
Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

All Creatures
Abilities | Monsters | NPCs
All | Families | Templates
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

Velstrac Conductor

Conductors are velstracs who believe screams of anguish to be the ultimate form of musical expression. These sadistic musicians compose “joyous symphonies” from the agonized howling of their tortured, captive choirs.

Recall Knowledge - Fiend (Religion): DC 26
Unspecific Lore: DC 24
Specific Lore: DC 21

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Changes from being Weak are marked in red below.
NOTE: The -2 damage penalty to non-strike offensive abilities (-4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.

Weak ConductorCreature 8

Medium Fiend Velstrac 
Source Pathfinder #215: To Blot Out the Sun pg. 88
Perception +18; greater darkvision, painsight
Languages Chthonian, Common, Diabolic, Shadowtongue
Skills Acrobatics +17, Athletics +12, Deception +17, Diplomacy +17, Intimidation +17, Medicine +15, Performance +21, Religion +15, Stealth +17, Torture Lore +14
Str +3, Dex +6, Con +5, Int +3, Wis +5, Cha +6
Painsight (divine) A velstrac automatically knows whether a creature it sees has any of the doomed, dying, and wounded conditions, as well as the value of those conditions.
Items conductor's baton
AC 23; Fort +16, Ref +19, Will +16; +1 status to all saves vs. magic
HP 110, regeneration 10 (deactivated by holy or silver); Immunities cold; Resistances sonic 10; Weaknesses holy 10, silver 10
Horrifying Accompaniment (auditory, aura, divine, emotion, fear, mental) 30 feet. When a creature ends its turn in the aura, it hears every scream the velstrac conductor's victims have ever uttered. The creature must succeed at a DC 23 Will save or become frightened 2 (frightened 4 on a critical failure).Sonic Redirection [reaction] (divine, sonic) Trigger A creature targets the velstrac conductor with an auditory or sonic effect or includes the conductor in the area of an auditory or sonic effect; Effect The conductor sings a note that resonates with the triggering effect, redirecting it to the triggering creature. The triggering creature becomes the target of the triggering effect, instead of the conductor.25 feet, fly 25 feet (from fly)
Speed
Melee [one-action] claw +17 [+13/+9] (agile, finesse, magical, unholy), Damage 4d6-2+7 slashing plus 1d6 persistent bleedMelee [one-action] conductor's baton +17 [+13/+9] (agile, finesse, magical, unholy), Damage 3d4-2+7 piercing plus 2d6 spiritRanged [one-action] pinpoint shriek +17 [+12/+7] (divine, range increment 90 feet, sonic), Damage 4d6-2 sonicDivine Innate Spells DC 26 (-4 dmg); 3rd haste; 2nd darkness; Constant (4th) fly
Focus Gaze [one-action] (divine, emotion, fear, mental) The velstrac conductor stares at a creature they can see within 30 feet. The creature must immediately attempt a Will save against the velstrac conductor's horrifying accompaniment aura. In addition, if the creature was already frightened, on a failed save the creature takes 1d6 persistent mental damage. After attempting this save, the creature is then temporarily immune for 1 hour.Scream for Me [one-action] (divine, mental, sonic) Frequency once per round; Effect With a horrifying flourish and hungry smile, the velstrac conductor points their baton at a creature within 100 feet, compelling them to scream. The creature must attempt a DC 26 Will save. On a failure, they scream, taking 4d6 mental damage (8d6 on a critical failure) and dealing 2d6 sonic damage to all creatures in a 20-foot emanation (DC 26 basic Fortitude save).
Instead of targeting one creature, the conductor can choose to target all creatures in range that were compelled to scream by this ability last round.Unholy Exaltation [two-actions] (divine, sonic, unholy) The conductor lets out a terrible scream of joy, dealing 10d6 sonic damage to all creatures in either a 30-foot cone or a 90-foot line (DC 26 basic Will save). Holy creatures that fail this save are also sickened 2. The conductor can't use Unholy Exaltation again for 1d4 rounds.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Instruments

Conductors go to great lengths to acquire the finest instruments for their choirs, judging an individual singer's worth by their tone, emotion, endurance, and responsiveness. Vocalists who don't measure up to a conductor's standards are either played to death or passed on to other “less discerning” velstracs. Cherished instruments can expect to live a long, tortuous existence in a conductor's choir, receiving the best medical attention after each performance—at least until their voice gives out.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Tortured Friendships

Velstrac conductors are fairly amiable among their kind and often work with other velstracs. They particularly get along well with ostiarius velstracs and velstrac evangelists, who they tend to boss around. Though they find sacristans piteous, they're intrigued by their Shadow Scream ability.

All Monsters in "Velstrac"

NameLevel
Augur1
Velstrac Conductor9
Ephialtes16
Eremite20
Evangelist6
Interlocutor12
Ostiarius5
Precentor16
Sacristan10
Vincuvicar18

Velstrac

Source Pathfinder #215: To Blot Out the Sun pg. 88
Velstracs arise from the souls of the most extreme masochistic or sadistic mortals who are judged by Pharasma and then sent on to the Netherworld. The fiends come in many horrific forms, which usually manifest in twisted display of their vile predilections in life, ranging from the low‑ranking augurs to the maestros of suffering and mutilation called eremites. The process of transformation warps the velstrac’s soul step by step, with other velstracs conveying their new members through untold chambers of pain among the dark reaches of the Netherworld. The velstracs are led by the pinnacles of their kind, a group of nine powerful fiends known as velstrac demagogues.

Once their transformation is complete, velstracs emerge as twisted artists who wield pain and despair like an instrument. They crave sensation, the more vile and horrifying, the better. They claim that this outlook is the one true path to perfection of the mind, body, and spirit, but in truth their administrations only deal out suffering and mutilation. Their corrupt attempts at perfection aren’t limited to their victims, who they torture for as long as they possibly can until their bodies or minds fail, but also applied to themselves, testing their own resolve in a crucible of pain.

Velstracs feature in this adventure in a couple of ways. When Nizca and Deg failed to veil the sun in shadows using the shadow beacon, portions of the Netherworld overlaid En-Gokal. The velstracs, led by the velstrac conductor Jubilant, passed traveled from their shadowy realm into the mortal world of the Universe. When they arrived, they were amused by the predations of the vampires and their tenacity to hold the ruined prison, but they were especially delighted by Nizca, with whom they felt a kinship in shadow due to Nizca being an ancient strigoi—a perfect blend of shadow and vampire. Jubilant and their fellow velstracs obviously favored the plan to bring eternal darkness to Golarion, and thus they support Nizca in completing their horrifying mission, but who can say how long that support will last once the plan is complete?

In addition to the most prevalent influence of velstracs in the Ebon Tower, they also play another role for the primary antagonist, Nizca. As mentioned in the campaign, one of Nizca’s motivations for escaping En-Gokal is to reunite with their lover from the time before Earthfall. A cruel yet handsome man, Lograsi was a worshipper of Aroggus, a powerful velstrac demagogue with the portfolios of possibility, revenge, and sanctuary. This connection was part of Nizca’s reason to trust in Jubilant and their group of velstracs, knowing that her distant lover was of the faith.