shattered. Most Spectres are passive, short-lived things, incapable of action in the mundane plane of existence. Rarely a Spectre will be lucky enough to capture the reflection of a living creature, imbuing it with a more enduring, active nature. These Spectres have the ability to follow the creature they reflect, moving from surface to surface as their victim moves from place to place. Most people see them as simple reflections, but the victim will notice subtle changes in their appearance, especially when seen out of the corner of the eye or at a distance. Faces blur and melt, colors shimmer and darken, and skin and flesh erodes and decays away.

Spectres will continue to follow their victim, feeding on the momentary surge of disorientation and uncertainty that accompanies each twisted reflection. They have no physical form, manifesting only as an extra-planar reflection of their chosen target. Should their host be slain the Spectres will return to their home plane, and a Superb test of extra-planar magic can break the tie that binds them to their host.

Long term exposure to a Spectre's haunting has a draining effect on the psyche of the victim. Each day of exposure the victim must make test of Will to avoid being snared by the Spectre's dweomer. Those snared find themselves lost in contemplation, staring in eerie fascination at their own reflection in a bit of broken glass or the surface of a pool of water for 1 to 20 minutes. Each time the victim succumbs to this effect they lose one rank of Will for one week. Will loss is permanent until the Spectre is driven off. Victims reduced to zero Will spend their hours helplessly staring at any reflection that catches their eye, powerless to avoid the disturbing changes reflected there.

Eye of the Demon (part II)

I wrote up the Eye of the Demon a few days ago, and a couple of comments on that post led me to write more about it.

The Eye of the Demon is no singular artifact, rather it is one of many such Eyes, each cast forth by the Watcher with a Thousand Eyes, a demonic being trapped within a binding circle beneath a long abandoned fortress, which is located upon a rocky island within a vast, steaming swamp. Over the centuries the Watcher has managed to find a tiny loophole in the seals that bind it, allowing it to send forth its Eyes, cast into the form of the previously described amulet.

Each use of an Eye of the Demon amulet has a 1% cumulative chance of alerting the Watcher to the fact that the amulet has been found. Once alerted the Watcher will establish a link to the amulet, allowing it to see whatever the Eye can see while it is in use. Once the link is established, each additional use of the Eye has a 1% cumulative chance of strengthening the link, which both adds to the Eye's powers and increases the Watcher's connection to its user. Note that once the link between the Eye and Watcher becomes active, the Watcher will be aware of who owns the amulet. Destroying the Eye (which can be accomplished by inflicting Great physical damage) will gain the Watcher's enmity for all time.

The following additional powers become available with each strengthening of the link:

1. In addition to seeing what the Eye sees while it is active, the Watcher can view the area immediately surrounding the Eye at will.
2. The Eye's wearer gains a enhanced vision, allowing them to see in the dark and pick out fine detail with a casual glance. Secret or hidden doors are easily spotted, and attempts to use sleight-of-hand or trickery against the wearer suffer a Fair penalty.
3. The Watcher gains the ability to read the surface thoughts of whomever is wearing the Eye. This ability allows it to pick up the gist of conversations involving the wearer and learn their basic motivations and purpose.
4. The wearer's gains the ability to read people's faces as if they were an open book. Anyone attempting to deceive or lie to the bearer suffers a Good penalty to the attempt.
5. The Watcher gains the ability to make minor mental suggestions to the wearer. It will use this ability to lead the wearer to its place of imprisonment and to create a feeling of isolation and paranoia in the wearer.
6. The wearer gains the ability to split their view while using the Eye, carrying out normal actions while maintaining their remote view.
7. The bearer begins to experience minor hallucinations, vague glimpses of movement at the edge of their vision, along with a creeping sense of paranoia brought about by the Watcher's suggestions.
8. The Watcher's power of suggestion grows in strength, allowing it to guide and direct the wearer unless they make a Good test of resolve to resist.
   

The Watcher with a Thousand Eyes

The Watcher is a squat amphibian creature, much like a toad in form. Where a toad has warts, the Watcher's ten foot long, lumpy gray body is covered in unblinking, dull black eyes, each staring in a different direction. A pair of snake-like tentacles sprout from the demon's head, taking the place of its normal eyes. Its broad mouth has three tongues, each ending in a set of jaws lined with needle-sharp teeth. The Watcher has the following characteristics:

• Demonic Vitality - The creature has the strength and vitality of a powerful demon, making it difficult to kill by mundane means. It has Great natural healing ability, recovering an Average wound every 10 minutes. It is immune to cold damage and mundane weapons.
• Thunderous Leap - The demon can leap up to 30 feet in any direction, striking with all four clawed feet (Superb physical damage) when landing. Anyone within 10 feet of its landing spot is knocked prone by the force of impact.
• Demonic Bite - The Watcher can strike up to three separate targets with its fanged tongues, each blow struck inflicting Great damage and spattering the target with the demon's corrosive saliva, which inflicts Average damage each subsequent round and dissolves any organic material it touches. Tongues can extend up to 15 feet.
• Constrictive Tentacles - The Watcher can use its tentacles to attack with Superb accuracy. Once a target is hit the tentacles envelop them, inflicting Fair damage each subsequent round.
• Perfect Awareness - The creature's thousand eyes make it instantly aware of anything happening within line of sight. Its vision allows it to see in the dark with perfect clarity. Even invisible and out of phase objects are revealed to its all seeing eyes.
• Spell Use - The Watcher has Great magical abilities, and is a master of illusion and charm magic.

The Watcher is an intelligent creature. It will use clever tactics to isolate and control anyone under the influence of one of its Eyes. Its primary goal is to gain its freedom, then reestablish its cult-like following on the material plane. The wards that hold the demon have been weakened by time, and any physical disturbance of the inscribed stones that bind it will break the warding and allow it to roam free.