Madness-related monsters in Pathfinder

[Gwaednerth]

Too long didn't read: I need some monsters that have an association with madness or madness-related abilities for a dungeon. Monsters that aren't insanity-related with interesting fluff/roleplay suggestions to make them insanity-related are also welcome.

Long version: In the campaign I'm writing, the basic plot is that the heroes are racing against cultists to recover magic rings from four dungeons, each of which is a symbolic crypt of the guy responsible for the apocalyptic event that shaped the world as they know it. The second crypt is the mind crypt, and it symbolises both the fact that Dr. Huxley was a genius and the tragedy of his descent into madness. The whole building is a giant, geometrically impossible maze/puzzle and the final room is supposed to have a guardian. I have a few thoughts bouncing around, but nothing I quite like.

[the_david]

Do you want the monsters to be insane (Derro), or do you want them to cause insanity? (Lovecraftian horrors)
Do you have a CR you're aiming for?

Dr. Huxley sounds like a Deep One (Hybrid). I think that would fit the story nicely, but I don't know if that would fit in when it comes to CR. (Well, the Elder Deep One anyway.)
You should really read the Shadow over Innsmouth. It's a story about a Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fthagn! Ph'nglui mglw'nfah Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

[Elysiume]

There's the Dark Tapestry mystery for Oracles, which has some madness-related fluff. Unfortunately, I've found there's an overall lack of Dark Tapestry material around, so there's not much to work with on top of the mystery itself, if you go that route.

[Gwaednerth]

Do you want the monsters to be insane (Derro), or do you want them to cause insanity? (Lovecraftian horrors)
Do you have a CR you're aiming for?

Dr. Huxley sounds like a Deep One (Hybrid). I think that would fit the story nicely, but I don't know if that would fit in when it comes to CR. (Well, the Elder Deep One anyway.)
You should really read the Shadow over Innsmouth. It's a story about a Ia! Ia! Cthulhu Fthagn! Ph'nglui mglw'nfah Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!

I'm thinking more on the cause insanity spectrum, and something lovecraftian definitely fits. I haven't fully decided on character levels yet, but it's going to be high level.

[Gwaednerth]

There's the Dark Tapestry mystery for Oracles, which has some madness-related fluff. Unfortunately, I've found there's an overall lack of Dark Tapestry material around, so there's not much to work with on top of the mystery itself, if you go that route.

Thanks, I'll look into it!

[the_david]

I'm thinking more on the cause insanity spectrum, and something lovecraftian definitely fits. I haven't fully decided on character levels yet, but it's going to be high level.

Oh, the Elder Deep One is CR14, but you could always manipulate the CR by adding minions, templates etc.

[Schattenbach]

Shoggoths (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/bestiary/shoggoth.html) might fit in reasonably well?

Otherwise, using Fey or adapting DnD 3.5 stuff (like the Pseudonatural Creature Template (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/pseudonaturalCreature.htm) or some weakened Uvuudaum (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/uvuudaum.htm) or some weakened Gibbering Orb (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/gibberingOrb.htm)) might also work as some fine - athough somewhat nasty - boss encounters?

[Florian]

Tough topic. Basic PF is not soooo good with insanity, while Occult Adventures and Horror Adventures are packed to the rim with fitting spells, actual sanity rules and effects like cursed earth or corruptions.
So it´s a bit of a question if you actually want to go there and use the concrete rules, as it will influence what advice to give you on this.

[Sayt]

Seugathi (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/aberrations/seugathi/) have the wonderful combination of Aura of Confusion, 1/day Mind Fog, and Confusion Command, as well as a poison bite which causes wisdom loss.

[Geigan]

Might want to consider stealing some ideas from the Strange Aeons AP if you can track it down. Dark Tapestry content is prevalent throughout, and there's a ton of monsters and other ideas that would probably make some good content to cannibalize for one's own needs. I'm still playing it in our group and there have been plenty of monsters that have spooked us, both in terms of RP and mechanical nastiness.

[Dingoman]

Dragon Magazine #330 has some good Far Realm related stuff, including monsters like Cranial Encysters and Kaortic Hulk AND ideas on porting other existing D&D monsters into a Far Realms themed campaign. See the table "Other Denziens of the Marrow" on p. 24 of that issue.

[Bohandas]

Pathfinder I'm not sure of but madness related monsters in D&D 3.5 include:

Obryiths, a class of ancient demons who share the ability to cause people to go insane
Loumaras, a class of demons that share the ability to posess people
Quori, a class of fiends from the plane of dreams
Gibbering Mouthers, are crazy and cause confusion in others
Allips, are insane undead spirits
Phthisic, are material incarnations of paranoid fears
Phantasmal Slayers scare people to death
Dream Larva also scare people to death
Tainted Ravers are people who have been driven violently insane by exposure to dark magic
Sorrowsworn Demons and Whisper Demons both have abilities that let them get into people's heads and make them kooky

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Geigan
I'm still playing it in our group and there have been plenty of monsters that have spooked us, both in terms of RP and mechanical nastiness.

Which monsters from Strange Aeons spooked you the most?

[Geigan]

Which monsters from Strange Aeons spooked you the most?
Still playing this one so I can't comment on all of the module (only up to book 3). Additionally some of the more effectively used ones weren't necessarily exclusive to the module, though I imagine there's plenty of material to steal for those that can/care to get their hands on it.

-One that got one of my group pretty well was the Nightgaunt, at least until later levels. GM played the thing like a stalker in the early levels. Particularly followed around one player. There when he opened a window, jumped out of the fog at the worst possible times, tried to carry him off and tickle him to death. Stuff like that. We all still make jokes about the "tickle monster" coming to get him that make him shiver.

-Unique to the module is the Tatterman. The kind of **** this guy gets up to in the first module is pretty effective at putting you on your back foot, though that might be the more the general screwed up nature of the situation you land in during the first module. It does a lot of work to build up this guy specifically.

-Hounds of Tindalos were pretty nasty. Their ability to teleport in and out of combat from round to round was devastating when used to full effect, and they have the capability to track you down to anywhere. Discern Location 3/day? They'll find you no matter where you are. Only temporary reprieve is some random field in the middle of nowhere, and hope they can't teleport up and then just walk close enough while you're sleeping.

-Definitely unique to the module as our GM told us, the Keeper of the Yellow Sign is a giant walking **** move carrying around a Yellow Sign and on hit negative levels in a relatively closed room. If I hadn't been the last person to walk in and a Telepath Psion to fight the dominate person on our own group via mind controlling one of the mook worshippers of Hastur, we would have been wiped.

-Animate Dreams, Nasty things. Incorporeal, SR, confusion SLA, and plenty else to drive you nuts. We ran into a single advanced version of one of these as our first incorporeal encounter for the campaign, and we almost got wiped by it alone. Mind you, we didn't have incorporeal preparations yet, but battlefield control and conditions being thrown down on the entire party make it devastating regardless.

-The Feargaunt did a number on us quite recently, hitting me with frightened long enough to keep me out of an entire encounter while my group was getting their ass handed to them by a completely seperate set of enemies that they really needed my help with. If we hadn't been in the plane of dreams it would have been TPK.