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thecreaturecodex · 2 years

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Mpaca

Image © @chimeride, accessed at their blog here

[Mpaca is a forest spirit in the lore of the Nyange, a people in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo who have a rich and mostly still extant oral tradition. The Epic of Mwindo is the most famous of their sagas in English, and Mpaca appears in that story in passing, as a point of reference and comparison. The folktale in which he plays a starring role is collected in The Dictionary of African Mythology, and is online for free . Something I think is interesting is how closely the story “Mpaca’s Very Long Fingernail” maps to the davalpa/himantopus. It is a greedy, parasitic creature that rides on its victims’ backs, and can be defeated by getting it drunk. I’ve talked before about how I don’t hold a lot of stock in diffusionism, but part of me does wonder if the voyages of Sinbad made it to east/central Africa, or Nyange epics made it to the Middle East. There was a lot of trade between the regions, after all.]

Mpaca CR 4 CE Monstrous Humanoid This little man has long, wild hair and long fingers. The middle finger on each hand is extremely long compared to the others, ending in a single claw. His face is elongated, ending in a mole-like snout.

An mpaca is a twisted little humanoid that delights in enslaving other creatures. They can control the behavior of humanoids by jabbing them with their long middle finger, and then ride atop them. They do not treat their slaves well, forcing them to do exhausting work on long hours, and restricting their food and water. An mpaca may even ride such slaves into combat as a mount. Such slaves are controlled repeatedly and often worked to death if the mpaca can manage it.

In seeking out new slaves, an mpaca can shapechange, often favoring the shape of young women and girls. They can also extend their magical fingers to extreme distances, spying on their charges from afar though the nail. If their fingers are severed, the mpaca cannot use its charming ability, and so almost always only extends the finger on one hand and keeps the other in reserve.

Most mpacas live as parasites of humanity, taking over small villages to use as their personal dens of iniquity. The mpaca keeps the community in line with threats and magical charm, alternating between hosts while draining the wealth and happiness from everyone who lives there. When not finding victims, mpacas are lazy and slovenly. They are prone to indulging in drugs and drink, and victims of an mpaca have been known to dislodge the creature by getting it intoxicated.

Mpaca CR 4 XP 1,200 CE Small monstrous humanoid Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +5, scent Defense AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+1 size, +3 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 natural) hp 37 (5d10+10) Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +3 Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee 2 slams +8 (1d4+2 plus grab) or charm claw +8 (3 plus charm) Special Attacks grab (Medium) Statistics Str 15, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 8, Cha 14 Base Atk +5; CMB +6 (+10 grapple); CMD 20 Feats Deceitful, Dodge, Mounted Combat, Undersized Mount (B) Skills Acrobatics +10, Bluff +7, Climb +8, Disguise +7 (+15 using change shape), Perception +5, Ride +14, Stealth +9, Survival +5; Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics, +4 Ride Languages Common, Sylvan SQ change shape (humanoid, alter self), probing finger Ecology Environment warm hills Organization solitary or ward (1 plus 1 humanoid) Treasure standard Special Abilities Charm Claw (Su) As a standard action, or as part of an action made to maintain a grapple, a mpaca can jab a humanoid creature with its long clawed finger. A creature so struck must succeed a DC 14 Will save or be charmed for 24 hours. A creature that resists is immune to the charm claw of that mpaca for the next 24 hours. Feats An mpaca’s Undersized Mount feat allows it to ride Medium bipeds without penalty. Probing Finger (Su) An mpaca can extend its middle fingers and see through them. A finger extended in this way can stretch out to 600 feet long, extending or retracting as much as 30 feet a round. The mpaca can see and hear through the finger, and make charm claw attacks with it. While using its finger in this fashion, the finger can make Stealth checks as if it were a Diminutive creature, and fit through cracks as narrow as 1 inch. The mpaca can still use its normal senses while extending a finger in such fashion, but it is distracted; treat the mpaca as being flat footed. The finger can be destroyed through damage (AC 18, 5 hp, DR 5/bludgeoning or slashing). An mpaca regrows a destroyed finger over the course of 1 month, and if both of its fingers are destroyed, it cannot make charm claw attacks.

#mpaca #nyange #mwindo epic #african folklore #african mythology #chimeride #original art #pathfinder 1 #world tour

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modelsof-color · 3 months

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