Soulphage Vulture (3.5e Monster)/Soulphage Vulture Psychopomp

Soulphage Vulture Psychopomp

Soulphage Vulture Psychopomp

CR 13

	NE Huge Undead (Living Dead)
Init/Senses	+1/Darkvision 60 ft. (18 meters), Low-light Vision; Listen +8, Spot +11
Aura	Evil
Languages	Necril
AC	23, touch 16, flat-footed 20; partial incorporeality 20% miss chance (+1 Dex, +5 Natural Armor, +6 Deflection, -1 Size)
hp	150 (12d12+6 HD)
Immune	death effects, disease, energy drain, exhaustion, fatigue, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning
Fort/Ref/Will	+10/+5/+14
Speed	20 ft. (6 meters), fly 50 ft-15 meters (average)
Melee	beak+16/+10 (3d6+11, piercing) or
Melee	2 talons+14 (1d8+5, slashing) or
Melee	2 wings+14 (2d6+5, bludgeoning)
Ranged	soul regurgitation+6 (1d8 x soul HD, 30 ft-9 meters)
Space/Reach	15 ft./15 ft.
Base Atk/Grp	+6/+1/+19
Special Actions	Aura of Decay, Aura of Fear, Devour Soul, Improved Grab, Soul Regurgitation
Spell-Like Abilities	1—3/day animate dead 2—1/day create undead, entropic shield (30 min per HD - 360 min)
Abilities	Str 30, Dex 12, Con 22, Int 6, Wis 22, Cha 13
SQ	Animate Dead, Deathwatch, Partial Incorporeality, Shadow Extraction, Soulless
Feats	Aura of Decay, Flyby Attack, Multiattack, Phantasmal Wings, Shadow Extraction
Skills	Hide +4, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (religion) +4, Listen +8, Move Silently +5, Spellcraft +4, Spot +11 (+21 when using Deathwatch)
Advancement	—
Animate Dead (Sp)	Psychopomps may cast animate dead as a spell like ability three times per day, requiring the onyx as material component, but they can substitute it with 1 HD worth of soul that they have stored in themselves. When using the Shadow Extraction ability they don't need to have access to the corpse if they consume a soul to create the least shadow. They use their Wisdom modifier to determine their caster level for the purpose of the amount of animated undead they can control.
Aura of Decay (Su)	Everything within 10 ft. (3 meters) of a soulphage vulture seems to wither and rot. This is merely a subtle appearance, and has no effect on creatures, but the surroundings appear unhealthy and unclean. Animals do not naturally approach a soulphage vulture unless pushed or desperate. As a free action it can cause non-magical plants and food to die and rot over the course of 1 round of exposure to its aura. A soulphage vulture can also afflict creatures, preventing them from stabilizing or curing bleeding while in the aura. Even when not rotting objects, the visible unnatural presence can never be fully suppressed.
Aura of Fear (Su)	Psychopomps which activate their Aura of Decay ability may also force opponents in the aura to make a Will save (DC is 10 + 1/2 HD + Wis modifier + 1/2 HD worth of souls they have currently stored) or suffer the effects of the fear spell.
Create Undead (Sp)	Psychopomps may replicate the create undead spell as a spell-like abilities once per day, the same way they do to employ the animate dead ability. They only need the provide the onyx as material component, or souls (exchange 1 HD of the soul per 50 gp of onyx). They may use this ability to create ghouls or ghasts only, or shadows, as described on their Shadow Extraction feat.
Deathwatch (Ex)	Soulphage vultures are under a constant extraordinary deathwatch effect, with range limited only by their actual vision. In addition they can identify a creature's exact HD and hp totals as a swift action out to 60 ft. When using this ability they have a +10 racial bonus to Spot checks.
Devour Soul (Ex)	As a standard action touch attack, the soulphage vultures can consume the soul of a creature which has perished within 10 minutes, storing it within themselves. They automatically do this as a free action with no touch attack if they are the one who slew the creature. A devoured soul remains with the soulphage vulture's body and the creature cannot be revived by anything short of true resurrection, miracle, wish, or a limited wish to release the soul followed by any valid revival attempt. Soulphage vultures may store souls in their body up to their HD or the HD of the creature of the absorbed soul, whichever is lower. Soulphage vultures eventually digest their souls, rendering recovery nearly impossible short of miracle or wish to restore the soul itself. When they have devoured a soul, soulphage vultures may decide to consume a soul immediately (free action) to heal themselves by 1d6 per HD of the consumed soul. Excessive healing transforms into temporary hit points that last one minute per Wisdom modifier (these temporary hit points don't stack together).
Improved Grab (Ex)	Psychopomps have the Improved Grab ability which they can use if they connect with at least one claw attack.
Partial Incorporeality (Su)	Psychopomps are able to pass through solid objects much like a creature with the Incorporeal Subtype, however doing so cost two additional squares of movement. Unlike a creature with the Incorporeal Subtype, soulphage vulture psychopomps are still subject to gravity but falls at half speed and takes half fall damage. Unlike an Incorporeal creature, they must end their turn in a space they could occupy while corporeal, otherwise they are shunted to the nearest legal space available and take 1d6 damage. They possess a 40% miss chance against mundane attacks. This is bypassed by any effects which would bypass the miss chance of an incorporeal creature. This ability can be suppressed or resumed as a free action.
Shadow Extraction (Ex)	Psychopomps may create least shadows, along with skeletons and zombies, with animate dead.
Spirit Plumage (Ex)	Soulphages vultures imbue their feathers with the strength of souls, adding their Wisdom modifier to their AC as a deflection bonus. This effect extends to their natural weapons, which are treated as if having the ghost touch property, and count as magical. Now their natural weapons inflict half damage as negative energy.
Soul Regurgitation (Su)	As a standard action, a soulphage vulture may eject one stored soul from its body as a ranged touch attack with 30 ft. (9 meters) of range that deals 1d8 of damage to the target per each HD the soul has. They may eject more souls with the same action up to the HD limit. The ejected soul, or souls, is then freed. Soulphage vulture psychopomps usually have 1d6+3 (minimum 4) souls already stored within themselves. This attack doesn't suffer from the miss chance associated with incorporeal and ethereal creatures.
Soulless (Ex)	Soulphage vultures have no souls themselves, and thus are immune to any effect which would transfer their soul elsewhere or possess the soulphage vulture (even through magic jar).

Strategies and Tactics

Soulphages vultures psychopomps have increased their size and power by accumulating even more souls and dark knowledge. As their stregth is increased they have grown bolder and more cunning. They now can control a very large number of undead to do their bidding. They usually approach combat as commanders rather than front-line warriors, gazing over the battlefield from the sky, waiting for their opportunity to strike weakened opponents and to animate them as undead. In any case they employ their usual tactics, if needed. Against flying opponents they try to dominate them through their huge size and with the help of flying shadows.

Ecology

Environment:

Soulphage vultures live in any open environment where creatures die often, mainly deserted places (both hot and cold) and mountains, or mystical locations where death usually occurs. Psychopomps are very often associated with powerful necromancers and may live together with them. Some very commanding individuals have even started their own necromantic school.

Typical Physical Characteristics:

They resemble vultures, with feathers going from brown to grey to black, their heads naked and white, with skull-like markings, and black feet with metallic-looking talons. Their heads are covered by a misty hood-like aura. They also have a collar of ethereal, light blue plumes, which are present even on the edge of their wings and tail. These plumes release a faint mist when the creature is healthy and well fed. Psychopomps are larger and more imposing than normal soulphage vultures, often have a small bag tied somewhere to bring onyx along, and their misty plumage makes them partially ethereal in appereance and substance. They also sport bones glued with blood to their feathers, a way to appear more intimidating and to channel necrotic energy. They usually wear a periapt of wisdom.

Alignment:

Always neutral evil.

Lore

Their origin is currently uncertain, but scholars believe them to be natural vultures corrupted by necromantic energy, gathered by eating undead meat. Some clerics and religious figures believe them to be avatar or messengers of gods of death, whether they believe this to be for the better or not. They feed on the soulforce of the dying or those that are just dead. Where the souls they absorb go is debated: some think they utterly consume them while others say that only a fraction of the spirit is devoured and the soul is allowed to go to their afterlife. Some cultures consider them to be psychopomp animals, needed for the spirits to travel to the land of the dead.

Due to their habit of using undead these creatures are even less accepted than their lesser form, and are often hunted by local enforcement corps and adventurers on commission. Where they are revered, due to worship or fear, they may manage to establish a parasitic relationship with the community, preying on their dead while keeping the living trapped by their undead.

Society

They live solitary lives for the most part, but their search for souls makes them often come together, usually resulting in temporary alliances. Some of these unions may last longer, if their participants are willing. They can speak but they aren't very talkative.

These advanced soulphage vultures usually prefer to stay alone, but particularly ambitious specimens may decide to gather smaller vultures as subordinates or even ally between themselves, but usually in group of no more than two or three.

They always bring some undead (whether shadows, ghasts, ghouls, skeletons or zombies) along with them. The only time you see them without is when they have lost a battle.

Typical Treasure

They bring along a bag with 2d8+4 of onyx, worth 50 gp each, which they use for their necromantic arts. Corporeal undead that follow them usually have their typical loot. The also wear a periapt of wisdom +4, to increase their defenses and ability to control undead.