Slime puppeteer

From PathfinderWiki
Slime puppeteer
(Creature)
Rare
Medium

Level
6
Alignment
Source: Cult of the Cave Worm, pg(s). 82

The creation of slime puppeteers, or ungothols, was the alghollthu's early attempt infiltrating, monitoring, and controlling settlements and civilizations on Golarion. They can kill a creature and assume its form while remaining in telepathic communication with their alghollthu creator from anywhere on the planet. However, they were later proven inferior to the versatility of faceless stalkers.1

Appearance

In their true form, a slime puppeteer resembles a stingray with a single large eye, a face encircled by long eyelash-like tentacles, and a long pointed venomous tail. They are covered in stinky yellow slime when sweating in hot environments or after being burned.1

Abilities

Slime puppeteers can fly and swim but move slowly on land. When they fight, they buffet with their wings or use them to envelop their prey, and stab them with their poisoned tail.1

Slime puppeteers have darkvision, and can speak Aklo, Common tongues, and Sakvroth. They can communicate via telepathy with the alghollthu that created them on a planetary range, but while doing so the puppeteer cannot see or hear.1

While enveloping a corpse, a puppeteer spends an hour transforming the flesh of itself and the corpse into a gelatinous substance and replacing its outer layer, while also implanting tendrils to control the corpse's nervous system. The transformation allows the puppeteer to speak using the dead creature's voice and results in a nearly identical physical duplicate, but does not grant them access to the victim's memories or language. A puppeteer can drop the controlled corpse disguise when needed, such as when it must regain its ability to fly or swim.1

When a slime puppeteer sweats, especially because when harmed by fire or heat, it becomes covered in a layer of foul-smelling yellow slime until it is washed away.1 This involuntary layer of slimy sweat can give away the fact that the victim is controlled by a slime puppeteer.2

Variants

A number of slime puppeteer variants exist:

  • puppeteers that are sensitive to cold instead of heat1
  • larger puppeteers designed to infiltrate giant communities1
  • elemental-infused variants rumored to infiltrate the Elemental Planes1

On Golarion

Slime puppeteers were but one of many attempts by the alghollthu to create terrestrial spies. However, faceless stalkers proved over the centuries to be a more versatile tool, and the number of surviving puppeteers is unknown.1

Known slime puppeteers

See also: Category:Slime puppeteer/Inhabitants

References

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

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Scott D. Young & Vanessa Hoskins. “Adventure Toolbox” in Cult of the Cave Worm, 82. Paizo Inc., 2023
  2. Scott D. Young. “Cult of the Cave Worm” in Cult of the Cave Worm, 27. Paizo Inc., 2023
  3. Scott D. Young. “Cult of the Cave Worm” in Cult of the Cave Worm, 23. Paizo Inc., 2023