Monster Monday - Ajarakan (Patreon)

Hooting cries and screeches echoed throughout the caves, accompanied by the scrape of metal against stone. The quartet of heroes huddled close together, watching the avenues of entry to their cavern. Ultimately it came the direction of the ranger, a beast resembling an immense primate with coppery scales across its muscular body. Powerful fingers gripped stalactites as it swung across the cavern's roof while hooting and shrieking. Between breaths, the ranger loosed an arrow. It streaked through the air, its aim true but as it struck the beast, it made a sound as though it had struck armor and it bounced off of its hide. She uttered a short swear before the beast was upon them, landing upon the cavern floor with thunderous impact as it roared in their faces.

Masked in metal, this molten mandrill makes mincemeat out of many, mashing and mangling while making magma mount until it manages a magnificent manifestation.

The ajarakan is a fanged beast introduced in Monster Hunter Wilds that is a fun but pretty standard design. It's ostensibly designed as a brute, but at first glance, is damage is a bit low for that with it having moderate damage fists and low damage rocks that it can throw at people. It's Hit Points and Armor Class alike are moderate but it does have immunity to fire damage and some resistance to physical damage, which should balance things out even if it has that weakness to water damage, such as that produced by hydraulic push.

However, once the ajarakan has been damaged enough, it can enrage and Ignite itself. I don't often feature enraging abilities on my Monster Hunter creatures just because in many cases, I don't think it's distinct enough to be worth doing so. However, the ajarakan is absolutely an exception to that as it lights itself ablaze and begins slinging around lava. This can result in creatures that touch it to take fire damage, which is a little gratuitous on my part, but also let its Strikes deal extra damage. Its fists get up to high damage whereas its ranged rocks get closer to moderate damage. Additionally, this state alters a few of the ajarakan's standard abilities, which I sought to replicate in my own design of the creature.

For example, its Ground Pound is normally just its fist damage at a high DC in a short little cone. However, when it's Ignited, this instead transforms into a massive explosion that deals unlimited use area damage once more at a high DC. In its standard state, failing leaves a creature prone but in its Ignited state, it starts them burning inspired by the fireblight effect. One of the reasons that I used only unlimited use area damage for this effect is because it has limited use area damage on its Comet Crash. This is its sort of signature move, which involves it spinning around, launching into the air, and then coming back down in a big blast. There's a lot of moving parts to this, but I decided to simplify it into just being a burst around it. In addition to the damage that I already mentioned, afflicted creatures are covered in an explosive powder. This powder can be removed with a moderate DC save, but failing to do so lets it detonate on the ajarakan's next turn to deal unlimited area damage with no save. Maybe this should have a save but between this being three actions, requiring the Ignited state that can be shut off with water effects (which I thought was fun), and having the long cooldown, I thought this all balanced out.

For instances where the ajarakan doesn't have its Ignited state for one reason or another, it can use its Smear. This is pulled directly from the cave giant and is inspired by the ajarakan's pinning maneuver. The fact that this uses an Athletics check did influence the use of a high bonus for that skill even if it falls a bit behind its Strikes. I think the higher damage of it makes it worth using.

That covers the ajarakan itself, but I of course designed it with some gear as well! I decided to make it as armor because I liked the skills on its armor in-game better than its weapon skills. I took particular inspiration from the Resentment skill and almost named the armor the 'ResentMail,' but decided it was too cheesy even for me. I did also add in its activation effect as something a bit more directly inspired by the ajarakan and its own abilities.

ENCOUNTER HOOKS

Metal Monkey Mania: After some run-ins with other dangers, a mining operation seeks to hire the heroes as security for a mine that they are using to acquire special metals, such as siccatite, djezet, or something similar. The value of this has made them wary but there are even more threats than they realized. When the miners break into a new chamber, they uncover a new threat - an ajarakan. However, the ajarakan isn't covered in the typical, nondescript metal that it usually possesses. It is instead fused with the metal of the mine, granting it new properties that can be incorporated into its design.

Primate Problems: Honestly, running an encounter with an ajarakan or a few more in the original setting where they're encountered in Monster Hunter Wilds could be fun. Such a game doesn't really make full use of the 3D nature of the environment with its crisscrossing pipes, but you could work that into a Pathfinder game where you need to climb and balance and all the other jazz.

Have a monstrous Monday!