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Fearsome Critters from Lumberjack Tales
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<blockquote data-quote="Cleon" data-source="post: 4591760" data-attributes="member: 57383"><p><strong>Fearsome Critters from Lumberjack Tales - The Hidebehind</strong></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Hidebehind</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Medium Outsider (Native, Psionic</span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">)</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span><strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Hit</span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"> <strong>Dice:</strong> 7d8+7 (38hp)</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Initiative:</strong> +4</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Speed:</strong> 40 ft. (8 squares)</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Armor</strong> <strong>Class:</strong> 16 (+4 Dex, +2 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 12</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Base</strong> <strong>Attack/Grapple:</strong> +7/+11</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Attack:</strong> Claw +12 melee (1d6+4)</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Full</strong> <strong>Attack:</strong> 2 claws +12 melee (1d6+4)</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Space/Reach:</strong> 5 ft./ 5 ft.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Special</strong> <strong>Attacks:</strong> Hide-behind, improved grab, nightmare flight, throttle</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Special</strong> <strong>Qualities:</strong> darkvision 60 ft., dimension stride, low-light vision, mindvision 120 ft., scent</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Saves:</strong> Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +8</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Abilities:</strong> Str 18, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 6, Wis 17, Cha 17</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Skills:</strong> Climb +9, Hide +16, Listen +13, Move Silently +16, Spot +13, Swim +9, Survival +13</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Feats:</strong> Track, Weapon Focus (Claw), Stealthy</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Environment:</strong> Any forests</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Organization:</strong> Solitary</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Challenge</strong> <strong>Rating:</strong> 7</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Treasure:</strong> None</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Alignment:</strong> Usually neutral evil</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Advancement:</strong> 8-14 HD (Medium)</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Level</strong> <strong>Adjustment:</strong> —</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><em>Is that sound the rustling of footsteps? Does something ghastly creep up behind you?! Whirling around you see... ...there's nothing there.</em></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Hidebehinds are mysterious and rare monsters found in any forests from the Northern targa to the tropical jungles of the South. They are legendary for their stealth, most folk encountering these monsters only get a terrifying feeling of being watched. Only a handful of strong-willed souls have actually glimpsed a hidebehind, describing a horrible apish creature coated in shaggy black hair, with a scrawny loose-limbed build and a bulging forehead. Nothing is known about their habits, not even whether they are divided into males and females – no external differences that may indicate gender have been recorded.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">There has been much speculation amongst sages as to the nature of the hidebehind. Many argue they are kin to the anthropophagous windigos of the frigid northlands, citing the ogrish man-eating and invisibility tricks of both monsters. Other scholars theorize hidebehinds are cousins to the agropelter, or even the sasquatch, because of their shared ape-like appearance.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">An average specimen is about six feet tall and weighs around 150 pounds.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span><span style="font-size: 12px"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Combat</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Hidebehinds are extraordinarily cautious combatants. They prefer to hunt intelligent prey, who are easier to target with their psychic powers, but will only attack single victims. A hidebehind always tries to withdraw if it senses more than one opponent, no matter how weak they seem to be. A hungry Hidebehind may use Nightmare Flight to try to panic one member of a small party into fleeing into the woods by themselves, where it can hunt them down at its leisure. If threatened, a hidebehind simply.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Once they've picked out a lonely victim, the Hidebehind repeatedly uses Nightmare Flight to terrify them into exhaustion, then sneaks up behind the poor soul and throttles them to death. If there's any chance of other creatures disturbing it, the hidebehind picks up its victim and Dimension Strides away. If the victim's body is too big, the hidebehind simply hacks off a small enough chunk of it to make a Medium load.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Killing a hidebehind is tricky, but not impossible, because the craven beast never willingly approaches more than one opponent and simply Dimension Strides away when threatened, meaning the hidebehind usually escapes, unless a hunter is able to slay the vile creature in one round, perhaps with an <em>arrow of slaying evil outsiders</em>. Thus, the easiest way to kill a hidebehind is to prevent it using its teleport ability, either by grappling the monster or through such spells as <em>dimensional anchor</em>.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Anyone hunting a hidebehind needs the ability to confound its Mindvision, else the monster will probably sense the trap and never approach. Normally, this requires mental or magical discipline to achieve but there are alternatives. The most successful hidebehind hunters on record where two brother monks, who simply tied up a goblin and left it in the woods, then hid in a nearby covert and blindfolded themselves. Since they could not see anything, they where 'blanked' to the hidebehind's mindvision, and they simply waited until the monster was throttling the goblin, then leapt out to grapple and kill the hidebehind.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Dimension Stride (Sp)</strong></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">A hidebehind can teleport from its current position to any spot within 40 feet to which it has line of sight, as a move action. As a full round action it can teleport to any other spot within 400 feet, as if it used the <em>dimension door</em> spell. A hidebehind cannot use Dimension Stride when carrying more than a Medium load (200 pounds), or a living creature that does not wish to be transported.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Hide-Behind (Su)</strong></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">A hidebehind can keep itself out of sight of a single creature. The hidebehind selects a single victim it has pinpointed with mindsense, who must make a DC20 Will save or fall under the power's effects. Thereafter, the hidebehind automatically succeeds in Hide checks against that victim, so long as it spends a move action on every round the victim it's 'Hide-Behinding' from looks in its direction. This move action can be a normal move or a use of the monster's short-range Dimension Stride, but if the hidebehind is immobilized the Hide-Behind instantly end. The Hide-Behind power gives the hidebehind total concealment and flanking against its selected victim, even if the creature is standing right next to the poor sod and strangling them. </span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Normally, a hidebehind will automatically know if its victim makes its Will saving throw, in which case it will either try to re-use its Hide-Behind power or give up and hunt elsewhere. However, a character with ranks in the Concentration or Autohypnosis skills, who succeeded in their Will save, can allow themselves to be partially affected by the Hide-Behind power in order to mislead the creature. Said character must make a Concentration or Autohypnosis check that beats the hidebehind's Spot check to successfully fool the creature. If the character has five or more ranks in Bluff they get a +2 bonus to this check from skill synergy. The hidebehind will have partial concealment against the character, since the faux-victim can not look at the monster without breaking the masquerade. The faux-victim can end the partial enchantment as a free action simply by looking directly at the hidebehind.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Note that this is not <em>invisibility</em>. The hidebehind is always visible, it's just that the monster is never where the victim is looking. It always ducks out of the victim's eyeline, while deflecting their attention to look elsewhere and befuddling the victim's ability to register the hidebehind's presence in their peripheral vision. Therefore, effects that penetrate or dispel <em>invisibility</em> such as the <em>invisibility purge</em> spell have no effect on the Hide-Behind power. It can be broken by any effect that interrupts the </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">hidebehind's </span></span></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Mindvision of the victim, see below for details.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">This is a Mind-Affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma based, and includes a +4 racial bonus.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Improved Grab (Ex)</strong></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">To use this ability, a hidebehind must with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can throttle.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Mindvision (Su)</strong></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Hidebehinds have the ability to perceive minds within a 120 foot radius sphere emanating from themselves. The hidebehind can automatically notice every creature with an intelligence of 1 or more within range. Mundane cover or concealment does not affect Mindvision, although range and distractions apply their standard penalties</span><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"> to the Spot check. The effect is blocked by lead sheeting</span><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">. A hidebehind can pinpoint the location of a mind it senses by making a Spot check against a DC of 25 minus the Intelligence bonus of the creature, more powerful minds being easier to read with this sense. Without this pinpointing, creatures noticed by Mindvision will have concealment against the hidebehind unless it can also see them physically.</span></p><p> <span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></p><p> <span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Any creature being observed by a hidebehind's Mindvision will sense it is being observed with a DC20 Spot check, although it requires a DC22 skill check against Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (nature) or Knowledge (psionics) to identify a hidebehind as the cause of this "feeling of being watched". Mindvision is a Scrying power and registers on the <em>detect scrying</em> spell, it is blocked by lead sheeting.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">It is possible for a creature to 'blank' its thoughts, thereby concealing itself from Mindvision observation. This requires a move action and either a Will save or a skill check against Autohypnosis or Concentration. The result of this skill check or saving throw becomes the DC the hidebehind must beat with a Spot check in order to notice the mind. Mindvision requires the observed creature to be aware of its surroundings, an unconscious creature cannot be perceived with Mindvision and one that is asleep or blindfolded is always considered to be 'blanking' its thoughts with a +10 circumstance bonus on its DC to resist being observed with Mindvision.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Certain spells and psychic powers oppose Mindvision. The <em>invisibility</em> spell has no effect on Mindvision, although effects that confound scrying such as <em>screen</em> work normally. <em>Mind blank</em> or <em>cloud mind</em> renders a creature undetectable to Mindvision, <em>empty mind</em> allows a creature to try to 'blank' its thoughts against Mindvision as an immediate action with a +10 enhancement bonus to its Will or Concentration checks.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Nightmare Flight (Su)</strong></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Three times per day, a hidebehind can cause one sapient creature within 60 feet to become panicked and flee if it fails a DC16 Will save. This is a Mind-Affecting Fear effect that lasts for one minute. The hidebehind does not need line-of-sight to use this power if it can pinpoint the target with its Mindvision. The victim suffers 1d10 points of damage and becomes fatigued and unable to sleep or regain arcane spells for the next 24 hours. If the victim is already fatigued they become exhausted. A <em>remove fear</em> spell will undo the victim's inability to sleep or regain spells, <em>restoration</em> spells will alleviate the fatigue or exhaustion.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">The save DC is Charisma-based.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Pass Through Forest (Su)</strong></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">A hidebehind can travel through forest terrain without leaving a trail or suffering any hindrance or damage from non-magical undergrowth, no matter how thick. Apart from being a supernatural power that only functions in woodland, this works like the Druid's class features Woodland Stride and Trackless Step.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>Throttle (Ex)</strong></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">On a successful grapple check, a hidebehind can lock its claws upon the throat of an opponent it's grappling that is no larger than itself. The throttled victim is considered pinned and takes 1d6+6 points of damage at the start of each round until the hidebehind's grapple is broken. A throttled creature cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components, and may also need to make Constitution checks to hold their breath (See the Suffocation rules) if the throttling cuts off their air supply for long enough.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span><strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></strong></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 12px">Skills</span></span></strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">A Hidebehind doesn't need cover or concealment to make Hide checks while in a forest.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 12px"></span> </span><span style="font-size: 12px"><strong><span style="font-family: 'Arial'">Lore Checks</span></strong></span><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"></span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>DC 17</strong> - If you're ever walking through the woods and hear something stepping along behind you, but see nothing when you turn round, mayhap you're a hidebehind be stalking you. Hidebehinds be invisible critters that strangle and devour lone folk lost in the forests, many a disappearance can be laid at their feet. They can move through the forest without leaving a hint of a trail.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>DC 22</strong> - Hidebehinds have weird mind-powers. If you get a funny feeling like something horrible is watching you from the woods, it may mean a hidebehind is looking in your mind. A hidebehind can only become invisible to one person at a time, they don't go all see-through or nothing, but use some mind-trick to always step aside from wherever their victim is looking straight at, while boggling their victim's vision so they can't see the hidebehind out of the corner of their eyes. Their psychic powers can fill a victim with terror, driving them to flee through the woods in such a mad panic they exhaust themselves within minutes, softening them up for the kill.</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="font-family: 'Arial'"><strong>DC 27</strong> - A hidebehind can disappear from one spot and reappear someplace else like that <em>dimension door</em> magic I've heard tell of. This makes them almost impossible to catch, unless you's brave enough to grab hold of one, for a hidebehind can't disappear when a live person's holding on to it. Furthermore, since a hidebehind can look in folks' minds to see what they're seeing it's nigh impossible to ambush one. I've heard tell of hunters who'd set traps for a hidebehind and blindfold themselves so it couldn't sense their minds looking for it, while some shamans and monks can clear their thoughts so a hidebehind's mental eyes ain't able to see them.</span></span></span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cleon, post: 4591760, member: 57383"] [b]Fearsome Critters from Lumberjack Tales - The Hidebehind[/b] [FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][SIZE=4][B][FONT=Arial]Hidebehind[/FONT][/B][/SIZE][FONT=Arial] [/FONT][FONT=Arial]Medium Outsider (Native, Psionic[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][FONT=Arial]) [/FONT][B][FONT=Arial]Hit[/FONT][/B][FONT=Arial] [B]Dice:[/B] 7d8+7 (38hp) [B]Initiative:[/B] +4 [B]Speed:[/B] 40 ft. (8 squares) [B]Armor[/B] [B]Class:[/B] 16 (+4 Dex, +2 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 12 [B]Base[/B] [B]Attack/Grapple:[/B] +7/+11 [B]Attack:[/B] Claw +12 melee (1d6+4) [B]Full[/B] [B]Attack:[/B] 2 claws +12 melee (1d6+4) [B]Space/Reach:[/B] 5 ft./ 5 ft. [B]Special[/B] [B]Attacks:[/B] Hide-behind, improved grab, nightmare flight, throttle [B]Special[/B] [B]Qualities:[/B] darkvision 60 ft., dimension stride, low-light vision, mindvision 120 ft., scent [B]Saves:[/B] Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +8 [B]Abilities:[/B] Str 18, Dex 18, Con 13, Int 6, Wis 17, Cha 17 [B]Skills:[/B] Climb +9, Hide +16, Listen +13, Move Silently +16, Spot +13, Swim +9, Survival +13 [B]Feats:[/B] Track, Weapon Focus (Claw), Stealthy [B]Environment:[/B] Any forests [B]Organization:[/B] Solitary [B]Challenge[/B] [B]Rating:[/B] 7 [B]Treasure:[/B] None [B]Alignment:[/B] Usually neutral evil [B]Advancement:[/B] 8-14 HD (Medium) [B]Level[/B] [B]Adjustment:[/B] — [I]Is that sound the rustling of footsteps? Does something ghastly creep up behind you?! Whirling around you see... ...there's nothing there.[/I] Hidebehinds are mysterious and rare monsters found in any forests from the Northern targa to the tropical jungles of the South. They are legendary for their stealth, most folk encountering these monsters only get a terrifying feeling of being watched. Only a handful of strong-willed souls have actually glimpsed a hidebehind, describing a horrible apish creature coated in shaggy black hair, with a scrawny loose-limbed build and a bulging forehead. Nothing is known about their habits, not even whether they are divided into males and females – no external differences that may indicate gender have been recorded. There has been much speculation amongst sages as to the nature of the hidebehind. Many argue they are kin to the anthropophagous windigos of the frigid northlands, citing the ogrish man-eating and invisibility tricks of both monsters. Other scholars theorize hidebehinds are cousins to the agropelter, or even the sasquatch, because of their shared ape-like appearance. An average specimen is about six feet tall and weighs around 150 pounds. [/FONT][SIZE=3][B][FONT=Arial]Combat[/FONT][/B][/SIZE][FONT=Arial] Hidebehinds are extraordinarily cautious combatants. They prefer to hunt intelligent prey, who are easier to target with their psychic powers, but will only attack single victims. A hidebehind always tries to withdraw if it senses more than one opponent, no matter how weak they seem to be. A hungry Hidebehind may use Nightmare Flight to try to panic one member of a small party into fleeing into the woods by themselves, where it can hunt them down at its leisure. If threatened, a hidebehind simply. Once they've picked out a lonely victim, the Hidebehind repeatedly uses Nightmare Flight to terrify them into exhaustion, then sneaks up behind the poor soul and throttles them to death. If there's any chance of other creatures disturbing it, the hidebehind picks up its victim and Dimension Strides away. If the victim's body is too big, the hidebehind simply hacks off a small enough chunk of it to make a Medium load. Killing a hidebehind is tricky, but not impossible, because the craven beast never willingly approaches more than one opponent and simply Dimension Strides away when threatened, meaning the hidebehind usually escapes, unless a hunter is able to slay the vile creature in one round, perhaps with an [I]arrow of slaying evil outsiders[/I]. Thus, the easiest way to kill a hidebehind is to prevent it using its teleport ability, either by grappling the monster or through such spells as [I]dimensional anchor[/I]. Anyone hunting a hidebehind needs the ability to confound its Mindvision, else the monster will probably sense the trap and never approach. Normally, this requires mental or magical discipline to achieve but there are alternatives. The most successful hidebehind hunters on record where two brother monks, who simply tied up a goblin and left it in the woods, then hid in a nearby covert and blindfolded themselves. Since they could not see anything, they where 'blanked' to the hidebehind's mindvision, and they simply waited until the monster was throttling the goblin, then leapt out to grapple and kill the hidebehind. [B]Dimension Stride (Sp)[/B] A hidebehind can teleport from its current position to any spot within 40 feet to which it has line of sight, as a move action. As a full round action it can teleport to any other spot within 400 feet, as if it used the [I]dimension door[/I] spell. A hidebehind cannot use Dimension Stride when carrying more than a Medium load (200 pounds), or a living creature that does not wish to be transported. [B]Hide-Behind (Su)[/B] A hidebehind can keep itself out of sight of a single creature. The hidebehind selects a single victim it has pinpointed with mindsense, who must make a DC20 Will save or fall under the power's effects. Thereafter, the hidebehind automatically succeeds in Hide checks against that victim, so long as it spends a move action on every round the victim it's 'Hide-Behinding' from looks in its direction. This move action can be a normal move or a use of the monster's short-range Dimension Stride, but if the hidebehind is immobilized the Hide-Behind instantly end. The Hide-Behind power gives the hidebehind total concealment and flanking against its selected victim, even if the creature is standing right next to the poor sod and strangling them. Normally, a hidebehind will automatically know if its victim makes its Will saving throw, in which case it will either try to re-use its Hide-Behind power or give up and hunt elsewhere. However, a character with ranks in the Concentration or Autohypnosis skills, who succeeded in their Will save, can allow themselves to be partially affected by the Hide-Behind power in order to mislead the creature. Said character must make a Concentration or Autohypnosis check that beats the hidebehind's Spot check to successfully fool the creature. If the character has five or more ranks in Bluff they get a +2 bonus to this check from skill synergy. The hidebehind will have partial concealment against the character, since the faux-victim can not look at the monster without breaking the masquerade. The faux-victim can end the partial enchantment as a free action simply by looking directly at the hidebehind. Note that this is not [I]invisibility[/I]. The hidebehind is always visible, it's just that the monster is never where the victim is looking. It always ducks out of the victim's eyeline, while deflecting their attention to look elsewhere and befuddling the victim's ability to register the hidebehind's presence in their peripheral vision. Therefore, effects that penetrate or dispel [I]invisibility[/I] such as the [I]invisibility purge[/I] spell have no effect on the Hide-Behind power. It can be broken by any effect that interrupts the [/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][FONT=Arial]hidebehind's [/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][FONT=Arial]Mindvision of the victim, see below for details. This is a Mind-Affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma based, and includes a +4 racial bonus. [B]Improved Grab (Ex)[/B] To use this ability, a hidebehind must with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and can throttle. [B]Mindvision (Su)[/B] [/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Arial]Hidebehinds have the ability to perceive minds within a 120 foot radius sphere emanating from themselves. The hidebehind can automatically notice every creature with an intelligence of 1 or more within range. Mundane cover or concealment does not affect Mindvision, although range and distractions apply their standard penalties[/FONT][FONT=Arial] to the Spot check. The effect is blocked by lead sheeting[/FONT][FONT=Arial]. A hidebehind can pinpoint the location of a mind it senses by making a Spot check against a DC of 25 minus the Intelligence bonus of the creature, more powerful minds being easier to read with this sense. Without this pinpointing, creatures noticed by Mindvision will have concealment against the hidebehind unless it can also see them physically. [/FONT][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][FONT=Arial]Any creature being observed by a hidebehind's Mindvision will sense it is being observed with a DC20 Spot check, although it requires a DC22 skill check against Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (nature) or Knowledge (psionics) to identify a hidebehind as the cause of this "feeling of being watched". Mindvision is a Scrying power and registers on the [I]detect scrying[/I] spell, it is blocked by lead sheeting. It is possible for a creature to 'blank' its thoughts, thereby concealing itself from Mindvision observation. This requires a move action and either a Will save or a skill check against Autohypnosis or Concentration. The result of this skill check or saving throw becomes the DC the hidebehind must beat with a Spot check in order to notice the mind. Mindvision requires the observed creature to be aware of its surroundings, an unconscious creature cannot be perceived with Mindvision and one that is asleep or blindfolded is always considered to be 'blanking' its thoughts with a +10 circumstance bonus on its DC to resist being observed with Mindvision. Certain spells and psychic powers oppose Mindvision. The [I]invisibility[/I] spell has no effect on Mindvision, although effects that confound scrying such as [I]screen[/I] work normally. [I]Mind blank[/I] or [I]cloud mind[/I] renders a creature undetectable to Mindvision, [I]empty mind[/I] allows a creature to try to 'blank' its thoughts against Mindvision as an immediate action with a +10 enhancement bonus to its Will or Concentration checks. [B]Nightmare Flight (Su)[/B] Three times per day, a hidebehind can cause one sapient creature within 60 feet to become panicked and flee if it fails a DC16 Will save. This is a Mind-Affecting Fear effect that lasts for one minute. The hidebehind does not need line-of-sight to use this power if it can pinpoint the target with its Mindvision. The victim suffers 1d10 points of damage and becomes fatigued and unable to sleep or regain arcane spells for the next 24 hours. If the victim is already fatigued they become exhausted. A [I]remove fear[/I] spell will undo the victim's inability to sleep or regain spells, [I]restoration[/I] spells will alleviate the fatigue or exhaustion. The save DC is Charisma-based. [B]Pass Through Forest (Su)[/B] A hidebehind can travel through forest terrain without leaving a trail or suffering any hindrance or damage from non-magical undergrowth, no matter how thick. Apart from being a supernatural power that only functions in woodland, this works like the Druid's class features Woodland Stride and Trackless Step. [B]Throttle (Ex)[/B] On a successful grapple check, a hidebehind can lock its claws upon the throat of an opponent it's grappling that is no larger than itself. The throttled victim is considered pinned and takes 1d6+6 points of damage at the start of each round until the hidebehind's grapple is broken. A throttled creature cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components, and may also need to make Constitution checks to hold their breath (See the Suffocation rules) if the throttling cuts off their air supply for long enough. [/FONT][B][FONT=Arial] [SIZE=3]Skills[/SIZE][/FONT][/B][FONT=Arial] A Hidebehind doesn't need cover or concealment to make Hide checks while in a forest. [SIZE=3] [/SIZE] [/FONT][SIZE=3][B][FONT=Arial]Lore Checks[/FONT][/B][/SIZE][FONT=Arial] [B]DC 17[/B] - If you're ever walking through the woods and hear something stepping along behind you, but see nothing when you turn round, mayhap you're a hidebehind be stalking you. Hidebehinds be invisible critters that strangle and devour lone folk lost in the forests, many a disappearance can be laid at their feet. They can move through the forest without leaving a hint of a trail. [B]DC 22[/B] - Hidebehinds have weird mind-powers. If you get a funny feeling like something horrible is watching you from the woods, it may mean a hidebehind is looking in your mind. A hidebehind can only become invisible to one person at a time, they don't go all see-through or nothing, but use some mind-trick to always step aside from wherever their victim is looking straight at, while boggling their victim's vision so they can't see the hidebehind out of the corner of their eyes. Their psychic powers can fill a victim with terror, driving them to flee through the woods in such a mad panic they exhaust themselves within minutes, softening them up for the kill. [B]DC 27[/B] - A hidebehind can disappear from one spot and reappear someplace else like that [I]dimension door[/I] magic I've heard tell of. This makes them almost impossible to catch, unless you's brave enough to grab hold of one, for a hidebehind can't disappear when a live person's holding on to it. Furthermore, since a hidebehind can look in folks' minds to see what they're seeing it's nigh impossible to ambush one. I've heard tell of hunters who'd set traps for a hidebehind and blindfold themselves so it couldn't sense their minds looking for it, while some shamans and monks can clear their thoughts so a hidebehind's mental eyes ain't able to see them.[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT] [/QUOTE]
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