The world of Golarion is absolutely chock-full of nasty beasties and awesome creatures to populate a Pathfinder adventure. Many of these are pulled straight from the Bestiaries, useful creature compendiums that are crucial reading for GMs and the lore-hungry.
But there are plenty of creatures introduced in some of Paizo's other materials, whether they be standalone one-shots or the long-running adventure paths. While players can face a huge range of creatures, it's only natural that some eager adventurers will only want to face the strongest monstrosities. As a result of each of these creatures originating from the Pathfinder 2E Adventure Paths, readers should be wary of potential spoilers for the Agents of Edgewatch, Extinction Curse, and Age of Ashes adventures.
Updated November 27, 2021 by Ryan Bamsey: As Paizo releases more and more adventures for Pathfinder's second edition, there will inevitably be more very dangerous monsters created for the purposes of really testing players. We've added some of the new ones - readers should now be wary of spoilers for Fists of the Ruby Phoenix and Night of the Gray Death adventures.
15 Agrademon
Also known as Conflagration Daemons, Agrademons originate from the Neutral Evil plane of Abaddon. As its name suggests, it's a creature that loves to wield the powers of fire, and its half-lion, half-spider appearance is enough to unsettle any adventurer.
As a Level 19 creature, the Agrademon can be quite the opponent for even the toughest band of adventurers. Not only can they cast the fiery volcanic eruption spell but it produces enough ashy smoke that without magical intervention players can suffocate just by being near one.
Found in: Agents of Edgewatch: Ruins of the Radiant Siege
14 Nenchuuj
A truly horrifying creature that looks like it was ripped straight out of Doctor Who, the Nenchuuj is a representation of the fear of magic going wrong. The nenchuujes are sahkils, unsettling entities that represent fears and stalk mortals through the ethereal plane — not a fun opponent.
By far the most threatening power that the nenchuuj possesses is its ability to distort the magic used against it. With a successful check, the bleak enemy can redirect a spellcaster's spells — mages need to be wary when facing off against this brute.
Found in: Agents of Edgewatch: Ruins of the Radiant Siege
13 Gray Death
The land of Galt has a legion of executioners known as the Gray Gardeners. They wield terrible blades that harvest the souls of those whose lives they take, a pretty grim prospect in its own right. However, once the blade becomes full, a Gray Death is born.
These spectral horrors are powerful Level 20 monsters with the ability to attack at a long range of 100 feet, paralyze or even drain your PCs, and potentially possess your character and make them turn against their allies. It makes for a terrifying opponent and a fitting capstone to a gothic horror like its source material.
Found in: Night of the Gray Death
12 Sthira
Yet another undead on a list full of them, Sthira are created when intrepid hikers and travelers perish on the icy peaks of a mountain. They rise from their resting place with fury at being denied a proper burial and are ghastly sights.
These icy creatures aren't simply buff zombies - they can cast incredibly powerful cold spells like Polar Ray and Massacre. Their most frightening ability is that of raising their victims as yet another Sthira provided they died whilst sustaining persistent cold damage. And oh, look, they have an aura that inflicts persistent cold damage. Chilling.
Found in: Fists of the Ruby Phoenix: King of the Mountain
11 Izfiitar
Proteans originate from the Maelstrom, a whirling and mystical plane aligned with Chaotic Neutrality. The Izfiitars are one of the most powerful Proteans to inhabit the world of Pathfinder, at a staggering Level 20 and with an imposing reptilian appearance to match.
Able to fly and swim, environmental hazards are nothing to an izfiitar — and it can turn this on its enemies by making them believe that they are suffering any adverse terrain they wish, like quicksand. This will make it hard to keep away from its devastating melee attacks — and even then the beast can cast powerful spells like massacre and baleful polymorph.
Found in: Agents of Edgewatch: Ruins of the Radiant Siege
10 Clockwork Amalgam
Definitely one for the players who like a bit of steampunk in their adventures, the Clockwork Amalgam is a mindless construct with limitless capabilities. No amalgam is the same as each is made up of many different clockwork entities so a creative GM can use its stat block for almost anything — as long as it is made out of gears, steam and enough power to take on some powerful PCs.
While the machine can dish out some terrifyingly strong physical strikes, it does need to be wound up to work. Something of a disadvantage, that.
Found in: Agents of Edgewatch: Belly of the Black Whale
9 Vazgorlu
Insect-haters beware, this creepy crawly is as dangerous as it is gross. While a player may hope that they are encountering another simple oversized bug that needs squashing, the vazgorlu is actually a dimension-hopping predator with its own small demiplane and plane walking abilities.
One of its most devious stratagems is to swap places with another creature just as it's about to be struck by an attack. Players may end up striking their allies unwittingly — it's an occupational hazard when hunting a vazgorlu.
Found in: Age of Ashes: Broken Promises
8 Conqueror Worm
Conqueror Worms are about as evil as it's possible to get. They are incredibly powerful creatures with a great command over magic and use that proficiency to influence entire nations and societies. They do this by commanding leaders and figureheads, orchestrating wars, plagues, and rebellions for its own sick glee.
In a straight-up fight, the Worm is just as terrifying. It can cast a whole bevy of powerful offensive and utility spells, walk on the air, discharge acid over a large area, teleport any of its telepathically-controlled minions to the battlefield, or even just swallow your PC whole. You cannot predict what the Worm's next move will be.
Found in: Night of the Gray Death
7 Lophiithu
If you weren't scared of open waters before encountering a Lophiithu, you will be soon after. This aquatic aberration is an extraplanar monster many times larger than most anything you'd find in one of our oceans.
They're rather like angler fish if angler fish swallowed their prey whole and transported them to an entirely separate plane of existence to digest them. So, not really like angler fish at all - but they do use their lures offensively, and they hit hard.
Found in: Fists of the Ruby Phoenix: King of the Mountain
6 Spirit Turtle
As a rare good-aligned monster, this benevolent fey likes to heal those in need and reward those who earn it. It seems that historically, these gentle giants were so pestered by mortals that the vast majority of them simply retreated to the First World for some peace and quiet, which is very relatable.
If you were to cross a Spirit Turtle, however, you'd be on the receiving end of some incredibly powerful foot smashes. They can even alter their attacks to inflict elemental damage thanks to their attunement to nature - and they're intelligent enough to use that to their advantage.
Found in: Fists of the Ruby Phoenix: King of the Mountain
5 Iffdahsil
What happens when a cosmic horror right out of Lovecraft manages to die and then rise up as one of the undead? Well, one such entity is the Iffdahsil! It is a horrific amalgam of nightmares that rose from the body of a dead Shoggoth and stands at a whopping Level 21.
Some forethought is required when it comes to killing off this monster, as it is functionally immortal. To be killed, Iffdahsil must be brought down to 0 Hit Points and then exposed to a direct burst of sunlight while also casting miracle or wish. It'll take some doing, but most would agree that it's worth the effort.
Found in: Extinction Curse: Lord of the Black Sands
4 Baatamidar
Any creature that can force the armies of good and the armies of evil to join up to defeat it is one worth being wary of. The baatamidar is one such creature. These creatures roam the Maelstrom just like the izfiitars but actively seek to destroy communities with their immense power.
It may do this most effectively with its Unrelativity Field which expands for an entire mile from the baatamidar's body and causes affected creatures to become utterly baffled. They cannot understand communication, no longer recognize rank or authority, and are just useless socially.
Found in: Agents of Edgewatch: Ruins of the Radiant Siege
3 Rhevanna
Rhevannas are nasty fiends that feast on celestials and feel nothing but hate for the good-aligned — especially angels, who make for their favored meals. One very distinguishing feature of a rhevanna is its sinister shadow, which takes the form of its last angelic meal and can put a fright into the heart of any PC.
Despite this, these creatures may make for tempting targets. They are known to carry extremely valuable black sapphires and while they will be a tough enemy to take down at Level 22, a well-prepared party should expect to make a nice profit. If they survive, of course.
Found in: Agents of Edgewatch: Ruins of the Radiant Siege
2 Dragonshard Guardian
This beautiful creature was created by Mengkare, an ancient gold dragon who plays a central role in the last acts of the Age of Ashes adventure path. It will be set upon players who venture into the Citadel archives without authorization and can make for a thrilling encounter.
While it acts as a glorified librarian with a penchant for fire breath in that adventure, it's a valuable addition to the annals of Pathfinder lore as a high-level creature that doesn't look like something out of a nightmare.
Found in: Age of Ashes: Broken Promises
1 Tarrasque, The Armageddon Engine
One heck of a title, right? Tarrasque is one of Rovagug's spawn, and players familiar with Pathfinder lore will know why it's such a threat (at a massive Level 25). As the spawn of the chaotic evil god of 'the destruction of all things,' it's plain to see that the Tarrasque is a name to run away from quickly.
With immense regeneration powers, immunity to so many spells and ability effects, and a penchant for just straight-up swallowing its foes, one has to consider that perhaps adventuring is a profession better handled by other people. Good luck to any Pathfinder brave enough to face it.
Found in: Age of Ashes: Broken Promises