Christmas Creature Compendium

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Presented here are some edited and touched-up holiday monsters.

Gingerbread Man
Medium Construct
HD:4d10+23(45hp)
Init:+2
Speed:30ft
AC:15(+2dex,+3natural)
BAB/Grapple[:+3/+5
Attack: Slam+5 melee (1d6+2 plus heat)
Full Attack: 2 slams +5 melee (1d6+2 plus heat), or candy cane+5 melee (1d12+3 plus trip)
Face/Reach:5ft/5ft (candy cane 10ft reach)
Special Attacks: Heat, Cane Trip
Special Qualities: Scent of cinnamon, crumble, electricity and cold resistance 5, mindless, SR9
Saves:Fort+1,Ref+3,Will+2
Abilities:Str15,Dex14,Con-,Int-,Wis13,Cha12
Skills: None
Feats: Toughness
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Environment: Any Land
Organization: Any
CR:3
Alignment: Always Neutral
Treasure: 1 gingerbread man and 1 candy cane (magically shrinks and reforms when defeated)
Advancement: 5-9hd(medium), 10-18hd(large), 19-27hd(huge), 28-32(gargantuan)

Gingerbread men resemble 6 foot tall cookies bearing that name, weilding massive candy canes. The usual cinnamon-rich dough involved in their creation is mixed with rare spices, with mystic runes of powdered sugar baked into them.

Gingerbread men are mindless but possess a modicum allows them to take commands for their intended meaning rather than literal meanings and defend themselves.

Combat:

Heat(ex): Creatures hit by a gingerbread man's slam attack take 1d4 fire subdual damage. Creatures touching a gingerbread or making a natural attack or unarmed strike against them man takes 1 fire subdual. Creatures with the cold subtype take lethal damage instead.

Cane Trip(ex): A gingerbread man that hits with a candy cane can make an attempt to trip as a free action with a +2 circumstantial bonus. If so, the opponent cannot respond with a trip attempt of their own.

Scent of Cinnamon(su): Creatures with the fire subtype within 60ft of a gingerbread man gain a +1 morale bonus to attacks and fortitude saves. Fire spells get a +1 bonus to DC and caster level.

Crumble(ex): A gingerbread hand hit by a bludgeoning attack must make a fortitude save dc:15 or take double damage from it. A bucket of water (treat as a range touch attack with a 10ft range) deals 1d8 acid damage to them.




Gift Golem
Medium Construct
HD:2d10+23(34hp)
Init:+0
Speed:20ft
AC:14(+4 natural)
BAB/Grapple:+1/+3
Attack: Slam+3 (1d6+2 plus label)
Full Attack: 2 slams+3 melee(1d6+2 plus label), or present +2 ranged (30ft range, 10ft range increment) (1d4+2 plus explosion)
Face/Reach:5ft/5ft
Special Attacks: explosion, label, giftwrap, berserk, spell-like abilities, final gift
Special Qualities: SR14, Fire and electric resistance 5, spell vulnerability
Saves: Fort+0,Ref+0,Will+0
Abilities:Str15,Dex10,Con-,Int4,Wis11,Cha11
Skills:Listen+3, Spot+2
Feats: Toughness
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Environment: Any Land or Underground
Organization: Any
CR:2
Alignment: Usually neutral
Treasure: Final Gift
Advancement: 3hd(medium)

A gift golem is a vaguely humanoid conglomeration of presents, decorative ceramics, wrapping paper, ribbons, colored ornaments, boxes, and tree limbs. The feet are large packages, the head is a clay pot with a gift on either side, the hands are label-makers attached to boxes, and two glowing white candles that give off no heat or smoke serve as its eyes.

A gift golem is an artifical creation with the essence of a small earth elemental trapped inside it, bound to the will of its creator. This imprisoned life force is constantly struggling against its bounds seeking to obtain freedom, and bears a malignant hatred towards its creator.

Combat: a gift golem has a variety of special abilities to employ in combat. It begins by launching a present at the most threatening opponent, then giftwraps any enemies that cannot be overcome in melee.

Explosion(su): Upon hitting a target, the gift golem's present explodes in a firey burst dealing 1d10 fire damage to all within 10ft, reflex save dc:11 for half. A gift golem cannot use this ability two rounds in a row.

Label(su): A creature or object hit by a gift golem's slam attack must make a fortitude save dc:11 or have a runic label magically stamped onto them. A gift golem gains a +1 synergy bonus to attack and damage rolls against labeled creatures and objects.

Giftwrap(su): 3 times per day, a gift golem can cause a large box accompanied by ribbons and wrapping paper to rise forth and engulf a labeled creature unless it makes a successful reflex save dc:15 (+2 racial bonus to dc, +2 synergy bonus to dc). A gift-wrapped creature cannot cast spells with verbal components or move about. Somebody can open the package as a standard action. The person may try to break out with a strength check dc:17 as a full-round action or by dealing 12 points of damage to the box.

Berserk: Whenever a gift golem enters combat, there is a 3% chance the elemental spirit will regain control and recklessly smash about in primitive anger, most likely turning on its creator. The creator can make a command in an authoritative voice to try to regain control with an opposed charisma check, but may only do so once per day.

Spell-like abilities(sp): Once per day summon monster I (the monster in question appears by popping out of a magically conjured gift box), dancing lights, Party Cracker. Caster level 2, dc charisma based.

Spell Vulnerability(su): Arcane mark and Party Cracker bypass a gift golem's spell resistance. A party cracker spell cast on it heals 1d4hp (including its own spell-like ability), and arcane mark forces it to make a will save or be treated as stunned for 1d4 rounds.

Final Gift(su): When destroyed (if under it's creator's control at the time), the elemental spirit thanks its liberators by gathering together the last bit of magical energy to summon a present for each of them. The total value of the presents should be roughly equal to the appropriate encounter treasure value listed in the DMG, but the items should each be things desirable to the creature's defeaters. Listed below are some example presents for the iconic party.
Krusk: Masterwork great-axe with the orcish work for "smash" engraved on its blade
Devis: Golden mastework harp
Jozan: A pearl of power 1
Vadania: a weeks worth of food for her animal companion and some goodberries
Tordek: A masterwork shield with his family symbol carved on it
Ember: A shirt
Alhandra: A masterwork item with "I smite you in the name of (her diety)" engraved on the blade
Soveliss: A +1 arrow
Lidda: A bag of gold coins
Hennet: A pair of pants that don't take 2 hours to unbuckle
Mailee: A calorie-enriched cheesecake with whipped cream and sugar on it, several pounds of fat bacon, and a tub of butter.
Nebin: A scroll of disguise self



Carefully tucked in his bed but listening expectantly, Timmy heard the noise of something rattling on the roof, followed by some garment brushing against the chimney and a soft thump. He had heard tales of a kindly fat man in a red suit who delivered gifts to good children around winter solstace. Carefully he snuck down the hallway, to see a figure hidden in the shadows in a bright red suit hauling a large sack. With a sparkle of magic it deposited a small prize cracker in one of his socks. In his excitement he unintentially called out and addressed the figure. The figure reluctantly turned and slowly emerged into the moonlight. Its long bony hands twisted into strong deep scythe-like claws, its face was little more than a skull, with two shining points of light in it like evening stars. The child screamed and began to walk away. "S-s-santa?"

(Much thanks to Callahan for the artwork)


Bone Gifter
Medium Undead
HD:3d12+3(19hp)
Init:+6
Speed: 30ft, climb20ft
AC:15 (+2 dex,+3 natural)
Attacks: 2 claws+3 melee
Damage: Claw 1d8+1 plus Dexterity Damage
Face/Reach:5ft by 5ft/5ft
Special Attacks: Dexterity Damage, Spell-like abilities, Magic Sack
Special Qualities: SR8, Cold immunity, DR5/bludgeoning, light sensitivity
Saves: Fort+1, Ref+3, Will+4
Abilities:Str12,Dex15,Con-,Int7,Wis12,Cha15
Skills: Sense motive+6, move silently+7, hide+7, spot+4, listen+4, gather information+3
Feats: weapon focus(claws), improved initiative
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Climate/Terrain: Forest, hills, mountains, villaige, or underground
Organization: Solitary or cabal (2-5)
CR:2(?)
Alignment: Usually Chaotic Good
Treasure: magic sack
Advancement: By class level

Bone gifters are skeletal creatures with their hands twisted into long, therapod-like curving claws, and glowing stars of light in their eye sockets. They usually dress themselves in festive cold-weather garments of red or green, preferably loose things that hide most of their horrifying frame beneath their folds.

Bone gifters are the undead bodies of people who were wretched, apathetic, and miserly in life. Risen from the grave, the undead minds seek to make amends for the tyranny and stinginess of their former soul.

Bone gifters wander the night from town to town, even remote wilderness homes, leaving presents for those they consider needy or virtuous. The seem to have an innate ability to know what people want, what they need, and what they deserve, and can pull virtually anything appropriate out of their magical bag.

Combat: Bone gifters try to avoid combat. When forced to defend themselves they use Scare, attack with claws, and then flee when most opponents are paralyzed or frightened.
They may offer a gift in exchange for mercy, especially if they think the individual attacking them is merely misguided or overzealous, as a clawed skeletal figure sneaking into the bedrooms of little children can give the wrong impression.

Dexterity Damage(su): Negative energy concentrates in the twisted hands that once scrabbled for the smallest coins and smacked the faces of social inferiors. A living creature hit by a bone gifter's chilly claw attack takes 2 points of temporary dexterity damage.

Light Sensitivity(ex): Bone gifters are dazzled within a radius of bright light, such as a daylight spell.

Spell-Like abilities(sp): 8 per day Party cracker (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=133482), once per day:scare, dimension door, pass without trace

Magic Sack(su): A bone gifter carries with it a 4lb. sack somewhat similar standard bag of holding. It contains in it various gifts and trinkets, and can produce all sorts of things based on the needs and wants of the recipient (but not on the needs and wants o fthe bone gifter).
If slain, a bone gifter's spirit of good will turns to vengeful anger, and the gifts and toys transform into undead which attack its destroyers. They become 1d12 ghost skulls, 1d6+1 psychic hands, and 1d4 small-sized skeletons and crawl out of the bag to attack. When destroyed they revert to their original forms. The ghost skulls are usually lesser trinkets (5gp or less in value), with the psychic hands as general gifts (possible normal weapons and armor, class kits, or scrolls) and the skeletons as big ones (most magic items, masterwork weapons, etc.)

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Yule Pine
Medium Plant
HD:5d8+20(42hp)
Init:-1
Speed: 5ft
AC:15(-1dex, +6natural)
BAB/Grapple:+3/+4
Attacks: 3 claws+6 melee
Damage: claw 1d4+3
Face/Reach: 5ft by 5ft/5ft
Special Attacks: collapse, rain of needles
Special Qualities: cold resistance 15, fruit of light, DR5/slashing, blindsight 30ft, uncanny slide
Abilities:Str17,Dex8,Con19,Int2,Wis14,Ch a12
Saves: Fort+8, ref+0, will+5
Skills: move silently+11, listen+6
Feats: iron will, skill focus(move silently)
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Environment: Cold and temperate forests and mountains
Organization: solitary or copse (3-7)
CR:3?
Alignment: Always Neutral
Treasure: darkwood, fruit of light
Advancement: 6-9HD(medium), 10-13HD(large), 14-17HD(huge)

A yule pine is a dark, broad, pine tree bearing glowing berries of red, blue, yellow, orange, and green. It's needles are vibrant green, and rustle slightly even when there is no wind.

Yule pines are a curious variety of plant that bears fruit only after the first snowfall of winter. During the off-season they look like ordinary pine trees, and it takes close scrutiny (knowledge(nature) dc:18, wilderness lore dc:21) to see the tell-tale whiffs of cinnamon and holly aromas in the sap and slight metallic sheen to the bark.
An average yule pine is 5ft high and three inches in diameter at its thickest.

Yule pines stake out territory near their less mobile arboreal kin to attract nocturnal birds and other frujivores. They are generally passive, but react with paranoid hostility to proximity of fire and anything ax-shaped .

Combat: Yule pines avoid fire at all costs. They eagerly move into the center of melee to expose as many targets as possible to their claws and needle rain.

Rain of Needles(su): a yule pine can shed needles every other round within its space and threatened area. This deals peircing damage equal to the pine's total hit dice (reflex save dc:16 (con-based) negates) and coats the ground with a layer of prickly pinecones that have the same properties as caltrops until the tree's next turn.

Uncanny Slide(su): yule pines can move about without disturbing a single flake of snow from their bows when they so desire, and gain a +5 enhancement bonus to move silently checks.

Fruit of Light(su): a given yule pines bears 3d12 glowing fruits, each of which sheds the same light as a candle and functions as a goodberry. A single Fruit of Light will also cure holly poisoning and prevent frostbite for an hour.

Collapse(ex): a yule pine can fall over on a creature of equal or less size in an adjacent square, a trick it often uses when a percieved threat comes to examine it. Both creatures are automatically knocked prone, and the attack victim is automatically considered pinned by the pine in addition to taking 1d12 peircing damage. This attack can be avoided with a reflex save dc:15(str-based), dc:20 if the target is denied their dexterity modifier to the AC (such as when flat-footed).





Solstice Fir
Large Plant
HD:12d8+96(150hp)
Init:+1
Speed: 15ft
AC:18(-1size,-3dex, +12 natural)
BAB/Grapple:+9/+16
Attacks: branch claw+15 melee, root tentacle+9 melee
Damage: branch claw 1d12+6, root tentacle 1d6+3 plus trip
Face/Reach: 5ft by 5ft/10ft
Special Attacks: Tinsel Hail, Summon Allies, spell-like abilities, trip
Special Qualities: Star of Illumination, Enduring Regrowth, cold resistance 20, Sonic resistance 10, DR10/slashing, DR5/cold iron, low-light vision
Abilities:Str23,Dex4,Con26,Int6,Wis20,Cha16
Saves: Fort+16, Ref+3, Will+11
Skills: Sense Motive+15, handle animal+8
Feats: Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Endurance, weapon focus (branch claw)
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Environment: Cold forests and mountains
Organization: Solitary or grove (1-3 and 2-7 yule pines)
CR:8?
Alignment: Usually Neutral Good
Treasure: standard coin's wealth in gold and silver pine cones plus star of illumination
Advancement: 13-16HD(large), 17-24HD(huge), 25-28HD(gargantuan)

A solstice fir is a towering tree with thick, velvet-green needles, sandy brown bark, and a profusion of gold and silver pine cones. It's summit is topped with a shining object too distant and bright to clearly make out.

Solstice firs are largely benevolent sentient evergreens with a potent supernatural attunement to the rhythm of seasons. The precious metal pinecones and glowing star that make them evident as occult arborea blossom exactly twelve nights before winter, but they are visible before then as metallic nodules and a faintly phosphorescent tip and minimal foresting knowledge (knowledge(nature) or wilderness lore check dc:11) will match name and description to the strange tree.
Most of solstice fir lifestyle and contemplation revolves around observing the turning of the seasons. They seem to understand time in a non-linear sense, observing certain recurring time periods such as eclipses and holy days as part of a continuous time stream, such that every vernal equinox is the same time as every other vernal equinox, each midsummer night's eve is within the same night simultaneously, etc.

Solstice firs understand celestial, druidic, and sylvan, but speak only in druidic.

Combat: Solstice firs are slow to do battle and non-aggressive, due to a confidence in their physical toughness and localized reincarnation. When they do engage in combat, it is of a distant and calculating nature. The standard combat procedure is to open with a tinsel spray and perform a summoning and unleash a searing light until another bombardment of decorations can be prepared. They only wade into melee when all other options are expended.

Spell-like Abilities(sp): once per day sanctuary, searing light, dispel evil; once per solstice eve limited wish. Caster level 12th, dc wisdom-based. The limited wish can only be used for the benefit of another, as per a djinn's wish ability.

Trip(ex): if a solstice fir strikes a creature with its root tentacle, it can make a trip attempt as a free action. The creature cannot respond with a trip attempt if it fails, and the tree does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Tinsel Hail(su): with a violent shudder, a solstice fir can dislodge a rain of glittering projectiles at its enemies. These often valuable ornaments do 3d6 peircing damage and 1d8 bludgeoning damage to all hostile creatures in a 75ft radius, and have enough valuable materials in their midst to overcome DR/silver, DR/gold, DR/Jade, and DR/admantine. After striking their intended targets the ornaments shatter and dissolve into a luminous glitter which refuses to come off for twelve days and outlines the subject as if by a glitterdust spell. A reflex save dc:24 negates the dust and halves the damage. A solstice fir may uses this attack once every three rounds.

Summon Allies(sp): once per day, as a full-round action, a solstice fir may attempt to summon a swarm of squirrels (use stats for rat swarm with 30ft climb speed and no disease attack) with a 99% chance of success, a trumpet archon with a 33% chance of success, a stellar templated (it's on the monster archive under me, go look it up) lantern archon with a 61% chance of success, or 1d4 yule trees with a 66% chance of success. The summoned creature remains until sunrise or moonrise, whichever is sooner.

Star of Illumination(ex): a solstice fir bears at its peak a single seed shaped like a twelve-pointed star. This seed shines with a light of equal intensity to a daylight spell in a 45ft radius, and shadowy illumination in a 90ft radius. If planted in an appropriate environment on the summer solstice, it will grow into a full solstice next year, and grant the planters a limited wish.

[b]Enduring regrowth(su): a solstice fir cut down will miraculously regrow the next winter solstice unless the growth site is profaned, sown with salt, or destroyed by fire.



And for those of you who’ve seen “The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus”

Awgwa
Medium Outsider (Evil, Native)
HD: 7d8+(59hp)
Init:+1(dex)
Speed: 40ft, burrow 20ft
AC:19 (+1dex,+8 natural)
BAB/Grapple:+7/10
Attack: Claw+11 melee (1d8+3 20/x3)
Full Attack: 2 claws+11 melee(1d8+3 20/x3), bite+6 melee(1d12+1)
Face/Reach: 5ft by 5ft/5ft
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, Skin of Hate
Special Qualities:SR16, Sonic and Acid resistance 10, Abominable Soul, Darkvision 120ft, Light Sensitivity
Abilities: Str17,Dex12,Con19,Int8,Wis14,Cha15
Saves: Fort+9, Ref+8, Will+7
Skills: Diplomacy+12, bluff+12, intimidate+12, Move Silently+11, Listen+12, Spot+12, Sense Motive+12
Feats: weapon focus(claw), improved crit(claw), lightning reflexes
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Environment: inhabited lands
Organization: solitary, pair, gang (3-6 and assorted fiendish snakes and fiendish monstrous insects) or army (4-8 plus assorted northern giants, wind demons, and evil dragons)
CR: 5?
Alignment: Always Neutral Evil
Treasure: double standard
Advancement: 8-13HD(medium)

Awgwas are rough, cruel creatures. Their bodies are thick and dark as iron, like balls of rough ore lumped together, Claws, horns, and other jagged protrusions grow from their joints like fungus on a corpse.

Awgwas are regarded as comical and harmless by the forces of good and evil alike. What these beings fail to understand is that the quintessential awgwa psychology, like that of most fiends, is devoted to the corruption and perversion of children to the forces of evil. The thing that sets them aside from other evil outsiders is a curious lack of perspective. They attend to their work in the minutest detail and gain perverse pleasures from it, but to an awgwa there is no significant difference between baiting a boy into hitting his little sister and giving a girl an idea for a funny prank that involves putting arsenic in father’s cider.
Awgwas use a mixture of magical influence and persuasion to tempt young people into wrongdoing. They usually work patiently, spending days, weeks, even years to build up a relationship with their target. Once they have earned trust, they can more easily manipulate the children to achieve their ends. Of course, awgwas by no means have any special regard for their “students”. A favorite method of ensuring that children turn bitter towards their parents is by acting invisibly to cause mischief around the household in the safe knowledge that the child will be unfairly punished for it.
One thing that awgwas cannot abide is happy children. Their modus operandi relies on conditions of squalor, abuse, neglect, and misery. Children that are taught to behave badly will be labeled as bad people, and this will create a vicious cycle that leads to corrupt and depraved adults. If children feel that somebody cares about them, and lack the frustrated anger and self-loathing that abusive households foster, they are less likely to carry out schemes recommended by their invisible friend.

Awgwas speak infernal, abyssal, and sylvan.

Combat: Awgwas work mostly from the shadows. They are always ready to fight, but they choose their battles. An awgwa’s success depends on the parenting population remaining blissfully ignorant of their existence, and a grown-up who cottons on to the awgwa’s trick is likely to “accidently” rip his own head off and stuff it down his trousers while gathering firewood on a cold dark night.

Light Sensitivity(ex): an awgwa is dazzled in a radius of bright light, such as full sunlight or a Daylight spell.

Abominable Soul(su): awgwas have a taint about them that recoils from the power of nature. Their very matter squirms with reluctance to be forced into such an unwholesome form. As such, spells cast by druids totally ignore an awgwa’s spell resistance, and they suffer a -3 sacred penalty to all saving throws against transmutation spells and effects.

Skin of Hate(su): every pore of an awgwa’s unclean body leaks destructive force. An awgwa’s natural weapons are treated as cold iron and unholy for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

Spell-Like Abilities(sp): at will invisibility, once per day suggestion (usable on children only) and improved invisibility. Caster level 7th, spell dc wisdom-based.


Wassail! Wassail!