Waxwork Creature (CR +varies)

The practice of making sculptures from wax dates back to the earliest humanoid civilizations. Only the medium of wax can so closely duplicate the transparency of skin. Often, creators use powerful magic to house an animating spirit within the wax model. A created waxwork creature obeys the commands of its creator. Rarely, a wax sculpture animates of it own accord—the result of nearby magic suffusing the wax or a lost spirit in search of a corporeal form. Such waxwork creatures are uncontrolled.

A waxwork creature is the same size as the creature it duplicates, but weighs only half as much.

Creating a Waxwork

Waxwork” is an inherited template that can be added to any Tiny or larger corporeal creature (other than a construct or ooze), referred to hereafter as the base creature.

Challenge Rating: Depends on Hit Dice, as follows.

Waxwork HD CR
1 2
2–3 3
4–5 4
6–7 5
8–10 6
11–13 7
14–16 8
17–19 9
20 10

If the creature is larger or smaller than Medium, adjust the CR according to the table below.

Waxwork Size CR
Tiny or smaller -2
Small -1
Large +1
Huge +2
Gargantuan +3
Colossal +4

Alignment: Always neutral.

Type: The creature’s type changes to construct. It doesn’t retain any subtypes, nor does it gain the augmented subtype. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Armor Class: The waxwork creature’s natural armor bonus is based on its size.

Waxwork Size Natural Armor Bonus
Tiny or smaller +0
Small +1
Medium +2
Large +3
Huge +4
Gargantuan +7
Colossal +11

Hit Dice: Remove HD gained from class levels and change racial HD to d10s. Creatures without racial HD are treated as if they have 1 racial HD. As constructs, waxwork creatures gain additional hit points as noted in the following table.

Waxwork Size Bonus Hit Points
Tiny or smaller
Small +10
Medium +20
Large +30
Huge +40
Gargantuan +60
Colossal +80

Saves: The creature’s base save bonuses are Fortitude +1/3 HD, Reflex +1/3 HD, and Will +1/3 HD.

Defensive Abilities: A waxwork creature loses the base creature’s defensive abilities. It gains waxen regeneration 5 (fire) and immunity to cold. If it has 11 or more HD, the waxen regeneration increases to 10 (fire). It also gains all of the standard immunities and traits possessed by constructs.

Waxen Regeneration (Su)

This ability functions like regeneration, except the waxwork creature has it without a Constitution score. A waxwork creature reduced to 0 hit points is staggered instead of destroyed while its waxen regeneration is active; it ignores all damage dealt to it that would reduce its hit points below 0. Fire damage causes the waxwork creature’s regeneration to stop functioning on the round following the attack.

Weaknesses: A waxwork creature is vulnerable to fire.

Speed: A waxwork creature retains movement types, except as follows: It loses burrow and magical flight speeds. Winged waxwork creatures can fly, but maneuverability drops to clumsy. A waxwork creature floats and must succeed at a DC 20 Swim check each round to stay underwater.

Attacks: A waxwork creature retains all the natural weapons and weapon proficiencies of the base creature. It also gains a slam attack that deals damage based on the waxwork creature’s size, but as if it were one size category larger than its actual size.

Special Attacks: A waxwork creature retains none of the base creature’s special attacks.

Abilities: A waxwork creature has no Constitution or Intelligence score, and its Wisdom and Charisma scores change to 10.

BAB: A waxwork creature’s base attack bonus is equal to its Hit Dice.

Skills: A waxwork creature loses all of the base creature’s skills and gains none of its own.

Feats: A waxwork creature loses all of the base creature’s feats and gains Improved Initiative as a bonus feat.

Special Qualities: A waxwork creature loses most special qualities of the base creature. It retains any extraordinary special qualities that improve its melee or ranged attacks.

A waxwork creature gains the freeze universal monster ability to appear as a wax sculpture.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Horror Adventures © 2016, Paizo Inc.; Authors: John Bennett, Clinton J. Boomer, Logan Bonner, Robert Brookes, Jason Bulmahn, Ross Byers, Jim Groves, Steven Helt, Thurston Hillman, Eric Hindley, Brandon Hodge, Mikko Kallio, Jason Nelson, Tom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Alistair Rigg, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, F. Wesley Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.

scroll to top