Buy me a coffee“Tailypo: The Feral Stalker of the Woods”
“Beware the Tailypo: The Mysterious Creature Lurking in the Appalachian Woods!”
Appearance: The Tailypo, also known as Taileybone or Taily Po, is a creature of North American folklore, particularly in the Appalachian region. It is described as being the size of a dog, with dark fur that helps it blend into its nocturnal surroundings. Its most distinctive features are its glowing yellow or red eyes, pointed ears, and a long, sinuous tail.
Behavior: They are nocturnal predators, typically prowling the dense forests and shadowy valleys of its habitat under the cover of darkness. Known to be territorial and aggressive when provoked, often using their sharp claws to defend itself or attack prey.
Habitat: They are said to inhabit remote and secluded areas, far from human civilization. It prefers dense forests, deep caves, and rugged mountainsides as its habitat, where it can hunt and stalk its prey with stealth and cunning.
Modus Operandi: The Tailypo is known for its eerie behavior of demanding the return of its tail in broken, guttural English. Legend has it that the creature seeks revenge against those who have wronged it, haunting their homes and tormenting them until it can reclaim what was taken from it.
Motivation: The motivation of the Tailypo is rooted in vengeance and retribution. According to folklore, it relentlessly pursues those who have harmed it, driven by a burning desire to reclaim its lost appendage. Its haunting cries for its “tailypo” echo through the night, striking fear into the hearts of those who dare to cross its path.
Additional Notes: While the exact origins and nature of the Tailypo vary from one telling to another, its presence in Appalachian folklore serves as a cautionary tale against greed, cruelty, and the consequences of provoking forces beyond human understanding.
Tailypo 5e
Tailypo Pathfinder (Homebrew)
Tailypo
Medium monstrosity, chaotic evil
Armor Class: 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points: 75 (10d8 + 30)
Speed: 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 14 (+2) | 10 (+0) | 12 (+1) | 16 (+3) |
Skills: Stealth +7, Perception +4, Intimidation +5
Damage Resistances: Necrotic
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages: Understands Common, speaks in eerie, broken whispers: “Tailypo… Tailypo… give me back my Tailypo!”
Challenge: 4 (1,100 XP)
Traits
Eerie Presence. Creatures within 30 feet of the Tailypo that can see or hear it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw at the start of their turn or become unnerved, reducing their attack rolls and ability checks by 1d4 for 1 minute. Creatures can repeat the saving throw at the end of their turns, ending the effect on a success.
Keen Smell. The Tailypo has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Spider Climb. The Tailypo can climb difficult surfaces, including upside-down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Vengeful Tracker. The Tailypo can unerringly track any creature that has harmed it, regardless of distance or obstacles, unless the creature is on another plane of existence.
Actions
Multiattack. The Tailypo makes two attacks: one with its claws and one with its bite.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) necrotic damage.
Whisper of Vengeance (Recharge 5-6). The Tailypo utters its haunting cry: “Tailypo… Tailypo… give me back my Tailypo!” Each creature within 30 feet of the Tailypo that can hear the whisper must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. Frightened creatures must use their movement to get as far away from the Tailypo as possible. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of its turn, ending the effect on a success.
Legendary Actions
The Tailypo can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Tailypo regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
- Move. The Tailypo moves up to half its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
- Claw Attack. The Tailypo makes one claw attack.
- Fade into Shadows (Costs 2 Actions). The Tailypo vanishes into the darkness, becoming invisible until the end of its next turn or until it attacks.
Tailypo
Stalking forth from the darkness is a beast that combines the features of a wolf, an ape and a big cat. Its paws bear some resemblance to human hands and its face is dominated by staring, owlish eyes and tall ears with tufts like a bobcat’s. A long and furry tail waves in the air behind it.
Taken from Creature Codex
Bestial backwoods predators, the hybrid creatures known as tailypos are far more cunning than their appearance would indicate. Their hunting strategy is unusual in that it involves a sacrifice of their own body parts, like a lizard shedding its tail. Any creature that takes the bait is stalked unceasingly by the tailypo, who strikes when its target is most vulnerable. They prefer to hunt sentient prey for the challenge, and their nimble paws allow them to open doors and use tools in order to terrorize and kill a victim.
They are territorial and drive away or kill other predators in their ranges, such as big cats, wolves and bears. Tailypos spend most of their lives in solitude, only meeting with others of their own kind in order to mate and raise offspring. A female will give birth to a litter of two to six cubs, which grow to maturity over the course of a year. Cubs are prized for their tracking abilities and can fetch up to 2,000 gp on the open market, but such purchases are highly risky due to their cunning and evil disposition. A tailypo grows to eight feet long, with about half of that length being tail.
Tailypo CR 3
XP 800
NE Medium magical beast
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +10, scent
Defense
AC 16, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +2 natural, +1 Dodge)
hp 26 (4d10+4)
Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +3
DR 5/cold iron
Offense
Speed 40 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d6+1), 2 claws +7 (1d4+1)
Special Attacks lure, pounce, rake (2 claws, +7, 1d4+1)
Statistics
Str 13, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 9, Wis 14, Cha 14
Base Atk +4; CMB +4; CMD 18 (22 vs. trip)
Feats Dodge, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +7 (+11 jumping), Climb +11, Perception +10, Stealth +11, Survival +4; Racial Modifiers +4 Perception, +4 Stealth, uses Dexterity to modify Climb
Languages Common
SQ track lure
Ecology
Environment temperate forests
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure incidental
Special Abilities
Lure (Su) As a swift action, a tailypo can shed its tail. All creatures within 30 feet of a tailypo must succeed a DC 14 Will save or be convinced that the tail is a delicious morsel and worth consuming as soon as possible. This functions as a suggestion spell at CL 4th. This is a mind-influencing effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. A tailypo grows its tail back over the course of a week, until which time it cannot use this ability again.
Track Lure (Su) A tailypo can sense the direction and location of any creature carrying or having eaten its tail as if it had cast locate creature, except that it can sense the creature up to a mile away. This ability lasts until the tailypo’s tail grows back.