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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardLifeleecher

Lifeleechers are mortic orcs with gray flesh, sharp claws, and protruding tusks. Resilient and strong, they devour the vital essence of their enemies, which heals their wounds and shackles those souls to the lifeleecher.

Many orcs believe lifeleechers are possessed by the spirits of fallen orc warriors too stubborn to die. Feared and revered, lifeleechers often rise to positions of power in their holds and battle on the front lines against the undead armies of the Whispering Tyrant.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 29
Unspecific Lore: DC 27
Specific Lore: DC 24

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Lifeleecher BrawlerCreature 8

Legacy Content

Rare CE Medium Humanoid Mortic Orc 
Source Bestiary 3 pg. 176
Perception +7; darkvision
Languages Common, Necril
Skills Athletics +10, Intimidation +8, Survival +7
Str +6, Dex +4, Con +6, Int +3, Wis +3, Cha +4
Items +1 striking composite shortbow (20 arrows), breastplate
AC 17; Fort +12, Ref +8, Will +5
HP 165 (negative healing)
Consecration Vulnerability A lifeleecher in a place of worship dedicated to a non-evil deity or on sacred ground, such as an area blessed by sanctified ground, is slowed 1.Mortic Ferocity [reaction] As Ferocity, but the lifeleecher is also surrounded by visibly flickering fragments of the souls they've consumed, becoming concealed until the end of their next turn.Soul Feast [reaction] (divine, necromancy, negative) Trigger A creature adjacent to the lifeleecher dies; Effect The lifeleecher consumes a portion of the creature's soul, regaining 2d8 Hit Points.
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] tusk +12 [+7/+2], Damage 2d6+6 piercing plus leech essenceMelee [one-action] claw +12 [+8/+4] (agile), Damage 2d8+6 slashing plus 1d6 persistent bleedRanged [one-action] composite shortbow +11 [+6/+1] (deadly d10, magical, propulsive, range increment 30 feet), Damage 2d6+3 piercingDeath Gasp [one-action] (divine, necromancy) The lifeleecher draws in a deep breath and holds it, temporarily suspending their biological processes and becoming undead. The lifeleecher gains the undead trait and becomes immune to bleed, death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, and sleep. Any such effects the lifeleecher is currently suffering from are suspended, but take effect again once they take a breath.
Death Gasp lasts as long as the lifeleecher holds their breath (up to 11 rounds).Ghost Hunter The lifeleecher's tusks have the effects of the ghost touch property rune on attacks against incorporeal undead.Leech Essence (divine, necromancy) When the lifeleecher damages a living or undead creature with their jaws Strike, they drain the target's life essence. The lifeleecher gains 5 temporary Hit Points that last for 1 minute, and the target must succeed at a DC 16 Fortitude save or become drained 1 if living, or stunned 1 if undead. If the target was already drained or stunned, the value of this condition instead increases by 1, to a maximum of 3.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Defying Death

Lifeleechers are commonly formed when an orc tainted by the pollutants of the Gravelands falls in battle. As their ferocity overcomes them, they transform into mortics and continue the fight, drawing sustenance from the enemies that first laid them low.

All Monsters in "Mortic"

NameLevel
Angheuvore2
Etioling10
Gurgist6
Jitterbone4
Lifeleecher8
Relictner12
Shadern1

Mortic

Source Bestiary 3 pg. 174
Mortics are humanoids overwhelmed by negative energy who still cling to life, surviving as twisted amalgams of living and undead. Though they feel unnatural cravings and resemble corpses, mortics live, breathe, eat, sleep, and procreate. However, a mortic can suspend their living functions simply by holding their breath, becoming more like a true undead.

Mortics are largely new to Golarion, with most created in droves when the Whispering Tyrant destroyed entire cities with his Radiant Fire, a magical explosion fueled by the collision of negative and positive energy. From among the corpses of these tragedies rose mortics, living survivors mistaken for corpses and left behind as a result. They found themselves in a twilight state—neither fully alive or undead. The necrotic pollutants of the Gravelands and the Isle of Terror continue to create mortics, seeping into neighboring lands through the air, earth, and water to infect the populace. Though most of the living in these lands fear becoming transformed, some believe becoming a mortic is their best chance of survival in the face of the encroaching hordes of the dead.

A mortic's powers differ by ancestry, though they do have a few commonalities. Reading or hearing scripture induces headaches, and they experience great discomfort when treading upon sacred ground. For those who were religious in life, these new changes can be devastating.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Fun and Games

Many mortics favor games to pass the time. Jitterbones compete in community “bone churns” to see who can contort themselves into the most awkward shapes or fit through the smallest spaces. Shadern enjoy “burn-scream,” a deadly game pitting contenders against one another to see who makes the funniest sounds while being immolated. Relictners coax passersby into visiting their homes before they hunt their victims through a gauntlet of traps.

Sidebar - Locations Home Sweet Home

Most gurgists are survivors from Roslar's Coffer or Vigil who fled together to Nirmathas or Ustalav, where they've since built their own insular communities. Some fled to Absalom but struggle to fit in; most camp in the Cairnlands or form gangs in the city's slums. Shaderns are typically found in Belkzen, Oprak, and Isger, living among goblin tribes. Jitterbones are common in the River Kingdoms and Ustalav, living in rural, all-jitterbone communities. Relictners are widely spread, for they live individually and build their lairs near trade routes, fabled ruins, and other storied locales. They avoid dwarves and refuse to enter the Five Kings Mountains.

Most mortics were created inadvertently by the rise of the Whispering Tyrant—either by the Radiant Fire or through the corruption spreading from the Gravelands and Isle of Terror.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Other Mortics

The mortics presented here are four of the most prevalent variations. Others—such as relictner dwarves, shadern goblins, and jitterbone halflings—are also common.