Oseichu Creature

This brutish giant bears bags under his eyes and has an overall gaunt aspect. Bisecting his belly like a gaping wound is an oversized mouth filled with gnashing teeth.

Source Demiurge113
Originally posted on Probing the Membrane of Science

Not all yokai are creatures in their own right. The oseichu is more properly a yokai disease, capable of transforming the most mild-mannered into a ravenous monster, demanding food constantly as their body withers away. An oseichu itself is a pale lizard-like creature with only a nubbin of a head and four paddle-like limbs. The eggs of these creatures are shed in the feces of oseichu creatures and can contaminate food. The victim of contaminated food slowly sickens, growing feverish and weak, as an enormous boil begins to form on its abdomen. Once the disease has Run its course, the oseichu transforms its host and the boil bursts to reveal a huge mouth. This mouth is capable of speech independently of its host body, and demands food in a grotesque parody of its host’s normal voice. Without huge amounts of food, the host will perish in a matter of days.

Although oseichu creatures retain their old personalities, they are driven by the demands of their new bodies to feed whenever possible. Common sense and wisdom are tamped down by the urge for food, while the disease transforms the host’s body to be tougher and stronger in order to seize and protect food sources. They gorge themselves through both their original and newly formed mouths. Although some victims of this transformation are able to disguise their condition for a time, most are soon revealed by their second voice, forced to go into hiding or sanitariums. Some savage humanoids relish the transformation as a gift from dark gods and serve as elite warriors in their tribes’ such bands are often forced into conflict with civilization as their own food stocks dwindle.

During the transformation process, oseichu syndrome is as treatable as any other disease, but once the transformation takes hold, it is difficult to reverse. Only a limited wish, regenerate or more powerful magic is capable of returning a victim to normal, although there are rumors of herbal and alchemical remedies to force the oseichu from the body.

Oseichu Syndrome

Disease- ingested; onset-1 week; save – Fortitude DC 20; damage- 1d4 Constitution; special – when Constitution reaches 3 or lower, victim transforms into an oseichu creature over the
course of 1 hour; cure – two consecutive saves.

Variant Oseichu Creatures

A similar condition to oseichu syndrome is almost entirely unique to female humanoids’ whether it is influenced by female biology or if it is a separate ailment remains a mystery. Victims of this condition, referred to as futa-kuchi-onna, grow their second mouth on the back of their heads. Their hair animates like tentacles in order to bring more nourishment in. A futa-kuchi-onna is an oseichu without the devastating bite special ability, but instead gains two tentacle attacks. Her bite and tentacle attacks deal normal damage for a creature of her size.

Oseichu Hill Giant CR 8

XP 4,800 CE Large monstrous humanoid (giant) Init +1; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5

DEFENSE

AC 26, touch 10, flat-footed 24 (+4 armor, +1 Dexterity, +12 natural, -1 size) hp 85 (10d8+40) Fort +11, Ref +4, Will +2 Defensive Abilities rock catching Weakness ravenous

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft. (30 ft. in armor) Melee greatclub +16/+11 (2d8+13) and bite +16 (2d6+13) or 2 slams +15 (1d8+9) and bite +16 (2d6+13) Ranged rock +8 (1d8+12) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks devastating bite, rock throwing (120 ft.)

STATISTICS

Strength 29, Dexterity 12, Constitution 19, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 8, Charisma 7 Base Atk +7; CMB +16; CMD 28 Feats Cleave, Dazzling Display (B), Intimidating Prowess, Martial Weapon Proficiency (greatclub), Power Attack, Weapon Focus (bite) (B), Weapon Focus (greatclub) Skills Climb +10, Intimidate +12, Perception +6 Languages Giant

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate hills Organization solitary, gang (2-5), band (6-8), raiding party (9-12 plus 1d4 dire wolves), or tribe (13-30 plus 35% noncombatants plus 1 barbarian or fighter chief of 4th-6th level, 11-16 dire wolves, 1-4 ogres, and 13-20 orc slaves) Treasure standard (hide armor, greatclub, other treasure)

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Devestating Bite (Ex) An oseichu creature’s bite attack deals damage as per a creature one size category larger than it is, and deals 1.5 times the creature’s Strength bonus in damage. In addition, this bite attack is always treated as a primary weapon, even if the creature is wielding a manufactured weapon.   Ravenous (Ex) An oseichu creature requires three times as much food and water as a normal creature of its size, or it begins to suffer nonlethal damage from starvation and thirst.

Creating an Oseichu Creature

‘Oseichu creature’ is an acquired template that can be applied to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid. An oseichu creature uses all of the base creature’s statistics, except as noted here.

• CR: Same as base creature +1 (minimum CR 1)
• Type: Change to monstrous humanoid. Do not recalculate base creature’s HD, BAB, or saves.
• Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +3.
• Weakness: Gains the ravenous quality (see above)
• Melee: Gains a bite attack modified by the devastating bite special ability.
• Special Attacks: Gains the devastating bite special ability (see above)
• Abilities: Strength +4, Dexterity +4, Wisdom -2
• Feats: Gains Dazzling Display and Weapon Focus (bite) as bonus feats.