I started writing a martial arts tournament-based adventure and realized that while Pathfinder is great about drawing upon monsters from other cultures, they still miss a few classics. Now this adventure is in Pathfinder Second Edition so while I've done a couple conversions (such as the kappa and akaname), I have had to make some new stuff. Reaching into Japanese folklore and mythology, say hello to but don't answer any question of the kuchisake-onna.
The kuchisake-onna seems to be a relatively new creature in Japanese folklore with claims of it having taken root somewhere in the 17th to 19th century though it wasn't mentioned in print until 1979. This makes it a relatively modern monster to adapt into a typical fantasy setting, but I think it's still a really cool one and I definitely wanted to try. In the lore, the kuchisake-onna is described as an onyro, which is a vengeful spirit. Despite this, stories about the kuchisake-onna tend to have her be physical, so I decided against making her an incorporeal undead (though now I'm thinking of a version of this creature that deals Charisma damage, enviously and furiously damaging the faces of those who go unmutilated unlike her). She is also a relatively straight forward monster - she asks her question and then either kills you or waits a bit and then kills you. The biggest deviation seems to come from the tricks that can ward her off.
When it came to building the actual monster, I knew I wanted a low-mid threat. Undead was obvious and I had decided against the idea of making her incorporeal. She needs to be able to approach people without immediately alarming them, so I gave her some stuff in her Disguise skill as well as the Mortal Guise ability, which is based off the hupia's 'Misdirected Appearance.' I buffed the damage on her bite a bit to show off the extent of a chunk she can take off a person and then added claws to help round out her damage. Naturally, the big part of a kuchisake-onna's lore is her revealing her face to terrify people, so I wanted to incorporate that and added in her Reveal Face, basing it somewhat off of Dazzling Display. Wanting an ability that channeled her fury at her death and mutilation, I included Disfigure to represent that.
Pathfinder First Edition Version:
As mentioned, I created this monster for a Pathfinder Second Edition game - so the following 2e version actually came first - though I was even doing revisions at the last minute. Originally, Reveal Face let her show off her face to roll Intimidation for initiative and while neat, that felt lacking to me. Ultimately, I ended up combing the hobgoblin general's Battle Cry with the frilled lizardfolk's Threatening Approach. I included Human Guise to let her use Disguise to pass as a living humanoid. I decided a fan, sharpened by her hatred and will, served as a good weapon for her since she could hide her face behind it. You can also rule it as something only she can really use - the heroes can pick it up, but it's just an improvised weapon to them without her undead might flowing into it. Honestly, I probably should have just swapped it out with a claw attack and I still just might if I make any further modifications. I did limit her Disfigure to slashing weapons and then because I really wanted to play up her connection to fear, I looked into the hobgoblin's Remorseless Lash to make her Striking Fear.
Pathfinder Second Edition Version:
Rasconza's Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition Version:
ENCOUNTERS
Winning Smile: The heroes have become regulars at a local bar and may have even become friends with some of the workers there. One day, a waitress at the tavern disappears and a few days later, strange killings begin happening around town. Once the heroes track down the kuchisake-onna that the once friendly waitress has become, they are forced to slay the piteous undead. However, there is more than just an unfortunate end to the waitress – her death was deliberate and the heroes can investigate it to uncover the true villain that killed her.
Smiles for Miles: For years, a kuchisake-onna has haunted a lonely road, brutally murdering travelers along it and leaving them as mutilated corpses. However, these deaths caused people to stop using the road, leaving her with a shortage of victims. The heroes are tasked by a local authority to clear the road, but the kuchisake-onna has moved on in search of new prey. While the heroes can discover her lair, along with some new creatures that may have moved in, they must track her to a larger settlement along the road. The community has been experiencing deaths that are strikingly similar to the murders that used to happen along the road. Having developed an interest in roving, the kuchisake-onna becomes a wandering killer that the heroes must hunt down and destroy.
Trying to get a bit more in-depth on the blog here by going deeper into the design process and including links to things I'm referencing. Please let me know what you think - should I keep doing it? Is it just making the blog unnecessarily long? I'd love to hear your thoughts on some of the changes I'm doing.
If you want to share your thoughts on these changes, join the discussion of new monsters I'm working on, or just hang out and chat about general TTRPG homebrew stuff, then have we got a Discord server for you! Come join us at the Monster Monday Discord, and tell us your ideas for monsters, items, maybe even homebrew classes.
Have a Monstrous Monday!