The Kindersnatch
We begin Mesmerist Week with a new monster with a mesmerizing bent. This week’s new beastie is a powerful denizen of the fey realm with a potent gift for hypnotism that only the greatest of mesmerists can match. Normally the kindersnatch keeps to the shadows, using her powers to spirit away the unwary to become her servants, but occasionally these terrible fey enforcers will perform dread deeds for faerie captains or ensnare a mortal heart simply to spite a human rival. Whatever their motivations, these formidable foes prefer to act with subtlety, using agents to carry out their plans or working their influence quietly to destabilize and destroy would-be heroes. Their cunning nature and ability to ensnare minds makes them excellent bosses for high-level adventurers, and their combat abilities will provide a sufficient challenge for capable parties.
The Kindersnatch
This strange being is difficult to see, and even in bright light the details of her form are difficult to discern. She is mostly human in shape, clearly feminine, with ghostly pale skin that glows with a faint blue-green radiance. Her hair extends from her head to her feet and whips wildly about her body, though there is no breeze, and her eyes shine with an inner light.
KINDERSNATCH CR 19
XP 204,800
CN Medium fey
Init +9; Senses low-light vision; Perception +29
DEFENSE
AC 36, touch 16, flat-footed 30 (+5 Dex, +1 dodge, +20 natural)
hp 210 (20d6+140); regeneration 10 (cold iron)
Fort +12, Ref +17, Will +20
DR 15/cold iron; Immune death effects, disease, poison; SR 30, 35 vs. arcane and divine spells
Defensive Abilities magic shield
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., fly 100 ft. (good)
Melee wispblade +20/20/15 (2d6+10 plus 2d6 vs. lawful/19-20)
Special Attacks enthrall, hypnotic command, hypnotic gaze, mind shatter
STATISTICS
Str 20, Dex 20, Con 22, Int 12, Wis 22, Cha 30
Base Atk +10; CMB +15; CMD 31
Feats Ability Focus (enthrall, hypnotic gaze, mind shatter), Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Toughness
Skills Bluff +33, Fly +32, Heal +29, Intimidate +33, Perception + 29, Sense Motive +29, Stealth +28
Languages Common, Elven, Sylvan
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Enthrall (Su): As a full-round action once per day, a kindersnatch can attempt to ensnare the mind of a living creature who has been under the influence of her hypnotic gaze for at least 1 minute. The target must succeed on a Will save (DC 32) or be affected as though by dominate monster, except that the duration is permanent, though the target is released from this effect if the kindersnatch ever dies. However, if the target is reduced to 1/10 of his maximum hit points or fewer, the effect is automatically dispelled. An enthralled target remembers nothing of the time he was enthralled.
Hypnotic Command (Su): As a standard action, a kindersnatch can force any fascinated creature within 30 feet to perform a single request as though by the spell suggestion, except that the fascinated creature receives no saving throw to resist this effect; however, after he performs the action, he may make a new saving throw against the fascination effect with a +4 bonus.
Hypnotic Gaze (Su): As a standard action, a kindersnatch can focus its gaze on a single living creature and attempt to hypnotize him. The target must succeed on a Will save (DC 32) or become fascinated for 1d6 minutes. Each round, the target may attempt a new Will save to resist this effect.
Mind Shatter (Su): A kindersnatch can attempt to utterly destroy a mind she has brought under her control. As a full-round action, a kindersnatch can cause a single enthralled creature within 30 feet to utterly lose its mind, immediately dispelling the enthrall effect and reducing the target’s Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores to 0. The target does not naturally regain ability score points lost this way, though a greater restoration, wish, or miracle spell can restore the target to his normal mental faculties.
Magic Shield (Su): A kindersnatch is able to resist arcane and divine spells with ease and treats its spell resistance as though it were 5 higher than it actually is against these spells.
Wispblade:All kindersnatches wield powerful magical greatswords made from their own wispy hair. These weapons are considered to be +5 speed anarchic greatswords, though once the weapon leaves the kindersnatch’s hand, it reverts to locks of hair 24 hours later.
Ecology
A kindersnatch is a particularly dangerous fey creature of incredible power, though of relatively low rank, as the fairies measure such things. It is the job of the kindersnatch to steal away mortals from their homes and lead them away to serve the fey: most often as servants, but sometimes as lovers, warriors, or even advisors. Typically, kindersnatches appear at the windows of children and attempt to lure them away with honeyed words, turning to hypnosis only when their silver tongues fail them. Occasionally, however, these strange beings will be sent after or choose to go after important or greatly skilled mortals, seeking to secure their services for the fey lands. Very rarely, these extraction specialists are instead sent as assassins, as they are among the fey realms’ most skilled and lethal warriors, combining expertise with blades and powerful mental magic to lay waste to the enemies of feykind.
Though their apparently low station baffles some scholars, it is most commonly explained away by an old legend. In this tale, the kindersnatches once held a superior position, commanding great prestige among feykind, but in the days long before the coming of mankind, the greatest of all the kindersnatches wanted more. Using her great power, she thought to enslave the mind of the mightiest queen among all fey, and through her she would rule as she wished. However, the queen’s power proved far too great for the kindersnatch, and in her terrible fury she cast down the kindersnatch people and forced them all to the service of the kingdom until the end of her reign, which, according to legend, shall last until the end of the world or longer.