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Egregore

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Within a swirl of light, a clump of brains wrapped in arcs of light pulses and throbs. The impression of an open eye floats before it.

Egregore CR 10

XP 9,600
N Large aberration
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., lifesense; Perception +21
Aura mental static (30 ft., DC 22)

DEFENSE

AC 27, touch 13, flat-footed 23 (+4 armor, +3 Dex, +1 dodge, +6 natural, +4 shield, –1 size)
hp 123 (13d8+65), fast healing 5
Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +15
Defensive Abilities amorphous; DR 5/—; SR 21

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (perfect)
Melee 4 light tentacles +14 (1d8+6)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Special Attacks hypnotic oscillation, light tentacles
Psychic Magic (CL 13th; concentration +19)

24 PE—heal (6 PE), mass bear's endurance (6 PE), mass bull's strength (6 PE)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 13th; concentration +19)

Constant—mage armor, mental barrier I
At will—cure moderate wounds

STATISTICS

Str 22, Dex 17, Con 18, Int 19, Wis 20, Cha 23
Base Atk +9; CMB +16; CMD 30
Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Toughness
Skills Bluff +19, Escape Artist +19, Fly +25, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Perception +21, Sense Motive +18, Spellcraft +20
Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Common, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.
SQ cult mind, psychic conduit

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Cult Mind (Su)

An egregore is created by the combined will of a number of cult members equal to its Hit Dice (minimum 13), and can have a maximum number of members in its cult mind equal to its Hit Dice. Each member must be an intelligent, living creature. These cultists pour their collective psychic consciousness into the collaborative creation of the egregore, granting each member a number of advantages. Creating an egregore involves a ritual lasting 1 day and costing 1,000 gp per Hit Die of the egregore. New creatures can be added to the cult mind only if previous members die or depart (see below).

Adding a new member to the cult mind requires a ritual lasting 1 day and costing 1,000 gp. All the other members who are still a part of the cult mind must be present during this ritual or it fails.

As long as a member of the cult mind is within 1 mile of the egregore, the egregore can use any of its spell-like abilities on that member, regardless of the spell's range. If a member of the cult mind is targeted by a mind-affecting spell, the egregore can attempt a Will save as well, and the cult member uses the better of the two results. If the cult member still fails, another member of the cult mind can choose to be affected instead.

In addition, the members of the cult mind share a limited form of telepathy: they are able to send and receive simple messages and emotions, much like the empathic link between a wizard and his familiar.

If a member of the cult mind is slain or travels more than 1 mile from the egregore, its link to the cult mind is severed, and every other member must succeed at a DC 20 Will save or be sickened for 1 round. If the number of members in the cult mind drops below half of the number of Hit Dice possessed by the egregore, the egregore must succeed at a DC 20 Will save or suffer from confusion. The egregore can attempt a new save at the start of each round to regain its senses. As long as the remaining number of members is less than half the egregore's Hit Dice, the egregore must attempt a new save each time a member of its cult mind is slain or leaves the cult mind. If the last member of the cult is slain or leaves the cult mind, the egregore dissipates harmlessly in 1d4 rounds.

Hypnotic Oscillation (Sp)

As a standard action, an egregore can weave a hypnotic pattern using its bands of light in a 10-foot radius around itself. Members of its cult mind are immune and don't count towards the spell's Hit Die limit, but otherwise this ability functions as the spell.

Light Tentacles (Su)

An egregore produces bands of light powered by its concentrated mental energy. It can cause these bands to become solid and lash out as tentacles.

These tentacles follow all the normal rules for tentacles, except that they function as though they had the brilliant energy weapon special ability.

Psychic Conduit (Ex)

Any member of a cult mind can channel any psychic spells it casts through the egregore, as long as the cultist is within 30 feet of the egregore. If a cultist casts spells in this way, treat the egregore as if it were the spellcaster for purposes of the spell's range, point of origin, and other functions that depend on the caster's location.

The creature casting the spell still provokes any attacks of opportunity or other negative consequences of casting a spell. The egregore takes 1d6 points of slashing damage per level of spell cast through it in this way as the energy cuts its way out of the creature, though its damage reduction applies. (A 0-level spell channeled through the egregore deals no damage to it.)

ECOLOGY

Environment any
Organization cult (1 plus 13–20 cultists)
Treasure standard

When an especially powerful psychic leads a community of like-minded individuals, that group can pool its collective will together to create an egregore. The egregore is a powerful defender and a focal point for the psychic talents of every member of the group, granting them access to additional magical powers and a communal link.

Though egregores' appearances vary, they typically have a core that resembles a mass of brains, discernible by practitioners of phrenology as bearing characteristics of the brains of those who make up its cult mind. This core projects an image that reflects the ideals for which the egregore was formed—an unblinking eye to represent vigilance, a heraldic shield for protection, or some other stylized emblem to reflect the goals of the group.

From this bizarre hovering mass emerges a number of pulsating arcs of light that move in a strange unison, forming an almost mesmerizing pattern with their cadence.

The synchronized synaptic pulses that emit from the egregore's cranial core manifest as elegant arcs of light leaping from one brain-shape to another in a rhythmic dance. The egregore can divert an arc outward, transforming it into a semi-solid band of light it can use to strike its foes. These bands normally pass through objects, but by concentrating more fully, the egregore can transform an arc into an even more solid form capable of manipulating objects.

Typically, the sort of cult that creates an egregore is formed of a small association of individuals under the guidance of a strong-willed psychic leader, who directs the weaker-minded followers in a ritual that combines their latent psychic energy into the creation of a powerful entity to support the goals of the organization.

The egregore itself is a totally separate creature, akin to the eidolons of summoners, though it seems to be a genuine living being of the Material Plane and not a true outsider. Creating an egregore requires a cult of 13—one leader and a dozen followers. Larger cults are capable of creating more powerful egregores, with stories circulating of doomsday cults with hundreds of members working together to create an abomination, but subsequently losing control and facing annihilation from their own creation. The egregore exists only as long as the cult that created it, fading back into the psychic ether from which it spawned once the cult is no more.

An egregore is 12 feet across, though the bands of light that extend out from it cause it to fluctuate between an effective size of 13 feet to 15 feet. It weighs only 300 pounds despite its vast size. The brains that make up the egregore's body aren't constructed like human brains, and are far less dense; they seem to take the form of brains only because of the conceptual link they represent. Likewise, the egregore's staring eye and bands of light are more metaphorical than physical.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 5 © 2015, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, John Bennett, Logan Bonner, Creighton Broadhurst, Robert Brookes, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Thurston Hillman, Eric Hindley, Joe Homes, James Jacobs, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Ben McFarland, Jason Nelson, Thom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Alistair Rigg, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Wes Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Mike Shel, James L. Sutter, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.