Burl Noggin
Medium Fey (augmented humanoid)
Hit Dice: 9d6+45 (76 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 23 (+5 enhancement, +8 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 23
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+13
Attack: Head Butt +14 melee (3d6+13)
Full Attack: Head Butt +14 melee (3d6+13)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Awesome blow
Special Qualities: Blindsight 120 ft., improved woodland stride, merge with wood, plant traits, resistance to cold and electricity 10, trackless step, wood whisper
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +7
Abilities: Str 28, Dex 10, Con 21, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Balance +7, Climb +21, Jump +60, Knowledge (nature) +9, Survival +7
Feats:
Brachiation(B), Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (head butt)
Environment: Any forest
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 10-18 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -
A burl noggin appears as a burly human except that instead of a head a large woody protrubance has grown in its place. Twisted, living branches of wood extends from where the base of the skull would be and grows along the spine and down the arms and legs.
Burl noggins were once great enemies of fey kind, such that instead of being merely killed they were taken to the plane of Faerie itself for trying. Once found guilty their heads were fed into the great bole of a tree whoes trunk sprouts hundreds of still-living heads of other horrible criminals. The tree merges with the body and keeps it alive as it begins to grow a gnarled burl where the head once was. The criminal's head then sprouts nearby to watch the process.
After a number of months the burl has grown larger than the original head and detaches from the tree. The fey peoples now have a great ally and warrior completely devoted to their cause.
A burl noggin understands sylvan but cannot speak.
Combat
Burl noggins tend to watch strangers to the woods warily, though acting otherwise if so directed by its fey masters. If the being seeks not to harm the woods the burl noggin remains quiescent but ever watchful. Behavior to the contrary is dealt with swiftly as the burl noggin leaps down from its viewpoint in the branches and charges head down to crush its victim against the trunk of a tree.
Awesome Blow (Ex): When a burl noggin uses its head butt attack it can send its opponents flying as if it had the Awesome Blow feat.
Faerie Spawned (Ex): Fey creatures gain a +4 bonus on charisma-based checks when interacting with a burl noggin. Burl noggins also will obey implicitly any directive given them by fey creatures involved in its creation or those they direct it to obey. A burl noggin will never attack fey creatures unless directed so by its masters. In turn fey instinctively sense a burl noggin's devotion to their welfare.
Improved Woodland Stride (Ex):
A burl noggin may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at its normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. This ability even works within thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion.
Merge With Wood (Su): A burl noggin may merge with living wood as a standard action as the Meld Into Stone spell for as long as it wishes, its head remaining on the side of the tree as if it had grown there.
Strength of Branch and Root (Su): A burl noggin's strength is drawn from that of the forest. While in wooded terrain a burl noggin gains a +40 enhancement bonus to jump checks. As well it may climb up living objects such as trees and vines at its land speed as the Spider Climb spell. If removed from the forest a burl noggin's strength score is reduced to 12 and loses its bonus to jump checks, though it may still climb.
Trackless Step (Ex): A burl noggin leaves no trail in natural surroundings and cannot be tracked. It may choose to leave a trail if so desired.
Wood Whisper (Su): Though a burl noggin possesses no eyes it can see as far a normal person in wooded terrain by sensing the subtle changes of the forest around it. A burl noggin may use Speak With Plants and Whispering Wind at will, with the latter having no set range besides the borders of the woods it occupies.
Skills: A burl noggin gains a +6 racial bonus on balance and survival checks.
RSS Feeds: 
[Creature] Knock on wood...
