Frightful Fridays! Echocat

Hello and welcome to a new installment of Frightful Fridays! I was going through the archives of images provided by friends, and I came across a margay which can mimic the sounds of monkeys to help in their hunts. I extrapolated this inherent sonic capability, so the echocat can create sonic constructs which last for a little while and have nearly the same physical potency as the echocat.

I hope you enjoy the echocat, and I'll see you next time with another monster. Thanks for reading!

It's really cute, until it screams.

This spotted, tawny cat has large, expressive eyes and even larger ears. Tiny waves ripple in the air around it.

Echocat      CR 6

XP 2,400

CN Small magical beast

Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +13

DEFENSE

AC 21, touch 19, flat-footed 17 (+4 deflection, +4 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)

hp 68 (8d10+24)

Fort +9, Ref +10, Will +5

Defensive Abilities evasion; Immune sonic

Weaknesses silence vulnerability

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft.

Melee bite +13 (1d6+1 plus grab), 2 claws +13 (1d4+1)

Special Attacks grab (Medium), pounce, rake (2 claws +13, 1d4+1), sonic scream

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +9)

   At will—ventriloquism (DC 12)

   3/day—dimension door

STATISTICS

Str 12, Dex 19, Con 17, Int 6, Wis 16, Cha 13

Base Atk +8; CMB +8 (+12 grapple); CMD 26 (30 vs. trip)

Feats Dimensional Agility^UC, Dimensional Assault^UC, Dimensional Dervish^UC, Weapon Finesse

Skills Bluff +1 (+9 to mimic sounds), Climb +9, Perception +13 (+21 for checks involving sound), Stealth +12 (+20 in forests); Racial Modifiers +8 Perception for checks involving sound, +8 Stealth in forests

SQ duplicate self, sound mimicry (animal noises)

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate and warm forests

Organization solitary, pair, or reverberation (3–8)

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Duplicate Self (Ex) An echocat creates a sonic duplicate of itself when it uses its dimension door spell-like ability. The duplicate is identical to the echocat with the following exceptions: it gains the incorporeal subtype (losing its natural armor bonus), has half the originating echocat’s maximum hp, and can only make melee attacks (but none of the echocat’s special attacks). It remains for a number of rounds equal to 1d4 + its Charisma modifier (minimum 1). It is an independent creature which typically attacks the nearest foe. The duplicate disappears in an area of magical silence.

Silence Vulnerability (Ex) In an area of magical silence, an echocat loses its deflection bonus, and it cannot use its sonic scream ability.

Sonic Scream (Ex) Once every 1d4 rounds, an echocat can unleash a piercing cry that deals 5d6 points of sonic damage to all creatures in a 30-foot cone (DC 17 Reflex halves). Creatures failing their saves are deafened for 1 hour.

Echocats come from the same unusual locations which spawned destrachans and yrthaks, but the smaller animals made forest and jungles their homes where they can avoid the larger predators and prey upon smaller animals in turn. Their primary prey consists of monkeys and other primates, which the cats draw into their waiting jaws by mimicking calls produced by their prey. Easily frightened by larger creatures, echocats attempt to wait such creatures out while perched on branches where their patterned fur allows them to blend in with the foliage. If they must attack, they make liberal use of their sonic screams and create echoes of themselves while using devastating attacks while travelling at the speed of sound, duplicating the effects of dimension door. Once at a safe distance, they throw their voices to draw away attackers. If they must stay and fight, they make tactical use of their sonic copies.

While echocats cannot normally be taken as companion creatures, they enjoy travelling with bards and creatures with sonic abilities. Harpies who manage to control their destructive urges keep echocats for extra protection.

Echocats are 4 feet long, including a nearly foot-long tail, and weigh 50 pounds.

Frightful Fridays! Bullet Squirrel

Hello, and welcome to this week's Frightful Fridays! My college-age child suggested a squirrel that moved around the battlefield like a bullet, and I happen to feature a lot of squirrels on the blog (I'm actually afraid to count the number of squirrel entries I have), so this was a no-brainer. This should go from, "oh, look at the cute little squirrel" to "why am I on the ground and my arm is broken" for your characters pretty quickly.

I hope you enjoy the bullet squirrel, and I'll see you next time with another monster. Thanks for reading!

Pew! Pew! Pew!

This minute gray squirrel zips about unpredictably, making a loud crack as it shoots from location to location.

Bullet Squirrel      CR 5

XP 1,600

N Tiny animal

Init +5; Senses low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft.; Perception +8

DEFENSE

AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 12 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +2 size)

hp 52 (7d8+21)

Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +4

Defenses hardheaded; Resist fire 10

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., burrow 30 ft., fly 90 ft. (perfect); bullet trajectory

Melee bite +12 (1d3–4), slam +12 (1d4–4)

Space 2½ ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attacks gunshot slam

STATISTICS

Str 3, Dex 21, Con 16, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 11

Base Atk +5; CMB +8 (+10 bull rush); CMD 15 (17 vs. bull rush, 19 vs. trip)

Feats Death from Above^UC, Dodge, Improved Bull Rush^B, Mobility, Weapon Finesse

Skills Acrobatics +15, Fly +17, Perception +8, Stealth +17; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate forests

Organization solitary, pair, magazine (3–20)

Treasure incidental

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Bullet Trajectory (Ex) A bullet squirrel can only burrow or fly in a straight line, and it must travel its full movement rate when it burrows or flies. If it flies into the ground, it reduces it burrow speed by 1/3 the  distance it flew. If it flies out of the ground, it reduces its fly speed by 3 times the distance it burrowed. If the squirrel strikes a solid object other than a creature, it takes damage as if it had fallen a distance equal to its remaining movement.

Gunshot Slam (Ex) When a bullet squirrel burrows or flies, it acts as if it is charging, with the applicable +2 bonus on its attack and a –2 penalty to its AC, its slam attack deals 2d4 points of damage plus 1d6 fire damage, and it adds its Dexterity modifier rather than its Strength modifier to damage from its slam. Additionally, the squirrel receives a free bull rush attempt against the target of its attack. If it exceeds the target’s CMD by 5 or more (or rolls a natural 20), it can opt to knock the target prone rather than push the target back.

Hardheaded (Ex) A bullet squirrel leads with its head when it attacks or faces a situation where it could take damage. When it falls or takes damage from its bullet trajectory ability, it can attempt a Reflex save (DC 10 + 5 for every 10 feet of the fall) to take half damage.

For whatever unfathomable reason, squirrels more than any mammals other than bats have received the gift of flight. The same is true of bullet squirrels which fly with incredible velocities, allowing them to shoot into soft ground as well. The animals use this incredible ability to store nuts deep in the ground, and away from carefully dug out warrens, where only they can reach. Their bulletlike flight allows them to defend themselves against predators or quickly escape in dire situations. This has made the miniscule creatures aggressive, and they often shoot right into creatures intruding on their territory. They also consume their weight in fruits and nuts every day to feed their fast metabolisms.

Bullet squirrels are nearly 1 foot in length and weigh 2 pounds. They live up to 10 years and, in the wild, produce a litter of 1d6 young twice a year.

Bullet Squirrel Companions

Starting Statistics: Size Tiny; Speed 10 ft., burrow 20 ft., fly 60 ft.; bullet trajectory; Attack bite (1d3), slam (1d4); Ability Scores Str 3, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 11; Special Qualities hardheaded, low-light vision, tremorsense 60 ft., Special Attacks gunshot slam (1d6 plus Dex modifier and 1d4 fire).

4th-Level Advancement: Ability Scores Dex +4, Con +4; Special Attacks gunshot slam (2d4 plus Dex modifier and 1d6 fire); Feats Improved Bull Rush.

Frightful Fridays (Super Bowl Edition)! Grabbly Bear

Hello, and welcome to another week of Frightful Fridays, slowly but surely becoming a complete misnomer. In honor (horror) of the infamous puppybabymonkey from last year's Super Bowl, I'm throwing out a slightly more reasonable mashup today. It just wants to give player characters hugs!

I hope you enjoy the grabbly bear, and I'll see you sometime in the future with another monster. Thanks for reading!

This large brown bear has a number of rubbery squid-like tentacles writhing from its shoulders. The creature alternates guttural noises with shrieks and flute-like sounds.

Grabbly Bear      CR 9

XP 6,400

NE Large aberration (aquatic)

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +17

DEFENSE

AC 23, touch 11, flat-footed 21 (+2 Dex, +12 natural, –1 size)

hp 112 (15d8+45)

Fort +10, Ref +7, Will +12

DR 10/cold iron; Defensive Abilities amorphous; Resist acid 10, cold 10, fire 10

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft., swim 30 ft.

Melee 2 claws +17 (1d8+6/19–20 plus grab), 3 tentacles +14 (1d6+3 plus babbling affliction, grab, and pull)

Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. (15 ft. with tentacles)

Special Attacks blood rage, constrict (claws only, 1d6+6), pull (tentacle, 5 ft.), roving tentacles

STATISTICS

Str 22, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 7, Wis 16, Cha 12

Base Atk +11; CMB +18 (+22 grapple); CMD 30

Feats Dazzling Display, Deadly Finish^UC, Gory Finish^UC, Great Fortitude, Improved Critical (claw), Multiattack, Skill Focus (Intimidate), Weapon Focus (claw)

Skills Escape Artist +20, Intimidate +22, Perception +17, Swim +14; Racial Modifiers +8 Escape Artist

Languages Aklo (can’t speak)

SQ amphibious

ECOLOGY

Environment any

Organization solitary, pair, or calamity (3–8)

Treasure incidental

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Babbling Affliction (DC 18) (Su) If a grabbly bear strikes an opponent with a tentacle or manages to hit its target’s touch AC with a tentacle (dealing no damage to the target), the victim must succeed at a DC 18 Will save or begin to babble uncontrollably for 1d6 rounds. An affected victim cannot cast spells with verbal components and cannot use magic items requiring a command word. A creature that makes its save is immune to that grabbly bear’s babbling affliction for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Constrict (Ex) A grabbly bear can only constrict with its claws.

Roving Tentacles (Ex) A grabbly bear takes no penalties on its tentacle attacks while it has an opponent grappled with its claws, and it can make attacks of opportunity with its tentacles.

Grabbly bears (alternatively: squid bears, ursopuses, or squears) are the creations of a mad deity from antiquity or the deity’s powerful minions. The fusion of squid and bear stuck and the creatures bred true. While many sunk beneath the waves to prey on creatures underwater, some remained on dry land to terrorize victims there. Their adaptability to a variety of environments and their spongy bodies make them difficult to avoid or kill. They usually target obvious spellcasters when they open combat to neutralize their greatest threats, by making it impossible for the victims to intone their spells. They then pull prey into their embrace, first by using their tentacles to bring victims closer and then with their claws as they deliver a crushing bear hug. While grabbly bears are moderately intelligent and are capable of tactics on the battlefield, very few of them flee once they join battle. When they die, they unleash a shrieking paean to their sleeping deity.

Powerful aberrant creatures capable of speaking Aklo can exert a modicum of control over grabbly bears, but they usually use this power to direct the creatures to attack their enemies and leave them untouched.