AnisydaemonThis fiend has pitch-black, rubbery skin pulled taut over an
immense frame. Arms tipped with glistening claws hang past
the creature’s knees, and two constantly whispering mouths rest
on its eyeless face.Anisydaemon CR 13Source Pathfinder #142: Gardens of Gallowspire pg. 84
XP 25,600
NE Large outsider (daemon, evil, extraplanar)
Init +8; Senses arcane sight, blindsight 60 ft., detect good;
Perception +21
Aura worry (30 ft., DC 22)DefenseAC 28, touch 13, flat-footed 24 (+15 natural, +4 Dex, –1 size)
hp 172 (15d10+90)
Fort +15, Ref +11, Will +14
DR 10/good and silver; Immune acid, death effects, disease,
poison; Resist cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10
Weaknesses sunlight weaknessOffenseSpeed 30 ft.
Melee 2 claws +23 (1d8+9), 2 bites +23 (2d6+9 plus bleed)
Ranged bleed (1d4 Wisdom), devour soul,
shadow possession
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15th; concentration +20)
Constant—arcane sight, detect good, tongues
At will—detect thoughts (DC 17), greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), invisibility
3/day—crushing despair (DC 19), deeper darkness, nightmare (DC 20), suggestion (DC 18)
1/day—eyebite (DC 22), summon (level 4, 2d4 ceustodaemons 80% or 1 anisydaemon 35%)
Psychic Magic (CL 15th; concentration +20)
10 PE—babble (3 PE, DC 18), ego whip V (7 PE, DC 22),
mental block (2 PE, DC 17), murderous command
(1 PE, DC 16), psychic crush III (7 PE, DC 22)StatisticsStr 28, Dex 19, Con 22, Int 17, Wis 16, Cha 21
Base Atk +15; CMB +25; CMD 39
Feats Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Intimidating
Prowess, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Power Attack, Stealthy, Skill Focus (Stealth)
Skills Acrobatics +22, Bluff +23, Intimidate +32, Knowledge
(planes) +21, Knowledge (religion) +21, Perception +21,
Sense Motive +21, Spellcraft +21, Stealth +32
Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Infernal;
telepathy 100 ft., tongues
SQ compression, hide in plain sightEcologyEnvironment any (Abaddon)
Organization solitary, pair, or lurk (3–7)
Treasure standardSpecial AbilitiesAura of Worry (Su) Anisydaemons project a 30-foot aura of
anxiety and insecurity. Each creature within 30 feet of the
daemon must succeed at a DC 22 Will save or be affected
by crushing despair for as long as it remains within the
aura. Creatures that fail their save remain affected by
the aura for 1d4+1 rounds after leaving the radius. The
anisydaemon gains Fast Healing 5 for as long as at least
one creature is affected by its aura. Additionally, creatures
that fail their save cannot sleep or receive any benefits of
rest while under the effects of the aura. An anisydaemon
can activate or deactivate this ability as a free action. The
save DC is Charisma-based.
Devour Soul (Ex) Any creature that dies while affected by one
of the anisydaemon’s mind-affecting abilities—including its
aura of worry—has its soul devoured by the fiend’s second
mouth. That creature cannot be resurrected by any effect
short of miracle, wish, or direct intervention from a deity
while the anisydaemon lives. Creatures whose souls have
been devoured by an anisydaemon can be resurrected
normally if the anisydaemon is slain.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex) An anisydaemon can use the Stealth
skill even while being observed. As long as it’s standing in
an area of at least dim light or shadow, an anisydaemon
can hide itself from view without actually hiding behind
anything. This ability has no effect if the anisydaemon is
not in an area of at least dim light or in an area of shadow
of at least Medium size.
Shadow Possession (Ex) As a standard action that provokes
an attack of opportunity if the target is aware of the
daemon, an anisydaemon can enter the shadow of any
creature to which it is currently adjacent. While within
a shadow, the anisydaemon is considered to be sharing
its target’s space, though while the daemon is within
a shadow, neither creature takes any penalties from
squeezing. The anisydaemon can still affect creatures
within 30 feet of itself with its aura of worry, though
the daemon can target only the shadow’s owner with
its psychic magic or spell-like abilities. While within a
shadow, an anisydaemon is considered incorporeal and
takes half damage from spells and magic weapons. Ghost
touch weapons affect it normally. An anisydaemon that
dies while possessing a creature’s shadow is immediately
ejected to a random empty space adjacent to the creature.
An anisydaemon can leave a shadow it is possessing as a
move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
If it does so, it is ejected into a free space of its choice
adjacent to the creature whose shadow it was possessing.
When an anisydaemon is possessing a creature’s shadow,
that creature cannot benefit from morale bonuses of any
kind. An anisydaemon can use its Stealth skill to hide while
within a shadow.
Sunlight Weakness (Ex) An anisydaemon exposed to
natural sunlight is unable to use any of its psychic magic
or spell-like abilities and cannot project its aura of worry.
An anisydaemon possessing a creature’s shadow does
not count as being in direct sunlight, even if the creature
whose shadow it’s possessing is.DescriptionAnisydaemons, or “worry daemons,” represent death by
stress and anxiety. Their work can be seen in the artisan
who drives herself to death because she fears her work
will never be good enough, or through the husband
making himself sick wondering if his partner secretly
has a lover and analyzing every detail of every interaction
until his mind can no longer take the strain.
Anisydaemons average around 14 feet tall and weigh
about 1 ton. Occasionally, some anisydaemons reach truly
monstrous sizes after coaxing countless victims to their
deaths. These fiends often grow additional mouths on
other parts of their bodies, such as their hands or torsos,
which magnify the power of their psychic whispers.
Despite their bulk, those attempting to escape an
anisydaemon discover the fiends can squeeze into
impossibly small spaces in pursuit.EcologyAnisydaemons are most often found in slave cities in
Abaddon, stalking the mortal populace and keeping their
minds too worn down to foster hope and too distracted
by the problems their own minds produce to consider
rebellion. However, they sometimes take sabbaticals on the
Material Plane to find fresh souls to torment and devour.
The fiends have smooth, hairless, almost rubbery black
skin. They’re bipedal, with arms and legs that end in
claws as sharp as a surgeon’s blade. But by far, their most
disturbing feature is their eyeless faces adorned with two
wide maws. From the top maw comes a constant susurrus
of whispers that seems to access any listeners’ deepest
worries and insecurities, while the bottom mouth waits to
snatch the souls of the creature’s victims.Habitat and SocietyWhile they originate in Abaddon and are most often
found there, anisydaemons can be found in any location
with large amounts of people. They typically do their
work alone, and they see others of their kind
or of a comparable strength more as rivals for
the same resources than as allies. Anisydaemons
have been known to work in groups of up to seven
of their own kind, but only when commanded to
do so by a summoner or a daemon even more
powerful than the group of them together.
Anisydaemons can be found working in the
interests of any of the Horsemen. For the
Horseman of War, they often help drive up
levels of anxiety and paranoia between different groups,
eventually culminating in each group believing that
their best hope for survival is to eliminate the others.
For the Horseman of Famine, anisydaemons often target
the wealthy in times of scarcity and press upon their
worries of starvation, leading them to hoard what little
food is available and allowing countless poor to starve.
The Horseman of Pestilence uses these daemons during
outbreaks of sickness to convince the healthy their only
hope of survival is to eliminate the sick, as such violence
often ends up helping sickness spread anyway. Under the
Horseman of Death, these fiends whisper of the horrible
fates that await mortals after death and watch as the
subsequent worry leads mortals to commit heinous acts
to lengthen their life spans, ironically leading their souls
closer to Abaddon in the process.
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