Kami, Kodama
Revered by druids and rangers for their attunement with the wilds, kodama, known also as tree kami, are the guardians of the wild trees of the forest—they do not protect trees cultivated and grown in civilized areas. (Those trees are protected by different kami, if at all.) A kodama takes a single tree under its protection; typically, all of the trees in a forest that are protected by kodama are clustered together in one particular area.
A kodama in its physical form resembles a barely humanoid creature with only the vaguest of features on its semispherical head. A tree kami is 3 feet tall and weighs 60 pounds. While one might expect the kami of something as large as a tree to itself be larger, the fact that forests are made up of so many trees tends to diminish the singular “presence” any single tree might have. In cases where a tree is particularly ancient or immense, however, the kodama associated with it is much larger—statistics for such rare kodama can be generated by advancing the kodama given here by several Hit Dice and increasing its size—theoretically, a Colossal kodama with more than 20 Hit Dice could exist somewhere in the world. Not all kodama increase in power by gaining racial Hit Dice, though, as some instead progress by gaining class levels, particularly levels of druid, though a rare few kodama kami—those possessed of minds more ordered and structured than is normal for their race—take the path of the monk.
Kodama are more curious about visitors than most kami, and often manifest their physical bodies simply to watch and observe newcomers to their groves. A kodama usually manifests on the far side of its tree, or in the shadows of the undergrowth, so that it can slowly step out into visibility to quietly observe with its distracting, empty-eyed gaze. This gaze can be particularly unnerving. Those who have fallen under its supernatural effects often have different descriptions of how the gaze made them feel (ashamed, frightened, curious, amused, and nervous being the most common reactions), yet the end result is essentially the same. While under observation by a curious kodama, few are those who can continue their actions without being at least somewhat distracted by the kami's attention.
When a kodama must fight (typically in order to defend its tree or other kami), it moves quickly—kodama work best in groups, and when confronted alone generally use tree stride to travel to another part of the forest to raise a small host of allies to aid it in defending its home.
- HP
- 51 (6d10+18); fast healing 3
- AC
- 18, touch 14, flat-footed 15 (+1 Dex, +2 dodge, +4 natural, +1 size)
- Speed
- 30 ft.
- Init
- +1
- Melee
- 2 claws +9 (1d3+2)
- BAB
- +6
- CMB
- +7
- CMD
- 20
- Fort
- +10
- Ref
- +6
- Will
- +4
- DR
- 5/cold iron
- SR
- 16
Weapons: Martial, Simple
Distracting Gaze — Staggered for 1d4 rounds, 30 feet, Will DC 16 negates. This is a mind-affecting effect that requires the kodama to be visible to those it wishes to affect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
sneak attack +2d6
merge with ward
ward (wild trees)
<p class="stat-block-1"> You get a +2 bonus on all Fortitude saving throws.</p>
<p class="stat-block-1"> Whenever you move, you may move through 5 feet of difficult terrain each round as if it were normal terrain. This feat allows you to take a 5-foot step into difficult terrain.</p>
<p class="stat-block-1"> You can choose to take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +2 bonus on all melee damage rolls. This bonus to damage is increased by half (+50%) if you are making an attack with a two-handed weapon, a one handed weapon using two hands, or a primary natural weapon that adds 1-1/2 times your Strength modifier on damage rolls. This bonus to damage is halved (–50%) if you are making an attack with an off-hand weapon or secondary natural weapon. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every 4 points thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the bonus to damage increases by +2. You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll, and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage.</p>
Climb +11, Escape Artist +10, Perception +11, Sense Motive +11, Stealth +14, Survival +11
- Type
- Outsider
- Alignment
- N
- Size
- Small
- Environment
- any forest
- Organization
- solitary, pair, group (3-7), or grove (8-16)
- Treasure
- standard
- Senses
- darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +11
- Languages
- Common; speak with plants, telepathy 100 ft.
- Source
- Bestiary 3
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Uses feat: Great Fortitude (Feat)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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Uses feat: Nimble Moves (Feat)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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Uses feat: Power Attack (Feat)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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Knows spell: Speak With Plants (Spell)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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Knows spell: Tree Shape (Spell)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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Knows spell: Charm Animal (Spell)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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Knows spell: Entangle (Spell)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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Knows spell: Tree Stride (Spell)House/Core — covered by the site's Section 15.
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