Vetalarana ManipulatorCreature 11

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Source Pathfinder Book of the Dead
Perception +22 (darkvision, thoughtsense (precise) 100 feet)
Languages Common, Necril, Telepathy 100 Feet, Tongues
Skills Athletics +22, Deception +24, Diplomacy +24, Intimidation +22, Occultism +23, Society +23
Str +4, Dex +4, Con +4, Int +6, Wis +7, Cha +7

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AC 28; Fort +19; Reflex +19; Will +24;
HP 140 (fast healing 10, mental rebirth, negative healing)
Speed 25 feet (climb 25 feet)
Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, sleep
Resistances Mental 10, Physical 10

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Claw +21 (+17, +13) to hit (agile, finesse, magical) 3d8+10 Slashing

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Darkvision

A monster with darkvision can see perfectly well in areas of darkness and dim light, though such vision is in black and white only. Some forms of magical darkness, such as a 4th-level Darkness spell, block normal darkvision. A monster with Greater Darkvision, however, can see through even these forms of magical darkness.

Telepathy 100 feet (aura, divination, magical)

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.

Thoughtsense (Precise) 100 feet (divination, mental, occult)

The vetalarana senses all non-mindless creatures within 100 feet as a precise sense.

Constant Spells

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.

Fast Healing 10

A monster with this ability regains the given number of Hit Points each round at the beginning of its turn.

Negative Healing

A creature with negative healing draws health from negative energy rather than positive energy. It is damaged by positive damage and is not healed by positive healing effects. It does not take negative damage, and it is healed by negative effects that heal undead.

Mental Rebirth (curse, incapacitation, mental, necromancy, occult)

Unlike most other undead, a vetalarana isn't destroyed when they reach 0 HP. Instead, their body is destroyed, crumbling to ash, and their mind is immediately transferred into a creature they rendered comatose through Drain Thoughts. This creature must be within 1 mile; if no such creature is in range, the vetalarana is destroyed. The creature becomes controlled by the vetalarana and loses the stupefied and Unconscious conditions. If the creature controlled by a vetalarana in this way is killed, the vetalarana's mind transfers to another creature within 1 mile who they rendered comatose through Drain Thoughts.

After 1d6 days of being controlled, the controlled creature dies, and its body transforms into that of the vetalarana who rendered it comatose.

Psychic Superiority (enchantment, mental, occult)

Trigger A creature targets the vetalarana manipulator with a mental effect or spell

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Effect The manipulator psychically lashes out at the triggering creature, dealing 3d8 mental damage (DC 24 basic will).

Vetalarana Vulnerabilities

All vetalaranas possess the following weaknesses.

• Barred Senses A vetalarana can't see or sense through force effects or cold iron, and their mind can't penetrate force effects or cold iron. Such barriers can prevent the transference of a vetalarana's mind through Mental Rebirth.
• Revulsion A vetalarana delights in consuming memories and secrets, and is disgusted by those who share such sensitive tidbits openly. A vetalarana can't voluntarily come within 10 feet of a creature loudly voicing their intimate personal secrets or most cherished memories aloud. Speaking such information aloud with conviction is a single action that has the auditory, concentrate, and linguistic traits, and protects the creature until the start of its next turn. A vetalarana that involuntarily comes within 10 feet of a creature sharing such information gains the Fleeing condition until they're 10 feet or farther from the creature. After 1 round of being exposed to the secrets of a creature, a vetalarana can attempt a DC 25 will save as a single action, which has the concentrate trait. On a success, they overcome their revulsions for 1d6 rounds (or 1 hour on a critical success).
• Vulnerable to Brain Destruction A vetalarana whose brain has been destroyed, or is reduced to 0 HP while unable to take mental actions, can't use Mental Rebirth.

Control Comatose

Frequency once per day

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Effect The vetalarana manipulator spends 10 minutes to take psychic control of the creatures they've rendered comatose with Drain Thoughts. This has the effects of the Possession spell, but lasts for up to 6 hours, has a range of 1 mile, and the vetalarana can control a number of comatose victims at a time equal to half the vetalarana's level. A comatose victim can't resist this possession and automatically gets a critical failure on its saving throw against Control Comatose.

As long as a comatose victim is controlled by a vetalarana manipulator in this way, the victim's stupefied and Unconscious conditions are temporarily suppressed.

Drain Thoughts (divination, mental, occult)

Requirements A Grabbed, Paralyzed, Restrained, Unconscious, or willing creature is within the vetalarana's reach

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Effect The vetalarana seizes a creature and consumes its memories. This requires an Athletics check against the victim's Fortitude DC if the victim is grabbed and is automatic for any of the other conditions. The victim is Stupefied 1, and the vetalarana regains 14 HP, gaining any excess as temporary Hit Points. Draining Thoughts from a creature that is already stupefied doesn't restore any HP to the vetalarana but increases the victim's stupefied value by 1. Additionally, the vetalarana views one of the victim's memories.

A victim's stupefied condition value decreases by 1 every week.

A victim that becomes stupefied 5 in this way is rendered comatose, becoming permanently Unconscious. As long as the vetalarana lives, a comatose victim can't regain consciousness, and its stupefied condition doesn't decrease.

Paralyzing Claws (incapacitation, necromancy, occult)

Any living creature hit by a vetalarana manipulator's claw Strike must succeed at a DC 27 fortitude save or become Paralyzed. The target can attempt a new save at the end of each of its turns to end the effect, and the DC cumulatively decreases by 1 on each such save.

Grab

Requirements The monster's last action was a success with a Strike that lists Grab in its damage entry, or it has a creature grabbed using this action.

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Effect The monster automatically Grabs the target until the end of the monster's next turn. The creature is Grabbed by whichever body part the monster attacked with, and that body part can't be used to Strike creatures until the grab is ended. Using Grab extends the duration of the monster's Grab until the end of its next turn for all creatures grabbed by it. A grabbed creature can use the Escape action to get out of the grab, and the Grab ends for a grabbed creatures if the monster moves away from it.

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Occult Prepared Spells (DC 30, +22 to hit)

Cantrips (6th Level): Daze, Mage Hand, Read Aura, Sigil, Telekinetic Projectile
1st Level: Bane, Command (2x), Unseen Servant
2nd Level: Blur, Darkness, False Life, Telekinetic Maneuver
3rd Level: Agonizing Despair, Hypercognition, Mind Reading, Paralyze
4th Level: Fly, Suggestion, Talking Corpse
5th Level: Mind Probe, Shadow Blast, Subconscious Suggestion, Synaptic Pulse
6th Level: Dominate

Occult Innate Spells (DC 30, +22 to hit)

5th Level: Tongues (Constant)

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Vetalarana vampires feed on the emotions, thoughts, and memories of others. Although they are capable of feeding on animals, beings of the planes, and other intelligent undead, only the thoughts of an intelligent, living humanoid bring a vetalarana any sense of satisfaction. Slender and pale, with sunken cheeks and exceptionally long nails, vetalaranas become flushed with color and life after feeding on particularly potent emotions and thoughts, enabling some to pass as living for a short time.

A vetalarana is created when a person with psychic or occult abilities dies in denial of their death, refusing to pass on to the afterlife but unable to retain their grip on life. As their spirit has no cause left undone nor debt to settle, these tenacious souls rise not as ghosts but as vetalaranas, a formidable and tenacious mind animating their own corpse in a mockery of life.

A vetalarana's predations inevitably turn their victims into living husks, incapable of thought and devoid of any spark of personality. These victims fall into a senseless stupor, comatose but still living, without identity or memories. If a vetalarana is killed, they can occupy one of these comatose husks, while more powerful vetalaranas can control them like living puppets.

When a vetalarana is destroyed, all of their comatose victims are immediately freed. Most often, these people regain consciousness as amnesiacs whose memories return over time—taking at least months but sometimes as long as decades. These returned memories are fragmented and often jumbled with the thoughts of others the vetalarana fed upon. If a victim served as a failed host or was frequently controlled while comatose, a sliver of the vetalarana's corrupted thoughts remain in the victim's mind. These tainted victims recover much faster than their fellows, regaining their memories in record time and transforming into a new vetalarana soon after.

A vetalarana manipulator is a gifted strategist, empowered by the memories, thoughts, and talents the manipulator has drained from countless victims and honed by centuries of survival. Certain of their own superiority, manipulators twist free-willed individuals for their own ends as easily as they control their comatose puppets.

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Traits