We look at how conservation efforts in India have been pivotal to the survival of these birds.
In the early 2000s, vulture populations in Asia began to crash for no apparent reason. It was eventually discovered that a drug veterinarians used to treat cattle was highly toxic to vultures and poisoning them when they fed on cattle carcasses. The governments of India, Pakistan, and Nepal all worked to ban the toxic drug and support vulture conservation programs.
Twenty years later this is a huge conservation success story. Several Asian vulture populations that had decreased by over 99% before the ban have made huge recoveries thanks to conservation breeding centers, the creation of vulture safe zones, and stricter drug regulations.
Longfin Mako Sharks are the only other surviving member of the Mako Shark family alongside the commonly known Shortfin Mako. They live in deeper waters with a worldwide distribution hunting schooling fish and cephalopods with their large light sensitive eyes.
They can be differentiated from Shortfin Makos by examining the incredibly long pectoral fins, larger size, and slender build. These sharks are rare, and in some areas, Shortfins outnumber them by 1,000: 1.
Human interactions are rare but with a respectable size and weaponry, these could be potentially dangerous animals. Longfins are endangered due to bycatch with their fins being harvested even though quality is low. Small populations and long reproduction times don't help either.
[Sponsored by Kodey Bruno. Horned serpents are a common archetype in indigenous North American mythologies, but there's a lot of variation within them. The uktena, a Cherokee iteration, is unusual in that much of the existing information about them is instead about the ulunsuti, the gemstone in their forehead that can be used as a powerful (but dangerous) magical tool. So I wanted to do right by the ulunsuti as much as cover the uktena itself. The artwork was originally on deviantArt (and I've used the same artist's work for my piasa), but the artist deleted their account.
If you'd like to join Kodey in sponsoring your own monsters, or just want to help a girl out, check out the Creature Codex Patreon here!]
UktenaCR 12 CE Magical BeastThis enormous serpent has the horns of a mighty elk growing from its head. Sitting in between the horns is a glittering gemstone. Its scales are banded with bright rings of color, and spikes grow along the sides of its tail.
An uktena is a wicked horned serpent that despises all the sunlit world, but is sometimes sought out for its powers of divination. In the mythic past, uktenas opposed the divine power of the sun, and as such sunlight burns their flesh and causes them to wither and die. They now lair in dark places, like mountain caves and the deepest depths of freshwater, emerging only at night. The magic gemstone in their skull, called the ulunsuti, allows them to see faraway places and predict the future. If they find humans in their vicinity, they strike, punishing them for what they see as the sun’s favor.
At the uktena’s will, the ulunsuti can glow brightly, acting as a lure that draws victims closer and renders them unable to resist its bites and gores. The venom of an uktena rots flesh rapidly, and they can breathe this in a cone to wither multiple foes at once. Uktenas fight to the death, as much out of spite as anything. They know that a creature who slays them is cursed, and one by one their family members will die suddenly, leaving them alone in the world. For some slayers, this is a price worth paying, for the ulunsuti of an uktena can be harnessed into a powerful tool.
The Ulunsuti
If an uktena’s ulunsuti is removed from its corpse, a creature can attune to it with a successful DC 20 Spellcraft or Use Magic Device check. A creature that fails that check can attempt again in one week’s time, and the ulunsuti can only be attuned to a single creature. When attuned, the ulunsuti acts as a crystal ball with a drawback—it must be bathed in the blood of a recently slain creature every week by the creature it is attuned to. Most ulunsuti users use the blood of small game such as birds or rabbits. If the ulunsuti is not properly bathed, it animates 24 hours later as a will-o-wisp with hardness 8 that deals fire damage instead of electricity damage with its touch. This will-o-wisp then takes the blood it needs itself, usually from the community of the ulunsuti user, for a night before returning to its inanimate form. If this will-o-wisp is slain, the ulunsuti is destroyed.
Uktena CR 12
XP 19,200
CE Huge magical beast (aquatic)
Init +4; Senses blindsense 60 ft., darkivision 60 ft., Perception +17, scent
Defense
AC 27, touch 12, flat-footed 23 (-2 size, +4 Dex, +15 natural)
hp 157 (15d10+75)
Fort +14, Ref +13, Will +11; +8 vs. mind-influencing effects
DR 10/magic; Immune divination, poison; SR 23
Weakness sunlight sickness
Offense
Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Melee bite +19 (2d6+6/19-20 plus poison), gore +19 (2d8+6), tail slap +14 (1d8+3)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks death curse, luring light, poison breath
Spell-like Abilities CL 12th, concentration +16 (+20 casting defensively)
Constant—mind blank
At will—anticipate thoughts (DC 16), clairaudience/clairvoyance, scrying (DC 18)
3/day—commune with nature, divination
1/day—moment of prescience
Statistics
Str 22, Dex 19, Con 21, Int 15, Wis 18, Cha 18
Base Atk +15; CMB +23; CMD 37
Feats Cleave, Combat Casting, Great Cleave, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Power Attack, Vital Strike
Skills Climb +22, Knowledge (history, nature) +18, Perception +17, Stealth +18, Swim +22; Racial Modifiers +4 Knowledge (history, nature), +4 Stealth
Languages Aklo, Draconic
SQ amphibious, thagomizer
Ecology
Environment temperate aquatic and underground
Organization solitary
Treasure special (see above)
Special Abilities
Death Curse (Su) When an uktena is slain, the creature that strikes the killing blow must succeed a DC 21 Will save or be cursed. Immediately upon failing this save, and once per week thereafter, a random member of the slayer’s family is affected as if by a slay living spell (CL 12th, DC 19). This curse is permanent until removed. The save DC is Charisma based.
Luring Light (Su) As a standard action, an uktena can cause the gem in its forehead to project bright light in a 60 foot cone. All creatures in the cone must succeed a DC 21 Will save or become captivated, moving towards the light using the most direct means possible. If the path leads to a dangerous area, the subject receives a second saving throw to shake off the effect. Captivated creatures can take no actions except to move and to defend themselves. A creature within 5 feet of the uktena simply stands and offers no resistance to the uktena’s attacks, acting as if flat-footed and suffering a -2 penalty on any saving throws on spells or effects generated by the uktena. If the uktena attacks such a creature, it gets another saving throw to break free of the effect. An uktena must spend a move action each turn to maintain the luring light. A creature that succeeds its save cannot be affected by that uktena’s luring light for the next 24 hours. This is a visual mind-influencing compulsion effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.
Poison (Ex) Bite or poison breath—contact; save Fort DC 22; duration 1/round for 4 rounds; effect 1d4 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution based.
Poison Breath (Ex) An uktena can breathe its poison in a 30 foot cone as a standard action. It can use this ability three times per day, but must wait 1d4 rounds between uses.
Sunlight Sickness (Ex) An uktena is sickened in natural sunlight, and takes 1 point of Constitution damage every minute it remains in the sun.
Thagomizer (Ex) An uktena’s tail slap attack deals bludgeoning and piercing damage.
Dungeons are a difficult thing to maintain, just ask any would-be mad mage, reclusive alchemist, scheming malefactor, or sadistic warden who ends up skewered by their own traps, slain by their own furious minions, or simply caught by the heroes out in the open because they forgot to build bathrooms in their impregnable fortress and had to make frequent trips to the surface. Regardless if a dungeon is meant to be a fortress of solitude, a prison for one's enemies, a guardian for one's treasure or secrets, an aesthetic experiment, or simply a test of one's engineering skills, they tend to require such a significant amount of upkeep that many would-be dungeon masters end up forgetting something that never FEELS important until suddenly it very much is.
And this is, of course, combined with the fact that dungeon maintenance is work that is dull to the point it can become maddening. Is it any wonder why prospective dungeon keepers tend to summon or even create their own servants when hirelings quit or otherwise falter? How many magical effects and items exist to eliminate as many inconveniences as possible? How many strange beings in the world exist to fulfill such banal tasks as cleaning the walls, removing sewage and debris, or repairing and replacing sprung traps? How many of them go without being noticed or recorded because they possess inglorious jobs like keeping lanterns lit, making beds, or dusting?
In cases where consistent maintenance is simply beyond a dungeon master's capabilities (or patience), an aspiring master may elect to conjure an Underlord. Powerful constructs fueled by a self-perpetuating magical core, Underlords are entirely dedicated to the construction, maintenance, and growth of the structures they're bound to, turning the dungeon from an inert series of halls and doors into a living, breathing, growing thing. Any dungeon hosting an Underlord can slowly go from a single-floor prison whose most imposing feature is a stubbornly locked door to a sprawling, multi-level fortress with all the space and features needed to sustain its own unique ecosystem.
That being said, an Underlord is an expensive investment in terms of both time and money, and it is not easy to create besides. One does not simply purchase one, a dungeon master must discover (or pay to learn) the ritual to create it, and the ritual requires the caster to psychically imprint themselves into the nascent construct as to better guide its growth. Hiring another caster to create an Underlord for one's own dungeon is simply begging to be usurped by them, as the primary caster of the ritual directs the Underlord's behavior and is responsible for its burgeoning personality.
(Below will be more lore for the Underlord, the functions it fulfills for its host dungeon, and statblocks for the creatures it can create: Underlings and the Underhand)
Underlords are far from mindlessly obedient maintenance workers. The ritual to create one invests a partial imprint of the primary caster's mind and personality within it, allowing the Underlord to better understand its master's aesthetic desires and the overall shape, function, and mood of the dungeon. It is not a full copy of the caster's mind in order to prevent the construct from simply supplanting its creator in the belief that it is the original (or superior to the original), but rather the mind acts as a trellis of beliefs, desires, ambitions, and ideas which the Underlord's OWN consciousness can grow along like vines. A "basic" Underlord, freshly created and getting its bearings, is a patient and calculating entity with a deep understanding of engineering and self-sufficiency, entirely devoted to the idea that its dungeon must exist for as long as it possibly can, as any being wishing to keep themselves alive would.
In addition to its engineering and construction prowess, an Underlord begins its life knowing more about magic than some practiced mages and has the capacity to learn even more. Combined with its various other abilities, this means that, while there are numerous safeguards in place to prevent it from backstabbing its creator, some Underlords born from the prideful can begin to develop superiority complexes of their own, if not towards their creator then certainly towards any and all other beings that walk their halls, and grow prone to expressing these feelings in dangerous ways.
In most cases, Underlords typically consider themselves as "second in commands" of the dungeon and/or the greatest minion in service of their creator, with or without saying it aloud. They will always only consider themselves second in command, as the safeguards built into the ritual to create them prevents them from ever considering themselves the true lord of a dungeon and attempting to wrench control from their creator, and they will follow any order given from their creator (sometimes with "creative interpretations") regardless of any danger it may present to themselves. A creator may indeed order an Underlord to destroy itself if they believe it has gotten too powerful or free-willed... though in the case of such willful constructs, they will often have backup plans in place to allow them to survive in some form or fashion as their ability to predict their master's desires and sways of mood is turned into a weapon rather than a tool.
If an Underlord's creator perishes, this is not the end of the threat, as the construct will utilize the imprinted memories and ambitions to continue their master's legacy. Sometimes, the obedient construct will work towards resurrecting its creator if it believes it can, utilizing its abilities and connections secure the aid and/or resources it requires for such a task, though in most cases an Underlord will seek to complete its master's "final project" for them... but there have been times where an Underlord simply seals the entrances to its dungeon and exists in quiet perpetuity, alone with its thoughts (whatever they may be) and whatever minions still linger in the area, only lashing out when some new stimulus interrupts its pondering. These 'quiet' Underlords are most often encountered when their dungeons are acting as prisons, tombs, or vaults, while more active and threatening Underlords are usually found in dungeons which served as laboratories, bases of operation, or homes for their former master and their minions.
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CREATION AND CONTROL
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The ritual to create an Underlord is known as the Grand Servant of Mendechaus, named for its creator, a short-sighted archmage who had lost his previous lair to a series of escalating catastrophes which began with his minions being dissatisfied with their inability to regularly sleep in clean beds or eat proper meals and ended with the entire lair falling to a group of heroic adventurers who simply walked past traps that hadn't been re-armed and guardians who weren't paid well enough to bother stopping them. Mendechaus vowed he would never suffer such a humiliating failure again, and sought to create the ultimate servant and dungeon guardian. After numerous further failures (which resulted in free-willed, ambitious, and conniving Underlords, many of which still exist to this day in sealed-away chambers), he finally perfected the ritual to create an obedient and faithful construct which would oversee the upkeep and defense of the dungeon while allowing him to focus entirely on his own wicked ambitions.
The eventual fate of Mendechaus is not known, but the fact that his painstaking research project has ended up in the hands of numerous other dungeon lords over the years points towards him meeting a terrible fate and having his works stolen. Still, some believe that the ritual was willingly taught to well-paying associates by Mendechaus himself in the twilight of his life, while others believe his creation impressed a higher power and allowed him to become some fiendish demigod, most likely an Infernal Duke, to spread his creation through his servants... but if he IS some sort of new divinity, he is terribly obscure on his home world of Golarion.
The Grand Servant of Mendechaus is a 8th level Occult Ritual which takes no fewer than 8 days to complete, requires a wide variety of expensive and obscure focus materials, and demands the sacrifice of over 80,000 gp worth of materials. Despite the undoubtedly evil nature of its creator, the ritual itself is not an evil act, and the Underlords begin as True Neutral aligned, though they eventually grow to reflect the alignment of their creator. Whatever alignment they end up being, their duty is to keep themselves alive, their dungeon functioning, and their minions and master content (if not happy), which often leads to lawful behavior, such as their drive to fairly pay their minions for their duties.
(This creation ritual will not be given further stats, and thus will be entirely at the DMs discretion, but suffice to say not every mad mage or maniac cult should have access to one!)
At the conclusion of the ritual, the Underlord is created in the center of the dungeon in which it was cast. The Underlord is a massive, immobile construct that takes up a 20ft square of space and is 20ft tall, and a "fresh" one resembles the arcane core pictured above. The Grand Servant ritual creates a room capable of supporting the Underlord if one does not already exist. Over time, the Underlords will reshape themselves to better fit the aesthetic of their creator, becoming such things as a churning geometric shape, a many-ringed angel, a large gemstone, or a gigantic beating heart.
Once created, the Underlord will swiftly connect to the dungeon. Its awareness spreads across the entirety of the structure in a single minute--it cannot spread through unworked terrain or destroyed portions of the architecture, however, only unbroken lines of the dungeon's structure, an intentional flaw/safeguard to potentially allow the dungeon's master to have areas the Underlord cannot see or reach. In most cases, the Underlord will see these as errors and will try and correct them, letting its awareness spread into the disconnected section by having its Underlings work the soil or stone, something it must be explicitly instructed not to do.
An Underlord fully connected to a dungeon will quickly take note of any faults or mistakes, even ones thorough engineers may have not spotted. Whether it be something grand like a dangerous terrain feature being too close to an important hallway, or something moderately hazardous like two room features being too risky to place closely together, or something as lowly as a weakened fastener holding a beam together, it all registers to the construct as flaws in its body that it must correct, just as a human may steps to alleviate aches in their body or blemishes on their skin. The construct swiftly creates and dispatches its Underlings and utilizes its magic to fix problems great and small as the Underlord reaches its senses into the surrounding area to get an idea of all the directions it may be able to grow in, all the environmental resources it has available to use, and how it may exploit natural features to its advantage in some way.
An Underlord is treated as an object or piece of terrain in every case in which it would be advantageous for it, though it has a mind and many stats; it has 300 HP, and a hardness of 10, a further 20 points of Resistance to all forms of elemental damage, and all resistances and immunities afforded to the Construct creature type. When required, it has 10 AC, a Fortitude and Will save modifier of +14, and automatically fails all Reflex saves, as it is immobile. The Underlord cannot make Str and Dex checks, but has a +6 to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma checks. Underlords have +16 to Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Linguistics, Perception, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device checks, as well as to three of any Knowledge skills (one of which is always Engineering) and up to three of any Craft skills, determined at their creation. Underlords start knowing Common plus all languages spoken by its master, and can speak telepathically with any being inside of the dungeon which allows it (a creature may revoke and reinstate the construct's ability to speak to them at will). During combat, the Underlord is treated as though it has an initiative count of 10.
The abilities common to all Underlords are as follows:
Arcane Assimilation (Su): A basic Underlord can cast spells as a 14th level Wizard (no bonus slots for high Intelligence) and has a +20 to concentration checks, though some can become more powerful over time. An Underlord has no Opposition Schools and knows all Wizard cantrips and all level 1, 2, and 3 spells on the Wizard spell list by default. An Underlord requires no components to cast its spells except for focus components or costly material components, the latter of which it can create spontaneously as a free action by sacrificing an equivalent amount of gold and gems from specialized vault chambers in the dungeon. When casting a spell, it may cast the spell directly from its core, from its Underhand, or from one of its Underlings, treating them as the origin point for the spell. The save DC for the Underlord's spell is 16 + the spell's level. An Underlord can learn new spells by absorbing scrolls and spellbooks; this destroys the scroll or spellbook but infuses the spells within the Underlord, allowing it to use them with its own magic. They can learn any spell on the Bard, Summoner, Witch, or Wizard spell lists in this way.
Create Rooms (Su): The Underlord can fill existing chambers by generating items and furniture made of common materials (wood, stone, wool, iron, etc) to fulfill nearly function it desires, such as a simple forge for a smithy, shelves for a library with paper or blank books and ink for writing, decent blankets and clothing, chairs and tables for a dining area with an accompanying oven and stovetop for a kitchen, etc. The Underlord can freely generate upwards to 500gp of items daily, typically enough to let it furnish and decorate at least one room a day, and/or arm multiple minions with common weapons and armor. Unless instructed otherwise, it will only ever create items as-needed and will not create and store raw material. Any items created with this ability are fully functional and will never disappear, though they visibly tarnish and gain the broken condition while outside of the dungeon; this does not affect anything made with items created by this ability, such as weapons made in a created forge, scrolls crafted in a scriptorium, or food made in a created kitchen. Underlords are only able to create simple weapons and light or medium armor with this ability, and cannot create anything magical. Some Underlords learn the Fabricate spell via their Arcane Assimilation to help alleviate these limitations, though most simply seek to employ actual craftsmen.
Create Traps (Su): Once per day as a full-round action, the Underlord can spontaneously create one trap of CR 2 or lower anywhere within the dungeon that can support the trap. It can only have six such traps in existence at a time, and creating a seventh causes a different one of the Underlord's choice to disappear. These generated traps never spring on the dungeon's inhabitants, and if disarmed, the Underlings are drawn to re-arm them. The Underlord and all Underlings sense whenever a trap is sprung, disarmed, or destroyed. This ability does not affect traps set by anyone else in the dungeon, though the Underlings may still re-arm those traps.
Create Underhand (Su): Once per day, the Underlord can conjure a unique Construct known as an Underhand to directly enact its will. This process takes 1 minute of concentration. At the conclusion, the freshly conjured Underhand appears in a space adjacent to it. The Underlord can only have one Underhand in existence at a time; using this ability while it already has one instead restores that Underhand to full hitpoints, removes all conditions and effects from it, and returns it to the Underlord's side from across any distance. If the Underlord is destroyed, the Underhand is simultaneously destroyed.
Create Underling (Su): Underlords immediately create four Underlings upon their creation. Once per hour, the Underlord can perform a 1-minute ceremony to create a new Underling in a square adjacent to itself or its Underhand, to a maximum of 10. Attempting to create a new Underling while at the maximum number does nothing. Underlings are utterly subservient to the Underlord and obey its mental commands without question or complaint, and obey commands from other dungeon inhabitants with some questions and complaints. If under no orders, they perform all construction, renovation, and maintenance needed in the dungeon. The Underlord has a permanent Status spell on all of its Underlings. If the Underlord is destroyed, all of its Underlings die simultaneously. An Underlord may will an Underling to die as a swift action. Any Underling that dies vanishes in a plume of smoke, its possessions dropping to the ground in its former space.
Dungeon Sense (Su): An Underlord can easily see and hear the goings-on in its dungeon through its minions, and feel what is happening as if the structure were its body. It can focus its will on its Underhand, any of its Underlings, or any willing creature in the dungeon at any time as a swift or standard action to form a magical glyph over that creature that allows it to see, hear, and audibly speak from creature's space for as long as it desires, using its +16 to Perception checks to examine the dungeon. If it focuses on a different target, the sensor disappears from the previous one. The Underlord feels whenever a surface or structure within its dungeon is destroyed, potentially allowing it to sense intruders who are breaking down doors, destroying traps, or digging through walls.
Payday (Su): The Underlord slowly but steadily generates wealth. Each day, it creates 300gp worth of coins and/or gems, arranged in stacks and piles in spaces adjacent to it or within a designated vault chamber. Subtly lawful programming drives the Underlord to use this wealth to benefit the dungeon, prioritizing tasks such as paying its minions' wages (which it cannot be dissuaded from doing so long as the hireling is doing its job, going behind its master's back if it must), seeking out new minions to hire, or purchasing goods required for the dungeon's continued protection and function (or, as is often the case, making arrangements to do so through a liaison). Coins created with this ability bear the dungeon master's iconography. This created currency never disappears.
Possession (Sp): At will as a standard action, the Underlord can seize control of an Underling or its Underhand as if using the spell Possession without offering a saving throw, letting it interact with the dungeon, the items within, and its inhabitants more personally. This version of the spell reaches anywhere within the dungeon and lasts until the Underlord dismisses it.
The Underlings are the primary servants of the Underlord. Like their creator they are not entirely mindless and may, in time, develop personalities of their own... not that many inhabitants of the dungeon will notice. They are utterly without ambition and entirely devoted to the dungeon's wellbeing, finding joy in ceaseless labor and being directed to work by the dungeon's inhabitants, no matter what that work may be. They handle the mining and renovation work to expand the dungeon over time, as well as all the small, annoying jobs around the dungeon--stocking, cleaning, hauling items from one room to the next, and all other inglorious works--to keep the inhabitants from ever needing to worry about things like laundry, lit lanterns, and cleaned latrines. About the only thing they don't do is cook, though they'll at least fetch food when asked.
Underlings begin their lives looking like squat, spindly imps with enormous eyes, their figure hunched over by their ponderous backpacks. Like the Underlord, their appearance changes overtime to reflect the whims of the dungeon's master, though they will always appear to be small and somewhat pathetic or harmless.
Str 12 Dex 17 Con 10 Int 11 Wis 14 Cha 13
Base Atk: +3; CMB +3; CMD 16
Feats Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes
Skills Craft (Stonework or Woodwork) +6, Disable Device +9, Escape Artist +9, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +10, Knowledge (Engineering) +10, Perception +8, Stealth +10 Racial Modifiers +4 to Knowledge (Engineering) and (Dungeoneering) checks
Languages Common plus any one spoken by the dungeon's master
SQ Compression, Contact Underlord, Workhorse
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Ecology
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Environment Underlord's dungeon
Organization solitary, pair, crowd (2-4 plus dungeon denizens), gang (5-10 plus dungeon denizens)
Treasure incidental
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Combat: Underlings are meant for maintenance, not combat. They retreat from any battle that breaks out unless forced to engage by their Underlord or the dungeon's master. The only real contribution they tend to make in a fight is bringing supplies to or retrieving weapons for their more powerful allies, though they can be ordered to use their Expeditious Excavation and Stone Shape spells offensively.
Morale: Underlings flee as soon as they even vaguely feel like they might be in danger, but if ordered to stand and fight, they will do so to the death.
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Special Abilities
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Contact Underlord (Ex): Underlings are in constant telepathic contact with the Underlord on a different "channel" than the telepathy it uses to speak with other dungeon inhabitants, allowing them to instantly alert the construct to important events they see.
Needless (Ex): Underlings do not breathe, eat, or sleep, and are immune to any effect that would cause fatigue, exhaustion, or sleep.
Workhorse (Su): Underlings have several small magical augments to assure they can accomplish their duties. They can conjure mundane tools such as pickaxes, hammers, shovels, and knives at will, though these tools vanish if they leave the Underling's hand. They have a constant Ant Haul effect on themselves that resumes at the start of their turn each round if it is ever dispelled. They also have a constant Expeditious Retreat effect on themselves, though this spell deactivates for 1 minute if the Underling takes any damage.
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The Underhand is the primary tool through which the Underlord personally interacts with the dungeon. It controls the Underhand as easily as a normal human would their own hand, to the point that the Underhand may suddenly begin performing gestures for no apparent reason because the Underlord is having an animated conversation in another part of the dungeon.
Left to its own devices, the Underhand autonomously patrols the halls of the dungeon, responding to requests by the denizens to move objects and creatures from one part of the dungeon to the other and attacking any intruders it comes across, but its primary purpose is to act as a vessel for the Underlord's will. The lord may easily control the hand via its Possession ability at any time, allowing it to not only combine the hand's physical strength and its spellwork to its advantage, but use the hand's built-in abilities to better control the dungeon and its inhabitants.
When first created, the Underhand looks like a simple stone hand with an eye-like pattern of markings on the palms and/or the tips of its fingers. Over time it changes shape and becomes more elaborate, often reflecting the hand of the dungeon's master covered in arcane tattoos, decorative jewelry, and gemstones.
AC 24, touch 16, flat-footed 18 (+6 Dex, +8 natural)
HP 100 (14d10+20)
Fort +4 Ref +10 Will +8
DR 10/Magic and piercing; Immune Construct traits; Resist Cold 10, Electricity 10, Fire 10; SR 20
Weaknesses Dungeon-Bound
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Offense
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Speed 30ft, fly 60ft (average)
Melee Slam +22 (2d6+12/19-20/x3 plus grab)
Ranged Elemental Ray +20 touch (4d8+4)
Special Attacks Constrict (2d6+12), grab (Large), Elemental Ray, Powerful Slam
Spell-like Abilities (CL 14; Concentration +20)
Constant--Fly
3/day--Cure Serious Wounds, Dispel Magic, Fireball (DC 19), Heroism, Inflict Serious Wounds (DC 19), Lightning Bolt (DC 19)
1/day--Create Food and Water, Haste, Make Whole, Nap Stack
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Statistics
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Str 26 Dex 23 Con -- Int -- Wis 18 Cha 1
Base Atk: +14; CMB +22; CMD 38 (can't be tripped)
Feats Improved Critical (Slam)(B)
Languages Understands Common plus one language spoken by the dungeon's master (cannot speak)
SQ Helping Hand, Selective Intangibility
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Ecology
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Environment Underlord's dungeon
Organization Solitary, party (self plus 1~10 dungeon denizens)
Treasure Standard
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Combat: The Underhand is a simple creature in combat due to its lack of intelligence. It fires its elemental rays at distant foes but attempts to get close as quickly as possible to slam, grab, and crush its enemies until none remain. It is only when being possessed by the Underlord or directed by the dungeon master that they can use their spell-like abilities to assist their allies and destroy their enemies. The Underlord typically keeps its hand out of the reach of its foes to rain down spells from a distance, delivering support and healing to its allies as needed. It can also, when commanded, act as a platform for allies to stand on and attack from afar.
Morale: As disposable as it is, the Underlord tends to make its hand retreat and potentially repair itself with Make Whole if it is reduced to 25 or less HP, usually grabbing a downed or gravely wounded ally and using Swift Transport (see below) to escape. If the dungeon's master or the Underlord itself is in danger, or if the Underhand is not controlled or commanded, it will fight to the death.
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Special Abilities
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Dungeon-Bound (Ex): The Underhand is inextricably bound to the Underlord which created it. It cannot move or be moved further than 100ft past the closest boundary of the Underlord's dungeon through any means, stopping as if impacting an invisible wall if physically forced to move. If it would be teleported or otherwise magically moved out of the dungeon, it is destroyed instantly.
Elemental Ray (Su): At will as a standard action, the Underhand may fire an elemental ray as a ranged touch attack at any target within 60ft. The elemental ray deals 4d8+4 damage, and it can choose whether the damage is Cold, Electricity, or Fire each time it fires. As a full-round action once every 1d4 rounds, the Underhand can fire up to five rays at up to five different targets (one ray per target) within range. Each ray fired in this way must deal the same type of elemental damage.
Helping Hand (Ex): The Underhand is a mindless construct that the Underlord can control and give commands to from anywhere in the dungeon, effectively acting as its avatar. On the Underlord's turn, it may use its otherwise useless move action to command the Underhand to immediately move up to its speed in any direction, make a single slam or elemental ray attack, or use one of its spell-like abilities. If the Underlord is directly controlling the hand via its Possession ability, it may use all of the Underhand's abilities, ignoring the Possession spell's normal restrictions on what actions and abilities the caster may access. The Underhand's spell-like abilities use the Underlord's ability scores to determine their saving throws instead of its own; this has been calculated into its spell list already.
Powerful Slam (Ex): The Underhand attacks by crashing the entirety of its stony body into its targets like the fist of a furious god. Its slam adds 1-1/2 times its Strength modifier as damage. It has Improved Critical as a bonus feat, and its slam has a higher critical hit damage than normal.
Selective Intangibility (Su): The Underhand may move through solid objects as if they were difficult terrain. If it ends its turn within a solid object, it is shunted into the closest available empty space, taking 1d8 damage for every 5ft it moves.
Swift Transport (Sp): Once per minute as a full-round action, the Underhand may transport itself along with any objects it's holding or one willing creature it's holding onto any point within 300ft as if using Dimension Door. The Underhand may also transport a helpless creature of Large size or smaller using this ability, whether or not it's willing.
This is absolutely incredible! You did a great job on this - reminds me very heavily of the burgeoning genre of 'Dungeon Core' stories folks are writing, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Several wildfires are forcing members of a number of First Nations to flee their homes in northern Ontario.
“I had time to run home and pack a bag and get to the beach where the boats were waiting,” said a member of Namaygoosisagagun First Nation (Collins). “We literally had minutes to get on the boats and flee before it took our town.
“Once we left my house finally after packing what I could in a pack sack, the fire was right behind our place. We had to run to the beach and once we got there, it was only moments before the fire had jumped over the (train) track and was coming for us.”
it has since been confirmed that namaygoosisagagun first nation has completely burnt to the ground. if you would like to help the community navigate an ongoing crisis, i urge you to donate to the anishinabek nation 7th generation, a registered charity seeking to improve the lives of first nations people. donations are going directly to members of namaygoosisagagun first nation.
if you're canadian, you can e-transfer [email protected]. if you're outside canada, they accept paypal as well. see more information HERE
Outsiders call the plateau the "Land of Wild and Wander," for it is a place of expansive dermal steppes, dandruff deserts and spine ridge mountains. It is also the home of the Ankheer people, a culture of nomads who roam these endless wilds. They follow the herds of grazers as they travel across the steppe with the changing of the seasons, leading their own livestock to prime feeding grounds. Their lives are mobile, their settlements only as permanent as the seasons. When the time comes, a family or clan can easily dismantle their tents and be gone within the hour. In this land, permanent towns are quite rare, a chunk of them having been built by travelers and traders. The Ankheer prefer their nomadic ways, finding peace and satisfaction with their part in the natural cycle. And there is no part of this world that they love more than their prized tasmori.
The tasmori is a quadrupedal avian that is found exclusively on the Khalkheer Plateau. It bears the head of a vulture on the body of an ungulate, with talons shaped into sharp hooves. Feathers and fur-like down coat it, with bare patches on the legs, neck and snout show blue-gray skin. It is a bird that has traded its wings for another pair of legs, roaming the dermal steppes in herds. The vulture diet of scavenging has turned its focus from rotting corpses to the flesh of the land itself. Hair, growths and skin covered earth is its food, using its sharp beak to feed. They migrate across the steppe in line with the seasons, following favorable conditions and food sources. Though they may not be the fastest creatures in this land, their endurance and hardiness makes them serious contenders. They are able to run for miles with little weariness, and they stand strong against the weather and shifting temperatures. Predators that try to hunt them will face sharp hooves and beak, a nasty reward for those who succeed in cornering a tasmori.
While outsiders may look at these creatures and see just another beast of burden, the Ankheer view them as something much more. These people have long domesticated this species, and now it is an integral part of their lives and culture. The tasmori carry them and their homes across the steppe, serving as the most reliable transportation around. Be it riding out to check the herd, or going on a hunt, or simply enjoying a nice day, the tasmori is the only choice. Clans see their tasmori as part of the family, calling for the same respect and care as any other member. Tending to the needs of this herd is top priority, with it even being considered taboo to eat before your own tasmori has been fed. Learning to ride them is the very first lesson in an Ankheer's life, leading to the saying that "an Ankheer child will ride a hundred miles before learning how to take their first step."
Riding a tasmori is as straightforward as walking to an Ankheer, who are able to guide their mounts without reins. Their saddles are designed with short stirrups, allowing their legs to control the direction of their beast. With this, they don't need to busy their hands with reins, allowing them to perform other actions, like archery. The archery skills of the Ankheer when mounted upon a tasmori are legendary, showing off incredible speed, precision and mobility. With the design of the saddle and the familiarity with their mount, the Ankheer can seemingly fire in any direction and move their position on the tasmori in astonishing ways. The most famous move is the archer sliding themselves to one side of the beast, shielding themselves from enemy arrows. From there, they fire back from under the tasmori's chin, an incredible feat to witness. This mounted archery is used for hunting, friendly competition and in battle. When mounted upon a tasmori, the Ankheer are powerful adversaries.
Even with this, the tasmori provides more to the Ankheer people. They use their feathers for their arrows, their shed down for insulation and clothing, and they even partake in their fluids. To feed their young, female tasmori regurgitate "crop Milk," a pale liquid derived from their food and stored in their crop. The Ankheer drink crop Milk, either enjoying it straight, mixing it with other fluids or fermenting it. This type of kumis is called "airag," and it is a favorite drink of the Ankheer. Even when a tasmori passes, their bodies are used by the family so that a part of the creature remains with them. Bones, beak, hoof and hide are fashioned into personal or ceremonial items. The Ankheer are very serious about their bond with the tasmori, the species playing prominent roles in their lives, culture and mythology.
To outsiders, the tasmori feels like any other steed, for they do not hold the same reverence. That being said, small populations of tasmori have sprouted up outside the steppes, having been traded to breeders looking for promising mounts. The same qualities are appreciated in the species, with a particular love for their endurance. Often times, though, someone owning a tasmori in a foreign land is mostly showing off their wealth and status. The species' reputation is tied to the Ankheer themselves in the eye of outsiders. Both beings of the wild steppe, seen as rugged nomads of a far off land. However, recent years have seen this reputation be replaced with infamy, for the sight of archers upon the backs of tasmori brings about a new fear.
A powerful force has arisen from the steppes, many clans suddenly united under a single banner. A call to war has gone out, and it is one that cannot be refused. The lands surrounding the plateau never knew what hit them. Territories claimed, power stolen. Empires tremble as cities burn. Each victory bolsters their own strength, an army of incredible strength and appetite. A storm is coming for the great empires of this landmass, one whose dark clouds rain down arrows and whose thunder is the sound of a thousand hooves. And leading it all is the rider upon a white tasmori, holding bow high and proud. They charge forth across the lands like a wildfire, with four loyal champions that ride beside them. There has already been great victories with their incredible strength, but it isn't enough. The great leader rides for one purpose, one belief, and the vast army follows that same insatiable want:
Conquest
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A nice little thing to end the run on livestock and steeds for now! Turns out the Church isn't the only one having problems! Thankfully the land of the golden faith has an ocean between them and this! Hopefully that is enough! Hopefully...
The Bog lurker
A dragon that patiently pretends to be lilypads and aquatic vegetation waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Bog lurkers rely entirely on water, and barely leave it.
Their young are undeveloped, tadpole-like and swim next to them following via the release of a milky substance that is produced on the parent's lower jaw. it lacks nutritional value and is confusing as to what is used for asides for guiding their young.
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