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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Elder Thing Researcher

As one would expect from a species capable of living for thousands of years, many elder things grow more powerful than the standard specimen. Elder thing researchers are among the more frequently encountered of these incredibly rare beings, for their nature and interests often see them traveling to distant worlds to explore and lay the foundations for later conquest and colonization. Elder thing researchers often carry strange weapons or tools that merge technology with magic.

Recall Knowledge - Aberration (Occultism): DC 32
Unspecific Lore: DC 30
Specific Lore: DC 27

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Changes from being Elite are marked in red below.
NOTE: The +2 damage bonus to non-strike offensive abilities (+4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.

Elite Elder Thing ResearcherCreature 11

Legacy Content

Rare LN Medium Aberration Amphibious 
Source Pathfinder #189: Dreamers of the Nameless Spires pg. 85
Perception +23; darkvision
Languages Aklo, Common, Elder Thing, Mi-Go, Yithian
Skills Acrobatics +19, Arcana +23, Athletics +21, Crafting +23, Medicine +23, Occultism +25, Survival +21, Thievery +21 (+23 to Disable a Device)
Str +5, Dex +3, Con +5, Int +7, Wis +5, Cha +3
AC 31 all-around vision; Fort +21, Ref +19, Will +23
HP 238; Immunities cold; Resistances fire 10
No Breath The elder thing doesn't breathe and is immune to effects that require breathing (such as inhaled poison).
Speed 25 feet, fly 20 feet, swim 30 feet
Melee [one-action] tentacle +22 [+18/+14] (agile), Damage 2d8+2+11 bludgeoning plus GrabOccult Innate Spells DC 31, attack +23 (+4 dmg); 5th black tentacles, mind probe, summon entity; 4th modify memory, phantom pain; 3rd hypercognition, mind reading; Cantrips (5th) daze, mage hand, read aura, sigil, telekinetic projectile
Constrict [one-action] 2d8+11 bludgeoning, DC 31Eldritch Insight [three-actions] (divination, occult) Frequency once per day; Effect By focusing its senses and thoughts on a single concept, an elder thing researcher can draw upon the thousands of years of deep memories. It then selects one of the following skills: Arcana, any Lore, Nature, Religion, or Society. Once the skill is chosen, the elder thing researcher can attempt checks for the selected skill using its Occultism modifier. This effect lasts until the elder thing researcher uses Eldritch Insight again to change its focus. If no focus is predetermined, assume an elder thing researcher has chosen to focus on Library Lore.Hibernate The elder thing enters a state of hibernation after focusing its thoughts for 1 minute. While hibernating, an elder thing is unconscious. The elder thing can remain in hibernation as long as it wishes—while hibernating, it doesn't need to eat or drink, nor does it age. Time effectively stands still for a hibernating elder thing. Any effect that would normally rouse an unconscious creature can end an elder thing's hibernation, but the elder thing must attempt a DC 27 Will save. On a success, the elder thing awakens in 2d4 rounds; otherwise it takes 1d4 days to wake from hibernation. The elder thing can set the length of its hibernation when it enters this state, so that it can awaken after a set amount of time has passed. When awakening in this way, the elder thing does so in only 1d4 rounds, with no Will save necessary.Unnatural Flight The elder thing's wings allow it to fly in regions where flight is normally impossible, such as outer space. It gains a +2 circumstance bonus to checks made to Maneuver in Flight, and on saving throws against effects that impede flight.

All Monsters in "Elder Thing"

NameLevel
Elder Thing5
Elder Thing Researcher10

Elder Thing

Source Pathfinder #189: Dreamers of the Nameless Spires pg. 84
Known by various names on various worlds, but most often as “elder things” or “old ones,” these alien creatures are interested in creating lasting works of art, architecture, and even life (such as the legendary and dreaded shoggoth). Matched with their boundless capacity for egotism and enormous life spans, elder things often see themselves as the most learned and advanced species on any planet they visit, and tend to treat most other forms of life like a scientist might treat experimental stock. While not generally inimical or violent, their nature often puts them at odds against other societies they encounter, and war is a time-honored solution. The elder things rarely shy away from using violence to secure their own territory and their perceived right to experiment and explore.

A typical elder thing is 6 feet tall from head to foot, with a 7-foot wingspan. Their bodies are radial in nature, with five wings, five tentacle-like arms that each end in a writhing nest of tendrils, and five eyestalks. At one end of their barrel-shaped bodies are several larger tentacles they use for combat and locomotion, while at the other, at the center of their five eyes in their starfish-shaped heads, sits a single mouth surrounded by multicolored cilia. An elder thing's language is a mix of piping and whistling sounds, but they can vocalize a wide range of other languages as well—albeit with a strange, high-pitched accent.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Space Travelers

An elder thing can travel through outer space via flight, but it doesn't do so at a greater speed than its normal fly Speed. When an elder thing wishes to travel through the void of space, it typically aims itself in the direction it wishes to go, then enters a timed hibernation so that it wakes at a point where it nears its destination.