This small, blue-gray humanoid has glowing eyes and huge ears on its round, oversized head.
Hobkins CR 1/2
XP 200
NE Small fey
Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +6
Defense
AC 13, touch 13, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +1 size)
hp 9 (2d6+2)
Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +4
Defensive Abilities out of phase; DR 5/cold iron
Offense
Speed 30 ft.; minor levitation
Melee 2 claws +4 (1d4-1)
Special Attacks collateral damage
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 2nd, concentration +4)
At will—dancing lights, ghost sound (DC 12), silent image (DC 13)
Statistics
Str 8, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 15
Base Atk +1; CMB -1; CMD 11
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +7, Bluff +7, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (local) +6, Perception +6, Sense Motive +6, Stealth +11; Racial Modifiers +4 Intimidate
Languages Aklo, Common
SQ frightener
Ecology
Environment any
Organization solitary, gang (2-5), or infestation (6-30 plus 1 hobkins malefactor)
Treasure standard
Special Abilities
Collateral Damage (Su) Whenever an attack fails to damage a hobkins, whether due to the attack result being too low, a miss chance, or a failure to penetrate DR, the hobkins can redirect the attack to any target that was in range of the original attack (if any). The attack can't be redirected against the original attacker. The attacker rolls a new attack and damage roll against the new target, and is considered to possess the Improved Critical feat for the redirected attack. Hobkins delight in using this ability to force creatures to destroy their own prized possessions.
Frightener (Ex) Intimidate is always a class skill for a hobkins, and it never takes a penalty on Intimidate checks due to being smaller than its target.
Minor Levitation (Su) Hobkins generally float 1 inch above the ground. A hobkins can levitate up to 20 feet straight up as a move action, but at the end of the movement, unless it's found something to cling to, it returns to 1 inch above the nearest flat surface below.
Out of Phase (Su) Hobkins are slightly out of phase with the Material Plane, causing all ranged attacks against them to suffer a 75% miss chance, including spells that require ranged touch attack rolls. Anything that prevents the blink spell also prevents this ability from functioning.
Like many gremlins, hobkins enjoy destroying things that others cherish, but unlike their jinkin cousins, hobkins delight in manipulating people into destroying their own belongings. Their favorite strategy is to use their spell-like abilities and their Intimidate skill to frighten a family. A hobkins may wait at a child's window during a storm so that it appears pressed up against the glass when the lightning flashes, only to hide away when they check again. Once its victims work themselves into a frenzy, the gremlin gives them time to arm themselves, then reveals itself, leaping and floating out of reach to force panicked victims to Throw Anything at hand.
A hobkins stands 3 feet tall and weighs 15 pounds.
Hobkins Malefactor
Ordinary hobkins are threats to common folk or careless adventurers with more offense than defense, but hobkins malefactors can mold a group of hobkins into something much more terrifying. Possessed of eerie psychic powers, hobkins malefactors can command countless hobkins telepathically to ensure perfect coordination.
Hobkins malefactors possesses the psychic magic ability, with a variety of psychic spells at their command, different for each malefactor. Malefactors are usually advanced by hit dice, but sometimes have levels in psychic or mesmerist.
Hobkins malefactors are rarely content with the destruction of prized possessions; instead, they seek nothing less than the massacre of innocents at the hands of their own protectors. To accomplish these goals, they calculate each of their moves carefully, with an endgame of an entire small settlement gathered together and prime for redirected attacks from the hobkins' collateral damage ability.
This withered, eyeless little creature has a mushroom cap for a head, and a stringy fungus beard frames his toothless grin.
Nuno CR 1/4
XP 100
NE Tiny fey
Init +2; Senses tremorsense 30 ft.; Perception +6
Defense
AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size)
hp 3 (1d6)
Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +4
Defensive Abilities ant affinity; DR 2/cold iron
Offense
Speed 20 ft., burrow 10 ft.
Melee slam +0 (1d2-2)
Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks nuno's curse
Statistics
Str 6, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 15
Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 8
Feats Ability Focus (nuno's curse)
Skills Bluff +6, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +6, Knowledge (nature) +5, Perception +6, Sense Motive +6, Stealth +14, Survival +3; Racial Modifiers +4 Knowledge (dungeoneering)
Languages Aklo, Sylvan, Terran
SQ wax locator
Ecology
Environment any warm land or underground
Organization solitary
Treasure standard
Special Abilities
Ant Affinity (Su) Ants will never attack a nuno. A nuno can control ants and ant swarms as a druid's wild empathy, with a +4 racial bonus on their checks. While ants are normally mindless, the nuno imparts to them a modicum of implanted intelligence, allowing nunos to train ants to perform tasks as necessary to suit the nunos' fancies.
Nuno's Curse (Su) A nuno can curse any creature it touches unless the creature succeeds at a DC 14 Will save. A creature that harms the nuno, damages the nuno's home, or steals the nuno's belongings must also save against the curse with a -2 penalty. A creature that succeeds at its save is immune to that nuno's curse for 24 hours. A creature under the effects of the nuno's curse experiences horrific swelling and hair growth in a location the nuno touched or that was associated with harming the nuno (for instance, a creature's foot if that creature kicked over the nuno's anthill). This swelling imparts a -2 penalty to Dexterity and causes the affected area to occasionally ooze or expel black pus. The DC to remove a nuno's curse with spells and abilities like remove curse is 10 higher than normal (24 for a typical nuno). A nuno can remove its curse as a standard action, and when a nuno dies, all its active curses end immediately. The effects of multiple nuno's curses don't stack. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Wax Locator (Su) Any creature cursed by a nuno can spend 1 minute pouring molten wax into a spoon and then into a container of water, causing the wax to Run in the direction of the nuno. This allows the Accursed creature to find the nuno no matter where it hides and attempt to put an end to the curse.
Nunos are fungus gremlins that live in anthills. Even young nunos appear as wizened old men, and the creatures are solitary hermits, living among ants in anthills and burrows in tropical regions. Though nunos are as spiteful as any other gremlins, they tend to keep to themselves and reserve their enmity for those who bother them—especially those who dare to harm a nuno's anthill home.
Due to the relative difficulty of removing a nuno's curse via magic, the best options for a creature cursed by a nuno are to slay the nuno or parley with the creature. Since the curse could have triggered while the nuno wasn't present, both approaches are made easier by the nuno's wax locator ability. Though inherently grumpy, nunos are easily bribed with offerings of fruit or valuable objects, and can at times be swayed by a particularly well-constructed argument. They can also usually be persuaded by humanoids and fey they find beautiful, though a nuno's predilections are unpredictable at best, and they tend to loathe conventional beauty.
Nuno Ascetic
Rarely, a nuno's isolated existence allows it to unlock secrets of reality unknown to others. These nuno ascetics still value their privacy, but they are sometimes willing to accept lavish bribes from pilgrims in exchange for sharing their wisdom. Nuno ascetics advance by class level, usually either as either monks or occult classes. They each develop a unique variation on the basic nuno's curse, which acts as a signature of sorts. Unlike most monsters with class levels, nuno ascetics add half their class level to the DC of their nuno's curse ability.
