Hi, and welcome to the Finder’s Archives. This week we start something new, called 3 Fridays till Christmas!
Each week I’ll be presenting something for you to use in your campaigns of Pathfinder, Starfinder or 5th Edition, to give it that holiday cheer. This week we give you the Nisse for Pathfinder 1. 🙂
(For those curious, Nisses are portrayed in two different ways in Scandinavian culture/mythology. They replace the elves as the helpers of Santa Claus and are also known to live among humans. The ones that work for Santa Claus are generally considered to be human-sized, though they average from 4 feet up, while the ones that live among humans are usually portrayed as being a foot high at most – this particular version represents the latter).
This short, stocky man has a white beard and wears grey woolen clothing with a red hat. A faint scent of stables and animals surround him.
Nisse CR 2
XP 600
NG Tiny fey
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +9
—– Defense —–
AC14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 Size)
hp 18 (4d6+4)
Fort +0, Ref +5, Will +5
Defensive Abilities invisibility; DR 5/cold iron
—– Offense —–
Speed 30 ft.
Melee dagger -1 (1d2-2)
—– Statistics —–
Str 7, Dex 14, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 11
Base Atk +1; CMB -3; CMD 9
Feats Animal Affinity, Skill Focus (Handle Animal)
Skills Handle Animal +15, Heal +14, Knowledge (local) +9, Knowledge (nature) +9, Perception +9, Sense Motive +9, Sleight of Hand +9, Stealth +17
Languages Common, Sylvan, Terran; speak with animals
—– Ecology —–
Environment any farm
Organization solitary
Treasure hat of invisibility
—– Special Abilities —–
Animal Affinity nisses have a special affinity with domesticated animals, granting it a +8 racial bonus to Handle Animal and Heal checks regarding domesticated animals. Furthermore, a nisse can use wild empathy as a druid, but only in regards to domesticated animals.
Hat of invisibility A nisse has possession of a hat of invisibility, which is only usable by the nisse to whom the hat belongs. The hat of invisibility functions as a ring of invisibility.
Nisses are fey creatures, who have adopted humanoid families who live on farms, and who seek to protect the livestock from predators as well as from the humanoids themselves. They are especially prevalent in the northern regions of Golarion, seemingly having a particular affinity for the superstitious Ulfen.
Generally, nisses will assist the humanoids in unseen ways, such as by healing animals, ensuring that plants and animals are kept watered and fed, but should the humanoids purposefully mistreat the animals, then nisses are not above playing practical jokes and tricks on the farmers. Should the families fail to understand the reason for the jokes, the nisses will eventually free the animals and lead them to better families.
Should the farmer repent his ways, it is customary for them to leave out porridge with cinnamon topping, as nisses find this irresistible. Nisses who are given this treat often will remain remarkably loyal to their families, often helping out (unseen) in animal breeding programs and making sure that only the best plant stock is used for seeds.
It is considered good luck to have a nisse living on your farm in most regions, and even more so to actually see one. However, it is considered bad luck in those regions to have the nisse leave the farm and this has on occasion lead to superstitious farmers leaving their farms behind.
Nisses do not engage socially with each other, and there are no records of having seen females of the species. Nonetheless, the nisses are not disappearing, leading scholars to speculate that female and young nisses must exist, though the few nisses who have been asked about this, have remained silent on the matter.
Kim Frandsen
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