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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Shoki

Shokis are shepherds who lead wayward souls to the Boneyard.

Recall Knowledge - Monitor (Religion): DC 28
Unspecific Lore: DC 26
Specific Lore: DC 23

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

ShokiCreature 9

Legacy Content

Uncommon N Medium Monitor Psychopomp 
Source Pathfinder #186: Ghost King's Rage pg. 82
Perception +12; darkvision, lifesense 60 feet
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, Requian; tongues
Skills Boneyard Lore +10, Deception +11, Diplomacy +11, Intimidation +11, Occultism +7, Religion +10, Society +7, Stealth +5
Str +4, Dex +1, Con +4, Int +3, Wis +6, Cha +5
Items countless religious symbol, staff
AC 18; Fort +10, Ref +5, Will +12; +1 status to all saves vs. magic
HP 130; Immunities death effects, disease; Resistances negative 10, poison 10
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] staff +10 [+5/+0] (two-hand d8), Damage 2d4+6 bludgeoning plus spirit touchDivine Innate Spells DC 19, attack +11; 7th plane shift (self and locked soul only; to the Boneyard only); 6th spirit blast; 5th heal (×3), mind probe; 4th read omens, searing light (×3); 2nd calm emotions, invisibility (at will; self only); Cantrips (5th) chill touch, detect magic, disrupt undead, read aura, stabilize; Constant (5th) tongues; (2nd) detect alignment
Infuse Staff (divine, evocation) A shoki's staff becomes a +1 striking staff and is treated as if it were adamantine while the shoki wields it. A shoki's staff has Hardness 14 and HP 56 (BT 28) while possessed by the shoki or Hardness 5 and HP 20 (BT 10) while out of the shoki's possession. A shoki whose staff is taken or destroyed can infuse a new one with an hour of work.Soul Lock [two-actions] (divine, incapacitation, necromancy) Requirements The shoki doesn't have a soul locked within their staff; Effect The shoki attempts to capture the soul of a creature on the brink of death: either an undead creature, a creature with the dying condition, or a creature who died within the last minute. The target must attempt a DC 23 Will save with the following results.
Critical Success The creature is unaffected and becomes temporarily immune to Soul Lock.
Success The shoki's staff tugs at the creature's soul but doesn't trap it. If the creature is living, it becomes doomed 1 (or increases its doomed condition by 1). If the creature is a corporeal undead, it becomes enfeebled 2. If the creature is an incorporeal undead, it becomes stupefied 2. The creature then becomes temporarily immune to Soul Lock for 24 hours.
Failure The shoki captures the creature's soul in its staff. If the creature is living, it dies. If the creature is a corporeal undead, its body becomes an inanimate corpse. While the soul is locked in the staff, the target can't be returned to life or undeath, or rejuvenate through any means, save for powerful magic, such as miracle or wish. If the shoki's staff is destroyed or the shoki wills it, the soul is released. A shoki's staff can only hold one soul at a time.Spirit Touch A shoki's Strikes affect incorporeal creatures with the effects of a ghost touch property rune and deal 2d6 negative damage to living creatures and 2d6 positive damage to undead.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Tools Of The Trade

Shokis utilize numerous tools to aid them in their work, including religious symbols, magic, soul-trapping staves, and false empathy—though shokis spout impassioned speeches and play upon mortal emotions, they hold no compassion for the dead.

All Monsters in "Psychopomp"

NameLevel
Algea11
Catrina5
Eseneth17
Esobok3
Joseung Saja14
Morrigna15
Nosoi1
Shoki9
Vanth7
Vanth Warrior14
Yamaraj20

Psychopomp

Source Bestiary pg. 270
Psychopomps are guardians and shepherds of the dead native to the Boneyard, the vast plane of graves where mortal souls are judged and sent on to their eternal rewards or damnations. Psychopomps ensure that the dead come to terms with their transition from mortality and are properly sorted into the appropriate afterlife. They also protect souls from being preyed upon by supernatural predators. Nearly all psychopomps wear masks, especially when they’re likely to be interacting with mortals, although the types of masks they wear are as varied as the psychopomps themselves. The courts of the Boneyard preside in Requian, a somber yet melodic language spoken slowly with various tonal shifts.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Other Pyschopomps

Nosois and morrignas are far from the only of their kind. Many others, like the skeletal vanths or the draconic yamarajes, also aid in the stewardship of the dead.

Sidebar - Locations Psychopomp Courts

Psychopomps rarely oppose celestials or fiends. In fact, they frequently host such creatures in the Boneyard, particularly in the sprawling psychopomp courts where these outsiders petition for one soul or another to be remanded to their jurisdiction. Complicated cases are judged by yamarajes, while the thorniest or most politically delicate are handed by Pharasma herself.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Psychopomp Foes

Psychopomps' greatest enemies are creatures that devour or steal souls, such as astradaemons and night hags. Their other opponents include necromancers, proteans, and those who have unnaturally extended their lifespan, such as liches.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Psychopomp Traitors

Some psychopomps view their task of sorting souls as ultimately hollow and meaningless, since the multiverse itself must one day end. Eons ago, these rebels shirked their duties and fled to the empty corners of the planes, becoming a new type of evil creature called a sahkil. Sahkils feed on mortal fears, particularly fears of death, and enjoy tormenting those who must die. Psychopomps generally leave these malcontents alone, except when sahkils interfere with the proper flow of souls.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Psychopomps Divinities

The most powerful of the psychopomps are unique demigods known collectively as “ushers,” each of whom has its own cult. These psychopomp divinities include Atropos, the Last Sister; Barzahk, the Passage; Ceyanan, the Shepherd; Dammar, the Denied; Imot, the Symbol of Doom; Mother Vulture, the Flesheater; Mrtyu, Death's Consort; Narakas, the Cleansing Sentence; the Pale Horse; Phlegyas, Consoler of Atheists; Saloc, Minder of Immortals; Teshallas, the Primordial Poison; and Vale, the Court of the Ancestors.