#the creaturecodex

[monstersdownthepath]

One thing I truly appreciate about Pathfinder's take on Jubilex is just how much they've apparently buffed him from his time in 3.5 as Juiblex. He was among the weakest of the Demon Princes, if not the weakest, but if his lore block in the Complete Book of the Damned is anything to go by, this is very much no longer the case.

Poisons which bypass poison immunity, acid which bypasses acid immunity, the ability to congeal air and turn it into difficult terrain, an acidic aura that blights the surrounding land and damages nearby enemies... and, most horribly, the ability to animate the bodily fluids of other creatures and turn them into voracious ooze monsters, even while they're still inside a victim's body!

It's certainly a loaded kit, a far cry from the simplicity of Juiblex's original stat block. My pipe dream is to one day see it in its full glory.

[doomboy911]

Theme Bonemound

Prompt List

@thecreaturecodex Art challenge (Last time I'll ping them.

Commentary

So I'm happy to be starting on this challenge that I brought upon myself. I spoke with the creaturecodex about producing an art challenge as the month of April has terrible art challenges to work with, they presented a lovely challenge rendering their monsters but now given a lot of freedom of choice I decided what would be fun is to give the choice over to another so I partnered with an old friend D6Damage they picked out some beasties and I'm going through rendering them. For this piece I decided that rendering the bones individually would be an exercise in madness so instead I focuses on the skull and implied a jumble of other parts here and there and for that 1 bit was perfect. I even got some dithering in there I'm very happy with. The best part though is definitely the ram skull, maybe I'll cut that away for later.

Palette picked

[pleb-the-original]

Day 4: Dragon

(Sorry if this took a while. I was dry on ideas and also went on vacation for a bit. I wanted to do the Codrille cause a plague dragon sounded really cool. It was only until today that I finally figured out a good theme for this piece. A care guide welcoming you to the job.)

Welcome to the Codrille Care Program! Once you have received the initial package containing this pamphlet, you are now an official member of the program. We’re glad to have you on board! The following segment will be a QnA dictating the extent of the program’s duties and history. What is the Program? The Codrille Care Program is a small organization tasked with caring for the small flock of Codrilles owned by the plague demons when they are not in use. We dutifully follow the care guidelines outlined in the master document and are dedicated to giving them the maximum quality of life possible. Fun Fact: Although Codrilles are noted to have a lower intelligence compared to other dragons leading to an inability to speak, that just means their intelligence is on par with highly intelligent animals such as dolphins or corvids. Why? It is our duty to uphold the Dragon’s Pact at all costs despite outsider opinions on the usefulness of Codrilles. Despite their unorthodox abilities disqualifying them from the usual smithing career many other dragons take, they are still an important asset to Hell due to their plague spreading abilities. Many plague demons have compared their impact to that of a warplane spreading a biological payload. Fun fact: Codrilles have flown alongside several military planes throughout history in order to boost the effects of their payload such as with the spread of Agent Orange. How? Cordille care is somewhat similar to the care of other dragons with a few notable key differences. The main difference lies their more animalistic nature. Codrilles are kept in stables and cannot directly communicate their needs and desires and thus must be either inferred or learned through bonding with the Codrille. Our Codrilles are highly personable with a variety of quirks that will make anyone fall in love with them. Another important aspect of care is their weekly crown polishing. A Codrille’s crown gem will lose its luster over time as it generates the Codrille’s natural plague aura. In the wild their gem is recharged by solar power and ambient earth magic but due to the Pact and human activity they are unable to access these resources. The gem can be charged and cleansed using demon magic however Codrilles have various different reactions to the process from complete calmness to rage. Fun Fact: During a Codrille’s juvenile salamander stage, it requires a heavy dose of pure natural magical energy in order to grow its gem. It has been theorized that humans looking at a Codrille and becoming aware of it sends some human magic into it which disrupts said delicate process and causes the Codrille’s death. What about me? Once you clock in for your first day, you will be assigned to a Codrille of any age stage. If you are assigned to our breeding program, you will be in charge of the chicken flock that hatches the Codrille and will note if the rooster lays an egg. Once the egg has been determined to host a Codrille (if it is not, they will be given to other dragon rehabilitators), you will be assigned to watch over its development in the mortal world. Do not look at it when it hatches before it sees you. Demon magic has been shown to corrupt a Codrille’s developmental stages leading to defects in adult life. If you are assigned to the juvenile program, you will be tasked with feeding the salamanders and tracking their food intake. You are not allowed to look at them in this state either but you will monitor their health based on the amount of bad luck emitted by them in this state. If you are assigned to the adult program, you will be placed with a team of carers assigned to a Codrille tasked with meeting its needs and keeping it satisfied in between the occasional deployment. You may be tasked with ride training a Codrille to get it accustomed to being ridden by a plague demon. Fun Fact: Codrille riders were one of the major forces that saved a lot of dragons from the cullings that occurred prior to the Pact. Good luck on your new endeavors with us! 

[wowieweirdwarlock]

Major Monsters: Pact Lich

Source: Creature Codex

Image source: Creature Codex, pg. 253

“Despite its frail appearance, this rotting, fiendish creature commands considerable arcane power.”

The Original. The first pact Lich was a powerful warlock whose patron was a being of undeath and magic. In a dire moment, the Patron decided to bring back it’s fallen servant as a being of dark intelligence with a hunger for souls.

Soul Devourers. Pact Liches must bring souls to their patron, for fear of their continued existence being snuffed out. Most Pact Liches possess a special item, such as a large diamond or magical focus, known as a phylactery, that they drain souls into to supplicate their patron.

Magical Rebirth. When a Pact Lich’s body is destroyed, their essence and consciousness is sent back to their patron, whom the Lich must face for their failure. If it’s patron is feeling particularly merciful, the Lich will be returned to the Material Plane near the object that serves as its phylactery.

Unique undeath. While all Liches require life force and magic to keep themselves existing beyond death, Pact Liches are the only ones that rely on the will of another being. As such, Pact Liches are unendingly loyal to their patron, as their entire soul and consciousness could be snatched from their body on a whim.

Ideas for using Pact Liches in a campaign:

A worshipper of a powerful arch fiend has been brought back after being slain by the party, and is amassing a cult around themself. They intend to hunt down the party and sacrifice them to their patron.

A member of the party’s soul has been trapped in a Pact Lich’s phylactery, and the party must kill the lich, and then destroy the phylactery before the soul js absorbed by the patron. While trapped in the phylactery, the Patron may offer a pact to the Player’s soul in exchange for freedom, as the Pact Lich has been disappointing the patron.

A warlock ally of the party has been slain, but suddenly came back. Despite this seeming miracle, they are acting strangely and are more dedicated to their patron than ever. Unbeknownst to the players, the ally has become a pact lich, and intends to sacrifice one of the players’ souls in order to cement their undeath.

There are many ways to achieve lichdom. In my personal opinion, Pact Liches are the most unique of all of them.

Most pact Liches serve their patrons unerringly, as most Patrons that grant this boon tend to be beings of Undeath or Darkness that do not suffer disobedience. Some patrons, such as Archfey or Fiends, also see the value in keeping particularly beautiful or loyal warlocks alive beyond death.

Many pact Liches are quite sad beings, as their whole existence hinges on the decisions and satisfaction of another. At least in life, some warlocks get a little bit of independence beyond their patron.

Pact Liches, however, are emptied of life force and ambition by their patron, and many are molded to suit their patron’s desires.

Luckily, I was spared that fate. My patron keeps me around as long as I make myself useful, sure, but at least I have a decent bit of latitude in my decision-making.

- A weird warlock.

[unidentifiablelifeform]

Yes!! YES!!! Follow the creaturecodex to discover these and many other powerful beasts...

You are now a pokemon trainer! You look down at your belt to see six pokeballs, each containing a monster you have created a stat profile for on this website. Which six do you choose?

Oof. I have a hard enough time picking a Pokemon team of actual Pokemon!

So, in answering this, I'm going to give myself a few restrictions

I'm not going to just pick the Pokemon I have converted, because that seems to be missing the point of the exercise

I'm not going to pick all gods and kaiju (after all, the Gen 3 and Gen 7 version legendaries are basically pocket-sized kaiju for their impact on the world, and the Gen 4, 5, and 6 version legendaries are literal gods)

I want to get a diversity of creature types (in the Pathfinder 1e sense) and CRs

So, I'm going to pick 6 monsters I've made that I think would make good Pokemon. And I'll give the Pokemon types I think suit them best.

Typhlotherium: Ground/Fighting

Skeletal Thrasher: Rock/Ghost

Necroton: Steel/Fire

Dragon Bug: Dragon/Bug (obviously)

Kilblain: Ice

Ofalth: Poison/Grass

[chimeride]

Barrel snake*, the 189th Known One.

“The foreparts were of enormous size, its head being fully as large as a barrel. A few feet behind the creature’s head two large scales were visible, which glittered in the sun like polished shields; further back were two huge claws on either side, about 2 feet apart, which were all the monster had in the shape of feet. The rest of its body was comparatively small and tapering to the end of its tail. It traveled at a rapid gait, sometimes rearing its whole body up from the ground, and walked on its four claws. He watched it till it disappeared over a little hill, and then he started to look after his burro.” - from “Cowboys and Saurians: Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Beasts as Seen by the Pioneers.” (source)

Suggested by @thecreaturecodex.

*i made up the name based on the description, if someone has the right one i’ll correct it thank you

[nerdimmersion]

Today is a good day. #dnd #dnd5e #DungeonsAndDragons #nerdimmersion #koboldpress #CreatureCodex https://www.instagram.com/p/BnWKZMyBY-X/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=isvpi6z8vem

[dndeed]

Tome of Beasts 2!

[jpowersart]

Burrower Wurm - a giant blind snake-like creature that burrows through the earth to attack unsuspecting prey. #illustration #sketch #fantasy #monsters #characterdesign #conceptart #rpg #creaturedesign #creature #snake #dragon #wurm #tremors #creaturecodex #tweets http://ift.tt/2D8IyRJ

[monstersdownthepath]

Perhaps predictably, I've found my new favorite obscure D&D 3.5 monster (converted into 5e by this gentleman in the vid).

If you like tabletop monsters as much as I do, I also greatly recommend Dungeon Dad, since I'm showing you one of his videos! He converts monsters from all over into D&D5e and works to make all of them mechanically distinct and interesting, while also going over the history (in and out of universe) of each monster, tactics they may use in battle, and adventure hooks for DMs using these monsters.

[pleb-the-original]

Day 3: Construct

(ok so I kinda didn't want to do another a- monster but the entry just intrigued me too much.) Alright welcome to Agrippa duty. How bad did ya fuck up? Don't play coy, you had to fuck something up to end up down here. Ah, there it is. Yeah, I can see why they sent you down here. Anyways, this is your orientation as a new employee working for the care and keeping of the Elders' agrippas. What is an agrippa you may ask? Well, have ya heard of the Liber Primus? Big magic book with a human soul inside? Think of that, but a demon soul instead. Basically a long long time ago back when the humans up in Europe were in castle times, a bunch of priests managed to capture some demons and stuffed them into books. You'd think this would've been an issue, since, ya know. Humans stuffing us into books. But instead of doing something actually helpful with the potential crisis on our hands, the Elders decided they wanted in too. Now soul manipulation back then wasn't as refined as it is today, especially dealing with hellfire remnants. Research hadn't gone too far into figuring out the specifics in using hellfire remnants to form a soulfire with only a few successes such as that cat gal. But the Elders tried anyways. They plucked a handful of flames from a couple fires, placed them between the pages of a book and closed it shut. No I am not joking that is actually how they did it. The worst part was that it worked. I could go on about intention powering magic and the Elders heightened capabilities but who gives a shit about that? Not the Elders after having new toys to play with. They basically used the agrippas like journals, documenting their sacred knowledge inside. Some of them actually did useful things with their agrippas like collecting research notes. But some of the others one just wrote whatever the home was on their mind. Before you ask, the only one that didn't participate was Dantalion. I'm surprised he actually didn't say anything considering everyone was ripping him off. Maybe he knew what was to come. Because yeah, turns out stuffing an entire demon into a confined prison and feeding it untold wisdom does in fact lead to bad things happening. The agrippas got hungrier for knowledge. They soon became feral and started eating anything with information they could find. They even managed to trap normal demons within their pages by shutting them inside. It was mayhem! Once the Elders got their agrippas together, they locked 'em away down in the deepest bowels of Pandemonium so no one ever has to learn about one of the many times they fucked up. Oh yes this isn't the only incident, trust me. Working down here, you get to learn a lot about their dirty laundry. You can't ever let them know of course but trust me, you'll learn a lot. As for what we actually do, we just do rounds to make sure the locks are stable and the books are complacent. If they do get rowdy, you just gotta swing on by a booth to find a book to read to them. I am not kidding. Does this face look like it kids? No? Good. We do get assigned specific agrippas to deal with just in case they get out. And you gotttttttt……Vassago's. Eh, not bad. His gets a little testy sometimes but it ain't too bad. They must've gone easy on you. Yes, this is going easy. Trust me, things could be a lot worse. You could have gotten Andras'. I know right? If you do see any of the guys working with that one, just give them a hug. Or a pat on the back. Or anything really. Just don't make any sudden movements around them. Or the agrippa itself. Actually just stay as far away as possible at all times. You can tell which one it is by the caution tape…and the acid stains…and the paint. But I don't think things'll too bad for you. I mean you're only assigned down here for a couple months. Just make sure when you get outta here not to do anything to make them wanna send you back. I hate it when I get repeats.

[pleb-the-original]

Day 2: Animal

(At first the animals I kept finding in the codex were all prehistoric in nature and I honestly did not want to go back to Prehistoric Paradise this soon. Then I found the Buru and figured it'd be interesting to see how hell handles a creature that is believed to be extinct by humans)

Buru Welfare Project Report 1

Things have gone a lot smoother than initially predicted. The Buru in captivity still kept to their wild instincts, even attacking one of the workers while they were attempting to lure it into the transport aquarium. I was worried that their time spent with the monster keepers would've sanded off some of their wild instincts but it appears their cruel nature outweighs the comfort of free food and shelter. Our initial plan was to dump the Buru population into a cordoned off area of the lake wherein they would be able to acclimate to the water's condition and the scent of the Depth Maidens before getting into contact with them. This enclosure would've also allowed us to test their hunting capabilities to see if they had regressed during their care. This did not go as plan. One of the Depth Maidens swam especially close to the net that bordered the area. We believe that a Buru that did not recognize the scent perceived the new stimulus as a threat and proceeded to rip through the netting. The Depth Maiden, sensing the aggression in the Buru, then went into an aggressive state as well which caused the two beings to wrestle each other violently. The commotions soon attracted other Depth Maidens which then completely ripped the net apart to get to the other Buru to wrestle them as well causing a frenzy that no one on our team dared risk interfering with. We worried how this event would effect the relations between the two species but after the brawl was settled, we spotted the Depth Maidens actually giving a select few Buru a helping of fish. The two species now coexist together in the lake with amicable grace towards each other. Our hypothesis was that the brawl that occurred acted as a test of dominance, similar to play fighting in many animals. The Buru most likely passed the test and earned the respect of the Depth Maidens due to their aggressive hunting prowess. We will now continue forward confident in the welfare of the Buru. Although we may need to look into artificially increasing the population of prey animals.

[pleb-the-original]

Day 5: Fey

(Because apparently literally the only thing that can motivate my writing nowadays is being poked at like a bear here is the next entry. For those wondering, I've been mainly focusing on drawing because I've been cooking up some good stuff that'll debut for art fight. Then hopefully I can do some more writing. Like Blotted Days, I got some really nice comments and I've been meaning to get back on that.) (For some pre-interview context, I was disguised as a human in order to lure out my assigned subject. However it seems that his kind are unable to discern the contents of souls as he fully believed I was a human as he led me down into the forest. I was forced into revealing my true nature to him after he tried attacking me so apologies for the blood stains on my notes. Trust me I tried to keep as much off as possible but it's kinda hard to focus on that and writing at the same time. My apologies.) 

(He laughed for a while before this) Curious. Why would a creature of the foulest nature seek out a meeting with me? 

Just for an interview. My boss wishes to compile a compendium of all paranormal creatures and their experiences. 

(He laughed again) Why didn’t you come to me as you are?

I’m more surprised you couldn’t tell. Most beings are able to figure out when they’re talking to a demon. Especially nature spirits along your ilk.

I have no ties to faeries or dryads. 

You still share the same purpose of guarding the pockets of nature that man fears. 

I am not merely just a guard! 

So I have heard. I’ve been told your kind are the embodiment of a tree’s soul. A manifestation born out of sacred belief. Although, I doubt many people still believe in such things. How do your kind remain even without belief? 

A few still understand the old ways. Shouldn’t you understand that as a creature of the night yourself? 

It has been a while since I hunted. But I get what you mean. Are there still new ones being born? 

Rarely. Every child has become a gift to celebrate. However those of us of the past still linger. 

What were you like before the Kastila came? 

Wild. Feral. We were like the wind in our form. Once the Kastila came, they only understood what their small worldview contained and seeked no regard to expand. So we shifted as they latched their claws into the land. We were pounded into solid forms that resemble their tame beasts. They feared nature as they felt it contained the monsters they were destined to tame. Yet we lingered on. Despite our newfound hooves and manes, we kept to our old ways. My tree still stands tall deeper in the forest. 

So that’s how you survived. Like an old growth forest. 

As long as there is wild, we will remain. 

One last thing, the golden hairs-

Another remnant of the kastila’s desire for control. They believed they could tame any creature. But even that desire was limited by our nature. That is why it is meant to be a difficult task to claim our servitude. Just as it is to bend nature to a human’s will. 

I think that covers the main questions. I’ll come back with more once the boss reviews these. 

It would be nice; I appreciate having a fellow spirit to talk to. 

As did I. Although, once I do come back. I have one tiny little request. 

(Post Interview Notes: I did stick around for some off the cuff talks. Turns out Kaloo here is quite the storyteller. He had a lot of anecdotes to share which I believe should be documented accordingly. I would also request some time off after this. He gave me a lot of new ideas so I might need some time to just get all that creative energy out. - Tanggharana) 

[pleb-the-original]

Day 1: Aberration

(Welcome back folks! So funny story, I found this website called 4thewords which is the whole reason I got this written down now. As for the story itself, when I looked through the codex the first aberration that popped out to me as a good subject was the amabie. Because honestly, where do they go and where do they come from?)

Some of the most enigmatic of all creatures across the supernatural world belong to the yokai. Yet even among the oddest of odd are a set of yokai that seem to defy convention. The divinatory yokai such as amabie may not share looks or names but do share a common theme. They all only appear once or a few times throughout all of historical record to share a premonition of fortune or disaster, sometimes even both. Then they disappear into the aether never to be seen or heard of again. Normally this doesn't seem all that strange. Belief wanes and waxes for humans just as any other idea. Yet even with a solid foundation of belief as seen in the magic protections around a pemanatory yokai's image the real thing never surfaces again even in the darkest corners of the most magically potent places possible. Even now I carry a memento of amabie's fortunes in my daily outings as purchased from an old wares shop in the yokai realm. It truly makes you wonder where they could have gone and maybe where they even come from in the first place. Luckily for me, pardon my pun as you'll see, the answer is quite an open case. After a bit of discussion with some highly regarded kami and some time spent in Luck's quarters of Pandemonium haven enlightened me to the true nature of these living divinations. Actually, divination is probably the most apt comparison one could make. As is the same with all predictions of the future, these yokai do not predict what will be, but instead warp reality itself to ensure that their speakings come to fruition. The typical story would go like this: an especially powerful yokai or kami would decide to up the scale of their usual tricks and enact some lasting damage or blessing on the people under their ward. So they would go to Lady Luck to propose the creation of one of these yokai. Luck would then utilize her legions of fortune demons to aid the kami or yokai in the crafting of their vessel. A body would be created from the stone and clay around Hell and Yomi to form a body with the features chosen by the kami or yokai. Once the clay is shaped, the luck demons would infuse the body with good and bad luck according to the kami's or the yokai's wishes to bring about great upheaval which would require a lot of power from the demons. Then the kami or yokai would breathe life into the body where they would then take it and release it nearby a human settlement where it would then sprout its diviniatory magic and dissipate into nothingness as the magic keeping it alive is released into the fabric of reality to weave the wishes of its creator into existence. Said magic also infuses itself into images and talismans as a way to dilute any remaining magic or just to make sure the humans don't suffer too many casualties during a bad period. Such cases are a great example of the historical friendship and closeness between demons and yokai. As for why such occurrences have not continued into the modern day, that can be attributed to the same reason every other yokai has retreated to their realm outside of the mortal way. The prevalence of electricity has made the mortal world a nightmare for yokai to exist in, like someone with seasonal allergies being stuck in a field of wildflowers. Luck herself has also become a controversial figure after the revelations seen in the Sirius case that I doubt any remaining kami or yokai would want to work with her. Still, the remnants of what once was still remains. Talismans are a common good sold in yokai markets with the rare memory going for quite a fortune. It's quite intriguing to see how things have shifted. I doubt there is even a need for divination yokai anymore. The world is already enough of a chaotically fluid realm of fortune and falls.(Journal Entry found in a recently sold Dark Market apartment.)

[pleb-the-original]

Day 6: Humanoid

(Well it sure has been a LONG time. But after getting the slightest bit of attention I knew I finally needed to get this done at least. Besides, I kinda missed narrative writing after doing so much drawing for so long. I've had the idea for this for months but just never really found the time or motivation to actually put it down. Anyways have an actual utopic society where police actually care about people) One of the most well known facets of modern Atlantean society is the police force which strives to protect the people at all costs contrary to human understandings of law enforcement. One quirk that is noted by non-Atlanteans is the disproportionate population of mermaids that take up the mantle compared to other beings in Atlantis. This is in part due to the original founder of the force, Riptide. Riptide, as best as his name can be translated, was originally born to a swordfish and a green sea turtle Atlantean. Despite his parents trying their best, he was still born during the era of piracy where crime and chaos was spread by Atlanteans both inside and outside the city. Everywhere Riptide looked he saw people scrounging for resources and those in power abusing those below them. So Riptide decided to change things for the better. However this was not meant to be. In his first confrontation with the racketeer that was bleeding his neighborhood dry, he was killed in his efforts to stand up for his fellows. But his bravery was rewarded with a front row seat with the young Leviathan Swift. Riptide petitioned Swift to finally fix the devastation that had been wrought. Swift was at first ashamed that he let things get this bad in his struggle to abruptly take his rightful crown after the disaster that was Razorfin’s reign but he agreed to make things right with the help of Riptide. And so Riptide was reborn as the first Zitiron, spirits of justice and strength. Swift and Riptide soon curbed the piracy and made it clear to the people of Atlantis that their crimes would not go unpunished which caused many to either swear off their lifestyle or simply went underground to form the modern day Midnight Zone. Once all was said and done, Riptide stayed with Atlantis just a bit longer to help the severely weak Council of Atlantis regain their power and footing as well as establish the police force. But he understood too that laws must be subservient to people which became the major tenet behind the force. Now mermaids around Atlantis grow up hearing stories of Riptide’s ventures and seek to emulate his greatness. Even now he continues to lead the zitirons that remain in the current Leviathan’s palace as guards. Some even witnessed him leading his legion against the forces of Tempest Supreme during the Final Surge which acts as a testament to his undying commitment to keeping his fellows safe. 

(Excerpt from Atlantis: How Utopia is Made) 

[monstersdownthepath]

How would you make a Daemon harbinger that wants ol Trail Mix's status as Horseman of Famine? I know Creaturecodex has caracalla who's about inflation and price gouging. One I have is about winter and darkness; famine caused by endless snowfall,cold and denial of sunlight. Destroying ecosystems through winters most brutal aspects.

------

ironically, the same. I in fact have an Outer God with the same portfolio, a thus-far nameless entity I'm reworking, as its old incarnation drew too much influence from the W---igo. You can see its pictures and its old name here, though its title is the God of Extinction.

A deaemon that wants to supplant Famine outright is something I have not quite touched on, my closest is Molvulia, the Curdled Princess, who embodies death by food poisoning and sabotaged food, and is stated to covet the throne of Famine. The intentional destruction and infestation of edibles is her modus operandi, though a full replacement for the Horseman of Famine in my mind would likely be something similar to Caracalla, a being representing food hoarding and food destruction, forcing others to slave for just enough to survive, if that. The least subtle allegory for capitalism possible. I have a prototype for a capitalism daemon harbinger in my drafts, but it likely won't see the light of day for a while still.