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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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There is a Legacy version here.

Red-Hooded Thatchling

When a soul doomed to become a thatchling dies in the throes of great anguish, they can return after death as a red-hooded thatchling. These vengeful thatchlings appear to wear red hoods when viewed at a distance, but up close, the grisly truth—that their heads are blood-soaked—is revealed. Unlike other thatchlings, red-hooded thatchlings are skilled at trickery, and their ability to appear as a living humanoid through illusion magic allows them to lure unsuspecting travelers into ambushes much more easily.

Recall Knowledge - Undead (Religion): DC 21
Unspecific Lore: DC 19
Specific Lore: DC 16

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Changes from being Elite are marked in red below.
NOTE: The +2 damage bonus to non-strike offensive abilities (+4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.

Elite Red-Hooded ThatchlingCreature 3

Rare Small Undead Unholy 
Source Season of Ghosts (Hardcover) pg. 349
Perception +10; darkvision
Languages Common
Skills Acrobatics +9, Deception +10, Stealth +9 (+11 in undergrowth)
Str +0, Dex +3, Con +2, Int +0, Wis +3, Cha +4
AC 19; Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +10
HP 47 (void healing); Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious; Resistances bludgeoning 3, piercing 3; Weaknesses fire 5
Distracting Giggle (auditory, aura, emotion, mental, occult) 15 feet. The thatchling's giggle echoes in the back of the mind. Creatures within the aura take a –1 status penalty to Will saves.Rejuvenation (divine) When a thatchling is destroyed by damage other than fire, they attempt a DC 11 flat check. On a success, they re-form after 2d4 days within 120 feet of where they were destroyed, fully healed. A thatchling is always permanently destroyed if reduced to 0 Hit Points by fire damage or if the obstacle preventing the soul from reincarnating is removed.
Speed 30 feet; thicket walker
Melee [one-action] frond +11 [+7/+3] (agile, finesse), Damage 1d6+2+2 slashing plus 1d4 persistent bleedOccult Innate Spells DC 20, attack +12 (+4 dmg); 1st illusory disguise; Cantrips (1st) figment, telekinetic projectile
Create Thatchling Spawn (occult) A living humanoid who's slain by a red-hooded thatchling while under the effects of Thatchling's Curse rises as a thatchling after 1d4 rounds. This spawn is under the command of the red-hooded thatchling that killed it. If a red-hooded thatchling controls too many at once (as determined by the GM), some thatchlings can free themselves with a DC 20 Will saving throw at the start of their turn. If the red-hooded thatchling who created the spawn is destroyed, the spawn becomes an autonomous thatchling.Howl of Vengeful Fury [two-actions] (occult, sonic) Frequency once per hour; Effect The red-hooded thatchling sobs pitifully before unleashing a terrifying scream. All non-thatchling creatures within a 30-foot emanation take 2d10 sonic damage (DC 20 basic Fortitude save) and become immune to all thatchlings' distracting giggle for 1 minute. Thatchlings in the area gain 5 temporary Hit Points and a +1 status bonus to their Strikes and saving throws for 1 minute.Thatchling's Curse [two-actions] (curse, mental, occult) The thatchling focuses their attention on a single target within 30 feet that they can see, and then begins muttering and whispering nonsense. The target must attempt a DC 20 Will save.
Critical Success The target is unaffected and is temporarily immune to Thatchling's Curse for 24 hours.
Success The target is momentarily disoriented and has difficulty moving in the right direction. The target takes a –5-foot status penalty to its Speeds for 1 round.
<Failure As success, but the penalty to its Speeds lasts for 1 minute.
Critical Failure As failure, but the penalty to its Speeds lasts until the curse is removed or until the thatchling who created the effect is permanently destroyed, whichever comes first. In addition, when the cursed creature attempts a Survival check to Sense Direction or Track, it uses the outcome for one degree of success worse than the result of its roll, and it can't take the Scout exploration activity.Thicket Walker Thatchlings ignore difficult terrain caused by brambles, tangled grass, undergrowth, fallen buildings, and ruined structures.

All Monsters in "Thatchling"

NameLevel
Red-Hooded Thatchling2
Thatchling0

Thatchling

Source Season of Ghosts (Hardcover) pg. 349
In rural Shenmen, some branches of Sangpotshi warn of what can happen if a soul bound for reincarnation is prevented from entering the River of Souls and rejoining the cycle. These souls become frustrated, confused, and then furious at what they feel is a denial of the body they deserve, and in turn, they force vegetation to serve as their new body. Others theorize that when a body is buried in a shallow grave, the roots of grass growing down into the remains can tangle the soul and capture it.

Thatchlings are intelligent and capable of speaking but rarely do so— they generally have little to say to those whose lives they covet. Rarely, one might attempt to lure someone into an area of tall grass or dense undergrowth by calling out to them for aid, but they have little skill at deception, so such tactics aren’t particularly effective at making them seem like actual living creatures in need of help.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Forever Senseless

The thatchling’s curse robs the sense of direction from those it falls upon, leading to a whole category of insults in Shenmen that compare someone’s ability to get something done to “a thatchling’s sense.” For example, someone who has a hard time making friends might be said to have “a thatchling’s sense of friendship,” while someone who constantly ruins meals might be said to have “a thatchling’s kitchen sense.”

Sidebar - Additional Lore Nindoru Butterflies

One of the strangest shared traits of the various types of nindoru are the blood-red butterflies that seem to follow them around, nest on their bodies, or periodically emerge from their wounds. These unnerving insects are physical manifestations of the nindorus’ thoughts and symbolize the countless past lives they once lived but turned their backs on. Nindoru butterflies never last long once they flutter more than a few feet from their source, fading away into smoke that quickly dissipates into the air.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Nindoru Demigods

The most powerful nindorus are demigods, although their cults are quite rare. Prone to reincarnation after death, nindoru demigods like Kugaptee are more properly known as “nindoru ascetics.”

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Nindoru Trait

Nindorus are unholy fiends who rise from corruptions to the cycle of reincarnating souls and live within the Universe. Although they often have elements in their appearance that make them seem undead, they’re actually living beings. Most nindorus have darkvision, are immune to death effects, have weakness to silver, and possess the power to manifest objects or creatures from their thoughts.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Nindoru Traitors

While most nindorus are purely evil and unholy in nature, legends tell of exceptionally rare nindorus who manage to escape their own nature and ascend, reincarnating after death into kami or other more benevolent spirits and shedding the nindoru trait as they do so. Of course, these “traitors” are regarded as the most delicious meals imaginable by the nindorus left behind.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Old Friends

The source of Willowshore’s thatchlings is the simple fact that the souls who would normally have been reincarnated upon death can’t do so, thus rising as thatchlings. Of course, since each year “resets” things, those who died during the year and became thatchlings are reborn alive once more on every first day of summer, with no memories of their previous doomed existence. While still driven by instinct to attack the living, Willowshore’s thatchlings do feel a sense of remorse—if the GM judges it especially appropriate, they might take a –2 circumstance penalty to attack rolls and saving throws against creatures they knew in life.

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Reincarnated Souls

In some cases, you’ll know if a creature a nindoru attacks has a reincarnated soul. Ancestries like samsarans are always reincarnated souls, and a PC’s backstory or even their background can often indicate the presence of a previous life. All of the PCs in the Season of Ghosts Adventure Path qualify as reincarnated souls, as they’ve relived their lives over and over for decades. If you ever need to determine if a creature’s soul is reincarnated for the purpose of adjudicating a nindoru’s ability, attempt a DC 11 flat check—on a success, it has a reincarnated soul.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Weapons of Choice

Several of the nindorus presented here have preferred types of weapons to wield and might even have special abilities associated with that type of weapon. A nindoru who wields a different weapon can still make use of those associated abilities, but the flavor of that ability should be adjusted as appropriate.