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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardKodama

A kodama is a type of kami who inhabits a tree. Kodama commonly appear in old Tian forests, especially old-growth forests far removed from civilization. In the Forest of Spirits in Minkai, for example, so many trees are possessed by kodama that a traveler might pass by hundreds, if not thousands, of these beings while journeying through a single acre of woodland.

Kodama try their utmost to protect their sacred trees, but a single kodama is a minor obstacle to most oni or others who have no qualms about desecrating forests or harvesting them for natural resources. Like trees in a forest, kodama are most powerful in great numbers and among other kami, whom they can bolster with their magical straw ropes while distracting strong enemies with their mesmerizing presence.

On the other hand, kodama bear no ill will toward those who respect their wards, even allowing druids and other deferential creatures to dwell within their bounds. They might even subtly guide lost travelers out of the forest or back to safety.

Recall Knowledge - Spirit (Occultism): DC 20
Unspecific Lore: DC 18
Specific Lore: DC 15

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

KodamaCreature 5

Legacy Content

NG Small Kami Spirit 
Source Bestiary 3 pg. 143
Perception +11; darkvision
Languages Common; speak with plants, telepathy 50 feet
Skills Acrobatics +6, Athletics +6, Nature +9, Stealth +8, Survival +9
Str +2, Dex +4, Con +5, Int +0, Wis +5, Cha +4
Ward (abjuration, divine) Every kami is bound to a ward: a specific animal, plant, object, or location. A kami can merge with or emerge from their ward as a single action, which has the concentrate trait. While merged, the kami can observe their surroundings with their usual senses as well as the senses of their ward, but can't move, communicate with, or control their ward. Additionally, a kami merged with their ward recovers Hit Points each minute as if they spent an entire day resting.
A kodama's ward is a specific tree.
Items spiritual rope
AC 16 (19 against evil creatures); Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +9; +1 status to all saves vs. effects from evil creatures
HP 95; Resistances evil 5; Weaknesses cold iron 5
Distracting Gaze (aura, divine, enchantment, visual) 30 feet. When a creature ends its turn in the aura, it must attempt a DC 18 Will save. The kodama can activate or deactivate this aura by using a single action, which has the concentrate trait. Success The creature is unaffected. Failure The creature is fascinated. This condition ends if the creature ends its turn outside the aura. Critical Failure As failure, plus the creature is slowed 1 as long as it remains fascinated.
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +8 [+4/+0] (agile, finesse), Damage 2d6+4 bludgeoningInnate Divine Spells DC 18; 5th tree stride; 2nd tree shape; Cantrips (3rd) ghost sound; Constant (4th) speak with plants
Spiritual Rope (abjuration, divine) The kodama spends 1 minute to fashion an enchanted straw rope out of nearby materials. The rope can be wrapped around other kami creatures to protect them from fell forces. A kami who wears a spiritual rope gains resistance 5 to evil damage (though this is usually relevant only if the kami is good-aligned), a +1 status bonus to AC against evil creatures, and a +1 status bonus to saving throws against effects from evil creatures.
A kodama always wears a spiritual rope, and they can have one other spiritual rope in existence at a time. Creating a new rope beyond these two releases the magic of one other rope of the kodama's choosing. A spiritual rope around a creature other than a kodama loses its magic after 24 hours or if it's taken outside of the kodama's forest.

All Monsters in "Kami"

NameLevel
Kodama5
Shikigami1
Toshigami15
Zuishin10

Kami

Source Bestiary 3 pg. 141
Kami are divine nature spirits native to the lands of Tian Xia, far to the east of the Inner Sea region. They serve as guardians of natural objects and places they protect—their “wards”—and are ancient enemies of the oni. Kami can merge with their wards, allowing them to surreptitiously watch anyone who treads upon their sacred grounds. Kami leave those who they deem harmless alone, but the spirits fight vigilantly to scare away anyone perceived as a threat. Kami choose their own wards, though many mortals seek to attract them to sites that might require protection, leading to a proliferation of certain trees, statues, gates, and other symbolic elements in areas where kami are known to dwell.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Attracting a Kami

Different cultures have different beliefs about the best way to attract a kami spirit such as a zuishin. Societies that strive to preserve the natural world—like elven tree-cities and small villages that balance their own population with those of other local creatures—are the most likely to be graced by a kami's presence.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Kami Allies

Kami are friends to arboreals, dryad, and other beings with spiritual ties to the natural world. Among mortals, druids are the most common recipients of kami aid, though these spirits might help anyone whose mission involves the protection of their particular ward.

Sidebar - Treasure and Rewards Kami Treasure

Kami have no use for valuables or other material possessions, but the sites they protect are often rich with natural resources or even sometimes dotted with relics from bygone eras. One of the greatest kami treasures is a kodama's straw rope. Although these ropes grant no power to mortals, a freely gifted kodama rope is seen as a mark of the utmost purity and worthiness.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Kami Worship

Although kami aren't gods, people sometimes worship or pray at a tree or location where a kami is known to reside. Kami regard this behavior as a curious affectation of mortals, and they make no attempts to dissuade or encourage such reverential treatment as long as it doesn't threaten the safety of their wards.