The Centipedes of Lake Biwa
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The Centipedes 2 of Lake Biwa Written by Chris A. Field Cover Illustration by: Nicholas Cloister (Monsters by Email) Interior Illustrations by: Blackhand Source, Monsters By Email, Purple Duck Games Photographs and Ukiyo-e images provided by Wikimedia Commons. Photograph of Lake Biwa by A. Giau All images are copyright their respective creators, and are used with permission. Fully Compatible with the PFRPG. Requires the D20 Modern Core Rulebook, Published by Wizards of the Coast The Shingen School, today, the Shingen School is mastered by Takeda’s unquiet ghost (LE male human samurai ghost Fighter Imazu, Shiga Prefecture 14/Omukame 10) that walks its halls, spear in hand. Built on the shores of the largest lake in Japan, Lake Biwa, the Shingen School trains the Lake Biwa arrogant and powerful breed of samurai knownSample fileThe massive Lake Biwa occupies nearly a third as Omukame. Known as the best sword and of Shiga’s landmass*. The lake effect snow makes the spear-men in modern Japan, a throwback to the winters long and especially brutal here, and storms are glorious days of samurai rule, the Omukame are fierce. Flashing lightning splits the sky, and the warriors without equal. And worst of all, these heavenly lights are reflected oddly in the frigid, black arrogant bastards, who replace their cocks with depths. Giant centipedes, most longer than a grown mighty centipedes, know it too….. man’s leg, but some larger than a bullet train car, are common along the shores after the sun goes down. The Shingen School dates back to sometime in the early 1100s, when General Locals stay away from the shoreline and bring Takeda Shingen disappeared from the mortal their dogs inside after dark. Nobody talks about it, but world to hone his prowess as both fighter and workers on the lateshift walk to their cars or trains in lover. Battling a monstrous centipede coiled in pairs or trios, as do barflies and clubbers. Only the the center of the lake, a monster as big as all the whore houses stay open late, lit with hot pink neon and world, General Shingen was barely victorious. certain the Omukake partying inside will pull up their He ate the great beast’s flesh, wore its shell as pants and protect them from anything that comes armor, and the students who came after him did scratching at the door. as well. Soon, almost against his will, General Shingen had founded a dojo. His dojo endured *larger than the real Japan’s Lake Biwa, which only long after his mortal form finally perished, and occupies about 1/6th of the prefecture wooden shrine on the forested floor with a The Biwa Centipede pagoda roof like a crashing wave. Beautiful, but nothing extraordinary. Unknown to the centipede-samurai who call the Shingen School home, the Elder Oni of But a few visitors find something other the Black Else have bred a new, and even larger than the wave-creasted shrine. Instead, they find and more horrific centipede. The Biwa Centipede a small home, that would not look out of place slumbers in treasure-laden caverns beneathSample the file in a Kyoto suburb. The modest home has water, lake. One day soon, its hunger will drive it out of power and wifi, all the modern conveniences, the lake, and the School will fall, as will the town despite the fact that no power lines have ever of Imazu, unless the gods are very, very kind. been laid on the island, nor water or gas mains. This is one of the many homes of the goddess Note: Black Japan’s gods are not that Benten. She is in residence rarely, and her kind. presence is announced by an unseasonable, cool fog. The home is a refuge for her and her few Chikubu Island, Lake trusted guests; the relentlessly modern goddess Biwa, Shiga Prefecture is likely to negotiate treaties with Black Japan’s other supernatural powers, conduct godly This small, forested island is one of the business with Black Japan’s other minor deities largest islands in the great, fresh water lake. The and the occasional, trust-worthy demon lord little visited is island is uninhabited, and is known during an all night Call of Duty: Black Ops primarily for its shrine to Benten, the sole female marathon. The lake’s monsters keep to their member of the Seven Lucky Gods of the Fukujin, damp holes when the goddess is in residence. and the goddess of water and wit. When tourists take a slow boat to the shrine on clear days, they see a well painted, scrupulously maintained 3 The Biwa Torii, The Biwa Centipede 4 Lake Biwa, - CR 23 Shiga Prefecture CE Colossal Vermin (Kaiju) XP 820,000 Biwa is far deeper than modern Init +7 Senses Darkvision 600 ft, Blindsense 120 ft, seismologists suspect, and far older than the Scent, Perception +25 four million years that science says the lake Languages Aklo, Japanese has existed. A permanent portal to the Black Aura Grave Stench (cloudkill, 20 ft radius, cannot be Else lies at the bottom of the lake. The Biwa dispelled, FORT DC 21 negates) Centipede lairs in the Black Else; it only Mind Destroying Length (100 ft, WILL DC 30 or emerges into the Earth Realm to hunt. become confused for 1d6 minutes, see text) Fortunately, it hunts rarely, only on the darkest nights of the year, when the rain Defense pours. AC 46 Touch 4 Flatfooted 44 (-8 size, +2 DEX, +42 natural) The Monsters of HP 38d8 + 418 hp (589 HP) Lake Biwa Regeneration 30 (human saliva) FORT +32 REF +15 WILL +22 In addition to the fearsome Biwa Defensive Abilities, ferocity, recovery Centipede itself, Lake Biwa and its environs Immune acid, ability damage, ability drain, death are home to an assortment of warped effects, disease, energy drain, mind-influencing insects, and twisted oni-bred creatures. effects These horrors emerge from a permanent Resist cold 30, electricity 30, negative energy 30, torii leading to the depths of the Black Else sonic 30 that lies somewhere beneath Lake Biwa’s Weakness Saliva Vulnerability chill waters. The following creatures from Bestiary I are especially common in the Offense region. SampleSpd 80 ft, fileClimb 80 ft, Swim 50 ft Melee +37/+32/+27/+22 leg slash (4d8 slashing plus • Aboleth (known as Isonade in Black +1d10 acid or 3d10 acid on a crit, 19-20/x4) plus + 37 Japan) bite (3d6 piercing, 18-20/x4 plus poison) • Assassin Vine • Basilisk Biwa Centipede Toxin • Bebelith Type: injury poison • Beetle, Giant Stag Save: FORT DC 30 • Centipede, Giant Frequency: 1/round for 8 rounds • Centipede, Swarm Effect: 1d4 CON • Chull Cure: 2 saves • Crocodile, Giant • Ettercap • Hydra • Retriever Challenge Size, Type and Core Concept Monster Rating Subtypes Kaiju, The Biwa Colossal CE Impossibly long centipede slumbering in an ancient lake CR 23 Centipede Vermin (Kaiju) Special Qualities Amphibious, Ferocity, Organization solitary and unique (though its lair Impossible Length, Massive Samplehosts file tens of thousands of lesser monstrous Spellcasting Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th centipedes of all sizes and Challenge Ratings) Concentration +29) Treasure quadruple standard (beneath the lake) Constant – Cloudkill (DC 21, cannot be dispelled) Special Abilities At Will – Greater Teleport (see text) Grave Stench (SU) The Biwa Centipede is surrounded by a. Statistics constant cloudkill effect that cannot be dispelled Str 37 Dex 15 Con 32 Int 8 Wis 28 Cha 10 (since it is a chemical, rather than a truly magical Base Atk +29 CMB +53 CMD 66 (cannot be reaction) that fills a 20 ft radius around the Biwa tripped) Centipede. These black vapors also provide the Feats Cleave, Great Cleave, Greater Overrun, Biwa Centipede with 20% concealment. Vermin Improved Initiative, Improved Overrun, Power are immune to the effects of this cloudkill aura. Attack Skills Perception +25, Swim +40 (Racial bonus This ability is suppressed when the Biwa +8 swim) Centipede is submerged, and for 1d4 rounds after it leaves the water. The gamemaster might allow Ecology players to figure out some scheme to artificially Environment any land or underwater (Lake suppress the chemical reactions causing this Biwa region, the Shiga Prefecture, Japan) cloud, doing so should require several Craft 5 (chemical/alchemy) or Knowledge (nature/earth Centipede with any divination effect, or views 6 & life sciences) checks at high DCs, as well as the Biwa Centipede from more than 100 ft some means of inciting whatever chemical distant, where its true length becomes apparent, reaction the players wish to invent. must succeed at a DC 30 WILL Save or become confused for 1d6 minutes. If the Biwa Centipede is slain, the cloudkill effect persists around its corpse for A creature who saves against this effect is 2d20 hours. During this time, the FORT Save immune to the Biwa Centipede’s mind DC for the effect increases by +1 per hour. At the destroying length for 24 hours. end of this period, the Biwa Centipede’s body rots away completely and the toxic vapors end. Not Quite Mindless (EX) Complete destruction of the corpse also ends this The Biwa Centipede is very nearly a effect. kami- a lesser deity. As such, though it is considered technically mindless, it has an Impossible Length (SU) Intelligence score and can speak, usually just to The Biwa Centipede’s length cannot be threaten, intimidate and demand tribute from scientifically measured, or even estimated. Its mortals. The Biwa Centipede does have a few length is obvious but cannot be accurately skill ranks and feats. calculated. It twists, bunches and twines in on itself sensuously. Poisoned Ghost of the Lake (SP) As a move equivalent action, the Biwa In game terms, the Biwa Centipede is Centipede can teleport to any place touched by considered to be adjacent to, and threatening Lake Biwa’s waters.