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PFS StandardKimenhul

Among the strongest of their kind aside from the sahkil tormentors, kimenhuls work their craft to foment despair in those who fear failure, forming cycles of self-loathing. These powerful sahkils focus their attention on mortals who are seemingly at the peak of their ability yet harbor secret fears of inadequacy. A kimenhul's predations can leave an indelible mark on its victims. The kimenhul whispers threats and sends fears of crushing failure to its prey, seemingly originating from their own minds, a trauma that can be difficult to bear without help. These sahkils torment their prey as long as the hapless victims live, using their Eternal Fear ability every day to psychically remind their previous victims of their failings.

Some unique kimenhuls find themselves in a position of leadership in Xibalba (see the sidebar below), where they carve out their own small kingdoms and direct groups of sahkils to help them find mortals to torment. They rule these nightmare kingdoms through terror, often delighting in tormenting new petitioners or scheming ways to work against their immortal foes.

Recall Knowledge - Fiend (Religion): DC 40
Unspecific Lore: DC 38
Specific Lore: DC 35

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

KimenhulCreature 20

Legacy Content

NE Huge Fiend Sahkil 
Source Bestiary 3 pg. 222
Perception +15; darkvision, true seeing
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal, Requian; telepathy 100 feet
Skills Acrobatics +16, Arcana +13, Athletics +18, Deception +18, Occultism +13, Religion +15, Stealth +16
Str +10, Dex +8, Con +9, Int +5, Wis +7, Cha +7
Easy to Call A sahkil's level is considered 2 lower for the purpose of being conjured by the planar binding ritual (and potentially other rituals, at the GM's discretion), but it is always free to attack or leave instead of negotiate unless the primary caster's check is a critical success.
AC 25 all-around vision; Fort +13, Ref +12, Will +15
HP 425; Immunities death effects, fear; Weaknesses good 20
Feed on Fear The kimenhul regains 30 Hit Points at the start of its turn as long as any frightened creature is within 100 feet of it.Attack of Opportunity [reaction] If the triggering creature is subject to an effect with the fear trait, the kimenhul can make two claw Strikes against the creature instead of one Strike.
Speed 45 feet, climb 25 feet
Melee [one-action] jaws +18 [+13/+8] (magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 4d12+18 piercing plus 3d6 evilMelee [one-action] claw +18 [+14/+10] (agile, magical, reach 15 feet), Damage 4d8+18 slashing plus 3d6 evil and Improved GrabDivine Innate Spells DC 22; 9th confusion, dispel magic (at will), fear (at will), mask of terror (at will), phantasmal calamity, suggestion (at will), warp mind, weird; Cantrips (10th) detect magic; Constant (9th) mind blank, true seeing
Eternal Fear [two-actions] (divine, emotion, enchantment, fear, incapacitation, mental) The kimenhul contorts its faces and presents itself to its enemies in a terrifying and traumatic display that causes lingering fear. Each creature within 100 feet that can observe the kimenhul must make a DC 22 Will save. They are then temporarily immune for 10 minutes.
Critical Success The target is unaffected.
Success The target becomes frightened 3.
Failure The target becomes frightened 3 and is fleeing as long as it's frightened. Even after recovering from the initial experience, the trauma is lodged in the target's mind for 1 year. Once per day, the kimenhul can communicate telepathically with the target for 1 minute as long as both creatures are on the same plane. Any time a creature under the effect of Eternal Fear is in a stressful situation (such as combat or intense social pressure), they must succeed at a DC -9 flat check or become frightened 2. While Eternal Fear lasts, the target always becomes fleeing as long as it's frightened, regardless of the source of the fear. The target can attempt a new saving throw each week to remove these effects, but they can otherwise be removed only by powerful magic such as wish.
Critical Failure As failure, but the effects are permanent and the target doesn't get to attempt a weekly save to end the effect.
Frightening Flurry [two-actions] The kimenhul makes one jaws Strike and two claw Strikes against a single target, in any order. The target becomes frightened with a condition value equal to the number of Strikes that hit it, to a maximum of frightened 3 if all three Strikes hit.Rend [one-action] clawSkip Between [one-action] (conjuration, divine, teleportation) The sahkil moves from the Material Plane to the Ethereal Plane or vice-versa, with the effects of ethereal jaunt except that the effect has an unlimited duration and can be Dismissed. A summoned sahkil can't use Skip Between.Snatch Between When using Skip Between, the kimenhul can bring along any creatures it has grabbed.Unsettled Mind Any creature affected by any of a kimenhul's mental spells or abilities becomes stupefied 3 for the duration of that effect and for 1d4 rounds thereafter.

All Monsters in "Sahkil"

NameLevel
Chakanaj14
Esipil1
Kimenhul20
Nenchuuj19
Nucol4
Pakalchi9
Penqual15
Tumblak18
Wihsaak6
Ximtal17

Sahkil

Source Pathfinder #162: Ruins of the Radiant Siege pg. 84
Dreadful creatures that stoke mortal fears, sahkils lurk on the Ethereal Plane where they slip into nightmares or dark places of the world to torment the living

Sidebar - Locations At Home in Cities

Both penquals and nenchuujes are at home in large cities, but for different reasons. Penquals like slipping in among throngs of people, where they can inflict their terrors upon the lost or disoriented. Nenchuujes stalk magic academies, universities, or other places where spellcasters learn their craft, preying upon spellcasters' imposter syndrome.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Check with Friends

Sahkils are creatures of fear and terror. Roleplaying encounters with sahkils could be troubling to some players, and delving deep into the kinds of traumas sahkils relish in unleashing could have unintentional effects on your game and your friends. Before introducing sahkils into your game, talk with your players to learn about any particular phobias or limits to determine what content you bring to the table, and consider that on your own behalf as well. Some specific elements to be aware of are the ximtal's abilities around sensory deprivation and social isolation, as well as the kimenhul's trauma-related abilities and themes.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Couatls and Sahkils

Legends in Arcadia say that couatls and sahkils both rose to prominence as the first mortals walked on Golarion. Each saw unique potential in the mortals; couatls saw hope and the potential to rise to achieve great feats, while sahkils saw the potential for fear. Fearful mortals would never accomplish anything, becoming useless piles of flesh whose souls would languish. These withered souls would be unable to properly travel the River of Souls, disrupting the delicate balance of the afterlife. To this day, couatls work to inspire mortals and push them toward greater tasks while striving to keep the sahkils' terror at bay

Sidebar - Additional Lore Embodiments of Fear

All sahkils have horrifying appearances, and each type specializes in exacerbating a specific fear in mortals. Penquals embody not only a fear of crowds, but also of confined spaces and of being lost within a sea of unfamiliar faces. Nenchuujes embody both the fear of magic's horrifying side effects as well as the fear that one's own magic might be twisted to an unexpected or tragic end.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Feeding on Fear

Sahkils are immortal planar beings and don't require material sustenance, but they do seem to gain some semblance of nourishment from the fear they spread. Whether this is psychological or biological remains to be seen, but their obsession with frightening other creatures is clear. Sahkils recognize that they are already feared, so it may be that they are simply fulfilling what they believe is their ultimate purpose.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Planar Relations

Sahkils collaborate with divs (page 68) to corrupt and corrode mortals. Velstracs, who appreciate sahkils' depredations, sometimes work with these fiends to enact terrible horror on their victims. Nihilistic and disaffected, daemons tolerate sahkils but tend to view them as useless provocateurs.

Sidebar - Related Creatures Sahkil Tormentors

The most powerful among sahkils are the sahkil tormentors. These deific beings rule over sahkils as a whole, and many personally direct the actions of their lesser cousins. Others fall into ambivalent routines, focusing more on their own personal acts of torment rather than launching widespread, ambitious depredations upon unsuspecting mortals.

Sidebar - Related Creatures War Against Hope

Sahkils and couatls are eternal enemies. The creatures each vie for the hearts of mortals, but from different sides of a single ideological coin. Sahkils wish to instill only fear into mortal hearts, trying to reduce them into useless piles of flesh who accomplish little. Couatls work to light the fires of hope, inspiring mortals to rise up and achieve their potential.

Sidebar - Locations Xibalba

Within the ghostly realm of the Ethereal Plane, sahkils inhabit a terrifying realm known as Xibalba. The Land of Dread is a realm of nightmares made manifest. At the center of this demiplane is a tiered pyramid known as the Black Pyramid, where the sahkil tormentors rule their brethren and sow fear through the mortal realm.