KamiSource Alien Archive 3 pg. 62
Spirits known as kami hold guardianship over various aspects of existence, caring for them in esoteric ways. Legend holds that the gods created the kami, which propagated throughout the universe. Kami are said to spontaneously manifest as they find new objects to guard, from the tiniest flower to entire cities. Kami that fall to evil ways risk becoming oni.
According to folktales, a personal object that is at least 100 years old can attract a tsukumogami, which thereafter claims the object as a ward and merges with it, the kami then becoming an anthropomorphic version of the object. In addition, the resultant amalgam develops a personality in accordance with the object’s treatment. Treasured objects birth tsukumogami that are kind, while abandoned or abused objects become jealous and wrathful tsukumogami. These creatures often seek companionship from mortals, though tsukumogami that are envious of the living may become aggressive if rebuffed. Numerous reports exist of encounters with furious tsukumogami that sprung to life after the Gap. Though tsukumogami prefer to ward small personal items, their size belies the threat they pose.
A chinjugami is much larger than a tsukumogami and often selects a constructed ecosystem, especially one separated from a planet, as its ward. Although a chinjugami prefers to stay merged with its ward, it can manifest as a titan of metal and greenery. A chinjugami might claim a park on a space station as its host. When a kami claims an occupied ecosystem, it intervenes only in subtle ways, such as removing rust from pipes. It is when such constructed ecosystems are abandoned that chinjugami fully embrace their roles as protectors and stewards of their wards, patrolling relevant areas, performing upkeep, maintaining ecological balance, and ensuring enough resources exist for sustainability. Those chinjugami that guard abandoned spaces are suspicious of strangers, often believing them to be interlopers that might try to reclaim the area only to forsake it again. A typical chinjugami is about 40 feet tall.Aliens in the "Kami" FamilySource Alien Archive 3 pg. 62Tsukumogami CR 4 XP 1,200
NE Diminutive outsider (kami, native)
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +10
DefenseHP 43
EAC 15; KAC 16
Fort +3; Ref +3; Will +9
Defensive Abilities fast healing 5; Immunities construct immunities, petrification, polymorph; Resistances acid 10, electricity 10, fire 10
OffenseSpeed 30 ft.
Melee slam +9 (1d4+2 B)
Space 1 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th, melee +9)
1/day—inject nanobots (DC 17), invisibility
3/day—holographic image (1st level, DC 16), jolting surge, magic missile
At will—ghost sound (DC 15), mendingStatisticsSTR -2; DEX +5; CON +0; INT +0; WIS +3; CHA +2
Feats Mobility, Spring Attack
Skills Acrobatics +10, Engineering +10, Mysticism +10, Stealth +15
Languages Common; telepathy 100 ft.
Other Abilities merge with ward (personal comm unit), no breath, permanent mergeEcologyEnvironment any
Organization solitary or pairSpecial AbilitiesMerge with Ward (Su) A kami has a specific ward—a creature with an Intelligence of –4 or lower, an object, or a location—listed in parentheses in the kami’s stat block. As a full action, a kami adjacent to its ward can merge body and mind with that ward. While merged, the kami can observe the surrounding region with its senses as if it were using its own body, as well as via any senses its ward might have. Typically, this trait allows a kami no control over its ward, although some kami (such as the tsukumogami) are exceptions. If the kami has no control over its ward, it can take no actions while merged other than to emerge from its ward as an action. The kami can emerge adjacent to the ward, provided the kami’s body is at least one size smaller than the ward. If the ward is a location, the kami can emerge at any point within that location. If the ward is destroyed while a kami is merged with it, the kami dies. If the ward is destroyed while the kami is not merged with it, the kami loses its merge with ward and fast healing traits, and the kami becomes sickened. It can take on a new ward by spending 7 days doing so, and it regains its traits and loses the sickened condition once it does.
Some kami have additional abilities and limitations relative to their wards.
Permanent Merge (Su) A tsukumogami claims an object of no more than 2 bulk as its ward, and the kami permanently merges with its ward, animating and controlling that object as its body. The tsukumogami can appear to be its ward by remaining still, allowing it to attempt a Stealth check to hide in plain sight as if it had cover or concealment. If it succeeds, it appears to be a normal version of its ward rather than a creature. A tsukumogami can’t emerge from its ward.Extra ContentThe following extra content was found for this creature:
- Tsukumogami (Other) Graft Template
- Kami (Creature Subtype) Graft Template
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