Buy me a coffeeKokogiak: The Frostbound Behemoth
“Meet the terrifying 10-legged monster that controls ice and fog to ambush its prey—this polar bear on steroids will haunt your nightmares!”
The Kokogiak is a terrifying, hulking magical beast that inhabits the far northern wilderness, often described as an unnaturally deformed, gigantic polar bear with ten massive, jet-black claws. Its body is covered in thick, white fur, and it has a long, muscled neck, with a head adorned by slavering jaws and a tongue dripping silvery foam. Standing over 12 feet at the shoulder and reaching 20 feet from tail to nose, it weighs between 6 to 8 tons. Its black eyes, though small, radiate malice and a deadly intent, capable of mesmerizing and manipulating prey.
Behaviorally, Kokogiaks are solitary and cunning predators. They are known for their intelligence and cruel nature, often using their magical abilities to confuse and trap victims. One of their most deadly traits is the forlorn gaze, a supernatural power that fascinates creatures within 60 feet, luring them towards it with illusions of a lost loved one or trusted friend. Once within reach, prey is swiftly attacked with its powerful claws and jaws. Additionally, Kokogiaks can unleash blizzard breath, a freezing wind that causes both physical damage and exhaustion.
They are typically found in arctic environments, including cold coastlines, frozen plains, and high mountain ranges. They are equally adept on land and in water, using their claws to break through ice and ambush seals, walruses, and even whales. In the winter, they may venture further south into subarctic regions or alpine areas, where they terrorize local communities.
Their modus operandi relies heavily on deception and ambush. They use their fog-producing abilities, such as fog cloud and solid fog, to obscure their presence and stalk prey. They are highly territorial and will punish defiance by luring individuals away from safety, often leaving grisly trophies as a reminder of their power.
The Kokogiak’s motivation is driven by a ruthless desire for dominance and sustenance. It demands tribute from local tribes, often in the form of sacrifices. When denied, it seeks to break its victims psychologically, using its powers to manipulate them into walking into its clutches. The Kokogiak’s cruelty is unmatched, and it shows no loyalty, even to its own offspring, who must fight to survive or be cast out.
Kokogiak 5e
Kokogiak Pathfinder
Kokogiak
Huge monstrosity, chaotic evil
Armor Class: 17 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 250 (20d12 + 120)
Speed: 40 ft., climb 40 ft., swim 30 ft., burrow 20 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 (+8) | 14 (+2) | 22 (+6) | 16 (+3) | 16 (+3) | 18 (+4) |
Saving Throws: Strength +14, Constitution +12, Wisdom +9, Charisma +10
Skills: Perception +15, Stealth +13 (in snow or ice), Athletics +14, Intimidation +10
Damage Resistances: Cold
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 25
Languages: Common, Aquan, Infernal (telepathy in 120 feet)
Challenge: 16 (15,000 XP)
TRAITS
Legendary Resistance (3/Day): If it fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Ice Walker: The Kokogiak has advantage on ability checks and saving throws related to movement in icy or snowy terrain. It can move across snow and ice without leaving tracks or breaking the surface.
Blizzard Aura: A swirling storm of ice and snow surrounds the Kokogiak. All creatures within 30 feet of it have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. Any creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of the Kokogiak takes 10 (3d6) cold damage.
Penetrating Sight: The Kokogiak can see through magical fog, illusions, and other obscured conditions, including its own fog cloud and solid fog spells. It can make Perception checks with no disadvantage in these situations.
ACTIONS
Multiattack: The Kokogiak makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
- Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 28 (4d8 + 8) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) cold damage. The target must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be pulled up to 10 feet closer to the Kokogiak.
- Claws: Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 21 (3d6 + 8) slashing damage plus 5 (1d10) cold damage. A target hit by a claw attack is knocked prone if the Kokogiak so chooses.
Blizzard Breath (Recharge 5-6): The Kokogiak exhales a 60-foot cone of biting arctic winds. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Constitution saving throw, taking 45 (10d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one. A creature that fails the saving throw is also knocked prone and becomes fatigued (or exhausted if already fatigued) for 1 minute.
Forlorn Gaze (Recharge 5-6): The Kokogiak can fix its dark eyes on a creature within 60 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become fascinated by the Kokogiak for 1 minute. While fascinated, the creature sees the Kokogiak as a lost loved one or trusted ally, and it moves toward the Kokogiak as if compelled to help. A creature that moves within 5 feet of the Kokogiak becomes charmed and is considered flat-footed against the Kokogiak’s attacks. The creature may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns to end the effect.
LEGENDARY ACTIONS
The Kokogiak can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Kokogiak regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Move: The Kokogiak moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
- Frightful Roar (Costs 2 Actions): The Kokogiak lets out a terrifying roar. All creatures within 60 feet that can hear it must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if it is still within line of sight of the Kokogiak.
- Glimpse of the Frozen Past (Costs 3 Actions): The Kokogiak uses its telepathic abilities to show a target a chilling vision of death, torment, or despair. The creature must succeed on a DC 18 Charisma saving throw or take 21 (6d6) psychic damage and become paralyzed with fear for 1 minute. A creature that succeeds on the save takes half damage and is not paralyzed.
MYTHIC ACTIONS (Optional)
If using Mythic Encounters, the Kokogiak can expend its Mythic Actions to activate these additional abilities once per day.
- Call of the Void (Costs 3 Mythic Actions): The Kokogiak summons a vortex of freezing wind and snow within a 30-foot radius centered on itself. The area becomes difficult terrain and any creature that starts its turn there takes 15 (3d10) cold damage. Any creature that ends its turn in the area must make a DC 20 Strength saving throw or be pulled 15 feet toward the Kokogiak.
TACTICS & COMBAT STRATEGY
- Ambush Predator: The Kokogiak prefers to strike from surprise, using its Blizzard Breath to weaken or disorient its prey, followed by a quick series of attacks with its claws and bite. It often uses Forlorn Gaze to isolate and manipulate prey, making them easier to pick off or lure into a trap.
- Area Control: In battle, the Kokogiak controls the environment with its Blizzard Aura and Blizzard Breath, making it difficult for enemies to see or escape. The creature excels at setting the stage for a brutal onslaught by limiting its foes’ mobility and options.
- Intelligent Hunter: While its physical prowess is immense, the Kokogiak is also cunning. It may use its Sound Imitation (a bonus action) to mimic voices or sounds it has heard, luring its prey into ambushes or confusing its enemies. It is not above making alliances with other creatures for the sole purpose of hunting.
HABITATS & ECOLOGY
The Kokogiak thrives in cold, isolated regions, often residing in arctic or subarctic wastelands. It is equally at home on frozen seas, where it uses its claws to break through ice and hunt in deep waters. The Kokogiak is solitary and territorial, frequently luring creatures with its Forlorn Gaze to isolate and kill. It does not hesitate to use magic or manipulate its environment to make its territory inhospitable to all but the hardiest adventurers.
The Kokogiak is not merely a monster—it is a force of nature. Its arrival is heralded by blizzards and shifting ice flows, and it often leaves a trail of destruction in its wake, devouring its prey in grim displays of dominance.
This hulking mountain of fur and fangs looks like a white furred bear of immense proportions with ten legs, each ending in massive, jet-black claws. Its head, with slavering jaws and a tongue dripping silvery foam, sits at the end of a long yet thickly muscled neck. Its dead black eyes are small but infinite pits of malice.
The kokogiak (called qupqugiaq by some tribes) is a deadly predator of the far northern wastes. At first glance, it appears to be a simple ravening beast or an enormous, unnaturally deformed polar bear, yet its raw power and cunning are legendary in the tales of northern nomads.
Its name in some places is synonymous with cabin fever or deep-winter hallucinations that drive folk to desperation and madness, rushing out into the frozen wild in pursuit of some long-lost lover only to become lost themselves, victims of the kokogiak’s dreadful might. Kokogiaks have an elongated neck, and are nearly 20 feet long from tail to nose. Over a dozen feet high at the shoulder, kokogiaks weigh between 6 and 8 tons.
Kokogiak CR 12
Source Pathfinder #69: Maiden, Mother, Crone pg. 86
XP 19,200
NE Huge magical beast
Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +18
Defense
AC 25, touch 9, flat-footed 24 (+1 Dex, +16 natural, –2 size)
hp 172 (15d10+90)
Fort +15, Ref +10, Will +9
Immune cold, illusions
Offense
Speed 40 ft., burrow 20 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Melee bite +23 (2d6+10 plus pull), 6 claws +24 (2d6+10/19–20)
Space 15 ft., Reach 10 ft. (20 ft. with bite)
Special Attacks blizzard breath, forlorn gaze, pull (bite, 10 ft.)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +18)
At will—fog cloud, ventriloquism (DC 14)
3/day—major image (DC 16), solid fog
Statistics
Str 31, Dex 13, Con 22, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 16
Base Atk +15; CMB +27; CMD 38 (54 vs. trip)
FeatsCritical Focus, Improved Critical (claws), Improved Vital Strike, Iron Will, Power Attack, Staggering Critical, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (claws)
Skills Bluff +18, Climb +22, Perception +18, Stealth +11 (+19 in ice or snow), Swim +22; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in ice or snow
Languages Aquan, Common
SQ ice walker, penetrating sight, sound imitation
Ecology
Environment cold coastlines, hills, or plains
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none
Special Abilities
Blizzard Breath (Su) A kokogiak’s breath weapon is a polar gale so bitterly cold that it saps vigor from those it touches. Once every 1d4 rounds as a standard action, a kokogiak can expel a 60-foot cone of blistering arctic winds, dealing 8d6 points of cold damage to all creatures struck. A successful DC 23 Reflex save halves this damage. Any creature damaged by this attack must then succeed at a DC 23 Fortitude save or become fatigued (or exhausted if it was already fatigued). The save DCs are Constitution-based.
Forlorn Gaze (Su) As a standard action, a kokogiak can lock its black eyes on a target within 60 feet to fascinate the creature. A successful DC 20 Will save negates this effect. Creatures that fail the save are fascinated and they see they kokogiak as a lost loved one, trusted friend in danger, or ally in desperate need.
Once a creature is fascinated, the kokogiak can compel the creature to move toward it. Once adjacent, the creature is flat-footed against the kokogiak’s attacks, but the creature receives a new saving throw at the beginning of its turn to break the fascination. This is a mind-affecting effect and the save DC is Charisma-based.
Ice Walker (Ex) A kokogiak takes no penalty to speed or on Acrobatics, Climb, or Stealth checks in snowy or icy terrain or weather conditions. It can walk across snow crusts or thin ice without breaking through. In addition, a kokogiak can choose to not leave tracks when moving in this type of terrain.
Penetrating Sight (Ex) A kokogiak’s sight is not affected by its own fog cloud or solid fog spell-like abilities. In addition, a kokogiak does not take any penalties on Perception checks while its snowing.
Sound Imitation (Ex) A kokogiak can mimic any voice or sound it has heard by making a successful Bluff check against a listener’s Sense Motive check.
Ecology
Kokogiaks are amphibious in their habits, comfortable in and out of the water, though they are not able to breathe water as well as air. They spend a great deal of their time in the water, hunting seals, walruses, squids, and even whales in coastal waters and beneath the winter ice.
While kokogiaks must surface periodically to breathe, their powerful claws enable them to rip through floating pack ice and make air holes nearly wherever they wish. Creating such air holes is actually a hunting technique— they lie in wait near the holes for seals and their ilk to surface to breathe, snatching their prey in their jaws and dragging it up onto the ice to feast. Kokogiaks also use the same trick in reverse, lurking underwater just below gaps in the ice and seizing prey traversing the ice above, or along rocky coastlines when the pack ice recedes.
Even predatory creatures like polar bears and winter wolves might be dragged into the water to be drowned and devoured, and desperate kokogiaks are even known to scale arctic sea cliffs during spring thaws to feast on newborn seabirds and eggs, lapping up entire nests in a single flick of the tongue.
While they are well adapted to hunting in and around coastal icepacks, kokogiaks also roam far inland to prowl continental ice sheets. The same tactics kokogiaks use for hunting along the water’s edge serve them well in the deep snowdrifts and icy spires and crevasses of the polar reaches. Kokogiaks scale rocky and icy peaks to lair in dens inaccessible to most creatures. From such high vantage points, they observe passersby; then, calling upon supernatural blinding fogs, they either descend upon their prey from above, snatching a target and dragging it to their elevated lairs, or burrow underneath and burst up from below, hauling prey into their frigid dens.
Habitat & Society
Kokogiaks live in cold arctic regions, though in winter they sometimes wander into the subarctic tundra and occasionally even into the colder latitudes of temperate climes. Those venturing so far south make their homes amid the glaciers and alpine wilderness of high mountains. While most return to the forever-winter of the arctic after taking their fill of warmer climes’ abundant prey, a few make their homes permanently below the arctic circle, where their predations lend their mountain homes a deadly reputation.
Such alpine kokogiaks descend with the winter storms into the huddled villages in the valleys below, luring the unwary to their doom and leaving a trail of death and terror in their wakes. In communities near a kokogiak’s mountain, when the first heavy storms of winter strike, locals sometimes stake animals (or even rarely an unlucky member of the community, chosen by lottery) out in the cold in an attempt to propitiate the kokogiak’s hunger and turn aside its wrath from the rest of the community.
Kokogiaks are more common in the subarctic and arctic, however, and they show no loyalty or preferential treatment to any that cross their path. They occasionally enter into alliances with creatures that will hunt for them and bring them living victims to torment and eviscerate at their leisure.
They are cruel and capricious masters apt to turn on those who displease them in any way or just to ensure that others serving them do not doubt their power. More often, kokogiaks extract tribute from arctic and tundra dwelling tribes, sometimes in treasure but more often in the form of sacrifice. When refused, a kokogiak seeks to punish the unwilling by using its magic to inveigle members of that tribe to wander off from their homes and into the kokogiak’s waiting clutches.
Victims lured away in this fashion may simply be devoured, but the cruel beast often leaves behind bloodstained clothes or more grisly trophies torn from its victims’ remains, artfully displayed for the friends and family of the deceased to find. So does the kokogiak remind them of the price of defiance.
Kokogiaks are mostly solitary, though mated pairs do sometimes join forces to spread terror wherever they roam or to take down powerful rivals. Kokogiak cubs are usually encouraged to fight one another for survival, struggling to show their dominance until only one remains. Weaklings are killed and eaten or driven out into the snows to survive or not.
When the strongest cub approaches maturity, the kokogiak parents are faced with a choice: drive out the youngling when it is strong enough to survive but not yet strong enough to challenge its elders, or be prepared to face its challenge within the family group. Such challenges are usually directed at the parent of its own gender, as the youth seeks to drive out and take the place of its father or mother, proving its worthiness to take its surviving parent as its own mate.