The powerful witch Baba Yaga fortunately rarely turns her attention upon the world, but where she does her influence is mighty. Her agents herald her arrival, in particular the three horsemen that she has bound to different times of day. The riders tend to change each time she appears, either because the previous ones finished their term of service to the witch, or because of their destruction. In either case, the witch always has new beings she can appoint into her service, taken from one of a hundred worlds she has influence upon.
Each rider is bound to a certain time of day, vanishing when the time ticks over past their appointed hours. Whether they travel to another plane, to another place upon the world where the time is correct for their presence, or even if they cease to exist entirely until brought forth again is unknown, and no one seems keen to answer the question. Bright Day is the rider for the morning, active from dawn to mid-day, Red Sun rules mid-day to sunset, and Black Night rules from sunset to sunrise.
These stats represent the weakest the riders may be; if a creature below this level agrees to become the witch’s rider, they are granted these abilities. More powerful creatures may make the agreement, in which case they would gain the rider’s Temporal Strike and Peerless Rider abilities, the ability to conjure phantom steeds, and any of a specific rider’s traits. Even a PC may theoretically make this deal, though doing so likely removes them from the game unless the rest of the party is fine with working around their temporal restrictions and duties to Baba Yaga.
Originally from the Tome of Beasts 1. This post came out a week ago on my Patreon. If you want to get access to all my monster conversions early, as well as access to my premade adventures and other material I’m working on, consider backing me there!
Pathfinder 2e
Baba Yaga’s Horsemen Creature 11
Unique Medium Fey
Perception +21
Languages Aklo, Common, Sylvan; telepathy 100 feet
Skills Arcana +18, Athletics +23, Intimidation +21, Nature +19, Occultism +18, Society +18
Str +6, Dex +3, Con +5, Int +3, Wis +4, Cha +4
Items +1 striking lance, +1 striking longsword, +1 full plate, composite longbow (20 arrows)
AC 33; Fort +22, Ref +18, Will +21; +1 status to all saves vs. magic
HP 197; Immunities fatigued, lightning, paralyzed, poison; Weaknesses cold iron 10
Peerless Rider Any attacks directed at the horseman’s mount target the horseman instead. Its mount gains the benefits of any resistances and immunities the horseman has, and if the horseman and mount must both save against the same area effect, the mount’s save is treated as one better than the horseman’s.
Speed 25 feet
Melee lance +24 (deadly d8, jousting d6, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d8+13 piercing
Melee longsword +24 (versatile P), Damage 2d8+13 slashing
Ranged composite longbow +20 (deadly d10, propulsive, range increment 100 feet, reload 0, volley 30 feet), Damage 1d8+7 piercing
Primal Innate Spells DC 27, attack +19 ; 7th ethereal jaunt, plane shift (horseman and steed only); 6th fire shield, phantom steed (×3); 5th dimension door; 3rd haste, slow;
Quick Draw [one action] The horseman draws a weapon and Strikes with it.
Temporal Strike [free action] (primal, necromancy) When the horseman hits a target with a melee attack, it can choose to force the target to attempt a Fortitude saving throw. Creatures that don’t get weaker with age or don’t age are immune (GM’s discretion). If a creature becomes clumsy 4, drained 4, and enfeebled 4 due to Temporal Strikes, it dies of old age. The horseman can’t use Temporal Strike for 1d4 rounds.
Critical Success The creature becomes temporarily immune for 1 hour.
Success The creature is unaffected.
Failure The creature becomes clumsy 1, drained 1, and enfeebled 1, or increases each of those conditions by 1. These conditions remain for 24 hours. This effect is cumulative to other Temporal Strikes.
Critical Failure As failure, but the creature becomes clumsy 2, drained 2, and enfeebled 2, or increases those conditions by 2.
The Three Horsemen
Each horseman has unique senses, defenses, and special abilities. Add the appropriate traits to the base horseman for each of the horsemen as follows.
Bright Day The horseman gains darkvision, resist 10 cold and fire, and gains the following innate spells:
5th searing light; cantrip (6th) light
Red Sun The horseman gains immunity to blinded, fear, fire, and gains the following innate spells:
5th scorching ray; 2nd continual flame (×2)
Black Night The horseman gains greater darkvision, immunity to cold, and gains the following innate spells:
4th darkness (×2); cantrip (6th) ray of frost
13th Age
Baba Yaga may not be an Icon in your particular setting, but she’s a being with the power to rival and even dwarf many Icons. Her attention is simply spread so far that she may have no presence in your setting, aside from the occasional visit. She simply doesn’t spend enough time around to develop the connections and influence that an Icon has, but when she does appear all the Icons respect her power and act accordingly. Some may oppose her, others attempt to placate her, but she has no innate respect for any Icons and so will do as she pleases unless forced to back down. Her agents act the same, as the horsemen will ignore the laws and expectations of the world to fulfill their Mistress’ demands, no matter who it puts them at odds with.
Baba Yaga’s Horsemen
Double-strength 6th level troop [humanoid]
Initiative: +10
Lance +12 vs. AC – 30 damage.
Charge: This attack instead deals 55 damage and the target pops free from the horseman if the horseman first moves before attacking an enemy it wasn’t engaged with at the start of its turn.
Limited Use: Can only be used if the horseman is mounted.
Longsword +11 vs. AC (2 attacks) – 22 damage.
Natural 18+: The target ages several years, taking a -1 penalty to attacks and all defenses until the end of the battle. This effect is cumulative. If the target reaches a total penalty of -4, it must start making last gasp saves. On the fourth failure, the target dies of old age.
Ray of Energy +11 vs. PD (one nearby enemy) – 30 damage (see the three horsemen).
Natural Even Hit: Special (see the three horsemen).
Peerless Rider: The horseman gains a +6 AC bonus against opportunity attacks while mounted. The horseman’s mount cannot be targeted by attacks while the horseman is mounted, and the horseman cannot be dismounted by any effect. The mount can still take damage from effects that don’t target it with an attack.
Phantom Steed: If the horseman doesn’t have a special mount, it rides a phantom steed. The phantom steed has 23 hp, can fly and walk on water, has no attacks or actions it can take besides move, always acts during the horseman’s turn, and vanishes if the horseman is defeated.
The Three Horsemen: Each horseman has unique defenses and special abilities. Add the appropriate traits to the base horseman as follows:
Bright Day gains resist cold and fire 14+, deals holy damage with ray of energy, and on a natural even hit the target is dazed (save ends).
Red Sun gains resist fire 18+, deals fire damage with ray of energy, and on a natural even hit the target takes 10 ongoing fire damage.
Black Night gains resist cold 18+, deals cold damage with ray of energy, and on a natural even hit the target is stuck (save ends).
AC 21 PD 19 MD 18 HP 182
Writing and Rolling 