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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Kagekuma (Lurking Nindoru)

Kagekumas exist in the periphery, lurking in the very shadows of their prey. Known in some regions as “shadefiends,” this nindoru's ability to appear as uninteresting figures in the crowd allows them to feed even in populated areas. A kagekuma appears as a hunched over humanoid with a long neck and a fanged mouth, but when wearing a bundle, the creature's head and neck tuck in tight between its shoulders to become entirely obscured. The kagekuma personifies the cycle of trust being built and broken over and over again through the course of a complex relationship.

Recall Knowledge - Fiend (Religion): DC 29
Unspecific Lore: DC 27
Specific Lore: DC 24

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

KagekumaCreature 8

Legacy Content

Rare CE Medium Fiend Nindoru 
Source Pathfinder #198: No Breath to Cry pg. 83
Perception +16; darkvision
Languages Aklo, Common, Necril
Skills Deception +18 (+20 to Impersonate a peasant or laborer), Occultism +15, Society +17, Stealth +18, Survival +16, Thievery +18
Str +4, Dex +6, Con +3, Int +3, Wis +6, Cha +4
Items broken kusarigama
AC 25 (27 with bundle); Fort +15, Ref +16, Will +18
HP 135; Immunities death effects; Resistances negative 5; Weaknesses silver 5
Soul Shred Creatures killed by an kagekuma are difficult to bring back to life or animate as undead. The kagekuma automatically attempts to counteract any attempt to resurrect or animate as undead any creature that it has killed (counteract modifier +16, counteract level 4). If the kagekuma who slew the creature is slain, the creature can be brought back from death or become undead normally.
Speed 25 feet (or 15 feet with bundle)
Melee [one-action] kusarigama +19 [+14/+9] (disarm, magical, monk, reach, trip, versatile B), Damage 2d8+7 slashing plus 1d6 mentalMelee [one-action] bite +18 [+14/+10] (agile, reach 10 feet), Damage 2d6+7 piercing plus 1d6 mentalOccult Innate Spells DC 26, attack +18; 4th dimension door, modify memory; 3rd fear, nondetection; 2nd blur, item facade; Cantrips (4th) daze, message, telekinetic projectile
Ruin Wielder When a kagekuma wields a broken, non-magical weapon, they don't take any of the disadvantages of the weapon being broken. While the kagekuma wields it, the weapon becomes a +1 striking weapon, and it deals an additional 1d6 mental damage on a successful hit.Manifest Bundle [two-actions] (concentrate, conjuration, occult) Frequency once per hour; Effect The kagekuma manifests a large bundle of straw, reeds, rope, yarn, hair, or the like, all lashed together with cords and strapped to its back. The kagekuma's AC increases to 27 as long as its bundle remains manifested, but its Speed is reduced to 15 feet.Shadow Bite [two-actions] (necromancy, occult) Requirements The kagekuma is casting a shadow; Effect The kagekuma targets an adjacent creature that's casting a shadow, then its shadow feeds on that creature's shadow. If the kagekuma has a manifested bundle, observers (including the creature whose shadow is being bitten) can notice the kagekuma's Shadow Bite only if they succeed at a DC 38 Perception check. The target must succeed at a DC 26 Fortitude save or become drained 1 (drained 2 on a critical failure).Shed Bundle [two-actions] Requirements The kagekuma has a manifested bundle; Frequency once per day; Effect The kagekuma causes its bundle to vanish, Strides, and then attempts a kusarigama Strike and a bite Strike.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Kagekuma Bundles

A kagekuma's bundle is more than just a disguise and armor—it's a physical indication of how many lives they've cut short and how many souls they've supped upon. Whether the bundle is composed of straw, ropes, hair, or other materials, the individual lengths symbolize a sort of “reaper's harvest,” with each strand in the bundle representing a metaphorical lifeline that the nindoru has severed and collected— to an extent that the multitude of lives taken overwhelms the nindoru's own presence in the world.

All Monsters in "Nindoru"

NameLevel
Akashti (Sobbing Nindoru)10
Argyrzei (Headless Nindoru)13
Guhdggi (Wandering Nindoru)5
Ijda (Forgetful Nindoru)6
Kagekuma (Lurking Nindoru)8
Meokdan (Hungry Nindoru)2
Shisagishin (Crooked Nindoru)12
Sojiruh (Shrieking Nindoru)4

Nindoru

Source Pathfinder #197: Let the Leaves Fall pg. 84
When an evil mortal soul that has been reincarnated multiple times is wrenched from the cycle of souls and corrupted, it can undergo a horrific transformation into a fiend known as a nindoru. A force for entropy and the breaking of cycles, nindorus are hideous creatures whose bodies often appear distorted, who wield weapons that have been shattered yet still function, and whose true face is often hidden from view. They display traits one might expect to see in an undead creature, such as decaying flesh or exposed bones, yet a nindoru is very much still alive.

Each nindoru epitomizes the fracture of a specific cycle, be it one from the natural world or from societal traditions. To the nindoru, nothing is more delicious than the consumption of a creature who has reincarnated multiple times, with those who are theoretically about to ascend to true enlightenment presenting the tastiest meal. Those slain by a nindoru are themselves torn from the cycle—the lucky ones move on to the Boneyard for judgment, but many are instead corrupted to form more of these horrific fiends.

Followers of Sangpotshi find nindoru to be particularly abhorrent and count them among the greatest threats imaginable. Most commonly found in regions of the world where the reincarnation cycle is strongest, nindorus are, like rakshasas and oni, associated most strongly with the Material Plane.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Nindoru Butterflies

One of the strangest shared traits of the various types of nindoru are the blood-red butterflies that seem to follow them around, nest on their bodies, or periodically emerge from their wounds. These unnerving insects are physical manifestations of the nindorus' thoughts and symbolize the countless past lives they once lived but turned their backs on. Nindoru butterflies never last long once they flutter more than a few feet from their source, fading away into smoke that quickly dissipates into the air.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Nindoru Demigods

The most powerful nindorus are demigods, although their cults are quite rare. Prone to reincarnation after death, nindoru demigods like Kugaptee are more properly known as “nindoru ascetics.”

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Nindoru Trait

Nindorus are chaotic evil fiends that rise from corruptions to the cycle of reincarnating souls and live on the Material Plane. Although they often have elements in their appearance that make them seem undead, they're actually living beings. Most nindorus have darkvision, are immune to death effects, have weakness to silver, and possess the power to manifest objects or creatures from their thoughts.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Nindoru Traitors

While most nindorus are purely chaotic evil in nature, legends tell of exceptionally rare nindorus who manage to escape their own nature and ascend, reincarnating after death into kami or other more benevolent spirits and shedding the nindoru trait as they do so. Of course, these “traitors” are regarded as the most delicious meals imaginable by the nindorus left behind.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Other Nindorus

Many other types of nindorus exist beyond the four presented on these pages. Others include the corpse- copying akashtis (sobbing nindorus), infiltrators of society known as kagekumas (lurking nindorus), the dead defiling shisagishins (crooked nindorus), and the powerful and brutal argyrzeis (headless nindorus).

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Reincarnated Souls

In some cases, you’ll know if a creature a nindoru attacks has a reincarnated soul. Ancestries like samsarans are always reincarnated souls, and a PC’s backstory or even their background can often indicate the presence of a previous life. All of the PCs in Season of Ghosts qualify as reincarnated souls, as they’ve relived their lives over and over for decades. If you ever need to determine if a creature’s soul is reincarnated for the purpose of adjudicating a nindoru’s ability, attempt a DC 11 flat check—on a success, it has a reincarnated soul.