The Kikimora
Mimicking Witch of Hearth and Home
Homeowners might be surprised by the sudden appearance of a kikimora. These creatures most often appear as pallid elderly people while disguising features they share with chickens and goats. They most often venture onto homesteads that border deep forests or thick swamps in search of a more comfortable place to live.
Having a kikimora take up residence on one's property can be both a blessing and a curse, depending entirely upon the actions of those who reside there. Kikimoras have been known to be quite helpful to their hosts if they and their work are respected. So long as their host attempts to keep their home in order, the kikimora will perform household tasks and chores such as cleaning. However, should a kikimora believe its host is neglecting their home and land, it will take this as a personal affront and react with vengeful retaliation. An offended kikimora will wreak havoc upon its host’s home, often smashing things, releasing livestock, causing nightmares, and in extreme cases even stealing away children. It is said that a kikimora will adopt these children and flee with them back to wherever they came from. The children are rumored to magically transform into kikimora if they are left in the care of one of these creatures for too long.
A host risks great personal loss in evicting a kikimora once it has settled onto their property. As a result, many reluctant hosts feel like hostages within their homes, needing to appease their unwanted guests for their own safety. Some have even opted to abandon their homes and possessions to flee from the potential wrath of their unwelcome lodger.
Illustrated by Rachel Frost
When designing the kikimora, I relied heavily on the legend behind it to inform me of what should and shouldn’t be able to do. This was especially true when choosing what spells it would know. Once its spell list had been determined, I decided that they should be comparable to hags in challenge rating. This gave me direction when determining the stats and hit points of the creature, as well as informing the decision to add the Magic Resistance Trait. I also mirrored a hags Illusory Appearance as it fit with the legend of the kikimora.
The Mimicry Trait and the Telekinetic Thrust Action were both also due to the stories behind the kikimora. The creature in the stories would impersonate people to be invited into homes and refuse to leave. If the issue was escalated, it would wreck the home it now occupied before returning to the swamp it came from, usually with the child of the homes occupants.