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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardGurgist

Humans that become mortics are known as gurgists. They retain their personalities and intelligence, but their bodies rot with every beat of their heart. Gurgists ceaselessly crave raw meat; consuming large quantities can slow, or even reverse, their body's putrefaction for a short time. A gurgist that refuses to consume raw meat rots to death.

Unlike other mortics, gurgists are capable of sating their hunger without resorting to depravity, making them more likely to be nonevil compared to other mortics. Most gurgists hunt and raise livestock for food—including animals many consider too dangerous to tame. To battle their constant hunger, many take up a single craft, hobby, or performing art to obsess over until the drive to create overcomes the urge to consume. Many study magic or medicine, researching methods to reverse their condition or suspend their putrescence. Others cling to religion, uttering prayers despite the pain and begging the gods to cleanse them of evil.

Nearly all gurgists are disgusted by their clumsy, rotting bodies. They shroud themselves in fine clothes and cover their faces with elaborate masks. Most consider their mask their true face.

Recall Knowledge - Humanoid (Society): DC 27
Unspecific Lore: DC 25
Specific Lore: DC 22

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Gurgist MaulerCreature 6

Legacy Content

Rare N Medium Human Humanoid Mortic 
Source Bestiary 3 pg. 175
Perception +8; darkvision
Languages Common, Necril
Skills Arcana +7, Athletics +11, Crafting +9, Deception +8, Medicine +6, Performance +6
Str +5, Dex +2, Con +4, Int +3, Wis +4, Cha +2
Nourishing Feast The gurgist spends 1 hour consuming 1 Bulk of raw meat to reverse their body's putrescence. For 1 hour, the gurgist appears to be a pale, bloated human. They have an automatic result of 32 on Deception checks and DCs to pass as a non-mortic human. While under the effects of Nourishing Feast, Rotting Flesh ceases to function.
Items +1 maul, composite shortbow (20 arrows), hide armor
AC 17; Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +10
HP 120 (negative healing); Weaknesses slashing 5
Consecration Vulnerability A gurgist in a place of worship dedicated to a non-evil deity or on sacred ground, such as an area blessed by sanctified ground, is slowed 1.Rotting Flesh Any creature that hits the gurgist with an unarmed attack, tries to Grapple them, or otherwise touches the gurgist is covered with rotten flesh and putrid fluids. The creature must succeed at a DC 16 Fortitude save or become sickened 1 (sickened 2 on a critical failure).
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] maul +12 [+7/+2] (magical, shove), Damage 1d12+8 bludgeoning plus KnockdownMelee [one-action] fist +11 [+7/+3] (agile), Damage 1d8+8 bludgeoningRanged [one-action] composite shortbow +8 [+3/-2] (deadly d10, propulsive, range increment 60 feet), Damage 1d6+5 piercingCalculated Blow [two-actions] The gurgist makes a melee Strike, aiming for their target's weak points and taking their time to line up a precise blow. If this Strike hits, the gurgist deals an additional 1d8 precision damage, and the target must succeed at a DC 17 Fortitude save or become clumsy 2 for 1 minute.Death Gasp [one-action] (divine, necromancy) The gurgist draws in a deep breath and holds it, temporarily suspending their biological processes and becoming undead. The gurgist gains the undead trait and becomes immune to bleed, death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, and sleep. Any such effects the gurgist is currently suffering from are suspended, but take effect again once they take a breath.
Death Gasp lasts as long as the gurgist holds their breath (up to 9 rounds).Tackle [two-actions] The gurgist Strides twice and then attempts to Grapple a creature. On a success, the target is also knocked prone.

All Monsters in "Mortic"

NameLevel
Angheuvore2
Etioling10
Gurgist6
Jitterbone4
Lifeleecher8
Relictner12
Shadern1

Mortic

Source Bestiary 3 pg. 174
Mortics are humanoids overwhelmed by negative energy who still cling to life, surviving as twisted amalgams of living and undead. Though they feel unnatural cravings and resemble corpses, mortics live, breathe, eat, sleep, and procreate. However, a mortic can suspend their living functions simply by holding their breath, becoming more like a true undead.

Mortics are largely new to Golarion, with most created in droves when the Whispering Tyrant destroyed entire cities with his Radiant Fire, a magical explosion fueled by the collision of negative and positive energy. From among the corpses of these tragedies rose mortics, living survivors mistaken for corpses and left behind as a result. They found themselves in a twilight state—neither fully alive or undead. The necrotic pollutants of the Gravelands and the Isle of Terror continue to create mortics, seeping into neighboring lands through the air, earth, and water to infect the populace. Though most of the living in these lands fear becoming transformed, some believe becoming a mortic is their best chance of survival in the face of the encroaching hordes of the dead.

A mortic's powers differ by ancestry, though they do have a few commonalities. Reading or hearing scripture induces headaches, and they experience great discomfort when treading upon sacred ground. For those who were religious in life, these new changes can be devastating.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Fun and Games

Many mortics favor games to pass the time. Jitterbones compete in community “bone churns” to see who can contort themselves into the most awkward shapes or fit through the smallest spaces. Shadern enjoy “burn-scream,” a deadly game pitting contenders against one another to see who makes the funniest sounds while being immolated. Relictners coax passersby into visiting their homes before they hunt their victims through a gauntlet of traps.

Sidebar - Locations Home Sweet Home

Most gurgists are survivors from Roslar's Coffer or Vigil who fled together to Nirmathas or Ustalav, where they've since built their own insular communities. Some fled to Absalom but struggle to fit in; most camp in the Cairnlands or form gangs in the city's slums. Shaderns are typically found in Belkzen, Oprak, and Isger, living among goblin tribes. Jitterbones are common in the River Kingdoms and Ustalav, living in rural, all-jitterbone communities. Relictners are widely spread, for they live individually and build their lairs near trade routes, fabled ruins, and other storied locales. They avoid dwarves and refuse to enter the Five Kings Mountains.

Most mortics were created inadvertently by the rise of the Whispering Tyrant—either by the Radiant Fire or through the corruption spreading from the Gravelands and Isle of Terror.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Other Mortics

The mortics presented here are four of the most prevalent variations. Others—such as relictner dwarves, shadern goblins, and jitterbone halflings—are also common.