Squarefoot
“Jimmy Squarefoot” © deviantArt user ceallach-monster, accessed at his gallery here
[Jimmy Squarefoot is a Manx entity, sometimes called a fairy or a buggane. This page does an excellent job summarizing what little has been written about him; how the name seems to have originated as a sailor’s term for the Devil, and where his piggish attributes first came from. It doesn’t mention where I first heard about him, and what I suspect is the first instance of him being referred to as “basically harmless”--Faeries, where he is illustrated by Alan Lee.
My version isn’t “basically harmless” by design, because I’m in the habit of writing monsters for RPG players to kill and take the stuff of. But I still wanted to get across the idea of them being somewhat homey and affable, which is referred to even when Jimmy Squarefoot was attacking people on the road. So they’re not evil by default, just likely to fall in with a bad crowd. I put it at a CR where it would pair nicely in encounters with a fomorian.]
Squarefoot CR 6 N Monstrous Humanoid This being appears as a large, stooped man with the head of a boar. His feet are oversized, sharp cornered and are wrapped in cloth bandages.
A squarefoot is a pig headed humanoid native to remote landscapes. They are exiles from the First World, having been cast out for siding with the fomorians in their attempts at conquest. Most squarefeet no longer serve fomorians, but all of them have a deep respect for giants bordering on the fawning. A squarefoot varies in its alignment as humans do, but more of them are evil than good, due to their laboring for any giant who asks of them. The primary remnant of their fey magic allows them to shapechange into a giant boar, which they typically only do if a giant desires to use them as a mount or beast of burden. No matter their form, squarefeet are fantastically strong and durable, able to haul loads over rough terrain with little effort.
Squarefeet are not very bright, and as such are direct combatants. Although capable of wielding weapons, they usually rely on their tusks, fists and a bag of throwing rocks. A squarefoot typically opens combat by charging if the terrain permits. A squarefoot can walk on water, and use this ability to fight from ponds, bogs and other hazardous terrain. Some may establish a bridge or pass as a toll road and intimidate travelers into paying to cross, pelting them with stones if they refuse.
Most squarefeet live in rude huts or stone cairns, just enough to keep the weather out and have a dry shelf or two to store their clothes. They use their water walking abilities to go fishing where others can’t follow, or to spy on boats on the water, and have an especially bad reputation with sailors. Squarefeet enjoy wealth, but are usually content with simple luxuries like alcohol or tobacco, good food and warm clothes. They tend to have simple names, such as Bessie, Marget, Jimmy or Pat.
