A Cairn South-american Bestiary
Just a few creatures I made for fun, inspired both by Cairn bestiaries and South-american folklore (especially Brazilian). The first three ones were already present in my previous post, "There Are No Wolves On Brazil".
I planned to make a list of encounters but life got on the way. If this seems something like you'd be interested in, reach out!
Here are some in PDF form:
AGUARAÇU, maned wolf
5 HP, 11 STR, 14 DEX, 8 WIL | bite (d6), call
- A half-fox half-wolf creature with red-orange fur and long black legs.
- Solitary and shy, avoids danger and attacks only if cornered. Crepuscular habits.
- Has a magical gaze that makes all ranged attacks against it automatically miss.
- Call: a high-pitched howl, filled with melancholy. Any hunter in earshot must make a WIL save or give up on attacking it.
| d6 | What is the maned wolf doing? |
|---|---|
| 1 | Trying to eat a snake. The snake bites it and dies soon after. |
| 2 | Attracting a small ground-bird with its gaze. |
| 3 | Roar-barking for no apparent reason. |
| 4 | Gorging itself on its favorite food, wolf-apple (a green tomato-like fruit). |
| 5 | Urinating/defecating to mark its territory. |
| 6 | Just chilling with (1-3) their mate, or (4) with their mate and 1d4 offspring. |
| 1d6 | Why would someone antagonize this majestic creature? | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Its small heart, when fresh, is a potent antidote against snake-venom. | |
| 2 | Keeping a piece of its pelt in the pocket protects against snakes. | |
| 3 | Hot tea prepared with its dried faeces cures persistent coughs. | |
| 4 | The tip of its tail is used as a good-luck amulet. | |
| 5 | An eye taken from a live agwarasoo can bring luck with women. | |
| 6 | Those who live nearby believe its call brings bad luck. |
VINEGAR DOGS, loyal companions
4 HP, 10 STR, 13 DEX, 7 WIL | bite (d6), detachment
- Small sausage-like dogs usually found in large groups (3d4 individuals).
- Known as the best hunters of the forest, who coordinate to take down larger prey.
- Piss everywhere they go, spreading a strong vinegar smell.
| 1d6 | What are the vinegar dogs doing? |
|---|---|
| 1 | Traversing the forest, looking for food. |
| 2 | Group-hunting a baby deer. |
| 3 | Failing to bite a rolled-up armadillo. |
| 4 | Pissing over every tree and every rock. |
| 5 | Whining for their parents (who arrive in 1d4 turns). |
| 6 | Hunting with its owner, a Forest Spirit. |
JAGUARETÊ, apex predator
4 HP, 11 STR, 15 DEX, 8 WIL, claws (d6+d6)
- Large yellow-furred cat that stalks through the forest. Solitary.
- A skilled hunter, only pounces when they're sure of the kill.
- Critical Damage: Go for the throat and deal additional d4 STR damage.
| 1d4 | Why do you seek the jaguar? |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chieftain's son wants to gain reputation by killing a jaguar. He secretly paid you to tie one up. |
| 2 | Last week, three people were eaten while fetching water. This cannot go on. |
| 3 | Princess wants a pet jaguar, and the first ones to bring a cub will be rich. A race has begun. |
| 4 | Killing a jaguar attaches its soul to yours; it will appear to you in dreams, revealing the position where your prey hides in the forest. It is the only way to find he who killed your family. |
| 1d4 | Mythic variants |
|---|---|
| 1 | Black: Guardian hound of river spirits. Drags targets underwater to drown them. |
| 2 | Handless: Lost a front paw in a trap. Driven by mad revenge against hunters. |
| 3 | Red-eyed: A dark shaman in jaguar-form. Attacking it will bring his attention to your village. |
| 4 | Bull: Jaguar couple with bull horns and hoofs. Drive their foes up trees and wait patiently until they come down. Killing the male first is the only way to free yourself, since eliminating the female will drive the male implacably mad. |
KAEPORA, implacable protector
3 HP, 8 STR, 17 DEX, 16 WIL | control plants, hog tackle (d6)
- A small red-haired girl on a musk hog, carrying a stick. Protects the forest, loves tobacco.
- Disorients hunters by whistling, simulating animal noises, and driving away game. Can be negotiated with if the hunter's goal appears noble.
- If deceived, she does not retaliate directly, but fleeing the forest becomes impossible.
- Japecanga Stick (1 use): simple-looking stick. Touch a recently-killed animal to revive it.
YPUPIARA, he who lives in the sea
6 HP, 16 STR, 11 DEX, 8 WIL | embrace (d8), bite (d8)
- Tall furry beasts the size of an elephant, with the upper body of a man and the lower of a fish.
- Found swimming near riverbanks. Attacks canoes.
- If too close, hugs its target fiercely with its long arms and claws, until they stop moving. Then, it emits a sad cry, and swim away.
- Critical Damage: Gouges out the target's eyes.
MINHOCÃO, or Bigworm
18 HP, 1 Armor, 12 STR, 8 DEX, 6 WIL | tremors.
- An enormous eyeless and toothless worm, its head the size of a grown man.
- Sleeps most of the time; when awake, its burrowing violently shakes the ground above, destroying any structure. Widely regarded as a plague, popular reason for moving tabas.
- Once upon a week, it must emerge to drink light from the sun. The weather changes accordingly, becoming colder and darker.
- Tremors: Liquefies the ground below its attackers, making it harder to move while it escapes. Pass DEX save or get waist deep in quicksoil.
CAPELOBO, werewolf
8 HP, 14 STR, 15 DEX, 6 WIL | claws (d6+d6) or bite (d8)
- An old tired man who was abandoned by his tribe; without nobody to speak to, he forgot his humanity and turned feral.
- Humanoid body, wolf claws, crooked legs and anteater snout. Roams the forests in search of easy prey.
- Its hardened fur impairs all attacks against it. The fur is highly flammable (if caught on fire, d6 damage each round) and does not cover its navel, which is vulnerable.
- Critical Damage: Trepanates the target with its snout, sucking off their brain like it were a termite mound. Target loses d6 WIL.
- Transcend: If the Capelobo reaches 18 WIL, it regains its mind and becomes a powerful dark shaman.
| # | What clues you to the Capelobo? |
|---|---|
| 1 | A body is found: arms broken and the skull open, no brain inside. "No animal for sure." |
| 2 | Frightening screams echo through the forest, like an old man babbling. |
| 3 | Strange footprints near the camp. "No idea what they are. There was an old hunter who could probably recognize them, but he couldn't do much and ended up being left behind." |
| 4 | Huge footprints are found, like those of an anteater, but much larger. |
| 5 | Hunters complain: "No game near the hill." |
| 6 | A small cave at the top of a hill, filled with bones of small animals. |
TAILED ONE, dark shaman
6 HP, 12 STR, 11 DEX, 15 WIL | ritual stick (d6)
- Dark shamans who carry ritual sticks, paint themselves black, and wear ant-eater pelt.
- Solitary. Stalk woodland villages and attack the most vulnerable.
- Can transform at will into any animal that has a tail.
- Critical Damage: Knocks the target unconscious, and forces a mixture of snake venom and herbs up their rectum. Upon waking, the victim does not remember the encounter, but develops a fever and dies within d4 days. The Tailed One will seek the grave and insert their stick through the ground into the corpse, sucking off its sweet body fluids (maba).
| # | What animal is the Tailed One disguised as, and what clue does it give away? |
|---|---|
| 1 | Jaguar: makes tons of noise when walking. |
| 2 | Maned wolf: doesn't back down when cornered. |
| 3 | Vinegar dog: it's alone. |
| 4 | Ant-eater: smells like honey, from afar. |
MATINTA, bird-witch
8 HP, 9 STR, 16 DEX, 14 WIL | bird claws (d6), Raise Spirit
- Old hag that cloaks herself in rags to hide her bird feet and feathered back.
- Lives in abandoned villages. From time to time, transforms into a striped cuckoo and visits a village, whistling loudly to disturb sleep until someone offers her something (tobacco, coffee, meal). On the next day, she visits in hag-form to collect the offer, and delivers a message from the afterlife.
- When dying, the Matinta walks through the forest yelling: "Who wants it? Who wants it?". The first woman who answers positively will become fey-touched, as the hag turns into a cuckoo and flies away forever.