The Giant Songbird
Recently I’ve come to live in a new, somewhat more rural location, and have come to really appreciate the presence of birds every morning. While I’ve been used to the relentless cawing of crows my whole life, I’ve only just had the pleasure of waking up to the soft and pleasant sounds of the myriad different birds which flit about our garden. It’s really something to hear and inspired this week’s Exotic Encounters. Meet the ferocious giant songbird, and prepare to be sung into submission!
Giant Songbird
The beautiful winged creature before you resembles a typical bird, with long gleaming feathers, big bright eyes, and a long pointed beak. The creature’s chest puffs out from its body, and as it opens its beak, a glorious song emanates from within the creature, overwhelming your senses.
GIANT SONGBIRD CR 6
XP 2,400
CN Large magical beast
Init +6; Senses Perception +11
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 15, flat-footed 10 (+6 Dex, +1 natural, -1 size)
hp 76 (8d10+32)
Fort +9, Ref +12, Will +2
Defensive Abilities musical mind
OFFENSE
Speed 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (good)
Melee bite +9 (1d8+3)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks lullaby, song of bewilderment
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 22, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 16
Base Atk +8; CMB +11; CMD 27
Feats Ability Focus (lullaby, song of bewilderment), Power Attack, Toughness
Skills Fly +21, Perception +11, Stealth +17
Languages Common
ECOLOGY
Environment temperate forests
Organization solitary, pair, or nest (1-2 plus 3-4 non combatant hatchlings)
Treasure none
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Lullaby (Su): A giant songbird has the ability to sing a magically infused lullaby which can cause fatigue and even force characters to fall asleep. As a standard action, the giant songbird can sing a lullaby, causing each character within 30 feet to succeed on a Will save (DC 19) or become fatigued for 3 rounds. If a creature is already fatigued when he is affected by this ability, he instead becomes exhausted for 3 rounds and fatigued for 3 rounds after that. If a creature is already exhausted when he is affected by this ability, he instead falls unconscious for 3 hours. This is a sonic mind-affecting effect.
Musical Mind (Ex): Because of a giant songbird’s musical mindset, it is immune to the effects of bardic performance and gains a +2 bonus on all saving throws against sonic spells and effects.
Song of Bewilderment (Su): A giant songbird has the ability to sing a magical song which causes confusion and disorientation in those who hear it. As a full-round action, the giant songbird can sing a song of bewilderment, causing all characters within 30 feet to succeed on a Will save (DC 19) or gain the confused condition for 1d4 rounds. This is a sonic mind-affecting effect. A creature that succeeds on his saving throw is immune to this effect for 24 hours.
Ecology
Giant songbirds resemble their normal kin in all superficial ways, except for their great size. Because of this, giant songbirds have regionally diverse appearances, with those living in tropical climates being prone to bright colors and long feathers, while those in more temperate climates tend to be brown or gray and have much less exotic-looking feathers. Similarly, while all giant songbirds share a certain disposition for merriment and chaos, actual social patterns and cultures vary widely from region to region and tend to reflect the locals ideas of an unrestrained and dangerously chaotic society. While not universally the case, most giant songbirds get along well with fey creatures of all sorts and often form makeshift alliances with such creatures, with the aim of stealing from and pranking lesser beings. In such arrangements, usually the fey are the dominant party, though occasionally a giant songbird will become charismatic enough to lead a small band of fey raiders and plunderers.
Giant songbirds are intelligent and often enjoy elaborate, and sometimes life-threatening, pranks on ground-bound creatures. These pranks usually involve singing the land-bound creatures to sleep so that the giant songbird or his allies can steal from them or eat their food. Unfortunately, usually giant songbirds don’t realize the consequences of leaving unconscious humanoids in a wood full of hungry monsters. Giant songbirds employ a similar tactic when hunting, using their magical songs to disable their prey before moving in for the kill. While possessed of a song which can confuse others, giant songbirds rarely use this song unless threatened or angered, because of its obvious potential to cause damage.