Monster Monday: Chindi - Ghostly Navajo Dust Devils

Today's Monster Monday is the chindi, a vengeful spirit from Navajo mythology that can take the form of a dust devil.

NASA/U. of Michigan

Yep.  That's a ghost alright.

The following text in gold is available as Open Game Content under the OGL. Open Game Content is ©2015 Jonah Bomgaars.


Chindi              CR 3

XP 800

NE Medium undead (incorporeal)

Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., name sense 5 mi.; Perception +5

DEFENSE

AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +2 deflection)

hp 26 (4d8+8)

Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +5

Immune undead traits

Defensive Abilities incorporeal

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., fly 50 ft. (perfect)

Melee slam +6 (1d4 plus ghost sickness)

Special Attacks; whirlwind (3/hour, 10–20 ft. high, 1d4 damage plus ghost sickness, DC 14)

STATISTICS

Str -, Dex 16, Con -, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 15

Base Atk +3; CMB +6; CMD 16

Feats Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Fly)

Skills Fly +11, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (religion) +2, Perception +5, Sense Motive +5, Stealth +8

Languages a chindi knows the languages it spoke in life

SQ Haunt

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Haunt (Su)

When one or more chindi are in the same building they originally died in, that building becomes haunted (treat as under the effect of a desecrate spell).  The effect lasts until the chindi are destroyed. 

Ghost Sickness (Su)

disease —injury; save Fort DC 14, onset 1d3 rounds, frequency 1 day, effect 2 Con damage, 1 Wis damage, cure 2 consecutive saves.

Name Sense (Su)

A chindi can automatically sense if anyone within five miles says the name it had in life.  They intuitively know the speaker’s location and, if it is someone they knew in life, their name.  They can choose to teleport to a random location within 50 ft. of the speaker as a move action immediately after their name is spoken. 

ECOLOGY

Environment warm desert or warm plains

Organization solitary, pair, or haunt (3-5)

Treasure none (or NPC gear if the chindi’s corpse still exists)

Chindi are the restless spirits of those whose bodies were not properly prepared or disposed of after death.  They appear as dusty humanoid ghosts, and are often observed in their whirlwind form.  Chindi represent all the bad aspects of the deceased.  They cling to their old life, often haunting the building in which they died and jealously guarding their possessions. 

   Chindi are known for carrying Ghost Sickness, which they attempt to inflict upon those they see as having neglected their duties in preparing them for the afterlife - usually family members.  Malicious witches can cause a chindi to viciously haunt someone by feeding them a piece of the spirit’s corpse.
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A ghost that can drive people crazy and turn into a mini tornado?  What's not to like?  Plus it's always nice to have another monster from Native North American mythology (by my count, in all four bestiaries there are only five: baykok, manitou, pukwudgie, thunderbird, and wendigo).

Of course, I have a special interest in statting up more monsters like this because of my work-in-progress wild west 'Guns of the Western Kings' campaign setting, but I think chindi can fit well into any setting.  Restless spirits are timeless.

-your ghost sick d20 despot