Buy me a coffeeVoonith, The Drowned Horror of Forgotten Swamps
“Encounter the Voonith: A six-legged, finned nightmare from the Dreamlands that hunts with a blood-freezing howl and a twisted sense of humor!”
The Voonith is a long-necked, six-legged amphibious predator, roughly 4 feet in length with a lithe, serpentine body built for speed and stealth. Its skin is slick and mottled in hues of algae-green, rust-brown, and muddy black, patterned to blend seamlessly into marshes and riverbeds. Finlets line its spine like a jagged crest, and its wide, fang-lined snout constantly drips with brackish moisture. Bulging, lidless eyes glow faintly in low light, allowing for exceptional vision in dark, swampy environments.
Behavior
Vooniths are intelligent enough to hunt with cunning, often stalking their prey with eerie patience. They are most active at night, when their haunting, blood-freezing howls echo through the marsh. While naturally solitary, they occasionally hunt in loosely organized packs, coordinating attacks with surprising precision. Though primarily predatory, Vooniths are capable of basic communication in Aklo and have been known to display a dark, almost childlike sense of humor.
Habitat
These amphibious creatures dwell in remote swamps, sluggish rivers, and mist-choked coastlines, often lurking near partially submerged ruins or drowned groves. Their lairs are hidden in dense underbrush or underwater burrows, lined with scavenged bones and reeds. Vooniths thrive in places where the veil between the waking world and the Dreamlands is thin, and some are even said to have crossed over from that alien dimension.
Modus Operandi
A master of ambush, the Voonith strikes from concealment, using its howl to disorient prey before pouncing. Its six limbs provide excellent mobility on both land and in water, and its powerful bite can knock targets off balance. Once engaged, the Voonith uses relentless claw and bite attacks to quickly subdue foes. If outmatched, it retreats into water or dense terrain, vanishing with unnerving swiftness.
Motivation
Driven by instinct, hunger, and a primal territoriality, the Voonith is not inherently malicious but operates according to alien priorities. It may toy with its prey or observe travelers from the shadows, curious yet wary. Some rare individuals have formed strange alliances with those who speak Aklo or show respect for the wild, though such bonds are fragile and fleeting. Above all, the Voonith craves safety, secrecy, and the thrill of the hunt.
Voonith 5e
Voonith, Pathfinder
Voonith
Small Aberration (Amphibious, Dreamspawn), Chaotic Neutral
“It was a slimy, long-necked thing with six limbs, finned and rubbery, that clung to dripping cave walls and screamed like a wet tomb cracking open.”
Armor Class 15 (unnatural resilience)
Hit Points 58 (9d6 + 27)
Speed 30 ft., swim 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 (+1) | 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 10 (+0) | 15 (+2) | 8 (−1) |
Saving Throws Dex +6, Wis +4
Skills Stealth +8, Perception +4, Insight +4
Damage Resistances Psychic, Cold
Condition Immunities Frightened
Senses Darkvision 90 ft., Passive Perception 14
Languages understands Aklo and Deep Speech but speaks only in guttural clicks and howls
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Amphibious
The Voonith can breathe both air and water.
Dreamspawn Aberration
Native to the Dreamlands, the Voonith is warped by alien forces. While in dreams or dream-linked areas, it gains resistance to all damage except force, radiant, and psychic.
Maddening Gaze (1/Day)
The Voonith targets one creature it can see within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or suffer the effects of the confusion spell for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns.
Blood-Freezing Howl (Recharge 5–6)
The Voonith emits a haunting, alien wail. Each creature within 30 feet that can hear it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened and unable to speak or cast spells with verbal components for 1 minute. The creature repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. On a success, it is immune to the Voonith’s howl for 24 hours.
Actions
Multiattack
The Voonith makes two claw attacks and one bite attack.
Bite
Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 9 (1d10 + 4) piercing damage. If the target is Medium or smaller, it must succeed on a DC 13 Strength saving throw or be grappled (escape DC 13).
Claw
Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage.
Dream Rake (Recharge 4–6)
The Voonith flares its gills and slashes in all directions. Each creature within 5 feet must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 14 (4d6) slashing damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. Creatures affected by sleep, charm, or dream-related magic have disadvantage on this save.
Reactions
Phase Flicker (Dream Plane Only)
When the Voonith is hit by an attack, it may teleport up to 20 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. This movement must end in dim light, darkness, or water.
Tactics
- The Voonith ambushes from water, walls, or shadow, using its high Stealth to surprise prey.
- It opens with Blood-Freezing Howl, disabling casters and sowing fear.
- Against a frightened target, it uses Maddening Gaze to create chaos.
- In melee, it grapples and isolates targets, using Dream Rake when surrounded.
- If injured or overwhelmed, it flees into water or dreamspace using Phase Flicker if available.
Optional Rule: Dreamlands Instability
When encountered in the Dreamlands or a dream-influenced region, roll on the following table at the start of combat:
| d6 | Environmental Distortion |
|---|---|
| 1 | Gravity distorts: ranged attacks have disadvantage. |
| 2 | Echoing voices: all verbal communication is unclear. |
| 3 | Vision ripples: light fog lightly obscures vision. |
| 4 | Time slips: re-roll initiative at the start of each round. |
| 5 | Psychic resonance: psychic damage increases by 1d4. |
| 6 | No effect this round—the dream pulses and waits. |
Voonith
[This content was created for the Pathfinder rules by Paizo Publishing LLC and is part of the Pathfinder RPG product line.]
This brightly colored, long-necked amphibian has six legs, a fanged snout, and numerous finlets running down its spine.
| Voonith CR 4 |
| XP 1,200 CN Small magical beast (aquatic) Init +3; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light Vision, Scent; Perception +8 |
| DEFENSE |
| AC 17, touch 14, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dexterity, +3 natural, +1 size) hp 37 (5d10+10) Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +2 |
| OFFENSE |
| Speed 30 ft., Swim 50 ft. Melee bite +8 (1d6+1 plus trip), 4 claws +7 (1d3+1) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. (10 ft. with bite) Special Attacks blood-freezing howl, pounce |
| STATISTICS |
| Strength 13, Dexterity 16, Constitution 14, Intelligence 5, Wisdom 12, Charisma 13 Base Atk +5; CMB +5; CMD 18 (26 vs. trip) Feats Ability Focus (blood-freezing howl), Skill Focus (Perception), Weapon Focus (bite) Skills Perception +8, Stealth +12, Swim +17 SQ amphibious Languages Aklo |
| SPECIAL ABILITIES |
| Blood-Freezing Howl (Su) As a standard action, a voonith can unleash a bloodcurdling howl. All creatures within a 30-foot-radius burst must succeed at a DC 15 Will save or become dazed for 1 round and then shaken for an additional 1d6 rounds. Any creature that makes a successful save against a voonith’s howl is immune to the same voonith’s howl for 24 hours. This is a sonic mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based. |
| ECOLOGY |
| Environment any rivers or marshes Organization solitary, pair, or clutch (3-6) Treasure standard |
Cunning and aggressive, vooniths are amphibious nocturnal predators with voracious appetites and mild Intelligence. A voonith’s howl is said to freeze the blood and is more than capable of stopping a creature in its tracks. They usually howl when they see prey too far away from the water’s edge to ambush. While the vooniths are native to the strange Dimension of Dream, many have found their way out of that realm and into the waking world to take up lairs in the swampy fens and remote coastlines of the world. How they originally managed to make this transition between worlds is unclear.
Although they look like little more than wild beasts, they are actually rather intelligent. While certainly not as sharp as the average human, a voonith is smart enough to know how to speak and often does so with others of its kind. Vooniths do not often choose to communicate with other creatures, giving rise to the misconception that they’re little more than dumb animals, but on occasion, travelers in swampy regions tell tales of overhearing strange piping voices speaking among the reeds. Those few who know the secrets of the Aklo tongue can understand these words, although understanding of what the vooniths whisper in the night when they think no one else can hear is not always for the best.
While not evil, they have a decidedly dark sense of humor, and take great pleasure in concocting violent poems or grisly jokes. Punch lines in which non-voonith creatures particularly humans, cats, and Gnomes meet gory and ironic fates are the most entertaining to vooniths. Some tales speak of canny travelers who, with the ability to speak Aklo, manage to strike up unlikely conversations with lurking vooniths.
In truth, they are quite social, and when one breeches the awkwardness arising from interspecies conflict, a friendship with a voonith can be an unexpected reward. Vooniths who befriend travelers often escort them, quietly and unseen, through dangerous bogs, and when such travelers fall prey to other dangers of the swamp, a friendly voonith will provide what aid it can.
Vooniths are 4 feet long and weigh 70 pounds, yet rumors tell of vooniths that have grown to much larger sizes than this.
Section 15: Copyright Notice – Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3, © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Jesse Benner, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, James Jacobs, Michael Kenway, Rob McCreary, Patrick Renie, Chris Sims, F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter, and Russ Taylor, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.