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Banshee

Banshee Creature17

Uncommon CE Medium Incorporeal Spirit Undead

Senses Perception +32; hears heartbeats (imprecise) 60 feet, darkvision

Languages Common, Elven

Skills Acrobatics +31, Intimidation +32, Occultism +25

Str -5, Dex +6, Con +2, Int +0, Wis +7, Cha +7

Hears Heartbeats The banshee can hear heartbeats within 60 feet (imprecise).

Sunlight Powerlessness If in direct sunlight, the banshee is slowed 1 and can’t use actions that have the attack trait.


AC 39; Fort +25, Ref +29, Will +32

HP 250, negative Healing; Immunities disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious; Resistances all damage 12 (except force, ghost touch, or positive; double resistance vs. non-magical)

Vengeful Spite [reaction] (evocation, occult); Trigger A foe critically hits the banshee, or the banshee critically fails their save against a foe’s damaging effect. Effect The banshee lashes back at their tormentor, dealing 4d10+14 mental damage (DC 38 basic Will save) and applying the effects of terrifying touch based on the results of the same Will save.


Speed fly 60 feet

Melee [one-action] hand +32 (finesse, magical), Damage 4d10+14 negative plus terrifying touch

Spectral Ripple When a banshee Strides at least 10 feet, they’re concealed until the start of their next turn.

Terrifying Touch (emotion, enchantment, fear, occult) A creature damaged by the banshee’s touch that isn’t already frightened must attempt a DC 38 Will save (DC 43 if the attack was a critical hit). If the creature fails its save, it’s frightened 2; on a critical failure, the creature also cowers with fear and is stunned 4. If the creature is protected against fear by a spell or magic item, the banshee’s touch first attempts to counteract the protection effect, with the effect of a 9th-level dispel magic spell.

Wail [two-actions] (auditory, concentrate, death, necromancy, occult) The banshee unleashes a soul-chilling wail of the banshee (DC 38). This Wail overcomes silence and similar effects of 5th level or lower. The banshee can instead use Wail as a three-action activity to overcome such effects of up to 8th level. The banshee’s Wail resonates for 1 round, and any creature that comes within the area during that time must attempt a save against the effect. A creature can’t be affected more than once by the same Wail. The banshee can’t Wail again for 1d4 rounds.

About

Banshees are the furious, tormented souls of elves bound to the Material Plane by a betrayal that defined the final hours of their lives. Some banshees arise from elves who were slain by trusted friends and allies, or whose loved ones betrayed them on their deathbeds. Others spawn from elves whose treacherous deeds shortly before their deaths left a stain upon their souls. Regardless of their origin, banshees despise the living. This hatred of life is all too often a horrific inversion of their personalities in life. Some speculate that the more kind-hearted the elf (and the more wrenching the betrayal), the crueler the banshee.

Banshees rarely stray far from where they perished and typically haunt thick forests and canopied swamps where little Light graces the ground. Many banshees can be found in elven lands. Similarly, a large number of banshees can be found lurking about the edges of drow settlements, as plenty of cruelty and betrayal exists in drow culture.

Banshees’ mere touch inflicts pain and primal fear, and those exposed to their wails of grief rarely survive the experience.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Bestiary (Second Edition) © 2019, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Alexander Augunas, Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, John Compton, Paris Crenshaw, Adam Daigle, Eleanor Ferron, Leo Glass, Thurston Hillman, James Jacobs, Jason Keeley, Lyz Liddell, Ron Lundeen, Robert G. McCreary, Tim Nightengale, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Michael Sayre, Mark Seifter, Chris S. Sims, Jeffrey Swank, Jason Tondro, Tonya Woldridge, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.

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