Phantom BeastCreature 8
Source Pathfinder Monster Core
Perception +18 (darkvision)
Languages Telepathy 100 Feet
Skills Diplomacy +16, Intimidation +18, Occultism +14, Thievery +18
Str -5, Dex +6, Con +1, Int +0, Wis +4, Cha +6
AC 26; Fort +13; Reflex +18; Will +16; -1 status to all saves vs. death effects
HP 120
Speed 0 feet (fly 35 feet)
Immunities disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, bleed
Resistances All Damage 8
Phantom Horn
+18 (+14, +10) to hit (agile, finesse, magical) 2d8+8 PiercingTelepathy 100 feet (aura, magical, mental)
A monster with telepathy can communicate mentally with any creatures within the listed radius, as long as they share a language. This doesn't give any special access to their thoughts, and communicates no more information than normal speech would.
Walk the Ethereal Line
The phantom walks the thin line between the Ethereal and Universe in order to exist on both planes simultaneously.
They can shift back to solely the Ethereal Plane by using this ability again.
-1 Status to All Saves vs. Death EffectsSusceptible to DeathThough phantoms aren't alive, neither are they undead, and they are uniquely vulnerable to the effects of death.
A phantom whose Hit Points are reduced to 0 as a result of a death effect (such as from a spell like Execute) is immediately whisked away to the River of Souls, where their soul resumes the usual path to the afterlife.
Phantom Touch (spirit)Each time they make a Strike, a phantom can choose to deal spirit damage instead of the normal physical damage type.
Grab ItemThe phantom beast attempts to Steal one item of up to 1 Bulk from a creature, even if the creature is in combat, though the object still must not be one that is actively in use. If they succeed, they carry the object along with them telekinetically.
Occult Innate Spells (DC 28, +20 to hit)
Cantrips (4th Level): Daze, Telekinetic Projectile
1st Level: Phantom Pain, Sleep
2nd Level: Spiritual Armament
The River of Souls, alongside the souls of dead sapient humanoids, also carries the spirits of monsters, animals, and other creatures. Likewise, it draws souls from across reality, and thus human and elf souls mingle with those of far stranger creatures from untold worlds. Like any others, these far-flung spirits of strange creatures sometimes wash up on the shores of the Ethereal Plane, becoming phantoms far removed from the humanoid forms typically associated with ghosts and other undead.
The phantom below is one such entity: a strange beast from a distant world, echoing their behaviors from life as they search for their postmortem fate. Their unfamiliar appearance might lead observers to assume they're a monstrous being and attack, finding the phantom beast entirely willing to fight back. More compassionate adventurers might instead seek to help the phantom find their way back to the River of Souls to complete their spiritual journey.
The typical trajectory for souls passing to the afterlife is fairly straightforward, according to most theologians. When a mortal dies, their soul enters the River of Souls and eventually reaches the Boneyard, where it is judged by Pharasma. The judged soul moves onto its appropriate domain of final rest—Heaven, Hell, Abaddon, and so forth—where it becomes a shade.
Complications arise, however, when a soul in queue for judgment prematurely departs from the River of Souls and is shunted into the Ethereal Plane. Whether as a result of nefarious interlopers like daemons or hags, malignant planar magic, or even fate, these souls become dislodged from the natural order of life and death and linger in a sort of purgatory. Unlike petitioners, these ethereal phantoms retain memories of their life before death, and unlike spirits such as ghosts, phantoms aren't tinged with the foul influences of undeath—at least, not at first, though the threat of corruption hangs heavy over a phantom's existence. Some eventually succumb to that fate, while others eventually rejoin the River of Souls. Until then, these wandering souls are a kind unto themselves—one without a true home, agenda, or purpose.
Many phantoms have no desire to remain in their strange state of purgatory, either because they seek to continue their journey through the River of Souls or because they fear the corruption of undeath. In order to complete the natural spiritual cycle and become judged so they can continue to the afterlife, a phantom must find a way back into the River of Souls. Such a quest is no easy feat, however—the hazy mists of the Ethereal Plane can befuddle even the most experienced traveler, and numerous predators prowl the realm in search of stray souls to bind or devour.
Traits
Something of uncommon rarity requires special training or comes from a particular culture or part of the world. Some character choices give access to uncommon options, and the GM can choose to allow access for anyone. Less is known about uncommon creatures than common creatures. They typically can't be summoned. The DC of Recall Knowledge checks related to these creature is increased by 2.
EtherealEthereal creatures are natives of the Ethereal Plane. They can survive the basic environmental effects of the Ethereal Plane.
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.
PhantomA phantom is soul that has diverged from the River of Souls on the Ethereal Plane before being judged. They typically retain memories of their life before death but are not undead.
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.