Pit Fiend (Tyrant Devil)

Looking at the Pit Fiend, one could mistakenly take this particular devil for a brutish type whose only trick is whacking the party with its giant claws. Don't get the wrong idea, it decidedly can (and will) crush you if you get too close, but this is not where it shines.

To start things off, the pit fiend has an impressive array of spells at its disposal, all high level, many of which can be cast at will (like bind soul or divine decree). But, believe it or not, they are not the most impressive tool in that devil's arsenal.

A pit fiend has one singular ability that caught my attention and elevated it to a "campaign level threat" status for me—Devil Shaping. Yep, the Pit Fiend can create devils out of the souls of damned mortals. Devils all the way up to level 20, mind you. It may choose not to, given that any Pit Fiend it creates will not be bound to it, as opposed to lesser devils, however, I ask you to bear with me here.

Devils are lawful, which makes them somewhat amiable towards negotiation. So, let's say a Pit Fiend creates another one in the span of ten days, then convinces it to join it. After another ten days, you have four. Then eight. Within the span of a month, you have eight level-20 fiends. A party of four can easily take a single Pit Fiend. Two might be a challenge, but they should still prevail. Four might be deadly. Eight edges on impossible. Sixteen? You straight-up want to kill your party. And, keep in mind, as long as there are souls to feed to the infernal furnace, the creation of more and more devils can continue.

And let's be realistic, there's no shortage of mortal souls down in Hell.

- Max

Hook 1 (Max) - The Sculptor

In Hell, souls are a currency, and those who can use it quickly rise in the infernal ranks. None are, however, more valued than the devils capable of molding the spirits of mortals into more powerful forms. Prime among them is the Sculptor, a true artist in the field, sought out by all fiendish overlords to boost the strength of their legions with servants.

He lives in a tower made of living, moaning flesh, surrounded by a moat of black tar. Flies and other corpse eaters create a black shroud surrounding the structure, the scent of decay is considered revolting even by some other fiends. Stalking the vast halls of the Tower of Scum are countless monsters wrought by his wicked hand, far more formidable than one might imagine.

The Sculptor enjoys his craft to a great degree, taking jobs from anyone willing to provide more souls. Many have tried to bend him to their will or even kill him, with mostly poor outcomes. It is rumored that one of the dukes that attempted it was twisted into a shadow of his former self and is now bound to guard the Tower as a mindless drone.

And so the Sculptor overlooks his domain, providing Hell with newer and more abominable creations, grinning his wicked grin, scheming and conniving, as his grand plan will soon come to fruition.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Queen's Plea

Between the cities of Arkhast and Blumenkhast, there lies a half-finished pyramid made of black obsidian. For ages untold, it has lain there, and while many rumours shroud the place in mystery, not a mortal alive today can point to its true origin. Many consider it a cursed place, owing to the fact that it lies on a corrupt ley-line and is situated in the only part of the forest not absolutely infested with mischievous but friendly fey-folk.

Several months ago, a minor but rich noble from a faraway land bought the land and put in motion plans to finish the building. While gossip soon blossomed, no one was truly concerned, as the deeply magical land had always been attractive to would-be occultists with money to spend.

That is, until one day when—mortally wounded—the Queen of Summer, mother of all the fey, appeared before the champions, begging them to find a way to stop the noble. Otherwise, she cried, the three-horned one would come back to finish what he started ten thousand years ago.

Hook 3 (TJ) - The Power of Bureaucracy

The tyrant devil drummed his clawed fingers on the edge of his skull throne, the other hand rubbing his forehead as he tried desperately to disperse the headache. He looked up at the phistophilus (he'd already forgotten her name), not bothering to hide the exasperation on his face.

He'd dealt with too many contractors during construction. At last, his brimstone palace was finally complete. Physically, at least. Finalizing the process and giving it a name wasn't as easy as just christening it in the blood of his enemies, apparently—though that was an important step.

"You mean to tell me that I can't call it 'The Palace of Unending Flame?' Why not? I'm Derthakk the Flame King. I went through all the trouble building it with that theme in mind."

"Yes, well, you decided to call yourself the Flame King, I don't remember an official title being approved. 'The Palace of Unending Flame' is taken, you'll have to call it something else."

"Alright, fine. 'The Brimstone Throne.' It has a nice rhyme to it, I could live with that."

"Yes, Kantherrik the Mad, which is his official title, liked it too. It's taken."

"'The Blazing Fortress.'"

"Taken."

"'The Scorching Kingdom.'"

"Taken."

He suggested about a dozen more that were all accounted for in-kind before digging his nails into his throne hard enough to leave gouges in the armrests.

"Perhaps," he said through gritted teeth, "I need some more time to dwell on it. I humbly request that you send me a list of names that are already taken. Until then, get out of my sight before I have to get a DIFFERENT contract devil to file an incident report."

She smiled sweetly and rolled up the contract they'd been poring over, his signature line tragically blank.

"Well, I suppose this might be a bad time for me to remind you that we cannot consider this a legitimate habitation without an agreed-upon name."

He suppressed a snarl. "What does that mean?"

"It means you can't live here, yet."

His frustrated, guttural yell resonated throughout the entirety of the unnamed palace and echoed through miles and miles of the surrounding hellscape.

Pegasus

Few creatures are quite as recognizable as the Pegasus—a staple mythical creature that is fitting in any mythical fantasy setting. Though they are somewhat cliche, there are many reasons to consider using one. Beyond mounting an angel of some kind on its back—something you definitely should do at least once—this beast is simple and relatively low-level given that we often associate the creatures with powerful angels and/or spellcasters.

While there are not many occasions that one would need to fight a pegasus, thinking about where you may find these creatures and how they may be seen in your setting can be a good worldbuilding exercise. As an added bonus, as a level 3 creature, it is entirely reasonable that your players could gain the (temporary) aid of some pegasi to get somewhere quickly and efficiently! A sufficient Diplomacy or Nature check could convince a pegasus to assist a party of adventurers—assuming they have good intentions that is.

- Reece

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - Pegasus Pariah

For almost a thousand years the head monks of the Saltspire monastery and the lead mares of the Flutterhoof herd of pegasi have had an agreement: prospective champions of the monastery would, as a part of their final test, need to demonstrate athletic excellence by jumping onto a pegasus in full flight.

For their part, the pegasi agreed to this as their ideals were quite close to those of the monks' order, and to even become a candidate for a champion, one would need to show extreme strength of both body and character.

This recently changed, however, with the rise of a fiend-tainted new head mare, who now tries to recruit the monks into her infernal schemes...

Hook 2 (Max) - Mighty Magical Mishap: A Lesson in the Misuse of Transmutation

Grand Imperial Academy of Magic - Dean's Office. Early morning.

"Alright, young mister, give me a single reason why I shouldn't turn you into the ugliest toad this world has ever seen this instant." The pale young man in front of the ancient wizard merely gulps, trembling with sweat running down his face, half from fear and half from the raging hangover. "The merchant Branibor is furious—that was his most prized racing horse, you know. He's out for blood, lad! Your blood, might I add!" 

The old man sighs heavily, running a palm across his face. "And, as if this wasn't enough, you go and sneak into the prince's gardens! The prince! It truly is a marvel how you did not accidentally turn into a huff of cloud or a table plant, boy." The dean takes a sip from his chalice, usually filled with wine, though today's occasion called for something stronger. "But no, you couldn't just stop at stealing precious animals, no, you had to show off. The prince really loved that eagle, you know. He will not be pleased." Silence befalls the room. "Luckily, I've managed to buy you some time. You can thank me later. You have a week to retrieve both the horse and the bird."

"B-but, they're..."

"Oh, I know. I didn't say it was going to be easy, lad." He takes another solid swig from the cup. "I'd get moving if I were you, though. I heard the beast flew off into the sunset—you'll need to be quick if you want to catch up."

Hook 3 (Reece) - Stylin' Stallion

Treven had seen a lot of strange things in his life, having spent the entirety of it in The Verdant Isles. The old forests on the isle were strange, and fey creatures were known to play tricks upon foolish farmboys and loggers for a laugh. In Pinefall, his tiny home village, it was a fact of life that the local spirits would play tricks upon unsuspecting villagers. Fortunately, these tricks were rarely dangerous and, for the most part, were simply inconveniences. Having lived through thirty summers, this was the last problem he expected to solve.

There, in his neighbor Reddy Tem's horse pen was a massive, winged horse-thing that was harassing the only other stallion in the pen; Steelshod was not particularly interested in contending with the winged rival who was both larger and had the advantage of flight. They'd spent near an hour trying to decide on a course of action after trying to shoo the thing off, nearly getting kicked in the head in the process. The beast was after Reddy's mares and there wasn't much either of them could do about it.

"Call the council together," Treven said, crossing his arms and frowning at the thing. "Perhaps some of the village kids are looking to prove themselves."

Owlbear

The Owlbear is indeed another fantasy gaming staple tracing its lineage back to very early versions of the game. Pathfinder 2e presents us a slightly more interesting version of the creature, as it has some special abilities to set it apart from your standard bear-affair. The bestiary itself provides a compelling variant owlbear, one that can glide a great distance almost silently to descend on prey. 

Interesting and powerful abilities aside, I think the owlbear (and other monstrous creatures like it) reminds us that the fantastical is in some ways mundane—at least in the context of the game. The owlbear is an Avatar: The Last Airbender-like hybrid animal, but is not a magical creature and does not have any supernatural abilities; it's intimidating and brutally violent with prey. Consider how an owlbear's habits and behaviors might differ from that of both a bear and an owl, and how both of those things might influence said creature. Should you be lacking in understanding, I can think of a certain Paizo editor that can tell you all about bear behavior.

At level four, any encounter with an owlbear will be an early endeavor. As animals (not ravenous beasts) consider how a nature-attuned PC like a druid or ranger may be able to circumvent a combat with such a creature entirely. Such an occurrence can provide an interesting character moment and remind the players that there is more than one way to play PF2 than just beating everything you run into to death.

- Reece

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - Barnaby The Barn

When the hunters heard of the "barn-like owlbear" from the local populace speaking in broken common, they expected to find a barn-owl-featured owlbear. Not a barn-sized, horned-owl-featured one. Unfortunately, they are duty-bound not to back away from the fight—and even if they weren't, the local villages surely can't hope to stand against something like this.

Hook 2 (Max) - The Hoot

Niners is a peaceful town, all things considered. Do your job, don't get into any trouble with the law, and you'll do fine. Most of all, never, under any circumstances, go into the woods surrounding it after nightfall.

There is a story in the Niners. People say that should you venture into the dark forest after the sun goes down, you will face a horror that will turn your blood to ice. No one has ever seen in it, only the aftermath of its rage, a trail of bodies disfigured beyond recognition as if by the claws of a giant beast, many of the organs missing entirely.

The people of Niners know when the beast finds its next victim—a loud hoot, as if that of an owl, can be heard over the town. Without fail, every time it sounds, a new body is found in the wood.

So take heed, lest you want to fall prey to the terror stalking the night.

Hook 3 (Reece) - Tangle in Titansfield

The Titansfield Players are a circus that has moved away, at least as much as possible, from the use of animals during their shows. Magic illusions and druids capable of changing their own forms makes performances much easier and—in Thelia's estimation—more ethical. The petting zoo has remained, as the children frequent it in between the major shows. Goats cheese and wool also help subsidize some of the operating costs of the traveling circus.

At a stop outside a triumvirate of small villages, a local farmer brings an enormous egg to the Circusmaster, leaving her to decide what exactly to do with it. When one of the elderly griffons takes to brooding the egg, it hatches not long after arrival, revealing it to be an owlbear cubling. This in and of itself wouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, the owlbear broodmother has come looking for its spawn in the middle of the biggest show for this area, when all the strongest and most capable performers are preoccupied and unaware...

Otyugh

Otyughs are the quintessential sewer-crawl monsters, ones that have been with us since the very first publications of the world's oldest roleplaying game. They have tentacles, look weird, and eat garbage, which makes them the perfect sewer encounter, right?

Wrong. I mean, you can use them thusly, and with their slew of garbage and tentacle-related activities it won't be an uninteresting encounter either, but come on. Take another look at the stat block and fluff text and come back. The otyugh might look odd and feed on literal excrement, but it is at an almost humanoid level of intelligence. Otyughs have something resembling a society. Otyughs are true neutral, and while decidedly alien they might be willing to reason with you. So I beg you, be creative and don't waste the waste eaters on forgettable encounters.

- Nemanja

Hook 1 (Max) - Fecal Decal

The duchy of Bayon, glorious golden wheat upon its emblem, is known for its abundance of food, which it exports to all corners of the land. That allowed all of its towns to grow into cities, massive in their scale. With this, certain needs arose, followed by certain problems.

Every bigger town in the area boasts a vast canal system, is typically accompanied by a giant heap of waste produced by its populace and stinks like a disaster.

Coincidentally, when the number of cities increased, the number of crops spoiling did as well—exponentially. The duke is looking for an answer, unaware that it lies directly beneath his grand cities.

Hook 2  (Nemanja) - The Goopy Guildmaster

In the Grand City of Al'Balaar, guilds are organized in a hierarchical manner, with lesser guilds reporting to those more powerful in an almost feudal manner.

To a foreigner, it could be odd that the thieves guild, assassins guild, the guild of lawyers, and other such guilds that operate outside the confine of the law, all report to the Sewersmith guild. Stranger still, it might seem that the guild is made up entirely of members of two less than popular groups; the field operatives are mostly goblins, whereas the top of the hierarchy is ruled by otyughs. The ironically named Underdoge—the ancient, alchemically-empowered Otyugh guildmaster—claims to have given his blessing to the rise of the last seven doges of the "Upper city".

After a career of adventuring, a group of wizards wishes to retire, forming a guild of illusionists to pass on their knowledge. Soon enough, they are approached by a goblin with a tentacle broch inviting them to discuss "matters of the flow of information" with his masters in the sewers...

Hook 3 (Reece) - Tower of Terror

The seat of power for the Relendish Republic within the capital is a point of consternation for many. After a brief and bloody conflict with the remaining royals that wished to hold onto power in Reylar's Rest, the question of what to do with The Steel Palace was a curious problem. An imposing monstrosity made entirely of steel that reached toward the sky, the building had been long ago created by the progenitor of the Steel Kingdom, and the magic that was sewn throughout the walls and into its foundation made it nearly impossible to destroy.

The Council of Guilds instead opted for turning the building into a series of offices for guild leaders as well as a place to house foreign diplomats. While over thirty years have passed since The Revolution, not everything about the building is fully understood, as its original inhabitants have been long since vacated, alongside their secrets.

When the Govenor of a nearby island-state is found dead, seemingly of a heart attack, and partially eaten inside of one of the restrooms, it spawns a controversy. As a new member of the Royal Navy's investigation unit, you are sent to find what happened, and if the building is a danger to others. It wouldn't be such a bad job if it weren't for the smell...

Ofalth

Today, we speak about something offal. Awful offal. Despite the terrible wordplay, I do quite love the concept of the Ofalth. A giant literal shit-trash monster to almost kill/disgust your players with? Sign me up.

There's a lot of ways to use an ofalth in your game, though you do have to bear in mind that it is a very powerful creature! At level 10, the ofalth remains a threat through level 12, when PCs become truly greek-myth-level powerful.

One may find an ofalth in the refuse room of a long-abandoned-now-resettled dungeon, as well as in major urban areas as a vital part of the fantasy ecology therein. Wherever you decide to use it, the Ofalth comes with some evocative abilities that tie to its central theme—being a living dumpster pile.

The ofalth can appear as a pile of garbage/refuse, its presence is physically sickening, and getting struck by the thing can cause you to just... bleed to death. Slowly. Fun!

When considering its use, try to think of how the ofalth fits into the world itself. As an aberration, they could be summoned by a particularly foul practitioner of magic, created for some purpose related to their environment, or drawn to sources of filth. All are perfectly valid options, just remember to consider how disgusting your description to your players is, don't want someone to lose their lunch onto your GM screen (or keyboard)

- Reece

Hook 1 (Max) - Down the Drain

The city of Netters is looking for mercenaries willing to get their hands dirty. Figuratively and literally. The rulers of the metropolis have a little bit of a problem with their sewers; they are getting clogged more and more often. Someone offered up a solution, but carrying it out requires highly skilled warriors.

In the grand capital of the kingdom, it's said the sewers are never clogged. Officials in Netters only know that some sort of cleaning organisms have been deployed in the capital. And so, the job is quite simple, if a tad unsavory.

Get into the sewers and bring one or two of these critters to Netters. Nice and easy, right?

Hook 2 (Reece) - Foul Play

Uvringin Palefinger liked collecting magical artifacts but did not like the work required to obtain them. When the skeevy little man stumbled upon a long-abandoned castle with a sprawling undercroft, a dastardly idea occurred to him: Why go and get the treasure himself when he can make the treasure come to him?

While loathe to travel, Palefinger has a keen mind for magical, alchemical, and mechanical arts. He constructed a lab within the depths of the castle, creating all sorts of terrible monstrosities that he could use in his devious ploy. Once his many traps were laid, he spread rumors through surrounding cities that a powerful staff was hidden within the castle.

Should one make it into the bowels of the place, they would find a beautiful length of wood that appears to be a Greater Staff of Healing, mounted on the wall behind an enormous pile of trash. In actuality the staff is a fake and the room is actually where Palefinger has been throwing the refuse from his failed experiments, feeding it to his pet Ofalth. Anyone foolish enough to mistake the pile for a simple dump will be quite shocked to find otherwise... And Uvringin will be quite happy to add to his collection should the unfortunate adventurer fail in their quest for the false staff.

Hook 3 (Max) - Secret Ingredient

The secret to the world-famous fermented wyvern egg is a well-guarded secret of the Jakus family. For generations, they have sold this very special dish to the rich and adventurous, building a fortune from the delicacy.

There are those who would love to unveil the secret and steal it for themselves—perfectly understandable. There is a good reason, other than protecting their wealth, for the Jakus to protect it.

The fermentation process is conducted in the vast caverns beneath their grand mansion by most unsavory beings.

Ochre Jelly

Oozes are a weird brand of monster. They are amorphous blobs of jelly (?) that slither in search of food. And that's it. They only want to eat and grow as big as possible. Doesn't sound the most fascinating, but just in Bestiary 1 there are four distinct types of them.

Today on the menu we have the Ochre Jelly. Outside of its color, what sets it apart? The fact that it only dissolves the flesh, leaving everything else intact. It also splits in two upon receiving slashing or piercing damage (that's a one-way ticket to your party finding themselves outnumbered very quickly).

There are many applications of both of these abilities, it's just the question of finding them. A necromancer making sure his skeletons are kept nice and clean? An artist working in bone using a pet slime to make sure he only has the best materials? Group of bandits using the ooze to kill people, taking advantage of the fact that it doesn't dissolve precious materials? I think we can easily see that particular critter finding its uses in great many scenarios, even outside of combat.

- Max

Hook 1 (Max) - Hunger in the Dark

Every culture has its customs regarding the burial of the dead. People of the Pale Orchard believe that flesh holds your soul down in the mud, thus in order to move on, your skeleton needs to be picked clean of its putrid meat.

Once a person dies, their corpse is taken by the Bone Clerks who throw their body into the Yellow Pit. It remains therein for some time before then being returned, clean and white, ready to be properly buried and on to the afterlife.

The thing is, with everybody fed to it, the Yellow Pit grows bigger.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Heal or High Water

Gustav Olaf is a skittish cleric who has information that can bring down the corrupt regime in the Arthenian Grand Principality. Gustav is also extremely paranoid and is currently hidden in a faraway cave waiting for his contact. He has an incredibly devious plan to keep the information from falling into the wrong hands. Indeed, Gustav has written all of the information on his skin and keeps two other things with him in his hiding place: a box that contains single ochre jelly within and another box that holds at least two dozen healing scrolls.

Should anyone else but the designated contact appear, Gustav plans to release the ooze, at which point he will spend the rest of the combat healing any oozes that split apart. In practice, this means that instead of several splits during a fight with a single ochre ooze, this will prolong the combat until the battlefield is positively swarming with oozes, making combat—and survival—all but impossible.

Hook 3 (TJ) - Streetsweeper

Cleaning the streets of a bustling metropolis is a tall order. The city council in Aerilon has hired numerous companies that all end up falling short of keeping the city truly clean. Their newest hire has some- 

Unconventional methods. 

Ochre jellies, with their ooze-like acidity and ability to squeeze into cracks and crevices, have the city looking better than it ever has. Concerned citizens have voiced opposition to having oozes on the major thoroughfare, but the cleaning crews have repeatedly assured that they're harmless and under control. If that control ends up being more tenuous than they claim, it could spell disaster.

Nightmare

So, the Nightmare. The Bestiary doesn't provide much info on what exactly it is beyond listing it as both a fiend and a beast in addition to saying that it might be used as a steed for evil creatures. It boasts some interesting abilities, like exhaling poisonous smoke and being able to plane shift along with its rider. Even then, I find it a little underwhelming—so let's go on a little bit of a deep dive.

The word itself is a combination of "night" and the Old English "mære," the latter meaning incubus. Its variations appear in other languages, like Swedish, Old Norse, Danish, Norwegian, and even Polish ("mara" meaning a hallucination or a haunting dream,—here's your fun fact of the day). We all are aware of what a nightmare is. A bad, bad dream. It is kind of ironic then that the creature named after it has nothing to do with dreams.

Am I trying to convince you to attack your party in their sleep with a flaming horse? Yes. No, all I'm saying is that you can make the monster a little more interesting.

- Max

Hook 1 (Max) - A Mare So Very Fair

"That horse is evil, I tell you." Both servants look to the black steed that was gifted to their liege by a mysterious woman not so long ago. The animal bears its teeth and glares at them with obvious and uncontained hatred. "Fastest beast I've ever seen, true, but there's something wrong with it, I swear by my mother's grave." The older of the two men spits. "Makes me sick just being near it."

"I hear it killed old man Tanner" the boy exclaims. "Kicked him square in the face it did." A shiver runs down his spine. "Wish the lord would be rid of it, to be honest." The horse lets out a fume through its nostrils as if it can understand.

"Doubt it'll happen, lad." The old man sighs a heavy sigh and takes up his tools. "Well, best get it over with. Keep it still, will you?"

Hook 2 (TJ) - Dreamrider

The past three nights, Hinli dreamt. This was not unusual. She imagined that most nights she dreamt, but somewhere in the bliss of sleep she didn't remember the dreams when she woke up. These dreams, however, she remembered—at least pieces of them. What she did remember of them was not pleasant. Primarily, her recollection of these dreams consisted of one major feature: the thundering of hooves right before she woke up. There was one unmistakable and unsettling fact about these cacophonous hoofbeats. Every night, they got louder.

Hook 3 (Reece) - Cult of the Dreaded Steed

"It galloped through the streets, features alight! The fires! The blood! What wondrous destruction it showed me! I will breathe in the smoke of its essence and await! Behold! The Midnight Steed! The Bringer of Fires! You may delight in his majesty and revere his presence! BE BLESSED BY HIS DREADED RIDE! TASTE OF THE LICKING FLAME AND STAY FAST FOR THE END IS NIGH."

- Collected from the ravings of a beggar two nights before the last sighting. I worry this cult you speak of is gaining more attention than we originally thought.

Naunet

ANOTHER OUTSIDER YOU SAY? Well, I'm not necessarily one to beef with creatures literally spawned from the entropic forces of chaos, and the Naunet is perhaps a quintessential example of what a force entropy can be. The bestiary notes that this mean mugged malefactor of the Maelstrom can often be found as a scout or a rank-and-file soldier in the armies of the Proteans—though I am somewhat dubious of how exactly such an army would operate.

I would say that the contradictory nature of being a soldier—a traditionally structured existence—in addition to being the spawn of pure chaos is baked into the substantial statblock of the naunet. There are three things particularly of note related to this theme:

• Protean Anatomy - An extremely versatile passive ability that gives shifting resistances to acid, electricity, and sonic damage in addition to the more unsettling ability to grow new sensory organs in order to overcome the blinded and deafened conditions
• At will Change Shape that allows for melding into all sorts of environments, both natural and urban
• Adaptive Strike, something that is certainly not going to come up very often unless you're like me and inflict your players with lycanthropy

The intricacies of the entire set of abilities and stats are too much to get into here, though I think the relative complexity of the naunet tells us a couple things—Proteans are NOT messing around and, beyond that, their base level soldiers could be a boss level threat to a lower level party. As a level seven creature, it's got an impressive set of abilities—access to narrative options like Change Shape in addition to a solid suite of spellcasting can really make the Naunet both compelling to use as well as dangerous.

Whatever the occasion, it may be worth considering how you want to utilize Proteans and Monitors in your setting, assuming you aren't running in Golarion—these dastardly delinquents can pack a punch and rain chaos on unsuspecting players, only to jump away with a 5th-level dimensional door in order to continue harassing away as needed.

- Reece

Hook 1 (Max) - Big Fish to Fry

Ships and crews have been disappearing on the Grey Ocean without a trace. A single vessel made its way to port—a galleon by the name of Fair Wind. Its deck was the sight of a massacre no doubt, though there were no bodies left in the destruction. A single survivor hid in the cargo hold, clinging tenuously to life, their eyes burnt away. The army took them in to learn what became of the rest of the crew.

"Maidens fair stranded on a vessel dead, they were," they mutter, "hoisted them up we did, 'help them we must', we said." Empty eye sockets stare into the distance. "Weren't no maidens. Sea devils they were, I tell you. Giant sea serpents, the lot of them. They roared and bit and gnawed and spit, and their putrid breath turned men to ash and bone. Good men of the sea all dead and gone. They be heralds, they bring their words and the depths speak through their forked tounges. The sea is theirs, and theirs alone—soon our land shall be forlorn."

The official statement notes the sailor was later found dead in his cell by his own hand.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Unravelling Unguent

A retired ranger brings his old team back for one last job together.

A long time ago, they slighted a lowly cleric in service of the gods of Order—said cleric has since risen high in the clergy and he is not one for forgiveness. When the ranger welcomed his firstborn daughter, the cleric appeared from nowhere and put a Curse of Ticking Time on her. This meant that one day—one that will presumably come far too soon—she will pass into the realm of the dead with no warning whatsoever.

The only power that can counter the magic of Order is that of the chaos-delvers, and the party now must seek aid from one of the Chaoswyrms, the Undoers, the foot-soldiers of The Unravelling that they once fought so valiantly against. Of course, enlisting the aid of such a power is never free, but the price might not be obvious from the start...

Hook 3 (Reece) - Chaos Confluence

During the season of Storms many dangers are present along the southern coasts. While the lightning, wind, and rain are all as dangerous as they always would be during any storm, the tide of chaos that accompanies the Greatstorms is more dangerous still. Should you not have access to a Stormcaller or a device with which you can rebuff the storms, the creatures of chaos will scour you and yours from the land.

A strange economy has risen from this longstanding season of chaos—populated areas that are affected by the worst of the tides employ seasonal Chaoswardens to defend their homes. Chaoswardens are highly trained in fighting all manner of Protean nightmares in defense of mankind. The homesteaders have grown used to the assistance of other more stable areas, perhaps to their detriment. This year, when the first Greatstorm arrives much earlier than expected, the Chaoswardens are cut off from their yearly migrations to the outershores. Now, each town and village along the Shifting Coast must fend for itself...

Minotaur

Upon reading the Minotaur entry, two things stand out to me. The first one is that beyond their love for mazes and stalking prey (both of which kind of come a dime a dozen among dungeon-delving monsters), Minotaurs are almost a blank slate—that makes it a perfect opportunity for world-building. Is your minotaur a solitary, accursed being, along the lines of the classic greek myth? Maybe your minotaurs are exiles from a seven-dimensional plane, who have gone mad without access to advanced technology, but their weird knowledge manifests in their impeccable understanding of geometry? Maybe the bull of Minos was an outlier, and other minotaurs (with a bit of int-tweaking) are a race of scholars, shunned from civilization for their monstrous appearance and odd appetites?

The other thing—which may slightly contradict my first point—is that the only language that minotaurs seem to speak is jotun, a language that, in Golarion at least, seems to be associated with giants, dragons, and other primal creatures of raw power and deep magic.

- Nemanja

Hook 1 (Max) - Priests of the Golden Horn

The Golden Horn sits majestically atop a cliffside overlooking the nearby ocean. The view is, however, not its most striking and famous feature, as the whole city is devoted to the worship of the bull demigod that purportedly protects it. All manner of travelers make the arduous journey to the Horn in order to seek his guidance.

All rites are overseen by the Bull Priests, the ruling caste of the metropolis, whose word is law. To slight them and deviate from their teachings is seen as anathema, frowned upon, and is generally speaking extremely dangerous.

Little does anyone know that their stringent tendencies, along with the fact that their deity is only seen at a specific time of day, are due to the fact that The Bull God is, in fact, a farce—a captured minotaur that the priests use as a puppet for their faith.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Anti-aurochs architecture

When the Second Helene Republic was formed in the XIV century, the greater community of Greece and surrounding areas begrudgingly accepted the Bull-men of Minos into their midst. Despite their fiery temper, the minotaurs have proven themselves both as soldiers (serving as heavy infantry) and as civil servants, especially architects. Indeed, their chokehold on architectural industries is such that many cities have neighbourhoods purposefully designed in such a labyrinthine way that members of other species find it impossible to traverse them. The most infamous of these is the Pathfinders' Peril, the massive labyrinth in Second Sparta that stretches through almost half the city and surrounds the mysterious White Bull's Temple.

What only a few people alive know is that the labyrinth is specifically not made to keep anyone out, but to keep the White Bull in.

The White Bull, for its part, is the ancient progenitor of the Minotaur race. It has the body of a giant, and the head of an aurochs (the ancient, European wild cattle). It is a hungry and bloodthirsty deity, but its power over the minotaurs has waned alongside its influence. Should it feed again, however, its influence will burn bright again, and with it, the rage of its children will awake too.

All of this should have been critical information for an invading army. Too bad that you, the human handler assigned to the Third Ottoman Kallikantzaros division, weren't briefed...

Hook 3 (TJ) - Grain of Satisfaction

Entimira never really understood the draw of an unending labyrinth. Isn't the point of a maze to eventually have the satisfaction of getting out? Why would he be interested in trapping people in unending twists and turns? Besides, once people gave up, where was the fun in killing them? It isn't like he was killing for food, and killing for sport never seemed quite right. No, his method was much better. This way, he got to see the joy people experienced at finally figuring it out. And this was far more efficient for food. He could actually eat this. Yes, as he stood over his meticulously arranged corn seedlings, he knew. This year's corn maze was going to be his best yet.

Marilith

The Marilith stands out from most demons in the game in several ways.

First of all, the aesthetic—while most demons in the books tend to borrow from tolkienean and Christian (with the latter totally not being a subset of the former) sources, the marilith is decidedly Hindu in origin.

Secondly, while other high-level demons such as balors might also serve as generals in demonic armies, they are implied to do so through brute force and power, whereas the Mariliths are explicitly tacticians and strategists of their kind, said to understand the flow of chaos in a way very few other beings of the multiverse can.

In combat, a marilith is a true powerhouse. Able to deliver a staggering six attacks of opportunity per round, or decide to instead use any of those sword-wielding hands for incrementally better defense, all the while under the constant effect of fly? This monster will absolutely hurt you. It's demonic weakness fits the theme pretty well, though I fear it will very rarely come into actual play—should the demon try hurting someone on their turn, and fail at it (mind you, it would have to fail every single attack and/or spell in that turn) they take mental damage, as their massive ego is hurt by their perceived incompetence.

- Nemanja 

Hook 1 (Max) - For I Am The Light

Duma was a devout priest of the Sungod. For many years, he fought in his deity's name, felling countless opponents while remaining undefeated through his life. When one is heralded as the "God of Fighters", hubris is sure to follow.

That was the case with Duma. He eventually fought for the sport of it, not for the cause of his god. And as years went on, the inevitable happened, and he was slain. Alas, by that time he was no longer chosen of the Sungod and his soul was forfeit.

The forces of chaos took him in, feeding his ego over hundreds of years, convincing him that it was he, Duma, who was the real Sungod. After all this time, he is ready to claim his divinity and regain the title of the greatest fighter to walk the world.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Bristewald The Blade

As a young lad, Bristewald of Balhemia witnessed a battle that was over in seconds—a flash of light, and then blood and gore over the entire field. Despite being on the winning side, Bristewald was chilled to his bone, though he also saw something tragic yet romantic in how his enemies fell.

This inspired him to take up the fiddle when he returned home from the war; his songs, always tragic and melancholic, launched his career as a minstrel.

Despite his success, having seen what he had seen, Bristewald never stopped practicing with his sword either. Eventually, his exploits as a mercenary with a heart of gold also brought him fame and gold. And yet, a part of him never felt complete, as whenever he thought of that fateful battle, he felt dread. He knew not what it was that slaughtered his enemies, and feared that it could take him out one day just as easily. He would spend fortunes and do wild things just to get him closer to any small lead or bit of information about that day.

After twenty long years, found it he has—the shadow over his life is the Marilith Avasarala, a dread tactician of the underworld's armies. Fearing he can not be truly happy as long as the demon looms over the world, he now rides out with his companions to meet her on the battlefield. The Fates watch, as beating a marilith is a sure way to set one on the path to becoming one of Heaven's own enforcers...

Hook 3 (Reece) - The Vile Veil

Far to the northeast lies Utvash Veil, what many consider to be the most dangerous place in the world. When one first lands upon The Veil, the striking black-red beaches of its shores are both stunning and dangerous, as they are ridden with all manner of venomous creatures and corrupted elementals.

Should one be foolish enough to venture inland, The Cult of Many Blades has built a semblance of a society. While not overtly hostile, as they must trade with outsiders to sustain their living upon the island, the cult does very little to protect visitors to The Red Temple. This city of worship is entirely dedicated to worshipping The Great Mother, though one would have to be greatly dedicated to the cult to know exactly WHO The Great Mother is and why they worship her.

Though there are rumors about it, it is said that deep within the volcano, the cult's terrible goddess resides, birthing forth every manner of monster and demon upon the world. Should one choose to pursue answers or seek a boon from the Mother of Monsters, the trials to seek her out are incredibly difficult. The volcano from which the isle gets its name, Utvash, is adorned with a great obsidian tower that reaches far out of sight into the dark, swirling clouds above. While many horrors reside within, Degara Sindrinker—the Chosen Champion of The Mother—is perhaps the worst. As queen of the tower and a powerful pride demon, she will try the will of any parishioner, demanding total supplication of one's pride to The Great Mother...

Manticore

The Manticore makes the leap from "beast" to "monster" pretty easily (yes, it does have the beast trait, but stay with me). It's an iconic creature as far as fantasy creatures are concerned, and was a shoe-in for Bestiary 1 as a must-have.

While this prickly parishioner has a very simple statblock, it is quite elegant in its design. There are a few things to note beyond its signature spike attacks. First, this thing can speak and is intelligent. When the thing that is trying to eat you can also talk to you, it's definitely more unsettling. The bestiary also notes that it likes trophies. Minor, but a good thing to note when placing rewards for the players.

Consider that when you decide you want to use a manticore, you may want to customize it to better fit the theme of your setting. Perhaps some strange subspecies of manticore exists in the desert, and it has a scorpion's tail with the ability to use something akin to Giant Scorpion poison. Perhaps it has a dragon's breath attack, or the ability to gore its foes with horns. With a small core suite of abilities, you can really make it your own.

- Reece 

Hook 1 (Max) - The Price of Chivalry

Manticore Knights are renowned for their skill and ferocity in battle. Clad in jet black armor, they fly atop mighty beasts that strike fear into to hearts of their opponents. They will take anyone in unless their resolve proves frail.

Not much is known about the training of the initiates, but what little records there are available give some interesting points. It lasts anywhere from three to six years, depending on the skill of the adept. Recruits always train in pairs through the entirety of their time there. When they are deemed worthy, they are elected by a young manticore. In the end, a challenge is undertaken by the two of them.

Weirdly enough, you never see two knights on a single manticore—they don't have an infantry division either. Rumors say that the beasts appear to be far smarter than others of their kind, though what that means is hard to discern...

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Subtleties of the Spire

The spire-city of Kal'Karaz is ruled by dragons, though these scaled rulers rarely come down from their rich gardens in the highest levels of the city into the dirty, poor, Groundlands. Instead, they have several castes of enforcers, each with highly specialized roles. Among the most feared of these are the manticores—big, bestial brutes in contrast to the many shapeshifters of the city. The problem with manticores isn't their (well-earned) reputation for aggression, rather, it is that sending them means the Dragons have abandoned all of their usual subtlety and subterfuge in favour of escalation and raw violence.

Unfortunately, a rowdy, loud group of these enforcers seem to be blocking the door of the exact bar where you're supposed to meet your contact...

Hook 3 (Reece) - The Beasts of the Shadowkeep

The call of the manticore is the worst nightmare of every Sunbringer Acolyte. For as long as the Sunbringer tribes can remember, their people have been preyed upon by a host of undead nightmares, chief among them the Sangir Vampire lords of the mountains. Tucked into the shadowy peaks of the Canus mountains are the Sangir Shadowkeeps—castles shrouded in dark mists, hidden forever from the sun. Within these harrowing halls, the Sangir conduct horrible magical and alchemical experiments in search of a way to fortify themselves against the burning power of the sun. The manticores, alongside the skeletal servants that ride upon them, hunt in the foothills each evening in search of hapless herders or unaware travelers that may be captured and carried away to fuel those horrid experiments.

While the manticore is greatly feared, the Sunbringers have made it their tradition to hunt both the flying beasts and their undead masters in the hope that one day they might free their people from the bloody rule of the Sangir.

Lillend (Muse Azata)

When we camp too long on celestials, non-evil outsiders, and planar creatures, I tend to get... sort of bored with them? You may find, as I do, that it's harder to use a creature that's inherently good-aligned for something interesting. I can't think of the last time I used a statblock for a good-aligned creature when it hadn't been summoned by a PC. That's entirely on me, I need to get more creative. Thankfully, my good friends here at Beastfinder push me to do so.

When we talk about the lillend, we finally have an example of a creature that uses music for good, rather than using it to debilitate your party. A lillend has a lot of great spells for aiding allies, so it's probably not the best to deploy as a solitary creature. A lillend supporting a large number of other planar creatures serving as the "bard" of an encounter alongside its kin is probably the ideal way to use it. Additionally, as previously mentioned, it makes a good candidate for a summon given its access to the bard's inspire competence and inspire courage.

The lillend definitely has potential! If one were to be following your party for an extended period of time, helping them out in a pinch, you've just given a story reason to use some GM fiat now and again. Give it a try! While you may not use them against the party—unless you run for evil-aligned PCs, in which case, godspeed—they do make for good narrative creatures, not to mention that having a lillend ally would turn any battle a bit more in the players' favor.

- TJ

Hook 1 (Nemanja) - Virtue Vandal

In the city of Virtue, known for the Church's firm hold on the culture, there's a new breed of vandal. For several weeks now, at the grandest and most frequented of social gatherings, people's clothes have begun disappearing right off their backs and buttocks, leaving them stark naked.

Indeed, a Lilend with a peculiar definition of art has recently made the city their home—one who considers bodies a work of art, thereby making clothes offensive.

The Church's elders fume and froth at their mouths, offering obscene amounts of money if this vandal is caught, though more anarchistically inclined individuals might also be able to use the scandals to shake up the city's power structures...

Hook 2 (TJ) - The Harmonics of the Soul

The Planar Armistice over the souls of the Tharodrosi people causes all manners of strife for the aligned creatures. The lillends in particular have voiced their displeasure at the inability to visit and record the chronicles of those on the Impure Plane. Other than the stagnation of their existing tales, the lillends argue that their influence could change the public opinion of bards and troubadors, which is largely untrusting.

As it stands, the two major groups that provide inspiration for the lyricists and balladeers that call Tharodros home are the sirens and the harpies. The ability for music and magic to merge and influence the harmonics of the soul, one's own natural resonance, is viewed with suspicion, even without the influence of these monsters. The manipulation of the natural harmonics of the soul can be more beautiful, the lillends argue, if only the Tharodrosi peoples could be shown. The sirens and harpies are a perversion of what it means for music to be captivating. The lillends are chafing at the restrictions of the armistice. Given their aptitude to remain hidden, they may begin breaking the terms of the armistice. That is, of course, if they haven't already.

Hook 3 - I Hate Moondays

"The circumstances that brought you here are quite strange. You must understand that." This was the start of Poli's second week in the Mirrorguard. Last week, the docks were bombarded. She thought the cleanup from that mess was the worst it could get, but this! This was somehow both more confusing and more frustrating!

"I do." The woman—if that was indeed what she could be called, as she was definitely not human—was coiled about the stool she had been given to "sit" on. The half-woman-half-snake laughed quite heartily when Poli had asked for something to make her comfortable, only for one of the new recruits to bring a stool.

"And you know why you're in there." Poli gestured broadly at the cell in which the woman, who called herself Yaranaya, was resting.

"Of course."

"So," Poli began, hoping she could get something more from her obstinant "prisoner", if she could even be called that. "You came here because you lost your cat, a being of pure, distilled chaos."

"Dram is technically a Dweomercat, but yes, that is correct."

Poli sighed, it had been a long first week. "That doesn't explain why you attempted to destroy the market in the eastern district."

"I didn't destroy anything—" Poli attempted to interrupt, but Yaranaya was having none of it. "I played Dram's favorite song. It just so happens that that song... Enflames the passions of mortal kind."

"You started at least four brawls, at least fifteen citizens began to bathe in the drinking water, and we arrested twenty-five others for..." Poli blushed and cleared her throat, "Acts of public indecency."

"It's not my fault you all are so pent up with your feelings." Yaranaya smiled and winked at Poli, whose blush continued to deepen.

Before she could properly respond, one of the other guards opened the door to the holding room with a panicked look on his face. Outside there was a terrible racket; people screaming and what sounded like carts crashing into one another.

"Problem," said Stool Guy.

The idiot could've brought literally anything else. Poli scowled. "What?"

Just then, a purple blur rushed by the door outside the guardhouse. The food cart down the street smashed into the shop opposite of the door. One of the cart wheels smashed against the doorframe. Something was yowling outside.

Poli put her face into her hands and proceeded to groan. Loudly. It was going to be another long week.

Leukodaemon

The name Leukodaemon might be considered a little on the nose, given that the Greek "leukos" means "white," or "clean". Even more interesting, it appears to share the word root with leukocytes, the human body cells responsible for protecting it against diseases. As you'll find, the Pestilence Daemon is the exact inverse.

With a skull for its head and wings of a vulture, the leukodaemon is a manifestation of evil, a being who previously succumbed to sickness. As such, it works relentlessly to spread any plague wherever it can, being much more inclined towards working with others of its kind than most daemons.

Its abilities fit the creature thematically quite well. It can sense any diseased creature and know what kind of sickness ails it. It has an aura that makes everyone within it more susceptible to contract an illness. Most of its attacks inflict the Daemonic Pestilence on the target and, better yet, the daemon can speed up the progression of any malady currently affecting a creature.

All things considered, the leukodaemon is a good choice for when you need a plague-themed monster to center your game around.

- Max

Hook 1 (Max) - The Plague Within

Something was afoul in the air for a long time. No one was willing to admit it, but everyone felt it. Now, it is too late.

It started with the animals. They fell silent and catatonic in unison, all overnight. They refused food, didn't move, and not long after, they started dying by the hundreds. There were far too many carcasses to manage, so soon they started rotting. Then the crops failed. And reserves began to spoil.

The buzzing of flies became constant, as their fat little bodies clouded the skies. Starvation followed. Now bodies of men, children, and women littered the streets, as fights for what meager food anyone might have left ensued.

Scavengers are circling the cities, towns, and villages, feasting on the cadavers. Prime among them are pale vulture-like monsters, putrid flesh peeling off their bones, the stench of death and decay following where they go, carried by the winds as they beat their dark wings.

More and more of them appear by the day. With each new arrival, they seemingly grow hungrier, eager to make sport of the remaining survivors. For things are about to get much worse. In five days, the black moon will rise, and they shall bring forth their greatest gift.

A plague unlike any seen before.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - A Benevolent Nightmare

A thousand and one years ago, several spirits of the forest, young demigods, and other such powerful entities, decided to do an experiment: could a society guided by extreme fears prosper? Thus was Isla Dittatora born in the secluded archipelago of San Ovejas. The "gods" took on horrible forms and started haunting a town that had just begun to grow, as the advent of new irrigation technologies promised an Age of prosperity. The deities would appear before the locals when they were about to drink infected water, dye their clothes with toxic compounds, tame beasts that can not be tamed...

And the locals learned to respect their gods' guidance as wise and infallible. Over time, the mighty polis of Tonta grew into an advanced society, that traded with faraway lands and was well respected.

Tonta's golden age would abruptly end in one fell swoop, however. A barbarian from the Northlands was on his way to the city-state when he saw a dark, twisted creature with the skull of a horse in place of a head appear before him and speak to him in a raspy voice, telling him something about his method of curing meat. The barbarian did as any man worth his salt would do and split the fiend's head in two without blinking.

Unfortunately, said fiend was an entity known as The Lord of The Flies, a spirit of the earth that fought against the advent of plagues and diseases within the city. Soon enough, the ships from Tonta started bearing plague rats and the stench of deaths, and a certain barbarian was said to be on a quest to revive a god...

Hook 3 (Reece) - The Plaguesingers

As the Yellow Plague strikes down one in every four that catches it, the food crisis grows ever more urgent. Without farmers to collect the crops in the outskirts, the capital is struck with both plague and starvation. Those that are able to gather their meager crops are devastated to find much of the grain spoiled and ridden with weevils. The Church no longer attempts to send its clergy to treat the sick and dying, preferring instead to sequester themselves within their monasteries, away from the disease.

There is a story or a herald of this new end times. A bird-headed creature is seen out in the fog of the early mornings each time before the plague strikes a new city or town. Hearing tales of the creature, some have begun to craft masks after the creature's likeness. These fanatics have begun to worship the creature, hoping to find salvation in appeasing it.

Just as the plague worsens, a tide of people wearing these masks roves from city to city, singing The Plaguesong and turning the people against The Church, killing the clergy in retribution for abandoning them.

Little do the Plaguesingers as they are called know, the creature they seek salvation from is the cause of these nightmarish times. A demon hunter and a rogue priest of The Church wishes to stop further destruction, though they must face off against both the Plaguesingers, the angry commoners, and lesser fiends in service of the creature that is the cause of all the strife.

They could use some help.

Krooth

Any monster that has baked-in hooks makes our job way easier here at Beastfinder. The Krooth is such a beast. A strange amphibious/reptilian creature resembling a cross between a chameleon and some manner of dinosaur, the krooth is an ambush predator with some terrifying mating habits. Given that the male krooth is a bit of a, uh—"Hot commodity" in more ways than one, this fantasy animal lends itself very well to medium-level hunts or fetch quests.

This monster serves as a great reminder that the wider world is still dangerous, even for a higher-level party. How do the societies that inhabit the areas in or around your bogs and wetlands deal with the krooth population? Perhaps there are vanguards of around 8th level that already deal with them. Do local(ish) alchemists have established trade relationships with people in these locales? However your societies deal with these bloodthirsty monsters, fighting a krooth in an already alligator or dinosaur-infested bog is not something I envy your players for having to do.

- TJ

Hook 1 (Max) - The Hunt of Desires

The room is dark, the person who invited you obscured. They pour wine into ornate chalices set on the table. Their voice is raspy and tired.

"It is quite a delicate matter. You'd do wise to not talk about it in the open. The duke has been trying to produce an heir for the better part of the last five or so years, to no avail. Doctors said that there are no evident issues with either him or the duchess, so they've been trying various methods, again with little success. However, one of them suggested using a potent aphrodisiac produced by a curious reptile—known commonly as a krooth. It needs to be harvested in the mating season for it to prove effective, mind you. Fortunately, it just so happens that we have a male stalking the nearby swampland. There is a slight issue. Namely, a pack of females has already caught his scent and is on its way there—you'd better hurry before they get to him."

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Scaleslicer's Test

To enter the inner circle of Scaleslicers—a group of sacred warriors committed to battling reptilian threats, be they dragons, naga, or just very big lizards—a prospective member needs to pass a grueling, night-long ritual of battle.

In the midst of the krooth mating season, they are to tasked to slay a large male, cut out his scent glands, and mark themselves with the musk that then throws females into a murderous frenzy.

Be it through battling them, avoiding them, or even sheer luck, those who live to see the dawn become the Scaleslicers' elite.

Hook 3 (TJ) - Poaching, Over Easy

Hobgoblin krooth catchers don't take kindly to poachers. The krooth breeding grounds have long been sectioned off into approved hunting areas, split between the various companies that profit off of their alchemical properties. Any unaffiliated individual found battling a krooth may quickly find themselves surrounded by disapproving goblinoids who, more often than not, attempt to tip the battle in the krooth's favor. Accidents are easier to account for, they've found.

The fact that there is a poacher that continuously evades their patrols infuriates the hobgoblin catching crews to no end. A large monetary reward has been placed on the head of the "Krooth Shadow," along with a lesser reward on any information of their whereabouts.

Keketar

As the ruling caste of the Proteans, Keketars embody the virtues of chaos. These serpentine, dragon-like beasts adjudicate quarrels and disputes among their kin, not without a degree of volatility, a trait greatly respected in Protean society.

Okay, this is nice. But what do they do? Turns out, quite a lot.

To start with its passives, Protean Anatomy grants them a neat resistance to damage along with immunity to being polymorphed (which I find ironic). Spatial Riptide is a good way to give the creature some innate crowd control (highly situational, though. Stick with the benefits of Reshape Reality.) The keketar boasts considerable speed in almost all departments, which—combined with constant freedom of movement—makes it a very mobile contender. 

Its melee attacks deal ample damage, all of them having reach ranging from 10 to 15 ft. (which is important when you consider that the Keketar also has the coveted Attack of Opportunity reaction). Its Strikes also apply either grab or warpwave strike, which adds a dash of unpredictability to this creature of chaos. It also has a plethora of spells at its disposal. Its spells generally work well to change either the status of the combatants or the battlefield itself. One to take a special note of is hallucinatory terrain. This meshes with its Reshape Reality ability, making the illusion have actual substance. Lastly, its Change Shape action allows to take on the appearance of any Huge or smaller creature, allowing for Keketar to potentially pose as another being, should it find it necessary.

-Max

Hook 1 (Max) - The Guardian of Greyfjord

The desperate soul often seeks refuge in deference to a higher power. And just as often the higher power is willing and ready to exploit it.

Greyfjord had seen better days, as the crops and stock died out over the last couple seasons, nearly bringing the town to utter ruin. As it is, it remains a shadow of its former self.

Dragons are seldom seen in these parts.  These majestic reptile are associated with good fortune in their tradition, and as such the locals were overjoyed to have heard of recent sightings. The beast, quite intelligent and cunning, quickly took to its role as Greyfjord's protector and patron deity, giving advice and favors in exchange for... extravagant tributes, ranging from fair maidens to hand-made jewelry.

The fact that it is not a dragon at all seems to be of little importance to everyone involved.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Voice of Change

A keketar, one of the High Priests of Chaos known as the Voice of Change, has decided that time has been moving in one direction for far too long. It has started a multi-planar rebellion in order to change that.

Both Heaven and Hell are on a desperate recruitment spree, and an experienced group of heroes find themselves working alongside their longtime rivals. Of course, should they help the keketar, the rivalry—born of a misguided arrow and a painful death—might be erased in time...

Hook 3 (TJ) - The Coming Chaos

The oligarchy of Centerpointe is meticulously organized. Every building is properly in its row, not a stone is out of place. The lives of the inhabitants are monitored just as closely. Every motion, interaction, and event is recorded. As long as it is within allowable parameters, residents are left relatively unbothered. Any deviation from the prescribed order, however, is met with swift retribution.

Those that are cast out are quickly contacted by an entity known only as The Coming Chaos. Speaking in half-rhymes and scrambled thoughts, The Coming Chaos, a large, serpentine, constantly shifting beast, has begun laying out a plan to undo the chokehold of order that the governing powers of Centerpointe have over their citizens and it is anything but predictable.

Jungle Drake

Jungle Drakes are thought to be the lesser cousins of green dragons. It makes sense, especially when one takes into account their affinity for forest areas, as well as their natural cunning. This species of drake prefers to utilize ambush tactics to capture their prey, launching at it from atop the trees, not necessarily killing it on the spot, but rather taking it away to its lair to gnaw on it later.

Its abilities perfectly mirror this style. The drake, of course, has all the signature moves of its kin—Draconic Frenzy and Speed Surge—that allow for it to be more aggressive and get out of a sticky situation if need be. Besides that, it focuses on controlling the battlefield. The jungle drake has an attack of opportunity that can poison the target, its venom imparts the enfeebled status that makes it harder for their prey to escape the grapple the beast needs to carry them away.

So next time your party is trekking through a jungle, make sure they look up.

- Max

Hook 1 (Max) - Wandering Wonders

Doctor Paracelsus' Cabinet of Curiosities is in town! The self-proclaimed physician boasts an impressive collection indeed, all described on a fancy flyer he gives out on any occasion.

Visit Paracelsus' exhibition of wonders!

See the legendary giant wondersmiths of the far northern reaches at work! The famed snakedancers from the sunken temples! Patty the Singing Parrot! Behold the sight of a real Philosopher's Stone and see it turn mercury into gold!*

And last but not least, behold a real-life green dragon, subdued by yours truly, a ravenous beast that laid waste to the great jungles of the south!

*Service provided at an additional cost.

Hook 2 (Reece) - Six Kings War

Deep within the Hidden Isles are the remains of a fractured continent. When the world nearly ended the last time, the small landmass was cracked apart, splintering the once-great Seven Kingdoms Alliance. With the loss of the most powerful of the Seven, Nukaan, the six remaining kingdoms have remained isolated from one another for several generations.

When the seas finally ceased boiling and travel was safe between the kingdoms, the people of the Six Kingdoms found themselves living in an isle of strangers. Differences in interests and cultural divides created a rift between the jungle islands who are now locked in a periodic civil war that threatens to destroy them all.

The Umakaan, seeking some upper hand against its neighboring cities, have found a way to leverage the local wildlife to their advantage. Their isle is both the largest and the most hostile, home to creatures much larger than anywhere else in the isles. Tek'uma, the Archdruid of War, has finally found a way to tame the most dangerous of all the local beasts—the jungle drake. Now armed with the power of flight, the Umakaan have become the greatest power of the Six Kingdoms, and their prowess may be enough to unite the other kingdoms, either with or against them...

Hook 3 (TJ) - Hungry Hungry Hippogriff

The Isles of Matridos are home to many creatures that enjoy more tropical climates. Chief among them is the yellow-throated striped hippogriff. A cross between a toucan and an okapi, the yellow-throated striped hippogriff is difficult to miss. As they fly through the trees to gather fruits or rustle through the underbrush to eat foliage, they make an interesting sight. It's difficult to imagine that the island has enough to feed these large avian creatures.

The local gillmen think that this hippogriff variant is bad luck, and this is far from general superstition. The yellow-throated striped hippogriff is a favored meal of the drakes that inhabit the Isles. Many hunting parties have returned empty-handed with fewer numbers than they left with. Some of the gillmen swear the drakes could be reasoned with, but few are willing to attempt it, and of those few, none have succeeded.

Iron Golem

A titan of pure iron and magic, the Iron Golem packs a wicked punch (and halitosis to boot). I love golems and constructs of all kinds. If you haven't gathered that yet, you will.

I'm conflicted when it comes to the use of golems, though. On the one hand, I love surprising players with these mindless guardians (also I just love them a lot in general okay).

On the other hand, they're immune to an awful lot. Their vulnerabilities always seem to be something seldom available. In the case of the iron golem, being able to deactivate its breath weapon for 1 minute (basically the entire fight) is huge! However, that vulnerability is tied to neutralize poison, which I've never had anyone prepare or learn. It's also vulnerable to rust, which, outside of waving a rust monster antenna at it or having a primal caster for rusting grasp, isn't easy to accomplish RAW.

These are by no means reasons to not use the iron golem. It's the perfect monster to complement a mad wizard, a secret laboratory, or a ruin lost since the Iron Age. A merchant selling scrolls of neutralize poison outside of an iron golem's locale would be interesting if the party was too low of a level to properly fight it. Disable its breath weapon and run! It's not very fast, I'm sure your party can probably make it!

I mean, come on, it's a golem! You should use it in any instance that you can. Lucky for you, you've come to Beastfinder, and providing instances to use monsters is exactly what we do.

-TJ

Hook 1 (Max) - Iron Maiden

The small mining town of Coalsmine has been seeing a lot of commerce and travelers in the last couple of years. The reason? A discovery their workers made underground that has been since maintained by the local wizard, an ancient construct of considerable power.

"Come test your mettle against Iron Maiden!" all sorts of mercenaries and vagabonds are urged. The townsfolk, being clever as they are, charge a hefty sum for everyone who passes through that wants to try their hand in single combat against the golem. This has worked out surprisingly well for the people of Coalsmine, as they've seen a great upturn in their profits. Not many combatants manage to win and if they do, repairing the contraption proves an easy matter.

Rules of the challenge are simple—one combatant at a time, no single-use items, the one who manages to walk off the arena wins. The possibility of death is high and the town does not cover any recovery costs.

The arena is quite big for one-on-one combat, approximately one hundred by one hundred feet, laden with sand and barren. Once the challenger enters it, comes forth the Iron Maiden. One could mistakenly take her for a normal golem, though that would be a great miscalculation, as with each failure she had been modified and upgraded to become the ultimate killing machine beyond her original capabilities.

Hook 2 (TJ) - Haywire Handlers

The smog of the smokebelchers is getting to be a real problem. Each of the Utheni guilds has suggested various solutions to said problem. The air-purifying automatons wandering the streets of Dren are a pet project of the Golemancers Guild; this doubles as their bid to solve the smog problem and as their submission to the Contest of the Steel Kings. If this iron golem schematic is approved for entry and subsequently wins the contest, the election of the Golemancers Guild to the Forgeseat will mark the first time in 74 cycles that a fledgling guild has succeeded.

The Machinists Guild does not recognize the Golemancers Guild as an independent entity. While their reasoning is not official, the general consensus is that—considering the Golemancers are an offshoot of the Machinists—the Machinists tentatively have the rights to Golemancer developments. When one of the iron golems goes haywire and begins spewing the toxins back into the Dren atmosphere, Jarmek Shattermace, the current Forgeseat, doesn't care whom the golem belongs to, he just wants it stopped. The ramifications for the Golemancers' Forgeseat application will have to wait.

Hook 3 (Reece) - To Sink or Swim

A new piece of dwarven technology has proven particularly deadly in the conflict between the Relendish Isles and The Grand Tyranny. So far, only one ship of its kind has been fielded, and it was a genuine terror during the fight at sea.

The dwarves are particularly recalcitrant when it comes to sharing the secrets of their forging techniques, so no one really understands how exactly they got it to work, though it has most assuredly been their finest contribution to the war effort, at least since the advent of cannons.

The warship—known simply as The Iron Lady—is a floating monstrosity of iron, bristling with cannons and twice the size of any normal galleon. The hull of the thing was so impenetrable that The Tyranny had only one choice—boarding.

Unfortunately for those involved, this was their greatest error. The forecastle of The Iron Lady is ostentatiously adorned with the iron reliefs of two dwarven women, or so the Tyrannymen thought. Upon boarding the ship the two statues lept to life, tearing through the boarding party before pulling down the boarding ship's mast using massive rune-laden chains. Now, each ship that attempts to board the unbreakable hulk is rebuffed and similarly struck down. One report notes that a ship was entirely overturned in the water, killing everyone on board.

The Tyranny has a plan, though, to destroy the weapon before it turns the tide of the war.

Why try to destroy the golems, when you can simply shove them overboard where they will sink into the deepest depths of the ocean?

Hyena, Hyaenodon

In most fantasy-esque settings, the presence of hyenas means there are also gnolls around. But you don't have to use them like that. A hyena's uncanny and creepy laughter, their ties to death and decay, in addition to the fact that they just plain look cool means you can get creative.

In combat, hyenas and their larger cousins are built for swarming tactics, working best in large packs where they can benefit from their positioning-related abilities. Both the Hyena and the Hyaenodon make great minions for any wandering bandits or nomadic peoples. Bear in mind that both are Animals, so they have no innate alignment and can be used as animal allies by groups of any alignment.

- Nemanja

Hook 1 (Max) - The Last Laugh

The savanna is a dangerous place to find yourself in, no matter the circumstances. There are a lot of things that can kill you, from predators stalking the terrain to rare diseases.

And then there's the Laughing Jack, the Cackling Stalker, who just so happens to be the biggest oddity around.

No one knows where he came from, but the simple fact of the matter is that he just is. What exactly that is? A big hyena. That laughs maniacally. All the time.

The laugh is what gave him his name and what makes him the most dangerous creature around these parts. "How come?" you might ask, "it's just laughing." Well, my dear traveler, the thing is, Jack's cackle appears to be contagious and not in the same way that the normal glee might be. It literally spreads like a disease. Once you hear it, you're most likely done for. You burst into laughter, tears streaking down your face and you laugh and laugh until your respiratory muscles fail and you suffocate, a stupid grin of amusement planted on your dead face.

Then Laughing Jack moves on, evermore cackling his mad cackle.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Sacrament of the Decaying God

A Hero's love has been tragically taken away from him.

In his grief, he is looking to pass into the Otherworld and bring back their soul.

To date, no one but the mad cultists of the Decaying God has pulled that off, and their methods are plainly disturbing. Namely, the cultists partake in odd rituals to mask themselves as hyenas that may pass back and forth through the gates undisturbed. That includes covering themselves in a mixture of ash and spit as well as consuming a psychedelic that puts them in a hysterical state so they emulate the animals through constant laughing. The most disturbing part of the ritual, however, is The Partaking.

During The Partaking, the cultists form a circle wherein each participant takes a bite of flesh from the person on their right.

While the ritual is fully consensual, whispers of man-flesh being addictive never truly die. Whether the Hero is willing to risk eternal damnation for his one true love must now be decided...

Hook 3 (Reece) - The Whispering Hunger

In the Ash Barrens east of The Burning Desert, the Hyena, not native to the land, has found itself a unique niche in the ecology of the land. They are particularly resistant to a plague that has been sweeping the local villages. The plague is, unfortunately for everyone involved except for the hyenas, not natural.

They call it The Plague of Whispering Hunger, mainly because when someone dies from it, others that are near to the corpse find themselves compelled to eat the flesh of the deceased, thereby infecting them. This strange disease has been wreaking havoc on the local population for over a generation, as it seems tied to some terrible demonic influence deep within the desert. Fortunately for both the hyenas and the locals, the hyenas—being animals immune to the temptations of demons—are perfectly capable of disposing of the corpses. All other methods—be they burial, burning, or otherwise—have not succeeded in sating The Whispering Hunger, as the whispers will only subside once the bones of been picked clean of flesh. The hyenas have been more than willing to oblige the free meals, and a strange symbiosis has emerged.

Some have even begun to keep hyenas as pets, expecting to feed their loved ones—or even their own corpse—to the family "dog". The strangeness of the situation is seen as repulsive by many outsiders, though those within the Ash Barrens find themselves preferring being consume upon death to the alternative—a rage-fueled madness that drives one to kill their neighbors and loved ones so that they too may consume their flesh, before quickly expiring as they waste away.

Horse

Horses. Yep. Nestled between pages and pages of fanciful creatures, we have the horse. Not just one horse, either. There are four different kinds of horses in Bestiary 1. No fire breathing, no flying speed, no bonus damage versus evil creatures—just a horse. We here at Beastfinder have a lot to say about the horse, much to the chagrin of our beloved editor. And why shouldn't we? We thought it was really funny. Chances are horses are much more ubiquitous in your setting than many other creatures.

So what do you use the horse for? They're a staple of travel. Sure, you could say "this is a horse-drawn carriage," or "this is what the stablemaster has available for travel rates." Pretty boring. Take the horse as an opportunity to explore your worldbuilding, but focus on nomenclature this time. Find a list of horse breeds and count how many are named based on the geographical region they're from. Go ahead. I'll wait.

There were a lot, weren't there? Maybe you see where I'm going with this. What do you call a Galacian pony when Galacia doesn't exist? A Russian Heavy Draft horse? A Clydesdale? Feel free to just go through and slap different names on these horses, but think about what that means about where they're from.

What about horses specific to your setting? Look at the Ryshadium from the Stormlight Archive. They are prized not only for their intelligence but also because of their ability to carry riders wearing Shardplate (fantasy power armor), the Rhyshadium is integral to the warfare presented in the early parts of the series because regular horses are just too weak. There are tons of different fantasy horse breeds in the Powder Mage series. One of the characters in the Gods of Blood and Powder trilogy knows every horse breed there is, given his career as a lancer. What sort of needs does your setting have for specialized beasts of burden?

You could go ahead and pass the horse by, only looking at it when one of your players comes up with a hare-brained scheme involving the horses they rented (you know the type). Will you need the statblock very often? Probably not. But take the chance to use it as a building block of your world. Do a little digging! The horse may be as integral to the foundation of your world as it was in ours.

-TJ

Hook 1 (Max) - Hooves the Horse

How the legendary troubadour wound up in the body of a horse remains a mystery to this day, though most speculate that he angered one too many powerful people. As it turns out, an artist can make do with what they got, no matter their appearance.

Hooves the Horse is extraordinarily well known, his name preceding him wherever he goes. He can dance and, with each stomp of his hooves, create highly enchanting tunes. He can also sing beautiful songs, recite epic poems and do a great many other things.

Despite enjoying a certain degree of notoriety, Hooves is searching for a way to return to his former body—even though he does not recall what it was or how he became a horse in the first place. Despite his lack of memory of his former life, he is quite certain that he must have been some great bard once upon a time.

But maybe, just maybe, he is merely a singing, dancing horse?

Hook 2 (TJ) - Caught Red Hooved

The owners at Cavront's Carriages are under investigation. Carriages owned by this company have been found destroyed on the roadside on numerous occasions. In each case, the passengers and coachmen have been massacred in what looks like an isolated stampede. The only other commonality is the bloody hoofprints leaving the scene, leading directly to the horse or horses attached to that evening's vehicle. Consistently, these animals seem unbothered by the blood rimming their hooves and whatever else happened that evening. 

Investigators are grasping at straws, suggesting everything from a horse-borne disease to a renegade druid mind-controlling these otherwise docile creatures. If they don't figure it out soon, Cavront's Carriages will be forced to close permanently and transportation options will suffer for it. As it is, the townspeople are already growing wary of any and all equine creatures within the town limits.

Hook 3 (Max) - Hard to Destroy Steed

The local barony is having an unusual issue. A single horse is wreaking immense havoc on both buildings and crops, showing no intention of stopping.

Not long ago, it was a regular stallion living its best life on the plains. That was, at least, until a group of mercenaries accidentally released some ancient spell from a nearby ruin. This led to the aforementioned incantation attaching itself to the poor animal.

Through it, it has gained two interesting abilities. Firstly, it can run at ludicrous speeds, reaching velocities so high that it can easily punch through stone walls. But how does it do it without turning into a bloody pulp? Well, the second part of the charm has made it impervious to all damage—both conventional weapons and magic. If anyone attempts to approach the beast, upon seeing them it simply gallops away, leaving behind a cloud of dust and ruin in its wake.

Hook 4 (TJ) - The Origin of Species

"Wh-what is that?"

"I'm glad you asked. Gaze upon it and tell me what you think."

"It seems to be... Like half of a centaur. No. Part of a hippogriff? The front half is clearly a partial hippocampus. Did you capture the steed of a gillman? It has the same structure to it... But only four limbs, unlike a centaur. No wings either, like a hippogriff would have. It's also lacking the gills of a hippocampus. It appears to be strong and sturdy. Impressive musculature. No fins or wings, so neither avian nor piscine in nature. It appears to be mammalian. You've made a... large, terrestrial mammal?"

"I'm very impressed. You've isolated many of the components that went into this creature. Strong, as you've said. Quick on its legs, just like a centaur. A mammal capable of grazing, easier to feed than the hippogriff, and no risk of a fall from a dangerous height. Terrestrial, unlike the hippocampus, with a little bit of training to ride, we could finally have an edge. Imagine a brigade of our brethren, all astride magnificent beasts just like this one, riding down our enemies. We could rule every square mile of inhabitable land, chase the gillmen back to the depths."

"This could be it. We... we could be kings! What will we call it?"

"I think I will call it... The Horse."

"...Really? That's it?"

Hook 5 (Nemanja) - Sons of Horse

Just when the Four Chieftains' Wars were becoming less bloody and intense, they appeared from the Vast, the endless plains beyond the Lands of Man.

They changed how wars were fought forever—every man, woman, and child in the Lands of Man knew how to ride, and battles were fought with endless variations of the mounted warrior.

This new enemy of ours though? Not a horse in sight. All of them are equipped with heavy armour and long, heavy pikes. They slaughtered us like pigs, though they tried to never hurt a single horse. Apparently, their leaders were twins who were cast out into the wilderness as children and a friggin mare raised them. A mare, I say.

Funnily enough, as they built a nation of castaways in that faraway hole of theirs, they also built a cult around their "mother". She's still around, by the way. Still kicking, some would say. Anyway, those religious freak soldiers of theirs? They believe that the old horse is connected to all of them and that she gives them strength beyond that of mortal men. It sure feels like they ain't wrong about that either.

So, if anyone could sneak back to the stable they call a palace and strike that old mare down, we just might stand a chance still...

Hook 6 (Nemanja) - Horse d'oeuvre

A group of Taiga Giants has kidnapped the mayor's daughter. They have promised to return her unharmed if the townsmen can deliver them at least two dozen highlands ponies. The tiny horses are, apparently, a favoured snack in giant culture, not meant to be consumed alive. Unfortunately for the giants, they are too large and not nearly dextrous enough to be able to catch them without harming them, at which point they are considered inedible.

Editor's Note: Oh you thought that just because we already had six hooks that the editor wasn't also going to write more completely unnecessary horse hooks? Well you're wrong, pal.

Hook 7 (Reece) - Breaking Badland

Old Man Trikar has a problem. He has been breeding horses for over 50 years and is known in the surrounding villages as the foremost expert on training the creatures. The Fey King of Horses is not overly pleased by Trikar's skill in subduing the majestic creatures, so he has decided to put the old man to the test. 

The Fey King has unleashed a Yunda Badlands Stallion into his paddock, and the damnable thing is beating on the other stallions and terrorizing the mares. They are foul-tempered and not easily broken, but Trikar thinks he can do it. He could, at least, if he could catch the sodden thing.

Yunda's are known to be twice as fast as any normal southlander horse and are near ten hands taller than even the strongest breeds. In his younger years he might've caught the beast, but with his old age—not to mention his missing leg—it's impossible for him to do alone.

He could really use the help, so long as you don't mind catching an oversized hoof.

And maybe the odd fire breath—they do that sometimes.

Hook 8 (Reece) - The Cube Rebellion

"You're kidding."

"No sir."

"They rebelled?"

"Yes sir."

"Pray tell, captain, how do horses rebel?"

"A mad druid has systemically awakened hundreds of them in the dead of night while most of the stablehands were asleep, sir."

"What exactly do rebelling horses want, captain? Are they joining the enemy or something?" 

"Ehm- No sir. They... Want soldier's pay, sir."

"What do they plan on buying?! They don't even have thumbs or coin purses!"

"They-" Captain Cadrus cleared his throat, looking visibly uncomfortable. "They want their pay in sugar cubes... Sir."

Hill Giant

The Hill Giant. Another, uh. Another big person. Hill Giants are probably what most of us think of regarding giants; big people who regularly perform raids against smaller people, so this should be pretty run-of-the-mill.

The quintessential giant, hill giants have a basic stat block. Like the Frost Giant, everything they can do is a single action. However, given a below-average intelligence modifier and canon implications that they have no trouble betraying their own kind, hill giants should probably not be presented the organized manner other giants might be. This might mean that your hill giants are easier to trick or mollify with treasure and promises than others of their kin.

Outside of the implications of raiding your settlements, what else changes about society due to the existence of giants? The hill giant is the lowest level giant other than the cave and wood giants and is probably the most likely to encounter, depending on your setting. Do they have their own settlement, as they do in The Silver Chair? Is it more Jack and the Beanstalk style? Maybe there's something that entraps each type of giant to their respective biome. Here again, you have my permission to take time to indulge in worldbuilding a bit to figure out how this (very large) piece of the puzzle fits into your world.

- TJ

Hook 1 (Max) - Run to the Hills

While traversing the area of Greyhills, take special heed, for the road is fit for travel—unless you like rocks being thrown your way.

A group of hill giants has found its way here and they are enjoying the spoils of their labor. That labor is actually quite complex for their kind; there is a certain spot along the road where the left side rises to a small cliff, while the right is a steep incline. When a group of unaware travelers finds themselves there, three giants upon the ridge start lobbing rocks and stones their way, obstructing the road both ahead and behind.

The first instinct of many people is to run down the incline—this is exactly what the giants want—there are several big pit traps there, concealed by sticks and turf. Even if anyone makes it past them, the bottom of the incline holds their final trap—a cave where a fourth giant lies in wait.

The coordination is unusual for the short-sighted hill giants. Could it be, perhaps, that some other party is coordinating—and profiting—from these attacks?

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - Leaving The Business

Himbaud is a hill giant, known as some of the best muscle money can buy in the magi-mob-controlled city of Orksbreath. He is also, apparently, looking to get out of the business; he is in too deep, owes too much, and is repeatedly given more dubious and questionable missions to carry out.

To that end, he has reached out to a group of private investigators with a substantial sum of money and enough accumulated evidence to bring down down the city's entire ruling class down, should they manage to sneak him out of the city. It goes without saying that getting to the safety of the Outer Land while trying to hide a 12-foot tall brute that has a nasty habit of getting very, very drunk all while the city's top assassins prowl the streets looking for him is anything but a simple task...

Hook 3 (TJ) - A Small Problem

Efforts have been made to integrate the giants of the High Hills into Renthra society. Between the armistice and settlement accords, it would seem negotiations are going well. The trade agreements, however, have ground to a halt. The giants have major issues with what the Renthra government has proposed.

The giants insist they need the right to mint their own coins. Not only do they control a good number of mines within the High Hills, they also complain that the Renthra currency is "too damned small." The Renthra guilds are up in arms about the giant's coinage proposal. While there are many political conversations about the governmental control of the minting process—how it provides security in trade, how those employed in the minting process are at risk, devaluation of already existing currency, and many other economic implications about this portion of the agreement—one practical question is of utmost importance to the merchants. 

How do you trade with coins that are the size of dinner plates?