ErzgeistCreature 19
Source Pathfinder #221: Into the Apocalypse Archive
Perception +33 (darkvision)
Languages Fey, Talican, Thassilonian, Speak With Stones
Skills Acrobatics +35, Intimidation +33, Nature +37, Stealth +35
Str -5, Dex +6, Con +3, Int +3, Wis +6, Cha +4
AC 42; Fort +28; Reflex +35; Will +31;
HP 270
Speed 0 feet (fly 30 feet)
Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious
Resistances All Damage 15
Cavern Dependent
An erzgeist is bonded to a single cavern or complex of underground tunnels (such as the Prosperity Vault in this adventure) and must remain within them (or within their walls). If the erzgeist moves outside their bonded caverns, they're immediately destroyed.
Fey AvengerEven when a fey creature doesn't want their aid or finds their nature unsettling, an erzgeist is eager to inflict pain on anyone in return for perceived injustices to fey creatures. As long as an erzgeist is within 30 feet of a fey creature that's suffering from a negative condition, the erzgeist gains a +2 status bonus to all attack rolls.
Aurify (incapacitation, morph, primal)The touch of an erzgeist transforms flesh into gold. When a living creature is damaged by the erzgeist's gilded hand Strike, that creature must attempt a DC 41 fortitude save or become Clumsy 1 (or Clumsy 2 on a critical failure) for 1 minute. Further failed saves against aurify increase the clumsy condition. Once a creature becomes Clumsy 5, they become petrified, except they're transformed into gold instead of stone for 24 hours, after which the creature (or any gold harvested from it) crumbles to worthless dust and dies.
Primal Innate Spells (DC 38, +30 to hit)
5th Level: Speak with Stones
Verdorites don't rise from the unquiet spirits of humanoids, or even from the souls of sapient creatures at all. Instead, these vengeful undead manifest when disaster befalls the natural world. When enough life is lost, be it plant or animal life, those anguished souls can accrete into a singularity of sorts—a verdorite.
While many verdorites rose in the aftermath of Earthfall, one type of these brutal spirits was already well-established in the heartland of the nation of Shalast—the erzgeist. First spawned in response to the devastation wreaked on the underground environments of the central Storval Plateau by Runelord Kaladurnae's greed, these creatures persist today in various parts of north-central Varisia—particularly in the region surrounding Spindlehorn.
Erzgeists look like large bats, but they're ghostly and semitransparent. Instead of fur, their bodies show growths of crystals and jagged shards of rock shot through with gold ore—all of it shimmering and phantasmal. Their eyes are glittering rubies, the membrane in their wings is like pale gold smoke, and their teeth and fangs are made of gold—all reflections of one man's environment-destroying greed.
An Erzgeist's Anger
Erzgeists often latch onto specific examples of mortal cruelty against the natural world—but in particular, cruelty against fey. While they aren't and never were from the First World, they're drawn to the pains of tormented fey—not to seek their release, but to lie in wait for others who might be drawn to the same torments. Even those who seek to free the tormented fey find themselves targets of erzgeists' anger.
Traits
This rarity indicates that a rules element is very difficult to find in the game world. A rare feat, spell, item or the like is available to players only if the GM decides to include it in the game, typically through discovery during play. Creatures with this trait are rare. They typically can't be summoned. The DC of Recall Knowledge checks related to these creatures is increased by 5.
IncorporealAn incorporeal creature or object has no physical form. It can pass through solid objects, including walls. When inside an object, an incorporeal creature can't perceive, attack, or interact with anything outside the object, and if it starts its turn in an object, it is slowed 1 until the end of its turn. A corporeal and an incorporeal creature can pass through one another, but they can't end their movement in each other's space. An incorporeal creature can't attempt Strength-based checks against physical creatures or objects—only against incorporeal ones—unless those objects have the ghost touch property rune. Likewise, a corporeal creature can't attempt Strength-based checks against incorporeal creatures or objects. Incorporeal creatures usually have immunity to effects or conditions that require a physical body, like disease, poison, and precision damage. They usually have resistance against all damage (except force damage, spirit damage, and damage from Strikes with the ghost touch property rune), with double the resistance against non-magical damage.
SpiritEffects with this trait can affect creatures with spiritual essence and might deal spirit damage. A creature with this trait is defined by its spiritual essence. Spirit creatures often lack a material form.
UndeadOnce living, these creatures were infused after death with void energy and soul-corrupting unholy magic. When reduced to 0 Hit Points, an undead creature is destroyed. Undead creatures are damaged by vitality energy and are healed by void energy, and don't benefit from healing vitality effects.