Asphyx

Asphyx CR 7 (XP 3,200)

N Small outsider (incorporeal)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., all-around vision; Perception +10

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 16 (+4 deflection, +1 Dex, +1 dodge, +1 size)
hp 73 (7d10+14)
Fort +5, Ref +9, Will +7
Defensive Abilities incorporeal, primal essence
Immune outsider traits
Weaknesses consumable

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., fly 100 ft. (perfect)
Melee 2 slams +9 (1d4+1/19–20 plus 1d4 Con damage)

STATISTICS

Str – , Dex 12, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 18
Base Atk +8; CMB +9; CMD 19 (can’t be tripped or grappled)
Feats Dodge, Flyby Attack, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (slam)
Skills Fly +10, Knowledge (history) +8, Knowledge (local) +8, Perception +10, Sense Motive +6, Stealth +5
Languages Common (cannot speak)

Special Abilities

Constitution Damage (Su)

A creature hit by the slam of an asphyx must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude save or take 1d4 points of Constitution damage. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Consumable (Ex)

An asphyx reduced to zero hit points devolves into primal life energy and is stunned for one round. During this time, any creature adjacent to the asphyx can inhale it’s inert energy, gaining benefits as per the spell lesser restoration. Alternately, this energy can be captured and preserved indefinitely with a successful craft (alchemy) DC 20.

Primal Essence (Ex)

As primal life energy, an asphyx can be subdued but never destroyed. An asphyx that is reduced to zero hit points devolves into primal energy and is stunned for one round, then travels at maximum speed in a random direction for 24 hours. Having recovered some of its health, it resumes looking for a host.

ECOLOGY

For a brief moment, while the soul of the newly departed is being measured for final judgment, it rests in stasis outside the corpse, waiting for the pull of its eventual resting place. If ever this ephemeral process is interrupted it’s possible for a portion of the soul to remain trapped in its primordial state creating an asphyx. Accidents that occur during the ritual of achieving lichdom, casting time stop at the moment of death and influence from the outer worlds have all been known to cause the unintended creation of such entities.

Lost and marooned between the living and the dead, yet not undead either, an asphyx wanders the landscape, attempting to attach itself to anyone who interacts with it. Too insignificant to fully resuscitate a corpse yet too substantial to occupy an individual already possessing a soul, these attempts result in the asphyx inadvertently siphoning constitution from its unintended victim until the creature dies, wherein the asphyx moves on, forever searching for a home.

In certain circles of the alchemy community, tales are told of an elusive recipe that, when performed with perfect timing, allows for the creation, capture, and preservation of the subdued energy of an asphyx for the purpose of restoring vigor and vitality.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

The Bleak Harvest. Copyright, 2017, Total Party Kill Games. Author(s): Jason LeMaitre and Mark Hart.

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