#kamadan

...let me tell you about the sentient Kamadan I'm now playing in Pathfinder 🤣 I had never heard of them, but after seeing the official art I immediately resolved to paint my own take on the concept.

Made a couple sketches (bottom of the post) using Adeilosmilus (art courtesy of Hodari Nundu) instead of a leopard as a reference [since they're Large creatures and I have a brand].

Using African Rock pythons for the snakes - I'm thinking of making this a little druid or ranger-y, so I'm making the snakes partially covered over in moss - to the point that they look almost like vines or branches. I gave him the Adinkra symbol for "talons of the eagle", symbolizing Power/Courage , on his head for 2 reasons -

. A nod to the idea in East Asia connecting the tiger's forehead markings (which kinda look like 王, which means king) to their status as the king of beasts

. Also it's funny because he has Literal eagle talons - making him a chimera of all 3 of the most dangerous predators of primates - snakes, eagles, and big cats.

Monster Month Day 25- Kamadan

Thanks to @LyallCallum for this art piece!

First Appearance: 2-38 Welcome to the Jungle

Armor Class 14 (Suggested 13)

Speed 30 ft

Passive 14, Stealth +7

Suggested Average, Max HP: 67, 108

Kamadan 1: 88 damage taken, 20 HDYWTDT by Yasha

Kamadan 2: 112 damage taken, 19 HDYWTDT by Fjord (and Nott)

Monstrous in nature but bestial in personality, kamadan are large, leopard-like cats of prey with snakes coming out of their body. They are extremely territorial, and hunt either alone or in mated pairs. In combat, they will seek to neutralize any standing threat rather than go in for a quick kill, using their sleep breath to aid in pacifying larger groups. Their poisonous snake heads may allow their silhouettes to be mistaken for displacer beasts, but there is no relation in either ability or genealogy. (Kamadans made their D&D 5e debut in the Tomb of Annihilation adventure, though they have been included in nearly every previous edition.)

The pair that struck at Caduceus and Jester had an established hunting routine, as well as the element of surprise. The initial pounce is the kamadan’s bread and butter; if it can pin its target after leaping from 20 feet away, all of its heads get another round of attacks as a bonus action. Had both clerics been unable to sound the alarm before either falling to their poison or sleep breath, the encounter could have gone much differently. However, once the rest of the Mighty Nein was informed, the feline hunters put up relatively little resistance to a full party assault. Another kamadan appeared after everyone had gone asleep, albeit unable to strike due to the protection of the Tiny Hut.

Next in the line-up of our Guild Wars 2 anniversary week posts is a comparison between Kamadan and Palawadan. Praise Joko! ~Alucardalina