Friday, November 3, 2017

Frightful Fridays! Physiscopia

Hello and welcome back to another Frightful Fridays! This week's monster is actually posting on Friday, making it 5 in a row, which is a recent record. I'll try to keep the momentum going. Anyway, today's monster, the physiscopia, is essentially a menagerie of animals (with accents of plant). It hurts the physiscopia when it yanks an animal from its collective, but the animal benefits from any ongoing protections/augmentations benefiting the physcopia.

I'll be back next week with another monster. Thanks for reading!



A riot of animals lines this humanoid creature’s “skin,” which also features bark from numerous different trees. A cacophony of roars, howls, bird cries, and trumpets erupts from the creature.
Physiscopia      CR 8
XP 4,800
N Large monstrous humanoid
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +16
DEFENSE
AC 21, touch 13, flat-footed 17 (+4 Dex, +8 natural, –1 size)
hp 95 (10d10+40)
Fort +9, Ref +11, Will +10
DR 5/cold iron
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee bite +14 (1d8+5), 2 claws +14 (1d6+5), gore +14 (1d8+5)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks detach animal, wild shape (as 8th level druid, animal forms only, 5/day)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +12)
   At will—speak with animals
   1/day—aspect of the bear[APG], aspect of the falcon[APG], aspect of the stag[APG], aspect of the wolf[APG], blessing of the salamander[APG], greater animal aspect[UC]
Druid Spells Prepared (CL 10th; concentration +13)
   5th—animal growth (DC 18), commune with nature
   4th—atavism[UM] (DC 17), bloody claws[APG] (DC 17), thorn body[APG]
   3rd—dominate animal (DC 16), mad monkeys[UM], greater magic fang, rain of frogs[UM]
   2nd—animal messenger, barkskin, bear's endurance, bull's strength, summon swarm
   1st—calm animals (DC 14), charm animal (DC 14), entangle (DC 14), hide from animals, longstrider
   0 (at will)—create water, know direction, resistance, stabilize
STATISTICS
Str 20, Dex 18, Con 19, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 15
Base Atk +10; CMB +16; CMD 30
Feats Great Fortitude, Natural Spell, Outflank[APG], Quick Wild Shape[UM], Wild Speech[UM]
Skills Climb +13, Fly +11, Handle Animal +15, Knowledge (nature) +14, Perception +16, Survival +16, Swim +12
Languages Sylvan; speak with animals
ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization solitary or menagerie (2–12)
Treasure incidental
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Detach Animal (Su) As a move action, a physiscopia can release an animal from its collective mass. This acts as a summon nature’s ally I–V spell (CL 10th), but the physiscopia can only call forth a single creature with the animal type. This ability deals an amount of damage to the physiscopia equal to twice the spell level. If the animal is still alive at the end of the spell’s duration, it returns to the physiscopia’s mass, healing it the same amount of hit points. An animal called forth in this way benefits from all spells and spell-like abilities affecting the physiscopia when it uses this ability. The animal is also treated as possessing any teamwork feats possessed by the physiscopia. Additionally, the animal gains DR 2/cold iron. A physiscopia must call forth a different animal each time it uses this ability, unless an animal has returned to its mass. It must wait 24 hours before it can use this ability for an animal that has died.

Chosen guardians of nature, physiscopias embody all elements of animals and plants. Lesser physiscopias lean more toward animal aspects, while more powerful specimens combine fauna and flora. They contain all known animal species within their whole and can pluck individual animals to help them combat those who harm the natural world. Physiscopias have humanoid origins and maintain an awareness of the balance between civilization and nature, so they check their attacks against humanoids who unwittingly harm their protectorates, seeking only to drive the offenders away. Against deliberate encroachment, though, physiscopias allow their primal nature to take hold and pursue and kill transgressors. Because the animals are part of a physiscopia gestalt, anything benefitting physiscopias also benefits the animals they detach from the whole. Given enough time to prepare, physiscopias can create a powerful army of animals with which they can overwhelm their foes. Physiscopias are aware of the danger they expose their animal components to when they pull them out for battle and mourn every animal they lose in a fight.

Typical physiscopias stand 8 feet tall and weigh 400 pounds. They have a lifespan of 200 years, but very few of them reach old age.

A druid of at least 10th level can become a physiscopia through a 24-hour ritual that takes place at one of the equinoxes. More powerful druids (15th level or higher) who become physiscopias gain access to higher level summon nature’s ally spells for their detach special ability, can call forth plant creatures, and cannot be harmed by animals or plants.