[So @bogleech is making some brilliant creatures based on Halloween motifs this year, and I figured, like the skilevak, they deserved conversion into Pathfinder RPG.]
Hocus
A giggling, flailing thing bounds into view. From
the waist down it resembles a gangly humanoid, but its torso and head are
nothing but an immense pointed hat.
To mortal witches, the
creatures known as hags can be an abomination to be loathed or a goal to which
they aspire. Dreaded demon lords and even powerful hags themselves teach
rituals that can elevate one into this monstrous form. But for every witch who
successfully harnesses the power of the hags, there are many that fail. These
failures are twisted into a barely humanoid shell known as a hocus.
The true form of a hocus
is a fleshy cone from the waist up and a pair of bandy legs from the waist
down, but most hocuses prefer to decorate themselves with hats and other
garments to disguise their hideousness and give them a more festive air. Hocuses are innate hoarders, collecting
magical items, mundane clothing and any shiny or unusual item that catches
their eye. The tip of the cone is prehensile, and hocuses can use it to grasp
onto wands, scrolls or other magical paraphernalia, but it is not nearly as
mobile or precise as a hand.
Hocuses are, for the most
part, totally unhinged, devoting their lives to spreading chaos. They
frequently play pranks on travelers using their innate magical abilities, steal
trinkets or simply sneak up on someone to give them a solid kick in the shins
(although their constant giggling makes them somewhat less than stealthy).
Hocuses love music and can be lured into a conversation, or simply lulled into
a peaceful state, by a good danceable tune. If a hocus can be cajoled into
concentrating, they can be a repository of magical information, but their
scattered minds and cruel sense of humor makes a long-term alliance a tricky
prospect. Some hocuses idolize hags, and may even follow them around like
puppies, a fact that hags use to obtain some expendable minions.
A hocus stands about three
feet tall and weighs forty pounds. They are capable of taking class levels,
with many of them taking levels in witch.
Shores of Swords 