The Bottle Oni
Today begins Alcohol Week, a week devoted to a substance as close to a magic potion as man has ever known. Since almost the dawn of human history, mankind has consumed alcohol in one form or another, and at the height of revelry, ancient (and overindulgent not-so-ancient) people have linked alcohol to spirits, gods or goddesses, and even to demons. It is fitting, then, that we kick off Alcohol Week with the bottle oni, sometimes called a shōjō or hsing-hsing. These brutish monsters, inspired by eastern folklore embody the dark side of alcohol and are engines of overdoing it.
Bottle Oni
The creature before you resembles a white ape, larger than a man, with the face of a human being. Its unshaven face is a bright red color, deepening to a burgundy at the cheeks, and its bright blue eyes shine with the light of far too much drink.
BOTTLE ONI CR 12
XP 19,200
CE Large outsider (native)
Init +8; Senses low-light vision; Perception -2
DEFENSE
AC 26, touch 13, flat-footed 22 (+4 Dex, +13 natural, –1 size)
hp 147 (14d10+70); Regeneration 10 (fire or acid)
Fort +14, Ref +13, Will +4
Defensive Abilities drunk mind
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft.
Melee 2 claws +20 (1d8+7) and tail slap +15 (1d8+3 plus grab)
Ranged fur shuriken +17/+12/+7 (1d6+7)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks constrict (1d8+7), kiss of drunkenness, rend (2 claws, 1d8+10), touch of intoxication, transmute liquid
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th)
Constant—freedom of movement
2/day—confusion (DC 21), slow poison
1/day—hero’s feast, irresistible dance (DC 25)
1/year—wish
STATISTICS
Str 24, Dex 18, Con 20, Int 10, Wis 6, Cha 24
Base Atk +14; CMB +22; CMD 36
Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Attack (claw), Iron Will, Mobility, Power Attack, Stealthy
Skills Acrobatics +21, Bluff +24, Climb +24, Intimidate +24, Sleight of Hand +21, Stealth +21
Languages Auran, Common, Giant
SQ bottle-locked, change shape (Medium or Large humanoids, alter self)
ECOLOGY
Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure standard
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Bottle-Locked (Su): A bottle oni is bound to a single bottle of liquor, which he is normally imprisoned in, and to which he returns when slain. These special liquor bottles always contain high quality alcohol and the bottle oni’s presence in the bottle causes strange and hideous sigils and runes to appear upon the surface of the glass, allowing it to be identified with a DC 15 Knowledge (arcana) or Knowledge (planes) check. As long as the bottle a bottle oni is imprisoned in remains closed, the bottle oni is trapped inside, unable to affect the material world. Once the bottle is opened, the bottle oni is required to grant the wish of whoever frees it, provided he is able to do so; if the bottle oni does not have a use of his wish spell-like ability available, he must serve whoever holds the bottle until he regains the use of his wish spell-like ability. Once the wish is granted, the bottle oni is free to do as he pleases, which usually includes killing the wisher and wreaking havoc.
A bottle oni is particularly difficult to kill, as its spirit is bound to the bottle. Once destroyed, the remains of a bottle oni transform into a clear liquid (unless utterly destroyed, such as with a disintegrate spell) and vanish within 1d4 minutes of its death, returning to the special bottle of liquor to which he is bound, where he recovers. When a bottle oni returns to his bottle, he becomes sealed with a waxen cap and filled with delicious, high quality liquor. After 1 week of resting in his bottle, the bottle oni is strong enough to escape his prison and can return to the material world as soon as the bottle is opened once again. A bottle oni can only be permanently slain by first consuming all the liquor within his bottle, and then feeding the bottle oni pure water from the bottle before its spirit has a chance to return to the bottle.
Change Shape (Sp): A bottle oni’s change shape ability functions like alter self, except that it has a permanent duration. Additionally, drunk creatures can see the bottle oni’s true form even while he is transformed using his change shape ability.
Drunk Mind (Su): As a spirit of alcohol, the bottle oni is constantly drunk, and thus is difficult to affect with abilities which attack its mind. A bottle oni receives a +2 bonus on Will saves against mind-affecting effects, and may roll twice and take the higher result when saving against mind-affecting spells and spell-like abilities (though not other mind-affecting effects).
Fur Shuriken (Ex): As a standard action, the bottle oni can create 25 shuriken from its fur, which function as standard, non-magical shuriken. The bottle oni can use this ability up to 3 times per day.
Kiss of Drunkenness (Su): A bottle oni can kiss a humanoid creature to fill the target with a lasting sense of intoxication. To kiss an unwilling creature, the bottle oni must make a touch attack which provokes attacks of opportunity. Once kissed, a humanoid creature must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 24) or become physically drunk, gaining the sickened condition. If the target fails the save, he must then succeed on a secondary Will save (DC 24) or become disoriented, causing the affected character to suffer a -4 penalty on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma-based skills, and to act as though confused during stressful situations such as combat (though the target may attempt a new Will save at the same DC at the end of each round during stressful situations in order to suppress this effect for 1 minute). These effects persist for 1 week, or until the bottle oni is slain or imprisoned.
Touch of Intoxication (Ex): A bottle oni’s claws are tipped with a potent alcohol-like venom. Creatures damaged by the bottle oni’s claw attack must succeed on a saving throw (DC 22) or become staggered for 1 round.
Transmute Liquid (Su): Once per day, a bottle oni’s magical nature allows him to touch any single body of liquid, up to 1,000 gallons, in order to transform it into an alcoholic version of itself. The liquid retains its normal properties, but becomes the equivalent of strong spirits when consumed.
Ecology
Bottle oni are malevolent and chaotic spirits of alcohol which are given strength and form by violent acts of passion enabled by excessive consumption of alcohol, or by deadly accidents involving drinking. While a bottle oni’s true form is hideous to behold, they often use their shapechanging powers to assume the form of comely humans in order to walk among mortals and lure good people into harm. Those who are in the grips of drink can see the bottle oni’s true form, but are rarely believed by sober authority figures. Due to their chaotic and malevolent natures, it is the bottle oni’s aim to cause as much active destruction as possible for as long as he has the opportunity to do so. The bottle oni prefers to cause calamity and arrange elaborate and improbable accidents for people, rather than to act directly against others and reveal themselves. Occasionally, bottle oni encourage acts of violence and mayhem in evil-aligned revelers or collaborate with wicked men and monsters in the grip of drink, offering them power and aid in exchange for help in wrongdoings.
Luckily, most bottle oni are forever imprisoned in a bottle of fine liquor, easily recognized for what it is and thus easily contained. However, owing to the fact that bottle oni are known to grant wishes, they are occasionally freed from their prisons and so allowed to wreak havoc on the world around them. While bottle oni are beholden to grant the wish of those who free them, they nearly always grant wishes in ways which have disastrous, unintended consequences, or which are unsatisfying for the wisher or are otherwise amusing to the bottle oni. Still, many occultists find the bottle oni’s complete lack of required negotiation refreshing, and many desperate people still turn to bottle oni in the hopes that they somehow escape the consequences of what the bottle oni will bring.