10 Sketched Monsters

[1] Minceform

HD- 1d6+2

AC- 10 +1d6

Morale- 10 +1d6

Numbers- One if by accidental creation, 2d4 in breeding colony

Attacks- Bite at 1d6+1, plus appendages.

Abilities- Appendages, Possible Poison, Chaos Biology, Erratic Behavior

The Minceform is an abomination. It is a combination of many kinds of living things; it may have the head of a fish with the body of a man, with the trunks or branches of trees as limbs and the tail of any great beast or reptile. Every part of the Minceform is from another animal or being, with an amalgamation of these parts making the whole.

Every Minceform has a body and (at least) one head, but they also have limbs. They have 1d4x2 limbs, symmetrically attached down their body. Consider these limbs as possible weapons, with at least half being dedicated to legs. If the Minceform only has 2 limbs, then it can stand on one of them temporarily to swipe with the other. Limb attacks deal 1d4+1 damage if the limb is of an animal or thorny plant; anything that can actually do damage. Every Minceform also has a 1 in 4 chance of having a poison bite, determined when the creature is rolled. If bit, you must save against poison or you take 1 damage per round for the next 1d8 rounds.

Every Minceform is unique. Due to their mix of traits, different spells or abilities only have a 1 in 6 chance to work on them, but each “part” of them could be used to target them. For example, a Hold Person spell only has a 1 in 6 chance of working on a Minceform if it has a person limb, but that same Minceform may also be affected by control animal spell or rebuke undead. Minceforms share these strange genetic traits with each other through “spawning”. They don't sexually reproduce, instead, they release strange writhing worms from their skin or mouth, which find other worms to spin around and form double helix pairs with. This forms a new Minceform after a long larval state where they are vulnerable. During these states, animals in nature seem to target and even work together to destroy the Minceform offspring and their colonies, as if the law of the wilds acts against the chaos.

[2] Great Green Hopping Swordsman

HD- 4

AC- 15

Morale- 12

Numbers- Usually one, Rarely 1d2+1 in Service to a powerful ruler as his personal guards

Attacks- (+3 to hit) Longsword at 1d8+2

Abilities- Spadewhips, Mighty Leaps, Eyestalks, Easily Distracted

The Great Green Hopping Swordsmen (or sometimes called Green Hoppers) are a semi-established race. They have smooth and tough green skin covering their bodies, an unusual head with two whipping appendages, three eye stalks, sharp teeth, extremely powerful legs, and an innate desire for combat and lust. They are born with the skills of a swordsmen innately, quickly advancing through the ranks or fighting many battles at a young age, into becoming experts by the time they are adults.

The Green Hoppers are well suited to combat, despite the fact they wear no armor. They deflect attacks with a combination of their sword skills, jumping ability, and their whip-like appendages on the sides of their heads. These “spadewhips” have a layer of bone and fat just underneath the skin, and can whip around their head fast enough to help the creature avoid swordblows and arrow fire. The main ability of the Green Hoppers though is their leap. Their legs can produce an insane amount of force; lifting and launching the Green Hopper upwards of 40 ft into the air. They can use these to jump out of pits or cages, fly over gaps or go from roof to roof, and makes them basically impossible to catch.

Additionally, the Great Green Hopping Swordsman has three eyestalks on top of their heads. These eyestalks represent both their keen warrior eye, but also their perverted leer. Chopping off one eyestalk drops their to-hit bonus to +2, and chopping off two drops it to +1, representing their loss of their ability to see openings and general reaction time. Removing their eyes also reduces their libido which is the second most noticeable thing about them. These man creatures are from a race that is all male, which is obvious due to the large endowment they have- indeed its the only thing they feel the need to cover with clothing. The Green Hoppers constantly try to woo women of other races with their charm and fighting skill, and if successful, can impregnate women of any intelligent race to eventually give birth to another Hopping Swordsman. This is their only method of reproduction, and as such they journey far and wide to find societies to live in, as they have no settlements or families of their own to settle down with. Because of this, Green Hoppers can be easily distracted by attractive females. They must make a morale check to strike a pretty girl and have a -1 to hit if fighting anywhere near a naked woman; one of their eyestalks will turn to ogle.

[3] Spearslug

HD- 1+1

AC- 11

Morale- 6

Numbers- Usually One

Attacks- (+1 to hit) Flying Spear at 1d6+1, Planted Haft at 1d4

Abilities- Spear Mastery, Slug, Magic Spear,

The Spearslug is a small terrestrial creature with a mucus membrane and an advanced level of skill in martial combat. The slug is always found flying around on a magic spear, and it is not well known where these spears come from. The shaft and construction is clearly created by an intelligent being, but the head is more like a specially sharpened rough spiky stone. The spearslugs possess no language or culture, and simply seem to be born with their skills. The magic spears also seem vital for the slug to live; the slug will die if captured and taken more then 10 steps away from its spear at any given time. Slugs can hold their own against lesser warriors, but are still animals and will prefer to flee.

The spear slug always enters combat on the spear as it flies through the air, as though thrown by a supernaturally strong being, and will continue to fly around until it hits someone. The flying spear does 1d6+1 damage upon a hit. Once the spear is planted in the ground, either in the corpse of someone killed by it or if grounded by another force, the slug will stay near the embedded head and use its tail to flick the spear's shaft around and hit people in the head with the handle as best it can. This mastery over use of the spear is similar to a high level fighter, but due to being a small slimy creature the slug lacks the strength to make much use of it, thus making them not too threatening. However the slugs will know the counters or strategy to avoid or mitigate the effects of all Blade Arts of 2^nd degree or lower; the slugs innate combat sense letting them avoid some martial arts moves.

As a slug, the Spearslug is weak to salt but immune to acid. Salt burns the creature like acid, dealing 1d4 damage by shaking a tablesalt shaker over it, where as causing 1d8 damage each round if say dipped in a bucket of salt. Finally, the spear the slugs ride on is a 1d6+1 magic spear. Killing the slug allows you to take the spear for yourself. Rumors of a curse that turns the wielder of the slug-spear into another slug are totally false- the spears are commonly collected and used, especially by races with less sophisticated metalworking who don't mind using a lumpy spiked stone as a spearhead.

[4] Spiked Skullbeetle

HD- 11

AC- 17

Morale- 16

Numbers- Always One

Attacks- (+4 to hit) Jagged Maw at 1d12+4, Legstab at 1d6+4

Abilities- Spiked Body, Eyebeam

These extremely creatures are found only in the timeless wastelands and deserts. They aren't true living or unliving things, more like personified forces of nature, and are extremely powerful. Each skullbeetle appears as a massive, cyclopen skull on the body of a huge black beetle. Its entire form is covered with spikes. The ring around its eye-hole is made of some kind of dark gray metal from ancient times, impossible to sculpt or form into any shape but a ring; good luck harvesting it from this deadly creature. The black hole in the center of its skull is an enigma. Within its skull it channels power to creature massive beams of energy, which is uses to slay anything that meets its empty gaze.

The Skullbeetle is covered in spikes. Trying to climb or grapple this beast is a fool's errand- you take 1d4 damage each round you are climbing on or brushing against the skullbeetle.

The Eyebeam of this creature is its most notable, and fearsome trait. The Eyebeam kills any mortal being it strikes; only a save to dodge out of the way or reflecting the attack with a mirror shield will save you. No normal person can survive it. Its energy washes over its victims and causes them to fall to the ground as emancipated, sun-burnt corpses, as though their body baked in the harsh desert sun for years all in a single moment. The Eyebeam burns through wood and upturns and disrupts but cannot destroy stone and sand. It can fire its Eyebeam once every three rounds.

[5] Scaled Cactus Hand-Demon

HD- 3+2

AC- 14

Morale- 8

Numbers- 1d4-1 (if zero; replace with one with a morale of 4)

Attacks- Two claw attacks at 1d4+1

Abilities- Flying Fists, Disappearing

This creature appears as a humanoid being with bumpy scaled skin and two slightly oversized hands with smooth skin. At the wrists, the hands appear like giant gloves, but are no less alive and connected to the rest of the being. The demon can be turned by a cleric, and always appears in fields of cacti to harass and torment lost souls dying in the desert sun.

The most important ability this creature possess is the power to disappear behind a cactus. To do so, it must simply slip out of sight from any person or being capable of speech- it can disappear right in front of an animal companion, but not where a normal being capable of communicating could ever see it disappear. Whenever it disappears behind a cactus, it can reappear behind a different cactus to a maximum of 50 ft away. It does this to stay away from anyone trying to harm it and to scream taunts, as well as launch its hands as ranged attacks.

The demon's hands are detachable- they can be fired from each wrist like an arrow, which flies as a fist that deals its normal attack damage at a long distance. These hands can also move and crawl around, groping or strangling people, and can disappear behind a cactus as the demon's main body can. Groups of these demons enjoy pouring out waterskins with their flying hands to travelers- staying safely at distance and teasing the weak mortals about their immanent doom to the desert sun.

[6] Ice-Crest

HD- 4

AC- 15

Morale- 11

Numbers- 2d6 in Winter, Always alone in Spring

Attacks- Gore at 1d8+1, Claw at 1d6

Abilities- Ice Element, Haze of Winter

Slightly smaller then a polar bear, the Ice-Crest is a snow beast formed partially from snow. It has a large head with harder ice along it, and a body that is chilling to the touch. As a creature made of Ice, it shares properties similar to Ice elementals. The ice-crest takes no damage from cold spells and attacks, but takes double damage from fire based spells and attacks.

While highly elemental in nature, the ice crest is still an animal. It still must hunt, feed, and breed to continue the species. It mostly feeds off of fresh blood, either gored on its head with the fractures along its face guiding the blood into its mouth or off its claws- but it also seems to draw energy from the cold itself, or that energy is granted to it from a sphere above during the winter season, when they are most active and dangerous- large parties of the beasts travel around the tundras and frozen mountains seeking prey and mates.

Additionally; whenever an Ice-Crest is about to take a killing blow, there is a 1 in 6 chance that the attack will instead strike a nearby piece of ice or pile snow, or the part of the body you were aiming is simply unharmed as though you were striking nothing but snow flurries. This power called the “Haze of Winter” is only active in the winter, when the white bodies of the snow beasts blend in with the snow and sky, making the beasts more tenacious then they appear.

[7] Exasperated Sword-Spirit

HD- 2

AC- 18

Morale- N/A

Numbers- One or 1d3

Attacks- (+2 to hit) Slash at 1d6, Sword-Trick at 1d3+1

Abilities- Intangibility, stern lecture

This spirit lays dormant within weapons. While swords are the most common, some have been found in different weapons like naginatas or daggers- though usually within flashy and skillful weapons. This spirit is typically summoned to inhabit a weapon to train young people in its use, either granting useful advice or acting as a constant, untiring sparring partner. The spirit has no actual physical form besides a face that can appear while it is speaking and the sword held aloft by magical forces. As such, it can only be “hit” by striking the blade itself, or by carefully piercing the magical energy cloud that follows the weapon where the face appears- a very difficult feat.

However, the years grow long. The spirit in these old swords degrades into something almost murderous; perhaps it forgets how gentle it must be to not cut flesh, or it simply becomes tired of waiting and tries out all of its moves on the first sparring partner it has seen in centuries. Or in some cases, the sword was simply used to tougher students, and doesn't adjust quickly. This is also the reason most people recommend not using animated weapons or servants that you did not have a hand in making- trusting others to create false life is risky.

The spirit can lecture its opponents about their flaws and mistakes in swordplay, which drags at the spirit. Make a morale check, or a saving throw modified by Charisma to the character fighting this spirit. On a failure, they get -2 to hit and damage on a hit from self doubt until the combat is over. If they succeed, they ignore the sword and don't let it hurt their ego. Warriors who actually listen to the sword's advice gain 500 bonus xp, but this requires a bit of extra time actually sparring with the sword and not dying. This only works once, and doesn't apply to people who are more skilled then the sword already. (To-Hit bonus from class and level is higher then +2).

[8] Murder Owl

HD- 1+1

AC- 11

Morale- 7

Numbers- One or Two

Attacks- (+1 to hit) Talons at 1d2

Abilities- Flight, Murder-Vision, Spirit of Death (1 in 6 chance)

The Murder Owl is a fascinating night time creature. It appears as an otherwise normal brown owl, but with blood red eyes. Its eye are very sensitive to light and it will often screech or hoot aggressively if any unnatural light sources are brought nearby it- scaring many travelers and confusing it for other red eyed monsters. As an owl, it can fly and is practically impossible to hit with a melee weapon.

The main power of the owl is its special eyes. The murder own is known to be like most owls; a bird of prey who feeds on field mice and other small critters. But this bird also scavenges corpses in the forests, and does so by use of its magical eyes. To it, blood and signs of struggle appear bright red that glow in the dark, giving it a chance to follow a trail to find a wounded or dead creature to feed upon. If a bear scratches a tree to mark its territory, it would be dark and in the background, but if the bear scratched a tree while trying to take your head off, the Murder-Vision of the owl would see those scratches glowing red- and it could follow them to feed on some carrion.

This Owl has a fearsome reputation. It should be noted that the Owl itself is relatively harmless, only aggressive if cornered or if its nest is disturbed, and is too small to harm most beings seriously. However, the Murder Owls are not always alone. Sometimes, spirits of death follow the murder owl. The death spirits are formless beings, usually seen by those with the special sight as tiny black shadows carrying shining silver knives. The spirits of death will detach from a Murder Owl to follow any intelligent beings that interact with the owl, and as such folklore around these owls warns people not to touch or eat one. The spirits of death follow the affected beings and give the being disadvantage on saving throws against death. The spirit is also feared for its propensity to kill babies- each baby the affected person has has a 1 in 3 chance for their child to be stillborn. This horrible spirit can only be banished by a powerful priest.

Finally, the Murder Owl often has a nest where it stores shiny things it takes off the bodies of travelers and creatures it eats. Each nest is guarded by the murder owl as long as its morale doesn't fail. The nest will contain 2d6x5 coins worth of baubles or coins.

[9] Stinky Fartbutt Arrow-Starfish

HD- 6

AC- 14

Morale- 14

Numbers- 1d4

Attacks- (+3 to hit) Farted Arrows at 1d6+1, Squeeze at 1d10

Abilities- Stink, Abysmal slowness, Regeneration

This creature is stupid. People hate this thing, like a God's cruel joke. However, it exists and it is a serious problems in some places in the world where it haunts. Usually, it inhabits tidal shores and shallow seas that become dry during low tides, which is where its main danger comes from. This creature looks likes a starfish with a human rear end poking up the top. It smells awful, like a mix of the low tide, dead fish, and farts. The creature's terrible smell and complete lack of speed makes it impossible for it to sneak up on anyone. The starfish is drawn to large mollusks and oysters, and will gladly crack open the breastplate of a dead soldier to eat their flesh just as well. Its deathly squeeze is what it does to people it catches in close combat and who are trapped under it.

The starfish can fart arrows. The rear on its back projectile-shits an arrow in any direction it aims, propelled by the starfish's gaseous secretions. The arrows appear exactly as a war arrow, and different regional variants of this starfish may have different arrow heads that it produces as well. The arrow flies true and strikes as any normally fired arrow from a bow would, and can be picked up and reused. Fart Arrows are commonly offered at markets as an alternate to buying normal arrows, despite being made of iron, wood, and feathers as any normal arrow would be, but have the distinct waft of fart stank stuck on them no matter how many times you wash them. Half price.

Strangely, the creature's internal biology suggests very little about its arrow-creating abilities. The small sac inside its bodies responsible for creating the arrows lies just under the ass on its back, and quickly forms them from different compounds in its blood and various other organs. The creature can fart and arrow every-other round in combat, but this seems strenuous and it prefers to avoid fighting in the event it “runs out” of butt arrows. Also as a starfish, the creature can regenerate lost limbs over the course of a few days and will recover one hit point per exploration turn in the event you have to retreat to fight it again.

[10] Lumpy Skittermen

HD- 2+2

AC- 11

Morale- 9

Numbers- 2d8+2 for a patrol, 1d3 for Guards, 1d50+100 for Village

Attacks- (+2 to hit) Varies

Abilities- Intelligence, Spiderlegs, Eyestalks, Primitive Culture, Magic

The Lumpy Skittermen are a semi-primitive race of beings that inhabit the caverns and craggy mountain regions of the world. They seem to be a very new race, only a few hundred years old at most, and have only developed a proto-language and the beginnings of a culture. Each lumpy skitterman has four spider-like legs that jut out from the bottom of a man-like humanoid torso. Three of their legs are angled towards the front of their body, with one behind. These legs are quite strong at clinging to surfaces and pulling up, as well as clinging to walls, giving skittermen the ability to walk up and down stone inclines and maneuver over stalagmites with ease.

The other curious feature of the skittermen are their lumps- which grow around their head and face in place of hair or other facial features. These grant some small protection against attack. Finally, the skittermen have long tubular eyes that are prehensile. They can look behind their own head with them, or look in multiple directions at once, and they can see quite well in most dark or dim places. As such, the skittermen are very difficult to sneak up on.

Each skittermen has a role in their society. Hunting patrols head out in search of food or useful salvage, guards block important tunnels both inside their cities and outside it, and their “villages” are little more complex then large communal cave chambers for eating, sleeping, and socializing. Small side passages or little rock crags are used to rear young. Each skitterman encountered in a hunting patrol and as guards will have two weapons, one in each hand. Roll on the table below. The village-dwelling skittermen will only have a 1 in 4 chance to have a single weapon or ability in one hand, as they give all their weapons to their warriors. Only few skittermen wear clothing- always to the magically inclined. The shamans of their society seem to have the most authority, and they know some simple destructive or disabling spells taught to each other through sign langauge.

Finally; what little exists of skittermen culture is fascinating. They seem obsessed with treasure maps, and understand the symbols of the maps well enough that they actually make their own. These fake treasure maps are left nearby the camps and hunting grounds where intruders from the surface are found; and may lead to traps or ambushes from a group of guarding skittermen. As a triumph, any dead adventurer found with one of their fake maps has it staked on a metal spike to act as a totem. Any skitterman fighting nearby that totem has +1 to morale.

Skitterman Weapon Table- Roll 1d6

[1] Metal Hook. Deals 1d6 damage, hooks into shields and can drag foes.

[2] Drill Head. Deals 1d4 damage, 1d8+1 against a restrained opponent.

[3] Spiked Club. Deals 1d6+1 damage.

[4] Rock Fist. Deals 1d4 damage, can be thrown as 1d3 ranged rock attack.

[5] Fine Cavedust bag. Bag of fine black dust; thrown has a 1 in 3 chance to extinguish nearby torch or create a cloud of choking smoke at a target stopping spellcasting for 1 round.

[6] Open Hand. This Skitterman can cast a single 1^st level spell. Skittermen with two open hands can cast two spells and are given a simple threadbare tunic to denote them as a shaman.

Skitterman Reaction Table

2: They attack.

3-5: The Skittermen throw any ranged weapons they have or strike the floor to create sparks, which they hope scares the invaders as much as sparks of light like that scare them. Their shamans will cast offensive spells at a distance, even before combat is initiated, to scare off the threat.

6-8: The Skittermen point at the party's items and offer a treasure map. This map will lead to a dead end with a chained up beast or a pitfall trap, which the Skittermen patrol occasionally to mop up survivors and take their stuff. They stay back from the torchlight and will slide the map across the floor instead of getting near the torches.

9-11: The Skittermen point at the party's torches and pantomime closing the lantern hoods or snuffing out the torches and candles. If the party obeys, there won't be a fight. The Skittermen will still attack if the group is more then twice the size of the party once the light are out.

12: The Skittermen curiously prod at the party's items, offering a treasure map in exchange. It's not fake, and leads to a small treasure trove of a dead creature. The lair contains 1d4x100 coins. The Skitterman don't care about gold; they will trade the map for food, water, bandages (they think they're bolts of cloth), and anything that smells sweet or salty.