Monster Monday: Basan, the Japanese Death Chicken

Today's Monster Monday is the basan, an obscure Japanese giant chicken monster with death-breath.  The creature bears a passing similarity to the cockatrice, although instead of turning its victims to stone, the basan breathes out plumes of cold ghost-fire.

Basan illustration for Ehon Hyaku Monogatari by Takehara Shunsen (1841), via Wikimedia

The basan comes to us via Ehon Hyaku Monogatari (Picture Book of 100 Stories) published in 1841, and Gazu Hyakki Yagyō (The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons) published in 1776.  Both were Japanese bestiaries compiling folklore and ghost stories that greatly influenced the Japanese yōkai tradition.  The basan itself was said to live in the mountains of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's four main islands.

When converting this beast into a monster stat block, I briefly considered making it some sort of undead cockatrice because the descriptions of its unburning ghost-fire made me think of negative energy attacks.  In the end, I kept the negative energy angle and made the basan a living creature that was affected by negative energy in the same way that the undead are.  Despite its outwardly comical appearance (giant chickens are almost never unfunny), the basan needs to be an eerie monster, hence its connection to the plane of negative energy and its association with undeath.

The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2016 Jonah Bomgaars.

A ghostly flame emanates from this menacing fowl’s beak

Basan               CR 3

XP 1,200

NE Small magical beast

Init +7; Senses low-light vision, darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7

DEFENSE

AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 11 (+3 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 size)

hp 37 (5d10+10)

Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +3

Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2

Immune fire

Weaknesses negative energy affinity

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., fly 30 ft. (poor)

Melee bite +9 (1d4-2 plus 1d6 negative energy)

Special Attacks ghost fire breath (1/1d4 rounds, 15 ft. cone, 4d6 cold and negative energy damage)

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3^rd)

   3/day – invisibility (self only)

STATISTICS

Str 6, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 3, Wis 15, Cha 11

Base Atk +5; CMB +2; CMD 15

Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse

Skills Climb +2, Fly +1, Perception +7, Stealth +12

SQ preen

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Ghost Fire Breath (Su)

The basan can breathe a 15-foot cone of cold, ghostly fire as a standard action every 1d4 rounds, dealing 4d6 points of damage to all within the area of effect (Reflex DC 14 for half).  Half the damage dealt is negative energy damage and half is cold damage.  The basan cannot heal itself with its own breath weapon, but it can heal undead that are immune to cold.  The save DC is Constitution-based.

Negative Energy Affinity (Ex)

The basan is alive, but is treated as undead for all effects that affect undead differently than living creatures, such as cure spells and channeled energy. 

Preen (Ex)

A basan can preen itself, letting the negative energies that flow from its beak heal it for 1d6 points.  This is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. 

ECOLOGY

Environment temperate mountains, hills, and forest

Organization solitary, pair, flight (3-5), or flock (6-12)

Treasure none

Similar to a cockatrice, this monstrous fowl has a cruel beak, wicked talons, a feathered body, and leathery bat-like wings.  Its feathers – red, blue, and green – seem muted, as if they were constantly in shadow.  Only its wattle and comb are truly vibrant, burning bright red like fire.  A rare color variation has black and dark purple feathers, silver-grey skin, and a bright blue wattle and comb.

   Basan have an inherent magical connection to negative energy, which has given rise to the false assumption that basan are undead cockatrices.  A ghostly flame emanates from its beak, but it is not true fire; it is deathly cold and does not burn.  They eat charred wood and embers, but because their fire does not burn they cannot make their own food, prompting them to invade settlements and campsites in search of dying fires.  When discovered, they will usually use their natural invisibility to escape, but will attack with ghost fire if they are desperate or if they feel they are at an advantage.  

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-your fowl d20 despot