Kappa-Ti Working Draft
Kappa-Ti
Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Aquatic)
Hit Dice: 8d8+24 (60 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), swim 60 ft.
Armor Class: 17 (+3 Dex, +4 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+16
Attack: Claw +17 melee (1d8+8/19-20)
Full Attack: 2 claws +17 melee (1d8+8/19-20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Dying curse, improved grab, spells
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/magic, darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 5, head bowl, water dependent, water immunity
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +9, Will +8
Abilities: Str 26, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 15
Skills: Escape Artist +5, Hide +12, Intimidate +6, Listen +6, Swim +16
Feats: Improved Critical (claw), Weapon Focus (claw), Spell Focus (enchantment)
Environment: Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always chaotic, usually evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
A scaly, hunchbacked creature about the size of a dwarf, with a powerful ape-like build. Its head is flat and plump, like a squashed toad's, with large round eyes, a long nose, and a broad mouth crammed with hooked teeth. The crown of its head has a shallow, bowl-like depression that seems to be full of water. The being's three-toed feet are webbed, while its hands are more manlike apart from the long, razor-sharp talons.
Kappa-ti are more larger, stronger and faster versions of the common kappa. Normal kappa find their more powerful relatives repulsive, possibly because kappa-ti lack the shells of common kappa. Kappa-ti are unsocial creatures who live alone or in mated pairs. In other respects their behavior is the same as normal kappa, including their taste for cucumbers and humanoid entrails.
A kappa-ti stands from 4 to 5 feet tall and weighs about 180 pounds.
Kappas speak Common and their own language.
COMBAT
A kappa-ti is a cunning combatant. It uses its spells to bewilder and weaken opponents, then attacks with their terrible claws. Kappa-ti try to take opponents by surprise. This may be as simple as leaping from the water, but they may use disguise self to appear as a harmless fisherman, or conceal their approach with an obscuring mist or invisibility spell.
Kappa-ti are not cowardly, but spurn needless risk to their own lives. They prefer to ambush lone travelers, and rarely attack groups without trying to split them up first. A kappa-ti will readily retreat if it meets effective resistance, but may return to attack again once its fast healing heals its wounds, thereby wearing down tough foes. It is wise enough to give up and seek easier prey if an opponent proves too powerful for it.
Dying Curse (Su): If a kappa-ti is killed, it inflicts a powerful curse on the creatures that slew it. This curse can affect up to 4 creatures, who must be within 800 feet of the kappa when it dies. If more than 4 creatures helped kill a kappa-ti, the curse targets the 4 who the kappa holds most responsible for its death or, if all are equally culpable, the 4 closest. The targets must succeed at a DC 20 Will save or be cursed with a -4 luck penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks. Furthermore, all creatures within 30 ft. of the cursed victim (except for creatures with a hostile attitude to the victim) will take a -1 luck penalty on attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saves, and skill checks until they get beyond 30 feet. A kappa-ti's death curse cannot be dispelled, but it can be removed with a remove curse or similar spell if the caster succeeds at a DC 20 level check. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +4 racial bonus.
Head Bowl (Su): The indentation on the top of a kappa's head is filled with water from the lake or stream where the kappa lives. Movement and ordinary actions (even combat) do not cause the water to spill; however, a character grappling a kappa can empty the bowl by winning an opposed grapple check. This reduces the kappa's Strength and Constitution scores to 8, negates its fast healing ability, and prevents it from using its innate spellcasting ability (it can still cast any spells it gains from other sources, such as character levels).
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the kappa must hit with both claw attacks.
Spells: A kappa-ti casts spells as an 8th level sorcerer. It can choose its spells from the sorcerer list and can also choose any cleric or druid spell with the Water descriptor, plus any shugenja or wu jen spells from the water element. Divine spells with the Water descriptor are considered arcane spells for a kappa-ti, meaning that the creature does not need a divine focus to cast them.
Typical Spells Known (6/7/7/5/3; save DC 12 + spell level, DC 13 + spell level for Enchantments)
0—acid splash, create water, daze*, detect magic, ghost sound, read magic, resistance, touch of fatigue;
1st—disguise self, mage armor, obscuring mist, ray of enfeeblement, true strike;
2nd—bull's strength, hideous laughter*, invisibility;
3rd—dispel magic, slow;
4th—charm monster*.
*Enchantment spell.
Water Dependent (Ex): Vampiric kappa can survive out of the water for 1 hour per 2 points of Constitution (after that, refer to the drowning rules).
Water Immunity (Su): Kappas are immune to water-based spells, including any spell with the word "water" in its name and shugenja or wu jen spells from the water element.
Skills: A kappa has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.
