New Monster—The Yampe

I'm a big fan of Castlevania. One of my favorite monsters is the Imp. The imp is not particularly powerful or scary. It's more of an annoyance than anything else. It will latch on to your character and you will stand there, continually attacking, until you mash enough buttons to break free. Nothing too crazy. 

I wanted to recreate the imp for Pathfinder, but found myself with a little problems: the imp already exists. Mind you, it exists as a devil. However, devils are more plain evil than tricky or malicious. Not only would the current imp not really fit with the idea of the creature, but devils are also not a match for the theme. Then I remembered my first foray with the pugwampi. Premiering in Howl of the Carrion King, the pugwampi are perfect tricksters. That's when I knew that gremlins were a far better fit for the creature. Looking a little into the history of the imp, I learned that their names are most likely derived from the term ympe.

With all that information in hand, I had a gremlin to terrorize players with: the yampe. Check him out after the jump.

Flying on a set of thin leathery wings, this horned creature’s eyes dart around to survey the area. Its clammy skin is a mix of pale gray and blue.

GREMLIN, YAMPE CR 2

XP 600

CE Tiny fey

Init +2; Senses darkvision 120 ft., low-light vision; Perception +3

DEFENSE

AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size)

hp 16 (3d6+6)

Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +2

DR 5/cold iron; SR 13

OFFENSE

Speed 15 ft., fly 40 ft.(average)

Melee bite +4 (1d3)

Special Attack infuriate +4 (DC 16)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3rd; concentration +6)

At will—prestidigitation

1/hour—hideous laughter (DC 14), unseen servant

STATISTICS

Str 11, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 9, Wis 8, Cha 17

Base Atk +1; CMB –1; CMD 11

Feats Ability Focus (infuriate), Hover, ToughnessB

Skills Bluff +11, Fly +12, Perception +3, Stealth +20, Use Magic Device +7; Racial Modifiers +4 Bluff, +4 Stealth

Languages Undercommon

ECOLOGY

Environment any underground or urban

Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3–6)

Treasure standard

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Infuriate (Su) A yampe’s trickery knows no bounds. As such, it can instill the pure essence of mischief into the mind of another creature. As a standard action, a yampe can make a melee touch attack to attempt to grab on to its target. If successful, the target creature must make a Will save (DC 16) or become confused. The confusion last for a number of rounds equal to the yampe’s hit dice. The confused creature may make a save at the end of every turn, gaining a cumulative +1 to their Will save for every turn they remain confused.

The yampe gains the grappled condition and remains attached to the confused creature for the duration of the confusion effect. For the purposes of confusion, the yampe is treated as a familiar and cannot be target by the confused creature.

Boldest amongst the gremlins, yampe are quite short lived, but their antics are retold and reattempted by many other gremlins. Smaller than their cousins, yampe are quite adept at hiding until the most unfortunate moments. Yampe tend to work in groups, ready to strike from the shadows. They lack physical might, moreso than other gremlins, but make up for it in pure maliciousness. 

Many tales are recounted by lone survivors of groups that have encountered the devilish creatures. These stories detail packs of yampe taking over their companions, forcing them to attack each other while one is forced to watch the entire scene doubled over in laughter.

Yampe tend to be confused for sickly imps. Their small frame and similar wings have helped save many an overcautious citizen win a direct encounter, much to the chagrin of the yampe. They seem to be more annoyed by the fact that the devils end up receiving the credit for their antics than having another target escape.

Yampe stand 1 foot tall and weigh generally weigh about 11 pounds.