Darksign Undead (3.5e Template)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: 4-9-13 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Darksign Undead

Undead associated with the rise of the elder evil known as the Dark Lord, these undead crave their lost humanity. They can harvest it from others, granting back their life for a brief time...

The circumstances of these undead are not well understood, but it is known that those marked with the "darksign" would become undead upon death, continuing to persist in a zombie-like state. Unlike normal zombies, they not only retain their speed and intelligence, but they are granted with a true immortality which would bring them back from the dead from places known as pyres. Pyres, everburning firepits created through obscure means, serve as a spawning point for darksign undead to return to the world of the living. If the pyres go out, the darksign undead will be unable to return and be lost between worlds for all eternity.

This template relies on the existence of pyres. If not provided by the game setting, a pyre can be created in a ritual which costs 3,000 gp and lasts for 8 hours. This generates a eternally burning fire which darksign undead can spawn anywhere within 20 feet of, and who can allow darksign undead to rest and heal within 20 feet. Pyre creation can be done by any darksign undead, or a spellcaster of at least 11th caster level.

Creating a Darksign Undead

This template is typically inherited, but the sign may not reveal itself until the moment of the creature's death. In addition its said it may be possible to acquire it, though the means are obscure and certainly occult. The darksign undead template may be added to any corporeal creature (other than an undead) that has a skeletal system (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

Size and Type

The creature's type changes to Undead, retaining its subtypes.

Hit Dice

Do not change any HD, BAB, or saves. Instead, any functions that ran off Constitution now run off Charisma instead, including hp, fortitude saves, breath weapon DCs, and Concentration checks.

Special Attacks

Absorb Humanity (Su): The darksign undead has an aura out to 30 ft which allows them to absorb the souls of those who die around them. These souls give "humanity", which the darksign undead can collect and consume as if it were 1 day worth of food. Alternatively, they can sacrifice humanity at pyres with their restore humanity ability to gain living traits again. Darksign undead "eat" souls in this method, though eating a soul does not destroy it or prevent it from being resurrected or otherwise bound.

A darksign undead can only benefit from the souls of creatures of enough strength. This ability only works on creatures of a CR equal to the darksign undead's CR -5 or greater. Each soul gives 1 humanity regardless of strength.

Special Qualities

Darkvision (Ex): Gain darkvision out to 60 ft.

Hollowing (Ex): A darksign undead can retain its mind, sanity, and alignment... usually. Darksign undead crave humanity and if they go longer than 3 days without feeding, they "hollow out". Each day they must make a Will save DC 15, with an increasing +2 each day, or go mad with hunger. They lose the living soul ability and become feral and violent, gain immunity to mind-affecting effects, and seek to hunt the living for precious souls. In this feral state, if they are killed they will not respawn at a pyre, making this a vulnerable time for the undead.

Living Soul (Ex): A darksign undead still has its mind and soul. As a result, they are not immune to mind affecting effects or morale bonuses and penalties. They can be affected by abilities which affect the soul.

Partial-Undead Traits (Ex): As an undead creature, the darksign undead is immune to ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, death from massive damage, non-lethal damage, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects. They remain vulnerable to critical hits and sneak attacks, but gain 25% fortification. They are also capable of becoming exhausted, fatigued, and poisoned as their undead biology can still be depleted or disrupted of motivating energy. As an undead, they are healed by negative energy, and injured by positive energy. They do not recover hp naturally from resting, unless they are resting at a pyre.

Restore Humanity (Su): When a darksign undead is at one of the pyres, it can sacrifice 1 humanity. If it does, it is restored to life, though it continues to benefit from the undead traits of this template. A restored darksign undead need not worry about going hollow and can persist in this form indefinitely. It can be healed by both positive and negative energy and may count as either living or undead whenever beneficial. Finally, the darksign undead gains their Charisma modifier as a morale bonus to saving throws, but only while restored. If the darksign undead dies, their restored humanity is lost and they return to being undead.

Return to Pyre (Su): When a darksign undead is destroyed, its body and items disintegrate into ash and it respawns at the last pyre it has rested at in 1d10 days (or the closest one if they have never encountered one, or the last one has been destroyed). A darksign undead which has gone hollow does not respawn, and is truly dead when it is killed. Respawned darksign undead lose all humanity when respawned and must quickly find more or become hollowed.

Turn Resistance (Ex): The darksign undead has a turn resistance of +4.

Abilities

Con -, Cha +2.

Skills

Unchanged, and skills are kept even when hollow.

Feats

Unchanged, and feats are kept even when hollow.

Challenge Rating

+2.

Alignment

Any, or Always Chaotic Evil when hollow.

Level Adjustment

+2

Example Creature

	Hollow Undead Warrior (Warrior 1)	Hollow Torch Undead	Hollow Baller Knight (Fighter 4)
Size/Type:	Medium Undead (Human)	Medium Undead (Human)	Medium Undead (Human)
Hit Dice:	1d10+2 (7 hp)	1d8+2 (6 hp)	4d10+12 (34 hp)
Initiative:	+2	+2	+3
Speed:	30 ft	40 ft	20 ft in breastplate; base speed 30 ft
Armor Class:	17 (+4 chain shirt, +2 dex, +1 light wooden shield), touch 12, flat-footed 15	12 (+2 dex), touch 12, flat-footed 10	20 (+5 half-plate, +3 dex, +2 heavy steel shield), touch 13, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple:	+1/+3	+0/+1	+4/+7
Attack:	Longsword +4 melee (1d8+2, 19-20/x2) or Light Crossbow +3 ranged (1d8, 19-20/x2)	Torch +2 melee (1d3 plus 1 fire, 20/x2)	Mwk Longsword +9 melee (1d8+3, 19-20/x2) or Mwk Shield Bash +8 melee (1d4+3, 20/x2) or Mwk Rapier +8 melee (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
Full Attack:	Longsword +4 melee (1d8+2, 19-20/x2) or Light Crossbow +3 ranged (1d8, 19-20/x2)	Torch +2 melee (1d3 plus 1 fire, 20/x2)	Mwk Longsword +9 melee (1d8+3, 19-20/x2) and Mwk Shield Bash +8 melee (1d4+3, 20/x2) or Mwk Rapier +8 melee (1d6+3, 18-20/x2)
Space/Reach:	5 ft/5 ft	5 ft/5 ft	5 ft/5 ft
Special Attacks:	-	Berserk Rush	Defensive Stance, Offensive Stance
Special Qualities:	Darkvision 60 ft, Darksign Undead Traits, Fortification 25%, Hollowed, Turn Resistance +4	Darkvision 60 ft, Darksign Undead Traits, Fortification 25%, Great Leap, Hollowed, Turn Resistance +4	Darkvision 60 ft, Darksign Undead Traits, Fortification 25%, Hollowed, Turn Resistance +4
Saves:	Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +1	Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +2	Fort +7, Ref +2, Will +2
Abilities:	Str 15, Dex 14, Con -, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 15	Str 13, Dex 15, Con -, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 14	Str 16, Dex 13, Con -, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 16
Skills:	Jump +6, Tumble +6	Climb +5, Jump +10, Tumble +6	Balance +8, Bluff +10, Intimidate +10, Listen +8
Feats:	Weapon Focus (longsword)B, Power Attack	Weapon Focus (Torch)B, Run	Weapon Focus (longsword)B, Power Attack, Combat Reflexes, Combat Expertise, Improved Shield Bash, Improved Feint
Environment:	Any	Any	Any
Organization:	Solitary or Troop (2-6)	Solitary, Group (2-3), or Horde (4-12)	Solitary or Troop (2-6)
Challenge Rating:	1	1	4
Treasure:	Standard	Torch	Standard
Alignment:	Often Neutral Evil	Often Neutral Evil	Often Neutral Evil
Advancement:	By character class	By character class	By character class
Level Adjustment:	-	-	-

The undead warrior moved as he did in life, just as nimble and dangerous without a hint of the usual zombie slowness. Its eyes burn with madness and the need to take your life and make it his own.

Hollowed out darksign undead, the following are semi-special hollows with a few more tricks than the standard hollow. They are all generally weak, but torch hollows have known to deal surprising amounts of burst damage and the knights are well protected in their breastplate armor. All the above hollows are presumed humanoids, but darksign undead don't differ between humanoid species.

Hollow warriors make up the conscripts and generic warriors and guardsmen. Torch hollows meanwhile wear no armor and seem weaker. For the most part, they are. However they are absolutely deadly with a torch in hand, and were created from the rioting commonfolk in the days before their turning. At last, the baller knights were once proud soldiers to a kingdom known as "Baller" but they too fell to the curse. They retain their fighting prowess, and are the most well equipped of the mooks.

All of the above hollowed undead have long lost their last humanity. When they die, they will die for good. They are attracted to the living in an effort to gain humanity through their deaths, but they barely remember how, that is how far gone they are.

Combat

Though feral and insane, the hollow warrior, torch hollow, and baller knight all retain some semblence of tactics. The warrior fights as well as any NPC, while the torch hollow often hangs back and looks for an opportunity to come charging in and getting in one deadly hit. The baller knights are usually defensive, parrying attacks and making vicious counterattacks. They can be persistant pursuers if they believe they have the advantage and the enemy is running.

Hollow warriors typically are equipped with a longsword, longspear, or battleaxe, and a light wooden shield. They also pack crossbows and alchemical items such as alchemist fire.

Baller knights typically use either a longsword and heavy steel shield, or they go with a buckler and a rapier.

Berserk Rush (Ex): The true reason torch hollows are so feared is not for their strength or their ability to use a torch as a weapon, but their berserk rush. As a full attack action they make charge an opponent. If they hit, they get another attack at -2. If it hits, they get another attack at -4, -6, and so forth until they miss. Fortunately they must wait at least 1d4 rounds before trying this again.

Great Leap (Ex): A torch hollow can use it's Dexterity instead of its strength for Jump checks, and always counts as having a running start.

Defensive Stance (Ex): A baller knight can take a defensive stance as a swift action where they ready their weapon to parry. Attacking a baller knight in defensive stance triggers an attack of opportunity. All of its attack rolls take a -2 penalty, except for attacks of opportunity. The stance acts like a martial maneuver, and lasts until it changes stances.

Offensive Stance (Ex): A baller knight can take an offensive stance as a swift action where they attack aggressively. In offensive stance they gain an extra attack at -5 on a full attack. This does stack with haste, unlike most extra attacks. The stance acts like a martial maneuver, and lasts until it changes stances.

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