Frightful Fridays! Coin Kaida Swarm

Hello and welcome back to a new Frightful Fridays! This dragon swarm continues the theme from last week and returns to one of my favorite types of creatures: the kaida. This dragon, naturally inclined to organizing with others of its kind, makes for a terrific protector of hoards belonging to a myriad of creatures.

I hope you like the idea of treasure that fights back. Thanks for reading!

Individual coins in this pile of coins sprout wings, tails, and toothy maws, and take to the air en masse.
Coin Kaida Swarm CR 8
XP 4,800
N Diminutive dragon (swarm)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +15

Defense
AC 22, touch 18, flat-footed 18 (+4 Dex, +4 size, +4 natural)
hp 94 (9d12+36)
Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +11
Defensive Abilities swarm traits; Immune electricity, paralysis, sleep; Resist cold 10; SR 19

Offense
Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (perfect)
Melee swarm (2d6 plus 3d6 electricity and poison)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks distraction (DC 18), poison
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +12)
3/day—empowered lightning bolt (DC 17)
1/day—detonate (DC 18)

Statistics
Str 1, Dex 18, Con 19, Int 19, Wis 16, Cha 14
Base Atk +9; CMB —; CMD —
Feats Elemental Focus (electricity), Empower Spell-Like Ability (lightning bolt), Greater Elemental Focus, Improved Iron Will, Iron Will
Skills Appraise +16, Bluff +22, Disable Device +11, Fly +25, Intimidate +14, Perception +15, Sense Motive +15, Sleight of Hand +13, Spellcraft +16, Stealth +24, Use Magic Device +14; Racial Modifier +8 Bluff
Languages Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Infernal

Ecology
Environment any terrestrial
Organization solitary, pair, or hoard (3–8 swarms)
Treasure standard (coin bodies)

Special Abilities
Poison (Ex) Swarm—injury; save Fort DC 18; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d3 Cha drain; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Individually the smallest of kaida, coin kaidas learned quickly to gather together in great numbers for mutual protection. Their ability to merge with and fully imitate coins also protects them from other creatures. Larger dragons and humanoids with considerable treasuries who are aware of coin kaidas attract the minuscule dragons to their hoards where the kaidas feel most at home and provide a surprise guardian for the treasure. The highly-intelligent kaidas typically wait for an intruder (anyone not permitted access to the treasure) to get within touching distance of the treasure before launching themselves into flight and attacking.

In their un-merged forms, kaidas are a drab blue, which, along with their command of electricity, causes sages to speculate that the dragons are related to mighty blues. Blue dragons, for their part and when they deign to respond to the question, refuse to acknowledge the relationship. Spellcasters can take individual coin kaidas as familiars, which vary in power depending on the coin to which a kaida can attune itself. A swarm contains a typical mix of coins; less powerful swarms consisting solely of copper coins exist, as do extremely powerful versions comprised only of platinum coins.

 

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Frightful (mid-)February! Seismhares

Continuing with the (sort of) swarm theme that has devloped this week, and thanks to a suggestion from Sarah, who pointed out this video, today's monster is a humble bunny—one that can create earthquakes, on its own or in a hundreds-strong group, that is. They can create terrain they have no difficulty traversing, and I imagine their territory would look somewhat apocalyptic with all the upheaved ground.

I hope you enjoy the seismhare, and I'll be back tomorrow for an actual Frightful Fridays! entry. I imagine I'll keep going with the swarm theme. Thanks, as always, for reading!

This slate-grey rabbit stands as tall as a horse. As it thumps one of its oversized back paws in agitation, the ground shakes.
Giant Seismhare CR 7
XP 3,200
N Large magical beast
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 120 ft.; Perception +9

Defense
AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 17 (+3 Dex, -1 size, +8 natural)
hp 85 (9d10+36)
Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +6

Offense
Speed 50 ft., burrow 40 ft., earth glide
Melee bite +13 (2d6+5/19-20), kick +13 (2d8+5)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks trample (3d6+7, DC 19), tremor

Statistics
Str 21, Dex 17, Con 18, Int 5, Wis 16, Cha 8
Base Atk +9; CMB +15 (+17 bull rush); CMD 28 (30 vs. bull rush, 32 vs. trip)
Feats Acrobatic Steps, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), Nimble Moves, Power Attack
Skills Acrobatics +15 (+23 jump), Perception +9, Stealth +7

Ecology
Environment temperate or warm plains
Organization solitary, pair, rumble (3–6), or quake (7–18)
Treasure none

Special Abilities
Tremor (Ex) As a full-round action, a giant seismhare stamps its feet on the ground to create one of two effects: it can render a 10-foot-radius area difficult terrain or it can trip all creatures in a 30-foot radius (making a single combat maneuver check using its CMB for the trip attempt). This ability has no effect on magically-treated stone.

--------------------

As this group of little slate-gray rabbits moves in unison, it leaves behind cracks in the ground.
Seismhare Swarm CR 5
XP 1,600
N Tiny magical beast (swarm)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +10

Defense
AC 18, touch 16, flat-footed 14 (+4 Dex, +2 size, +2 natural)
hp 51 (6d10+18)
Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +4
Defensive Abilities swarm traits

Offense
Speed 30 ft., burrow 20 ft.
Melee swarm (3d6)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks distraction (DC 16), tremor

Statistics
Str 7, Dex 19, Con 16, Int 3, Wis 14, Cha 10
Base Atk +6; CMB —; CMD —
Feats Acrobatic Steps, Improved Initiative, Nimble Moves
Skills Perception +10, Stealth +16

Ecology
Environment temperate or warm plains
Organization solitary, pair, shifting (3–6)
Treasure none

Special Abilities
Tremor (Ex) As a seismhare swarm moves, it renders all squares through which it passes difficult terrain. This ability has no effect on magically-treated stone.

Even though seismhares in a swarm and giant seismhares seem to be related animals of the same species, they actually represent different growth stages in the same animal. Through attrition, usually due to flying predators, a swarm dwindles in size, but the individual hares grow proportionately, as do their tough hides. The surviving hares burrow during the winter and undergo exceptional growth. When they finish their hibernation, they pair off and produce prodigious numbers of offspring before dying. The young must fend for themselves, typically by gathering in the hundreds—or thousands—with other abandoned seismhares.

Rumors claim seismhares descend from animalistic earth elementals trapped on the Material Plane millennia ago. The fact that they are nominally herbivores but eat very little to account for their incredible growth, seeming instead to absorb the ground around them, supports these rumors. However, they are flesh-and-blood creatures; in fact, many plains people consider seismhare meat a delicacy.

 

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Frightful (mid-)February! Chihuahua Swarm

Welcome back to another install of Frightful (not so) Fridays! I really missed working on this in January, so I'm making up for lost time this week. At any rate, this one is another "ripped from the headlines" entry (thanks to Treppa most recently, and others before her). While one tiny dog might not be all that formidable to an adventurer, a swarm of them is another story. A note about their trip attack: the swarm cannot benefit from the attack of opporunity incurred when they trip an opponent, but a creature controlling the swarm certainly could.

I hope you like the chihuahua swarm, and I'll be back tomorrow with something new. Thanks for reading!

This gathering of hundreds of tiny dogs unleashes a cacophony of barks, snarls, and yips as it roils along.
Chihuahua Swarm CR 2
XP 600
N Tiny animal (swarm)
Init +7; Senses low-light vision; Perception +3

Defense
AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +2 size)
hp 16 (3d8+3)
Fort +4, Ref +6, Will +0
Defensive Abilities swarm traits

Offense
Speed 20 ft.
Melee swarm (2d6 plus distraction and trip)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks distraction (DC 12), enthusiastic charge, trip

Statistics
Str 2, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 1, Wis 9, Cha 10
Base Atk +2; CMB —; CMD —
Feats Improved Initiative, Stealthy
Skills Acrobatics +7, Escape Artist +5, Perception +3, Stealth +17

Ecology
Environment any temperate or warm
Organization solitary, pair, outrage (3–6)
Treasure none

Special Abilities
Enthusiastic Charge (Ex) Once every 4 rounds, a chihuahua swarm can charge at up to four times its speed.
Trip (Ex) When a chihuahua swarm deals damage to an opponent, it can also attempt to trip that opponent. The swarm's effective CMB is +8, which includes a +2 racial bonus, and any foe tripped by the swarm incurs an attack of opportunity.

Feral dogs do not typically collect in large enough packs to rival rat swarms, but circumstances and environment could factor into such a rare occurrence. When this happens, it becomes a many-toothed terror that shuts down a community while the dogs run rampant. Despite the animals collective excitement, they can remain patient enough to hide from an approaching victim before they boil out of their hiding spot to knock the victim down and gnaw at him—bites which are individually annoying but inflict considerable pain collectively.

While the most common occurrence of this type of swarm involves chihuahuas, giving the phenomenon its name, any collection of small dogs could form a so-called chihuahua swarm. Larger dogs do not gather in sufficient numbers to create a more formidable troop; such a collection of cats would implode in a violent fury of hisses, spits, and flying fur.

A spellcaster with access to summon swarm can cast it as a 3rd-level spell (using an appropriate spell slot) to summon a chihuahua swarm.

 

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Frightful (mid-)February! Ship of Death

It's still not Friday, but I hope that won't stop you from checking out today's entry. Paizo friend Kajehase brought up this article and asked for an encounter, which is presented below. It's a typical rats-ate-everything-including-themselves-and-now-they-haunt-the-ship-they-infested event, which a GM could extend by allowing the skeletal crewmembers or the rats to curse a victim with cannibalism (rather than the intensified filth fever). The players could follow up with the wizard who created the magic that caused this situation—perhaps there's another such enchanted ship ready to set sail that is basically a time bomb of ravenous rats.

 

Rat-Infested Ghost Ship
When the cargo ship Bertram's Folly set sail across the ocean, it carried tons of fruit, grain, and other perishable goods with it. Experimental magic suffusing the cargo hold preserved the foodstuffs for the long voyage. Unfortunately, the ship carried stowaways in the form of a pair of rats, which gorged themselves on the food and, as a strange side-effect of the preservation magic, bred prodigiously. Within an hour, the pair became a hundred, and by the end of the trip's first day, a thousand rats devoured the entire cargo.

The first sign of trouble came when the ship's cat, Mr. Tibbles, scurried up to the crow's nest and refused to come back down. The first couple of sailors to investigate became the rat swarm's first human victims, and the remainder of the crew closed the door to the cargo hold to keep the carnivorous rats away. The door burst due to the sheer number of rats pushing on it, and the ravenous creatures made short work of all hands, leaving the ship adrift. Having no other source of food, the rats turned on each other, and the last survivor quickly died of starvation.

1. Main Deck (CR 10)
Skeletal remains of several humans and hundreds of rats litter the main deck; something has picked the bones clean. The only exception is a large, bloated rat that shows no obvious sign of its cause of death.

The rats enacted their carnage here as the crew mad their desperate but futile attempt to fight off the starving rats. When the rats triumphed, they devoured the sailors' flesh, and then they attacked each other, leaving a single survivor, which perished shortly thereafter.

Creatures: Four crewmembers returned to a mockery of life after the rats had stripped them of their flesh and continue their duties as best they can, with the purpose of finding potential seaborne victims they can consume.

Bertram's Folly Skeleton (4) CR 6
XP 2,400
Human skeletal champion warrior 5
NE Medium undead
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +4

Defense
AC 19, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+3 armor, +1 deflection, +2 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 natural)
hp 78 (5d10+2d8+33)
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +4

Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee mwk scimitar +11/+6 (1d6+4/18–20) or 2 claws +10 (1d4+3 plus disease)
Special Attacks disease (filth fever: Claw—injury; save Fort DC 16; onset 1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Dex damage and 1d4 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves)

Tactics
During Combat Bertram's Folly skeletons pair off against opponents and make use of their Outflank feat to overwhelm an opponent. They prefer to fight with their scimitars, but they occasionally switch to a claw attack to infect a foe with a virulent strain of filth fever.
Morale Bertram's Folly skeletons fight to the death.

Statistics
Str 17, Dex 14, Con —, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +6; CMB +9; CMD 23
Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative(B), Lightning Reflexes, Outflank, Toughness, Weapon Focus (scimitar)
Skills Climb +10, Perception +4, Profession (sailor) +7, Swim +10
Languages Common
Gear +1 leather armor, masterwork scimitar, ring of protection +1

 

2. Crow's Nest
A jingle sounds from the bucket at the top of this mast as if someone within fidgeted with a bell.

A character investigating the crow's nest finds an emaciated, but still living, Mr. Tibbles. Coaxing the animal down requires a DC 28 Handle Animal check.

Treasure: The captain placed a "lucky" charm on Mr. Tibbles's collar. This charm, a finely crafted jade dolphin, is worth 3,000 gp.

 

3. Belowdecks (CR 9)
The ship's virtually empty cargo hold echoes eerily with each footfall. Gnawed bags and crates are the only remains of whatever the ship carried.

The bags and crates in the cargo hold still radiate strong transmutation magic, due to the magic used to preserve the food within.

Creatures: The rat swarm's hunger was so intense that the creatures returned as ghostly versions of their former selves. They attack, appearing to pour out of the walls, when a character fully descends the ladder to the hold.

Ghost Rat Swarm CR 9
XP 6,400
Fiendish advanced rat swarm ghost
CE Tiny undead (animal, incorporeal, swarm)
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +18

Defense
AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 13 (+4 Dex, +2 size, +1 deflection)
hp 53 (6d8+36)
Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +5
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, incorporeal, rejuvenation, swarm traits; DR 5/good; Immune undead traits; Resist cold 10, fire 10; SR 14

Offense
Speed 15 ft., climb 15 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect), swim 15 ft.
Melee swarm (corrupting touch [9d6, Fortitude DC 18 half] plus disease) or swarm (draining touch plus disease)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks disease, distraction (DC 18), draining touch, malevolence, smite good 1/day (+6 bonus to damage rolls)

Tactics
During Combat The ghost rat swarm starts combat by using its corrupting touch and malevolence attacks. If it succeeds in merging with a character, it forces that character to jump overboard, lets the character begin drowning, and the portion of the swarm involved in the malevolence returns to the main swarm. If the swarm is reduced to 20 or fewer hit points, it begins to use its draining touch, until it returns to at least 30 hit points.
Melee The ghost rat swarm fights to the death.

Statistics
Str —, Dex 19, Con —, Int 2, Wis 17, Cha 20
Base Atk +4; CMB —; CMD —
Feats Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Perception), Toughness
Skills Climb +12, Fly +24, Perception +18, Stealth +27, Swim +12; Racial Modifiers +8 Fly, +8 Perception, +8 Stealth

Special Abilities
Disease (Su) Filth fever: Swarm—injury; save Fort DC 18; onset 1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d4 Dex damage and 1d4 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Draining Touch (Su) A ghost rat swarm gains a touch attack that drains 1d4 Con. On each such successful attack, the swarm heals 5 points of damage to itself. When it makes a draining touch attack, it cannot use its standard ghostly touch attack.
Malevolence (Su) Once per round, a five-foot square of the ghost rat swarm can merge with a creature on the Material Plane. This ability is similar to a magic jar spell (CL 10th), except it does not require a receptacle. To use this ability, the swarm must be in the same square as a target. The target can resist the attack with a successful DC 18 Will save. A creature that successfully saves is immune to the swarm's malevolence for 24 hours. If the malevolence attack is successful, the swarm loses 10 percent of its hit points until that portion of the swarm returns.
Rejuvenation (Su) The ghost rat swarm restores itself in 2d4 days. The only way to permanently destroy the swarm is to destroy the ship it occupies.

 

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Frightful (mid-)February! Meowls

Hello and welcome back to Frightful Fridays! It's been quite a while since I posted thanks to various delays, and I apologize for being away. I have one leftover mashup for you, continuing on from the mashup madness a month ago. I ran with the idea that these animals are supreme mousers, and I wanted to present two versions: one suited for wizards, witches and other familiar-owning classes, and one suited for druids and rangers.

I hope you like the meowls, and I promise to bring you something other than a mashup for the next monster. Thanks for reading!

This creature's head, that of a domestic tabby cat, blends seamlessly with its owl body.
Meowl CR 1/2
XP 200
N Tiny animal
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5

Defense
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size)
hp 5 (1d8+1)
Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +1

Offense
Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft. (good)
Melee bite +4 (1d4–3), 2 talons +4 (1d3–3)
Space 2.5 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks pounce, rake (2 talons +4, 1d3–3), rodent foe

Statistics
Str 5, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 11
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 7
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Fly +10, Perception +9 (+11 vs. rodents), Stealth + 14, Survival +1 (+3 to track rodents); Racial Modifiers +4 Perception (+6 Perception vs. rodents), +4 Stealth, +2 Survival to track rodents

Ecology
Environment temperate forest, plains or urban
Organization solitary, pair, or glaring (3–8)
Treasure none

Special Abilities
Rodent Foe (Ex) A meowl has a +2 racial bonus on Perception and Survival checks against rodents (rats, porcupines, etc.) and rodent hybrid creatures, such as wererats. Additionally, a meowl has a +2 racial bonus on attack and damage rolls against such creatures. A meowl may make untrained Survival checks to track rodents, even if the DC is greater than 10.

A spellcaster with the familiar class ability can take a meowl as a familiar at 1st level and gains a +2 bonus on Stealth checks and a +2 bonus on sight-based and opposed Perception checks in shadows or darkness.

This strange animal is a combination of sandy brown owl body and snarling leopard head.
Great Meowl CR 2
XP 600
N Medium animal
Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +10

Defense
AC 15, touch 11, flat-footed 14 (+1 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 19 (3d8+6)
Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +3

Offense
Speed 30 ft., fly 80 ft. (average)
Melee bite +3 (1d6+1), 2 talons +3 (1d4+1)
Special Attacks pounce, rake (2 talons +3, 1d4+1), rodent foe

Statistics
Str 12, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 11
Base Atk +2; CMB +3; CMD 14
Feats Death from Above, Lightning Reflexes
Skills Fly +5, Perception +14 (+18 vs. rodents), Stealth +9, Survival +2 (+6 when tracking rodents); Racial Modifiers +4 Perception (+8 vs. rodents), +4 Survival when tracking rodents

Ecology
Environment temperate forest or plains
Organization solitary, pair, or pride (3–6)
Treasure none

Special Abilities
Rodent Foe (Ex) A great meowl has a +4 racial bonus on Perception and Survival checks against rodents (rats, porcupines, etc.) and rodent hybrid creatures, such as wererats. Additionally, a great meowl has a +4 racial bonus on attack and damage rolls against such creatures. A great meowl may make untrained Survival checks to track rodents, even if the DC is greater than 10.

Great Meowl Companions
Starting Statistics: Size Small; Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft. (good); AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d4), 2 talons (1d3); Ability Scores Str 10, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 11; Special Attacks rake (1d3), rodent foe; Special Qualities low-light vision.
4th-Level Advancement: Size Medium; Speed fly 80 ft. (average); AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6), 2 talons (1d4); Ability Scores Str +2, Dex –2, Con +2; Special Attacks pounce, rake (1d4).

In two separate instances of crossbreeding, a wizard created the first meowl and a druid husbanded the first great meowl. The two predators proved to be compatible and a number of them have spread throughout the world to act as trained hunters of mice or rats, familiars (in the case of standard meowls) or companion animals (great meowls). No truly domesticated specimens exist, but the animals are easily trained, if aloof with their trainers. Rumors persist regarding a crossbreed of great owl and tiger terrorizing jungles and savannas, as well as a lynx/snowy owl crossbreed that hunts frozen lands.

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