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D20 Zothique - Clark Ashton Smith

Deep beneath the surface of Golarion where the unclean children of the Darklands sleep, the gugs dwell in festering vaults and bottomless pits. Banished to the Darklands in an age long past, this savage race of flesh-hungry creatures celebrates grotesque rites of carnal slaughter, praising foul deities beyond the knowledge of the world above.

Gugs typically stand 16 feet tall, though they often crouch in the constricted tunnels of their eternally dark underworld. They are completely covered in coarse, dark fur, constantly matted with filth, excrement, and the remains of past meals. Each arm splits at the elbow into a pair of fully articulated and functional forearms ending in claw-tipped, four-fingered paws.

Ecology

The alien morphology of gugs suggests they do not originate from Golarion, but rather some distant elsewhere. Despite their origins, these giants of the Darklands have dwelt in their rancid subterranean realms for countless generations, establishing themselves in the deepest nooks and pits of the world. They are so well adapted to these terrifying depths that their bone structure tends toward flexibility and strange joints, allowing them to squeeze through much smaller spaces than would be expected of a creature of their size.

Gugs have a voracious appetite and, as a result, are almost always hungry. They favor flesh—especially that of sentient creatures—but primarily subsist on barely palatable fungi, slimes, and molds that grow below the surface. Rare among most predators, gugs don’t seem to mind consuming undead creatures, savoring the flesh of such profane prey just as they would any other meal. The only exception to this comes in the case of ghouls, for which the Darklands giants harbor an inexplicable fear. In times of poor hunting, they are not above chewing on rocks to assuage their hunger pangs, and one of the first signs of gugs nearby are teeth marks high on stalagmites and other rock formations.

Habitat & Society

It is thought that Rovagug first discovered the gugs and brought them to Golarion from some dreamlike other realm. In fact, some sages speculate that Rovagug freed the gugs from a lengthy imprisonment in their native lands by boring hidden tunnels between there and the dark ways of Golarion. Whether this is true or not, gugs revere the Rough Beast in addition to a pantheon of weird and bloodthirsty deities rarely named beyond the ravenous savages’ dark rites.

Gugs typically live in small, nomadic groups due to the scarcity of food and resources. Near water and stable sources of food these bands can grow larger and more sedentary, but the insatiability of gug appetites typically depletes even the most fertile caverns or forested underground vaults in a matter of months.

In rare cases, gugs have been found inhabiting vast underground cities of profane dimensions. Constructed from stones of impossible size, these gug-cities seem completely beyond the ability of the subterranean terrors to construct, yet the split-faced giants claim them as their own. While some sages accredit these terrifying architectural marvels to the abilities of some hypothetical, more civilized gug ancestor, others suspect they rose at the hands of an elder race wiped out by the gugs. Still others fear the power of the gugs’ horrific deities and wonder if these gigantic works might be divine gifts, along with who knows what other unfathomable boons.

Gug Savants

Some particularly bloodthirsty gugs gain the attentions of their foul deities and are granted weird and terrible powers. These gug savants have Charisma scores of 18 or greater and spell-like abilities (CL 10th). Once per day they can use invisibility (DC 16), spike stones (DC 18), transmute rock to mud, and unholy blight (DC 18). The save DC is Charisma-based. Rarely, crazed gug savants become obsessed with their alien deities’ bloody worship and takes levels of cleric.

The terrible beings the gugs revere with gory sacrifices and terrible howls are varied and grotesque. Although they rarely call these supposedly godly abominations by name, their terrible rites and crude scratches in stone describe their foul masters as the Crawling Chaos, the Great Unclean, the Hollow Eye, the Nameless Mist, and the Smoking Void.

From Lovecraftian Dreams

“It was a paw, fully two feet and a half across, and equipped with formidable talons. After it came another paw, and after that a great black-furred arm to which both of the paws were attached by short forearms. Then two pink eyes shone, and the head of the awakened Gug sentry, large as a barrel, wabbled into view. The eyes jutted two inches from each side, shaded by bony protuberances overgrown with coarse hairs. But the head was chiefly terrible because of the mouth. That mouth had great yellow fangs and ran from the top to the bottom of the head, opening vertically instead of horizontally.”

—H. P. Lovecraft, The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath

Gugs originate from the twisted imagination of H. P. Lovecraft. Bound within the depths of the Dreamlands as punishment for their blasphemous ways, the gugs prey upon the revolting ghasts of the underworld and the wandering minds of mortal dreamers.

Chicken (CR 1/4 or 1/8)

XP 100 (roosters) or XP 50 (hens)

N Tiny animal

Init +2; Senses Perception +3

DEFENSE

AC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 size)

hp 4 (1d8)

Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +1

OFFENSE

Speed 10 ft., fly 30 ft. (clumsy)

Melee peck −3 (1d3−3 nonlethal), [2 talons +2 (1d2−3) roosters only]

Space 2-1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.

STATISTICS

Str 4, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6

Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 7

Feats Weapon Finesse

Skills Acrobatics +2, Fly +2, Perception +3; Racial Modifiers +2 Perception

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate and hot plains

Organization domesticated

Treasure none

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Egg Laying (Ex) An adult hen in a comfortable nest has a cumulative 40% chance/day of laying a single egg.

Poor Flyer (Ex) Chickens cannot perform long-distance flight, and—after any round a chicken flies—it must spend the next 1d3 rounds on the ground. Chickens use the withdrawal action to fly to put distance between them and a threat.

Typical Characteristics

Chickens weigh 4–10 lb. when fully grown. Hens lack the talon-like spurs roosters use as their primary weapon.

For feral chickens, replace the Weapon Finesse feat with Dodge, and trained sentry chickens have Alertness instead. A chicken with the advanced creature template can represent pheasant or similar game while a chicken with the giant creature template might represent a domesticated turkey.

Chickens fall into a few general categories: egg-laying, meat, dual, and ornamental. Meat and ornamental chickens are poor egg layers, and egg-laying/ornamental chickens tend to have poor meat. The “standard” chicken above describes a common or mixed breed egg-laying or dual-purpose breed, such as the Barnevelder, Chantecler, Delaware, Easter Egger, Hamburg, Jersey Giant, Leghorn, New Hampshire Red, Rhode Island (Red), or Wyandotte. For more expensive breeds add simple templates to the standard chicken:

Araucana: Int 2, +2 Wis, +2 to Perception checks, cold endurance (as brahma).

A famous but expensive and rare breed known for a keen intelligence and perky personality, the araucana lay blue eggs and have unusual blue-white legs regardless of feather color. They are resistant to cold and have ear “tuffs” that improve their hearing.

Aseel: +4 Str, +2 Con, Int 2, −2 Wis, poor layer (as cochin), Handle Animal checks made on an aseel gain a +2 bonus.

An ancient breed of chicken originally bred for fighting, these small ornamental chickens are smart, lean, and surprisingly strong and tough. Although the males often fight with other roosters, aseel roosters and even hens are sometimes kept as guards when a dog isn’t available.

Australorp: +2 Con, −2 Wis, superior egg laying.

Although once disliked by farmers for being moody and having strangely colored eggs, these deep black chickens are hardy. When properly cared for, they are among the best egg-laying chickens in the world. They’re also decently meaty.

Superior Egg Laying (Ex)—An adult australorp hen has a cumulative 80% chance to lay an egg on any given day. This replaces egg laying.

Brahma: +2 Wis, + 1 racial bonus to Fort saves, cold endurance.

A stately breed that matures slowly, it’s both a tasty roasting fowl and a decent egg-layer. They’ve fallen out of fashion with farmers, except up north, where their innate sturdiness against cold is a valuable asset.

Cold Endurance (Ex)—A brahma can thrive in temperatures down to 0° F without needing to make a Fortitude save and receives a +2 circumstance bonus on saves vs. cold environments and effects.

Cochin: Int 2, +2 Wis, +4 Cha, poor layer.

This large, fluffy ornamental breed comes in a variety of colors and is loved by queens and commoners alike. The Cochin is an intelligent and easily handled breed sometimes compared with lap dogs. These chickens make excellent foster parents for other breeds of chicken or even other species of fowl.

Poor Laying (Ex)—An adult cochin hen has a cumulative 20% chance to lay an egg on any given day. This replaces egg laying.

Base prices for adult chickens

Standard/Mixed Breeds: 4 sp roosters, 6 sp hens.

Araucana: 20 gp, either sex.

Aseel: 25 gp, either sex.

Australorp: 3 gp roosters, 8 gp hens.

Brahma: 3 gp roosters, 5 gp hens.

Cochin: 10 gp, either sex.

Equipment

Felaril’s Fowl Elixir: Invented by an alchemist who raised ornamental chickens as a hobby, when given daily during the first 4 weeks of a chicken’s infancy, this alchemical nutritional supplement promotes toughness and resiliency, resulting in maximum hp for the chicken’s first HD. It cannot be used on adult chickens or augmented chickens such as familiars or animal companions. Chickens treated with the elixir are still edible though it makes the meat unusually tough.

Although Felaril intended it to improve the lives of ornamental and guard chickens, it has sadly been adopted by those who use chickens for blood sport, and many owners are willing to pay for “elixir-bred fighters.” Felaril’s Fowl Elixir can made with a Craft (alchemy) check against DC 15. Cost: 15 gp

Fighting Gaffs: These metal spikes replace a rooster’s natural talon spurs, increasing the damage on their talons by one step. Although some adventurers use them, sometimes even getting masterwork versions for their feathered companions, most are found in the blood sport of rooster fighting. Cost: 2 gp/pair.

Chicken Familiars

Some ornamental breeds of chickens serve as familiars to sorcerers, witches, and wizards. These follow the ordinary rules for familiars, and a chicken grants its master a +2 bonus on Perception checks, and +4 when making opposed Perception checks against creatures using the Stealth skill. If the master is 7th level or higher, a chicken familiar can speak with birds, as if a hawk, owl, or raven.

Chicken Animal Companions

Some druids prefer guarding farms instead of forests, and these domesticated druids take a chicken as a companion as a sign of their preference. A chicken uses the bird entry with the following exceptions. It retains the chicken’s 30 ft. fly speed but does not have the poor flyer ability, and it has Alertness as a bonus feat instead of low-light vision. Equipping a chicken companion with fighting gaffs stacks with the Improved Natural Attack (talons) feat.