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Brainchild

CREATURE 11

A rumor can become so vivid and persistent that it comes to life, creating a brainchild—a living illusion that hatches from an intense belief in a remorseless and implacable killer. Often, these rumors are borne from victims of a Vision of Death spell. A brainchild's capabilities grow when they pursue a believer but deflate against skeptics, making them only as dangerous as one believes them to be. A simple drive to stalk, terrify, and kill propels a brainchild, but the creature might also exhibit other behaviors ascribed to them through gossip.


Perception +18; darkvision
Languages telepathy 100 feet, universal language
Skills Deception +22, Intimidation +24, Performance +22, Society +21, Stealth +20
Str +4, Dex +5, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +3, Cha +7
Telepathy 100 feet (aura, magical, mental)

A monster with telepathy can communicate mentally with any creatures within the listed radius, as long as they share a language. This doesn't give any special access to their thoughts, and communicates no more information than normal speech would.

Universal Language

Anything spoken by the brainchild is perceived by the listener in its native language.

Urban Legend

A brainchild is sustained only by the reputation that precedes them. Mindless creatures are immune to a brainchild and can't perceive them.

The brainchild's size, features, and items, as well as the appearance of their attacks, match what the foes perceiving them expect. If foes expect to see different things, the brainchild chooses which to manifest. If any creature that can perceive the brainchild believes the brainchild has one of the abilities below, the brainchild has that ability.

A creature can Seek or Sense Motive (against the brainchild's Deception DC) to attempt to disbelieve an individual ability. If at any point no creature perceiving the brainchild believes in the ability, the brainchild loses that ability immediately. If foes expect different particulars, such as one believing the brainchild is immune to fire and another believing they're immune to divinations, the brainchild chooses one to have.

  • Tremorsense (imprecise) 100 feet
  • Immunity to one damage type, magic school, or condition
  • Weakness 10 to one damage type other than mental
  • Resistance 10 to physical damage, with an exception for either cold iron or silver
  • Frightful Presence (aura, emotion, fear, mental) 100 feet, DC 28
  • 1d6 Extra Damage on Strikes, of a type one foe believes in
  • Additional Spells Phantom Pain and Shadow Blast at 6th rank

AC 30; Fort +21, Ref +22, Will +18
HP 200; Immunities death effects, disease, doomed, scrying; Weaknesses mental 10
Persistence of Memory (illusion, mental, occult)

When a brainchild is destroyed, it returns if anyone still fully believes it exists, re-forming within 100 feet of any believer after 2d4 days.


Speed 30 feet, fly 30 feet
Melee Illusory Weapon +24 (illusion, mental, occult), Damage 4d6+10 mental plus Urban Legend
Melee Illusory Weapon +24 (illusion, mental, occult), Damage 4d6+6 mental plus Urban Legend
Occult Innate Spells DC 30, attack +22; 5th Vision of Death (image resembles the brainchild) (×3); 4th Translocate (×2); Cantrips (6th) Figment, Message
Pathfinder Monster Core 2ORC