Allip

A malignant cloud of shadows boils through the air, forming skeletal maws that babble and scream. Claws made of darkness surge from its ever-changing form, reaching out toward the living.

CR: 3 XP: 800


CE Medium undead (incorporeal)


Init: +5 Senses: darkvision 60 ft. Perception: +7


Aura: babble (60 ft., DC 15)


Defense

AC: 14, touch 14, flat-footed 13, (+3 deflection, +1 Dex)


hp: 30 (4d8+12)


Fort: +4 Ref: +4 Will: +4


Defensive Abilities: incorporeal, channel resistance +2


Immune: undead traits


Offense

Speed: fly 30 ft. (perfect)


Melee: incorporeal touch +4 (1d4 Wisdom damage)


Special Attacks: touch of insanity


Statistics

Str: — Dex: 12 Con: — Int: 11 Wis: 11 Cha: 16


Base Atk: +3 CMB: +3 CMD: 17


Feats: Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes


Skills: Fly +16, Intimidate +10, Perception +7, Stealth +8


SQ: madness


Languages: Common


Ecology

Environment: any


Organization: solitary, pair, or haunt (4–6)


Treasure: Value 800 gp


Description

Babble (Su) An allip constantly mutters and whines to itself, creating a hypnotic effect. All sane creatures within 60 feet of the allip must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or be fascinated for 2d4 rounds. While a target is fascinated, the allip can approach without breaking the effect, but an attack by the allip breaks the effect. This is a sonic, mind-affecting compulsion effect. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected by the same allip’s babble for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Madness (Su) Anyone targeting an allip with thought detection, mind control, or telepathic ability makes direct contact with its tortured mind and takes 1d4 points of Wisdom damage.

Touch of Insanity (Su) The touch of an allip deals 1d4 points of Wisdom damage. A successful critical hit causes 1d4 points of Wisdom damage and 1 point of Wisdom drain (instead of double Wisdom damage). On each successful attack, an allip gains 5 temporary hit points.

Those who fall prey to madness and take their own lives sometimes find themselves lost on the paths to the afterlife, trapped in a state between life and death. These unfortunates, known as allips, suffer from the violent and incurable insanity they faced in life and take out their terror, confusion, and rage upon the living. They reach out to those they encounter—possibly in wrath, but also perhaps oblivious to their own destructive nature—bringing violent ends to mortal lives and spreading the psychoses that led to their own untimely deaths.

In combat, allips relentlessly attack the nearest living creature, relying on their babble to close in before attacking with their touch of insanity. Many seem to be driven to states of ferocity upon witnessing the terror living creatures exhibit when facing their spectral forms, or when faced with the intangibility of their incorporeal states. Targets reduced to 0 Wisdom by an allip’s touch become catatonic, frequently starving to death and becoming allips themselves. Some allips seek to harm those that played a part in causing their madness: cruel caretakers, harsh masters, or violent spouses. When faced with those who they believe wronged them, allips ignore all other targets until their tormentors have been drained into a vacant stupor. Unfortunately, as these tormented souls soon find, such vengeance does not put allips to rest, but simply serves to further fuel their madness as they find themselves trapped in a world now no longer even holding the satisfaction of vengeance.

Source: Bonus Bestiary