Illus. by W. England
CHAPTER 6
CREATURES OF THE NIGHT
PHANTASMAL SLAYER
152
Medium Outsider (Evil, Incorporeal, Native) Hit Dice: 16d8 80 (152 hp) Initiative: 9 Speed: Fly 60 ft. (perfect) Armor Class: 27 ( 5 Dex, 12 deflection), touch 27, flatfooted 22 Base Attack/Grapple: 16/— Attack: Incorporeal touch 22 melee (2d6 and phantasmal facade) Full Attack: 2 incorporeal touches 22 (2d6 and phantasmal facade) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Penetrating wound, phantasmal facade, spell-like abilities Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fear effects, incorporeal traits, outsider traits, spell resistance 22, telepathy 100 ft. Saves: Fort 14, Ref 14, Will 14 Abilities: Str —, Dex 21, Con 20, Int 22, Wis 17, Cha 26 Skills: Bluff 29, Concentration 24, Decipher Script 25, Diplomacy 31, Intimidate 34, Knowledge (arcana) 25, Knowledge (history) 25, Knowledge (religion) 25, Knowledge (the planes) 25, Listen 22, Search 25, Sense Motive 22, Spellcraft 27, Spot 22 Feats: Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Persuasive, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (feeblemind), Skill Focus (Intimidate), Weapon Focus (incorporeal touch) Environment: Any Organization: Solitary or flock (2–5) Challenge Rating: 15 Treasure: None Alignment: Always chaotic evil Advancement: 17–32 HD (Medium); 33–48 (Large) Level Adjustment: —
Phantasmal slayers are roughly medium-sized, although they can appear much larger or smaller. Being incorporeal, they have no weight. Phantasmal slayers speak Common, Abyssal, Draconic, Elven, Gnome, and Infernal. They also have the power of telepathy.
COMBAT
Phantasmal slayers exist to spread fear. They prefer to kill by means of their phantasmal facade and might be inclined to let a surviving enemy live if she seems likely to pass her tale of terror on to others. When a phantasmal slayer decides to kill, however, it is a focused, single-minded opponent. Slayers tend to concentrate on spellcasters and paladins above other foes. Penetrating Wound (Ex): The incorporeal touch attack of a phantasmal slayer overcomes all forms of damage reduction, except those that require a specific material (adamantine, cold iron, alchemical silver). Phantasmal Facade (Su): Anyone who so much as glances at a phantasmal slayer sees his greatest fear and is affected as if by the spell phantasmal killer. The target can make a DC 26 Will save to disbelieve, if his interaction with the slayer would suggest the object of his fear is unreal. Success renders the subject immune to that particular slayer’s phantasmal facade for 24 hours, but the subject is still dazed for 1 round from shock. If the save fails, the target must make a DC 26 Fortitude save the first time the slayer touches him in combat. Failure causes the subject to die from fright. Even on a success, the target takes 3d6 points of damage. The save DCs is Charisma-based. If the target survives this first touch, he can repeat the Will save to disbelieve on every further touch until he is dead or he disbelieves the facade. Until he succeeds, however, he must continue making Fortitude saves each time the slayer touches him. Spell-Like Abilities: At will—scare (DC 20); 3/day—crushing despair (DC 22), fear (DC 22), ray of exhaustion ( 21 ranged touch, DC 21); 1/day—feeblemind (DC 23), waves of fatigue. Caster level 16th. The spell DCs From the darkness manifests the most hidare Charisma-based. eous, most terrifying sight you have ever seen. Incorporeal Traits: A phantasmal slayer is It exudes evil and menace in palpable waves, and the harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, air around it seems to grow cold. magic weapons, spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. It has a 50 chance to ignore The horrors known as phantasmal slayers are literally any damage from a corporeal source, except for force effear incarnate. They exist only to terrify fects or attacks made with ghost touch weapons. others—to death, if at all possible. They have It can pass through solid objects, but not force Phantasmal slayer no true form, but appear to all observers as effects, at will. Its attacks ignore natural armor, their single greatest fear. Even those who armor, and shields, but deflection bonuses and disbelieve the phantasmal facade effect, or force effects work normally against them. An who view the slayer with true seeing, see a ghostly shadow of incorporeal creature always moves silently and cannot be their greatest fear. heard with Listen checks if it doesn’t wish to be. It is believed that the long-forgotten wizard who develTelepathy (Su): A phantasmal slayer can communicate oped the phantasmal killer spell might have been inspired telepathically with any creature within 100 feet that has an by these creatures. Intelligence score.
