As this glowing fly takes flight away from its victim, you notice a streak of blood that flows from a puncture left behind by the insect in the man’s skin.
Adze
CR 11
XP 12,800
CE Fine Undead (shapechanger)
Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +20
Defense
AC 24, touch 23, flat-footed 19 (+5 Dex, +1 natural, +8 size)
hp 52 (16d8-16); fast healing 10
Fort +5, Ref +12, Will +12
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4; DR 10/magic; Immune undead traits; Resist cold 10; SR 23 Weaknesses captured, light sensitivity
Offense
Speed 5 ft., climb 5 ft., fly 40 ft. (good)
Melee bite +25 (1 point of damage plus bleed and disease)
Space 1/2 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks bleed (1d4), cold light fascination, disease
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th, concentration +13)
Constant—detect magic, read magic
At will—dancing light, ghost sound (DC 13), bleed (DC 13), mage hand, true strike, summon swarm (spiders only), touch of fatigue (DC 13)
5/day—blink, ray of enfeeblement (DC 14), sleep (DC 14)
3/day—bestow curse (DC 17), deep slumber (DC 17), insect plague (mosquitoes swarm, tsetse flies swarm, or wasps swarm)
1/week—contagion (DC 17), symbol of sleep (DC 18)
Statistics
Str 1, Dex 21, Con —, Int 17, Wis 11, Cha 9
Base Atk +12; CMB +9; CMD 14 (22 against trip)
Feats Ability Focus (disease), Agile Maneuvers, Alertness, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflex, Skill Focus (Disguise), Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +20, Disguise +25, Fly +25, Knowledge (arcana) +16, Knowledge (religion) +16, Perception +20, Sense Motive +20, Spellcraft +21, Stealth +35
Languages Common, Southern, plus one additional language
SQ change shape (humanoid), witchy person
Ecology
Environment warm and tropical forests
Organization solitary
Treasure double (14,000 gp in gems and jewelry, including focus for magic jar, 5 doses of powdered diamond, and opals for symbol of sleep at 1,000 gp each)
Special Abilities
Captured (Su) Whenever an adze is captured while in tsetse fly form—with a mosquito net for instance—it immediately reverts to its human form. A captured adze cannot revert to its tsetse fly form until the end of its next turn. While in human form, the stats of an adze change as follow: AC 15, Str 11, Dex 13, Speed 30 ft., Climb 15 ft.; an adze cannot fly while in human form.
Change Shape (Su) An adze has but two forms. Its natural form is that of a tsetse fly, which emits light as a firefly, but it can also take the form of a human. An adze’s human form is fixed in accord with its gender—it cannot assume different human forms. The adze’s human form is always that of a frail and sickly subject. An adze can use its spell-like abilities in any of its forms. In its human form, an adze cannot use its bite attack, nor drain blood or its cold light attraction supernatural ability. An adze can shift between tsetse fly and human form as a move action. Equipment carried while in human form melds with the tsetse fly form.
Cold Light Fascination (Su) Every living creature standing within a 20-ft. radius of an adze become fascinated with the light-emitting organs on the adze’s abdomen. Targets may resist with a Will save DC 17.
Disease (Ex) Sleeping sickness: Bite—injury; save Fortitude DC 20; onset 3d10 days; frequency 1 day; effect 1d4 Wisdom damage, if more than 2 Wisdom damage, target must make an additional Fortitude save or be permanently fatigued; if more than 4 Wisdom damage, target must make an additional save or be permanently confused and fatigued; cure 3 consecutive saves
Light Sensitivity (Ex) An adze is dazzled in areas of bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
Swarm’s Charisma (Su) An adze’s Charisma is the same as if it were part of a tsetse fly swarm.
Witchy Person (Su) An adze can attempt to possess a humanoid only when it is in human form. This supernatural ability works exactly like magic jar. An adze often uses this power to spread discord among a populace or else to shed suspicions away from it by making the possessed subject pose as a witch that makes a liberal use of his/her newfound capabilities.
An adze is a vampiric undead with spell-like and supernatural abilities that feeds upon the weakest ones while spreading disease to further sap the strength of its victims. Under its natural form—that of a tsetse fly—an adze can freely enter inside any house, contrary to a common vampire that needs an invitation to do so. The adze can pass underneath closed doors to pay its visits, although it does so only during the night.
Many believe that there is no defense against an adze because many things that affect vampires are ineffective against such creature. Garlic, holy symbols, holy water, mirrors, direct sunlight (exception made due to the creature’s light sensitivity), silver, and running water are all useless. Magic is but the sole option to vanquish an adze, although such an accomplishment is far from being easy, for such undead possess uncanny resistance even when assaulted by spells.
