The Shadowlands Oni (Updated 10-17: oni Overlord)

[demiurge1138]

The 3e Oriental Adventures was full of wonderful, flavorful monsters, especially Legends of the Five Rings monsters. My personal favorites were the Shadowlands oni... except that their stats were pretty poor, like most 3e outsiders.

So I decided to fix them.

Shadowlands Oni
Enemies of the gods and foe to all that is good, the monsters known as Shadowlands oni are an assortment of wicked outsiders similar to demons. They are native to the prison plane of Carceri and like all its residents, seek to escape. Fortunately for them, and unfortunately for all mortals, the taint of the Shadowlands oni is so strong that it bleeds out into the Material Plane, forming pockets of corruption generally known as the Shadowlands. Oni in a Shadowlands on the Material Plane seek only to spread its taint, killing intelligent life and destroying all in their path in tribute to primal evil.

Oni traits: All Shadowlands oni have the following racial traits:
Immunities: Oni are immune to disease and poison.
Resistances: Oni have cold, electricity and fire resistance 10
Change Shape (Su): An oni can assume any humanoid form, or revert to its own form, as a standard action. In humanoid form, an oni loses its natural weapons (although they may choose to equip themselves with weapons and armor instead). An oni remains in one form until it chooses to assume a new one. A change in form cannot be dispelled, but the oni reverts to its natural form when killed. A true seeing spell reveals its natural form.
Telepathy (Su): Oni can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100ft that has a language.
Skills: *When using change shape, all oni receive a +10 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks.
Unless otherwise noted, all Shadowlands oni speak Oni, Abyssal and Common

A note on conversion: This conversion of the Shadowlands oni is an attempt to make them more generic, fit for inclusion in any D&D campaign. As such, although references to Taint rules and spells utilizing or affecting Taint remain, all references to honorable weapons and the Shadowlands of Rokugan have been eliminated. For those playing in a Rokugan campaign, feel free to replace references to good-aligned weapons with honorable ones, references to evil-aligned weapons with dishonorable ones and add more Rokugan-appropriate spells and spell-like abilities.

Games that do not use the Taint mechanic can still use the Shadowlands oni without much difficulty. The Taint score can be ignored without much effect, and the cloud of Taint spell-like ability can be safely replaced with chaos hammer or unholy blight. The Tainted aura spell-like ability can be safely replaced with unholy aura. The oni overlord’s breath of Taint ability can be modified to deal negative levels or possibly Constitution damage instead of Taint.

The relevant spell-like abilities have been duplicated below.

Cloud of Taint
Evocation (Evil)
Level: Cleric 4, Sor/Wiz 4 (Tainted spellcasters only)
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100ft +10ft/level)
Area: 20ft radius spread
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude partial
Spell Resistance: Yes

You call upon the raw power of Taint to smite your enemies, creating a cold cloud of greasy darkness. The spell deals 1d8 points of damage per two caster levels (maximum 5d8) to untainted creatures and sickens them for 1d4 rounds. A successful Fortitude save reduces damage by half and negates the sickening effect. Sickened creatures must make an additional Fortitude save or gain a Taint score of 1d3.

The spell only deals half damage to creatures with Taint scores and they are not sickened. A successful saving throw reduces damage by half again.

Tainted Aura
Abjuration (Evil)
Level: Cleric 8, Sor/Wiz 8 (Tainted spellcasters only)
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 20ft
Targets: One creature/level in a 20ft radius burst centered on you
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

A greasy malevolent darkness surrounds the subjects, protecting them from attacks, granting them resistance to spells cast by untainted creatures and infecting them with the Taint when they strike the subjects. This abjuration has four effects.

First, the warded creatures gain a +4 deflection bonus to AC and a +4 resistance bonus to saves. Unlike the effects of protection from good, this benefit applies to all attacks, not just attacks by good creatures.

Second, the warded creatures gain SR 25 against Good spells and spells cast by creatures without a Taint score or any Shadowlands subtype.

Third the abjuration blocks possession and mental influence, just as protection from good does.

Finally, if a creature without a Taint score or any Shadowlands subtype succeeds in a melee attack against a warded creature, the offending attacker gains a Taint score of 1d3 (Fortitude save negates).

Focus: An oni’s claw or tooth, engraved with mystical symbols and prepared with ointments. This focus costs at least 500 gp.

Demiurge out.

 

[demiurge1138]

HAINO NO ONI
Medium Outsider (Chaotic, Evil, Extraplanar, Shadowlands Oni)
Hit Dice: 4d8+8 (26 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 30ft (6 squares), climb 30ft
Armor Class: 18 (+4 Dex, +4 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+9
Attack: Claw +8 melee (1d4+1)
Full Attack: 2 claws +8 melee (1d4+1)
Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft
Special Attacks: Fluid drain, improved grab, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Change shape, darkvision 60ft, immune to disease and poison, regeneration 3, resistance to cold 10, electricity 10 and fire 10, spell resistance 16, telepathy 100ft
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +5
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 19, Taint 11
Skills: Balance +6, Bluff +13, Climb +9, Diplomacy +15, Disguise +11* (+13* acting), Hide +11, Intimidate +13, Jump +3, Listen +8, Move Silently +11, Sense Motive +8, Spot +8, Tumble +11
Feats: Improved Grapple (B), Persuasive, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Tarterian Depths of Carceri (Shadowlands)
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 4
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 5-12 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: +4

The creature before you is a toad-like humanoid covered in warty brown skin. Its yellow eyes bulge leeringly at you, and from its mouth uncoils an obscenely long tongue.

Not all Shadowlands oni are rampaging menaces. The haino no oni is a stealthy and subtle creature, used as spies by the oni overlords. Lurking under deep cover as merchants and travelers, they infiltrate human settlements, gathering information and feeding on the moisture of sleeping innocents. The predations of the creature are generally attributed to some mysterious sickness.

A haino no oni hunts by climbing onto the roof of a building and maneuvering its impossibly long tongue through windows or holes in the roof into the mouth or nose of a person sleeping inside. If the victim awakes, the creature flees and tries to find another prospective meal.

In its natural form, a haino no oni is about the size of an elf – about 5 feet tall and weighing approximately 100 pounds. They are rarely found in this form, however, preferring a guise appropriate for their hunting grounds.

Combat
Haino no oni dislike combat, preferring to avoid it first through negotiations, then through use of their spell-like abilities. If forced to fight, they will grapple a physically weak opponent, such as a spellcaster, and drink its fluids. They do not flee except from creatures wielding holy weapons, trusting in their regeneration to allow them the opportunity to feign death and escape.

Fluid Drain (Ex): A haino no oni can force its incredibly long tongue into a victim’s nose or mouth. Each round a haino no oni grapples an opponent, it deals 1d3 points of Strength damage. A haino no oni can also use this attack on a sleeping or otherwise helpless victim, reaching it from up to 20 feet away with its long tongue. The haino no oni’s tongue is coated with a potent anesthetic; any sleeping creature must succeed on a DC 16 Will save in order to awaken. The save DC is Constitution based, and includes a +2 racial bonus.

Improved Grab (Ex): In order to use this ability, the haino no oni must hit an opponent of Medium size or smaller with its claw attack. It can then make a grapple check as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If it gets a hold, it may use its fluid drain attack.

Spell-like Abilities: 3/day – invisibility, lullaby (DC 14), suggestion (DC 17); 1/day – deep slumber (DC 17). Caster level 4th. The save DCs are Charisma based.

Regeneration (Ex): A haino no oni takes normal damage from jade weapons, good aligned weapons, and spells or effects with the Good descriptor.

Skills: A haino no oni has a +8 racial bonus on all Climb checks, and can always take 10 on a Climb check, even when rushed or threatened.

Demiurge out.

 

[zeo_evil]

To this day I think the dokufu is the coolest monster ever.

Why Carceri?

Akuma no Oni with much haste please!

 

[demiurge1138]

Carceri because it's NE with a chaotic overtone, which I felt was appropriate to the utter corruption of Taint. And the Abyss already has plenty of fiends, and Pandemonium is both too chaotic and not evil enough and is supposed to be sparsely populated. Carceri has plenty of vile fens, razorgrass plains and stinging white deserts to house a race of oni, and doesn't have many more natives besides 'leths and vargouilles.

I'm posting these by order of CR (I've already finished all of them), so the akuma no oni will probably be some time before it gets posted. But yeah, I love those guys.

Demiurge out.

 

[zeo_evil]

Fair enough. Would you mind if I threw in one from Creatures of Rokugan? I think fans of Rokugan would love to see Okura no Oni, a Lawful Good oni, as a counterpoint to the evil of the Shadowlands.

 

[demiurge1138]

Fair enough. Would you mind if I threw in one from Creatures of Rokugan? I think fans of Rokugan would love to see Okura no Oni, a Lawful Good oni, as a counterpoint to the evil of the Shadowlands.

I'd rather you started a different thread for it, but that'd be interesting. I'd be curious to see your take on it.

Demiurge out.

 

[Krishnath]

To this day I think the dokufu is the coolest monster ever.

Why Carceri?

Akuma no Oni with much haste please!

You too!

A tip: If you want to be really, really evil, add the half-fiend template to the mountain spider.

Demiurge: Looking good.

 

[demiurge1138]

ASHI NO ONI
Large Outsider (Chaos, Evil, Extraplanar, Shadowlands Oni)
Hit Dice: 8d8+32 (68 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20ft (4 squares), burrow 30ft
Armor Class: 20 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +7 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+18
Attack: Bite +13 melee (2d6+6) or 6 thorns +11 ranged (1d4+6 plus poison)
Full Attack: Bite +13 melee (2d6+6) and 7 tentacles +11 melee (1d6+3 plus poison) or 6 thorns +11 ranged (1d4+6 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 10ft/10ft (15ft with tentacles)
Special Attacks: Frightful presence, poison, spell-like abilities, thorns
Special Qualities: Change shape, damage reduction 10/good or jade, darkvision 60ft, immune to disease and poison, regeneration 3, resistance to cold 10, electricity 10 and fire 10, spell resistance 20, thorny defense, tremorsense 60ft, telepathy 100ft
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +7
Abilities: Str 23, Dex 19, Con 18, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 15, Taint 9
Skills: Concentration +15, Disguise +2*, Escape Artist +15, Hide +11, Intimidate +13, Listen +12, Move Silently +15, Spot +12, Survival +12
Feats: Multiattack, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Track(B)
Environment: Tarterian Depths of Carceri (Shadowlands)
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 9-16 HD (Large), 17-24 HD (Huge)
Level Adjustment: +8

Bursting from the ground is a huge wormlike creature covered in thorny plates. Its face is strangely human-like, although distorted and hideous, and is ringed with dozens of long sharp spines. Seven tentacles grow from its body, each tipped with oozing thorns.

Barbaric hunters, ashi no oni serve oni armies as trackers and scouts. However, they are reluctant soldiers, preferring to establish their own territory and live alone. Ashi no oni are fairly intelligent creatures, but they live like animals, ambushing prey from hiding. The only characteristics that belie their intelligence are the cunning gleam in their deep black eyes and the grim pleasure they seem to take from tearing apart prey.

An ashi no oni is about 15 feet long, and about 4 feet in diameter. They weigh on average 2,000 pounds.

Combat
Ashi no oni patrol their territory regularly, setting spike stones throughout their domain. If they sense an intrusion in their territory, they will burst from the ground, biting and thrashing at opponents with their tentacles. If met with serious opposition, they will retreat underground, then use their thorn volleys at range, trapping foes with wall of stone and using darkness to conceal their hit and run attacks.

The natural attacks of an ashi no oni, as well as any weapon it wields, are treated as chaotic aligned and evil aligned for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

Frightful Presence (Ex): All creatures within 30ft of a charging or attacking ashi no oni must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or be shaken for 5d6 rounds. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected by the frightful presence of that ashi no oni for the next 24 hours. Other oni are immune to the ashi no oni’s frightful presence. This is a mind-influencing fear effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.

Poison (Ex): The poison of the ashi no oni coats its thorns and tentacles, and causes swelling, muscle fatigue and internal bleeding. DC 18 Fortitude negates, initial damage 1d4 Str and 1d4 Dex, secondary damage 1d6 Con. The save DC is Constitution based.

Spell-like Abilities: At will – darkness, spike stones (DC 16); 1/day – wall of stone (DC 17). Caster level 8th. The save DCs are Charisma based.

Thorns (Ex): By violently shaking its head, an ashi no oni can loose a volley of six thorns as a standard action (make a separate attack roll for each thorn). This attack has a range of 180 feet with no range increment. All targets must be within 30 feet of each other. The ashi no oni can only launch 24 thorns in a 24 hour period.

Regeneration (Ex): An ashi no oni takes normal damage from jade weapons, good aligned weapons, and spells or effects with the Good descriptor.

Thorny Defense (Ex): The long thorns on the ashi no oni’s body protect it from attack. Any creature attacking an ashi no oni with a handheld weapon or a natural weapon takes 1d4+6 points of damage from the thorns. Weapons with exceptional reach, such as longspears, do not endanger their wielders in any way.

Demiurge out.

 

[demiurge1138]

SANRU NO ONI
Medium Outsider (Chaos, Evil, Extraplanar, Shadowlands Oni)
Hit Dice: 10d8+50 (95 hp)
Initiative: +9
Speed: 30ft (6 squares), fly 60ft (average)
Armor Class: 21 (+5 Dex, +6 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+16
Attack: Longsword +16 melee (1d8+6 /19-20 x2) or claw +16 melee (1d6+6) or talon +16 melee (2d4+6)
Full Attack: Primary longsword +16/+11 melee (1d8+6/19-20x2) and 3 secondary longswords +16/+11 melee (1d8+3/19-20x2) and 2 talons +11 melee (2d4+3) or 4 claws +16 melee (1d6+6) and 2 talons +11 melee (2d4+3)
Space/Reach: 5ft/5ft
Special Attacks: Breath weapon, frightful presence, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Change shape, damage reduction 10/good or jade, darkvision 60ft, evasion, immune to disease and poison, regeneration 2, resistance to cold 10, electricity 10 and fire 10, spell resistance 21, telepathy 100ft
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +9
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 20, Con 21, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 16, Taint 10
Skills: Bluff +16, Concentration +18, Craft (weaponsmithing) +14, Diplomacy +5, Disguise +3* (+5* acting), Hide +18, Intimidate +18, Listen +15, Move Silently +18, Spot +15, Survival +15
Feats: Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Initiative, Multiweapon Fighting
Environment: Tarterian Depths of Carceri (Shadowlands)
Organization: Solitary or wing (2-8)
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: Standard coins, standard goods, double items
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: 11-20 HD (Medium), 21-30 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +9

This creature resembles a cadaverously thin elf woman with four clawed arms and talons on its feet. Its features are hideous and exaggeratedly angular, and its torso is unnaturally long to accommodate its arms. A pair of leathery black wings grows from its back. Each of its hands clutches a jagged blade.

Created as a parody of elven beauty, the sanru no oni is a consummate scout, defending the boundaries of oni territory from intrusion and attacking mortals from above. Native to the dankest bogs and marshes, sanru no oni prefer to eat carrion, letting their kills rot for extended periods of time before tearing it apart with their claws and devouring it. They are skilled smiths, forging their own weapons and those used by oni assuming mortal form.

Combat
When hunting, a sanru no oni prefers to breathe a corrosive cloud on their prey, then make use of their Flyby Attack to stay out of melee range. If a wing of sanru no oni descends upon a single target, a few will hold back from melee to use their spell-like abilities while the rest harry the opponent with their weapons and talons.

The natural attacks of a sanru no oni, as well as any weapon it wields, are treated as chaotic aligned and evil aligned for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

Breath Weapon (Su): A sanru no oni can breathe a 30ft cone of noxious acidic vapors as a standard action. All creatures within the area must succeed on a DC 20 Reflex save or take 6d6 points of acid damage. Any creatures damaged by the breath weapon must also succeed on a DC 20 Fortitude save or be sickened for 10 rounds. Once a sanru no oni has used its breath weapon, it must wait 1d4 rounds before using it again. The save DC is Constitution based.

Frightful Presence (Ex): All creatures within 30ft of a charging or attacking sanru no oni must succeed on a DC 18 Will save or be shaken for 5d6 rounds. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected by the frightful presence of that sanru no oni for the next 24 hours. Other oni are immune to the sanru no oni’s frightful presence. This is a mind-influencing fear effect, and the save DC is Charisma based.

Spell-like Abilities: At will – darkness, ray of enfeeblement; 1/day – cloud of Taint (DC 17), crushing despair (DC 17). Caster level 10th. The save DC is Charisma based.

Evasion (Ex): If the sanru no oni makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, it instead takes no damage.

Regeneration (Ex): A sanru no oni takes normal damage from jade weapons, good aligned weapons, and spells or effects with the Good descriptor.

Feats: In conjunction with its natural abilities, a sanru no oni’s Multiweapon Fighting feat allows it to attack with all its arms without penalty.

Demiurge out.

 

[Justice Gundam]

So, I see that you started your Oni-convertion project... looking good so far! You suggested some good ideas on how to incorporate them in normal D&D campaigns, and the stats for all these horrors are pretty good. I'll patiently wait for the more powerful oni to show up... keep up the good work! See ya!