KurobozuThe mouth of this gray-skinned, emaciated monk is a distended,
hollow pit of darkness.Kurobozu CR 6Source Bestiary 5 pg. 153
XP 2,400
LE Medium undead
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +16DefenseAC 20, touch 20, flat-footed 16 (+4 Dex, +2 monk, +4 Wis)
hp 76 (9d8+36)
Fort +7, Ref +9, Will +10
Defensive Abilities evasion; Immune undead traitsOffenseSpeed 50 ft.
Melee unarmed strike +12/+7 (1d8+5 plus sage’s bane) or
flurry of blows +13/+13/+8 (1d8+5 plus sage’s bane)
Special Attacks disease, sage’s bane, steal breathStatisticsStr 21, Dex 18, Con —, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 12
Base Atk +6; CMB +11; CMD 34 (38 vs. trip)
Feats Defensive Combat Training, Power Attack, Improved
Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike, Lightning Reflexes, Stunning Fist, Weapon Focus (unarmed strike)
Skills Acrobatics +13, Climb +12, Perception +16, Sense Motive
+12, Stealth +16
Languages Common
SQ echo of life, sage’s baneEcologyEnvironment any
Organization solitary, pair, or guard
(3–5)
Treasure standardSpecial AbilitiesDisease (Su) Black apoxia:
Steal breath—
inhaled;
save Fort DC 18; onset
1 day; frequency 1/day;
effect 1d3 Con damage
and exhausted; cure 2
consecutive saves.
Echo of Life (Su) A
kurobozu retains some
the same disciplined
training it had in life.
It gains the monk’s
evasion, AC bonus,
stunning fist, and flurry
of blows class features
and unarmed strike damage
as a monk of equal level to its
Hit Dice. A kurobozu’s stunning
fist lasts 1 round longer than normal. In addition, a kurobozu
replaces its Constitution modifier with its Wisdom modifier
instead of its Charisma modifier.
Sage’s Bane (Su) Any target struck by a kurobozu’s unarmed
strike takes 1d4 points of Wisdom damage and loses an
equal amount of ki (Fortitude DC 18 negates both). For every
point of Wisdom damage a kurobozu deals, it heals 5 hit
points. Hit points received in excess of the creature’s normal
total are treated as temporary hit points and dissipate after
1 minute. The save DC is Wisdom-based.
Steal Breath (Su) As a standard action, a kurobozu can steal
the breath from a stunned or helpless target, as per the
spell suffocation, except it never causes the victim to die.
Regardless of whether it successfully saved, the victim can’t
speak for 1 minute, and its breath reeks of carrion. This also
exposes the victim to the kurobozu’s disease.DescriptionKurobozus, also called black monks, are jealous undead
that arise when a monk dies under circumstances that
violate the precepts of his or her monastic training.
Kurobozus need to feed upon the breath of mortals to
survive, and they usually acquire this sustenance by
sneaking up on a sleeping victim, though they can just
as easily draw breath from a foe stunned by their f ists in
combat. While this feeding doesn’t immediately kill the
victim, it leaves a horrif ic rotting scent on the victim’s
breath that can spread the kurobozu’s contagious apoxia
to others, eventually leading to faintness, exhaustion,
and death.
When they aren’t maintaining their existence through
feeding, kurobozus carry out their jealous fantasies by
murdering living monks, especially members of their
former monastery or monastic tradition. They still possess
a shred of their former discipline, which
they use to formulate long-term plans
for their acts of revenge. Generally,
kurobozus’ interactions with
other creatures are limited
to feeding and killing, but
they have an affinity for
malcontent ex-monks and
may actually go out of
their way to secretly offer
protection or succor to
such a person, without
ever revealing their true
identities. Evil ex-monks
seeking to destroy their
former masters and
fellow disciples may
even see the actual face of
their benefactors and be able to
forge lasting alliances.
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