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I've been reading through Del Rey's "The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard" and thought it'd be fun to write up a few of his monsters for use with Pathfinder.
The first beasty should be useful to anybody running a campaign set on or near the sea...
"To all seeming it was Adam Falcon's corpse, animated by some horrid life, which fronted me there in the grey gloom. The eyes were open now and they glimmered with a cold light, like the reflections of some deep-sea Hell."
-excerpt from Out of the Deep: A Tale of Faring Town-
CR 9
XP: 6400
NE Medium Plant (Aquatic)
Initiative: +3 Senses: Blindsight 60ft., Perception +7
Defense:
Armor Class: 19 touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+6 Natural, +3 Dex)
Hit Dice: 6d8+18 (60hp)
Fort +7 Ref +7 Will +5
Defensive Abilities: DR 10/Slashing, Immunity to Fire, Cold, Resist Acid 10, Plant Traits (not mindless)
Weaknesses: Light Sensitivity, Sunlight Vulnerability
Offense:
Speed: 30ft. Swim 40ft.
Melee: Slam +8 (1d4+6+grab)
Space: 5ft. Reach: 5ft.
Special Attacks: Drowning Aura, Invade Corpse
Statisitics:
Str 18 Dex 16 Con 14 Int 3 Wis 12 Cha 10
Base Atk +4 CMB +8(+2 Grapple) CMD 21 (+2 vs. Grapple)
Feats: Improved Grapple (bonus,) Toughness, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes
Skills: Perception 7 Stealth 9 (+20 underwater if not within a host body)
Languages: understands Aquan but cannot speak
SQ: Amphibious
Ecology:
Environment: see below
Organization: Solitary or Patch 2-8
Treasure: Standard
Special Abilities:
Drowning Aura (Su): Any creature successfully grappled by a deep devil becomes subject to the rules for drowning.
Invade Corpse (Ex): A deep devil may take root within any corpse equal to its own size as a full round action. Once within the corpse, the plant animates the corpse to full mobility and the dead creature’s organs are quickly absorbed to feed the plant. This process leaves the body cold, slightly spongy and wet despite any time spent out of water. Only the exterior features of the body are left intact.
Sunlight Vulnerability: Pure, unfiltered sunlight is deadly to deep devils. A deep devil exposed to sunlight has three rounds to reach the safety of darkness or fully submerge itself in water. On the first round, the creature becomes fatigued, on the second, exhausted and on the third the creature melts into an ill-smelling puddle of greenish goo. The host corpse of the creature shares the same fate as the deep devil. Such a corpse cannot be used to raise a creature from the dead.
Commonly (but mistakenly) referred to as “Mermen,” deep devils are actually hateful, semi-intelligent plants, which take root within the bodies of drowned men in order to commit acts of murder on the surface world. Outside of a host corpse, a deep devil looks exactly like a patch of seaweed and is easily mistaken as such. A deep devil rarely attacks a still-living creature in order to inhabit its corpse but will lurk near dangerous reefs or creatures that do attack surface-dwellers in order to have access to a fresh supply of bodies. Once within a suitable body, the plant takes control of the corpse and seeks out the nearest shore to the dead creature’s homeland. How it knows where to go is still unknown but, it is believed, the deep devil is able to access memories of the creature’s home after absorbing the brain. From there, the creature will allow itself to be carried in by the tide and recovered by the local populace who return the body to the deceased’s family or friends. It is only a matter of time, then, before the deep devil begins to murder the bereaved and move on to killing any intelligent being between itself and the sea. Once it has completed its grisly task, the plant returns to the waves where it sloughs off its host corpse and hunts for a new body.
Why deep devils harbor such malice toward surface-dwelling people and go to such lengths to kill them is a mystery. Some theorists pin the blame on aberrant magic gone awry or angry sea gods seeking revenge for plundered treasure while others believe the plants are an evolved form of the much-maligned kelpie. Though possessing rudimentary intelligence, the deep devils remain silent on the subject and attempts to communicate with the creatures telepathically or probe their minds have yielded nothing but insane, scattered memories of murder and the cold, apathetic sea.
In combat, a deep devil focuses on one foe at a time. Using its prodigious strength, the creature attempts to grapple a foe and subject it to its drowning aura. Once within the arms of a deep devil, a creature feels as though it has been submerged into the deepest trench of the ocean and quickly loses its breath. Upon murdering one foe, the deep devil simply drops its victim and moves onto the next.
Deep devils are very aware of their vulnerability to sunlight and seem to hate light of all kinds (though only actual sunlight can kill them outright.) It isn’t unheard of for a deep devil to attack a light source or the bearer of a light source in favor of all other targets, but the creatures are usually wise enough to quickly give up on attacking magical lights, which have no solid structure they can break or lights that are obviously beyond their reach.
Occasionally, deep devils will organize into small groups in order to perpetrate terrible sprees of murder. This usually occurs when a ship goes down with enough corpses in the vicinity for each plant to find a host. A deep devil will always seek out a corpse of equal size to itself. A body too small will not entirely contain the creature and a body too large is too big for the deep devil to move.
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And here's REH monster number 2.
"Humans they were, of a sort, though I did not consider them so. They were short and stocky, with broad heads too large for their scrawny bodies. Their hair was snaky and stringy, their faces broad and square, with flat noses, hideously slanted eyes, a thin gash for a mouth and pointed ears. They wore the skin of beasts, as did I, but these hides were but crudely dressed. They bore small bows and flint-tipped arrows, flint knives and cudgels. And they conversed in a speech as hideous as themselves, a hissing, reptilian speech that filled me with dread and loathing."
-excerpt from The Children of the Night-
CR 1/2
XP: 200
CE Medium Humanoid (Reptilian)
Initiative: +6 Senses: Darkvision, Scent, Perception 5
Defense:
Armor Class: 13 touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+1 Natural, +2 Dex)
Hit Dice: 1d10 (6hp)
Fort +2 Ref +2 Will +0
Weaknesses: Light Sensitivity
Offense:
Speed: 30ft. Climb 15ft.
Melee: club +1 (1d6,) short bow +3 (1d6) or Bite +1 (1d6)
Space: 5ft. Reach: 5ft.
Statisitics
Str 10 Dex 14 Con 10 Int 8 Wis 12 Cha 8
Base Atk +1 CMB +1 CMD 13
Feats: Improved Initiative
Skills: Perception 5 Stealth 10 Racial Modifiers: +4 Stealth +4 Perception +8 Climb
Languages: Draconic
Ecology:
Environment: any subterranean or temperate mountains or forests
Organization: Hunting Party 4-16 Tribe 30-200
Treasure: NPC Gear (club, short bow and 20 arrows, other treasure)
At roughly the height of a dwarf, the children of the night resemble reptile/mammal hybrids but the truth isn’t quite so simple. The Children of the Night were created when prehistoric humans mixed their blood with that of the serpent people. The resulting beings were hunted down by pureblood humans and forced to flee into the earth. Many generations of inbreeding and subterranean life caused the Children to devolve into their current form.
The Children of the Night (called as such due to their nocturnal rituals and their proclivity toward darkness) make their homes in deep caves systems typically near forests where they erect forbidding cairns as ritual sites. The creatures, for they can no longer be considered men, worship foul deities, both terrestrial and alien, and are often responsible for kidnapping children and women to be used as sacrifices.
In battle, the Children typically swarm their opponents, relying on sheer numbers to overwhelm opponents. Any group of Children larger than 16-strong will have at least one spellcaster (typically an adept or sorcerer) as an overseer.
Children of the Night Characters
Children of the Night are defined by their class levels – they do not possess racial Hit Dice. Children of the Night sorcerers usually possess Aberrant, Abyssal or Arcane bloodlines. Child clerics typically have access to the domains of Chaos, Darkness, Evil, Madness and Magic. All Children of the Night have the following traits:
-2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence: Children of the Night are slightly more agile than the average human but their small build and devolved brains make them weak and rather stupid.
+1 Natural Armor Bonus (ex): A Child’s skin is covered in scales, which give their bodies small protection from attacks.
Bite: A Child of the Night can make a bite attack as a primary attack dealing 1d6 damage plus 1½ its Strength bonus.
Climb Speed (ex): A Child of the Night has a climb speed of 15ft, giving it a +8 racial bonus on climb checks along with all other benefits for having a climb speed.
Darkvision (ex): Children of the Night can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Scent (ex): Children of the Night receive the scent ability.
Light Sensitivity (ex): Children of the Night are dazzled in areas of bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
Skilled: +4 racial bonus to Stealth and Perception checks.
Languages: Children of the Night begin play speaking Draconic. Children with high intelligence may choose any of the following bonus languages: Abyssal, Aklo, Common, Goblin, Orc.
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This one introduces an option for GMs to take their adventures into the dreamscape.
"Something makes the grasses swish-swish - as if a great, long, pliant weight were being dragged through them. Above the bungalow it swishes and then ceases - in front of the door; then the hinges creak - creak! The door begins to bulge inward - a small bit - then some more!"
-excerpt from The Dream Snake-
CR 6
XP: 2400
N Large Magical Beast (extraplanar)
Initiative: +7 Senses: Darkvision, Lowlight Vision, Blindsense 90ft., Scent, Perception +8
Defense:
Armor Class: 17 touch 12, flat-footed 14 (+5 Natural, +3 Dex, -1 Size)
Hit Dice: 6d10+12 (48hp)
Fort +7 Ref +8 Will +4
Defensive Abilities: DR 5/Magic
Offense:
Speed: 30ft.
Melee: Bite +11 (1d8+7+constrict)
Space: 10ft. Reach: 10ft.
Special Attacks: Constrict (1d8+7,) Dreamstalking
Statisitics:
Str 20 Dex 16 Con 14 Int 2 Wis 14 Cha 10
Base Atk +6 CMB +12 (+2 Grapple) CMD 25 (+2 vs. Grapple)
Feats: Improved Grapple (bonus,) Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (bite,) Skill Focus (stealth)
Skills: Perception 8 Stealth 7
Languages: none
Ecology:
Environment: Ethereal Plane or Dream Dimension
Organization: Solitary
Treasure: None
Special Abilities:
Dreamstalking (Su) – Oneirosérpos are able to open portals from the Ethereal Plane into the dreams of their victims. Once the creature has selected a victim, it returns to the victim every time it sleeps in order to stalk and weaken the mind and body of its victim before making the kill. The victim receives a DC13 Will save every time it is stalked in this manner. Failure results in 1d10 points of damage, inability to prepare or regain spells and fatigue until it can achieve a restful sleep. A fatigued creature that is again stalked by an oneirosérpo is subject to the same attack and must save or take another 1d10 damage and become exhausted until they receive 8 hours of restful sleep. Once the victim is exhausted, the serpent makes one final dreamstalking attack in order to pull the victim’s dream self into the Ethereal Plane where it attempts to finish its prey. This attack can be prevented through the use of a Dispel Evil, Remove Curse or Break Enchantment spell cast on the victim.
An oneirosérpo is a predator of the Ethereal Plane, which possesses the incredible ability to travel into the Dimension of Dreams in order to hunt its prey. Within a victim’s dreams, the creature resembles nothing more than a 20-foot long, black-scaled python with evil, yellow, lidless eyes. However, in its own plane, an oneirosérpo is far more terrifying. An oneirosérpo on the Ethereal Plane resembles something like a snake that has been turned inside out. It’s yellow eyes bulge and things akin to organs, veins and tumors appear to hang loosely from its sickly white hide. Within the creature’s mouth, a victim finds only a black void.
The oneirosérpo has no ability to manifest on the Material Plane and subsists solely on the dreams of sentient creatures. Using its dreamstalking ability, the creature wears down its prey until it can drag their dreaming self into the Ethereal Plane to be eaten. Victims of an oneirosérpo attack die screaming in their sleep but bear injuries that suggest they were crushed and squeezed by some titanic force.
Combat in the Dream Self – A victim’s dream self is particularly vulnerable once exhausted by the oneirosérpo’s dream stalking attack. In addition to suffering from the exhausted condition, the victim has only its natural physical abilities to defend itself. With no equipment or spells at their disposal, most victims are quickly dispatched. However, there is hope.
Several spells exist, which can be used to aid a sleeping victim confronted by an oneirosérpo. The benefits of Protection from Evil and Sanctuary will extend to the dream self as will the effects of Bless, Prayer and Heroism. Furthermore any creature capable of reaching the Ethereal Plane (possibly through the use of a Blink spell) may aid the dreamer by directly attacking the serpent. A Dream spell cast while the victim is being stalked or attacked by the oneirosérpo will also give another creature the ability to locate the victim and confront the beast.