Finder’s Archives – Creatures of the Season

Season’s Greetings everyone!

Welcome to another installment of the Christmas Creatures, the 2^nd of 4 such articles to come. This week we look at Frau Perchta, a terrifying hag or creature from the Austrian and German Alps.

As always, this is not supposed to be a picture-perfect representation of Frau Perchta, but she has served as a clear source of inspiration.

Dark, black hair hangs from the scalp of this woman with an iron beak for a nose. Clothes made of rough spun wool cling to her gigantic frame.

FRAU PERCHTA CR 10
XP 25,600
CE Large monstrous humanoid
Init +7; Senses darkvision 90 ft.; Perception +22

DEFENSE
AC 24, touch 12, flat-footed 21 (+3 Dex, -1 size, +12 natural)
hp 136 (13d10+65)
Fort +9, Ref +11, Will +13
SR 21

OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +20 (1d8+6/x3), bite +19 (1d8+6)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks rend (2 claws, 1d8+6)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +14)
Constant—detect good, detect law
3/day—blindness/deafness (blindness only, DC 16), snowball (DC 15), summon monster IV (summons 1d6 ghouls with the fiendish template known as the Perchten)

STATISTICS
Str 22, Dex 17, Con 21, Int 14, Wis 21, Cha 18
Base Atk +13; CMB +20; CMD 33
Feats Alertness, Combat Casting, Improved Critical (claw), Improved Natural Attack (claw), Improved Initiative, Intimidating Prowess, Weapon Focus (claw)
Skills Intimidate +24, Perception +25, Sense Motive +22, Stealth +19
Languages Aklo, Common, Giant
SQ change shape (any humanoid as per alter self), coven

ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure standard (primarily clothing)

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Coven (Ex)
Frau Perchta is considered a hag for the purposes of joining a hag coven.

Frau Perchta seeks out the houses of those who do not adhere to the common good and follow the rules, usually by spying on their sewing rooms. Tidy rooms mean that she’ll leave them alone, provided they are otherwise either good or lawful people. Untidy rooms mean that she will enter and exact her toll upon the family by disemboweling them and leaving their corpses stuffed with garbage for others to find as a warning.
She has at her command a small army of fiendish ghouls known as the Perchten who feed on the leftovers she leaves behind, but who otherwise fear her just as much as mortals do.

I hope you all enjoyed Frau Perchta, and I look forward to welcoming you back next Friday for more Creepy Critters of Christmas.

Bio
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Kim Frandsen

40 years old, and a gamer since I was 13. These days I freelance as a writer for various companies (currently Fat Goblin Games, Flaming Crab Games, Outland Entertainment, Paizo, Raging Swan Games, Rusted Iron Games, and Zenith Games), I've dipped my hands into all sorts of games, but my current "go-to" games are Pathfinder 2, Dungeon Crawl Classics and SLA Industries. Unfortunately, while wargaming used to be a big hobby, with wife, dog and daughter came less time.

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