Welcome to the Finder’s Archives. For this festive season I’m planning on creating a set of monsters, 1 per Sunday in Advent (though these are published on Fridays), so 4 new season creatures in total, leading up to the holidays.
This week the creature takes inspiration from Mari Lwyd of Welsh tradition. (Please note that this is intended to be only a point of inspiration, not a picture-perfect replica for Pathfinder).
This horse-like creature has its entire skull showing, with no flesh visible. Dark and empty eye sockets provide the only break in its otherwise bleached-white face, while a white tattered tabard covers the rest of its skeletal body.
MARI LWYD CR 4
XP 1,200
LE large undead (augmented animal)
Init +4; Senses low-light vision, festive sense 120 ft.; Perception +8
Aura carols of doom (30 ft., DC 15)
DEFENSE
AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+4 Dex, -1 size, +4 natural)
hp 37 (5d8+15)
Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +7
DR 5/bludgeoning; Immune sonic
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft.
Melee bite +8 (1d4+5), 2 hooves +3 (1d6+2)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks season’s greetings
STATISTICS
Str 20, Dex 18, Con —, Int 11, Wis 16, Cha 17
Base Atk +3; CMB +9; CMD 23
Feats Endurance, Run, Skill Focus (perform)
Skills Intimidate +8, Knowledge (religion) +5, Knowledge (history) +5, Perform (song/carols) +11, Perception +8
Languages common, telepathy 100 ft.
ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure standard (see below)
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Carols of Doom (Sp)
Any living creature within 30 feet of Mari Lwyd must make a DC 15 Will save or be shaken. This lasts until the creature leaves the 30 feet aura. This ability is Charisma-based.
Festive Sense (Ex)
Mari Lwyd can sense any living creature that is not currently suffering from a negative emotion (despair, sadness, hate, etc.) within 120 ft. as if she had blindsight. She cannot sense those who are suffering from a negative emotion and consequently ignores them, unless they attack her.
Season’s Greetings (Sp)
As a standard action, Mari Lwyd can cause any creature to start suffering the worst effects of the current season (usually winter), causing the creature to suffer the same effects as having had either an hour of extreme heat (for spring and summer) or extreme cold (for autumn and winter). A successful Fortitude save DC 15 negates this effect. Any creature successfully saving 3 times in a row becomes immune to this ability for the next 24 hours. This ability is Charisma-based.
Mari Lwyd appears to be a skeletal or zombie horse, draped in a fine white wedding gown, coming out only when she can feel the festive mood rising. She will approach houses that are especially festive, knock on the door, and anyone not meeting her with a festive song to scare her away will be attacked, and eaten.
Those who perform particularly well (and succeed on a Perform check with a DC of 25) scare her off for the season, causing her to leave her treasure behind. She will then not be seen again until the following festive season.
Equally, killing her drives her off for the season, but she reforms again the following season. The only way to permanently stop Mari Lwyd is for her to be driven off, and the carolers completing at least ten DC 25 Perform checks. After that, she will leave the region permanently (though she will only leave treasure behind once).
I hope you all enjoyed Mari Lwyd, and I look forward to welcoming you back next Friday.
Kim Frandsen
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