Provincial Jiang-shi
CREATURE 11Jiang-shi are terrifying hopping vampires from Tian Xia. Though similar to other vampires—they are undead, drain vital energy from the living, and can be slain only in specific ways—jiang-shi feast upon the breath of the living, also known as qi or ki, instead of blood. While they possess unique powers, including their magic-deflecting paper fulus, extraordinary jumping ability, and immunity to sunlight, jiang-shi also possess unique vulnerabilities, such as the inability to see living creatures save through breathsense, a revulsion to bells and mirrors, and near-stupefying melancholia. Thankfully, most jiang-shi can't create vampiric spawn.
Roused rudely from their nightmarish slumber, the provincial jiang-shi roams the villages and graveyards around their domain searching for sustenance to slake their hunger.
A jiang-shi can't perceive living creatures beyond 5 feet except with their breathsense. A living creature within the listed range who holds its breath is Invisible to the jiang-shi for as long as it holds its breath. To hold its breath in this way, a creature must have one hand free to fully plug its nose or cover its mouth.
A monster with this ability regains the given number of Hit Points each round at the beginning of its turn.
All jiang-shi possess the following vulnerabilities.
- Revulsion A jiang-shi can't voluntarily come within 10 feet of a brandished mirror or the sound of ringing handbells. A creature can Interact with a mirror or handbell to brandish or ring the item for 1 round (similar to Raising a Shield). If the jiang-shi involuntarily comes within 10 feet of an object of their revulsion, they gain the Fleeing condition, running from the object of their revulsion until they are 10 feet or farther from the object. After 1 round of being exposed to the object of their revulsion, a jiang-shi can attempt a DC 25 Will save as a single action, which has the concentrate trait. On a success, they overcome their revulsions for 1d6 rounds (or 1 hour on a critical success).
- Bitter Epiphany A jiang-shi is afflicted by severe melancholia when reminded of their debased nature and the truth of their existential disconnection from living beings. When a jiang-shi sees an altar with at least 1 Bulk of food offerings to ancestor spirits, they must attempt a DC 25 Will save. They are then temporarily immune to Bitter Epiphany for 1 minute.
Critical Success The jiang-shi is unaffected.
Success The jiang-shi is Stupefied 1 for 1 round.
Failure The jiang-shi is Stupefied 2 for 1 minute.
Critical Failure The jiang-shi is stupefied 2 and Confused for 1 minute.
Unlike other undead, a jiang-shi isn't destroyed at 0 HP. Instead, they fall Unconscious and awaken in 1 minute with 1 Hit Point. Scattering at least 1 Bulk of glutinous rice or hen eggs on an unconscious jiang-shi destroys them permanently. If the jiang-shi was reduced to 0 HP by an attack from a weapon made of duskwood, they're destroyed immediately.
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.
The jiang-shi has corrupted the fulu attached to their brow. The jiang-shi is immune to spells cast from a magic item without expending a spell slot, such as from a scroll or wand. A creature can Steal the fulu to remove it, rolling against the jiangshi's Perception DC. This immediately ends the jiang-shi's immunity to these effects. If a creature then destroys the removed fulu with an Interact action, the jiang-shi also loses their fast healing ability. A jiang-shi can create a replacement fulu by spending 1 uninterrupted hour inscribing a strip of paper (or similar) with a writing instrument.
A victim's drained condition value decreases by 1 every week. If the creature restricts their diet to glutinous rice for at least 1 day and spends 10 minutes dancing, jogging, or otherwise engaging in vigorous physical activity by succeeding at a DC 25 Athletics check, it reduces its drained condition by 1.
The jiang-shi ignores difficult terrain and effects that would render them Prone. A jiang-shi can't take the Drop Prone action. When they Leap they don't trigger reactions that are normally triggered by move actions, such as Attacks of Opportunity.
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.