Hillpines are three-foot-long rodents with barbed spines jutting from their bodies. Their thick fur, ranging from light brown to gray or nearly white, provides insulation against harsh weather. Equipped with sharp teeth, they are adept at tearing into the tough hides of larger creatures and their claws provide a secure grip for bursts of speed, enabling their unique trait of curling into a ball to roll after their prey.
As their name suggests, hillpines inhabit hilly and mountainous terrain, thriving in cold climates. Their fur’s rare insulation properties makes them sought after by hunters for crafting cold weather gear, but these hunters risk becoming prey themselves. Hillpines possess keen senses of smell, allowing them to set up ambushes from above, rolling down hillsides to impale prey with their barbed spines. Attempting to flee only drives the spines deeper, leading to eventual bleeding out. Experienced hunters know that it’s best to stand and fight once embedded by hillpine spines.
Giants with nearby hillpine populations incorporate them into their rites of passage. Young giants will track, capture, and then consume live hillpines, spines and all, in a painful ordeal that tears at their insides. However, once recovered, they are welcomed as adults in their tribe. Additionally, these tribes repurpose hillpine spines as arrowheads or spear tips.
Hillpine
Small Monstrosity, Unaligned
Armor Class 10
Hit Points 38 (7d6 + 14)
Speed 40 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 11 (+0) | 15 (+2) | 2 (-4) | 13 (+1) | 5 (-3) |
Skills Athletics +6, Perception +3
Damage Resistances cold
Senses passive Perception 13
Languages —
Challenge 1 (200 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Barbed Spines. A creature that touches the hillpine or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 2 (1d4) piercing damage and is embedded with spines. While the creature has embedded spines, it takes 2 (1d4) piercing damage for every 10 feet it moves.
As an action, the affected creature or a creature within 5 feet of it can remove embedded spines from it.
Keen Smell. The hillpine has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Roll. Until the end of its turn, the hillpine’s speed increases by 20 feet, it’s movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks and when it moves within 5 feet of any other creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be affected by the Barbed Spines trait as if it had touched the hillpine. A creature can be affected by Roll only once during a turn.
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Further Reading
A recent creature that could also be found in hilly and mountainside regions is the terra shark.
Perhaps a component to crafting a champion breaker parka is the hides of hillpines.
Imagery created with Midjourney.
