Sohmien

Sohmien vaguely resemble horses with leathery, ashen hides, and mist-shrouded hooves that kill any vegetation they touch. Frightful wails accompany their ride. Sohmien heads feature dead white eyes, wide mouths full of needle-like fangs, and downward-sweeping horns. Their shoulder blades extend beyond their heads and necks, and three bone spikes extend from each soulder, extensions of their spinal column.

Sohmien prefer to attack with the spines that protrue from their shoulder blades, attempting to aim for non-vital areas so as to cause their opponents as much pain as possible before closing in for the kill. They have been known to trample an opponent with their hooves, but this is rare.

Spines (Ex): The uppermost spine on each shoulder of a sohmien can be fired at an opponent for 1d8 points of damage each, with a range of 30 feet. These spines make a horrible whistling noise when fired and shriek when they taste blood. They overcome damage reduction as though they were +1 weapons, and regrow in 2d4 days.The two lower spines on each shoulder blade extend a foot past the creature's head, impaling opponents for 1d8 points of damage. If the sohmien scores a critical, it has gored the opponent so deeply that it can immediately bite as an attack of opportunity, causing an additional 1d6 damage.A sohmien's spines turn to vapour within three days of the creature's death.

Fear Stampede (Su): Stampeding sohmien cause fear (Will save DC 11 negates) in any creature of equal or lower Hit Dice, as the spell cast by a 2nd-level sorcerer. Bariaurs, centaurs, horses, and nic'Epona receive a +4 racial bonus to their saving throws. The sohmien can only stampede at dusk and only at the command of someone who has invoked them (see below).Habitat/SocietyThese creatures are said to have been born from the fall of the last of the nightmare lords. According to legend, this nightmare lord was lured to the Gloom Meet by his subjects, then attacked by fiends who had tired of bartering for permission to use his nightmares. The nightmare lord was driven into the Hinterlands, his body riddled with cold iron spears and arrows. It is believed that where his blood struck the earth, sohmien sprang forth.

According to the myth, sohmien are creatures of vengeance. Sohmien hate nightmares and attack them in preference to all other opponents. It is said that the ride of the sohmien will not end until they kill every nightmare in existence. They can be summoned by any vengeful spellcaster of sufficient power through the sohmien pact, a ritual believed lost long ago. No one has ever successfully used a sohmien as a mount. Myths claim that the summoner's voice joins the frightful wails that follow the sohmien as they ride from the Hinterlands.0EcologyWhen summoned, sohmien must be ordered to ride, destroying all in the path leading to the creature that has wronged the summoner. The ride ends only when the sohmien are slain or when they have reduced the offending creature to near death (1 hit point). At that point, the sohmien wait, pawing the ground. if the victim desires vengeance for the attack, he can send to sohmien stampeding back to the summoner.