Spindler (3pp)

The exceptionally well-dressed clothes merchant standing before you offers you an opportunity to try on some of his wares. As you consider his pitch, you notice a gleam of mischief in his eyes. The more you wait, the more insistent he becomes, to the point where he reaches out to force a pitch black shirt over your head.

Spindler CR 4

XP 1,200
CN Medium fey
Init +3; Senses low-light vision; Perception +5

DEFENSE

AC 16, touch 13, flat-footed 13 (+2 armor, +3 Dex, +1 natural)
hp 33 (6d6 + 12)
Fort +4; Ref +8; Will +6
DR 5/cold iron

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee needle +6 (1d6+1 plus poison)
Special Attacks enchanted cloth
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th; concentration +11)

At willmending, prestidigitation
3/daymake whole
1/daycharm monster (DC 18)

STATISTICS

Str 13, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 19
Base Atk +3; CMB +4 (+8 grapple); CMD 17
Feats Deceitful, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Skill Acrobatics +7, Appraise +9, Bluff +13, Craft (clothing) +13, Disguise +13, Perception +5, Profession (tailor) +10, Sense Motive +5, Stealth +9; Racial Modifiers +4 Craft (clothing)
Languages Common, Sylvan
SQ fashion conscious

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Enchanted Cloth (Ex)

If a spindler begins his turn with an opponent of his size category or smaller grappled, he can force his victim to wear one of his creations. The clothing has no effect on the wearer; rather, it causes others to experience an effect as a result of seeing the character. Regardless of whether the viewer makes her save, she is unaffected by the same piece of clothing for 24 hours. Once per day, the wearer can attempt to make a Will save (DC 18) to remove the article, which renders its magic inert (unless someone was foolish enough to voluntarily wear it again).

Typical effects (along with associated color/pattern and save DCs) of the clothing are as follows:

  • Confusion (clashing colors with no discernible pattern, DC 18),
  • Crushing despair (a color that seems darker than black, DC 18),
  • Hideous laughter (frolicking kittens on a field of blue, DC 16),
  • Rage (provocative slogan with a red background, DC 17),
  • Scare (normal scene which suddenly transforms into something terrifying on a black background, DC 16),
  • Touch of idiocy (plain white background with block-lettered text of a bad pun or unfunny joke, DC 16).

All save DCs are Charisma-based.

Fashion Conscious (Ex)

Appraise, Craft (clothing), and Profession (tailor) are always class skills for a spindler.

Poison (Ex)

Needle—injury; save Fort DC 15; frequency 1/round for 10 rounds; effect sleep for 10 minutes; cure 1 save. The save DC is Constitution-based.

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate forest or urban
Organization solitary, pair, or coterie (3-8)
Treasure standard (clothing, needle, other treasure)

The desire to force his creations on humanoids might also explain why the creature developed blood their advantage. They do so only as a last resort, though, because a sleeping recipient cannot react to his new threads, and thus denies the spindler his greatest source of satisfaction.

Once every ten years, a spindler is drawn to a remote location—a place with a giant, ancient spinning wheel—for what the creatures refer to as The Great Swap. In preparation for this festival, a spindler creates his most personal creation to date, which he exchanges with another spindler. The pair then retreats into the woods to make love; the result of their union is always a spindler child, who grows into maturity in 23 years.

Habitat & Society

Spindlers are tailors to the fey, for whom they strive to design the best outfits. That arrangement of leaves and flowers accentuating a dryad’s features, that gossamer gown the nymph wears, and that vest which makes the satyr look more rugged were most likely designed by one of these creatures. Many nobles retain a spindler in the household to insure he and his family are always well-dressed and appointed.

Once a year, at a major festival, a coterie of spindlers gathers to exchange designs and make their introductions to remote fey nobles. It is not uncommon for warring nobles to exchange their tailors as part of a peace pact drawn up at a festival.

Whereas a spindler is well-regarded in fey society, he is hated and feared among what he considers to be duller races. Convinced of his genius and mastery of fashion, he doesn’t see why anyone would turn down one of his masterful creations. Incensed at what the spindler perceives as a slight, he will ambush an unsuspecting victim to force him to appreciate his superior taste in clothing.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Campaign Cogs: Finwicket’s Bestiary- Along the Faerie Path. Copyright 2011, Allen Taliesin, All rights reserved.

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