| Hit Dice: | 25d12 (162 hp) |
| Initiative: | +4 |
| Speed: | Fly 60 ft. (perfect) |
| Armor Class: | 16 (+2 size, +4 deflection), touch 16, flat-footed 16 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +12/— |
| Attack: | Incorporeal touch +14 melee (1d3 plus 1d4 Charisma damage) |
| Full Attack: | Incorporeal touch +14 melee (1d3 plus 1d4 Charisma damage) |
| Space/Reach: | 2½ ft./0 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Charisma damage, Charisma drain, dominate person |
| Special Qualities: | Incorporeal subtype, invest Charisma, spell resistance 27, undead traits |
| Saves: | Fort +8, Ref +10, Will +18 |
| Abilities: | Str —, Dex 11, Con —, Int 15, Wis 15, Cha 18 |
| Skills: | Balance +2, Bluff +19, Diplomacy +25, Escape Artist +23, Hide +26, Intimidate +6, Jump +2, Listen +22, Search +20, Sense Motive +20, Spot +22, Tumble +23 |
| Feats: | Ability Focus (dominate person), Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Quicken Spell-Like Ability |
| Environment: | Any land and underground |
| Organization: | Solitary or harim (1 plus 1 14th-level chosen one and 4–20 7th-level followers) |
| Challenge Rating: | 16 |
| Treasure: | Double standard |
| Alignment: | Usually lawful evil |
| Advancement: | 26–50 HD (Tiny) |
| Level Adjustment: | — |
The jahi is an incorporeal undead made of unfulfilled desires. It attacks by magically dominating its prey.
The jahi appears as a ghostly image of a serpentine, scaled worm with three elongated faces. Normally, it is found wrapped around the throat or chest of a creature it has selected to be its “chosen one.”
A jahi prefers to work behind the mask of its chosen one, letting the blame for any excesses fall upon the latter. Once it has a chosen one, the monster begins to accumulate a group of dominated followers, who form the nucleus of a debauched cult dedicated to the jahi’s worship. The creature feeds off the Charisma of these followers, all the while encouraging them to greater heights of hedonistic excess.
Jahis are sometimes encountered alone, but more often they have numerous enslaved individuals nearby. If encountered alone, the monster selects the individual with the most pleasing appearance as its chosen one. If it can successfully dominate that opponent, it drains his or her Charisma and replaces it with its own.
Charisma Damage (Su): Any creature hit by a jahi’s incorporeal touch attack takes 1d4 points of Charisma damage (or twice that amount on a critical hit). The jahi heals 5 points of damage (or 10 on a critical hit) whenever it deals Charisma damage.
Charisma Drain (Su): Each day, a jahi’s chosen one (if any) must make a Fortitude save (DC 26) or permanently lose 1d3 points of Charisma. The jahi heals 5 points of damage whenever it drains Charisma, gaining any excess as temporary hit points.
Dominate Person (Sp): Up to four times per day, a jahi can use dominate person (caster level 20th; save DC 20).
Invest Charisma (Ex): After draining all the Charisma from its chosen one, a jahi can automatically adhere to that creature (usually by wrapping around its throat or chest) and replace the lost Charisma with its own. While so invested, the creature uses the jahi’s Charisma for all Charisma-based checks. This investment lasts as long as the jahi and the chosen one are in physical contact. If seriously threatened, or if it decides to select another chosen one, the jahi detaches, removing the investment of its Charisma. At that point, the chosen one’s Charisma score falls to 0 and he or she becomes unconscious until at least 1 point of Charisma has been regained.
Source: Monster Manual II, page 130. This creature’s statistics block has been updated to version 3.5 as given in the D&D® V.3.5 Accessory Update for Monster Manual II.