Phasmadaemon
Level 17Attacks
Abilities
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.
A constant spell affects the monster without the monster needing to cast it, and its duration is unlimited. If a constant spell gets counteracted, the monster can reactivate it by spending the normal spellcasting actions the spell requires.
60 feet. DC 35 will A creature that first enters the area must attempt a Will save. Regardless of the result of the saving throw, the creature is temporarily immune to this monster's Frightful Presence for 1 minute. Critical Success The creature is unaffected by the presence. Success The creature is Frightened 1. Failure The creature is Frightened 2. Critical Failure The creature is Frightened 4.
Escaping fear near a phasmadaemon is no simple task. Creatures don't automatically reduce their Frightened condition while they are within the phasmadaemon's Frightful Presence aura. Instead, they must attempt a Will save at the end of their turn against the DC of the effect that caused the condition. On a success, the creature's frightened condition is reduced by 1.
(3d10+9) bludgeoning, DC 35 fortitude The monster deals the listed amount of damage to any number of creatures Grabbed or Restrained by it. Each of those creatures can attempt a basic Fortitude save with the listed DC.
Requirements The phasmadaemon has a creature Grabbed or Restrained
The phasmadaemon feeds on the creature's mortality and innate terror, dealing 6d8 mental damage. The creature must attempt a DC 38 will save. Critical Success The creature takes no damage and manages to break free from the phasmadaemon's Grab. Success The creature takes half damage. Failure The creature takes full damage and increases their frightened conditioned by 1, to a maximum of Frightened 4. Critical Failure The creature takes double damage and increases their frightened condition by 2, to a maximum of frightened 4. If the creature is already frightened 4, it must attempt a DC 38 fortitude saving throw. If it fails, it's reduced to 0 Hit Points and dies. This effect has the death and incapacitation traits.
The phasmadaemon can Squeeze through tight spaces as if it were a Small creature. While Squeezing, it can move at its full Speed. The phasmadaemon can even Squeeze through spaces that typically fit only a Tiny creature, but does so at the standard speed for Squeezing.
Claw A Rend entry lists a Strike the monster has. Requirements The monster hit the same enemy with two consecutive Strikes of the listed type in the same round. Effect The monster automatically deals that Strike's damage again to the enemy.
Requirements The monster's last action was a successful Strike that lists Grab in its damage entry, or the monster has a creature Grabbed or Restrained Effect If used after a Strike, the monster attempts to Grapple the creature using the body part it attacked with. This attempt neither applies nor counts toward the creature's multiple attack penalty. The monster can instead use Grab and choose one creature it's grabbing or restraining with an appendage that has Grab to automatically extend that condition to the end of the monster's next turn.
Description
The horrifying phasmadaemons make use of illusions and their own frightening appearances (that of serpents with bony tails, horned crocodilian skulls for heads, and several insectile pincers) to strike fear into the hearts of others. They represent deaths brought about by fright. Ultimately, any kind of fear can lead to the creation of a phasmadaemon, but a soul who transforms into such a fiend must quickly find other fears to feed on to build up their own strength. Without the nourishment of human fear, the newborn phasmadaemon begins to waste away, eventually "dying" and becoming planar quintessence. Only the most clever and capable phasmadaemons survive their initial hunger, learning how to prey on even the bravest souls as a result.