Fantionette

What appears at first glance to be a child or halfling has skin more akin to
cracked porcelain barely covering a black, insectile carapace, and it has
spiderlike legs where one would expect arms.

Fantionette CR 4 (XP 1,200)

CE Small outsider (chaotic, evil, extraplanar)

Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +10
Aura revelation (10 ft., DC 15)

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 15, flat-footed 13 (+4 Dex, +2 natural, +1 size)

hp 37 (5d10+10)
Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +6
DR 5/good; Immune poison; SR 15

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.

Melee bite +7 (1d4+1), 2 claws +7 (1d3+1)
Special Attacks rend (2 claws, 1d4+1), sneak attack +1d6
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +8)

At will—bleed (DC 14), charm person (DC 14), dancing lights, ghost sound (DC 14)
3/day—darkness, dimension door, spiritual weapon
1/day—glitterdust (DC 15), scare (DC 15)

STATISTICS

Str 12, Dex 19, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 15, Cha 16
Base Atk +5; CMB +5; CMD 19
Feats Following Step, Improved Initiative, Step Up
Skills Acrobatics +12, Bluff +11, Climb +9, Knowledge (local) +9, Knowledge
(nobility) +9, Perception +10, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +16
Languages Abyssal, Common, Halfling, Undercommon
SQ puppet strings

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Aura of Revelation (Su)

A fantionette appears as an adult halfling or a human child (its choice) to all

creatures outside of its aura. This is an illusion (glamer) effect that can be
bypassed only by true seeing or similar magic. A creature within a fantionette’s
aura that is studying or interacting with it can attempt a DC 15 Will save to
perceive the outsider for what it truly is. A creature that succeeds at this save
or that is attacked by a fantionette immediately sees the fantionette’s true form
for the next 24 hours, even while outside the aura. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Puppet Strings (Su)

Once per day as an immediate action, a fantionette can relinquish control of

itself, letting a higher entity gain control. When it does this, a fantionette can
perform one of the following special actions.

Make an extra attack as part of a standard action.

Move up to its speed. The fantionette loses its move action on its next turn.
Reroll a single roll after it was made, but before the results are determined.
ECOLOGY

Environment any (Abyss or Axis)

Organization solitary, pair, or cast (3–12)
Treasure standard

A fantionette is a servitor outsider for a halfling deity. It embodies the halfling

god’s association with assassination and opportunity, presenting itself to loyal
followers both as a powerful assassin and as impressive support for established
murderers. When left to its own devices on the Material Plane, a fantionette is a
terrifying stalker of halflings and humans alike, positioning itself among large
groups of human children or halflings and selecting adult targets to murder based
entirely on whim and opportunity.

A fantionette stands between 3 and 4 feet high and weighs about 70 pounds.
Ecology

Unlike other auras, a fantionette’s aura of revelation serves as a weakness—a range

at which creatures can see through its otherwise illusory guise. A fantionette
combines its deceptive form with its ability to blend in to crowds, often
positioning itself as part of a group of children or adult halflings. Sometimes a
child sees through the fantionette’s aura, only for the child to be scared away and
attempt to warn her parents. The result is almost always the same: the warned
parent glances over at the disguised fantionette, too far outside the aura to
perceive its true form, and dismisses the child for being foolish. A fantionette
thrives on the fear it generates from children—though it is clear from their
patterns of attacks that these outsiders are either somehow forbidden from harming
children, or simply prefer not to.

Once a fantionette is ready to strike, or when an unfortunate witness manages to

pierce its illusory form, the fantionette attacks in a flurry of claws accented by
vicious bites. In its true form, it has a pair of wicked claws, each made of black
chitin and pieces of jagged porcelain. The fantionette also sports a similarly
serrated bite; its mouth resembles disjointed spider mandibles with a second layer
of chipped porcelain.

Fantionettes often employ their claws to cruel effect, combining an uncanny

knowledge of anatomy with savage rends that tear most opponents into a bloody mess
within seconds. Even creatures attempting to flee an unrestrained fantionette soon
discover the outsider is capable of instinctually following—in some cases
relinquishing itself to its malignant puppet strings, letting an unseen force drag
the fantionette to chase down the fleeing target.

A wide array of divinely granted powers assists the fantionette in its paired roles
as assassin and deceiver.

These gifts most often manifest in a variety of spell-like abilities, which the
fantionette uses as means to overcome targets or as a way of deflecting scrutiny in
social settings. The god’s hand is said to hover invisibly over every fantionette.
While fantionettes are free-willed beings, they can temporarily suspend their
independence and allow other forces to guide their malignant claws. Such lapses in
control manifest in odd last-second movements, such as a claw destined to miss a
foe suddenly jolting upward into a disemboweling strike. Other times, a fantionette
moves in an oddly contorted manner; these jerks and jostles reveal that it’s being
guided by its hidden puppeteer.
Habitat And Society

Whether directly delivered by their god or summoned to the Material Plane by eager
spellcasters using spells such as lesser planar ally, fantionettes seek only to
spread the chaotic, murderous joy of their patron deity. Of the divine servitor
races, perhaps none are more closely aligned than fantionettes and their karumzek
counterparts. Where fantionettes prefer the eventual chaos of revealing themselves
to a target, karumzeks prefer to act entirely behind the scenes. The two outsiders
complement each other well, as karumzeks provide alchemical tools and poisons to
fantionettes.

A fantionette’s patron will inevitably grow weary of its murderous presence and
either destroy the outsider or release it into the wild. On their own, fantionettes
often assist thieves and murderers—and disenfranchised halflings in particular—
establish a violent reputation by grafting their own long trails of murder and
theft that lead to these apprentices.

When not acting on the Material Plane, fantionettes are found in equal measure in
the Abyss and Axis. In the Abyss, they congregate around their deity’s mysterious
home, operating as guardians or entertainment, depending on the whims of their
capricious master. In lawful realms, fantionettes fall in line, acting in equal
roles as assassins, entertainers, and messengers for the deity. Left to their own
devices on either plane, fantionettes form horrific gaggles. These groups traverse
the planes in search of new arrivals or otherwise weak prey, first presenting
themselves as lost or stranded children or halflings. In the Abyss, this deception
often surprises voracious demons, who see nothing more than a buffet of innocent
humanity and are torn apart shortly after realizing the truth of their would-be
meal.