Buy me a coffee“The Twilight Harbinger: Nue, Weaver of Shadows”
“Unleash the Mythical Terror: Encounter the Nue, a Chimeric Beast of Japanese Folklore, in a Nightmarish Dance of Monkey, Tanuki, Tiger, and Serpent!”
Appearance: The Nue, a creature from Japanese lore, amalgamates the features of disparate animals into an eerie and chaotic whole. Its head, resembling that of a malicious monkey, boasts sharp, calculating eyes, while its tanuki body exudes an otherworldly, supernatural aura. Striped tiger legs grant it a feline agility, and a sinuous serpent tail completes this chimeric tapestry of mythical malevolence.
Behavior: A creature of ominous omens, the Nue prowls the shadowed realms with an air of malevolence. Its behavior is as enigmatic as its appearance, lurking in the darkened corners of forests or mountainous terrain. Stealthy and elusive, the Nue observes intruders with an intelligence that betrays its seemingly chaotic form, embodying an eerie blend of curiosity and territorial instinct.
Habitat: The Nue claims its territory in dense, mystical landscapes, favoring secluded areas where the natural world and supernatural realms entwine. Often linked to ancient forests or mist-shrouded mountains, it thrives in places where the veil between the mundane and the mystical is thin, weaving its presence into the fabric of folklore.
Modus Operandi: Under the cover of night, it unleashes its haunting cry, a prelude to its nefarious modus operandi. With stealth and supernatural dexterity, it traverses its habitat, becoming a phantom menace to those who dare enter its domain. The Nue’s eerie ability to shape-shift and blend into its surroundings makes it a master of surprise, striking fear into the hearts of those who become entangled in its mystic dance.
Motivation: The Nue’s motivation is veiled in the ancient mysteries of Japanese folklore, driven by a primordial instinct to guard its territory and mete out ill fortune to those who disturb the natural balance. Rooted in tales of ominous portents and encounters with legendary figures, the Nue embodies a mythical force that defies understanding, leaving behind a legacy of both dread and fascination.
Nue 5e
Nue Pathfinder
Nue, Herald of Shadows
Large Monstrosity, Chaotic Neutral
Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 120 (16d10 + 32)
Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 8 (-1) | 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) |
Skills Stealth +7, Perception +6
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 16
Languages understands Sylvan but can’t speak
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
Shadow Cloak. The Nue is always considered in dim light or darkness, even in brightly lit areas, and is proficient in Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
Keen Smell. Ithas advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Mystical Blending. The Nue can take the Hide action as a bonus action.
Actions
Multiattack. It makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage.
Constricting Coil. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d4 + 4) bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the Nue can’t use its constricting coil on another target.
Shadow Step. As a bonus action, the Nue can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Reactions
Mystic Phantasm. When it takes damage, it can use its reaction to briefly blur its form, imposing disadvantage on the triggering attack.
Legendary Actions
The Nue can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Nue regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Shadow Leap. It teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see.
Enigmatic Howl (Costs 2 Actions). It emits a haunting howl. Each creature within 30 feet of the Nue that can hear it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of the Nue’s next turn.
Mystical Camouflage. The Nue uses its Mystical Blending trait without expending a bonus action.
Shadow’s Embrace (Costs 3 Actions). The Nue conjures shadows to wrap around a target it can see within 60 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or be restrained by the shadows until the end of its next turn. The Nue can choose to teleport to an unoccupied space adjacent to the restrained target.
Materializing out of a noxious black cloud, this beast has the head of a fanged monkey and the body of a tiger with a viper as a tail.
[This content was created for the Pathfinder rules by Paizo Publishing LLC and is part of the Pathfinder RPG product line.]
This strange creature has the body of a tiger, the head of a fanged monkey, and a poisonous viper for a tail. Though some call it a chimera and treat it as an exotic specimen of that creature, it is a completely different breed of beast.
Intelligent enough to enjoy cruelty as well as inflicting terror upon its prey, a nue delights in toying with its victim before dealing the killing blow. Often, a nue will select a target and plague it with nightmares before it even attempts an act of violence, wearing down the victim with dreadful dreams and phantasmagoric terrors. Once its prey is thoroughly exhausted, the nue will finally steal into the victim’s sleeping chambers and engage in combat, paralyzing its target with its magic and infecting its prey with both disease and poison, letting the victim writhe in pain before succumbing to death.
A nue’s ghastly appearance in physical form is only made eerier by its ability to turn into an inky cloud of darkness. In this guise, a nue can hide amongst fog clouds or shadows before emerging as the destructive horror it is. By the time a nue crawls forth from the inscrutable black cloud, its prey is often too fatigued from its strange night terrors to defend itself. The dreams a nue impregnates creatures’ minds with varies from victim to victim, but all share the trait of an ever-present, foreboding cloud that exudes a fierce and palpable sense of malice.
Some legends suggest that nues are the spirits of children warped into twisted forms to spread paranoia, exhaustion, and fear among former friends and family. According to these stories, such a cursed child wreaks terror upon its friends and relatives until they are all either dead or driven mad by fear. Then, the creature moves on, seeking more challenging kills to sate its vicious hunger. The greatest joy a nue can feel is snuffing the life of a once-strong and proud target that has been brought low by its debilitating attacks.
A nue is 9 feet long and weighs 600 pounds.
| Nue CR 10 |
| XP 9,600 NE Large magical beast Init +9; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light Vision; Perception +10 |
| DEFENSE |
| AC 24, touch 15, flat-footed 18 (+5 Dexterity, +1 Dodge, +9 natural, -1 size) hp 126 (12d10+60) Fort +13, Ref +13, Will +7 |
| OFFENSE |
| Speed 30 ft. Melee bite +17 (2d6+6 plus energy drain), bite +17 (1d4+6 plus poison), 2 claws +17 (1d6+6) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks energy drain (2 levels, DC 16), pounce Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; Concentration +12) 3/day – contagion (DC 14), hold person (DC 13) 1/day – nightmare (DC 15), shout (DC 14), waves of fatigue |
| STATISTICS |
| Strength 22, Dexterity 21, Constitution 20, Intelligence 7, Wisdom 17, Charisma 10 Base Atk +12; CMB +19; CMD 35 (39 vs. trip) Feats Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Skill Focus (Stealth) Skills Climb +13, Perception +10, Stealth +11 Languages Common SQ cloud form |
| SPECIAL ABILITIES |
| Cloud Form (Su) A nue can change into the form of a 10-foot black cloud or back to its normal form as a standard action. A nue in cloud form is otherwise treated as if under the effects of gaseous form, except that it obscures vision like fog cloud. Poison (Ex) Biteinjury; save Fort DC 21; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d4 Strength damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Constitution-based. |
| ECOLOGY |
| Environment warm forests or mountains Organization solitary, pair, or ambush (3-6) Treasure standard |
Section 15: Copyright Notice – Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 3, © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Jesse Benner, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, James Jacobs, Michael Kenway, Rob McCreary, Patrick Renie, Chris Sims, F. Wesley Schneider, James L. Sutter, and Russ Taylor, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.