Misfit Love

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Shhhhh... Don’t tell anyone, but here at Paizo we love our classic and misfit monsters. There is a tendency to look back at some of the oddball monsters that popped up in the sources of our youth and lament on how strange or even dumb they are. We take a different tact. Instead we revel in their strange and iconic natures. Any chance we get, we look for reason why even the most inexplicable monsters might exist in a fantasy world.

If you’re a fan of our Misfit Monsters Redeemed, you will like how many of those monsters show up in Bestiary 3. From the strangely philosophical flail snail, to those inexplicable fan favorites, the flumphs, to the downright creepy wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing, let’s just say this book is full of some strange old friends. But wait, there’s more!

Misfit Monsters Redeemed is not the only source of inspiration for the classic and misfit monsters that made the cut for Bestiary 3. Many Bonus Bestiary monsters found their way into Bestiary 3—from the axe beak, to the caryatid column, to the unholy huecuva—old favorites abound in this tome.

Now for those of you who buy nearly all of Paizo’s products, and are maybe becoming worried that you’ve seen many of the classic monsters that are appearing in Bestiary 3, don’t worry. While most of the monsters see updates, new information, and maybe some streamlining of mechanics, there are also some old favorites that show up for the first time in a Paizo product. Some of those highlights include the penanggalen, the vodyanoi, and one of my favorite old monsters, the kamadan, which is previewed below, along with its two variants: the dusk and polar kamadan.

Illustration by Eric Belisle

Kamadan CR 4

XP 1,200
NE Large magical beast
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +8

Defense

AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +5 natural, –1 size)
hp 42 (5d10+15)
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +2

Offense

Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d6+3), 2 claws +7 (1d3+3), snakes +2 (1d4+1)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with snakes)
Special Attacks breath weapon (30-ft. cone, sleep, Fortitude DC 15 negates, usable every 1d4 rounds), pounce

Statistics

Str 17, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 9
Base Atk +5; CMB +9; CMD 22 (26 vs. trip)
Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility
Skills Acrobatics +6 (+10 when jumping), Perception +8, Stealth +6; Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth
Languages Aklo

Ecology

Environment temperate or warm plains
Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–9)
Treasure standard

Special Abilities

Breath Weapon (Su) A kamadan can exhale a cone of gas that makes living creatures fall asleep for 5 minutes (Fortitude DC 15 negates). Slapping or wounding awakens a creature put to sleep by this attack, but normal noise does not. This is a sleep effect. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Snakes (Ex) A kamadan’s snakes attack simultaneously; this is always a secondary attack.

Dusk Kamadan (CR +1): A dusk kamadan has midnight black fur and snakes bearing black and red ring patterns on their bodies. A dusk kamadan has the advanced creature template, and its snakes have a poisonous bite: Snakes—injury; save Fort DC 17; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Con; cure 2 consecutive saves.

Polar Kamadan (CR +2): A polar kamadan has white fur with black spots like a snow leopard. Its snakes are furred as well. A polar kamadan has the advanced creature template and batlike wings that grant it a fly speed of 60 ft. (average). The breath weapon of a polar kamadan is particularly cold—those who succumb to it also suffer 1d4 points of Dexterity damage from numbness.

Well, that’s it for this week. Come back next week when we unleash more monsters that will make their appearance in Bestiary 3!

Stephen Radney-MacFarland
Designer