Monster Monday - Last Laugh

Laughter echoed in the dark, just beyond the light from the party's fire. They stood around it, their backs to the dancing light as their gaze plumbed the murky depths for their assailants. One already lay amidst their camp, a hyena bearing ghastly, lethal wounds long before the heroes had even injured it. Blood-flecked foam filled the grotesque grins of both of its heads, each staring vacantly at the night sky above. Around the edge of the camp, more of the mocking creatures gathered, distinguishable by the lights of their eyes being just a touch too close together, the fetid stench of carrion that accompanied them, and the chorus of humorless chuckles that leaked from their maws.

Last Laugh, Illustrated by SethMonster

This putrid polycephalic predator perpetrates precarious pranks that are positively perilous prior to pulling prostrated prey to its pack to be pillaged and plundered of all personage.

I'm back with an original monster, gorgeously shown in all its gore and grotesquery by SethMonster while you can see the video for it over on the channel.

I'm a huge fan of gnolls (sorry, still getting use to kholo) in fantasy and hyenas in real life, but I'm an even greater fan of undead. For this creature, I combined those concepts to create the last laugh. I tried to keep it around an appropriate level for hyenas and kholos, but wanted it to be stronger than both versions of hyenas that we already have in-game (the hyena and hyenadon). With this being an undead version of such creatures, I wanted to represent some aspects of them in its overall kit, but they still have some tricks of their own up their sleeves. To start with, they feature Drag and Pack Attack from the baseline hyena. The former can help it set up for the latter, which I did debate on giving it a way to activate on its own, based on its two-headed nature. I settled for giving its jaws the agile trait instead as well as another ability that we'll talk about briefly. Before that, we do have the Bonecrunching Bite from the hyenadon. Aside from referencing one of the best Bayverse Decepticons, it also calls to mind my favorite hyena fun fact. That is, pound-for-pound, they have the strongest bite force in the animal kingdom. Naturally, I had to up the save on this higher-leveled hyena, using a save in between high and extreme DC given the fact that it only happens on a critical hit.

In the same vein as this ability but a bit more unique to the last laugh and its polycephaly, we have Crunch. This has some basis in a Rend effect but is based on the last laugh having latch onto a creature's limb with each head, which they then jerk in opposite directions. This breaks the target's arm or leg at the last laugh's discretion and inflicts an appropriate affliction. Now, the fantasy does break down a bit when the heroes can just fix it with a Treat Wounds, but this is only a level four creature, and I didn't want to get too punishing with what it could inflict. Speaking of which, the two heads laugh in hideous unison through the Cackle aura effect, which is effectively just dirge of doom slapped on a monster. Honestly, this was almost a reaction called Heckle for when players critically failed checks. This original concept was inspired by Statler and Waldorf of Muppets fame, but it didn't quite make the cut. Finishing off the last laugh's arsenal is the reaction that stood out as a bit more important to me, it's Smile of the Scavenging Spirit. This is what really lets it live up to its name, as it either bolsters its surviving companions or afflicts a foe with a serious case of the giggles, featuring a between high and extreme DC save.

As a fun, final tidbit, I had the last laugh's designed with two heads to make them a bit more distinct from a visual perspective. But it also circled around to some lore for my setting, where kholos follow the goddess of undeath and even try to emulate her herald with their own pets.

PF2e Last Laugh

Blue's D&D Last Laugh

ENCOUNTER HOOKS

Before jumping right into the encounter hooks, I actually have another creature coming up in a few weeks that is a fantastic partner for the last laugh. So look forward to that!

Hunting A-Party: Journeying through a savannah (or other appropriate region) leads to the party catching the unwelcome eye of a kholo hunting party. Whether the heroes are to be food or slaves, the make-up of the hunting party may be dependent on the level of the players. A kholo sergeant, bonekeeper, or another upcoming creation I might have waiting in the wings could have their favored last laugh pet alongside a scattering of kholo pragmatists or baseline hyenas. A higher level party might find themselves pitted against hyenadons, which still find themselves beholden to the barked orders of the smaller, undead hyena.

Two Heads Are Deader Than One: Outside of running a last laugh with other hyenas or kholo, it could appear as a group of undead, using its Knockdown and Drag abilities to make it easier for slower allies to catch up and lay into their victims. It could also prove a particularly grisly ally to ghouls who have the mental bandwidth to command the hounds and the paralysis to make it easier to drag prey back to the lair.

If you're interested in joining the discussion on what creatures/builds I'm working on or just discussing your own homebrew works, check out our Discord! If you want to get some teasers or help us get to our yet unlisted milestones for extra content, check out the Twitter.

Have a monstrous Monday and a happy Thanksgiving!