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Archives of Nethys
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Jabberwock

Few beasts have inspired as many legends, poems, songs, and myths, in as many cultures, as this bizarre draconic creature. Jabberwocks hail from the fey realm of the First World and are part of a group of powerful First World creatures known collectively as the Tane: living weapons for a war beyond mortal comprehension. Jabberwocks were among the first of the Tane, their kind making up one of the Five Beasts of Ending.

Like all members of the Tane, jabberwocks are living creatures who age, eat, drink, and sleep, but they don't reproduce normally. Instead, they're created directly by the godlike Eldest who rule the First World, and they serve at the pleasure (or frustration) of these capricious and mysterious entities. Believed to be the most powerful of all the Tane, jabberwocks are typically only ever created with one purpose: to wreak destruction and havoc upon the Universe. One of the Eldest might send a jabberwock to devastate a country, continent, or even entire world just to get revenge for some slight made against them by a single mortal. Sometimes, no specific insult or injury is required, as some of the Eldest resent the very existence of the Universe and periodically create jabberwocks simply to express the wrath of the First World against its younger, less chaotic sibling.

Once a jabberwock arrives in the Universe, their first order of business is to seek out a lair. They prefer dwelling in remote forest locations about a day's flight from civilization—the more dangerous the woodland to those who eventually come hunting them, the better!

The relationship between jabberwocks and vorpal weapons is the subject of much debate and speculation among scholars, and the various poems, songs, and legends about jabberwocks do little to clarify the issue, conflicting and diverging on this point. Some believe that vorpal weapons were first created specifically to combat jabberwocks, but others take the story a step further. Certain ancient myths hold that there might once have been only a single, unique jabberwock, so powerful that nothing could so much as scratch them—nothing, that is, except for the first vorpal sword, crafted for that very purpose. So epic was the resulting battle that it created strange echoes throughout reality, and as a result, these echoes, in the form of vorpal weapons, can now be found on many worlds. Those who subscribe to this belief claim that the jabberwocks seen today are but pale imitations of this proto-jabberwock, and they speculate that only the combined efforts of several Eldest would be sufficient to create such a creature again.

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Print Stat Block

Elite JabberwockCreature 24

Rare Huge Dragon Tane 
Source Feybound pg. 123
Elite Changes are marked. The +2 damage bonus to non-strike offensive abilities (+4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.
Recall Knowledge DC 53 (includes +5 from Rare) • Dragon (Arcana)
Perception +42; darkvision, scent (imprecise) 120 feet, truesight
Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Fey, Gnomish
Skills Acrobatics +42, Athletics +46, Intimidation +43, Nature +40, Survival +42
Str +11, Dex +7, Con +10, Int +4, Wis +9, Cha +8
Planar Acclimation The jabberwock always treats the plane they’re currently located on as their home plane.
AC 51; Fort +41, Ref +39, Will +42
HP 530, Regeneration 25 (deactivated by vorpal weapons; Immunities paralyzed, sleep; Resistances fire 20; Weaknesses vorpal fear, vorpal weapons 20
Frightful Presence (aura, emotion, fear, mental) 100 feet, DC 45Vorpal Fear A jabberwock damaged by a vorpal weapon becomes frightened 2 (frightened 4 on a critical hit).Claws That Catch [reaction] Trigger A creature within the jabberwock's reach uses a concentrate, manipulate, or move action; leaves a square during a move action; or makes a ranged attack; Effect The jabberwock makes a claw Strike against the triggering creature. If the Strike hits, the jabberwock disrupts the triggering action.
Speed 35 feet, fly 60 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +44 [+39/+34] (deadly 2d12, magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 4d12+2+19 piercingMelee [one-action] claw +44 [+40/+36] (agile, magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 4d8+2+19 slashing plus Improved GrabMelee [one-action] tail +44 [+39/+34] (magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 4d10+2+19 bludgeoning plus Improved KnockdownMelee [one-action] wing +42 [+38/+34] (agile, magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 4d8+2+19 bludgeoningRanged [one-action] eyes of flame +44 [+39/+34] (fire, magical, range increment 60 feet), Effect 10d6 fire plus 4d6 persistent firePrimal Innate Spells DC 45 (+4 dmg); Constant (10th) truesight
Burble [two-actions] The jabberwock creates a blast of strange noises and shouted nonsense in the various languages they know (and invariably some languages they don’t know), creating one of two effects. The jabberwock can’t Burble again for 1d4 rounds.Confusion (emotion, mental, primal) Each creature in a 60-foot emanation must succeed at a DC 48 Will save or become confused for 1d4 rounds.Jaws That Bite If the jabberwock attempts a jaws Strike and rolls a natural 19 on the attack roll, the Strike is a critical hit. This has no effect if the 19 would be a failure.Sonic Beam (primal, sonic) The jabberwock focuses their Burble into a 60-foot line of sonic energy that deals 24d6 sonic damage to creatures in the area (DC 48 basic Reflex save).Whiffling [reaction] (aura) Trigger The jabberwock Flies or makes a wing Strike; Effect The jabberwock’s wings whiffle, creating severe winds within a 30-foot emanation. These winds move outward from the jabberwock and persist until the start of the jabberwock’s next turn. During this time, flight of any kind in the emanation requires a successful DC 45 Acrobatics check to Maneuver in Flight, and creatures flying toward the jabberwock are moving through greater difficult terrain. Creatures on the ground in the emanation must succeed at a DC 45 Athletics check to approach the jabberwock.
Load Spell Descriptions

Sidebar - Treasure and Rewards Jabberwock Treasure

Jabberwocks have no interest in treasure for its own sake, but they gather objects of great value or power specifically to entice mortals into seeking them out. As a result, jabberwocks quickly amass impressive hoards of treasures taken from nearby areas.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Jabberwocks And Dragons

Although jabberwocks might fear vorpal weapons and are filled with rage against all mortal creatures, few things invite a jabberwock's wrath more than a dragon. Some scholars believe that in the same way the First World is believed to have been a template or “first draft” of the Universe, dragons were created in the likeness of jabberwocks. A jabberwock who learns of a nearby dragon will attempt to kill them to the exclusion of all other priorities.

Variant Jabberwocks

The Eldest have sometimes altered certain aspects of the jabberwocks they create. Some of the more notorious or legendary variant jabberwocks include the following.

Frumious Jabberwock: Frumious jabberwocks have two heads instead of one. They are 24th level and gain an extra action on each of their turns they can use only to make a jaws Strike.

Mimsy Jabberwock: Typically hailing from wintry regions of the First World, mimsy jabberwocks have glowing blue-white scales, resist cold instead of fire, and have eyes that burn with blue flames that deal cold damage instead of fire damage.

Slithy Jabberwock: Wreaking destruction beneath the waves, these sinuous jabberwocks are amphibious, have a swim Speed of 80 feet instead of the normal fly Speed, and don't have a wing Strike. A slithy jabberwock's Whiffling aura is activated whenever they Swim, make a tail Strike, or Burble.
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