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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Tumblak

Tumblaks prey upon fears of constriction, claustrophobia, or being buried alive. They appear as a roughly rectangular mass of mismatched parts from multiple bodies, as though several people were compressed in a coffin together and became inextricably tangled. Tumblaks enjoy lairing in crypts and collapsed buildings, and they phase through the rubble and tombs to seek prey. Mortals struggle to breathe in a tumblak's presence, which further heightens their terror.

Recall Knowledge - Fiend (Religion): DC 38
Unspecific Lore: DC 36
Specific Lore: DC 33

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Changes from being Weak are marked in red below.
NOTE: The -2 damage penalty to non-strike offensive abilities (-4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.

Weak TumblakCreature 17

Legacy Content

NE Medium Fiend Incorporeal Sahkil 
Source Night of the Gray Death pg. 71
Perception +33; darkvision, true seeing
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, Requian; telepathy 100 feet
Skills Athletics +33, Deception +29, Grave Lore +26, Intimidation +33, Religion +27, Stealth +29
Str +9, Dex +5, Con +6, Int +2, Wis +5, Cha +9
Easy to Call A sahkil's level is considered 2 lower for the purpose of being conjured by the planar binding ritual (and potentially other rituals, at the GM's discretion), but is always free to attack or leave instead of negotiate unless the primary caster's check is a critical success.
Focused Force Unlike most incorporeal creatures, a tumblak can make Strength-based checks against physical creatures and objects if it chooses, though such creatures still can't make Strength-based checks against the tumblak.
AC 40; Fort +31, Ref +26, Will +29
HP 285; Immunities disease, fear, poison, precision; Resistances physical 15 (except force or ghost touch; double resistance vs. non-magical); Weaknesses good 15
Gasping Aura (air, aura, divine, transmutation) 100 feet. Creatures within the aura must succeed at a DC 35 Fortitude save. On a failure, they can't breathe and must hold their breath to avoid suffocation until they leave the aura. The tumblak can activate or deactivate the aura with a single free action, which has the concentrate trait. No Breath Tumblaks don't need to breathe.
Speed fly 40 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +33 [+28/+23] (magical, reach 10 feet), Damage 3d12-2+17 bludgeoning plus 2d6 evil and Entombing EchoesDivine Innate Spells DC 38 (-4 dmg); 9th dispel magic, earthbind (at will), fear (at will), mask of terror (at will; self only), nightmare (at will); Cantrips (9th) detect magic; Constant (9th) true seeing
Claustrophobic Nightmares (curse, divine, enchantment, mental) A creature fatigued by the tumblak's nightmare spell is subject to paralyzing glimpses of being buried alive. Anyone using an effect that would remove the fatigued condition through a means other than a full night's rest must succeed on a DC 42 counteract check or the fatigued condition isn't removed. When the fatigued creature enters a stressful situation, such as rolling initiative in combat or entering a high-stakes negotiation, it is affected by Entombing Echoes.Entombing Echoes (divine, emotion, enchantment, incapacitation, mental) A creature struck by the tumblak's fist or impacted by Claustrophobic Nightmares must succeed on a DC 42 Will save or feel itself confined on all sides. The creature is immobilized and flat-footed until it Escapes (DC 42).Skip Between [one-action] (conjuration, divine, teleportation) The Tumblak sahkil moves from the Material Plane to the Ethereal Plane or vice versa, with the effects of ethereal jaunt except the effect has an unlimited duration and can be Dismissed. A summoned sahkil can't use Skip Between.

Spiritual Aversions

Tumblaks are well-versed in burial rites from many diferent cultures. Some tumblaks believe themselves to be subject to efects that ward or soothe ghosts, even though they themselves aren’t undead. For example, tumblaks might become calm upon hearing a prayer to soothe the dead, or uneasy around bells used to ward of restless spirits.

All Monsters in "Sahkil"

NameLevel
Chakanaj14
Esipil1
Ijhyeojin14
Kimenhul20
Nenchuuj19
Nucol4
Pakalchi9
Penqual15
Tumblak18
Wihsaak6
Ximtal17

Sahkil

Source Bestiary 3 pg. 218
Ages ago, when this cycle of the multiverse was still adolescent, a cabal of psychopomps who already felt bored and restrained in their role of ushering souls to their ultimate resting place rebelled against their station. It was this corruption of the cycle of souls that spawned the first sahkils.

Ambivalent to the prescribed order of the multiverse and spiteful of mortals, sahkils delight in spreading fear and unease to all beings, clogging up the metaphysical cycle with anxiety-ridden mortals too scared to achieve their potential. These fiends have drastically changed from their dedicated psychopomp predecessors. They are creatures of spite and torment, fear and disgust. They exploit the most common and rare fears for their own perverse satisfaction, and they want nothing more than to frighten mortals and make them question their reason for existence.

Most sahkils lurk on the Ethereal Plane, but they frequently invade the Material Plane to torment mortals and spread terror. They use their innate ability to slip between the veils of the Ethereal and Material effortlessly, often stalking their targets for days or weeks before enacting their devious plots.

Sidebar - Locations At Home in Cities

Both penquals and nenchuujes are at home in large cities, but for different reasons. Penquals like slipping in among throngs of people, where they can inflict their terrors upon the lost or disoriented. Nenchuujes stalk magic academies, universities, or other places where spellcasters learn their craft, preying upon spellcasters' imposter syndrome.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Check with Friends

Sahkils are creatures of fear and terror. Roleplaying encounters with sahkils could be troubling to some players, and delving deep into the kinds of traumas sahkils relish in unleashing could have unintentional effects on your game and your friends. Before introducing sahkils into your game, talk with your players to learn about any particular phobias or limits to determine what content you bring to the table, and consider that on your own behalf as well. Some specific elements to be aware of are the ximtal's abilities around sensory deprivation and social isolation, as well as the kimenhul's trauma-related abilities and themes.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Couatls and Sahkils

Legends in Arcadia say that couatls and sahkils both rose to prominence as the first mortals walked on Golarion. Each saw unique potential in the mortals; couatls saw hope and the potential to rise to achieve great feats, while sahkils saw the potential for fear. Fearful mortals would never accomplish anything, becoming useless piles of flesh whose souls would languish. These withered souls would be unable to properly travel the River of Souls, disrupting the delicate balance of the afterlife. To this day, couatls work to inspire mortals and push them toward greater tasks while striving to keep the sahkils' terror at bay

Sidebar - Additional Lore Embodiments of Fear

All sahkils have horrifying appearances, and each type specializes in exacerbating a specific fear in mortals. Penquals embody not only a fear of crowds, but also of confined spaces and of being lost within a sea of unfamiliar faces. Nenchuujes embody both the fear of magic's horrifying side effects as well as the fear that one's own magic might be twisted to an unexpected or tragic end.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Feeding on Fear

Sahkils are immortal planar beings and don't require material sustenance, but they do seem to gain some semblance of nourishment from the fear they spread. Whether this is psychological or biological remains to be seen, but their obsession with frightening other creatures is clear. Sahkils recognize that they are already feared, so it may be that they are simply fulfilling what they believe is their ultimate purpose.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Planar Relations

Sahkils collaborate with divs to corrupt and corrode mortals. Velstracs, who appreciate sahkils' depredations, sometimes work with these fiends to enact terrible horror on their victims. Nihilistic and disaffected, daemons tolerate sahkils but tend to view them as useless provocateurs.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Sahkil Tormentors

The most powerful among sahkils are the sahkil tormentors. These deific beings rule over sahkils as a whole, and many personally direct the actions of their lesser cousins. Others fall into ambivalent routines, focusing more on their own personal acts of torment rather than launching widespread, ambitious depredations upon unsuspecting mortals.

Sidebar - Related Creatures War Against Hope

Sahkils and couatls are eternal enemies. The creatures each vie for the hearts of mortals, but from different sides of a single ideological coin. Sahkils wish to instill only fear into mortal hearts, trying to reduce them into useless piles of flesh who accomplish little. Couatls work to light the fires of hope, inspiring mortals to rise up and achieve their potential.

Sidebar - Locations Xibalba

Within the ghostly realm of the Ethereal Plane, sahkils inhabit a terrifying realm known as Xibalba. The Land of Dread is a realm of nightmares made manifest. At the center of this demiplane is a tiered pyramid known as the Black Pyramid, where the sahkil tormentors rule their brethren and sow fear through the mortal realm.