Monday, November 21, 2016

Frightful Fridays! (Thanksgiving Week Spectacular) Primal Unicorn

Hello and welcome to a special edition of Frightful Fridays! Each day this week, I'll be posting a monster, including a fun Thanksgiving critter. I'm thankful for all my readers, and I want to make up for some missing weeks, so I'm creating this small run. I hope you enjoy them, starting with the primal unicorn. I've seen plenty of antithetical unicorns (all evil and negative and such), and I've worked on my share, but I wanted to do something close to nature. Luckily, friends posted the below image, and it re-triggered that desire.

I hope you like the primal unicorn, and I'll see you tomorrow with another monster. Thanks for reading!

ALSO: You still have a few days to enter your monster in the latest Here Be Monsters contest! http://aswordforhire.blogspot.fi/2016/11/here-be-monsters-3-from-beyond-stars.html


This rhinoceros, covered in greenish wool, sports a massive horn.
Primal Unicorn      CR 4
XP 1,200
N Large magical beast
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +11
DEFENSE
AC 17, touch 9, flat-footed 17 (+8 natural, –1 size)
hp 42 (5d10+15)
Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +6
DR 5/piercing or wood
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft.
Melee gore +9 (2d6+7)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks blood rage, powerful charge (4d6+14), striding charge, trample (2d6+10, DC 17)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 9th; concentration +13)
   At will—create food and water
   3/day—animal growth (DC 19), entangle (DC 15)
   1/day—remove disease, summon nature's ally IV, tree stride
STATISTICS
Str 21, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 10, Wis 20, Cha 19
Base Atk +5; CMB +11 (+13 bull rush); CMD 21 (23 vs. bull rush, 25 vs. trip)
Feats Improved Bull Rush, Intimidating Prowess, Power Attack
Skills Knowledge (nature) +9, Intimidate +9, Perception +11, Stealth –4 (+4 in forests), Survival +11; Racial Modifiers +4 Knowledge (nature), +8 Stealth in forests, +4 Survival
Languages Sylvan (can't speak)
SQ wild empathy +13, woodland stride
ECOLOGY
Environment any forest
Organization solitary, pair, crash (3–6)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Animal Growth (Sp) Once per day, a primal unicorn can quicken its animal growth spell-like ability as per the Quicken Spell-Like Ability feat, but only when it uses animal growth on itself.
Blood Rage (Ex) A primal unicorn can attempt a DC 16 Will save at the beginning of its turn to voluntarily end its rage. The save DC is Constitution-based (and based on the rage’s increased Constitution).
Striding Charge (Su) Once per day, a primal unicorn with its tree stride spell-like ability active can charge from a tree to which it transports as part of its full-round action.
Wild Empathy (Su) This ability works like the druid’s wild empathy class feature. A primal unicorn has a +4 racial bonus on wild empathy checks, and a primal unicorn with class levels granting wild empathy adds its racial modifier to wild empathy checks.
Woodland Stride (Ex) This works like the druid’s woodland stride ability. Additionally, a primal unicorn’s charge is not hindered by trees, and it does not harm trees when it charges.

Primal unicorns are more physically imposing specimens compared to typical unicorns. Rather than an equine form, primal unicorns take a rhinoceros shape. They weigh 2,500 pounds, stand 4 feet tall, and are 7 feet long.

Primal unicorns are in tune with their forest homes and protect all creatures who live there, animal, fey, and humanoid alike. Regardless of a creature’s alignment, primal unicorns give them equal protection, provided the creature respects other forest residents, and, most importantly, the forest itself. Primal unicorns react violently to outside destruction caused to their forests and usually lead a charge of animals to repel despoilers. Other than chasing egregious destroyers, primal unicorns rarely leave their homes. Because of their insular dispositions, primal unicorns have faded from public conscience as more proactive creatures such as unicorns and many “anti-unicorn” variants take the stage.

Foes who mistake the primal unicorns’ rhino-like appearance for slow, lumbering attacks meet unpleasant surprises when the unicorns charge at incredible speeds, nimbly dodging trees as they run. Primal unicorns often use their tree stride spell-like ability in the morning to give themselves an extra advantage for most of day, allowing them to maneuver other trees to get better charge lanes.