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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardKrampus

Krampus is a tall, goatlike humanoid with a pointed nose, swept-back horns, and hooved feet. His long, greasy tongue continually flickers out from his mouth, occasionally licking droplets of spittle from his dark brown fur. He wields a set of iron chains that act as an extension of his will. Krampus is never seen without a wicker basket draped over one shoulder, its bottom often stained with the blood of his victims. Krampus stands a little over 14 feet tall and weighs nearly 1,000 pounds.

Krampus's origin is unknown; residents of the small towns and villages he terrorizes in northern Irrisen believe the creature has always existed, coming forth once a year to punish those he deems wicked. While many legends have been told about Krampus's beginning, the most popular of them starts with a handful of mountain towns under the protection of a circle of druids. After a series of harsh winters that the townsfolk barely survived, they began to doubt the power of the druids and their rituals. As the villagers grew more resentful, the druid circle took drastic action. Under the light of a blue moon, the druids opened an imperfect portal to the primal realm of the fey and called forth the most powerful spiritual essence they could, and a new creature was born—Krampus. However, unknown to the druids, the portal had been corrupted by the villagers' bitter resentment and doubt. Instead of a central figure to lead them in winter celebrations, as they had hoped, the druids had spawned a monster who sought to punish those who had behaved selfishly during lean times.

Recognizing their error, the druids sought to banish their creation. They tracked Krampus down as he slept and shackled him in cold iron chains, hoping to subdue him and force him back to the First World. But Krampus was no fey, and cold iron held no power over him. When he awoke, he ripped the chains free, claimed them as his own, and tracked down the druids who had dared try to capture him. After their betrayal, Krampus can see no good in any mortal and longs only to punish the wicked for their selfish misdeeds.

To this day, Krampus takes vicious delight in transforming his victims into the petulant children before killing them, and no manner of sacrifice can appease him. Luckily for any nearby villages, Krampus stalks their streets but once a year.

Locals believe that Krampus makes his lair among the deep crevasses of ice somewhere within the Winterwall Glacier, which lines Avistan's northernmost reaches. No adventurer has yet braved the treacherous expanse to find and defeat him.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 52
Unspecific Lore: DC 50
Specific Lore: DC 47

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

KrampusCreature 21

Legacy Content

Unique NE Large Humanoid 
Source Bestiary 3 pg. 154
Perception +17; blizzard sight, scent (imprecise) 60 feet, see invisibility
Languages Common; tongues
Skills Acrobatics +15, Athletics +18, Festival Lore +14, Intimidation +21, Society +14, Stealth +18, Survival +17
Str +10, Dex +7, Con +10, Int +6, Wis +6, Cha +10
Blizzard Sight Krampus ignores circumstance penalties to visual Perception checks due to ice or snow, as well as concealment due to ice or snow.
Items +3 greater striking cold iron spiked chain
AC 25; Fort +18, Ref +13, Will +14
HP 380; Immunities cold, death effects; Resistances physical 20; Weaknesses good 15
Frightful Presence (aura, emotion, fear, mental) 120 feet, DC 21Limited Immortality Though Krampus still needs to eat, drink, and sleep, he doesn't age and can't die of old age. If Krampus is killed, a new Krampus forms elsewhere in the world after a year's time. The new Krampus retains the memories of the previous iteration and likely holds a grudge against whoever killed him the year before. If a method to disrupt this cycle exists, it has yet to be discovered by mortals.
Speed 60 feet; air walk, snowstep
Melee [one-action] spiked chain +21 [+16/+11] (disarm, evil, finesse, magical, reach 60 feet, trip), Damage 3d8+18 slashing plus Improved GrabMelee [one-action] claw +20 [+16/+12] (agile, magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 4d6+25 slashing plus Improved GrabMelee [one-action] horn +20 [+15/+10] (magical), Damage 4d10+25 piercingPrimal Innate Spells DC 21, attack +13; 9th baleful polymorph (×2), cone of cold (×2), wall of ice; Cantrips (10th) dancing lights, ray of frost, sigil, tanglefoot; Constant (9th) air walk, see invisibility, tongues
Capture [one-action] (attack) Requirements Krampus has a Medium or smaller creature grabbed; Effect Krampus attempts to stuff the grabbed creature into his basket, attempting an Athletics check against the target's Reflex DC. If he succeeds, the creature is shoved into Krampus's basket and Krampus's spiked chain or claw is freed for future Strikes.
The captured creature is grabbed, slowed 1, and subjected to Krampus's regression ability (see below) at the start of each round it is captured. If the victim Escapes (DC 27), it climbs out of the basket. A captured creature can attack the interior of the basket, but only with unarmed attacks or weapons of light Bulk or less, against an AC of 40. If the captured creature deals 40 slashing or piercing damage, the basket is broken and all the creatures inside spill out. A creature that gets free by either Escaping or by someone breaking the basket is deposited in a square of their choosing adjacent to Krampus.
The basket is an extradimensional space, so the weight of the creatures within doesn't count against Krampus's Bulk limit. Up to four Small creatures or two Medium creatures can fit in the basket at one time. Krampus can Repair the basket as a 2-action activity that doesn't require tools. If the basket is lost or destroyed, Krampus can create a new one with 1 hour of work. The basket functions as a normal sack if used by anyone other than Krampus.Punish the Naughty [one-action] (concentrate) Krampus designates a single target he can see as “naughty.” He gains a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks when he Seeks the naughty target and a +2 circumstance bonus to Survival checks to Track the naughty target. On melee attacks against the naughty target, Krampus's spiked chain gains the agile trait. In addition, when Krampus Grabs the naughty target, he can attempt to Capture them as a free action. Krampus can have only one naughty target at a time.Regression (curse, polymorph, primal, transmutation) A creature that starts their turn Captured in Krampus's basket must attempt a DC 23 Fortitude save or be regressed back to their childhood. The target shrinks one size. In addition, all of the target's proficiencies of expert and better are reduced to trained, which might restrict the use of certain feats. The effect persists for 24 hours, after which the target regains their normal size and their proficiencies return to normal. A creature currently under the effects of regression can't be further affected by this ability.Snowstep Krampus ignores difficult terrain and greater difficult terrain caused by snow and ice, and he leaves no tracks when moving through areas of snow or ice.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Tarnished Festivities

Celebrations are the lifeblood of any community's morale, but especially so in frigid northern climes where the days are short and food is scarce. Here, holidays involve lighting fires, sharing meals, giving gifts, and forgiving grudges. Tales of Krampus remind children (and adults) of the price to be paid for acting against the spirit of such festivities.

The Horned Miser

While Krampus is most infamous for tracking and punishing the naughty, his own sins often inform his vindictive responses to others' misdeeds. An incarnation of Krampus who arose from irrepressible greed might possess abilities that better reflect his fierce miserly behavior, emphasizing less the abduction of miscreants and more the disproportionate punishment of thieves and robbers. Such a variant Krampus might arise in different cultures that tell different stories about Krampus, or Krampus's powers and nature might drift between incarnations each time he is defeated and arises anew elsewhere in the world the following year. In these cultures or incarnations, Krampus represents a remorseless yet generous spirit who's willing to grant boons to the truly worthy while tormenting any who fail his morality tests.

Unfortunately for people in regions terrorized by this Krampus, his definition of “any who fail his morality tests” tend to be nearly everyone but the most innocent and generous of people. Such a greedy Krampus lacks the Regression ability, and his Punish the Naughty ability gains the following Prerequisite: “Krampus can sense the target with his thief scent.” The Horned Miser variant also gains the following abilities, in addition to the remaining Krampus abilities.

Thief Scent Krampus can perceive anyone who has ever stolen or moved one of his possessions, using scent as an imprecise sense with a range of 1 mile.

Bountiful Bag Krampus carries a large bag brimming with barely contained gifts and trinkets, including one of every common item with the consumable trait of levels 1 to 20, at least 20 golden rod memento, and an assortment of food and valuables. Once every 24 hours, the bag's contents magically regenerate, replacing any of these items that have been removed. Krampus can Interact with the bag to stow or withdraw items, always finding the desired stored item at the top of the bag. The bag is an extradimensional space, so the weight of its contents doesn't count against Krampus's Bulk limit. The bag functions as a normal sack if used by anyone other than Krampus, and if the bag is stolen or Krampus is slain, the bag retains only 2d4 random common consumable items of 16th level or higher.

A creature can use Disarm or Steal to extract a consumable item from Krampus's bag. As part of the action, the creature can envision a specific item it wants to extract. On a success, the creature Disarms or Steals the object and rolls a DC 13 flat check.
Success The creature Disarms or Steals the envisioned object. If the creature didn't envision an object, it Disarms or Steals a random common consumable item of a level at least half the creature's level.
Failure The creature Disarms or Steals a random common consumable item of a level at least half the creature's level.
Critical Failure The creature Disarms or Steals a golden rod memento instead of a consumable item.

Crushing Avarice Krampus's greed is so great that expending any of his wealth causes him to become physically ill and potentially nauseous. Whenever Krampus uses a consumable item from his bountiful bag, or when he witnesses one of his possessions stolen, he must attempt a DC 23 Will save.
Success Krampus is unaffected.
Failure Krampus becomes sickened 1.
Critical Failure Krampus becomes sickened 2.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Using Krampus

Though Krampus makes an excellent antagonist for a holiday-themed campaign or one-shot, this cruel and ferocious being need not be confined to yuletide adventures. Krampus can terrorize any wintry locale yearlong, putting the frightened citizens in need of powerful heroes to discover his lair and put an end to the threat. Snow and ice should feature prominently in such games, but tinsel, holly, and brightly wrapped presents aren't necessary