Bubba The Headless Chicken (3.5e Monster)

The setting: The jail of the small farming village of Tater. In it's only cell sits a lone, surprisingly well-groomed Orc. A ghostly chicken enters through the wall.

”Hmm..An Orc..and one who doesn't run away screaming just at the sight of me...don't get too many of your kind 'round here.”

"You must be Bubba."

"Ayuh."

"Is it just me or are all the local farmers crazy?"

"Naw, tain't you. They's damn crazy.  You should see the things Ah've seen.  Would curdle your blood.  Say, why ain't you runnin' in fear anyways?"

"Paladin of St. Cuthbert."

"Yeah, we definitely don't get many of your kind 'round here."

A farmer enters, stage left.

"Greetin's ya filtheh Orc scum. We's gonna test yew fer witchcraft tonight."

"And what does this entail?"

"Whelp, first we's gonna burn ya. If'n ya don't burn, yer a witch, and then we hang ya.  If'n ya do burn yer just a filthy Orc and ya go to meet Jebus."

"I'm gonna try a wild stab at logic here just for the hell of it: If burning doesn't kill me, what makes you think hanging will?"

"Cuz everyone knows witches magic don't work 'gainst no ropes."

"Riiiiiiighttttt....say have you met Bubba?"

"Bawk."

"AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

The farmer exits the building.

"Well that was fun. Guess I'll work on escaping now..."

"What you doin' in a farming town like this anyway?"

"Your former owner escaped and asked the Church for revenge. He mentioned you being a ghost and all, but he forgot to mention the locals were all insane.  What did they kill you for?  Witchcraft?

"Naw, they found out I was a transvestite."

"Seriously?"

"Yup. This here roosters comb is fake.  Or at least it was in life."

"I hesitate to ask this, but does this town have any more surprises I should know about?"

"Well...the sheep are planning a bloody revolution in 2 days. But beyond that, no things are pretty damn dull 'round here."

Once upon a time there was a poor farming village named Tater. It was peopled with...well...poor farmers. Jim Bawb was the best chicken farmer there, and his prize winning chickens won the countries competitions year after year. Jim and his sons had to go through some pretty interesting times what with all those other chicken farmers trying to sabotage them and all (hence why he still wasn't rich after winning all those competitions). One year his prize hen Mathilda was kidnapped after rumors that a curse hung over her head. Jim Bawb never found out the source of these rumors, but he did find Mathilda, now known as Bubba. It seems somehow during the missing hours Mathilda was gone she became Awakened, and couldn't remember how. She also knew she wanted to be a rooster. Talked about it for hours. To anyone who would listen. Even convinced someone to make her a rooster costume.

While Jim Bawb was trying to come to grips with his prize hens apparent lifestyle changes, a mob stormed his farm. They said he'd committed sins against Jebus. Jim Bawb knew there was a new cult in town, but he hadn't paid much attention since local religions came and went. Apparently this one had finally taken hold and gotten violent. They cut Bubba's head off, and Jim Bawb went into hiding with relatives before they burned him for witchcraft.

Before long Bubba came back, floating through the night air. Sometimes he was headless, sometimes he wasn't. Sometimes he carried the head under his wing. For a fairly new ghost he seemed unusually powerful at inspiring fear. Bubba began to wonder if the curse rumors were true. He helped Jim Bawb escape by distracting the townsfolk to cover him (he possessed several people who did some very unusual things, and were subsequently punished with very unusual exorcism rites). Bubba is a little concerned for the townsfolk now. It isn't their fault they're dumber than monkeys, and whoever started this new religion was taking advantage of the poor folks. Time to go hire some professionals to fix this...

Combat
Bubba rarely involves himself in combat as it’s easier to hide until the big folk go away with all their nasty spitting Cleric types talking about heatherns and damnation and sin and such. If chased intently he will likely use his Curse or Malevolence abilities to teach them a lesson by harassing them till they stop.

Terrifying Appearance : Any living being within 60' of Bubba must make a DC 20 Willpower Save (Save DC is Charisma Based with a +6 Racial Bonus) or be Frightened for 2d6 rounds. If they successfully make their Save they are Shaken for 1 round instead, and are immune to Bubba’s Terrifying Appearance for 24 hours.

Malevolence : Identical to the Ghost ability listed on page 118 of the Monster Manual.

Chicken’s Curse : Once per day Bubba can curse an opponent within 60' as a Standard Action. This spell is otherwise identical to Bestow Curse in all aspects except it's effect: Once per day at random, the victims pants will explode and fly off, and he will spend one round doing his best impression of a chicken laying an egg. Except he actually will be laying an egg. If said egg is kept warm and safe for 1 week it will hatch a Cockatrice. Bubba doesn't use this curse very often, unless he feels the victim is a real scumbag, and he usually warns people to dispose of the eggs, and what will happen if they don't.

'''BAWK! :''' Once per day at the stroke of Midnight Bubba can unleash a tremendous Bawk that resounds for miles. He doesn't do it very often unless someone has ticked him off. The BAWK! is a standard Action, and can be heard by everything within a 10 mile radius. Anything within 100' must make a DC 16 Willpower Save (Save DC is Cha Based) or be Shaken for 2d6 rounds. If they are within 30' they are Frightened instead. If they are within 10' they are both Frightened and Deafened. If the Save is successful they are Shaken for 2 rounds regardless of how close to Bubba they are.

Manifestation : Identical to the Ghost ability listed on page 118 of the Monster Manual.

Rejuvenation : Identical to the Ghost ability listed on page 118 of the Monster Manual. In order to lay Bubba to rest the PC’s must find out the origin of the curse that has created him. And then convince him to go. He seems really intent on hanging around actually.

Unnatural Aura : Animals will not come within 100' of anyone possessed by Bubba, and Panic if forced to do so (they remain Panicked so long as Bubba is within Range).

Lifesense : Bubba may automatically sense Living creatures within 100' as thought he had Blindsight. He also automatically knows the strength of their life force as if he had cast Deathwatch.

Skills: Bubba gets a +8 Racial Bonus on Hide, Intimidate, Listen, Move Silently,  Search, and Spot checks.

Lore: Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Local) can learn a little about Bubba if they are from Tater. When the character makes a skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs: DC10: Bubba was a famous local prize winning chicken in a farming village named Tater. DC15: Somehow Bubba became aware (i.e. awakened), and dire predictions of a curse upon him were whispered about. Possibly to prevent his further participation in competitions (Does anyone really believe someone would go through such enormous effort? I mean really...). DC20: Bubba was subsequently executed for "crimes against nature" (i.e. transvestism) by a crazed mob, and returned as a semi-vengeful ghost.

Plot Hooks: Jim Bawb has just barely escaped town after Bubba's death. He appeals to the PC's for help in getting his farm back, and for enacting a hideous bloodstained revenge on the townsfolk for killing Bob. He claims the PC's can have a cow made from solid copper if they win the day for him. The PC's are probably likely to think him insane unless they have enough ranks in Knowledge: Local to recognize Jim Bawb, or see the Cash Cow he has out back. He'd also like them to get someone to resurrect Bubba, who seems content with being a ghost.

Word has it there's a cult in the small farming village of Tater that's burning people for witchcraft. They're definition of witchcraft seems a little vague and is usually described as "anything we don't cotton to". Concerned authorities have asked the PC's to investigate. Well okay that's a little bit of a fib. Concerned authorities have actually asked the PC's to "find whichever drunken incest victim started this whole mess and beat him to within an inch of his life". They'd also like them to look into rumors of a headless ghost chicken. There's money in sideshow freaks these days.

The PC's are approached by a floating dead chicken who (after they stop screaming and calm down) asks them to find out the truth of the circumstances behind his awakening, and the subsequent source of the rumors he was cursed. Cause being undead, he probably was cursed now that he thinks about it. He'd also like them to find who started the cult now causing trouble in Tater.

The Glitter Festival is the premier transvestite/female impersonator/general weirdness showcase of the land, and it's always been Bubba's desire to attend since Awakening. He has the minor problem though, that anyone seeing him starts screaming like they've seen a ghost. Well at least a ghost that's malicious in intent. He'd like the PC's to fix this problem for him if they could, without resurrecting him. He kind of likes being dead. Plus he's a scheduled Judge for the Best Orc Drag King competition, and he's worried people will try to harm him somehow. The Judges get attacked every year, and Bubba thinks someone will resurrect him, and bump him off a second time in the hopes he won't come back as a ghost this time.