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<blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 8772432" data-attributes="member: 6915329"><p>The last monster from this article is the <strong>kallikantzaros</strong> (plural: kallicantzaroi; the article uses the spelling <em>callicantzaros</em>). It’s one of those folkloric creatures that could be a spirit, a demon, a goblin, or a number of other things, and even Moldvay admits that the reason he made them undead is because they come out at night and can be turned by clerics. Traditionally, they only emerged on the 12 days of Christmas, when the barriers between the worlds of the living and the worlds of the dead are very thin. A few sites I went to called them Greek Krampuses or Christmas goblins. They are not purely a Greek creature, though; they appear in lore throughout Southeast Europe.</p><p></p><p>In folklore, they spend most of their time underground, sawing through the world tree so it will collapse and destroy the world. When they’re above ground, they mostly cause mischief, like jumping on your back, stealing your hats, or farting on your food so it smells bad. They also punish adulterers. Folklore also says that babies born in the twelve days of Christmas run the risk of turning into one, but I was born during that time and I’m pretty sure I’m human, so I guess baby-me made my saving throw.</p><p></p><p>After reading up on them, they really don’t feel like undead or even spirits to me; I will make them very minor fiends instead. They are also basically goblins, but are <em>just </em>different enough I’m going to give them their own statblocks. I’d go so far as to say that they make for better monsters than goblins because they <em>are </em>fiends, not free-willed humanoids, and as such they don’t really <em>need </em>to have a culture beyond their fiendishness.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]261552[/ATTACH]</p><p><span style="font-size: 15px">Art by Jennell Jaquays.</span></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 22px"><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)">Kallikantzaros</span></span></strong></p><p>The Ungrateful Dead, Dragon Magazine #138</p><p>Created by Tom Moldvay</p><p></p><p>Kallikantzaroi (sing. kallikantzaros) look like short (about 4 1/2 feet tall), black-furred humanoids with boar-like tusks, long, lolling tongues, and the ears, legs, and tail of a donkey. They smell sulfurous. Their their eyes are burning red but they have very poor vision. They are a stupid, easily distractable, and highly disorganized creature. Even though they tend to live in large groups, they have no ability to coordinate their actions and they bicker amongst each other constantly.</p><p></p><p><strong><em>Mischievous. </em></strong>Kallikantzaroi are agents of destruction—very minor destruction. They enjoy breaking objects, scaring livestock, pinching and scratching people, stealing food, and other such rude behavior. But perhaps as a side-effect of their birth,, they are also fond of punishing evil-doers, particularly those who break vows and promises. If a person is being harassed by these fiends, it is likely that that person has broken a vow they have made. When not engaging in this sort of mischief, they enjoy dancing and singing vulgar songs.</p><p></p><p><em><strong>Queen Bees.</strong></em> Unlike many other fiends, kallikantzaroi aren't created <em>ex nihilo </em>or from souls, nor are they necessarily created in the Lower Planes. Instead, a female kallikantzaroi must consume the heart of a good person after which the kalikantzaroi produces a large litter of rapidly-maturing young. This is a particularly difficult for them, as not only are they able to directly harm truly good people, only about one in twenty kallikantzaroi are female. These rare females rule the roost and order the males about, as if they were the queens of a swarm of bees (unlike bees, there may be more than one female in a group), although they only barely more organized or competent than the males are.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Legends and Lore</span></strong></p><p>With an Arcana or Religion check, the characters can learn the following:</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 10.</strong> A kallikantzaros is a very minor fiend of mischief. They tend to gather in large, disorganized groups and are known to punish oath-breakers and liars.</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 15.</strong> Kallikantzaroi fear fire, although they are not particularly vulnerable to it. They are able to confuse and bewilder people with just a touch.</p><p></p><p><strong>DC 20.</strong> Kallikantzaroi need the heart of a truly good person in order to reproduce, and engineer accidents to procure such hearts.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Kallikantzaroi Encounters</span></strong></p><p><strong><em>Terrain:</em></strong> Abyss, forest, hills, settlement</p><p></p><p><strong><em>CR 0-2</em></strong> 2d4 kallikantzaroi</p><p><strong><em>Treasure:</em></strong> 25 gp, 60 sp, 2 agates (10 gp each), <em>oil of slipperiness, spell scroll of shatter</em></p><p></p><p><strong><em>CR 3-4</em></strong> 2d4+8 kallikantzaroi; 2d6 kallikantzaroi and 2d4 kallikantzaroi whelps (use <strong>goblin</strong> statistics, but change the type to fiend)</p><p><strong><em>Treasure:</em></strong> 600 sp, local map with sacred areas circled (worth 25 gp), fancy hat that used to belong to a local high-ranking official (worth 50 gp), <em>chime of opening, oil of etherealness</em></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Signs</span></strong></p><p>1. People suffering from embarrassing accidents and petty thefts.</p><p>2. A sensitive character feels a slight weakening in the planar walls.</p><p>3. Evil chuckling from the eaves and under the floorboards.</p><p>4. A sulfurous stink.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Behavior</span></strong></p><p>1. Carrying piles of stolen treasure back to its lair.</p><p>2. Bickering and tussling with one another.</p><p>3. Trying to destroy a temple or shrine.</p><p>4. Goosing a character.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Names</span></strong></p><p>Katachanas, Magras, Megalos, Paroritis,</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"><span style="font-size: 26px">Kallikantzaros</span></span></strong></p><p><strong>Medium fiend</strong></p><p>Challenge 1/2 (50 XP)</p><p><strong>AC</strong> 13 (natural armor)</p><p><strong>HP</strong> 27 (6d8; bloodied 13)</p><p><strong>Speed</strong> 30 ft., burrow 5 ft., climb 30 ft.</p><p></p><p><strong>STR</strong> 8 (-1) <strong>DEX</strong> 12 (+1) <strong>CON</strong> 10 (+0)</p><p><strong>INT</strong> 7 (-2) <strong>WIS</strong> 7 (-2) <strong>CHA</strong> 12 (+1)</p><p></p><p><strong>Proficiency</strong> +2</p><p><strong>Maneuver DC</strong> 11</p><p><strong>Skills</strong> Sleight of Hand +3, Stealth +3 (+1d4)</p><p><strong>Damage Immunities</strong> cold, poison</p><p><strong>Condition Immunities</strong> poisoned</p><p><strong>Senses</strong> blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 8</p><p><strong>Languages</strong> Common, Abyssal</p><p><strong><em>Chaotic Evil.</em></strong> The kallikantzaros radiates a Chaotic and Evil aura.</p><p><strong><em>Destructive Confusion.</em></strong> When a creature is subjected to the kallikantzaros’ <em>confusion </em>spell, on a roll of 1-4, instead of doing nothing, it tries to break random nearby objects.</p><p><strong><em>Fear of The Light. </em></strong>When the kallikantzaros takes fire or radiant damage, it is rattled until the end of its next turn. While in bright light, the kallikantzaros has disadvantage on attack rolls.</p><p><strong><em>Innate Spellcasting (3/Day).</em></strong> The kallikantzaros can cast <em>confusion.</em> Its spellcasting trait is Charisma (spell save DC 11).</p><p><strong><em>Keen Smell, Poor Vision.</em></strong> The kallikantzaros has advantage on Perception checks that rely on smell, but disadvantage on Perception checks that rely on sight. It is blind in sunlight and has disadvantage on saving throws to avoid being blinded by other means.</p><p><em><strong>Unholy.</strong></em> The kallikantzaros cannot attack a creature with the Good alignment.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Actions</u></strong></p><p><strong><em>Bite. </em></strong><em>Melee Weapon Attack:</em> +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. <em>Hit: </em>4 (1d6+1) piercing damage.</p><p><em><strong>Handaxe.</strong></em> <em>Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: </em>+3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. <em>Hit:</em> 4 (1d6+1) slashing damage.</p><p></p><p><strong><u>Bonus Actions</u></strong></p><p><strong><em>Nimble Escape.</em></strong> The kallikantzaros takes the Disengage or Hide action.</p><p></p><p><span style="color: rgb(65, 168, 95)"><span style="font-size: 18px"><strong>Variant: Queen Kallikantzaroi</strong></span></span></p><p>Kallikantzaroi queens are slightly larger than the males are, and usually quite a bit fatter. They have have Int and Wis 8 (-1) and are proficient in Engineering. Additionally, they can cast <em>minor illusion </em>at will with their Innate Spellcasting trait.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Faolyn, post: 8772432, member: 6915329"] The last monster from this article is the [B]kallikantzaros[/B] (plural: kallicantzaroi; the article uses the spelling [I]callicantzaros[/I]). It’s one of those folkloric creatures that could be a spirit, a demon, a goblin, or a number of other things, and even Moldvay admits that the reason he made them undead is because they come out at night and can be turned by clerics. Traditionally, they only emerged on the 12 days of Christmas, when the barriers between the worlds of the living and the worlds of the dead are very thin. A few sites I went to called them Greek Krampuses or Christmas goblins. They are not purely a Greek creature, though; they appear in lore throughout Southeast Europe. In folklore, they spend most of their time underground, sawing through the world tree so it will collapse and destroy the world. When they’re above ground, they mostly cause mischief, like jumping on your back, stealing your hats, or farting on your food so it smells bad. They also punish adulterers. Folklore also says that babies born in the twelve days of Christmas run the risk of turning into one, but I was born during that time and I’m pretty sure I’m human, so I guess baby-me made my saving throw. After reading up on them, they really don’t feel like undead or even spirits to me; I will make them very minor fiends instead. They are also basically goblins, but are [I]just [/I]different enough I’m going to give them their own statblocks. I’d go so far as to say that they make for better monsters than goblins because they [I]are [/I]fiends, not free-willed humanoids, and as such they don’t really [I]need [/I]to have a culture beyond their fiendishness. [ATTACH type="full" alt="1663365166880.png"]261552[/ATTACH] [SIZE=4]Art by Jennell Jaquays.[/SIZE] [B][SIZE=6][COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)]Kallikantzaros[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B] The Ungrateful Dead, Dragon Magazine #138 Created by Tom Moldvay Kallikantzaroi (sing. kallikantzaros) look like short (about 4 1/2 feet tall), black-furred humanoids with boar-like tusks, long, lolling tongues, and the ears, legs, and tail of a donkey. They smell sulfurous. Their their eyes are burning red but they have very poor vision. They are a stupid, easily distractable, and highly disorganized creature. Even though they tend to live in large groups, they have no ability to coordinate their actions and they bicker amongst each other constantly. [B][I]Mischievous. [/I][/B]Kallikantzaroi are agents of destruction—very minor destruction. They enjoy breaking objects, scaring livestock, pinching and scratching people, stealing food, and other such rude behavior. But perhaps as a side-effect of their birth,, they are also fond of punishing evil-doers, particularly those who break vows and promises. If a person is being harassed by these fiends, it is likely that that person has broken a vow they have made. When not engaging in this sort of mischief, they enjoy dancing and singing vulgar songs. [I][B]Queen Bees.[/B][/I] Unlike many other fiends, kallikantzaroi aren't created [I]ex nihilo [/I]or from souls, nor are they necessarily created in the Lower Planes. Instead, a female kallikantzaroi must consume the heart of a good person after which the kalikantzaroi produces a large litter of rapidly-maturing young. This is a particularly difficult for them, as not only are they able to directly harm truly good people, only about one in twenty kallikantzaroi are female. These rare females rule the roost and order the males about, as if they were the queens of a swarm of bees (unlike bees, there may be more than one female in a group), although they only barely more organized or competent than the males are. [B][SIZE=5]Legends and Lore[/SIZE][/B] With an Arcana or Religion check, the characters can learn the following: [B]DC 10.[/B] A kallikantzaros is a very minor fiend of mischief. They tend to gather in large, disorganized groups and are known to punish oath-breakers and liars. [B]DC 15.[/B] Kallikantzaroi fear fire, although they are not particularly vulnerable to it. They are able to confuse and bewilder people with just a touch. [B]DC 20.[/B] Kallikantzaroi need the heart of a truly good person in order to reproduce, and engineer accidents to procure such hearts. [B][SIZE=5]Kallikantzaroi Encounters[/SIZE] [I]Terrain:[/I][/B] Abyss, forest, hills, settlement [B][I]CR 0-2[/I][/B] 2d4 kallikantzaroi [B][I]Treasure:[/I][/B] 25 gp, 60 sp, 2 agates (10 gp each), [I]oil of slipperiness, spell scroll of shatter[/I] [B][I]CR 3-4[/I][/B] 2d4+8 kallikantzaroi; 2d6 kallikantzaroi and 2d4 kallikantzaroi whelps (use [B]goblin[/B] statistics, but change the type to fiend) [B][I]Treasure:[/I][/B] 600 sp, local map with sacred areas circled (worth 25 gp), fancy hat that used to belong to a local high-ranking official (worth 50 gp), [I]chime of opening, oil of etherealness[/I] [B][SIZE=5]Signs[/SIZE][/B] 1. People suffering from embarrassing accidents and petty thefts. 2. A sensitive character feels a slight weakening in the planar walls. 3. Evil chuckling from the eaves and under the floorboards. 4. A sulfurous stink. [B][SIZE=5]Behavior[/SIZE][/B] 1. Carrying piles of stolen treasure back to its lair. 2. Bickering and tussling with one another. 3. Trying to destroy a temple or shrine. 4. Goosing a character. [B][SIZE=5]Names[/SIZE][/B] Katachanas, Magras, Megalos, Paroritis, [B][COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)][SIZE=7]Kallikantzaros[/SIZE][/COLOR] Medium fiend[/B] Challenge 1/2 (50 XP) [B]AC[/B] 13 (natural armor) [B]HP[/B] 27 (6d8; bloodied 13) [B]Speed[/B] 30 ft., burrow 5 ft., climb 30 ft. [B]STR[/B] 8 (-1) [B]DEX[/B] 12 (+1) [B]CON[/B] 10 (+0) [B]INT[/B] 7 (-2) [B]WIS[/B] 7 (-2) [B]CHA[/B] 12 (+1) [B]Proficiency[/B] +2 [B]Maneuver DC[/B] 11 [B]Skills[/B] Sleight of Hand +3, Stealth +3 (+1d4) [B]Damage Immunities[/B] cold, poison [B]Condition Immunities[/B] poisoned [B]Senses[/B] blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 8 [B]Languages[/B] Common, Abyssal [B][I]Chaotic Evil.[/I][/B] The kallikantzaros radiates a Chaotic and Evil aura. [B][I]Destructive Confusion.[/I][/B] When a creature is subjected to the kallikantzaros’ [I]confusion [/I]spell, on a roll of 1-4, instead of doing nothing, it tries to break random nearby objects. [B][I]Fear of The Light. [/I][/B]When the kallikantzaros takes fire or radiant damage, it is rattled until the end of its next turn. While in bright light, the kallikantzaros has disadvantage on attack rolls. [B][I]Innate Spellcasting (3/Day).[/I][/B] The kallikantzaros can cast [I]confusion.[/I] Its spellcasting trait is Charisma (spell save DC 11). [B][I]Keen Smell, Poor Vision.[/I][/B] The kallikantzaros has advantage on Perception checks that rely on smell, but disadvantage on Perception checks that rely on sight. It is blind in sunlight and has disadvantage on saving throws to avoid being blinded by other means. [I][B]Unholy.[/B][/I] The kallikantzaros cannot attack a creature with the Good alignment. [B][U]Actions[/U] [I]Bite. [/I][/B][I]Melee Weapon Attack:[/I] +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. [I]Hit: [/I]4 (1d6+1) piercing damage. [I][B]Handaxe.[/B][/I] [I]Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: [/I]+3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. [I]Hit:[/I] 4 (1d6+1) slashing damage. [B][U]Bonus Actions[/U] [I]Nimble Escape.[/I][/B] The kallikantzaros takes the Disengage or Hide action. [COLOR=rgb(65, 168, 95)][SIZE=5][B]Variant: Queen Kallikantzaroi[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR] Kallikantzaroi queens are slightly larger than the males are, and usually quite a bit fatter. They have have Int and Wis 8 (-1) and are proficient in Engineering. Additionally, they can cast [I]minor illusion [/I]at will with their Innate Spellcasting trait. [/QUOTE]
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