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Obambos: Keepers of the Verdant Veil

Obambo
Create

The Obambo is a spectral, embodying the spirit of someone who died without a proper burial or funeral rites. It is often depicted as a decaying, ancient tribal elder, with skin caked in dirt, moss, and vines. Its long, white hair is tangled with sticks, while sharp teeth fill its cackling mouth. The Obambo’s eyes are tiny but bright and piercing, reflecting its unnatural existence, and its body is stuffed with decaying leaves and plant matter. Jungle vines weave through its form, tying it to the land it haunts.

This spirit is cunning, spiteful, and treacherous. It may assist those in need, but only if they meet its price. The Obambo’s connection to the jungle allows it to manipulate the environment, summon plants, and control vermin. It can drain intelligence from its victims, causing them to become dazed and mentally weakened. Despite its malicious nature, the Obambo retains its former role as a teacher and storyteller, though it now uses this knowledge to manipulate and extract what it desires.

The Obambo dwells in dense, warm forests, where it has become one with the land, its spirit absorbed into the roots, soil, and creeping plants. It resides in the wilderness until it decides to confront the living. When it does, it can use its powers to control the jungle and may seek to complete unfinished business, demanding proper burial rites or a ritual to put its spirit to rest.

Motivated by a desire for peace and resolution, the Obambo seeks recognition and retribution for the neglect of its death. It may offer assistance to those who meet its demands but remains a dangerous and unpredictable entity that embodies the vengeance of the forsaken dead.


  • Obambo 5e
  • Obambo Pathfinder
Obambo, the Forsaken Spirit
Create

Medium Undead, Chaotic Evil


Armor Class: 17 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 190 (20d8+100)
Speed: 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect)


STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
16 (+3)20 (+5)20 (+5)19 (+4)18 (+4)23 (+6)

Saving Throws: Dexterity +9, Constitution +9, Wisdom +8, Charisma +10
Damage Resistances: Necrotic, Poison, Psychic
Damage Immunities: Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Paralyzed, Poisoned
Senses: Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 18
Languages: Common, Sylvan, Primordial, telepathy 60 ft.
Challenge: 13 (10,000 XP)


Traits:

Undead Fortitude:
If the Obambo is reduced to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the Obambo drops to 1 hit point instead. This ability can only work once every 24 hours.

Rejuvenation:
If the Obambo is destroyed, its spirit reattaches to its remains or to its last place of death. It returns to full health in 2d4 days unless proper burial rites are performed. The Obambo cannot be permanently destroyed unless its remains are burned, buried, or otherwise ritually cleansed.

Unnatural Aura:
Creatures within 30 feet of the Obambo must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. This effect cannot be negated by magic like calm emotions or protection from evil and good.

Jungle’s Embrace (Recharge 5–6):
The Obambo can meld with the surrounding vegetation and summon the spirits of the jungle. It can cause vines and roots to erupt from the ground in a 20-foot-radius circle within 60 feet of it, causing creatures in that area to make a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be restrained by entangling roots for 1 minute. A creature can use its action to attempt to escape the restraints with a Strength (Athletics) check against the same DC. The Obambo can choose to have the restrained creatures take 1d6 piercing damage at the start of each of their turns while restrained.

Thought Eater (Recharge 6):
The Obambo can use its action to drain the intellect of a creature it can see within 60 feet. The target must make a DC 18 Intelligence saving throw or suffer 4d6 intelligence damage and become stunned for 1 minute. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage and is not stunned. The Obambo gains temporary hit points equal to half the damage dealt, and its Intelligence score increases by +1 for 24 hours (max +3).


Actions:

Multiattack:
The Obambo makes two Jungle Strike attacks.

Jungle Strike (Melee Weapon Attack):
+9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 18 (2d8+5) slashing damage, or 12 (1d8+5) necrotic damage, plus 1d6 poison damage.

Incorporeal Touch (Recharge 5–6):
The Obambo reaches into the mind of a creature within 60 feet, draining its intelligence. The target must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw or take 3d6 necrotic damage, and have their Intelligence score reduced by 2 for 24 hours. A creature that reaches 0 Intelligence due to this effect is transformed into a small vermin (usually a rat or spider). The Obambo gains 5 temporary hit points for each creature affected by this ability.

Spellcasting:
The Obambo is a 14th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). It has the following spells prepared:

  • Cantrips (at will): Thaumaturgy, Poison Spray, Guidance, Druidcraft
  • 1st level (4 slots): Entangle, Detect Magic, Disguise Self, Cause Fear
  • 2nd level (3 slots): Barkskin, Hold Person, Misty Step
  • 3rd level (3 slots): Call Lightning, Bestow Curse, Dispel Magic
  • 4th level (3 slots): Blight, Dominate Beast
  • 5th level (2 slots): Animate Plants, Tree Stride
  • 6th level (1 slot): Mass Cure Wounds, Sunbeam
  • 7th level (1 slot): Creeping Doom

Tactics:

  • Initial Engagement: The Obambo uses its Jungle’s Embrace to trap enemies in the area, then follows up with Incorporeal Touch to weaken their mental fortitude and force them into a vulnerable state.
  • Spell Usage: The Obambo prefers to keep its distance, using spells like Call Lightning and Bestow Curse to weaken enemies from afar. If the battle turns in its favor, it will cast Animate Plants to create more obstacles, ensuring that its foes are constantly surrounded and restricted.
  • Thought Eater: The Obambo targets weaker-minded enemies, draining their intelligence with Thought Eater to gain temporary hit points and stack bonuses to its own mental faculties. It uses this to break down the resolve of any spellcasters or weak-willed enemies.
  • Rejuvenation Strategy: If reduced to low health, the Obambo uses its ability to retreat into the jungle, allowing it to recharge its powers and rejuvenate before reengaging. It may retreat behind large jungle obstacles to regain its strength through Rejuvenation.
  • Psychological Warfare: The Obambo thrives on fear, using its Unnatural Aura to unsettle enemies and force them into retreat or panic. It uses the terrain to its advantage, always positioning itself to block escape routes or force enemies into traps.

Legendary Actions (Optional for Extended Encounters)

The Obambo can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time, and it can only take one legendary action at the end of another creature’s turn. The Obambo regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

  • Jungle Lash (Costs 1 Action): The Obambo lashes out with a vine. One creature within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 slashing damage and be pulled 10 feet toward the Obambo.
  • Vine Strike (Costs 2 Actions): The Obambo makes a Jungle Strike attack against a creature within reach.
  • Vine Trap (Costs 3 Actions): The Obambo summons thick jungle vines to trap a creature. The creature must make a DC 16 Strength saving throw or be restrained by vines until the start of the Obambo’s next turn.

Description:
The Obambo, a spectral being bound to the jungle and fueled by a rage that never dies, is a cunning and treacherous foe. As a spirit of the jungle, it thrives in wild, dense environments where it can manipulate the very flora to its advantage. It is a master of psychological warfare, using fear and isolation to break down its enemies before striking. With its abilities to drain intelligence, manipulate plants, and rejuvenate after death, the Obambo is a dangerous opponent in any encounter. Whether it fights with brute force or tricks its enemies into falling victim to its deadly traps, this forsaken spirit of the jungle is never far from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Obambo
Create

This spectral creature looks like a scarred and shriveled ruin of an ancient tribal elder, with skin caked with dirt and moss, and long white hair tangled with sticks. Sharp teeth fill its cackling mouth, and its eyes are tiny but bright and piercing. Jungle vines weave through its ghostly body, which appears stuffed with decaying leaves and other plant matter.

Source Pathfinder #40: Vaults of Madness pg. 82

When a person wise in the lore of the jungle dies and is not buried or given a funeral, the jungle itself may embrace her spirit, creating an obambo (‘forsaken one’). The embittered spirit seeps into the ground, the roots of plants, and the crawling things beneath, becoming one with the jungle itself. An obambo is cunning, spiteful, and treacherous, but it remembers its old role of teacher and storyteller, a duty and an obligation it both loves and loathes. While dealing with an obambo is dangerous, they are known to assist those in need, if supplicants can meet the obambo’s price.


Obambo CR 13
XP 25,600

LE Medium undead (incorporeal)

Init +8; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +21
Defense
AC 21, touch 21, flat-footed 17 (+7 deflection, +4 Dexterity)

hp 175 (14d8+112)

Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +15

Defensive Abilities Channel Resistance +4, rejuvenation, incorporeal; Immune undead traits
Offense
Speed 30 ft., Fly 30 ft. (perfect)

Melee incorporeal touch +16 (1d6 Intelligence drain plus daze)

Special Attacks jungle animus, thought eater

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 14th; concentration +21)

At will – entangle (DC 18), enthrall (DC 19), goodberry, mage hand, obscuring mist  

3/day – command plants (DC 21), giant vermin, hallucinatory terrain (DC 21), helping hand, Move earth, rainbow pattern (DC 21), soften earth and stone (DC 19), spike growth (DC 20), tree stride

1/day – animate plants, creeping doom (DC 24), find the path, legend lore, mage’s magnificent mansion, reincarnate
Statistics
Strength -, Dexterity 23, Constitution -, Intelligence 19, Wisdom 18, Charisma 25

Base Atk +10; CMB +16; CMD 33 (can’t be tripped)

Feats Alertness, Flyby Attack, Improved InitiativeB, Iron Will, Lunge, Skill Focus (Perform [oratory]), Step Up, Toughness

Skills Appraise +21, Bluff +24, Craft (alchemy) +10, Diplomacy +15, Fly +18, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +10, Knowledge (geography) +15, Knowledge (history) +15, Knowledge (local) +15, Knowledge (nature) +15, Knowledge (religion) +10, Perception +21, Perform (oratory) +30, Sense Motive +24

Languages Common, Polyglot, Sylvan; speak with animals, speak with vermin

SQ unnatural aura
Ecology
Environment warm forests

Organization solitary or tribe (1 plus 1-2 giant flytraps or 1-3 shambling mounds)

Treasure standard
Special Abilities
Jungle Animus (Su)   As a full-round action, an obambo can invest its spirit into the land itself and cause the ground to rise up as a Huge mass of soil, mud, vines, roots, and vermin. In this form, it has the statistics of an advanced giant shambling mound, except it keeps its own hit points.  

Rejuvenation (Su)   In most cases, it’s difficult to destroy an obambo through simple combat, as the ‘destroyed’ spirit restores itself in 2d4 days. Only after its remains or place of death is found and appropriate funeral rites are performed does it rest in peace and not return.  

Speak with Vermin (Su)   An obambo can communicate with vermin, similar to using speak with animals. vermin can only communicate with instinct-level information.  

Thought Eater (Su)   An obambo’s touch drains 1d6 points of Intelligence and dazes the target for 1 round; a successful DC 24 Fortitude save negates the daze effect and halves the ability drain. The obambo gains 5 temporary hit points and a +1 bonus on all Intelligence-based skill checks for 24 hours with each successful Intelligence drain; these benefits stack. A creature reduced to 0 Intelligence by this attack is polymorphed into a Diminutive vermin (Fortitude DC 24 negates; otherwise treat as baleful polymorph).  

Unnatural Aura (Su) Animals, both wild and domesticated, can sense the unnatural presence of an obambo at a distance of 30 feet. They do not willingly approach nearer than that and panic if forced to do so unless their master succeeds at a DC 25 Handle Animal, Ride, or wild empathy check. A panicked animal remains so while within 30 feet of the obambo.

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