RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6
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From a nearby tree, a monkey-faced creature coils a heavy stick in its whip-like arms, taking aim with beady black eyes.
Argopelter CR 4
XP 1,200
CN Small monstrous humanoid
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., greensight, low-light vision; Perception +8
----- Defense -----
AC 17, touch 16, flat-footed 12 (+5 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp 32 (5d10+5)
Fort +2, Ref +9, Will +6
----- Offense -----
Speed 20 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee slam +8 (1d4+2)
Ranged branch +12 (1d8+3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks branch throwing (40 ft.), sneak attack +2d6
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +3)
Constant—greensight (Rival Guide), pass without trace
1/day—tree stride
----- Statistics -----
Str 15, Dex 20, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 7
Base Atk +5; CMB +6; CMD 21
Feats Deadly Aim, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot
Skills Acrobatics +10, Climb +15, Perception +8, Stealth +17 (+25 in forested areas); Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in forested areas
Languages Sylvan
SQ brachiator
----- Ecology -----
Environment any forest
Organization solitary, pair, or gaggle (3-7)
Treasure standard
----- Special Abilities -----
Brachiator (Ex) An argopelter travels by swinging through the trees on its wiry arms. An argopelter suffers no penalty to Acrobatics and Stealth checks due to undergrowth or difficult terrain in forested areas. Whenever it is climbing, an argopelter is counted as having a running start when making Acrobatics checks to jump, and uses its climb speed rather than its land speed to determine its bonus or penalty to Acrobatics checks made to jump.
Branch Throwing (Ex) An argopelter's muscular arms fling tree limbs with cannon-like force. An argopelter has a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls with thrown branches, sticks, or similar pieces of wood. The creature can hurl irregularly-shaped tree branches of up to Small size. In forested areas, an argopelter has an effectively unlimited supply of branches available. An argopelter can pick up and ready a branch as a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. An argopelter’s thrown branches have a range increment of 40 feet and deal 1d8 points of bludgeoning damage plus 1 1/2 times the creature’s Strength bonus. An argopelter can throw branches up to five range increments.
The elusive, reclusive argopelters consider themselves the natural guardians of the ancient forests in which they dwell: places such as the Verduran Forest, Darkmoon Wood, and the Hoarwood. Argopelters do not get along well with dryads, treants, druids, or other beings that defend the wildwoods. Such beings find argopelters to be dangerous nuisances, but often cede territory to them since the argopelters are both motivated and capable of protecting their trees.
Argopelters often cross between Golarion and the First World at places where the planar boundaries grow thin, although no one knows on which of the two they originate. This may explain their legendary territoriality, since the ancient woods in which they lair often contain portals between the worlds. Argopelters hate most humanoids, although they tolerate gnomes. They especially despise lumberjacks and woodcutters and will go out of their way to ambush anyone carrying an axe or cut wood. Many a logger has been found with his skull crushed by a “fallen limb.”
An argopelter’s wiry arms are strong and highly flexible. The creature uses them for both movement, brachiating through the trees, and attack, flinging tree branches with deadly accuracy. An argopelter’s mottled, pebbly hide camouflages it perfectly against tree bark. It has a lithe frame but stumpy legs. An argopelter stands about three feet high and weighs around 80 pounds.
Contributor; Publisher, Kobold Press; RPG Superstar Judge
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Initial Impression: Are there monkeys in the River Kingdoms? This struck me as a fairly direct nature-defender monster with some neat movement/hiding and a ranged attack, but not much else.
On further review, it's clearly based on the American legend of the argopelter (which I'd never heard of before), and I do like to see mythological creatures appear in gaming. Unfortunately, they usually need more than a legend gives them.
The main elements that make this monster interesting to me are its movement and its sneak attack, but beyond that, it seems to be a fairly straightforward adaptation of a somewhat obscure legend. That's totally fine and playable, but I am not seeing the superstar elements in the text that I want to see.
I do NOT recommend this monster for advancement.
Welcome to Round 3! I'm posting this little blurb at the top of my reply for everyone. FYI, I'm not going to crunch all the math in your stat block, for several reasons. One, I don't have an hour for each monster. :) Two, I'm sure you've been very diligent about this and if anything is wrong, it's probably only off by a little bit. Three, if you were writing this for publication in a Paizo book, you'd be using our stat block spreadsheet, which takes care of the math for you--your job is to understand the rules and bring the mojo. :) My focus in this review is on the overall coolness and balance of your monster, with an eye on how efficiently you put it together and a spot-check of stat block elements that catch my eye.
So this is a tree-climbing humanoid that throws branches, based on an American cryptid.
Branch Throwing: This is basically a variant of the rock throwing UMR. You could have said "This functions like rock throwing, except the creature can throw branches or logs of up to Small size." I just saved you 100 words.
I think this is a functional monster, but isn't an exciting (or superstar) monster.
I do NOT recommend this monster for advancement.
Initial Impression: Wood-throwing monkeys fail to bring the superstar mojo.
Charlie, good job advancing to Round 3!
Now that I’ve read all 16 entries, I can say that there are some real strong entries here—more strong entries than spots, unfortunately. There are only a couple submissions that I think don’t make the grade. This was a strong round and some good submissions won’t make the cut. I am only going to recommend 8 of you since only 8 can advance. In close cases, I took into account your prior work.
What I am looking for: I’m a big picture guy more than a minute details guy. I don’t think just seeing if you crunched out the rules properly is the right way to judge a good entry for this round. Of course you need to execute the stat block properly. Luckily, Sean and Wolfgang are way more qualified than I am to talk about the nit picks and issues with the stat block so I will leave that to them. My comments to you will be more “big picture.” For me, I want to see a monster that is fun and playable—a monster that leaps of the page and makes me find a way to incorporate it at the game table. That, to me, is a superstar monster. So here we go…
You got my Initial Impressions above. I really wish my view changed after reading the other entries, but it hasn’t.
Design (name, overall design choices, design niche, playability/usability, challenge): C
There is a time and place for making a creature of real legend into a monster. Round 3 of Superstar isn’t it. Basically, a quick Google of your creature turned up pretty much the entire core of your design decision. It’s hard to credit you with an original design when all you did was lift the concept from a real, if poorly known, creature.
Execution (quality of writing, organization, Golarion-specific, use of proper format, quality of content—description, summary of powers, rules execution, mechanics innovation): C
The powers are thin and track those of the real legendary creature. There isn’t much here, and what you did do you could have done in a tighter way. I incorporate Sean’s comments here.
Tilt (did it grab me, do I want to use one in an adventure?, mojo, just plain fun factor): C
This one just wasn’t there for me.
Overall: C
Charlie, I am so sad to give this critique of your monster. I have been a huge fan of yours during the first two rounds. This one just doesn’t measure up, I am sorry to say.
Final Verdict: I DO NOT RECOMMEND voters consider this monster to advance.
Your timepiece was awesome and the Green Knight was probably the best of the last round. This contest has a history of allowing even a winner to have a round with a misstep and maybe this is yours. To me, I only took prior rounds into account if the entry was close and this one just wasn’t. However, the fans may feel otherwise. I hope for your sake they do. But judging just on this monster, it is a clear NO from me, I am sorry to say.
Good luck!
I imagine that I would get mocked by my players if I attempted to use this in an encounter. It's a bit silly.
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The fluff on this is a bit weird. Its a monstrous humanoid, but it sounds like it comes from the First World? Shouldn't it either be a Fey or possess the Extraplanar subtype? That's sort of the problem with, "No one knows where it originates?" In the history of this creature's existence, no one's tried to banish it or whatnot? That would have made it VERY clear where it originated from, especially if they are often crossing into Golarion.
I think Alex has some good points about type. I think outsider, native, Sasquatch Subtype, if you are going to base it on a North American wild ape myth. I like this creature but I'm not sure if it will get one of my votes.
Naming: So-so. Named for a real-life mythical creature. Ability names are functional. Not a lot of flair, but nothing that hurts it.
Cool factor: It feels like maybe there's potential for cool here, but a GM might need to dig for it. Mostly they seem like they'd be annoying. Up in the trees, with stealth and sneak attacks, usually with cover, and some lengthy ranged attacks. I think they'd be more frustrating than fun.
Question: Why darkvision? Are they nocturnal? Fighting these at night could be a real hassle.
Question: Why darkvision? Are they nocturnal? Fighting these at night could be a real hassle.
All Monstrous Humanoids have Darkvision.
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Hi Charlie,
unfortunately, as others have mentioned, I don't think you quite made a superstar entry this round. There are a few reasons that I can see why:
I can't get a clear idea of what it looks like. You say 'monkey-faced' and 'whip-like arms', and it's a Small monstrous humanoid, but... that's it. You did an awful job describing what the creature physically is, which makes it hard to envision the monster at all.
You also tried to add monkey-creatures to places where they really stand out. Which is a pity, because these would have fit in great in the Mwangi Expanse, or especially Arcadia (which is the Golarion analogue to where your myth originates). So, it felt disjointed.
Lastly, your big superstar ability was stick-throwing. Not exactly an exciting option. Sure, I'm positive there are GMs who can find places and ways to make it interesting, but unlike a truly superstar encounter, it doesn't start there.
There is a time and place for making a creature of real legend into a monster. Round 3 of Superstar isn’t it.
I'm going to disagree strenuously with that portion of your review, because I don't think it's the case and I'd hate for this to turn into one of those things that become an unofficial 'rule' in later contests. Paizo is a company that has gotten a lot of mileage out of doing just that, with monsters out of folklore, mythology, cryptozoology and literature all being adapted- and adapted WELL- to the game. I think originality lies in the execution, not the origin. I wouldn't accuse Paizo of unoriginality in adapting half of Lovecraft to Pathfinder, anymore than I'd criticize Gygax & Arneson for creating medusas & minotaurs. A superstar contestant who plucked a real-life myth critter and made an amazing entry out of it is showing the ability to swim in the same waters as the guys that came up with the sandpoint devil or the scylla. What is critical, IMO, isn't coming up with a completely new monster nobody has ever seen before but in coming up with a monster that plays like nobody has seen before.
Now I'm going to undermine everything I just said and admit that I don't feel this entry achieves that. It might be the choice of the cryptids in question- aside from being obscure, they fill a very limited niche- because at the end of the day, what we're looking at is something that can chuck branches at you. It's just not that exciting an encounter, IMO, and I'm not sure it even really feels like an ability that's worth basing a monster around; it almost feels like something you could just wrap up as a monster feat to give to any arboreal creature.
I've really liked both of Charlie's previous entries, and so even though this is a bit of a dip in his record, he's not out of the running for my vote; I have to see how the rest of the entries grab me.
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RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6, Star Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka JoelF847
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Have to agree that this isn't particularly exciting. Well put together, but nothing either mechanically or descriptively that's new or exciting. In addition, a few things just didn't make sense to me.
1) how can it have unlimited branches to throw? There's a few around any point in a forest maybe, but after those loose branches, wouldn't it have to break a few off to have more ammo? And if it's against cutting trees, I'd think it would be against breaking off branches.
2) why does it not get along with druids, dryads, treants, etc.? It seems like they'd be best buds. Aside from "they're chaotic, so they don't get along", I can't figure it out. That's the single most interesting thing about the monster - it's a woodland defender that doesn't like other woodland defenders, but there's no reason given.
There is a time and place for making a creature of real legend into a monster. Round 3 of Superstar isn’t it.I'm going to disagree strenuously with that portion of your review, because I don't think it's the case and I'd hate for this to turn into one of those things that become an unofficial 'rule' in later contests. Paizo is a company that has gotten a lot of mileage out of doing just that, with monsters out of folklore, mythology, cryptozoology and literature all being adapted- and adapted WELL- to the game. I think originality lies in the execution, not the origin.
I'm going to disagree a bit with your disagreement, Sean. I think I see what Clark is getting at and I think I agree with him instead. Here's why: It's not so much that you can't take an existing cryptid and execute it really well and stand out. You're right about that. But I think what Clark is saying is that it's a poor choice for RPG Superstar, because it doesn't give you as great an opportunity to highlight your creativity as a designer...both for Paizo as a publisher and the voting community.
Clark is looking at these submissions through the eyes of a publisher evaluating someone's capabilities to determine if he thinks they'd make a good freelancer. And, designing your RPG Superstar submission with a great deal of it leaning on a real-world myth...where many of the powers and backstory and lore about that creature have already been "done" for you...isn't the best means for helping him assess the entirety of your talents as a designer. Does it tell him if you've got the chops to execute an existing cryptid and interpret it into a usable monster for the game? Sure. But does it tell him much about how deep your own creative well goes in terms of thinking up entirely new monsters and new abilities? Are you demonstrating innovation with the choice to do a cryptid? Or are you banking on something people already know a lot about (or can research and appreciate how "true" you stuck to the myth) in order to sell yourself as a designer?
I think that's what Clark is getting at. And, to me, that doesn't diminish any of the points you've made about the success Paizo has had in bringing various cryptids into the game and doing them "justice" in really cool (and even innovative) ways. Can you do a cryptid as an RPG Superstar monster and stand out? Yes. If you really bring a tremendous amount of mojo. It's a big swing for the fences if you take that on. But, if you don't connect on it, I think it becomes a really poor design choice for the purposes of trying to highlight your skills as a fresh, innovative freelancer.
Now, that said, I voted for Charlie. And not just because I've played in a game with him and he happens to be from NC. I'm taking everything into account for who I think should advance and be given more opportunties to learn and grow as a designer. I think Charlie deserves that chance for a couple of reasons. One, he's had some pretty stellar ideas in the first two rounds which I thought were quite innovative. Two, he's shown the ability to pull up legends like the Green Knight and now the argopelter and do them justice with some pretty good execution. I think you're quite right that Paizo could view that as a useful skill in a freelancer and they may want to give him a shot at monster design, if nothing else.
But, beyond all that, I want to challenge Charlie to do something more unique that isn't tied to a real-world myth. I want to see what he can create purely from scratch. An imagining of his own mind, whether it be his trap or encounter setup in the next round or his adventure proposal in the final round. And, if I don't vote him through, I won't be able to see if he can rise to that challenge. Based on his prior work so far, I think he's got the capability to do it. And so, I'm voting for him rather than the argopelter itself. I'm voting for his entire portfolio of work and the potential I perceive in him. I think that's more important than just round-by-round assessments of individual submissions, his choice to do a cryptid, and so on.
I agree with Clark in that I think this is probably Charlie's defining moment for his run through the contest this year. He stumbled a bit this round in terms of standing out with something exciting. But, he had perhaps one of the most exciting entries last round. This contest has a history of frontrunners stumbling and then regaining their balance by applying the hard lessons they learn along the way. I think Mike had that happen with his Monster Reformation Alliance last year. And, as a result, I still want to see what Charlie will do next.
But that's just my two cents,
--Neil
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I agree with many of the comments by those with far more expertise in RPG design than myself, but like them I have been gaming and Dming since the 70's so I know a little about playing, and frankly this monster WILL produce many memorable encounters. Employed by crafty designers and GM's the Argopelter will prove the metal of many adventuring parties. A ranged combatant with superior mobility against most parties in an environment that offers it a ready supply of ammunition and concealment will be a twist many parties of experienced players have never faced. Melee heavy PC's will be forced to pull out the bow, with the dry rotted string, they've been carrying around since PC creation; ranged PC's will be given a chance to go shot-for-shot against it. Spellcasters have a plethora of unique ways to deal with an Argopelter, be it direct damage, battlefield control spells, summoned creatures to chase him through the trees or what ever.
Encounters with an Agropelter are more than a stick-thowing-monkey. The Agropelter's mobility and accuracy are going to turn them into running firefights as PC's rush from cover to cover firing off bow shots and ranged spells as their tormentors maneuver through the trees constantly harrassing them with their own ranged blows. Everytime the party sees an opening of escape the agropelters cut them off and force them in a new direction, hearding them toward an unknown hazzard.
Charlie you get my vote. Ordonious looks forward to many memorable encouters with agropelters in the near future.
I'm going to have to disagree with your disagreement about Sean's disagreement, Neil.
I'm going to have to disagree with your disagreement about Neil's disagreement with my... oh, wait, no, that would be silly of me.
Actually, just DID want to speak up in defense of Charlie's design, here, though:
However, you chose to adapt all of the boring parts of the argopelter legend while skipping the single coolest ability you could have given it: some legends say argopelters move so fast, they can't be seen, much like a quickling. A more superstar approach to adapting this cryptid would have latched onto that as a core concept, making the argopelter as a tree-dwelling, branch-throwing quickling monkey.
While 'moves like a quickling' isn't incorporated in the design, I think that Charlie's use of tree stride is an attempt at using this part of the argopelter folklore. Plus he does mention that they tend to jump between Golarion and the First World with regularity, which could also be viewed as more of the same. (It's not given any kind of plane-hopping as an ability, but the entry does specifically presuppose the notion of arboreal First World portals in the trees.)
Charlie, I really like the kind of encounter this creature encourages (and honestly, I think we're likely to see some great use of the Argopelter in Round 4!). I agree with the general feeling that this isn't showing off superstar design - and I think this is a bad round to be slipping on, since you've got really tough competition.
I haven't made up my mind yet on voting for you - it's a tough choice. But I'd like to see you continue in the contest. I enjoyed this entry despite its lack of flashiness, and I bet your R4 entry's awesome!
Charlie, while I ended up not voting for your monster, I want to congratulate you on your work so far.
Like many of the others, I thought your argopelter came off like too much of just a plain ol' monkey - it also felt like it belonged in the jungle rather than a forest. However, the mechanics were solid, and you did a nice job adapting it from the mythical origin.
Also, you deserve special props for indirectly pointing me to Fearsome creatures of the lumberwoods.
Good luck in the votes.
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Contributor
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Star Voter Season 6, Marathon Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 9
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I can see what you were going for here, and it does fit in very well with Paizo's use of existing mythology as fodder for its monsters. However, it doesn't do a lot to distinguish itself from the other monsters in this round. If I had to vote based on the monster alone, I'd have to pass, but Paizo gave us eight votes this round, and I really liked what you did in the previous two rounds. I hope you'll take a bigger swing if you advance to the encounter round.
Good luck to you!
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6, Dedicated Voter Season 7, Star Voter Season 8, Star Voter Season 9
aka burrahobbit
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Also, you deserve special props for indirectly pointing me to Fearsome creatures of the lumberwoods.
A friend of mine independently steered me to this a little while ago by declaring the Squonk his favorite animal, and walks in the woods haven't been the same since.
Charlie, I like your choice of monster. North American folklore tends to get short shrift in fantasy RPGs, so thanks for bringing this critter!
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6
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Thanks for all the feedback and for those who voted for me. Sorry I haven't been on much--I just got back from a two-week field problem.
I built four different monsters for Round 3. I originally planned to submit a different one, but after reading comments on previous years' monsters like the anzu, I thought it would be a good idea to use a monster based on real world folklore. Turns out that it wasn't a good idea after all!
To answer some questions about the argopelter: first, it has a monkey-like face, but it isn't a monkey! It's smarter than an ogre, uses tools, and sets up cunning ambushes. I almost made it a fey, but monstrous humanoid seemed to fit better. It's definitely more of a harassing or attritting encounter than an epic showdown kind of monster. As for why it goes to the First World, I kind of had it in mind to leave that as the kind of teaser that would get fleshed out more in an "Ecology of the Argopelter" type article. The idea was that although native to Golarion, they go to the First World to breed, like salmon swimming upstream.
Looking back at the argopelter, I actually feel Sean's observations are spot on. It's a perfectly serviceable monster, it's just not flash-powie Superstar awesome. Especially in comparison with the other entries, it clearly didn't deserve to advance.
I'll post the other three monsters and the fey version of the argopelter here for S&G.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6
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First, the fey version of the argopelter:
From a nearby tree, a monkey-faced creature coils a heavy stick in its whip-like arms, taking aim with beady black eyes.
Argopelter CR 4
XP 1,200
CN Small fey
Init +5; Senses greensight, low-light vision; Perception +16
----- Defense -----
AC 17, touch 16, flat-footed 12 (+5 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp 36 (8d6+8)
Fort +3, Ref +11, Will +8
DR 5/cold iron
----- Offense -----
Speed 20 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee slam +7 (1d4+2)
Ranged branch +11 (1d8+3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks branch throwing (40 ft.), sneak attack +2d6
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +8)
Constant—greensight (Rival Guide), pass without trace
1/day—tree stride
----- Statistics -----
Str 15, Dex 20, Con 13, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 11
Base Atk +4; CMB +5; CMD 20
Feats Deadly Aim, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Acrobatics +16, Climb +21, Knowledge (nature) +10, Perception +16, Stealth +20 (+28 in forested areas); Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in forested areas
Languages Sylvan
SQ brachiator
----- Ecology -----
Environment any forest
Organization solitary, pair, or gaggle (3-7)
Treasure standard
----- Special Abilities -----
Brachiator (Ex) An argopelter travels by swinging through the trees on its wiry arms. An argopelter suffers no penalty to Acrobatics and Stealth checks due to undergrowth or difficult terrain in forested areas. Whenever it is climbing, an argopelter is counted as having a running start when making Acrobatics checks to jump, and uses its climb speed rather than its land speed to determine its bonus or penalty to Acrobatics checks made to jump.
Branch Throwing (Ex) An argopelter hurls tree limbs with cannon-like force. An argopelter has a +1 racial bonus on attack rolls with thrown branches, sticks, or similar pieces of wood. The creature can hurl irregularly-shaped tree branches of up to Small size. In forested areas, an argopelter has an effectively unlimited supply of branches available. An argopelter can pick up and ready a branch as a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. An argopelter’s thrown branches have a range increment of 40 feet and deal 1d8 points of bludgeoning damage plus 1 1/2 times the creature’s Strength bonus. An argopelter can throw branches up to five range increments.
The elusive, reclusive argopelters consider themselves the natural guardians of the ancient forests in which they dwell, places such as the Verduran Forest, Darkmoon Wood, and the Hoarwood. Argopelters do not get along well with dryads, treants, druids, or other beings that defend the wildwoods. Such beings find argopelters to be dangerous nuisances, but often cede territory to them since the argopelters are both motivated and capable of protecting their woods.
Argopelters often cross between Golarion and the First World at places where the planar boundaries grow thin, although no one knows from which world they came. This may explain their legendary territoriality, since the ancient woods in which they lair often contain portals between the worlds. Argopelters hate most humanoids, although they tolerate gnomes. They especially despise lumberjacks and woodcutters and will go out of their way to ambush anyone carrying an axe or cut wood. Many a logger has been found with his skull crushed by a “fallen limb.”
An argopelter’s wiry arms are strong and highly flexible. The creature uses them for both movement, brachiating through the trees, and attack, flinging tree branches with deadly accuracy. An argopelter’s pebbly hide camouflages it perfectly against tree bark. It has a lithe frame but stumpy legs. An argopelter stands about three feet high and weighs around 60 pounds.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6
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The splintercat, another fearsome critter. This was my friends' favorite.
A spotted cat with a massive head hurtles through the trees at astonishing speed.
Splintercat CR 3
XP 800
N Medium magical beast
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +8
----- Defense -----
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 30 (4d10+8)
Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +2
Defensive Abilities ferocity
----- Offense -----
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 80 ft. (good)
Melee slam +7 (1d6+3 plus hard-headed) or bite +7 (1d6+3 plus grab), 2 claws +7 (1d4+3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks pounce, powerful charge (slam, 2d6+6), rake (2 claws +7, 1d4+3), splinter burst
----- Statistics -----
Str 16, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6
Base Atk +4; CMB +7 (+11 grapple); CMD 19 (23 vs. trip)
Feats Death from Above (Ultimate Combat), Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Acrobatics +10, Climb +11, Fly +10, Perception +8, Stealth +6; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics
SQ hard-headed
----- Ecology -----
Environment temperate forests
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none
----- Special Abilities -----
Hard-Headed (Ex) A splintercat’s blunt, thick-skulled head crushes wood with ease. Its slam attack ignores the hardness of wooden objects and is treated as bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing for overcoming damage reduction possessed by creatures of the plant type. A splintercat cannot attack with its slam in the same round it attacks with its bite.
Splinter Burst (Su) A splintercat can cause trees to explode in showers of sharp splinters. To activate this ability, a splintercat must make a flying charge with its slam attack against a tree of adequate size (generally, a tree large enough to provide cover to a Medium creature is big enough). The tree takes normal damage (including the splintercat’s powerful charge ability) from this attack. The exploding wood fragments deal 3d6 points of damage to all creatures within a 10 foot radius burst (Reflex DC 15 half). The save DC is Strength-based.
Around the campfire, the loggers of Bellis and Falcon’s Hollow tell tales of the ferocious splintercat. A splintercat’s diet consists of tree-dwelling insects and mammals such as bees, termites, squirrels, opossums, and raccoons. It gets at these by flying headlong at tremendous speed into any tree in which its prey might be found, smashing the trunk with its thick, blunt head. The splintercats’ hunting ranges in the Verduran Forest and Darkmoon Wood are littered with destroyed tree trunks. The uninitiated often misattribute its handiwork to lightning or wind, but seasoned loggers can tell the difference and know to avoid a splintercat’s range.
Although splintercats do not normally hunt humanoids, their method of smashing trees with their heads causes them considerable headaches. As a consequence, splintercats are notoriously ill-tempered and territorial. A splintercat encountering an interloper in its hunting grounds usually begins its attack by ramming nearby trees to catch opponents in a shrapnel-like hail of wood fragments. Then it will circle around again for another charge, its thick head crashing into the enemy like a living cannonball. If its opponent survives the cat’s head-butt charge, it will circle around a final time, pouncing on the foe with its strong-jawed bite and razor claws. A splintercat fights tenaciously, even when injured or outnumbered, and rarely backs down when provoked.
Though superficially similar to a large bobcat or lynx, a splintercat is no natural animal, as evidenced by its supernatural ability to fly. A splintercat has a brutish, thick-skulled head, a faintly-spotted, dark brown coat, and a long, bushy tail, almost like a fox’s. An adult splintercat measures about five feet long and weighs about 140 pounds.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6
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The wampus cat is based on a legend my dad told me when we used to go catfishing in the summer. I should have put something about the word "cattywampus" in the description, though. This one is more of a noncombat encounter type monster--maybe you have to seek out the wise wampus cat who knows the location of the sunken treasure, or the weakness of the great black dragon, or something. Plus it uses wands with its whiskers!
A giant catfish surfaces through the algae, peering at you with wise eyes as it crawls out of the water on six web-footed legs.
Wampus Cat CR 5
XP 1,600
N Large magical beast (aquatic)
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., keen scent, low-light vision; Perception +16
----- Defense -----
AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +6 natural, -1 size)
hp 51 (6d10+18)
Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +8
----- Offense -----
Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft.
Melee bite +10 (1d8+5 plus disease plus grab), spines +5 (1d6+2 plus poison), tail slap +10 (1d8+7)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (0 ft. with spines)
Special Attacks capsize, disease, poison, swallow whole (2d6 acid damage, AC 13, 5 hp)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; concentration +7)
Constant—nondetection, speak with animals, speak with plants
At will—detect animals or plants, detect magic, detect thoughts
3/day—clairaudience/clairvoyance, invisibility
----- Statistics -----
Str 20, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 13
Base Atk +6; CMB +12 (+16 grapple); CMD 24 (32 vs. trip)
Feats Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Perception +16, Stealth +7 (+15 in water), Swim +22, Use Magic Device +10; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in water
Languages Aquan, Common; speak with animals, speak with plants
SQ amphibious, barbels
----- Ecology -----
Environment temperate and warm rivers/lakes and swamps
Organization solitary
Treasure standard (no coins)
----- Special Abilities -----
Barbels (Ex) A wampus cat’s whiskers, known as barbels, are prehensile and can manipulate objects of up to 10 pounds. They are not useful for wielding weapons in combat. They can, however, be used to activate magic items.
Disease (Ex) Filth fever: Bite—injury; save Fort DC 16; onset 1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Dex damage and 1d3 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Natural Attacks (Ex) A wampus cat’s venomous dorsal and pectoral fin spines are secondary natural attacks that deal piercing damage. Since they have a reach of 0 feet, a wampus cat normally uses them only when a creature attempts to grapple it. A wampus cat’s powerful tail slap is a primary natural attack and receives 1 1/2 times the creature’s Strength bonus to damage.
Poison (Ex) Spines—injury; save Fort DC 16, frequency 1/round for 4 rounds, effect 1d4 Con, cure 1 save.
The wampus cats’ superficial resemblance to aboleths has led some scholars to speculate that the two species may be related. Nothing could be further from the truth. Catfish never stop growing. Some cagey catfish who avoid manage to avoid fishermen and other predators for more than a century grow to truly prodigious size, developing intelligence, magical powers, speech, and even legs. These are known in legend as wampus cats.
The wise and wary wampus cats make their lairs in deep rivers and lakes and secluded, backwater swamps. They often hide in deep grottoes, under overhanging riverbanks, and beneath the knees of vast cypresses. Wampus cats place no intrinsic value on treasure and do not gather coins or gems they find in the water, but they do collect magic items. Like mundane catfish, wampus cats are bottom feeders of indiscriminate taste. They have been known to swallow small humanoids that venture into the water. The goblin tribes of Brinestump Marsh whisper fearful tales of a wampus cat called Gulpswaders.
The smallest wampus cats measure about eight feet long and weigh about 600 pounds. However, the only limit on their growth is the size of their habitat. Rumors hint that Huge or even Gargantuan wampus cats may dwell in the deepest recesses of Lake Encarthan.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6
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The brumal pinemaiden is the queen of the bunch. She's the one I should have submitted but didn't. My buddy felt that she might be under-CR'd, but she's about in between the CR3 dryad and the CR5 nymph. She is also much more of a harassment encounter: she drops something nasty or just inconvenient on you, then breaks contact and does it again a few miles down the road.
A harshly beautiful woman with rough, dark skin and icy, pine-needle hair turns her cold amber glare on you.
Brumal Pinemaiden CR 5
XP 1,600
NE Medium fey (cold)
Init +7; Senses low-light vision; Perception +14
----- Defense -----
AC 20, touch 17, flat-footed 17 (+4 deflection, +3 Dex, +3 natural)
hp 36 (8d6+8)
Fort +7, Ref +13, Will +13
DR 5/cold iron; Immune cold
Weaknesses cold dependent, vulnerability to fire
----- Offense -----
Speed 30 ft.
Melee icicle dagger +8 (1d4+1/19-20 plus 1d6 cold)
Ranged pinecone +7 (1d6 plus 1d6 cold)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks chilling gaze, pinecone throwing
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +12)
At will—icicle dagger (Ultimate Magic), tree stride
3/day—frigid touch (DC 17, Ultimate Magic), frost fall (DC 17, Ultimate Combat), obscuring mist, unshakable chill (DC 17, Ultimate Magic)
1/day—dominate person (DC 19), sleet storm
----- Statistics -----
Str 10, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 19
Base Atk +4; CMB +4; CMD 17
Feats Combat Casting, Elemental Focus (cold) (Advanced Player’s Guide), Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +14, Climb +11, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (nature) +12, Perception +14, Stealth +14, Survival +14
Languages Common, Giant, Sylvan
----- Ecology -----
Environment cold forests
Organization solitary, pair, or copse (3-8)
Treasure standard
----- Special Abilities -----
Cold Dependent (Su) When the temperature is above freezing, a brumal pinemaiden immediately becomes sickened. Every hour thereafter, she must make a DC 15 Fortitude save to resist becoming nauseated for an hour. A pinemaiden that is in an area above freezing for 24 hours takes 1d6 points of Constitution damage, and another 1d6 points of Constitution damage every day that follows.
Chilling Gaze (Su) 1d6 cold plus fatigue, range 30 feet, Fortitude DC 18 negates. A creature that fails its save against a brumal pinemaiden’s chilling gaze and is already fatigued does not become exhausted. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Pinecone Throwing (Su) A brumal pinemaiden can throw icy pinecones that she produces from her needle-like hair. A pinemaiden’s pinecones have a range increment of 30 feet and deal 1d6 points of bludgeoning and piercing damage plus 1d6 points of cold damage. A pinemaiden can hurl her pinecones up to five range increments.
Unearthly Grace (Su) A brumal pinemaiden adds her Charisma modifier as a racial bonus on all her saving throws, and as a deflection bonus to her Armor Class.
Brumal pinemaidens are corrupted dryads of the evergreen forests of Irrisen. Desiring to experience all the world, the first brumal pinemaidens swore allegiance to Baba Yaga in exchange for freedom from their trees. However, the capricious hag deceived the pinemaidens. She did free them from their trees, but replaced their mystical bond to their trees with a similar bond to herself. The pinemaidens gained a measure of her magical powers over cold, but found themselves unable to leave the Land of Eternal Winter. Like dryads away from their trees, pinemaidens cannot survive where temperatures are above freezing. The severing of their bond with their trees and their powerlessness against Baba Yaga’s betrayal has left the pinemaidens bitter and vengeful. Although they retain the ability to step through the trees, they can no longer understand the voices of the trees or reshape them with a caress.
Brumal pinemaidens appear as other dryads, but always bear the characteristics of coniferous evergreens such as pines and cedars. Their skin is like pine bark, their hair like icy needles, and their eyes like frozen amber.
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The Pinemaiden would have easilly made my top 8 possibly broke into my top 4. This would have been a certain choice for me as I love fey, I like her mix of abilities and as a DM I'm already looking at sneaking her into an encounter. She'd fit nice into Reign of Winter, Kingmaker, or if someone needed to beef up Carnival of Tears a bit (like say me.)
Seconded wholeheartedly. Her connection to the River Kingdoms is tenuous at best, given you've tied her to Irrisen - I imagine this is why you didn't use her.
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RPG Superstar 2013 Top 16
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Star Voter Season 6
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Given SKR's recent Round 5 reveal, Paizo, please consider all of the above monsters fair game for the "additional content."
I have no intent of publishing them elsewhere, and I'd just as soon see them in print in a Paizo product than languish unused.
My buddy said I should save them for next year, but of course, the twist always changes the parameters so they wouldn't be viable in future RPGSS.
A friend of mine independently steered me to this a little while ago by declaring the Squonk his favorite animal, and walks in the woods haven't been the same since.
I was playing around with the squonk before the contest just to practice my monster-making, though I didn't think it was quite exciting enough to be something I'd ever submit for Superstar. It's just got a great name.
Charlie, those are some excellent additional monsters. Very fun, and thanks for posting them. :)