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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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There is a Legacy version here.

Noppera-Bo Impersonator

Noppera-bos are faceless yokai who delight in tricking others. The noppera.bo impersonators present in this adventure are direct manifestations of Kugaptee's lingering presence in Governor Heh Shan-Bao's mindscape. When this latest mindscape cycle began, the duplicate PCs who dwelled in this mindscape were like the other townsfolk--phantasmal but harmless. As the PCs grew in power in the Willowshore mindscape, the sinister thought energy in Heh Shan-Bao's mindscape reacted and transformed the PCs' duplicates into dangerous monsters: noppera-bo impersonators.

Note that you can adjust the statistics of the noppera-bo impersonator presented below, using the rules for monster creation found in Pathfinder GM Core to challenge other PCs of different levels.

Impersonator Roles

A noppera-bo impersonator plays one of three roles; you'll need to decide what each impersonator's role is depending on the PC being impersonated.

Martial Impersonator

Enhanced Weapon Increase the noppera-bo impersonator's attack modifiers and damage of their Strikes by 2.
Hearty Increase the noppera-bo's Fortitude save modifier by 3, but decrease their Will save modifier by 3.
Impersonated Abilities The noppera-bo impersonator gains one of the following abilities of your choice.
  • Armored The noppera-bo appears to be heavily armored, and they increase their AC to 24.
  • Reactive Strike [reaction]
  • Shield Carrier The noppera-bo carries a minor sturdy shield (that transforms into a useless prop if it's destroyed, dropped, or upon the noppera-bo's death), and they gain the Shield Block general feat.
  • Weapon Perk The noppera-bo chooses one of these weapon traits to add to their false weapon: agile, deadly d8, forceful, parry, reach, shove, sweep, or trip.

Skilled Impersonator

Deft Increase the noppera-bo's Reflex save modifier by 3, but decrease their Fortitude save modifier by 3.
Enhanced Skills Increase the noppera-bo impersonator's skill modifiers by 2.
Impersonated Abilities The noppera-bo impersonator gains one of the following abilities of your choice.
  • Commander The noppera-bo impersonator gains a minion that they can command. This creature takes the form of the impersonated character's animal companion, eidolon, or other fighting companion creature; choose a 4th-level creature that approximates the impersonated companion creature's abilities. This creature gains the minion trait.
  • Elemental Attack [two-actions] (magical) Choose from air, earth, fire, metal, water, or wood (this choice can't be changed once you select it for the impersonator). The noppera-bo impersonator targets a creature within 60 feet and creates a detonation of that element; that creature takes 4d6 slashing (air), bludgeoning (earth, water, or wood), piercing (metal), or fire (fire) damage (DC 24 basic Reflex save). Elemental Attack gains the appropriate elemental trait.
  • Sneak Attack The noppera-bo impersonator deals an additional 1d6 precision damage to off-guard creatures.
  • Weapon Perk The noppera-bo impersonator chooses one of the following weapon traits to add to their false weapon: agile, backstabber, disarm, finesse, sweep, or trip.

Spellcasting Impersonator

Determined Increase the noppera-bo's Will save modifier by 3, but decrease their Reflex save modifier by 3.
Impersonated Spellcasting The noppera-bo impersonator gains one of the following suites of innate spells, matching the spellcasting tradition utilized by the character being impersonated. You can adjust the spells to make a more perfect fit for the impersonation.

Recall Knowledge - Aberration (Occultism): DC 27
Unspecific Lore: DC 25
Specific Lore: DC 22

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

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

Weak Noppera-Bo ImpersonatorCreature 5

Rare Medium Aberration 
Source Season of Ghosts (Hardcover) pg. 340
Perception +12; no face
Languages Common; telepathy 30 feet
Skills Acrobatics +10, Athletics +10, Deception +12, Intimidation +12
Str +4, Dex +4, Con +4, Int +4, Wis +4, Cha +4
No Face Noppera-bos have no sense of vision, but their sense of hearing is precise. They don't breathe and are immune to effects that require breathing. They gain sustenance by absorbing fluids through their skin—traditionally by immersing their hands or faceless head into the fluid to “drink” through osmosis; they can also benefit from consumables, such as potions or elixirs, in this way.
AC 20; Fort +12, Ref +12, Will +12
HP 73; Immunities inhaled, olfactory, visual; Weaknesses sensitive hearing
Sensitive Hearing As long as a noppera-bo is deafened, they're slowed 1.
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] false weapon +13 [+8/+3], Damage 2d8-2+8 mentalRanged [one-action] false weapon +13 [+8/+3], Damage 2d4-2+8 mentalFalse Weapon A noppera-bo impersonator carries a +1 striking weapon that looks identical to the favored weapon of the character being impersonated. If the PC favors unarmed Strikes, it appears as handwraps. If the impersonated character favors a ranged weapon, then the noppera-bo impersonator has no melee weapon and instead uses the ranged false weapon Strike above; otherwise, the noppera-bo impersonator has no ranged weapon. If the character favors no weapon, then the noppera-bo wields a club as their false weapon. This false weapon is only partially real and inflicts only mental damage when it hits; it gains none of the original weapon's traits or magical enhancements. If a noppera-bo impersonator's false weapon is broken, disarmed, or set down, it fades away. The noppera-bo impersonator can craft a replacement false weapon by spending 10 minutes to recreate one.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Impersonating Npcs

The noppera-bo impersonators in this adventure focus on duplicating PCs, but they're just as adept at duplicating and replacing NPCs in the world. Sometimes, a noppera-bo impersonator's role as a disguised NPC in a position of power can last for years or even decades.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Impersonator Adjustments

Since the exact mix of PCs in each Season of Ghosts campaign will vary, the statistics here should be adjusted as needed to match each PC as closely as possible. Don't worry too much about exactly matching each character's rules choices since monsters follow different rules than PCs do—rather, look at ways you can present these creatures in ways that make them feel like monstrous duplicates. Each noppera-bo impersonator is faceless, but their gear and equipment should look identical to what the PCs have when they arrive in Heh Shan-Bao's mindscape. Of course, the bulk of this equipment is all part of the illusion—when a noppera-bo impersonator is slain, their gear shifts and transforms into ragged, broken props that only vaguely resemble the items carried and used by each PC.

All Monsters in "Noppera-bo"

NameLevel
Noppera-Bo Grunt0
Noppera-Bo Impersonator6
Noppera-Bo Occultist2
Noppera-Bo Trickster1

Noppera-bo

Source Season of Ghosts (Hardcover) pg. 338
Noppera-bos appear to be regular humans from behind, and might even resemble someone you know, until they turn to reveal a featureless face.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Consumate Professionals

While the typical noppera-bo is cruel and revels in the act of frightening or tormenting humanoid creatures, not all of them wallow in evil. Some noppera-bos prefer roles as pranksters and use their abilities to trick and tease, while even rarer noppera-bos use their abilities to honor and idolize those they admire while focusing their own time on developing their skills at art or crafting tools of peace.

Sidebar - Additional Lore Noppera-Bo Origins

There are many theories on the origins of noppera-bos—from tanuki whose Change Shape ability went wrong, to humanoids who were warped by curses, to naturally spawning yokai. Some even theorize this condition was once a transmissible curse like lycanthropy. Most noppera-bos don’t recall their origins and are often more interested in pretending to be someone else entirely.