Just in time for the coming holiday, I present a few seasonal squash themed monsters (which may or may not show up in the Gulf at some point as well).
Pumpkin Mimic
Thought to be cousins of the dungeon dwelling sort that like to disguise themselves as chests, the Pumpkin mimic can actually take the form of almost any vined plant that produces a large fruit, with melons and other types of squash also being head of. Pumpkin Mimics plant their young like seeds, ideally in a farm/garden with other young plants they can imitate. These young quickly learn to mimic the growth and type of the plants around them and for most of their early life actually act much like the plants they are pretending to be. However, the single large gourd/fruit they grow is actually the mature body of the mimic, and once that is developed it actually can uproot itself and open a gaping maw in the fruit to instead subsist on a carnivorous diet. Like most mimics, they prefer to wait until their prey draws too close to them (often at harvest time) and grab them with their sticky feelers and shove them into their previously disguised maw.
| Might: 2 | Nature: 4 |
| Descriptors: Imitating, Grabbing, Devouring | |
| Kill: 10 | Attack: +1s Devouring Maw Maneuver: +2D Sticky Vines |
| Capture: 6 | Attack: +1s Devouring Maw Maneuver: +2D Sticky Vines |
| Flee: 2 | Defend: +1s Grasping Vines |
| Armor: Thick Pumpkin Hide, as Leather | |
| Instinct: Always lie perfectly still until prey gets too close to escape | |
Pumpkin Mimic, Greater
There is some debate about whether this is an actual sub-species of Pumpkin Mimic or merely just ones that have grown extremely large. In either case, Pumpkin Mimics, not unlike some pumpkins have been known to grow to be quite massive in size, to the point where they would be almost sure to win any local fair if they were actually Pumpkins. While they tend to follow the same behaviors as normal Pumpkin Mimics, their massive size makes them that much more of a danger.
| Might: 4 | Nature: 8 |
| Descriptors: Imitating, Grabbing, Devouring | |
| Kill: 18 | Attack: +1D +1s Devouring Maw Maneuver: +2D Sticky Vines |
| Drive Off: 14 | Attack: +1D +1s Devouring Maw |
| Capture: 10 | Attack: +1D +1s Devouring Maw Maneuver: +2D Sticky Vines |
| Flee: 4 | Defend: +1s Grasping Vines |
| Armor: Thick Pumpkin Hide, as Chain | |
| Instinct: Always devour anything that gets close | |
Jack Lanterns
Vengeful Spirits are known to take up residence in the strangest places. In some cases, a large number of disembodied spirits take up residence in a pumpkin patch, and a swarm of Jack Lanterns are the result. Jack Lanterns appear as floating pumpkins with stylized faces carved into the side, lit internally by a ghostly blue flame. They have small amounts of telekinetic and pyrokinetic powers, and use these to harass and annoy the living. A single Jack Lantern is only a mild danger, however, they often appear in large swarms of a dozen or more, which can make dealing with them fairly tricky when they appear. The Light of the sun expels the spirit from the Pumpkin, but does not actually destroy the Jack Lantern, as the spirit can return to the pumpkin (or find a new one) come night fall.
| Might: 2 | Nature (Undead): 2 |
| Descriptors: Tricking, Burning, Laughing | |
| Kill: 1 | Attack: +1D Blue Flame Feint: +1D Telekinetic trip |
| Drive Off: 5 | Attack: +1D Blue Flame |
| Banish: 2+nature Roll | Defend: +1s Blazing Spirit |
| Flee:3 | None |
| Instinct: Never miss an opportunity to play a trick | |
| Special: Jack Lanterns glow with enough light to count as Dim Light for any area they are in. | |
King Jack
Some say King Jacks appear where large numbers of Jack Lanterns gather, others say King Jacks cause Jack Lanterns to form and gather near them. Either way, when a King Jack appears, an army of Jack Lanterns comes with him. A King Jack has the head of of a Jack Lantern, while its body is in the shape of a mans but seems to be made out of a black gnarled tree. Often, it carries a blade made out of its own blue flame. A King Jack will lead its army of Jack Lanterns to destroy the living. Much like a Jack Lantern, the body of a King Jack will revert to that of a pumpkin under the light of day, but as long as the spirit can find a new pumpkin body the King Jack can reform the following night.
| Might: 5 | Nature (Undead): 7 |
| Descriptors: Slaying the Living, Burning, Laughing | |
| Kill: 16 | Blue Flame Blade Attack: +1s Pyrokinesis Fient: +1s Telekinetic Trip |
| Drive Off: 13 | Blue Flame Blade Attack: +1s Pyrokinesis Fient: +1s Telekinetic Trip |
| Banish: 7+nature Roll | Attack: +1D Blazing Wrath Defend: +2s Infernal Spirit |
| Flee:3 | None |
| Instinct: Burn your victims alive | |
| Special: The Blue Flame Blade acts as a sword, but provides +2D to the chosen action instead of +1D
All Jack Lanterns under the Command of a King Jack (not merely in its presence), add ‘Slaying the Living’ to their nature descriptors, and count as an additional one might higher for the purposes of the Fury of the Lords of Life and Death Prayer. |
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Current PaDC score: 28/31
You All Meet in a Tavern 