This creature comes from English and Scandinavian folklore and the lore on it can be a touch conflicting at times, but I went for what seemed to be the most popular interpretation. Gonna ahead and walk through the graveyard without fear - for the church grim is here!
The church grim is a creature from folklore that supposedly arose when people would be a dead animal in the first grave of a new graveyard. The spirit of that animal would then linger and protect the bodies and spirits of those within the graveyard. This concept gave me a chance to do something not seen too often - a LG undead. I looked carefully to make sure I wasn't overtuning the incorporeal creature's AC or hp, and I think he turned out nicely. As a creature whose origins are somewhat divine and is designed to hunt undead, I decided to give him Immunity to positive energy. Tied to the Grave is an ability lifted straight from the gravebound, an undead that I've used in some of my games. The Purifying Bite's ability to inflict positive energy damage instead of force might not be necessary since there isn't much that resists force damage, but I think it's a nice touch. Also, I made sure not to go too crazy with the damage since it is force damage. I knew that I wanted this thing to have some sort of defensive ability but wasn't sure of the exact nature that I wanted until I landed on Warding Bark. The only thing I might change on it is the duration, which feels somewhat low.
Pathfinder 1e Version:
When it came to making the lawful good boy for PF2e, I didn't feel the need to give him too much more. I did want to give him something to do with his third action instead of attack uselessly, so I decided to give him Knockdown. Beyond that, it was a pretty straight transfer to 2e. One thing I'm never sure on is the right traits for the different abilities so I hope those all look right.
Pathfinder 2e Version:
Blue's D&D 5e Version (https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/XSVlrnPq)
ENCOUNTER HOOKS
Graveyard Smash: While not wholly evil, the heroes are less than scrupulous and when hired to break into a noble mausoleum and take an important item off his corpse, they accept. The moment they first strike at the door of the mausoleum, an unearthly howl echoes through the graveyard. If they persist, the church grim emerges from the soil and attacks the trespassers and defilers. Even if the heroes are working for an ostensibly good reason, the church grim is bound to protect the graveyard and the corpses within. It valiantly battles against them until they cease their activities, abscond beyond its range with whatever they came for, and slay the noble creature.
Bad to the Bone: Something went wrong in the ritual to create the new graveyard's church grim. The risen beast is an evil creature that attacks civilians, raises the dead, and otherwise menaces any who draw near. The heroes are tasked with guarding the gravediggers shoveling out the grave to reveal if some dark component was added that made the grim turn. As they do, they are beset by undead the grim created before it attacks them itself. If the heroes hold out long enough, they can attempt a Religion check to see what was wrong with the ritual themselves and try to correct it or send for a priest to fix it. After the grim is restored to its original purpose and no longer being perverted by outside forces, the heroes have a new investigation to pursue - who profaned the ritual to create the church grim?
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