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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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PFS StandardShui Gui

When a person drowns in a body of water, there's a chance that their spirit will be trapped and unable to reincarnate. Twisted with anger, spite, and malice, the spirit transforms into a shui gui.

If someone sees a shui gui from shore, they'll often see only the top part of a head with two pinprick reflections of light from its eyes. Lurking under docks and near the water's edge, the shui gui calls out to people or makes disturbances to draw them within reach of the water. Once the unsuspecting victim is close enough, the spirit pulls them underwater, drowns them, and possesses their body in a process known as ti sh-on. Once the spirit successfully inhabits the vacant body, they escape their curse and live a new life; however, their victim's spirit remains trapped in the water until, at last, they too drown a hapless passerby, thus continuing a never-ending cycle.

A shui gui is terrified of fire, and those who camp by water or travel by boat are advised to always keep a lantern handy. Charms and amulets can also keep the shui gui at bay, but the spirit is generally weakest after being goaded onto land.

Recall Knowledge - Spirit (Occultism): DC 22
Recall Knowledge - Undead (Religion): DC 22
Unspecific Lore: DC 20
Specific Lore: DC 17

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Shui GuiCreature 5

Uncommon Medium Aquatic Ghost Incorporeal Spirit Undead Water 
Source Tian Xia World Guide pg. 298
Perception +14; darkvision
Languages Tien
Skills Athletics +13, Deception +13, Diplomacy +11, Ghost Lore +15, Religion +12, Stealth +16
Str +0, Dex +5, Con +0, Int +4, Wis +3, Cha +4
Water-Bound Curse The shui gui is bound to the body of water in which it died. It's unable to move further than 120 feet from the edge of the water.
AC 21; Fort +9, Ref +14, Will +10
HP 50 (void healing, rejuvenation)); Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious; Resistances all damage 5 (except fire, force, ghost touch, spirit, or vitality; double resistance vs. non-magical) ; Weaknesses fire 10
Rejuvenation (divine) When the shui gui is destroyed, it reforms after 2d4 days within the body of water it's bound to, fully healing. It can be permanently destroyed if the body of the shui gui who originally died in the water can be found and laid to rest.Ti Sh-on [reaction] (death, divine) Trigger A creature grabbed by the shui gui dies of suffocation Effect Ripping the spirit of its drowned victim out of the target's body, the shui gui enters the corpse to take the original owner's place. The shui gui then returns to life at the edge of its body of water as if it had been the target of a successful resurrect ritual, except it has the appearance of the target rather than its original body. After a week, the spirit of the drowned creature becomes a shui gui. The new spirit can't be raised from the dead by normal magical means until they've been destroyed as a shui gui.
Speed 10 feet, swim 40 feet
Melee [one-action] ghostly hand +14 [+10/+6] (agile, finesse, magical), Damage 2d6+4 void plus GrabDrag Under [one-action] The shui gui Swims at half Speed, along with any creature it has grabbed.Drown the Living [one-action] Requirements The target must be holding its breath and be grabbed by the shui gui; Effect The shui gui tightens its grip. The target must succeed at a DC 24 Fortitude save or immediately lose 1d4 actions worth of air (or twice that on a critical failure).Ghostly Grasp A shui gui can Grapple corporeal creatures despite being incorporeal. The shui gui uses its Athletics check to Grapple as normal but can't use Athletics for other actions that require corporeal contact, like Force Open or Trip.

Sidebar - Locations Soul Reservoir

A site with a history of drownings can be the result of a single shui gui curse being passed down through the years, but particularly dangerous sites with repeated natural drownings can develop complex hauntings. In addition to the ghosts struggling to drown the next victim, other undead gather and haunts develop under the dark, still water.