Design Diary: Monsters of Verdune

I was working on Monsters of Verdune today, thought I would give you some excerpts of my work..

Blato-prvo (The Primordial Ooze)

DESIGNER’S NOTES
Oozes, slimes, and jellies, oh my! There is something primal about the fear of being surrounded by a viscous substance you know is not water. Striking you with disease, acid, and/or poison, these things tend not to kill you. They diminish you. Perhaps that is a worse fate than death.

“The Kallethan did reach into the forge of life and steal away its essence. Taking this fluid form, he did corrupt it to his cause with surpassing ease and named his creation blato-prvo.” Excerpt from The Kallethan Testament as translated by Stave Beast-Speaker.

Fascination (Ex): A blato-prvo secretes a euphoric hallucinogen. A creature engulfed by the blato-prvo, or attacking with natural weapons or unarmed strikes, must roll a DC 20 Will save or be fascinated for 3d6 rounds. The ooze can automatically engulf a fascinated opponent. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Kavilljor Ur-rathi (Knight of the First Wrath)

DESIGNER’S NOTES:
The Black Knight of Ivanhoe, The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hallow, The Ringwraiths of
Middle Earth, The Death Knights of Krynn, The Sith of Star Wars are mounted shadows that creep into some primal place in your mind, bringing a level of fear that is both visceral and ephemeral. It would be lax of me not to attempt to create a dark knight that will fill this vacuum in the lands of the Diamond Throne with myth, legend, and a little fear.

“I must apologize for in this section. I cannot stomach the terror this creature has put into my bones and perform a proper interview...

...I am ashamed to admit that I did flee upon first seeing her smoke-filled visage, leaving the fearless Sir Elidyr Gyvarwydd “Lion of Verdune” to stand-alone. I know she let me live just so that I could die a coward’s death.” – Excerpt from The Doom of Verdune by Stave Beast-speaker.

Arms of Wrath (Su): Any melee weapon wielded by a kavilljor ur-rathi (including natural weapons and unarmed strikes) with which it has Weapon Focus deals wounds that are beyond the healing skills of most, and even then, these wounds never fully heal. Upon a successful hit that deals damage, a creature must make a successful Fortitude save (DC 10 +1/2 the kavilljor ur-rathi’s hit dice+ the kavilljor ur-rathi’s Charisma modifier) or suffer one point of Constitution damage.
Damage dealt by the arms of wrath cannot be healed normally, (including regeneration and fast healing). Magical healing will not heal damage dealt by the arms of wrath unless a specific creature type chosen by the kavilljor ur-rathi (see the bane special weapon property) casts a remove curse. Once chosen this creature type can never be changed. A Delve the Collective Memory, Heal, or Knowledge (religion) check (DC15 + CR) can be made to determine this creature type. This is a necromantic-curse effect.