Library / Bestiary

Animate Dream

CR 8.00 Outsider NE Medium HD 12
This indistinct figure suddenly takes on a nightmarish shape, not quite human or animal or fiend.

From time to time, when a powerfully imaginative sleeper wakes from a particularly vivid or unusual dream, a fragment of that dream lingers on the Ethereal Plane. To survive, this animate dream needs the power of living will, imagination, and emotion to sustain it. An animate dream seeks out mortal minds, appearing as a shadowy and often frightful dream figure. Its true appearance is vague and nebulous, but it reacts to the fears and emotions of those around it, taking on a nightmarish appearance that differs for each viewer.

An animate dream can find satisfaction and sustenance by passing one of its ghostly limbs through a mortal's body—the act infusing the mortal with negative energy that sates the animate dream's unnatural hunger. But by forcing a creature into a state of sleep, terror, or both, the animate dream can gain a much more satisfying meal, feeding on the emotions released in such states. It uses its spell-like abilities to this end, for each creature it harms with its nightmares, drives temporarily insane with confusion or fear, or outright slays with phantasmal killer provides the monster with more nourishment. An animate dream forced to go for a long period of time without feeding does not starve to death, but does grow increasingly feral and violent in nature.

Animate dreams sometimes associate with other creatures from the Ethereal Plane or that have associations with dreams and nightmares, such as night hags, phase spiders, and xills. Sometimes these alliances are mutually beneficial, but in many cases the animate dreams are treated as slaves. Night hags in particular like enslaving animate dreams, and sometimes use their essence as a component in creating heartstones.

HP
90 (12d10+24)
AC
20, touch 20, flat-footed 15 (+5 deflection, +4 Dex, +1 dodge)
Init
+4
Speed
fly 40 ft. (perfect)
Fort
+10
Ref
+8
Will
+12
BAB
+12
CMB
+16
CMD
32
Melee
incorporeal touch +16 (6d8 negative energy plus nightmare curse)
SR
19
Immune
grappled, trip, falling damage, nonmagical attacks (from incorporeal)
Defensive Abilities
incorporeal
str
-
dex
18
+4
con
15
+2
int
10
+0
wis
15
+2
cha
21
+5

Weapons: Martial, Simple

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.

Special Abilities

Nightmare Curse (incorporeal touch) from rider

Feats, Traits & Items

Blind-Fight from Feat

In melee, every time you miss because of concealment (see Combat), you can reroll your miss chance percentile roll one time to see if you actually hit.

An invisible attacker gets no advantages related to hitting you in melee. That is, you don't lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class, and the attacker doesn't get the usual +2 bonus for being invisible. The invisible attacker's bonuses do still apply for ranged attacks, however.

You do not need to make Acrobatics skill checks to move at full speed while blinded.

Combat Casting from Feat

You get a +4 bonus on concentration checks made to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability when casting on the defensive or while grappled.

Situational: to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability defensively or while grappled: +4 untyped concentration
Dodge from Feat

You gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. A condition that makes you lose your Dex bonus to AC also makes you lose the benefits of this feat.

Calculated: +1 Ac
Flyby Attack from Feat

When flying, the creature can take a move action and another standard action at any point during the move. The creature cannot take a second move action during a round when it makes a flyby attack.

Iron Will from Feat

You get a +2 bonus on all Will saving throws.

Calculated: +2 Will
Mobility from Feat

You get a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks of opportunity caused when you move out of or within a threatened area. A condition that makes you lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) also makes you lose dodge bonuses.

Dodge bonuses stack with each other, unlike most types of bonuses.

Situational: vs. attacks of opportunity caused by moving out of or within a threatened area: +4 dodge AC

Bluff +20, Fly +12, Intimidate +20, Knowledge (planes) +15, Perception +17, Sense Motive +17, Stealth +19

spell-like abilities:
3/day—Deep Slumber, 3/day—Dimension Door, 3/day—Nightmare (DC 20), 1/day—Confusion (DC 19), 1/day—Fear (DC 19), 1/day—Phantasmal Killer (DC 19)
Details
Type
Outsider
Alignment
NE
Size
Medium
Environment
any (Ethereal Plane)
Organization
solitary
Treasure
none
Senses
darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +17
Languages
telepathy 100 ft.
Source
Bestiary 2
Source

Bestiary 2

Attribution

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
11 House/Core 1 Recognized publisher
  • Uses feat: Blind-Fight (Feat) — core content under OGL 1.0a
  • Uses feat: Combat Casting (Feat) — core content under OGL 1.0a
  • Uses feat: Dodge (Feat) — core content under OGL 1.0a
  • Uses feat: Flyby Attack (Feat) — cites Paizo Inc.
  • Uses feat: Iron Will (Feat) — core content under OGL 1.0a
  • Uses feat: Mobility (Feat) — core content under OGL 1.0a
  • Knows spell: Deep Slumber (Spell) — core content under OGL 1.0a
  • Knows spell: Dimension Door (Spell) — core content under OGL 1.0a
  • Knows spell: Nightmare (Spell) — core content under OGL 1.0a
  • Knows spell: Confusion (Spell) — core content under OGL 1.0a
  • Knows spell: Fear (Spell) — core content under OGL 1.0a
  • Knows spell: Phantasmal Killer (Spell) — core content under OGL 1.0a
View references and cross-links for Animate Dream

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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.