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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardJoseung Saja

Joseung saja (jo-seung sah-jah) is a name sometimes bestowed on creatures in the afterlife who have committed grave sins in their lifetimes. Known also as reapers, these pale and sunken-eyed creatures are psychopomps—beings who guide the souls of the dead to the Boneyard. No one knows the specific criteria for one to become joseung sajas, but those who are selected have their memories erased and must work as joseung sajas until they've been deemed to have fully atoned for their sins.

Joseung sajas from different eras wander the world, and when a creature nears death, one will appear and await the target's demise as their afterlife guide. When needed, they even alter their target's memories to remove painful emotions that might chain them to the mortal world, easing them into a peaceful death. This duty prevents those who die tragic or violent deaths from becoming bound to the world as ghosts—a mercy, though one often unappreciated by the wards of joseung sajas. If a creature targeted by a joseung saja becomes undead or otherwise cheats death, the reaper must fulfill their duty of granting the creature a true death.

Because joseung sajas linger among mortals in order to perform their duties, they're one of the most commonly seen psychopomps.

Recall Knowledge - Monitor (Religion): DC 32
Unspecific Lore: DC 30
Specific Lore: DC 27

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Joseung SajaCreature 14

Medium Monitor Psychopomp 
Source Tian Xia World Guide pg. 296
Perception +28; darkvision, lifesense 60 feet
Languages Celestial, Chthonian, Diabolic, Requian; truespeech
Skills Athletics +25, Boneyard Lore +26, Diplomacy +28, Religion +28, Society +24, Stealth +24
Str +5, Dex +4, Con +5, Int +4, Wis +8, Cha +8
Items +2 striking longsword
AC 35; Fort +25, Ref +25, Will +28
HP 250; Immunities death effects, disease; Resistances poison 15, void 15
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] longsword +29 [+24/+19] (versatile P), Damage 2d8+8 slashing plus reap souls and spirit touchDivine Innate Spells DC 34; 5th translocate; 4th talking corpse; 2nd invisibility (at will; self only); Constant (5th) truespeech
Reap Memory [two-actions] (incapacitation, mental) The joseung saja looks into the eyes of a creature within 30 feet and removes inconvenient or painful memories that are preventing it from moving on to death. The target is aware that the joseung saja attempted to alter its memory and can attempt a Will save to resist. Willing targets receive the effects of a critical failure.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target takes 2d10 mental damage and is stupefied 2 for 1 round.
Failure The target takes 4d10 mental damage and is stupefied 2 for 1 week.
Critical Failure The target loses all painful emotions and memories, leaving an indistinct haze. If the target is an ijhyeojin, then all of their memories are reaped and they become a joseung saja.Reap Souls [reaction] (death) Trigger The joseung saja brings a target to 0 Hit Points or successfully Strikes a target with the dying condition; Effect The target must succeed at a DC 34 Will save or immediately die. A reaped creature can't be return to life or become undead except by a 9th-rank or higher ritual.Shifting Form [one-action] The joseung saja is incorporeal until the end of their next turn. While they're incorporeal, they have resistance 10 to all damage (except force, void, and ghost touch weapons).Spirit Touch A joseung saja's Strikes all have the effects of a ghost touch property rune and deal an extra 3d6 void damage to living creatures and 3d6 vitality damage to undead.

Sidebar - Locations Death-Long Career

Even after atoning for their sins and regaining their memories, some souls choose to retain their titles as joseung sajas. These experienced reapers hunt ijhyeojin, former joseung sajas who have abandoned their posts. To joseung sajas, an ijhyeojin is no more than just another soul overstaying its welcome in the world of the living.

All Monsters in "Psychopomp"

NameLevel
Algea11
Catrina5
Eseneth17
Esobok3
Joseung Saja14
Morrigna15
Nosoi1
Shoki9
Vanth7
Vanth Warrior14
Yamaraj20

Psychopomp

Source Bestiary pg. 270
Psychopomps are guardians and shepherds of the dead native to the Boneyard, the vast plane of graves where mortal souls are judged and sent on to their eternal rewards or damnations. Psychopomps ensure that the dead come to terms with their transition from mortality and are properly sorted into the appropriate afterlife. They also protect souls from being preyed upon by supernatural predators. Nearly all psychopomps wear masks, especially when they’re likely to be interacting with mortals, although the types of masks they wear are as varied as the psychopomps themselves. The courts of the Boneyard preside in Requian, a somber yet melodic language spoken slowly with various tonal shifts.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Other Pyschopomps

Nosois and morrignas are far from the only of their kind. Many others, like the skeletal vanths or the draconic yamarajes, also aid in the stewardship of the dead.

Sidebar - Locations Psychopomp Courts

Psychopomps rarely oppose celestials or fiends. In fact, they frequently host such creatures in the Boneyard, particularly in the sprawling psychopomp courts where these outsiders petition for one soul or another to be remanded to their jurisdiction. Complicated cases are judged by yamarajes, while the thorniest or most politically delicate are handed by Pharasma herself.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Psychopomp Foes

Psychopomps' greatest enemies are creatures that devour or steal souls, such as astradaemons and night hags. Their other opponents include necromancers, proteans, and those who have unnaturally extended their lifespan, such as liches.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Psychopomp Traitors

Some psychopomps view their task of sorting souls as ultimately hollow and meaningless, since the multiverse itself must one day end. Eons ago, these rebels shirked their duties and fled to the empty corners of the planes, becoming a new type of evil creature called a sahkil. Sahkils feed on mortal fears, particularly fears of death, and enjoy tormenting those who must die. Psychopomps generally leave these malcontents alone, except when sahkils interfere with the proper flow of souls.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Psychopomps Divinities

The most powerful of the psychopomps are unique demigods known collectively as “ushers,” each of whom has its own cult. These psychopomp divinities include Atropos, the Last Sister; Barzahk, the Passage; Ceyanan, the Shepherd; Dammar, the Denied; Imot, the Symbol of Doom; Mother Vulture, the Flesheater; Mrtyu, Death's Consort; Narakas, the Cleansing Sentence; the Pale Horse; Phlegyas, Consoler of Atheists; Saloc, Minder of Immortals; Teshallas, the Primordial Poison; and Vale, the Court of the Ancestors.