A Caroling Horse (Of Course. Of Course.)

Happy holidays, one and all! Whether you're celebrating the season, stuck working, or enjoying business mandated days off, I don't think it's an exaggeration to say we could all use a bit of festive cheer this year. Winter traditions range from the sweet to the downright malevolent (check out Krampus in our upcoming Bestiary 3), but by far one of the strangest is the Welsh tradition of the Mari Lwyd. This spooky, shrouded creature has a horse's skull for a head. It shows up either during Christmas or the New Year—depending on how much the local church freaks out about its presence—and carols at the doorways to peoples' houses, demanding entrance using Welsh rhymes. Those who let the Mari Lwyd inside must offer the creature hospitality, usually in the form of alcohol and cheese. (Golarion scholars are still debating the absolute definition of “cheese”, but the general rule is that if you have to ask if something counts, it doesn't.)

Mari_Lwyd, A contemporary Mari Lwyd. Image Public Domain, from Wikipedia

Of course, most people don't want to give up their holiday booze and cheese to a creepy skull-horse! Those who seek to deny the Mari Lwyd entrance must sing back, telling it to leave. The festive Welsh rap battle, known as Pwnco, continues until one party runs out of ideas and is defeated. Should the Mari Lwyd lose, it will be on its way. If it wins, the household invites it in, but only—most critically—after the occupants make it promise to behave. Otherwise, the creature parties too hard, wrecking the place in a joyous frenzy.

Many Pathfinder monsters are wicked or hostile, but the Mari Lwyd is simply out to enjoy the season. Are your characters and players up to challenge this frightening being to a contest of rhymes? Or would they throw a Kraft Single at it and hope it goes away?

Mari Lwyd — Creature 11

Uncommon, CN, Large, Fey

Perception +21; darkvision
Languages Common, Sylvan
Skills Athletics +23, Diplomacy +19, Intimidation +21, Performance +21, Thievery +20
Str +7, Dex +3, Con +5, Int +4, Wis +2, Cha +6
AC 30; Fort +24, Ref +21, Will +18
HP 190; Immunities persistent wassailing

Mostly Harmless The Mari Lwyd is out simply to enjoy the season. The Mari Lwyd's attacks have the nonlethal trait when attacking creatures, unless those creatures attempt a hostile action on the Mari Lwyd first.

Persistent Wassailing The Mari Lwyd cannot be disrupted by common means. It always knows if a building is truly unoccupied or if the occupants can speak and hear and are merely refusing to sing back, and it is immune to silence and similar effects of up to 5th level.

Speed 50 feet, swim 30 feet

Melee [one-action] jaws +24 (magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d10+10 piercing

Melee [one-action] hoof +24 (agile, magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d8+10 bludgeoning

Pwnco [three-actions] The Mari Lwyd begins a rhyming contest, requesting entrance to a closed home, tavern, or other building that has occupants who can respond in it. It rolls a Performance check. Before the Mari Lwyd's next turn, one occupant must respond to the Mari Lwyd’s request by spending three actions to Perform a song of their own. The DC for the respondent’s song is equal to the result of the Mari Lwyd’s Performance check. If the building is occupied and no one responds, this has the effects of a critical failure.

Critical Success The respondents win the Pwnco, causing the Mari Lwyd to depart.

Success The response is good, and the Pwnco continues. The Mari Lwyd must use Pwnco again on its next turn. It takes a –2 circumstance penalty to its Performance check or increases its current circumstance penalty by 2, whichever is worse.

Failure The respondents lose the Pwnco! The Mari Lwyd demands hospitality, causing the door to unlock and open and any barriers at the door to move out of the way. If the door is magically sealed, the Mari Lwyd attempts to counteract the effect (counteract level 11, counteract modifier +22). If no occupant of the building offers the Mari Lwyd alcohol or cheese before the start of its next turn and demands that it behave itself, the Mari Lwyd can use Festive Rampage at the start of its next turn.

Critical Failure As failure, but due to the ineptitude of the response, the Mari Lwyd counteracts magical effects with a counteract level of 15 and modifier of +30, and it must be offered twice as much alcohol or cheese.

Festive Rampage [free-action] Requirements The Mari Lwyd enters a building after winning the Pwnco, and was not both told to behave itself and offered alcohol or cheese; Effect The Mari Lwyd flies into a destructive celebratory rampage. As long as the Mari Lwyd remains in the building, it gains resistance 10 to all damage and its strikes ignore 10 Hardness. The Mari Lwyd loses the benefits of this ability if it attacks a living creature, and typically smashes furniture instead.

To every one of you, all the best.

Eleanor Ferron
Pathfinder Developer