Monster Monday - Yian Kut-Ku (Patreon)

Releasing a deafening squawk as it flared fins atop its head, the Yian Kut-Ku drove its beak into the ground and lumbered forward. It lumbered forward in a zig-zagging motion that the barbarian tried to dodge only to be knocked off his feet. He snarled, slamming his fist against the dirt, but before he could stand, the Yian Kut-Ku ripped its beak from the ground, flinging up dirt. It turned with surprising grace, before charging forward again. Its head lolled from side to side as it belched out fireballs, coating the field in flames...

Free of feathers but flowing with ferocity, this fearsome fighter flings flames and foes in a fervent fortressing of its friends and flock.

It's a little funny to go through the creatures of Monster Hunter Wilds, building elder dragons and arkveld and all that sorts of other stuff - but the first monster faced going into high rank is the Yian Kut-Ku. This creature first appeared in the OG Monster Hunter and is a low-level creature along the lines of the Great Jagras and other starter large monsters. Unlike a lot of those, it can literally fire off with some elemental attacks. In this case, the Yian Kut-Ku can unleash a barrage of blazing bolts and the frequency of them led to me designing them as a Strike. It has the splash trait with low damage since they hit in a bit of a burst though its main attacks will still probably be its beak, which starts with moderate damage but can stack up through its forceful trait. On the defensive side of things, the Yian Kut-Ku features both a high AC and a high pool of Hit Points, but this is because it has three whole weaknesses. I decided to include sonic damage as the Yian Kut-Ku is known for having an incredible sense of hearing, which I represented with a moderate Perception, that leaves it quite vulnerable to sonic bombs.

Its abilities are fairly simplistic and can start off with Rapid Pecks. These attacks are based off of the series of rapid strikes it will make, like a chicken in the breadpan pecking at dough and makes spectacular use of its forceful trait. As a quick note, I included a high Intimidation skill on the Yian Kut-Ku, which normally is more low due to not sharing a language with creatures, but I also added in the Startling Squawk reaction. This lets it attempt to scare away a creature threatening it, making a Demoralize without the penalty normally associated with it. Its Shovel Charge is another more mundane option that involves the Yian Kut-Ku digging its oversized beak into the ground and then charging forward. It topples creatures it charges through with a high DC Fortitude save and maybe could be along the lines of a Trample, but I wanted this to be a single action. It already had two abilities that took two actions and with the limited number of abilities it had, I didn't want to go for a third. Adding damage to this effect would have applied too much value to it, preventing it from being a good single action option. Keeping it as is makes it a good set-up to something like Rapid Pecks or throwing enemies around only to follow up with a Chicken Run could be fun.

This is another charge sort of ability that has the Yian Kut-Ku spewing out fireballs as it goes. These fireballs deal unlimited use area damage with a high DC Reflex save. Between this, Shovel Charge, and its Demoralize targeting Will saves, it can target all three saves. It's something that I like to work into monsters that I make.

ENCOUNTER HOOKS

Angry, Angry Birds: A flock of Yian Kut-Ku have descended upon a region, throwing the local environment out of balance. They might attack the heroes as they try to pass through the area or the heroes might be tasked with eliminating the invading flock. In such an encounter, Yian Kut-Ku might flee after taking significant damage only for a new one to emerge.

The Birds and the Bugs: In its quest for food, a Yian Kut-Ku has unearthed an insect beyond its usual target. It could be a blast beetle or similar insect-like creature, but in either case, their altercation sends them crashing into the heroes. The heroes are forced to contend with the creatures but might be able to chase them off.

Have a monstrous Monday!