let's get to this little guy!
Fachan
Small Aberration
Hit Dice: 4d8 (18 hp)
Initiative: +7 (Dex)
Speed: 230 ft, swim 380 ft
AC: 23 (+1 size, +7 Dex, +5 natural)
Attacks: Bite +10 melee, club +0 melee
Damage: Bite 1d4+1 and poison, club 1d6+1
Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks: Head butt, poison
Special Qualities:
Saves: Fort +1 Ref +7 Will +4
Abilities: Str 12 Dex 23 Con 10 Int 6 Wis 11 Cha 8
Skills: Balance +10, Listen +4, Jump +7, Spot +4, Swim +7, Tumble +10
Feats: Weapon Finesse (bite)
Climate: Any marsh
Organization: Solitary, band (2-12), or tribe (4-48)
Challenge Rating: 03
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 5-8 HD (Small), 9-12 HD (Medium-Size)
The fachan is physically one of the most unusual creatures known to exist. The fachan has an egg-shaped body, from the bottom of which protrudes one long leg. The body, which is 2-4 feet in overall height, is topped by a small, round head with one large eye in the center of the face, and the creature has one arm protruding from the center of its chest. The fachan's skin color varies from dark gray-brown to mottled green, but its sparse, stringy hair is always blue-black.
A fachan hops around on its footpad, which has six toes spread equidistantly around it for balance. Its hopping gait and odd appearance make it seem ungainly and awkward, but fachan are amazingly agile and fast. Their leg is naturally springy and allows them to leap a 10-foot span easily and even hurtle over a 6-foot barrier from a standstill. Mages seek out this footpad to make magical boots that replicate the fachan's legendary leaping ability and dexterity.
Fachan live exclusively in wetlands, building lairs similar to partially submerged beaver lodges, constructed in circular patterns. A tribe may have six or more of these lodges, which are 20 feet in diameter, though they are disguised and extremely difficult to locate. Intelligent peoples shun fachan, as the little monsters love to eat humanoid flesh. The sadistic fachan will toy with their prey for days, rather than kill it quickly and cleanly.
Despite the fachan's weird appearance, they do share many physical attributes with ogres and orcs. An orcish legend suggests that Gruumsh created the fachan from the offspring of orcs. As their faces are similar to depictions of the orcish god, fachan are sometimes known as "Gruumsh-kin."
COMBAT
Fachan like to surprise and disorient their foes, ambushing them to put fear into prey. They themselves are rarely surprised due to their fantastically keen hearing. When an opponent approaches within melee range of the fachan's location, it launches itself at its target. The combination of the leaping by its strong, powerful leg, and the fachan's exceptionally hard skull sets the target up for its "head butt" attack. Fachan can leap upright and stand erect from a prone position as a free action at any time during a round.
A fachan can wield any one-handed weapon with its arm, and prefers clubs and flails, though axes and swords are becoming more common. It can wield weapons or simply bite opponents with their rotting, muck-encrusted teeth. Once an opponent is incapacitated from either its paralytic poison or stunned by the head butt, the fachan will try to quickly drown it under any available water surface.
Head Butt (Ex): This attack causes 1d6+1 damage if the opponent fails his Reflex save (DC 18). In addition, the opponent will be stunned for that round and every round thereafter until he makes a successful Fort save (DC 12).
Poison (Ex): Fachan spittle: Injury, Fort Save DC 12. Initial damage: none; secondary damage: paralyzed for 1d4 rounds.
Skills: Fachans receive a +4 racial bonus to Listen checks because of their keen hearing. Their unusual anatomy also gives them a +6 racial bonus to Jump checks.
Originally found in MC11, Forgotten Realms Monstrous Compendium Appendix II (1991, David "Zeb" Cook).
