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Elizabeth walks up with a neutral expression, trying not to give any sign of apprehension.

nother request

Eldritch Feline
                      Tiny Aberration (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice:             10d8+30 (75 hp)
Initiative:           +9
Speed:                60 ft. (12 squares)
Armor Class:          23 (+2 Size, +5 Dex, +4 Natural, +2 Deflection), touch 19, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple:  +7/+1
Attack:               Tentacle +14 melee (1d4+2 plus Drain)
Full Attack:          4 Tentacles +14 melee (1d4+2 plus Drain) and 2 Claws +9 melee (1d2+1) and 1 Bite +8 melee (1d3+1)
Space/Reach:          2 1/2 ft./0 ft.(10 ft. w/tentacles)
Special Attacks:      Drain, Eldritch Blast, Charge Up
Special Qualities:    Darkvision 60 ft., Scent, Death Summons, Devil's Sight, Lick Wounds, Tremorsense 60 ft.
Saves:                Fort +6, Ref +8, Will +11
Abilities:            Str 15, Dex 21, Con 17, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 14
Skills:               Balance +13, Climb +9, Hide +19, Intimidate +12, Jump +13, Knowledge (Aecana, The Planes) +12, Listen +8, Move Silently +12, Spot +8, Use Magic Device +7
Feats:                Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Stealthy, Weapon Finesse
Environment:          Outer Planes unless summoned
Organization:         Solitary, Pair or Pride (9-13)
Challenge Rating:     10
Treasure:             Standard
Alignment:            Any Evil
Advancement:          11-15 HD (Tiny), 16-30 HD (Small)
Level Adjustment:     ---

Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by an Eldritch Feline's tentacle attack must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or take 1d3 points of Constitution drain. The save DC is Charisma-based. On each such successful attack, the Eldritch Feline gains 5 temporary hit points.

Eldritch Blast (Sp): This is identical to the Warlock ability, doing 4d6 damage.

Charge Up (Su): By using a Full Round Action, the Eldritch Feline can do double damage with it's Eldritch Blast.  Once it does this, it cannot use this ability again for 1d6 rounds.

Death Summons (Sp): When an Eldritch Cat dies, a Gate opens, and 1d4+1 Fiendish Little Spookity Kitties come through.  This is the equivalent of a 3rd Level spell. comes through.

Devil's Sight (Su): Eldritch Felines can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created by a deeper darkness spell.

Lick Wounds (Su): As an Action, the Eldritch Feline can heal 1d6+2 hit points.

Skills: Eldritch Cats have a +4 racial bonus on Climb, Hide, and Move Silently checks and a +8 racial bonus on Jump checks. Eldritch Cats have a +8 racial bonus on Balance checks. They use their Dexterity modifier instead of their Strength modifier for Climb and Jump checks. *In areas of dim light or shadow, the Hide bonus rises to +8.

Combat:

Mothmom
                      Medium Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice:             9d8+27 (67 hp)
Initiative:           +1
Speed:                30 ft. (6 squares), Climb 30 ft., Fly 60 ft. (Average)
Armor Class:          22 (+1 Dex, +11 Natural), touch 11, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple:  +9/+13
Attack:               Slap +13 melee (1d4+4)
Full Attack:          2 Slaps +13 melee (1d4+4) and 1 Mega Slap +11 melee (2d4+2)
Space/Reach:          5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:      Dust Cloud, Spell-Like Abilities, Mega Slap
Special Qualities:    Darkvision 60 ft., Scent, Spiderclimb, Glide, Mothsense
Saves:                Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +9
Abilities:            Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 16
Skills:               Bluff +6, Climb +12, Concentration +6, Craft (any 2) +5, Diplomacy +6, Gather Information +6, Hide +4 (+8 in forest), Knowledge (Arcana, Local, Nature) +5, Listen +7, Move Silently +4, Sense Motive +5, Spot +11, Survival +5, Use Magic Device +6
Feats:                Alertness, Combat Casting, Multiattack, Iron Will
Environment:          Temperate Forest
Organization:         Unique?
Challenge Rating:     5
Treasure:             Standard
Alignment:            Chaotic Good
Advancement:          By Character Class
Level Adjustment:     ---

Mothmom is, of course, Mothsquatches beloved mother.  From a distance, she appears as a tall, humanoid woman wearing a luxurious fur coat.  The blazing red eyes set her apart, however.  She considers the forest and it's critters her domain, and she is very protective of them.  Unlike her son, she favorsworking from stealth, and her friends tend to memory wipe people who see her.  Mothmom speaks Common, Sylvan, Buggy and Furry.

Dust Cloud (Ex): By unfurling her wings, Mothmom can unleash a 20 foot Cone of dustlike particles as a Standard Action.  Creatures in this area of effect must make a DC 17 Fortitude Save, or be Blinded for 1d4 rounds.  Save DC is Con based.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): At will: Disguise Self, Ghost Sound, Invisibility, Mending, Pass Without Trace, Spike Growth, Tongues. Caster Level 9th.  Save DC is Charisma based.

Spiderclimb (Ex): Mothmom can climb sheer surfaces as though with a spider climb spell.

Glide (Ex): To fly, Mothmom must jump off a high point, and she loses 5 feet of altitude, for every 20 feet she travels.  She cannot gain altitude, and cannot use the Hover Feat.

Mega Slap (Ex): If she connects with her Mega Slap, Mothmom immediately gets a free Trip attempt as a Free Action, without provoking an attack of opportunity.  If she fails, they do not get a Trip attempt in return.

Mothsense (Su): Mothmom has a +2 Insight Bonus to AC and Reflex Saves against creatures or traps within 30 feet of her..

Skills: Mothmom have a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and can always choose to take 10 on Climb checks, even if rushed or threatened. She also has a +4 Species Bonus to Spot Checks, and a +4 Bonus on Hide Checks in her forest home.

Combat: Mothmom generally avoids intruders, unless they bother her son, or cause too much uproar in the forest.  Then she'll aid whoever is taking them on.




Mothmom
"Do you both swear to abide by the tenets of the Oath, even unto the Afterlife?"

Who Wants Cookies?
"I do.  Harlan, what's all  this about?"

"The true nature of most Cryptids."

"I had to fib to you Jim.  I took the Oath when I first became a Wizard."

"The Wizards realized many species would be overrun if they were known to exist, so they made a ritual."

"A ritual specific to Cryptids I'm guessing?"

"People who encounter recipients of the ritual, or their descendants, tend to...misremember information about them."

"You and your son haven't undergone the ritual then?"

"No, but we'll have to if he keeps trying to sell Mothsquatch branded products.  I was hoping to keep him innocent."

"As all good mothers do."


Lets Knit You Boys Some Cardigans!

"So why are you and Harlan here?"

"Following a villain whose been operating in secrecy for too long."

"Again?"

"Have we been here before?"

"Not you, just Harlan."

Knowledge History check to identify the caravan members

The Hilt

The Hilt is a broken sword blade, honed down to be usable as a short-bladed weapon in its damaged form.

Nonlegacy Game Statistics: +1 punching dagger; Cost 2302 gp.

Omen: When wielded while in a martial stance or used to perform a martial strike, The Hilt's balance shifts, feeling as though it was another melee weapon from among that maneuver's discipline's favored weapons. This does not impose any penalties, and in fact feels more natural to the maneuver than wielding the broken weapon should.

History
 
The Hilt's origins have been lost to myth and legend. There are a great many stories about how the blade came to be, broken as it is, most of which are mutually exclusive. The majority, however, have at least one thread in common: The Hilt was once a fine and functional sword, destroyed as the result of allies and fellow followers of the Sublime Way turning upon each other. (DC 15)

One of the many stories told about The Hilt is that it was broken when the Shadow Tiger horde attacked the Temple of the Nine Swords. This version of the tale purports it to be a new sword forged to replace the missing Supernatural Clarity and restore balance and unity to the Temple. At the time of the horde's attack, the blade had only just finished being forged, and had yet to be imbued with the magical enchantments that would make it a worthy blade to embody the Diamond Mind discipline. Seeing that the battle was lost, some of the Temple's students sought to protect and escape with the remaining swords. The unfinished blade that would become The Hilt was used by those escaping students during their retreat, passed from one to the next as each fell in battle. Many hands wielded The Hilt in this, its first battle, each wielder using it with his or her own preferred style. Such was the ferocity of the fighting that each skirmish left a scar upon the blade, with the accumulated damage causing it to shatter in the final exchange of the students' escape. Yet, in its destruction, The Hilt was tempered in battle and imbued with a fragment of the warrior's will from each of its wielders. Rather than become a replacement blade to represent Diamond Mind, it was instead invested with a mixture of all nine disciplines of the Sublime Way. (DC 20; From Hand to Hand)

Another story claims that The Hilt was created by the same hobgoblin chieftain who forged Kamate, the first sword. With weapons of such power in their hands, the chief and his tribe spread out, conquering all those who would stand before them. As their victories grew, the hobgoblin warriors grew brash. They had the power of death itself. Why should they pay tribute to their chieftain and not keep all they could take? In the aftermath of yet another victory, a group of these warriors turned upon their still loyal fellows. The battle was fierce and bloody, more so than any before it, as it was the first time that deadly iron fought against itself. The Hilt was but one of the many swords wielded that day to clash upon the edge of its brothers, but it was the first to shatter, leaving only fragments of the broken blade behind. (DC 25; Infighting's Price)

A third such tale claims that The Hilt was Reshar's sword, which he used in his travels after leaving the Temple of the Nine Swords. When he left the Temple, Reshar gifted the nine swords, brimming with magic and honed by decades in the hands of masters, to his nine greatest disciples. For himself, Reshar took only a simple sword, forged for novices of the Sublime Way to use when first training with live steel. A lifetime later, the very same blade at his side, Reshar returned to the Temple, now a ruined husk after the Shadow Tiger horde had sacked it. Understanding at a glance the battle that had taken place, the disunity that had lead to it, and the death of his dreams for the Sublime Way, he went to the rubble-strewn hall where he had once gifted the nine swords. There, without a word, Reshar shattered the simple blade he had wielded ever since leaving the Temple's grounds decades prior. (DC 31; Reshar's Last Blade)


Legacy Rituals

The following three rituals are required to unlock all the abilities of The Hilt.

From Hand to Hand: You must survive an encounter with an EL equal to or greater than your character level + 1. During this the course of this encounter, you must initiate at least 4 maneuvers, but no two consecutive maneuvers may be from the same martial discipline. Cost: 1500gp. Feat Granted: Least Legacy (The Hilt).

Infighting's Price: You must fight and defeat a martial adept with CR equal to or greater than your character level - 2. Your allies can assist you as long as you do not outnumber the opposing martial adept and his or her allies. After the battle, you must spend one night in meditation. Cost: 13,000gp. Feat Granted: Lesser Legacy (The Hilt).

Reshar's Last Blade: You must return to the place in which you learned your first martial maneuver or stance, or a location at which you received a formative revelation or understanding of the Sublime Way that shaped your development along it. There, you must plunge The Hilt into the ground and meditate uninterrupted for 24 hours. During your meditation, you will be confronted by visions of your greatest failures. To complete the ritual, you must neither shy away from nor succumb to despair at these visions. Cost: 39,000gp. Feat Granted: Greater Legacy (The Hilt).


Wielder Requirements
Base attack bonus +3
Martial Lore 4 ranks
Knowledge of martial maneuvers or stances from at least 3 different disciplines

Legacy Item Abilities
All of the following are legacy abilities of The Hilt.

Shifting Discipline (Ex): When you first unlock the least legacy of The Hilt at 5th level, you find that the weapon's weak form somehow makes it surprisingly easy to flow between disparate maneuvers. When you initiate a martial strike maneuver, you gain a +1 bonus on attack rolls with The Hilt as part of the next strike you initiate. This bonus only applies if the strike is from a different discipline from the first maneuver. A strike that benefits from this bonus can still trigger it for a subsequent one, so you effectively gain this bonus continuously as long as you don't use two consecutive strikes from the same discipline.

When you have unlock the lesser legacy of The Hilt at 11th level, the bonus granted by this ability improves to +2. When you have unlock the greater legacy of The Hilt at 17th level, the bonus granted by this ability improves to +3.

Morphic Stance (Su): Beginning at 6th level, whenever you enter a martial stance, you can will The Hilt to take on the form of one of that stance's discipline's discipline weapons. You can select from any of the manufactured melee or thrown weapons you are proficient with from among the discipline weapons of that stance's martial discipline. The Hilt's statistics change in nearly all ways to match its new form, such as damage type, critical threat range, reach, and other properties inherent to the type of weapon it becomes. The only exceptions are that its weight, material, and hit points do not change. The Hilt retains this new form for as long as you wield it, even if you leave the stance used to transform it. If you throw The Hilt, it remains in this form for the duration of the attack, reverting to its normal form only after the attack is resolved.

Martial Foil (Ex): Beginning at 12th level, while wielding The Hilt, you gain a +2 bonus on all saving throws against martial maneuvers. Additionally, once per day when you witness a creature that you threaten with The Hilt initiate a martial maneuver and you successfully identify the maneuver being initiated, you can expend an unexpended maneuver that is not withheld as an immediate action. If you do, you and the creature make an opposed initiator level check. If you succeed, you use The Hilt to spoil the creature's maneuver, causing it to fail and have no effect, wasting both the expenditure of the maneuver and the action used to initiate it. If the maneuver you expended was from the same discipline as the maneuver you attempted to spoil, you gain a +10 bonus on your opposed check. If the maneuver you expended was the same maneuver as the one you attempted to spoil, you instead gain a +20 bonus on your opposed check.

Reactive Style (Ex): Beginning at 14th level, once per day, you can change your readied maneuvers as a free action. Your new selection of maneuvers become readied and unexpended (and possibly granted or withheld) as though you had just readied your maneuvers normally (and as though you had just begun an encounter, if you use this ability in the middle of an encounter).

Shattered Yet Whole (Ex): Beginning at 18th level, The Hilt becomes immune to rusting effects and gains a +4 bonus on its saving throws and to its hardness while in your possession. If damaged, The Hilt repairs itself at a rate of 1 hit point per hour when not being wielded in combat.

Share Stance (Ex): Beginning at 20th level, once per day as swift action, you can share your current stance with nearby allies, instructing them in its intricacies and allowing them to mimic it under your expert mentorship even without dedicated knowledge and training. Each creature within 10 feet of you can enter your current martial stance as an immediate action. If you have multiple stances active, you must choose only one of them to share. Each ally can maintain this stance for up to 1 minute.

Table: The Hilt

Level	Abilities
5	Shifting Discipline +1
6	Morphic Stance
7	+1 aptitude punching dagger
8	--
9	+1 aptitude Sublime Tapestry punching dagger
10	--
11	Shifting Discipline +2
12	Martial Foil
13	+2 aptitude Sublime Tapestry punching dagger
14	Reactive Style
15	--
16	--
17	Shifting Discipline +3
18	Shattered Yet Whole
19	+4 aptitude Sublime Tapestry punching dagger
20	Share Stance

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Change Log

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Notes