Obrousian
CREATURE 14Spawned from sorrow and hatred, obrousians are undead merfolk who lurk in shallow places to prey upon hated land dwellers. The genesis of an obrousian is a tragic one: some merfolk forsake their aquatic homes when they fall in love with a land dweller, only to be spurned or rejected. Having given up their entire world for another and then feeling that new world closed off to them as well, merfolk can become emotionally overwhelmed. When such merfolk die, often overcome with sorrow and regret, they rise as obrousians.
Obrousians think of little other than taking revenge upon the land dwellers who specifically wronged them, and then upon anyone else with the misfortune to cross their paths. They can contort their bodies to take the guise of other humanoids, but doing so is painful, so obrousians use this ability only when absolutely necessary to enact their schemes. While they are capable of long-term planning, their underlying mental turmoil simmers beneath any careful preparation, and many obrousians foil their own plans with unexpected outbursts of emotion.
Obrousians are recognizable as the merfolk they once were before they died, though their bodies show obvious decay and their hands have elongated into sharp claws. Their voices are melodic and entrancing, belying their rotting bodies and turbulent minds, so some obrousians hide in tall reeds or under docks before speaking to their victims, lulling them into false comfort with a pleasant voice.
A creature with void healing draws health from void energy rather than vitality energy. It is damaged by vitality damage and is not healed by vitality healing effects. It does not take void damage, and it is healed by void effects that heal undead.
30 feet. When a creature ends its turn in the obrousian's waves of sorrow aura, the creature is overwhelmed by the sorrow that suffuses the obrousian's being. The creature must succeed at a DC 33 Will saving throw or become Paralyzed for 1 round.
The obrousian can take on the appearance of any kind of Small or Medium humanoid creature. This transformation increases their Speed to 25 feet and might remove their swim Speed depending on the form. It doesn't change their attack and damage modifiers with their Strikes, but it might change the damage type their Strikes deal (typically to bludgeoning damage).
The monster changes its shape indefinitely. It can use this action again to return to its natural shape or adopt a new shape. Unless otherwise noted, a monster cannot use Change Shape to appear as a specific individual. Using Change Shape counts as creating a disguise for the Impersonate use of Deception. The monster's transformation automatically defeats Perception DCs to determine whether the creature is a member of the ancestry or creature type into which it transformed, and it gains a +4 status bonus to its Deception DC to prevent others from seeing through its disguise. Change Shape abilities specify what shapes the monster can adopt. The monster doesn't gain any special abilities of the new shape, only its physical form. For example, in each shape, it replaces its normal Speeds and Strikes, and might potentially change its senses or size. Any changes are listed in its stat block.
When a creature is Grabbed by the obrousian, the creature's lungs magically fill with water. A creature that can't breathe water is suffocating while it is grabbed.
The monster can instead use Grab and choose one creature it's grabbing or restraining with an appendage that has Grab to automatically extend that condition to the end of the monster's next turn.