Monster Monday: Giant Woodpecker

Today's Monster Monday is the giant woodpecker, and no this isn't my April Fools Day post. The giant woodpecker is a seven foot tall monster of a bird that uses its powerful beak to crack open the shells of the giant insects that roam nearly every fantasy campaign setting. But just as real, normal sized woodpeckers sometimes get a little too hungry and crack open the skulls of other birds to get at their tasty brains (yes, this is a thing that they do), giant woodpeckers will sometimes pin down and drill into larger prey, including humans.

I cranked that illustration out in about 2.5 hours, so sorry the human victim there looks more like a character from a bad mid-2000s webcomic than an actual human. I promise I can draw humans sometimes. But check out that rad woodpecker, huh? Beautiful plumage.

The inspiration for this monster came from two fronts. One: I was reading The Urban Bestiary by master birder Lyanda Lynn Haupt, and two: I was contemplating playing the Mouse Guard RPG. When those two trains of thought collided, I of course thought of how terrifying it would be to face a giant woodpecker in battle.

The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2018 Jonah Bomgaars.

This man-sized woodpecker has black plumage with flashes of white and a stunning red crest.

Giant Woodpecker       CR 2

XP 600

N Medium animal

Init +2; Senses low-light vision; Perception +9

DEFENSE

AC 13, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+2 Dex, +1 natural)

hp 19 (3d8+6)

Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +3

Defensive Abilities thick skull

OFFENSE

Speed 20 ft., fly 50 ft. (average)

Melee peck +4 (1d6+2/x4), talons +4 (1d4+2 plus grab)

Special Attacks drill peck (4d6)

STATISTICS

Str 14, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 8

Base Atk +2; CMB +4 (+8 grapple); CMD 16

Feats Dodge, Skill Focus (Perception)

Skills Climb+6, Fly +6, Perception +9

SQ vertical perching

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Drill Peck (Ex)

The giant woodpecker can unleash a flurry of rapid pecks as a full attack action against a pinned or helpless opponent or against an object, structure, or natural feature, dealing 4d6 points of piercing damage.

Thick Skull (Ex)

A giant woodpecker’s skull is specifically designed to protect against heavy blows. This gives the giant woodpecker 25% fortification against critical hits that deal bludgeoning damage.

Vertical Perching (Ex)

The giant woodpecker’s unique toe arrangement and powerful talons allow it to easily perch on almost any vertical surface, including surfaces with a hardness of 5 or less or surfaces with a Climb DC of 15 or less.

ECOLOGY

Environment any forest

Organization solitary, pair

Treasure none

The giant woodpecker, sometimes called a skullpecker, is a seven-foot-tall bird that can deliver rapid, powerful blows with its drill-like beak. They typically have black plumage with white stripes or speckles around the face and neck and a crest of bright red feathers on their head. They nest in burrows carved out with their beaks, high up in huge trees or in cliffsides. They communicate across long distances by hammering against hard wood or stone, sending loud repetitive knocks echoing across the landscape. Like their smaller cousins, giant woodpeckers have feet with two toes facing forward and two facing backward, allowing them a strong grip on sheer vertical surfaces. But while small woodpeckers use this adaptation to cling to the sides of trees and peck into them in search of burrowing insects, giant woodpeckers more often use their talons to pin down giant vermin as they relentlessly drill through their tough carapaces. In hard times, when giant insects are scarce, giant woodpeckers are known to kill large mammals, including humans, cracking their skulls and scooping their brains out with their long, barbed tongues.

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Plot Hooks and Encounter Ideas

• When a rash of unexplained dead bodies with cracked open skulls leads to an all out hunt for giant woodpeckers, the mysterious druid of the forest approaches the party and claims that these great birds are being scapegoated by a more insidious killer.
• As deadly plague sweeps the countryside, skullpeckers are brazenly flying into cities to feast on the plentiful corpses, often becoming vectors for plague themselves.
• It is giant woodpecker mating season, and one particular male flies to the churchtower every day to ring incessantly on the great bell. It is up to the party to drive him off so that the townspeople's headaches may cease.

-your zygodactyl d20 despot