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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardGrioth Cultist

Grioth cultists represent the lowest tier of their remorseless cult—worshippers of the Elder Mythos tasked with leading scouting missions into new worlds. Though ranked above scouts in the chain of command, they occupy a lowly place in the overall religious hierarchy. Though whispered rumors describe the legendary rituals needed to wrench worlds from their suns, these cultists don't learn this potent magic. Such secrets are left to grioth high priests, who are always the last to arrive in a colonized world.

Most grioths worship the Outer God Nyarlathotep in one of his many incarnations, although some worship other entities of the Elder Mythos such as Azathoth, Nhimbaloth, or Yog-Sothoth. In the highly rare cases where a grioth is cut off from their society and given the opportunity to explore other religions, they still lean into faiths associated with the stars or the night, such as Desna or Zon-Kuthon. However, these grioths are loathed by others of their own kind, who view them as dangerous heretics.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 23
Unspecific Lore: DC 21
Specific Lore: DC 18

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Grioth CultistCreature 3

Legacy Content

Rare CE Medium Grioth Humanoid 
Source Bestiary 3 pg. 123
Perception +10; greater darkvision, echolocation (precise) 20 feet
Languages Aklo, Grioth; telepathy 30 feet
Skills Acrobatics +8, Occultism +9, Religion +10, Stealth +10
Str +0, Dex +3, Con +2, Int +2, Wis +3, Cha +0
Echolocation A grioth can use its hearing as a precise sense at the listed range
Items voidglass kukri
AC 18; Fort +7, Ref +10, Will +10
HP 40; Immunities cold; Weaknesses fire 5
Light Blindness No Breath A grioth doesn't breathe except to speak and is immune to effects that require breathing (such as an inhaled poison).
Speed 25 feet, fly 30 feet
Melee [one-action] kukri +10 [+6/+2] (agile, finesse, trip), Damage 1d6+2 slashingMelee [one-action] jaws +10 [+6/+2] (agile, finesse), Damage 1d8+2 piercing plus grioth venomDivine Prepared Spells DC 20, attack +12; 2nd dispel magic, heal, sound burst; 1st fear, harm, heal, ventriloquism; Cantrips (3rd) divine lance, forbidding ward, message, prestidigitation, stabilize
Occult Innate Spells DC 19, attack +11; 2nd phantom pain; Cantrips (2nd) daze, detect magic, mage hand, telekinetic projectile
Grioth Venom (emotion, fear, mental, poison) Saving Throw Fortitude DC 20; Maximum Duration 6 rounds; Stage 1 frightened 1 (1 round); Stage 2 frightened 2 (1 round); Stage 3 frightened 3 (1 round)Invoke Haunter of the Dark [two-actions] (divine, enchantment, mental, visual) Frequency once per day; Effect The grioth cultist waves a hand in a complex pattern to invoke dark powers, dealing 3d8 mental damage. Each non-grioth creature within 20 feet must attempt a DC 20 Will save.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature takes half damage
Failure The creature takes full damage and becomes stupefied 1 for 1 round
Critical Failure The creature takes double damage and becomes stupefied 1 for 1 minute.Shock Mind [two-actions] (enchantment, mental, occult) The grioth scout makes a Strike with a voidglass weapon. If the Strike hits, it deals an additional 2d6 mental damage, and the target must succeed at a DC 20 Will save (this has the incapacitation trait) or become confused for 1 round.

All Monsters in "Grioth"

NameLevel
Grioth Cultist3
Grioth Scout1

Grioth

Source Bestiary 3 pg. 122
Planets that drift out of orbit from their stars grow cold and lifeless as they float through the Dark Tapestry. Such dead worlds are coveted by the horrific creatures known as grioths, who endure the awful cold on these wandering worlds and convert them into planetary temples devoted to the dark gods of the Elder Mythos. From these bastions of frozen darkness, grioths seek out warm, living worlds to tear away from their respective suns through forbidden rituals, a process that often takes numerous generations.

A single cultist typically leads a grioth scouting party, and the group seeks out a disused or forgotten location on the fringe of rural settlements as their initial invasion point. Over several generations, a grioth settlement grows powerful and conquers the surrounding cultures, and eventually, powerful grioths descend from the stars to begin the next stage of planetary conquest.

Grioths speak a language composed of trills and clicks. While capable of speaking other languages, they do so in dry, raspy voices. As grioths have wings, wriggling tails, and four-eyed, bat-like visages, many cultures mistakenly associate them with the evil Outer Planes, but they very much belong to this reality.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Haunter in the Dark

Nyarlathotep is often venerated by grioths in a bat-like incarnation with a three-lobed burning eye known as the Haunter in the Dark. His symbol is a circle with wing-shaped arms and he grants the following benefits.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Void Glass

Voidglass is an otherworldly crystalline material that resembles pale blue glass but possesses the strength of iron. It becomes soft and workable when exposed to the right combination of cosmic radiation and lack of atmosphere