Monster Monday - Kuarusepusu

The fighter grunted as he shielded his eyes against the flash radiating from the crystals lining the creature’s back. He held it in place as the serpentine beast lunged at him, deflecting its horn and attempting a strike in return. His sword bit into the tough hide of the creature, managing to draw blood before the beast pulled away with a gurgling growl. Elsewhere, he could see his companions staggering and blinking from the light reflected through the monster’s crystals. With a resolved grunt, he set his stance, ready to face the creature that reared back and roared, shattering crystals it had scattered about the battlefield previously. As its cry echoed into the sky, there was the distant rumble of thunder. The skies darkened as clouds began to gather, the air growing heavy with the feel of rain. Electricity flashed across the blanket of clouds as sparks began crackling between the crystals lining the kuarusepusu’s back, charged with the static in the air.

Serpentine in shape, this sinister stalker sends shocks and sunshine through its scattered shards to stun suspects before striking in a superb showcase.

Per a request, I have gone to the Frontiers of Monster Hunter to bring you a beast with entirely too many vowels to its name, the kuarusepusu! This strange creature is able to wield different elements depending on the weather, which is an aspect I sought to replicate here. I didn’t really follow any specific road map for the kuarusepusu’s design though it’s probably closest to a brute with its moderate Armor Class, high HP, and Strikes with a moderate attack bonus but high damage. However, the sheer number of other abilities in the kuarusepusu’s arsenal makes me question whether it’s really a brute.

Some of these abilities are pretty standard – on its own, Reactive Strike isn’t anything too crazy, and Savage Charge is a fairly straightforward ability. It’s an action compression effect akin to Pounce but I added the flourish trait and expanded it to include all of the kuarusepusu’s types of movement, which includes a swim Speed since they are leviathans that start their life in the water. Its arsenal starts getting a bit more unique with Scatter Shards, which is a buffing style of ability that I like, but rather than enhancing its attacks, it allows the kuarusepusu to spread around some crystals. I tried to make these unobtrusive as possible as I’m usually a little cautious about putting too much work on the GM. I think tracking the location of these and the duration before they destabilize isn’t too much, nor do I think their alternate effects are too hard to keep track of. In clear weather, this can potentially blind foes with an extreme DC (since it lacks damage), but in a storm, it deals unlimited use area damage with a high DC save. The fact that the kuarusepusu can spread this effect with each Strike causes Reactive Strike to increase in value.

In addition to allowing the crystals to destabilize on their own, the kuarusepusu can also unleash a Resounding Roar. Between its cooldown and limited effect, if it doesn’t have crystals spread, this can inflict stunned with a high DC Fortitude save. Perhaps more important is the fact that this roar can cause its crystals to detonate  The kuarusepusu can get a little bit more active with Refracted Rays, which deals limited use area damage at a high DC with the type changing depending on the weather. This is something that it’ll be difficult for the kuarusepusu to activate on its own, but if you’re the GM, you presumably have control and can thus cause the weather to change. Its Crystal Burst follows a similar idea except its sunny version deals in between limited and unlimited use area damage since it also has a blinding effect to it. This means that the kuarusepusu is armed with a wide range of area effects to unleash upon enemies, which kept me from using the brute road map entirely.

Pathfinder 2e:

Blue’s D&D 5e:

ENCOUNTER HOOKS

Shards in the Storm: The heroes encounter a storm druid or some sort of weather wizard who has brought a kuarusepusu under his thrall. The caster uses his magic to change the weather to better suit the kuarusepusu, cycling through damage types or effects as needed by the battle.

Wild Weather: The heroes come across a kuarusepusu in a setting wracked by unnatural weather. Somehow, the kuarusepusu has learned how to harness whatever unusual weather patterns these may be, allowing it to inflict different damage types or conditions depending on the nature of these effects.

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Have a monstrous Monday!