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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardDaqqanoenyent

A daqqanoenyent is a horrific monstrosity arising from a terrible crime against the dead, obsessed with exacting retribution. The creature manifests as an enormous, disembodied head, 10 feet in height and covered in coarse black hair, with bat-like wings and vicious fangs and talons. Daqqanoenyents are naturally conflicted creatures. As the product of the tortured wills of numerous victims, daqqanoenyents sometimes exhibit strange or contradictory behavior as various individual wills struggle for control. Their conflicting desires make daqqanoenyents relatively easy to trick or deceive, and the creatures are vulnerable to fire. One story of a daqqanoenyent encounter describes the creature attempting to eat an old woman, only to be tricked by the woman into devouring a live coal. Their mouth aflame, the daqqanoenyent fled into the wilderness, never to be seen again.

Recall Knowledge - Undead (Religion): DC 31
Unspecific Lore: DC 29
Specific Lore: DC 26

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

DaqqanoenyentCreature 9

Legacy Content

Rare NE Large Undead 
Source Book of the Dead pg. 75
Perception +17; darkvision
Languages Common, Necril; plus any one language spoken in life (can't speak any language)
Skills Acrobatics +17 (+21 to Maneuver in Flight), Athletics +21, Survival +17 (+21 to track anyone involved in the desecration that created them)
Str +6, Dex +4, Con +4, Int +0, Wis +2, Cha +0
AC 28; Fort +21, Ref +17, Will +15
HP 170 (negative healing); Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious; Weaknesses fire 10, positive 5
Speed 15 feet, fly 30 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +21 [+16/+11], Damage 2d12+9 piercing plus 1d4 negative and GrabMelee [one-action] talon +21 [+17/+13] (agile), Damage 2d8+9 slashing plus 1d4 negative and GrabBaleful Gaze [two-actions] (curse, emotion, fear, mental, visual) The daqqanoenyent's face twists into an expression of unbridled rage. Each creature within 30 feet that can see the daqqanoenyent must attempt a DC 28 Will save. The creature is then temporarily immune for 1 minute.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature is frightened 1.
Failure The creature is frightened 2.
Critical Failure The creature is frightened 3.Snatch A daqqanoenyent can Fly at half Speed while they have a Medium or smaller creature grabbed or restrained in their talons, carrying that creature along with them.Swallow Whole [one-action] (attack) Medium, 2d8+9 bludgeoning, Rupture 24

Sidebar - Additional Lore Tragic Origins

Whereas most beheaded are created intentionally, a daqqanoenyent only arises spontaneously. Though documentation is rare, such an manifestation can occur after a mass murder and the subsequent beheading of the corpses. Typically, this is done as a callous act of desecration, meant to deny the victims the possibility of being laid to rest with respect.
The daqqanoenyent consists of the combined tortured wills of the murdered victims. They will pursue the perpetrators and their associates without rest. This type of beheaded is both vengeful and easily distracted, however, making them a danger to anyone they happen across.

All Monsters in "Beheaded"

NameLevel
Daqqanoenyent9
Festering Gnasher1
Flaming Skull2
Severed Head-1
Taunting Skull5

Beheaded

Source Bestiary 3 pg. 30
Beheaded are the reanimated heads of decapitation victims. These mindless undead fly through the air or roll around to attack their prey.

Beheaded Abilities

Beheaded can manifest with a variety of abilities, such as those presented below.

Bleeding The beheaded is covered in slimy blood. The target of a successful Strike is splattered with gore and must succeed at a Fortitude save or become sickened 1.

Entangling Long, stringy hair clings to the beheaded's scalp. Its Strikes gain the Grab ability.

Fiendish (aura, divine, emotion, fear, mental, necromancy) 30 feet. The beheaded has a twisted, unsettling countenance. Foes that begin their turn in the area must succeed at a Will save or be frightened 1.

Giant A beheaded created from the head of a giant is a Medium creature, gaining 2 levels and one or more additional beheaded abilities.

Alternate Beheaded Abilities

Source Book of the Dead pg. 74 Lifesense The beheaded has imprecise lifesense out to 60 feet.

Whispering (aura, emotion, fear, mental, necromancy) 30 feet. The beheaded constantly whispers twisted incantations in unknown languages secret and foul. Foes that enter or begin their turn in the area must succeed at a Will save or be stupefied 1. The aura uses the moderate DC for the beheaded's level.

Furious Headbutt Frequency once per round; Effect The beheaded makes a wild Strike, taking a –2 penalty to its AC until the end of its next turn. If the Strike damages a creature, it deals additional damage equal to the beheaded's level.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Monstrous Heads

While the traditional image of a beheaded is that of a disembodied human head or skull, necromancers can create beheaded out of any sort of head. This variety can lead to extremely distinctive beheaded, including dragon heads, giant insect heads, medusa heads, or those of even rarer creatures. Occasionally, such beheaded retain weakened versions of their original special abilities from the constituent creature instead of a beheaded ability, such as a breath weapon for a dragon head or a gaze for a medusa head.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules More Beheaded Abilities

Since beheaded are very similar to skeletons or zombies (or at least the heads from those creatures), you can also customize them with abilities from the skeleton and zombie entries, though take care to avoid abilities that require bodies or limbs. If you give the beheaded more than one additional ability, you might want to increase its level and adjust its statistics accordingly. Use the guidelines in Chapter 2 of the Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide to determine its new statistics.