Bhuta
Level 11Attacks
Abilities
Bhutas are bound to a natural area or feature where they died and must remain within 120-foot emanation of that anchor. A bhuta can only leave if invited to travel with living companions, an invitation bhutas often seek to obtain via trickery. While traveling, the bhuta must remain within 120 feet of at least one of the living creatures who invited them. If all members of the group die, the bhuta must return to their bound area by midnight the same day or be destroyed.
A bhuta casts no shadow.
A creature with void healing draws health from void energy rather than vitality energy. It is damaged by vitality damage and is not healed by vitality healing effects. It does not take void damage, and it is healed by void effects that heal undead.
The bhuta takes the form of a Large, Medium, or Small animal common to their bound area. This doesn't change the bhuta's Speed or attack and damage modifiers with their Strikes but might change the damage type their Strikes deal. No matter what form the bhuta takes, their feet remain backward and they cast no shadow. A bhuta in animal form is still incorporeal, though that isn't obvious just by looking at it. The monster changes its shape indefinitely. It can use this action again to return to its natural shape or adopt a new shape. Unless otherwise noted, a monster cannot use Change Shape to appear as a specific individual. Using Change Shape counts as creating a disguise for the Impersonate use of Deception. The monster's transformation automatically defeats Perception DCs to determine whether the creature is a member of the ancestry or creature type into which it transformed, and it gains a +4 status bonus to its Deception DC to prevent others from seeing through its disguise. Change Shape abilities specify what shapes the monster can adopt. The monster doesn't gain any special abilities of the new shape, only its physical form. For example, in each shape, it replaces its normal Speeds and Strikes, and might potentially change its senses or size. Any changes are listed in its stat block.
The bhuta attempts to possess an adjacent animal. They cast 9th-rank heightened Possession with the following changes: since the bhuta has no physical body, they're unaffected by that restriction. On a critical failure, the duration extends to 1 full day. While possessed by a bhuta, the animal casts no shadow.
A bhuta corrupts wildlife near their bound area, worming their way into animals' minds. Animals who live within the bound area take a -4 circumstance penalty to saves against the bhuta's Possess Animal ability, the bhuta's Charm innate spell, and the bhuta's Command innate spell.
Description
When sapient creatures die violently in a natural setting or a location infused with primal magic, they sometimes rise as a ghostlike undead called a bhuta. Resembling a translucent version of their mortal form, only shadowless and with backward feet, a bhuta's lust for vengeance or unquenchable desire to complete an unfinished task poisons the natural world, turning animals into agents of the bhuta's corrupted will. However, a bhuta's connection to their mortal life is weak and vague, more a series of compulsions and triggers than the torturous recollections of a ghost. Thus, while a bhuta might start by hunting down and devouring those who slew their mortal form, they find no relief and soon turn to predation through their domain.