
Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

All Creatures
Abilities | Monsters | NPCs
All | Families | Templates
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Shisagishin (Crooked Nindoru)

The shisagishin takes delight in infiltrating a community and then disguising itself as the horribly decayed or mutilated remains of a loved one or adored public figure, only to spring to life in its true form during funeral services. A shisagishin epitomizes the cycle of decay giving rise to new life.

Recall Knowledge - Fiend (Religion): DC 30
Unspecific Lore: DC 28
Specific Lore: DC 25

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

ShisagishinCreature 12

Legacy Content

CE Medium Fiend Nindoru 
Source Pathfinder #199: To Bloom Below the Web pg. 85
Perception +22; darkvision
Languages Aklo, Common, Necril
Skills Acrobatics +25 (+27 to Escape), Deception +24, Intimidation +22, Occultism +21, Stealth +25
Str +4, Dex +7, Con +4, Int +3, Wis +4, Cha +6
AC 33; Fort +22, Ref +25, Will +20
HP 214; Resistances negative 10; Weaknesses silver 10
Attack of Opportunity [reaction] Burst From Death [reaction] (attack Requirement Initiative hasn't yet been rolled, and the shisagishin is disguised as a corpse with Manifest Corpse Shell) Trigger A creature touches the disguised shisagishin or a coffin or other container the shisagishin has been placed into; Effect The shisagishin violently unfolds into its true form, shredding its decaying corpse shell, and attempts a claw Strike on an adjacent target before it rolls initiative.Soul Shred Creatures killed by an shisagishin are difficult to bring back to life or to animate as undead. The shisagishin automatically attempts to counteract any attempt to resurrect or animate as undead any creature that it has killed (counteract modifier +21, counteract level 6th). If the shisagishin who slew the creature is itself slain, the creature can be brought back from death or become undead normally.
Speed 40 feet
Melee [one-action] claw +25 [+21/+17] (agile, deadly d6, finesse, magical), Damage 3d8+7 slashing plus 1d6 mental and GrabOccult Innate Spells DC 32, attack +24; 6th vampiric exsanguination; 5th hallucination, phantasmal killer; 2nd death knell (at will), item facade; Cantrips (6th) daze, ghost sound, message
Manifest Corpse Shell (concentrate, conjuration, occult) The shisagishin tucks its arms and legs into its body, drops prone, and manifests a decaying and/or mutilated humanoid corpse around itself over the course of 10 minutes of concentration. The shisagishin can cause this corpse to appear to be the remains of a specific creature it has seen before by Impersonating that creature with Deception. Once its corpse shell has manifested, until the next time the shisagishin acts, it appears to be a corpse. It has an automatic result of 44 on Deception checks and DCs to pass as a corpse.Spread Decay [one-action] The shisagishin causes the flesh of any number of creatures grabbed or restrained by it to swiftly begin to decay. Each of those creatures must attempt a DC 32 Fortitude save.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected.
Success The creature takes 2d8 negative damage.
Failure The creature takes 4d8 negative damage and is enfeebled 1.
Critical Failure The creature takes 6d8 negative damage and is enfeebled 2

Sidebar - Additional Lore Handmade Habitats

A shisagishin prefers to roam areas already rife with conflict and potential accidents, but it will happily create such a location if needed. They might poison wells, introduce disease to healthy livestock, or even collaborate with corrupt humans if it means the freedom to kill. Cursed towns or haunted roads are sometimes the playground of such a shisagishin.

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.