Creature Creator Part 2: A Good Defense and/or Offense

Last time, we took our first steps to creating the framework for our monster. This time, we're going to throw some meat on those bones! Follow me after the jump for a in-depth look at the Defense and Offense entries of a creature stat block.

Creature Creator Part 1: Nitty Gritty

I really dig monster creation. Considering that at least one third of all of this blog's posts are new monsters, I think that is pretty obvious. I don't believe that everyone is completely aware of what it takes to create a brand new monster, however. I recently statted up a new monster (big surprise!) and think that this is a perfect opportunity to break down the process I took to create Kasama from the ground up. Check out my first of a number of long winded posts after the jump.

New Monster—Kasama the Invincible

As I am wont to do, I created a new monster. It's surprising what will bring on the monster itch. This time around, it was this post on the Pathfinder Facebook group. Someone wanted to advance the dragon turtle up to colossal size. I took a shot at it and things got out of hand. My dial turned well past 11 into the kaiju territory. Check out Kasama the Invincible after the jump!

Hellmouth Unleashed!

Hell Unleashed is releasing later this month at GenCon. As I'm a Campaign Setting subscriber, I get early access to the PDF. Looking through the book, I spotted a creature that caught my eye: the hellmouth. The introductory section of the book details different ways to access Hell, including these interesting creatures. In brief, they are gigantic, ancient, wormlike creatures that dwell in the boundaries between planes. They have a head on each end which houses a mouth containing a portal to the opposite end. Very brazen creatures can make use of these portals to travel between Hell.

The book lacks details for the hellmouth, but does mention it is at least a CR 24 creature. Thus, I decided to take a shot at creating a hellmouth for myself. Check out my idea of it after the break.

New Creature—Hex Maw

I have a massive list of ideas for monsters sitting around. While deciding on what to write about, I stumbled upon this little entry: "Monster that damages prepped spells." A massive grin came upon my face, the kind that only a fellow GM can truly understand. I'm not one to hate on my players, but I think most anyone will agree that sometimes the wizard, cleric, or even the new-fangled arcanist should be scared, if only for a moment. Thus, the hex maw was born!

This creature was designed mostly to bring that caster down a peg, it's really not good for much else. However, I didn't design this with the intent of throwing one at the wizard around every turn. It's more of a one-scene wonder, meant to freak the caster out just the once (or twice!) and then move on. It should hopefully be a memorable encounter. Check it out, after the jump.

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.

New Monster—The Spinner Stag

Some time ago, my group and I tried out World of Darkness. Stuff got a bit weird when I introduced a bit of time travel into the mix. This was accommodated by a creature I came to call the Spirit of Choice. The design of the creature I described was one meant to evoke infinite possibilities made manifest. I really liked that creature and decided to stat it up in Pathfinder. Check it out, after the jump.