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Will-o'-the-DeepCreature 6


CESmallAberrationAirAmphibious
Source Pathfinder #164: Hands of the Devil
Perception +16 (darkvision)
Languages Aklo, Common
Skills Acrobatics +18, Deception +12, Intimidation +12, Stealth +16
Str -5, Dex +6, Con +0, Int +2, Wis +4, Cha +2

AC 27; Fort +10; Reflex +16; Will +14;
HP 50
Speed 0 feet (fly 50 feet, swim 50 feet)
Immunities magic

Shock One Action +17 (+12, +7) to hit (electricity, magical) 2d8+4 Electricity

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.

Glow (aura, light)

20 feet Aura


A will-o'-wisp is itself naturally invisible, but glows with a colored light, casting bright light in the aura and making it visible.

Magic Immunity

A will-o'-wisp is immune to all spells except Faerie Fire, Glitterdust, Magic Missile, and Maze.

Aquatic Ambush One Action

60 feet


Requirements The monster is hiding in water and a creature that hasn't detected it is within the listed number of feet.


Effect The monster moves up to its swim Speed + 10 feet toward the triggering creature, traveling on water and on land. Once the creature is in reach, the monster makes a Strike against it. The creature is Flat-Footed against this Strike.

Feed on Fear One Action (concentrate)

Requirement An enemy is under a fear effect or Dying within 15 feet of the will-o'-wisp.


Effect The will-o'wisp feeds on the creature's terror. It regains 2d4 Hit Points, and if it has Gone Dark, its glow reignites.

A will-o'-wisp can take this action only once per round.

Go Dark One Action (concentrate)

The will-o'-wisp extinguishes its glow, becoming invisible. It can end this effect with another use of this action. If it uses its shock attack while invisible, the arc of electricity lets any observer determine its location, making the will-o'-wisp only hidden to all observers until it moves.


Malevolent balls of colored light, will-o'-wisps haunt lonely marshes and forests where they lure unsuspecting travelers into danger. Will-o'-wisps can vary the color and illumination they shed, and delight in mimicking bobbing lanterns or distant fires to draw lost or disoriented travelers off of safe trails. They can extinguish their illumination entirely to become invisible, and they enjoy doing so once their victims are wholly lost and have realized that the bobbing light in the distance isn't, in fact, leading them to safety. Even invisible, however, a will-o'-wisp rarely ventures far from its target, as it feasts upon the panic and dread felt by its victims.

Beneath its glow, a will-o'-wisp's body is a spongy ball approximately 1 foot in diameter and weighing less than 5 pounds. Although most will-o'-wisps are merely translucent, featureless orbs, gaining definition only in the shifting illumination they create, a few have dark mottling that makes them resemble a skull when viewed closely. Will-o'-wisps have no need for mundane nourishment, and in fact lack the ability to consume matter of any kind; they find all the sustenance they need in the terror of nearby creatures. For this reason, they like to work alongside undead that produce terror in their victims. Will-o'-wisps are long-lived, if not effectively immortal, and they have good memories. A cowed or defeated will-o'-wisp can be a good source of lore and information, though acquiring such cooperation from such a sinister monster is no easy feat.

Will-o'-wisps inhabit desolate swamps and forests and are generally active at twilight and after dark. They are therefore reluctant to lead victims into immediately fatal areas such as deadfalls, but instead prefer hazards where their victims suffer over a long time, such as pockets of stale or poisonous air, patches of quicksand, and dens of bigger monsters. According to will-o'-wisps, different types of fear have subtle differences in flavor. The lurking dread in the pit of the stomach that gnaws at those who slowly become aware of the fact that they're lost produces a much different taste than the sudden stark terror of imminent death in the face of a towering monster. Because of this, will-o'-wisps try to vary the ways in which they induce terror in their prey, to ensure they don't tire of certain flavors of fear.


Aquatic will-o'-wisps, will-o'-the-deeps dwell within oceans and even terrestrial lakes, and strings of them can create profoundly beautiful vistas. Their propensity to draw ships toward reefs and whirlpools or to swarm smaller vessels makes them a deadly hazard.


Traits

Common

Anything that doesn't list another rarity trait (uncommon, rare, or unique) automatically has the common trait. This rarity indicates that an ability, item, or spell is available to all players who meet the prerequisites for it. A creature of this rarity is generally known and can be summoned with the appropriate summon spell.

Air

Effects with the air trait either manipulate or conjure air. Those that manipulate air have no effect in a vacuum or an area without air. Creatures with this trait consist primarily of air or have a magical connection to that element.

Amphibious

An amphibious creature can breathe in water and in air, even outside of its preferred environment, usually indefinitely but at least for hours. These creatures often have a swim Speed. Their bludgeoning and slashing unarmed Strikes don't take the usual -2 penalty for being underwater.