Monster Dossier

Cauthooj

Cauthooj CAUTHOOJ TREASURE Like magpies, cauthoojs are attracted to shiny baubles, and they often pick up choice treasures from their victims, depositin...

Level 12

Traits

nmediumbeast

Rules & statistics

Monster Profile

Perception

22

Senses

  • Type
    imprecise
    Name
    thoughtsense
    Range
    60

Languages

Languages
  • sylvan (can't speak any language)

Skills

Athletics
24
Stealth
25

Ability Mods

Str
6
Dex
4
Con
7
Int
-3
Wis
2
Cha
0

Defenses

Ac
33
Saving Throws
Fort
25
Ref
20
Will
18
Hp
  • Hp
    215
Resistances
  • Amount
    15
    Name
    sonic

Speed

Walk
35

Attacks

  • Range
    Melee
    Name
    beak
    Attack
    26
    Traits
    • agile
    • deadly
    • reach
    Damage
    2d12+12 piercing
    Types
    • piercing

Abilities

Top
  • Traits
    • divination
    • mental
    • occult
    Entries
    • The cauthooj senses a creatures mental essence at the listed ranged.
    Name
    Thoughtsense
Mid
  • Activity
    Number
    1
    Unit
    reaction
    Traits
    • move
    Trigger
    The cauthooj is the target of a melee
    Entries
    • Strike and is adjacent to another enemy that is also within the reach of the melee Strike. The cauthooj nimbly hops aside, redirecting the triggering Strike against the adjacent enemy. The cauthooj Stride||Strides up to half its Speed, and this movement does not trigger reactions.
    Name
    Hop-Dodge
Bot
  • Activity
    Number
    1
    Unit
    action
    Traits
    • mental
    • primal
    • sonic
    Entries
    • With subtle alterations in the pitch and tone of its song, the cauthooj directs one creature confused by its Warbling Song to make a Strike. This works like other Strike||Strikes made by confused creatures, except that the cauthooj chooses the target. If no target is in reach or range, or the creature is unable to Strike for any other reason, this ability has no effect.
    Name
    Staccato Strike
  • Activity
    Number
    2
    Unit
    action
    Traits
    • auditory
    • incapacitation
    • mental
    • primal
    Entries
    • The cauthooj gives a strange, ululating cry that causes nearby creatures to lash out violently and without control. Each creature within a 120-foot emanation that can hear the cauthooj must attempt a 32 Will save to resist the effect.
    • Type
      successDegree
      Entries
      Critical Success
      The target is unaffected and is temporarily immune for 1 minute.
      Success
      The target is unaffected.
      Failure
      The target is confused for 1 round.
      Critical Failure
      The target is confused for 1 round and immediately attacks itself (in the normal fashion for attacking oneself while confused). This Strike doesn't give the creature a flat check to recover from the confusion.
    Name
    Warbling Song

Background

Lore

Cauthooj

CAUTHOOJ TREASURE

Like magpies, cauthoojs are attracted to shiny baubles, and they often pick up choice treasures from their victims, depositing these trinkets in large piles in their lairs. Not all that glitters is gold, however, and adventurers will find as many colorful bits of string, broken mirror shards, and pieces of costume jewelry as they find coins, magic weapons, and other valuable treasures.

CAUTHOOJ LOCATIONS

Cauthoojs make their lairs in small caverns, alcoves, and similar out-of-the-way places, but claim large stretches of territory and wander many miles from their lairs in search of food. They often hunt in plains, prairies, and other large, open expanses.

These large, flightless birds are deceptively agile, considering their long bodies and awkward, hopping gait. Solitary predators, they use their hypnotic warbling song to drive prey into a wild frenzy, manipulating them into attacking one another so that the cauthooj can then feast on the remains.

Known to some scholars as the puppet master bird, and to others as the shrill shrike, cauthoojs are widely reviled by most intelligent humanoids, in part because the birds seem to prefer humanoids to other prey. Cauthooj sightings typically lead to the creation of hunting parties to track the creature down before it can kill again, with would-be hunters typically stuffing their ears full of wax in an effort to avoid being affected by its cry. Those who have survived the creature's song report that the experience is uniquely unnerving, and almost all accounts agree that there is no other sound as terrible.

While one might assume the cauthooj is a dumb animal, these creatures are in fact quite a bit smarter than they look. Cauthoojs stalk the perimeter of remote settlements in hopes of finding a lone traveler they can feast upon. These patient creatures will wait in ambush as long as they must to sate their hunger. They can even understand a few rudimentary words in Sylvan, although they are incapable of clearly speaking themselves. This doesn't stop the cauthooj from attempting to mimic the sounds it hears, but when it does so, its eerie primal nature enhances the attempt, leading to the bird's signature ability to manipulate minds and encourage conflict, a trait the cauthooj is just barely smart enough to understand—and enjoy.