Anunnaki

This towering humanoid has a strange, stony head. Small, mechanical wings spread out from its back.

Anunnaki CR 18/MR 7

XP 153,600
N Large monstrous humanoid (mythic, shapechanger)
Init +16M; Senses darkvision 60 ft., lifesense, true seeing; Perception +31

DEFENSE

AC 35, touch 22, flat-footed 30 (+8 deflection, +5 Dex, +13 natural, –1 size)
hp 320 (20d10+210); regeneration 10 (epic weapons)
Fort +15, Ref +17, Will +20; +8 vs. mind-affecting effects
Defensive Abilities morphic anatomy, psychic warding, unstoppable; DR 20/epic; Immune poison; Resist acid 20, cold 20, electricity 20, sonic 20

OFFENSE

Speed 50 ft., fly 60 ft. (good)
Melee primal chisel +30/+25/+20/+15 (3d6+10/15–20 plus devolution), bite +26 (1d8+5), 4 wings +26 (1d6+5)
Special Attacks devolution (DC 28), mythic magic 3/day, mythic power (9/day, surge +1d10)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; concentration +28)

Constanttrue seeing
At willetherealness, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), mental block (DC 20), mindlink
5/daygreater dispel magic
3/dayquickened baleful polymorph (DC 23), primal regression (DC 24)
1/daydivide mind, overwhelming presence (DC 27)

STATISTICS

Str 29, Dex 20, Con 24, Int 27, Wis 27, Cha 26
Base Atk +20; CMB +30 (+32 bull rush); CMD 53 (55 vs. bull rush)
Feats Combat Casting, Extra Mythic PowerM, Great FortitudeM, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (primal chisel), Improved Great Fortitude, Improved InitiativeM, Multiattack, Extra Mythic PowerM, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (baleful polymorph), Weapon Focus (primal chisel)
Skills Bluff +18, Diplomacy +23, Fly +25, Heal +28, Intimidate +26, Knowledge (arcana, local, nature) +28, Knowledge (dungeoneering, engineering, history) +16, Knowledge (geography, planes, religion) +13, Linguistics +23, Perception +31, Sense Motive +19, Spellcraft +28
Languages Aklo, Common, Draconic, Giant; truespeech
SQ bestow knowledge, lantern of civilization, mimetic memory, morphic body, mythic immortality, uplift

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Bestow Knowledge (Su)

An anunnaki that touches a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or higher can bestow temporary knowledge and understanding upon that creature. Choose one of the anunnaki’s skills; for the next 24 hours the target of this ability uses the anunnaki’s skill ranks in place of its own, even if this is more than its maximum number of ranks. A creature can’t benefit from this ability more than once at the same time. If an anunnaki uses this ability on a creature that is currently the target of bestow knowledge (from itself or another anunnaki), the new bestow knowledge effect replaces the older one.

The anunnaki has the following skill ranks: Bluff 10 ranks, Diplomacy 15 ranks, Fly 15 ranks, Heal 20 ranks, Intimidate 15 ranks, Knowledge (arcana, local, nature) 20 ranks, Knowledge (dungeoneering, engineering, history) 8 ranks, Knowledge (geography, planes, religion) 5 ranks, Linguistics 15 ranks, Perception 20 ranks, Sense Motive 11 ranks, and Spellcraft 20 ranks.

Devolution (Su)

As a standard action, an anunnaki can touch a creature and cause it to permanently lose cognitive function.

The creature touched must succeed at a DC 28 Will save or be affected by an effect similar to feeblemind that can be removed only by a wish or miracle. If a creature affected by devolution procreates, its children can’t have an Intelligence or Charisma score higher than 2 naturally, nor can this effect be lifted by magic. Progeny created with this affliction also possess physical traits that were more common among earlier evolutionary forms of their parent species. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Lantern of Civilization (Su)

An anunnaki’s lantern of civilization grants it constant true seeing and powers its primal chisel. If it loses its lantern of civilization, it loses both of these abilities.

Mimetic Memory (Ex)

As a standard action, an anunnaki can touch a willing creature to read and imprint upon that creature’s genetic memory as if both the anunnaki and its target were affected by a share thoughts spell.

Morphic Anatomy (Ex)

Anunnaki are adept shapechangers and can shift their internal anatomy to best suit their immediate needs. This ability renders them immune to critical hits, sneak attacks, and precision damage.

Morphic Body (Ex)

An anunnaki can assume the appearance of any creature within one size category of itself (other than creatures with the elemental, incorporeal, or swarm subtypes—the body assumed must be solid). The anunnaki’s creature type doesn’t change in this new form, and it gains none of the mimicked creature’s special abilities; the transformation is cosmetic only. In these other forms, the anunnaki retains all of its normal statistics and abilities as noted above, though it does take the appropriate bonuses and penalties based on its new size.

Though this ability affects only the anunnaki’s outward appearance, it is a transmutation effect.

Primal Chisel (Su)

An anunnaki’s primal chisel is a part of the creature, and is powered by its lantern of civilization.

It is a masterwork one-handed piercing weapon that deals 3d6 points of damage with an 18–20 critical threat range, and a successful attack made with it applies the anunnaki’s devolution ability.

Psychic Warding (Su)

An anunnaki generates a field of psychic energy around its body that protects its mind and body from harm, granting it a deflection bonus to its Armor Class and a racial bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting effects equal to its Charisma modifier.

Uplift (Su)

As a full-round action, an anunnaki can impart incredible capacity for thought and understanding to a creature it touches. The creature must have an Intelligence score of 3 or less to be affected by this ability. This affect is identical to awaken, except that it works on creatures of the animal, plant, humanoid, magical beast, and monstrous humanoid types. Creatures affected by uplift don’t change creature type (with the exception of animals, which become magical beasts), nor does the affected creature have any inherent affinity toward the anunnaki. The effect of uplift is permanent and is passed on to any progeny the uplifted creature produces.

ECOLOGY

Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, or cabal (6–10)
Treasure standard

Residents of an enigmatic and unknown world that is believed to exist out of phase with the Material Plane, anunnaki are mysterious, god-like beings that shape the very direction of civilizations. Little is known about the anunnaki homeworld, but fragmented information collected by scholars indicates that it comes into contact with the Material Plane only once every few thousand years. During this time, anunnaki travel to other worlds in order to manipulate the course of evolution, creating civilizations and uplifting primitive creatures using their esoteric technology, which includes external power sources called “lanterns of civilization.” The anunnaki do not typically remain to guide these societies, and are often remembered as deities by the civilizations they leave behind. Because the anunnaki can take on various forms, piecing together which civilizations have or haven’t been visited by anunnaki is exceedingly difficult.

The creatures could have arrived to guide one civilization in the guise of powerful, glowing creatures and secretly assimilated into another society by adopting the appearance of members of that society and subtly making changes over the course of decades.

Each anunnaki calibrates its form to fit the mores and prejudices of the specific society it means to advance.

Anunnaki’s role as manipulators of civilization and natural order often puts them into direct confrontation with elohim. The source of the enmity between these mighty creatures is unknown, but the aftershocks of their conflicts can be felt for millennia after the fighting has ended. Some sages believe that the anunnaki and elohim are both working to circumvent some future calamity, but differ along ideological or philosophical lines as to how to prevent this event from coming to pass. Ancient records from cultures that were shaped by the anunnaki reference divine visions of great, devouring rifts in the darkness between the stars and the terrible, unimaginable entities that dwell within them.

For all the knowledge and power anunnaki possess, the civilizations they create do not always see them as benevolent saviors. Some anunnaki might have more sinister agendas not shared by the rest of their people. These rogue anunnaki have free rein over the societies they manipulate as long as they can avoid the notice of their fellow anunnaki—and since it is difficult for other creatures to find or contact any of their race, the renegade anunnaki can often do whatever they please. Some of these renegades use their civilizations for large-scale experiments, creating bizarre hybrid creatures. Others advance their subjects too rapidly by the standards of the other anunnaki, attempting to create creatures as advanced as the anunnaki themselves rather than simply giving cultures the means to advance themselves. In many of these cases, the uplifted society isn’t truly equipped to handle such vast changes. Rather than advancing in a surge of scientific and creative thought, its members become absorbed with existential doubt or fall into madness as they recognize the gulf between their lofty ambitions and the materials and means they have at their disposal.

Anunnaki prefer to interact with most humanoids without being recognized for what they are, and an anunnaki may depart a conversation abruptly if a non-anunnaki reveals that she knows it is not the god or mortal it pretends to be.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 5 © 2015, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, John Bennett, Logan Bonner, Creighton Broadhurst, Robert Brookes, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Thurston Hillman, Eric Hindley, Joe Homes, James Jacobs, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Ben McFarland, Jason Nelson, Thom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Alistair Rigg, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Wes Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Mike Shel, James L. Sutter, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.

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