Psychopomp, Yamaraj
This dragonlike creature has the features of a massive crow, its feathers as black as oblivion. Great, tattered wings bear it aloft as it glides effortlessly forward.
Equal parts regal and unspeakable to mortal sensibilities, yamarajes preside as judges of death and dispensers of ultimate justice. Superstitions of the living call them by many names’ the final judges, the grave magistrates, the dragons who eat men’s souls’ but all agree that these nobles of death wither even the stoutest hearts. The grave magistrates glide with authority throughout the worlds Boneyard’s, commanding flocks of lesser psychopomps, tolerating the ministrations of devils and angels bickering for souls of note, and ordering the endless procession of petitioners. Many also serve as diplomats or military commanders to maintain the Boneyard’s neutrality, but any such role is secondary to maintaining the flow of souls and the balance of the multiverse. Though in theory each yamaraj answers to Pharasma, in practice each is unquestioned within its own courtroom. Yamarajes vaguely resemble black dragons, though they are easily distinguished once one realizes the gigantic creatures are cloaked in feathers rather than scales. Each yamaraj measures at least 30 feet in length and weighs 4 tons. Despite their massive size and largely sedentary duties, yamarajes show astounding grace when they do move.
| Psychopomp, yamaraj CR 20 |
| XP 307,200 N Huge outsider (extraplanar, psychopomp) Init +16; Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Low-Light Vision, spiritsense, true seeing; Perception +40 Aura fear aura (30 ft., DC 29) |
| DEFENSE |
| AC 40, touch 21, flat-footed 27 (+4 armor, +12 Dexterity, +1 Dodge, +15 natural, -2 size) hp 364 (27d10+216); fast healing 10 Fort +23; Ref +21; Will +27 DR 15/adamantine; Immune cold, death effects, disease, electricity, poison; SR 31 |
| OFFENSE |
| Speed 40 ft., Fly 60 ft. (good), swim 40 ft. Melee bite +34 (2d6+9/19-20 plus grab and poison), 2 claws +32 (2d6+4), tail slap +29 (2d6+4), 2 wings +29 (1d8+4) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks breath weapon, final judgment, poison, savaging breath Spell-Like Abilities (CL 20th; Concentration +30) Constant–detect thoughts (DC 22), mage armor, true seeing At will–greater dispel magic, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. of objects only), reincarnate, rest eternal, scrying, share language, telekinesis (DC 24), tongues 3/day–circle of death (DC 26), forcecage (DC 27), quickened lightning bolt, undeath to death (DC 26) 1/day–soul bind, summon (level 9, any single CR 19 or lower psychopomp, 90%), wail of the banshee (DC 29) |
| STATISTICS |
| Strength 28, Dexterity 35, Constitution 27, Intelligence 24, Wisdom 30, Charisma 31 Base Atk +27; CMB +38 (+42 grapple); CMD 61 (can’t be tripped) Feats Awesome Blow, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Hover, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Multiattack, Power Attack, Spell Penetration, Wind Stance Skills Acrobatics +39, Bluff +40, Diplomacy +37, Fly +38, Intimidate +40, Knowledge (Arcana) +37, Knowledge (Planes) +37, Knowledge (Religion) +37, Perception +40, Sense Motive +40, Spellcraft +37, Stealth +34, Swim +36 Languages Aklo, Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Draconic, Infernal, Necril |
| SPECIAL ABILITIES |
| Breath Weapon (Su) A yamaraj has two breath weapons: a cone of icy wind and a cone of deadly scavengers. It can use either of these weapons once every 1d4 rounds. Its icy breath weapon is a 60-foot cone that deals 20d6 points of cold damage (Reflex DC 31 for half). Its other breath weapon is a 60-foot cone of beetles and other insectile scavengers that causes nausea and deals 16d6 points of damage (Reflex DC 31 for half damage and to avoid becoming nauseated). Additionally, a swarm of beetles appears around the nearest creature affected by this attack. This swarm uses the same statistics as a spider swarm, but with a distraction DC of 31. Final Judgment (Su) A yamaraj can cast miracle (CL 20th) three times per day as a spell-like ability, but only to reproduce the following spell effects: banishment, dimensional anchor, greater restoration, plane shift, and true resurrection. A yamaraj’s final judgment is sufficiently powerful to restore a slain outsider to life. Lightning Drinker (Su) Yamarajes absorb electricity to strengthen themselves. A yamaraj takes no damage from electrical attacks, and instead heals 1 hit point per 3 points of electricity damage the attack would otherwise deal. If the amount of healing would cause the outsider to exceed its full normal hit points, it gains any excess as temporary hit points up to a maximum of 100. Poison (Ex) Bite- injury; save Fort DC 31; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d4 Dexterity; cure 3 consecutive saves. |
| ECOLOGY |
| Environment any (Boneyard) Organization solitary Treasure standard |
Ecology
Impossibly old, yamarajes are outsiders forged from lesser psychopomps or the souls of legendary mortals. As with other outsiders, they need not eat, drink, or sleep to survive, and the grave magistrates normally remain perched upon the Boneyard’s ruins for months at a time, overseeing the smooth organization of their realm. Hard work wears at their immortal drive, and like living lords they eagerly indulge in exquisite banquets during their infrequent personal time. These bacchanals make for strange bedfellows among outsiders, as solars and pit fiends may hobnob alongside one another, vying for a yamaraj to help organize the release of judged souls and attempting to win future favors.
When called into physical action, all yamarajes can breathe raw decay in the form of clouds of carrion-eating insects, and their venom saps the youth and vitality from living creatures.
Habitat & Society
Yamarajes serve as lower judges and lords of the Boneyard, directing the activities of their lessers, presiding over the dead, presorting souls destined for Pharasma’s ultimate judgment, and seeing to the efficiency and safety of the Spire’s infinite inhabitants. As the highest order of psychopomps, they are simultaneously the most dedicated to their role as shepherds of the dead and the most prone to impressing their own opinions on their work in the form of overturning precedents, rambling speeches, and extensive opinions attached to rulings. Such flexibility is necessary when making immortal decisions based on the ever-changing actions of the living, but frustrates more absolute outsiders to no end.
Unsurprisingly, yamarajes tend to vary greatly from one individual to the next. Most develop deep interests in various worldly subjects that determine the sorts of mortals they ultimately seek to watch over. A given yamaraj might go out of its way to seek out artisans or followers of specific deities or thieves, depending on its studies or whatever has come to interest it during that eon. Yamarajes might seek to guard such pet souls, ensuring their safe travels through the Boneyard, learning more from the souls as they journey together, and ultimately advocating that Pharasma grant a more peaceful judgment. Others act in reverse, finding certain types of mortals disgusting, tormenting their souls through their procession to the goddesses’ throne, and even suggesting that the spirits should face particularly monstrous damnations. How a yamaraj reacts to an individual thus proves unpredictable, depending on its changeable tastes.
Such idiosyncrasies vary between individual yamarajes, and might change over the course of centuries. Just as many yamarajes become fascinated with souls possessing specific experiences or from certain backgrounds, some of the psychopomps go out of their way to judge beings from specific worlds, collecting bits of information and insight with every creature that passes them by. Thus, some become experts on one or multiple worlds, having spent eternities ferreting out the histories and secrets of worlds from firsthand accounts over millennia of inquiries. Many yamarajes welcome the opportunity to share the details of their investigations. Others, though, see inquiries into their worlds of expertise as opportunities to aid the psychopomps’ cause. Standing at the pinnacle of their race, yamarajes are well informed as to the challenges and goals of many subservient psychopomps, and might only negotiate with mortals who perform a service in aid of their underlings.
Section 15: Copyright Notice – Pathfinder Adventure Path #48: Shadows of Gallowspire
Pathfinder Adventure Path #48: Shadows of Gallowspire. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Brandon Hodge.