Imp

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Imp
Imp
(Creature)
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Imps are diminuitive fiendish corruptors from the Outer Planes.1

Appearance

Blosodriette, a diabolic imp.

An imp is a tiny bat-winged humanoid creature that stands two feet tall and has a venomous stinger-tipped tail.23 Beyond these common traits, imps vary widely in appearance, with various fiendish and bestial traits that suit their home plane. For example, diabolic imps have scorched flesh, demonic imps are more monstrous in appearance, and the red-eyed imps of Abaddon have fetid complexions.3

Habitat and society

Imps spawn directly from the Outer Planes rather than from mortal souls and freely operate outside of the hierarchies of their home plane.3

Very commonly summoned to serve as familiars, imps willingly serve mortal spellcasters but subtly work to kill their masters and damn their souls to their home plane. Imps are easy to summon and delight in any chance to do evil in the Universe.23 They give their masters tidbits of fiendish knowledge in exchange for increasingly petty and evil acts. When being summoned, they favor small sacrifices, such as a heart cut from a still-living dove.4

Abilities

Imps can communicate telepathically through touch, and can also speak and understand Common tongues, Chthonian, Daemonic, and Diabolic languages. They can also change their shape to assume the form of many animals approximately human-sized or smaller while retaining ther telepathic abilities, and turn themselves invisible.23

Imps are nimble and vicious in battle, using their flight and invisibilty to escape and their stinger to poison foes. They can also rapidly heal their wounds.23

An imp can bargain with mortals, offering to grant them improved luck for an hour at a time, in exchange for the requester's damned soul should they die during that period.23

On Golarion

Seelah tries to navigate a battle between imps and house drakes in Korvosa.

Due to its history of devil-worship and concentration of wizards, imps are extremely common in the city of Korvosa, especially in the vicinity of the Acadamae and in the ramshackle neighborhoods of the Shingles. They frequently clash with the city's population of good-hearted pseudodragons.5

Notable imps

See also: Category:Imp/Inhabitants

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.

  1. 1.0 1.1 Imps were lawful evil devils and had the trait in Bestiary 87 and other sources prior to the Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project. As portrayed in Monster Core 206, imps can now be associated with any fiendish Outer Plane and are no longer exclusively associated with Hell. For details, see Meta:Imp.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Logan Bonner, et al. “Monsters A-Z” in Bestiary, 87. Paizo Inc., 2019
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Logan Bonner, et al. Imp” in Monster Core, 206. Paizo Inc., 2024
  4. F. Wesley Schneider. “Devilkind” in Princes of Darkness, Book of the Damned Volume 1, 28–29. Paizo Inc., 2009
  5. Mike McArtor. “Chapter 2: Places” in Guide to Korvosa, 11. Paizo Inc., 2008
  6. Crystal Frasier. “NPC Gallery” in In Hell's Bright Shadow, 52–53. Paizo Inc., 2015