Library / Bestiary

Poltergeist

CR 2.00 Undead LE Medium
A ghostly, skeletal figure rises up amid a whirling cyclone of tools, plates, utensils, and other loose objects.

A poltergeist is an angry spirit that forms from the soul of a creature that, for whatever reason, becomes unable to leave the site of its death. Sometimes, this might be due to an unfinished task—other times, it might be due to a powerful necromantic effect. Desecrating a grave site by building a structure over the body below is the most common method of accidentally creating a poltergeist. The poltergeist experiences great trauma over its condition; this trauma twists its psyche to evil and fosters an overall hatred of the living expressed in outbursts of rage. A poltergeist is bound to a specific place, usually a building, room, or recognizable area (a section of a cemetery, a stretch of lonely road, and so on). This place typically corresponds to its place of death or the resting place of its mortal remains.

STR
-
DEX
13
CON
-
INT
5
WIS
12
CHA
12
HP
16 (3d8+3)
AC
12, touch 12, flat-footed 11 (+1 deflection, +1 Dex)
Speed
fly 20 ft. (perfect)
Init
+1
BAB
+2
CMB
+3
CMD
14
Fort
+2
Ref
+2
Will
+4
Defensive Abilities
incorporeal, natural invisibility, rejuvenation

Weapons: Simple

Frightener — Once per minute as a standard action, a poltergeist can temporarily drop its natural invisibility, revealing itself to be a skeletal, ghost-like humanoid. All creatures within 30 feet when a poltergeist uses this ability must make a DC 14 Will save to avoid becoming frightened for 1d4 rounds. The poltergeist then resumes its invisibility at the end of its turn as a free action. A creature that successfully saves is immune to the fear effect of that poltergeist for 24 hours. If the poltergeist's natural invisibility is negated via other methods, it cannot use this ability. Likewise, those that can see invisible creatures are immune to this special attack. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Telekinesis — A poltergeist has no method of attacking apart from telekinesis. This ability functions as the spell telekinesis, with a CL equal to the poltergeist's Hit Dice (CL 3rd for most poltergeists). A typical poltergeist has a ranged attack roll of +3 when using telekinesis to hurl objects or creatures, and can use the ability on objects or creatures of up to 75 pounds. If a poltergeist attempts to hurl a creature with this ability, that creature can resist the effect with a successful DC 12 Will save. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Site Bound — A poltergeist cannot travel more than 120 feet from the point at which it was created or formed.

Universal Monster Rules

Incorporeal Ex from Universal Monster Rule
An incorporeal creature has no physical body. It can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities. It is immune to all nonmagical attack forms. Even when hit by spells or magic weapons, it takes only half damage from a corporeal source. Although it is not a magical attack, holy water can affect incorporeal undead. Corporeal spells and effects that do not cause damage only have a 50% chance of affecting an incorporeal creature. Force spells and effects, such as from a magic missile , affect an incorporeal creature normally. An incorporeal creature has no natural armor bonus but has a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma bonus (always at least +1, even if the creature's Charisma score does not normally provide a bonus). An incorporeal creature can enter or pass through solid objects, but must remain adjacent to the object's exterior, and so cannot pass entirely through an object whose space is larger than its own. It can sense the presence of creatures or objects within a square adjacent to its current location, but enemies have total concealment (50% miss chance) from an incorporeal creature that is inside an object. In order to see beyond the object it is in and attack normally, the incorporeal creature must emerge. An incorporeal creature inside an object has total cover, but when it attacks a creature outside the object it only has cover, so a creature outside with a readied action could strike at it as it attacks. An incorporeal creature cannot pass through a force effect. An incorporeal creature's attacks pass through (ignore) natural armor, armor, and shields, although deflection bonuses and force effects (such as mage armor ) work normally against it. Incorporeal creatures pass through and operate in water as easily as they do in air. Incorporeal creatures cannot fall or take falling damage. Incorporeal creatures cannot make trip or grapple attacks, nor can they be tripped or grappled. In fact, they cannot take any physical action that would move or manipulate an opponent or its equipment, nor are they subject to such actions. Incorporeal creatures have no weight and do not set off traps that are triggered by weight. An incorporeal creature moves silently and cannot be heard with Perception checks if it doesn't wish to be. It has no Strength score, so its Dexterity modifier applies to its melee attacks, ranged attacks, and CMB. Nonvisual senses, such as scent and blindsight, are either ineffective or only partly effective with regard to incorporeal creatures. Incorporeal creatures have an innate sense of direction and can move at full speed even when they cannot see.
Natural Invisibility Su from Universal Monster Rule
This ability is constant—the creature remains invisible at all times, even when attacking. As this ability is inherent, it is not subject to the invisibility purge spell.

Special Abilities

Frightener from text
Once per minute as a standard action, a poltergeist can temporarily drop its natural invisibility, revealing itself to be a skeletal, ghost-like humanoid. All creatures within 30 feet when a poltergeist uses this ability must make a DC 14 Will save to avoid becoming frightened for 1d4 rounds. The poltergeist then resumes its invisibility at the end of its turn as a free action. A creature that successfully saves is immune to the fear effect of that poltergeist for 24 hours. If the poltergeist's natural invisibility is negated via other methods, it cannot use this ability. Likewise, those that can see invisible creatures are immune to this special attack. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Rejuvenation from text
Site Bound from text
A poltergeist cannot travel more than 120 feet from the point at which it was created or formed.
Telekinesis from text
A poltergeist has no method of attacking apart from telekinesis. This ability functions as the spell telekinesis, with a CL equal to the poltergeist's Hit Dice (CL 3rd for most poltergeists). A typical poltergeist has a ranged attack roll of +3 when using telekinesis to hurl objects or creatures, and can use the ability on objects or creatures of up to 75 pounds. If a poltergeist attempts to hurl a creature with this ability, that creature can resist the effect with a successful DC 12 Will save. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Feats, Traits & Items

Ability Focus (fear) from Feat

Choose one of the creature's special attacks. Add +2 to the DC for all saving throws against the special attack on which the creature focuses.

Alertness from Feat

You get a +2 bonus on Perception and Sense Motive skill checks. If you have 10 or more ranks in one of these skills, the bonus increases to +4 for that skill.

Calculated: +2 Perception, +2 Sense Motive

Fly +9, Perception +9, Sense Motive +3

Details
Type
Undead
Alignment
LE
Size
Medium
Environment
any
Organization
solitary or haunting (2-7)
Treasure
incidental
Senses
darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +9
Languages
Common
Source
Bestiary 2
Source

Seeded catalog content, attributed to Paizo Inc. by catalog provenance — not an individual Open Game License attestation. Licensing for reproduced SRD content is covered by the site's Section 15 register.

Sources Used in This Record
1 House/Core 1 Recognized publisher
  • Uses feat: Ability Focus (Feat)
    Cites Paizo Inc., a publisher in our reference directory. Citation reviewed by a moderator.
  • Uses feat: Alertness (Feat)
    Core content from Paizo Inc., reproduced by TheCrazyGM under OGL 1.0a — see the Section 15 notice.

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OGL 1.0a Notice. Pathfinder-derived Open Game Content on this page is used under the Open Game License v1.0a and Section 15 notice.