Thursday, July 10, 2014

Frightful Fridays! Riding Frog

Hello and welcome back to a new Frightful Fridays! I needed a bit of a change from last week's horror, and, as I was collecting all the inspiring illustrations friends have passed on to me over the years (leaving them randomly in my inbox was not the best way to organize them, go figure), I came across a request from Jason Mitchell for a riding frog. Figuring them to be fey creations, I went about designing a monster with a gore attack that does not require a rider, per se, but fares much better with a rider. Feeling that this entry was a bit scant, I added a level-appropriate rider in the nixie, Nigel, Defender of the Pond.
 
I hope you enjoy the riding frog (and Nigel), and I'll be back with a new monster next week. I might stick with the frog theme, as I got a delightful beastie in my inbox today. Thanks for reading!
 

This frog can be found here.


A shifting pattern of blue, purple, and green dances across this massive frog's skin; the light green horn looks like it could easily skewer an opponent.
Riding Frog CR 3
XP 800
N Medium magical beast
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +7

Defense
AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 natural)
hp 30 (4d10+8)
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2
Defensive Abilities devotion; Resist acid 5
Weakness riderless despondence

Offense
Speed 50 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d4+3), gore +7 (1d6+3)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th; concentration +4)
3/day—daze (DC 10)

Statistics
Str 16, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 10
Base Atk +4; CMB +7; CMD 21 (25 vs. trip)
Feats Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack[B]
Skills Acrobatics +7 (+23 when jumping), Perception +7; Racial Modifiers +8 when jumping

Ecology
Environment temperate forests
Organization solitary, pair, team (1 riding frog and rider), or squad (3–12 riding frogs and riders)
Treasure none

Special Abilities
Devotion (Su) A riding frog gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves while carrying a rider.
Riderless Despondence (Su) A riding frog loses the use of Spring Attack and gains the shaken condition while it has no rider.

Bred by fey lords to not only accept a rider, but also be dependent on the rider, riding frogs make up the bulk of the mounts for a fey cavalry. A riding frog can carry a Tiny or Small rider without problem, and its horns usually combined with its rider's ranged attacks make them a formidable pair of adversaries. When a riding frog loses its rider, it becomes lethargic. Those who have studied these frogs are unsure whether the fey lords intentionally bred this behavior into the frogs as a means of keeping them docile without riders, or whether this was a peculiar side effect of the breeding process.

While a riding frog, as a magical beast, may not be taken as an animal companion, an appropriately sized cavalier can take one as a mount.

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Sir Nigel, Defender of the Pond CR 4
XP 1,200
Nixie cavalier 4
N Small fey (aquatic)
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +10

Defense
AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+3 armor, +3 Dex, +1 size)
hp 39 (4d10+2d6+10)
Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +6
DR 5/cold iron; SR 12

Offense
Speed 20 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee lance +4 (1d6-2/×3) or shortsword +9 (1d4-2/19-20)
Ranged +1 light crossbow +10 (1d6+1/19-20)
Special Attacks cavalier's charge, challenge
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th; concentration +10)
3/day—charm person (DC 15)
1/day—water breathing

Statistics
Str 7, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 18
Base Atk +5; CMB +2; CMD 15
Feats Escape Route, Mounted Archery, Mounted Combat, Weapon Finesse
Skills Bluff +9, Craft (bows) +3, Escape Artist +11, Handle Animal +13, Knowledge (nobility) +5, Perception +10, Perform (sing) +10, Ride +11, Sense Motive +6, Stealth +11, Swim +9
Languages Aquan, Sylvan
SQ amphibious, expert trainer, lion's call, order (order of the lion), tactician, wild empathy +12
Combat Gear blue whinnis (1 dose); Other Gear studded leather, +1 light crossbow, arrows (20), lance, shortsword, 4 gp

Special Abilities
Wild Empathy (Ex) This ability works like the druid ability of the same name. The nixie's total includes a +8 racial bonus on wild empathy checks.

Sir Nigel, a decorated veteran of the Pond Wars, during which he and his trusty riding frog, Kreeegan, turned back a dozen boggards attempting to take over their pond. As his fame grew, other nixies have taken up his cause to preserve the pond for their sovereign lord, and they have begun working with riding frogs of their own.