Juju (PAP39/PZO9039)

One of the best-known and most feared aspects of juju culture is the juju zombie, an unquestioning and deathless servitor of a juju practitioner. While most tales of such creatures tell of unholy transformations and cannibalistic corpses, many such “zombies” are actually misidentified victims of other juju magic. In the rites and rituals of juju, three ways exist to create a zombie.

Dead Zombies: Some juju practitioners create undead, including the actual feared juju zombie—a powerful, thinking form of walking corpse. From these dangerous creatures come most of the fear and misinformation surrounding juju culture.

Living Zombies: Many juju practitioners have the power to make a living creature appear dead—either through death-like enchantments or the actual theft of the creature’s soul. These morbid spells might expire or be ended by the juju worker after the victim has been judged dead or even buried, creating the appearance of undeath.

Entranced Zombies: The most baffling form of “juju zombies” are those who live, yet are enslaved to the power of a juju practitioner. Taking on the chalky complexion, shambling gait, and halted vital functions of the undead, these victims only appear dead because of eerie enchantments. Those familiar with juju magic refer to such beings as “laubo.” Although other magic reveals that laubo are not truly undead, the spells or noxious fetishes of a juju user make them appear so as they do their master’s bidding. Such magic fades over time, but often too late for a victim mistaken for the walking dead.

Class Skills: An oracle with the juju mystery adds Bluff, Intimidate, Knowledge (nature), Perform (oratory), and Survival to her list of class skills.

Bonus Spells: speak with animals (2nd), hideous laughter (4th), fear (6th), charm monster (8th), create undead (as a 5th-level spell; juju zombies only; see right) (10th), magic jar (12th), creeping doom (14th), trap the soul (16th), shapechange (18th).

Revelations

An oracle with the juju mystery can choose from any of the following revelations.

Beast Tongue (Ex): Choose a single type of animal (birds, cats, snakes, fish, and so on). You can communicate with these creatures as if you were constantly using the spell speak with animals. Although this ability grants you the ability to converse with such creatures, it grants you no special influence over them.

Craft Juju Fetish (Ex): You can craft juju fetishes as if you possessed the Craft Wondrous Item feat. All juju fetishes you create are treated as being CL +1. If you possess this revelation and Craft Wondrous Item, all juju fetishes you create are treated as being CL +2.

Dream Haunter (Su): You can send your spirit to torment another being’s dreams. A number of times per week equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier, but only once per day, you can cast the spell nightmare. You must be at least 11th level before selecting this revelation. At 15th level, you can also pass on a message as part of the nightmare, as per the spell dream.

False Death (Su): Add charm person and dominate person to your spell list. You must select these spells using your allotment of spells known. Any creature under the effect of one of these spells or charm monster appears dead to any examiners. Although affected creatures do not detect as undead, they look pale and death-like while under the effects of your magic. Additionally, an affected creature ordered to lie still gains a +20 circumstance bonus on Disguise skill checks to look like a corpse.

Juju Sight (Ex): You can recognize other wendifa on sight, reading the emanations of their magic. In addition, you gain a +2 bonus on Spellcraft checks made to identify juju fetishes, and your detect magic and identify spells have no chance of destroying such items.

Natural Divination (Ex): You can read the entrails of a freshly killed animal or humanoid to gain an insight bonus equal to your Charisma modifier on one saving throw. Alternatively, by observing and interpreting the flight of birds, you may apply a +10 competence bonus on any one skill check. Finally, by charting marks in dirt or on stone, or observing the behavior of sand thrown into the wind, you gain a +4 insight bonus on one initiative check. These bonuses must be used during the next 24 hours, and you must declare you are using the bonus before the check or save is made. Making a natural divination takes 10 minutes. You may use natural divination (in any combination) once per day plus one additional time per day for every four oracle levels you have attained.

Path of the Snake (Su): As a standard action, while in contact with earth or a living plant, you can become shadowy and incorporeal. While in this form, you gain a +10 bonus on Stealth checks and can move in any direction and through any object (except for those made of force). You can take no action other than to move while in this form. You remain in this form for a number of rounds equal to your oracle level, but you can end this effect prematurely with a standard action. You can use this ability once per day at 11th level, and twice per day at 15th level. You must be at least 11th level to select this revelation.

Reminder of Death (Su): You can imbue a handful of salt with the power of life, making it a potent ward against undead creatures. As a standard action, you can throw salt at a single undead creature within 5 feet, affecting it as per the spell halt undead. Alternatively, you can spend a full-round action covering a 5-foot-square with imbued salt, causing any single undead creature that enters this square within the next 10 minutes to be affected as per halt undead. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Spirit Vessels (Su): You can channel wendo spirits into lifeless bodies, reanimating them to aid you. When using the animate dead spell, you can control 6 HD worth of undead creatures per caster level rather than 4 HD. In addition, any zombies or juju zombies you create using animate dead, create undead, or similar spells possess maximum hit points.

Undead Servitude (Su): You gain Command Undead as a bonus feat. You can channel negative energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier, but only to use Command Undead. You can take other feats to add to this ability, such as Improved Channel, but not feats that alter this ability, such as Alignment Channel.

Final Revelation

You gain mastery over spirits and the fundamentals of life. When you cast trap the soul, you can choose to imprison just the target’s soul in the gem as per the spell magic jar, leaving its body soulless and, by all appearances, dead. Once the gem is occupied by a soul, you may, as a standard action, swap your essence with that in the gem, giving the trapped soul control over your body while harboring your own spirit within the gem. While within the gem, you have no control over your body or the soul occupying it, but may attempt to possess other creatures—including your now possessed body—as per the spell magic jar. Alternatively, you may swap souls between other creatures. By trapping a soul within a gem you can then use that gem to make a single touch attack against another creature. If you succeed, the target must succeed at a Will save or have its soul trapped within the gem, while the soul in the gem transfers into the target’s body. The soul within the gem does not gain the power to possess other creatures (as per magic jar) and the gem cannot be used to transfer souls again unless a second trap the soul spell is cast upon it.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Adventure Path #39: City of Seven Spears. © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: James Jacobs, Kevin Kulp, Rob McCreary, and Owen K.C. Stephens.

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