CythnophorianCreature 8

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Source Pathfinder #201: Pactbreaker
Perception +12 (darkvision, lifesense (imprecise) 30 feet)
Languages none
Skills Stealth +15
Str +4, Dex +3, Con +6, Int -2, Wis +2, Cha +1

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AC 27; Fort +18; Reflex +14; Will +12;
HP 161
Speed 15 feet
Immunities mental
Weaknesses Fire 5

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Tendril +18 (+13, +8) to hit 2d10+10 Piercing

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Horrifying Display (emotion, fear, mental, visual)

Trigger The cythnophorian uses Fungal Possession

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Effect All creatures in a 10-foot emanation must attempt a DC 26 will save or become Sickened 1, or Sickened 2 on a critical failure. Affected creatures are Off-Guard for as long as they're sickened. Once a creature attempts this save, it's temporarily immune for 1 minute.

Creeping Death (contact, poison)

Saving Throw DC 22 fortitude

Onset 1 round

Stage 1 2d6 poison damage and Stunned 1 (1 round)

Stage 2 4d6 poison damage and Stupefied 1 (1 round)

Stage 3 6d6 poison damage and Confused (1 round)

Stage 4 6d6 poison damage and Controlled (1 round). A creature that dies while infected with creeping death immediately releases a burst of spores as if using the cythnophorian's Spore Cloud ability. If the corpse is not burned, it rises as the host of a new cythnophorian 12 hours later.

Fungal Possession (concentrate, manipulate, move, possession)

Requirements The cythnophorian's last action was a Strike that killed a target of size Medium or smaller

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Effect The cythnophorian rips itself out of its current host and burrows its way into the corpse of its latest victim, regaining 3d4 healing Hit Points and taking control of the corpse as its new host. The cythnophorian enters the space of its new host, and its former host's corpse falls to the ground in its previous space. Moving to a new host doesn't change the cythnophorian's abilities or movement Speeds.

Spore Cloud (incapacitation, poison)

The cythnophorian emits a cloud of toxic spores, exposing all creatures within a 15-foot emanation to creeping death. The cythnophorian can't use Spore Cloud again for 1d4 rounds.

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In its natural state, a fully grown cythnophorian resembles a wriggling mass of tendrils and fibrous growths approximately the size of a house cat. Although fully capable of locomotion in this form, a cythnophorian is rarely encountered outside a host, typically a humanoid or animal corpse, which the creature burrows into and animates from within like a grisly flesh puppet. Once so ensconced, the cythnophorian seeks out new victims to infect with its noxious spores, seizing control of their bodies for its own ends until they succumb to the deadly toxin and become incubators for new cythnophorians.

A Medium-sized corpse is typically sufficient to sustain a cythnophorian for two weeks before it must seek out a fresh one. If unable to locate a new host in that time, the creature enters a dormant state, withdrawing into an unremarkable seed pod roughly the size of a child's fist, where it can lie in wait for years until a suitable victim presents itself.

Unknown Origins

Opinions vary as to the exact nature of these creatures, with many scholars citing their similarities to the fungal parasites known as cythnigots as evidence of some qlippoth connection. Still others theorize that they began as a natural form of plant life that gradually became twisted and corrupted, deliberately or otherwise, by prolonged exposure to the foul energies of Cyth-V'sug, demon lord of fungus and rot.

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Traits