The world of Monster Hunter is filled with a vast array of fun monster ideas, which is why I keep going back to it. I was drawn to this particular creature as I've always been partial to serpentine creatures in any form of media. The idea behind this creature is particularly neat with the array of abilities it possesses, so I am happy to present the najarala!
The najarala is an immense serpentine creature that is covered in thick, armor-like scales. It uses its ability to burrow to ambush prey, attacking swiftly before binding them in its coils and crushing them to death. It can dislodge scales along its body that it can then cause to detonate by rattling a frequency that causes them to violently shatter. If that wasn't enough, it also possesses a venomous bite, all of which added up to a real fun creature to build.
I actually built this creature on stream and discussed its basic design with Blue while doing so, helping to hammer out some abilities. Since I wanted this to be a burrowing creature, I wanted to give it tremorsense so that it could detect prey on the surface. I included DR 5/adamantine to represent the hardness of its scales and the difficulty in piercing through them without the proper materials but also made sure to add in its vulnerability to cold. For its attacks, I couldn't find much going for it beyond its bite, which inflicts a paralytic venom, and a tail slap, both of which have the ability to grab targets and drag them into the najarala's powerful coils where it can constrict them. The inclusion of burrowing breach came at Blue's suggestion during the stream as he was also watching a video of some fights against it and saw it doing this move where it erupted from the earth. However, the najarala's main trick is its ability to shed its scales, either as part of a ranged attack or as an undamaging spray, that it can then rattle to detonate them. Initially, the scales were higher damage and characters had to roll for each scale adjacent to them. However, that was far too much, so I lowered the damage and instead added the feature where more scales increases the damage. For feats, I selected largely general feats for it, but grabbed Skill Focus (Stealth) since its size causes it to take such a massive penalty to Stealth even though its supposed to be an ambush predator.
Pathfinder First Edition:
When it came to the PF2e version, this one I actually got to test out on a stream where it proved to be a little more effective than it should have been. Its Dorsal Deflection ability is a reaction based off of the stegosaurus but changing out the Step it would take for making the target flat-footed for a round as the attack rebounds off the najarala's body. From its initial envisioning, I lowered its resistance to physical, added the Grab ability to its tail Strike, and lowered the damage of its Rattle as described in the PF1e version. I also included the ability to break Scales, which I also did in PF1e, but the PCs never thought to try doing so.
Pathfinder Second Edition:
Blue's D&D 5e (https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/XSVlrnPq)
ENCOUNTER HOOKS
Death Rattle: A najarala has really gotten the taste for humanoid flesh and has taken up residence on an important mountain road, killing and eating those who cross through it. It has littered the road with its scales, spreading them throughout the area and allowing it to trigger explosions anywhere along the road. In addition, the najarala has dug tunnels along the road but leaves the earth precarious and ready to collapse. When faced with foes actually ready to face it, the najarala retreats into the tunnels in an attempt to lure victims in and then collapse the tunnels on them. If the heroes are able to pursue the najarala all the way to its den, they can claim the treasures it has collected from others that have tried to slay it.
Tunnel Snakes Rule!!: Recently, creatures from Underdark have been making their way to the surface, causing havoc and other damage. The heroes are brought in to get to the bottom of these attacks and can eventually trace it back to the subterranean creatures using tunnels left by a najarala that has developed a larger range than most of its kind. To stop the flow of foes, the heroes must track down the najarala and either relocate or slay it. They must then find some ways to collapse the tunnels it has already made before larger creatures or fiercer foes begin to emerge from down below.
Depending how this week turns out, the next monster is going to be an original idea or another monster drawn from Chinese mythology. If you want to join in on the discussion of monsters I'm making or just general homebrew stuff, come check out are Discord. I also post when I'm streaming there, but you can check my stuff out at my Twitch.
Have a Monstrous Monday!
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