Psychopomp, Vanth
Description
Stern, silent, and cloaked in ragged black wings, vanth psychopomps serve as stoic guardians of Purgatory and watchers along the routes of the dead. A vanth looks like a black skeleton with ravenlike wings and a mask resembling a vulture's skull.
Also known as reapers, angels of death, or amzranei, vanths protect the departed from those wishing to eat or steal their mortal souls, recapture escaped souls trying to flee their assigned fates, and are death's foot soldiers against whatever would disrupt the natural cycle of mortality. They may also guard the dead and death's assets, such as forgotten cemeteries, unattended mausoleums, and sacred groves.
A vanth weighs 400 pounds and stands 8 feet tall, though its slumped posture means it can look most adult humanoids in the eye. Vanths are ancient creatures, perhaps predating the current gods of death, and are rumored to be ascended souls of a distant world of death-worshiping soldiers. They rarely speak or show emotion and their hollow voices carry unnaturally far. A vanth's scythe is a badge of its station, reflecting its role as a harvester of souls. It features symbols in a language that was already lost when the death gods claimed Purgatory.
Most outsiders scorn vanths, as the psychopomps have no concern for law, rightfulness, or personal gain—only duty. Vanths view any outsider visiting Purgatory as a potential threat, and stalk angels and demons alike.
Combat Stats
- Melee
- +1 adamantine scythe +14/+9 (2d4+7/×4) or<p class="stat-block-2">2 claws +13 (1d6+4)</p>
- DR
- 10/adamantine
- SR
- 18
- Aura
- fear (30 ft., DC 17)
Ability Scores
Proficiencies
Weapons: Martial, Simple
Special Qualities
Reaper's Scythe — Every vanth carries a distinctive adamantine scythe as both a weapon and a symbol of its duty. When the vanth wields its own scythe, the weapon gains a +1 enhancement bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls. As a free action, the vanth can summon its weapon from a personal demiplane or any other location and have it appear in its hands instantly. It can also dismiss its scythe back to its personal demiplane as a free action. If a vanth's scythe is destroyed, it can summon a new one in 24 hours.
spirit touch
Feats
Special Abilities
Special Abilities
Feats, Traits & Items
As a standard action, you can make a single attack at your full base attack bonus against a foe within reach. If you hit, you deal damage normally and can make an additional attack (using your full base attack bonus) against a foe that is adjacent to the first and also within reach. You can only make one additional attack per round with this feat. When you use this feat, you take a –2 penalty to your Armor Class until your next turn.
A creature with this feat can halt its movement while flying, allowing it to hover without needing to make a Fly skill check.
If a creature of size Large or larger with this feat hovers within 20 feet of the ground in an area with lots of loose debris, the draft from its wings creates a hemispherical cloud with a radius of 60 feet. The winds generated can snuff torches, small campfires, exposed lanterns, and other small, open flames of non-magical origin. Clear vision within the cloud is limited to 10 feet. Creatures have concealment at 15 to 20 feet (20% miss chance). At 25 feet or more, creatures have total concealment (50% miss chance, and opponents cannot use sight to locate the creature).
You can choose to take a –1 penalty on all melee attack rolls and combat maneuver checks to gain a +2 bonus on all melee damage rolls. This bonus to damage is increased by half (+50%) if you are making an attack with a two-handed weapon, a one handed weapon using two hands, or a primary natural weapon that adds 1-1/2 times your Strength modifier on damage rolls. This bonus to damage is halved (–50%) if you are making an attack with an off-hand weapon or secondary natural weapon. When your base attack bonus reaches +4, and every 4 points thereafter, the penalty increases by –1 and the bonus to damage increases by +2. You must choose to use this feat before making an attack roll, and its effects last until your next turn. The bonus damage does not apply to touch attacks or effects that do not deal hit point damage.
When you use the attack action, you can make one attack at your highest base attack bonus that deals additional damage. Roll the weapon's damage dice for the attack twice and add the results together before adding bonuses from Strength, weapon abilities (such as flaming), precision based damage, and other damage bonuses. These extra weapon damage dice are not multiplied on a critical hit, but are added to the total.
Skills
Acrobatics +9, Fly +11, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (history) +9, Knowledge (planes) +13, Knowledge (religion) +13, Perception +16, Sense Motive +16, Stealth +15
Spells
- Type
- Outsider
- Alignment
- N
- Size
- Medium
- Environment
- any (Purgatory)
- Organization
- solitary, pair, or flock (2–12)
- Treasure
- double (adamantine scythe)
- Senses
- darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, spiritsense; Perception +16
- Aura
- fear (30 ft., DC 17)
- Languages
- Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal
- Source
- Bestiary 4