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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardObrousian

Spawned from sorrow and hatred, obrousians are undead merfolk who lurk in shallow places to prey upon hated land dwellers. The genesis of an obrousian is a tragic one: some merfolk forsake their aquatic homes when they fall in love with a land dweller, only to be spurned or rejected. Having given up their entire world for another and then feeling that new world closed off to them as well, merfolk can become emotionally overwhelmed. When such merfolk die, often overcome with sorrow and regret, they rise as obrousians.

Obrousians think of little other than taking revenge upon the land dwellers who specifically wronged them, and then upon anyone else with the misfortune to cross their paths. They can contort their bodies to take the guise of other humanoids, but doing so is painful, so obrousians use this ability only when absolutely necessary to enact their schemes. While they are capable of long-term planning, their underlying mental turmoil simmers beneath any careful preparation, and many obrousians foil their own plans with unexpected outbursts of emotion.

Obrousians are recognizable as the merfolk they once were before they died, though their bodies show obvious decay and their hands have elongated into sharp claws. Their voices are melodic and entrancing, belying their rotting bodies and turbulent minds, so some obrousians hide in tall reeds or under docks before speaking to their victims, lulling them into false comfort with a pleasant voice.

Recall Knowledge - Undead (Religion): DC 34
Unspecific Lore: DC 32
Specific Lore: DC 29

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

ObrousianCreature 14

Legacy Content

Uncommon NE Medium Amphibious Undead 
Source Book of the Dead pg. 134, Pathfinder #161: Belly of the Black Whale pg. 86
Perception +12; darkvision
Languages Aquan, Common, Necril
Skills Athletics +12 (+14 to Swim), Deception +13, Intimidation +11, Nature +10, Stealth +12
Str +6, Dex +4, Con +3, Int +0, Wis +4, Cha +7
AC 22; Fort +11, Ref +8, Will +14
HP 250 (negative healing); Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious
Waves of Sorrow (aura, divine, enchantment, incapacitation, mental) 30 feet. When a creature ends its turn in the obrousian's waves of sorrow aura, the creature is overwhelmed by the sorrow that suffuses the obrousian's being. The creature must succeed at a DC 19 Will saving throw or become paralyzed for 1 round.
Speed 5 feet, swim 30 feet
Melee [one-action] claw +15 [+11/+7] (agile, magical), Damage 3d8+12 slashing plus GrabDivine Innate Spells DC 20; 7th warp mind (×3); 3rd enthrall (at will)
Change Shape [one-action] (concentrate, divine, polymorph, transmutation) The obrousian can take on the appearance of any kind of Small or Medium humanoid creature. This transformation increases their Speed to 25 feet and might remove their swim Speed depending on the form. It doesn't change their attack and damage modifiers with their Strikes, but it might change the damage type their Strikes deal (typically to bludgeoning damage).Drowning Grasp When a creature is grabbed by the obrousian, the creature's lungs magically fill with water. A creature that can't breathe water is suffocating while it is grabbed.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Obrousian Allies

Obrousians train aquatic monsters like sharks and bunyips, both to provide cover for their more subtle attacks and to dispose of any evidence left behind in their assaults. Clever obrousians can convince locals that simple monsters are responsible for their attacks.