Frightful Fridays! Greenspark

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Frightful Fridays! This week's monster is not exactly frightful, unless the characters like to wantonly destroy forests. A greenspark could still be a valuable ally against undead or other abominations in a forest setting, as she and her kin give their lives to save the forest from harm against such creatures.

I hope you enjoy the greenspark, and I'll see you again with another monster. Thanks for reading!

You can find this lovely image here

The outline of a leaf- and ivy-covered woman is barely visible within this bright green mote of light.

Greenspark      CR 3

XP 800

NG Diminutive fey

Init +3; Senses greensight 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +9

DEFENSE

AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +4 size)

hp 27 (5d6+10)

Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +5

DR 5/cold iron

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., burrow 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (good)

Melee mwk dagger +10 (1 nonlethal/19–20 plus poison)

Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

Special Attacks enliven plants, lightbringer, sneak attack +3d6

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +7)

   At will—faerie fire

   1/day—plant growth, tree shape, tree stride

STATISTICS

Str 1, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 15

Base Atk +2; CMB +1; CMD 7

Feats Dodge, Flyby Attack, Mobility, Weapon Finesse

Skills Diplomacy +10, Escape Artist +10, Fly +17, Knowledge (nature) +17, Perception +9, Perform (wind instruments) +10, Sense Motive +9, Stealth +19; Racial Modifiers +8 Knowledge (nature)

Languages Sylvan; plantspeech

SQ luminous

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate forests

Organization solitary, pair, verdancy (3–16)

Treasure normal (masterwork dagger and other treasure)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Enliven Plants (Su) As a full-round action, a greenspark can merge with a 10-foot radius of living plants or a tree 10 feet tall or less (not including plant creatures) and take rudimentary control of the plant(s). She can create an entangle effect (DC 13 Reflex partial) in a 10-foot-radius around her if she animates grass and other small plants pushing through the ground, or an effect similar to liveoak (but the animated treant gains the young creature template and it cannot move) for a tree. While merged, she takes no damage from melee attacks, but she still takes damage from spells or effects with an area of effect, and she dies if the plant or group of plants she controls is destroyed. Disengaging from a controlled plant is a move action for the greenspark. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Lightbringer (Su) A greenspark can create a daylight effect for 5 hours at the cost of her life. Eight or more greensparks can create the equivalent of the sunburst spell and create daylight for 24 hours at the cost of their lives.

Luminous (Su) A greenspark sheds light equal to that provided by a torch. The light is always green in color, but the greenspark usually sets it to a brilliant emerald color. As a swift action, she can extinguish the light.

Plantspeech (Ex) A greenspark has the ability to converse with plants as if subject to a continual speak with plants spell, and most plants greet her with an attitude of friendly or helpful.

Poison (Ex) Poison Oak: Injury—dagger; save Fort DC 13; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1d4 Dex damage and victim is sickened until Dex damage is healed; cure 1 save.

Greensparks are ardent defenders of their forest homes and pack considerable power in their deceptively tiny frames. Similar to dryads, greensparks are all female (or, rather, those who have encountered them report this fact, and no one has provided evidence of male greensparks). The fey are not bound to the forest like their dryad sisters, but they remain there out of a profound sense of duty. They are generally friendly to visitors to the forest and light the way for lost travelers. However, those who harm the plants or other forest denizens receive the greensparks’ ire, first in the form of nettling dagger attacks. The poison oak oil covering the greensparks’ daggers is fast acting and causes severe and distractive itching. If that tactic fails, greensparks merge with plants to hold trespassers in place or pummel trespassers with animated trees. Against unnatural foes, greensparks sacrifice themselves, usually in a large enough group to generate a sunburst effect, to preserve the forest.

Frightful Fridays! Brass Belt Master

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Frightful (almost opposite of) Fridays! This edition's monster is something I've wanted to do for a while: a creature capable of sparring with PCs and learning as it goes. I borrowed somewhat from the brawler class for the brass belt master's ability to change feats out as quickly as possible. Hopefully, one (or more) of these will challenge your characters as it adapts in combat.

I hope you enjoy the brass belt master, and I will be back again soon with another monster. Thanks for reading!

This clockwork illustration can be found here

This brass clockwork approximates a powerfully built human; it takes a sparring stance.

Brass Belt Master      CR 9

XP 6,400

N Medium construct

Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +19

DEFENSE

AC 24, touch 16, flat-footed 18 (+6 Dex, +8 natural)

hp 86 (12d10+20)

Fort +4, Ref +10, Will +8

Defensive Abilities evasion, hardness 10; Immune construct traits, cold, electricity, fire

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft.

Melee unarmed strike +20/+15/+10 (2d6+7) or

   unarmed strike +18/+13/+8 (2d6+5), unarmed strike +18/+13 (2d6+5)

Special Attacks stunning fist (3/day, DC 19)

STATISTICS

Str 20, Dex 23, Con —, Int 15, Wis 18, Cha 7

Base Atk +12; CMB +17; CMD 33

Feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Deflect Arrows^B, Double Slice^B, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting^B, Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist, Two-Weapon Fighting^B, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (unarmed strike)

Skills Acrobatics +18 (+22 when jumping), Bluff –2 (+14 when feinting), Escape Artist +18, Perception +20, Sense Motive +20; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics when jumping, +16 Bluff when feinting

Languages Common, Dwarven (can't speak)

SQ adaptive combatant

ECOLOGY

Environment any land

Organization solitary, pair, gym (3–12)

Treasure incidental

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Adaptive Combatant (Ex) A brass belt master can gain the benefit of one combat feat as an immediate action or three combat feats as a swift action. The total additional combat feats it can gain equals its Wisdom modifier (for a total of 14 feats for a typical brass belt master). The creature can replace any of the listed bonus feats or any of the new feats selected through this ability, but cannot replace any of its other starting feats. Additionally, the brass belt master must meet all the feat’s prerequisites (meaning it cannot swap out a feat that would act as a prerequisite for a new feat), and it uses its Hit Dice as its fighter or monk level for the purpose of qualifying for feats. If a feat’s prerequisite level is higher than its Hit Dice, it may attempt a Wisdom check with a DC equal to the prerequisite level to acquire the feat; on a failure, the brass belt master may not attempt to gain the feat again for 24 hours.

A brass belt master that acquires templates which increase its CR gains bonus feats equal to the CR increase.

Brass belt masters were clockwork sparring constructs given sentience to increase the challenge of fighting them as opposed to the predictability of preprogrammed automata. This sentience drove many of the creations to seek out their own challenges as the clockwork creatures became bored with what they saw as inferior opponents. While some were dismantled after pitched battles, several managed to escape and form collectives in abandoned mines or in high-altitude locations where they could train peacefully with each other. As they began to break down or desired to create additional brass belt masters, they realized they needed to reengage with the outside world. Believers in fair fights and not wishing to gain infamy by forcibly taking the materials they required, they sought to challenge worthy opponents with the necessary metal and tools as the prize. Several became ronin, traveling from village to village and dispatching monsters or other threats to the villages in return for supplies. Some even wound up in the company of adventuring fleshy creatures who proved themselves worthy in combat. Whatever their journeys, brass belt masters find themselves returning occasionally to the gyms they call home. While a brass belt master gym is not difficult to find, since the clockwork creatures seem to eschew slyness, creatures following a brass belt master to its gym typically find themselves overmatched against the gym’s residents.

Frightful Fridays! Terrorpin

Hello, and welcome to this week's Frightful Fridays! This one had me reaching back into the archives of images friends have sent along the way. The idea of a massive construct turtle resonated with me, so here you go. It starts off a lumbering brute of a creature, but it transforms into a crazed engine of destruction under certain circumstances. Hopefully, it will be quite the surprise to the PCs.

I hope you enjoy the terrorpin, and I'll see you later with another monster.

Indeed. We need more weaponized turtles.

This creature looks like a gigantic, ponderous, armor-plated turtle. Its most formidable features are its powerful jaw and mouth lined with serrated edges, seemingly capable of crushing anything.

Terrorpin      CR 12

XP 19,200

N Gargantuan construct

Init –1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, tremorsense 120 ft.; Perception +4

DEFENSE

AC 27, touch 5, flat-footed 27 (–1 Dex, +22 natural, –4 size)

hp 148 (16d10+60)

Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +9

Defensive Abilities fortification (25%), retraction; DR 10/adamantine; Immune construct traits, cold, electricity, fire; Resist acid 20

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., swim 40 ft.

Melee bite +22 (3d6+10 plus grab), slam +22 (4d6+10)

Space 20 ft.; Reach 15 ft.

Special Attacks constrict (3d6+10), sundering bite, trample (4d6+15, DC 28)

STATISTICS

Str 31, Dex 9, Con —, Int —, Wis 19, Cha 4

Base Atk +16; CMB +30 (+34 grapple); CMD 39 (43 vs. trip)

Skills Swim +18

SQ frenzy

ECOLOGY

Environment any

Organization solitary or pair

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Frenzy (Ex) When a terrorpin takes any acid damage or is reduced to less than half its hit points, its base speed increases to 60 feet. Additionally, while in this state, it can trample and then make a bite attack from the location its trample ends. A frenzied terrorpin incurs a –2 penalty to its AC.

Retraction (Ex) If commanded, a terrorpin can retract its head into its armored shell, increasing its fortification to 50%. However, it cannot make bite attacks and is effectively blind (50% miss chance) when it makes slam attacks.

Sundering Bite (Ex) A terrorpin can make a sunder attempt with its bite attack against an opponent's weapon or armor without provoking attacks of opportunity. It bypasses hardness as if it were using an adamantine weapon.

Terrorpins are constructed guardian creatures with similarities to golems, but are powered by clockwork or steam-driven mechanisms rather than elemental spirits. Their creators have a modicum of control over the constructs and can transfer that control to another creature during the crafting process. Terrorpins often have internal cavities where their controllers can sit in comfort, untouchable by opponents until the terrorpins have been utterly destroyed. When they are operating on standing orders, they have some autonomy and might attempt to destroy weapons proving particularly effective against them. Terrorpins give the illusion of being lumbering monstrosities, but, when they take sufficient damage or when acid harms their internal systems, energy reserves kick in and allow them to rampage through opponents. A terrorpin’s controller can override this rampage; otherwise, it requires healing the creature to restore it to its normal ponderous state.

Standard terrorpins stand only 18 feet tall, but their necks give them extra reach. They typically weigh over 10 tons. While rituals are unnecessary to create the constructs, the adamantine and intricate machinery that go into building them cost 40,000 gp, and a craftsperson must have the Craft Construct feat.