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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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Skull Fairy

Skull fairies are malicious beings spawned from the heads of those who die after exposure to the malignant energies of the Shadow Plane. They aren't fey, but their petite, winged forms and tendency for malevolent mischief has caused the appellation “skull fairy” to stick.

After bursting from the skull of the deceased, a skull fairy seeks out victims to behead. Skull fairies enjoy nothing more than the horrific sound of wrenching a head free from a body. They often wear the skulls of their most recent victim like caps atop their bulbous, oversized heads. Skull fairies take heads they've acquired to isolated caves, where they carefully strip off the flesh and put the skulls on display. If the skull fairy feels the need for new headgear, they hollow out a fresh skull to wear and retire the old one to a place of prominence.

A group of exactly three skull fairies who have each been alive for at least 13 years become much more powerful than their solitary or younger kin. Members of such a coven become stronger and more intelligent, and they set their minds to evil and chaos on a much wider scale—although anything more complicated than wandering about to twist off heads might seem aspirational to a skull fairy. Skull fairies that join a coven gain the elite adjustments and often acquire more powerful innate spells. Nondetection and stinking cloud are the most common spells a skull fairy coven can access, but others exist. A skull fairy can only join a coven consisting exclusively of other skull fairies

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Skull FairyCreature 3

Legacy Content

Uncommon CE Tiny Shadow 
Source Pathfinder #181: Zombie Feast pg. 87
Perception +10; darkvision
Languages Aklo, Necril, Sylvan
Skills Acrobatics +9, Intimidation +9, Stealth +11, Thievery +9
Str +0, Dex +4, Con +0, Int +0, Wis +3, Cha +2
Coven A skull fairy adds nondetection and stinking cloud to their coven's spells.
AC 19; Fort +6, Ref +11, Will +8
HP 45
Shadowy Pop When killed, a skull fairy explodes into shadowy, noxious tissue like a burst bubble. Each creature within 5 feet must succeed at a DC 18 Fortitude save or become sickened 2 (sickened 3 on a critical failure).
Speed 15 feet, fly 30 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +11 [+7/+3] (agile, finesse, magical), Damage 1d10+4 bludgeoning plus Skull TwistPrimal Innate Spells DC 17; 2nd faerie fire; 1st fear; Cantrips (2nd) mage hand
Skull Twist [one-action] (manipulate) Requirements The skull fairy's last action was a successful fist Strike against a creature with a skull; Effect The skull fairy wrenches the creature's neck, disorienting it. The creature must succeed at a DC 20 Fortitude save or be stunned 1 (stunned 3 on a critical failure).Terminal Tug [two-actions] (death, necromancy, occult) The skull fairy attempts to rip the head off an adjacent dying creature. The target must attempt a DC 20 Fortitude save. If it fails, it dies, and the skull fairy gains 10 temporary Hit Points for 1 hour.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Skull Fairy Friends

Most skull fairies hold lengthy conversations with the skulls they've collected and even pretend they have arguments that the skull fairy can mediate. Skull fairies occasionally venture into nearby settlements to steal hats or spectacles for their skulls so they can better tell their “friends” apart.