Athanatos
2006-08-26, 01:51 AM
Jenna sobbed uncontrollably into her pillow, her body shaking. Another argument with Garrett… the third one this week. What had gotten into that man? Jenna knew that her husband had always had a bit of a temper problem, but everything she did this week caused his temper to flare. He had come within inches of taking a swing at her this time, and she was honestly beginning to fear for her safety. Normally she could rely on her son Morgan to intervene on her half if Garrett looked to be losing his temper, but he too had recently turned against her. And it wasn’t that he was merely taking his father’s side: he lashed out at both of them equally. It was possible that he was just experiencing teenage angst… but it just seemed too malevolent. As Jenna lie on her bed, wiping away the streams of tears, she slowly came to the realization that no matter how much she tried to deny it, she was beginning to hate them too.
A creak at the door. Whirling around to see the cause, Jenna saw her nine-year-old daughter Hanna. The slender, beautiful girl had not taken this sudden burst of family infighting well. Though she seemed to be the only member of the family that wasn’t screaming their lungs out at all hours of the day, her normally cheerful and curious demeanor had faded. Her delicate featured were now fixed in a severe frown, and she rarely spoke. Hanna never played with her friends from around the neighborhood anymore… just watched. Watched the domestic wreckage silently, unflinchingly. It couldn’t be good for her, it would scar her for sure. “Don’t you worry about me, angel”, said Jenna in a trembling tone, wiping away the tears from her eyes and forcing a smile. As she walked over to embrace her silent daughter, she whispered “Everything’s going to be fine, we’ll all be happy soon”.
If Jenna had looked at her daughter’s face that instant, she would have seen that for once, Hanna’s features were not in a bitter frown.
They were in a wicked, hateful smile.
Wrathling
Size/Type: Small Fey
Hit Dice: 3d6+3 (13 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-1
Attack: Claw +5 melee (1d3+2 plus poison)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +5 melee (1d3+2 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Aura of Hatred, Extract Memories, Rage, Poison, Spell-Like Abilities
Special Qualities: Absorb Hate, Change Shape, DR 5/Magic or Cold Iron, Low-Light Vision
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 13
Skills: Bluff +11, Disguise +11, Hide +12, Jump +8, Move Silently +8, Spot +6
Feats: Ability Focus (Aura of Hatred), Improved Initiative
Environment: Any Urban
Organization: Solitary or Gang (3-6)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually Neutral Evil
Advancement: 4-5 HD (Small)
The creature before you is a hunchbacked, emaciated humanoid. Deathly pale and rail-thin, its arms and legs are of exaggerated length, and end with long, needle-like claws. A row of spines runs down the creature’s back, from its head to its long, swishing tail. The beast’s face is a mask of uninhibited rage, contorted and spiteful. Its enraged violet eyes are of particular notice.
Wrathlings are spiteful, malevolent fey that exist to see meaningless fury and antagonism spread. Inherently hateful, these creatures only barely tolerate their own kind, and even then only so out of a begrudged sense of mutual interests. Wrathlings grow strong off of negative emotions, and only truly feel joy when they tear down the relationships between other creatures.
A Wrathling’s typical modus operandi is to stealthily dispose of a humanoid child- usually a street urchin- and use its Change Shape ability to assume that child’s appearance and Extract Memories ability to take on the dead child’s memories and mannerisms. When disguised as humanoid children, Wrathlings appear exactly as the deceased child, except with a permanent sour facial expression. After assuming their new identity, Wrathlings usually do their best to appear as an unassuming child, while maximizing the number of creatures affected by their Aura of Hatred ability. A Wrathling enjoys using its Detect Thoughts ability on its victims, listening to the irrational hatred slowly mature. Once a Wrathling (or group of Wrathlings) succeeds in reducing an area to a strife-torn ghetto, they typically move onto a new target area.
Most Wrathlings go after easy targets such as slums, where children in the street are nothing out of the ordinary and the residents, having been exposed all their lives to cruel conditions, are already ill-tempered. However, particularly powerful or daring Wrathlings infiltrate the homes of wealthier individuals, taking particular pride in destroying successful marriages and loving parent-child relationships.
A Wrathling stands about 3 feet tall and weighs about 35 pounds.
Combat
Wrathlings disdain combat, preferring greatly to watch it than to take part in it. If its true identity is revealed, a Wrathling usually casts its Darkness SLA and flees the scene. If it finds itself forced into a fight, it usually turns itself invisible, flies into a fit of rage, and lunges at what it considers the weakest target. If, at any point in combat, a Wrathling believes that it can make a getaway, it breaks its own rage and initiates its above-described escape sequence.
Aura of Hatred (Su): A Wrathling’s mere presence inspires hate and violence in other beings. Every 24 hours, a creature who has spent four hours or more within 30 ft. of a Wrathling (the time need not be consecutive) must make a Will save DC 14 or act towards all other creatures with a Diplomacy category one below the category it would normally use. For example, a husband would treat his wife (normally Helpful) as Friendly, and a stranger on the street (normally Indifferent) as Unfriendly. Creatures who fail their save multiple times fall additional levels, and creatures that make their save by 5 points or more rise by a level (though they cannot rise above their original diplomatic level in such a way). A creature can also rise by a level by not failing a save for a week.
If a creature’s Diplomatic levels are five or more levels lower (i.e. it fails another save after already considering normally Helpful creatures as Hostile) than they originally were, it flies into a homicidal rage which persists until the creature is bound, knocked unconscious, brought under the effects of a Calm Emotions spell, or otherwise incapacitated. Creatures affected by Aura of Hatred treat Wrathlings with the same Diplomacy level as they did the child whose identity is being assumed by the Wrathling, even if they fail their saves. Aura of Hatred is considered a mind-affecting ability, and a Wrathling is immune to the Auras of other members of their species. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Change Shape (Su): A Wrathling can assume the form of any small or medium humanoid child.
Extract Memories (Su): A Wrathling can extract the memories of a dead creature as a full-round action. Extracting memories is a full round action, and requires a DC 8 Wisdom check. A Wrathling who fails this check by 5 or more permanently damages the child’s memories and cannot absorb them, one who fails the check by 1 to 4 absorbs incomplete memories and takes a -4 competence penalty on Bluff and Disguise checks to convince others that it is actually the child in question; similarly, one who succeeds on the check by 5 or more points receives a +4 competence bonus on such Bluff and Disguise checks. If a creature has its brain damaged by a failed Extract Memories attempt and is brought back to life, it takes a permanent 1d6 penalty to all mental scores (this penalty can be undone with Lesser Restoration spells or other appropriate magic).
Absorb Hate (Su): If a creature driven to homicidal rage by a Wrathling’s Aura of Hatred ability (see this ability description) successfully kills another being while under the effects of the rage, the Wrathling that drove it to rage- if within 30 ft. of the creature- can absorb the hateful emotions released by the act of killing. For every four killings where a Wrathling uses Absorb Hate, it advances by 1 Hit Die. A Wrathling that reaches Medium size through Hit Dice advancement becomes a rare and powerful creature called a Wrathguard (see Wrathguard description for more information).
Spell-Like Abilities: At will- Detect Thoughts; 1/day- Darkness, Invisibility
Rage (Ex): Once per day, a Wrathling can fly into a rage similar to that of a Barbarian. It receives a +4 bonus to Strength and Constitution, and a +2 bonus to Will Saves, while taking a -2 penalty to Armor Class. Some differences exist between a Barbarian’s rage and a Wrathling’s, however: a Wrathling can voluntarily end its rage as a free action at any point, and it does not suffer fatigue after its rage ends.
Poison (Ex): Any creature struck by a Wrathling’s claws must make a DC 12 Fortitude save or suffer 1d2 Wisdom damage.
---
Wrathguard
Size/Type: Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 6d6+24 (45 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 Dex, +6 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+8
Attack: Claw +8 melee (1d6+5 plus poison)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +8 melee (1d6+5 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Aura of Hatred, Command Wrath, Extract Memories, Rage, Poison, Spell-Like Abilities
Special Qualities: Change Shape, DR 10/Magic or Cold Iron, Low-Light Vision
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +6
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 16
Skills: Bluff +16, Disguise +16, Gather Information +10, Hide +11, Jump +18, Move Silently +11, Spot +10
Feats: Ability Focus (Aura of Hatred), Improved Initiative, Improved Toughness
Environment: Any Urban
Organization: Solitary, Pair, Troupe (3-6), or Family (1-2 plus 1-6 Wrathlings)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually Neutral Evil
Advancement: 7-12 HD (Medium)
This gaunt humanoid appears somewhat like a Wrathling, but larger, upright, and with a lean, muscular physique rather than a starved one. Ornamental spines adorn its shoulders and back, and a circle of small spines on its head give it the appearance of wearing a crown.
Wrathguards act in a fashion rather similar to their weaker cousins. Just as Wrathlings, they are often found in “easy targets” such as slums, pretending to be vagabonds, or any other figure that they would judge to cause maximum hatred if they had their identities stolen. Wrathguards are very capable of infiltrating more high-profile targets, however, often posing as bureaucrats, soldiers, or merchants. Perhaps the most sickening practice of Wrathguards is to, along with as many Wrathlings as needed, displace an entire family and wreak havoc among those they interact with.
A Wrathguard stands about 6 feet tall and weighs about 130 pounds.
Combat
A Wrathguard is typically more confident and willing to fight than a Wrathling, though it still flees the scene if confronted with a significant threat (and has better means to do so as well). Wrathguards open combat by using Command Wrath on what they judge to be the most powerful member of the enemy group, then casting Improved Invisibility on themselves and picking away at their hateful and disorganized enemies.
A Wrathguard retains all special abilities of a Wrathling, with the following exceptions:
Aura of Hatred (Su): DC 18, 40 ft. radius.
Command Wrath (Su): Once per day, a Wrathguard can channel all ambient feelings of hatred and resentment in the immediate area, and focus them at one target. Every creature within 20 ft. of the Wrathguard (except for the target) must make a Will save DC 16 or be overcome with an indomitable hatred for the target. Creatures affected by Command Wrath lunge at the target thoughtlessly, performing full attack sequences when they can and chasing the target if it attempts to flee. They remain under this effect for 1d6 rounds. Since Command Wrath works by focusing all of a creature’s hateful thoughts towards one target, a DM may impose a bonus or penalty of up to +4 on the Will saves of any creatures that he judges to be particularly free of (or infested with) hateful thoughts.
Change Shape (Su): A Wrathguard can assume the form of any medium or small humanoid.
Spell-Like Abilities: At Will- Detect Thoughts; 1/day- Deeper Darkness, Improved Invisibility
Greater Rage (Ex): A Wrathguard’s rage functions like that of a Wrathling, except that it grants +6 Strength and Constitution and a +3 bonus to Will Saves.
Poison (Ex): DC 16, 1d3 Wisdom damage.
---
Mainly looking for help on mechanical issues... specifically the Aura of Hatred and Command Wrath. I'm worried that its implementation is mechanically unsound. Any other help is welcome, though!
A creak at the door. Whirling around to see the cause, Jenna saw her nine-year-old daughter Hanna. The slender, beautiful girl had not taken this sudden burst of family infighting well. Though she seemed to be the only member of the family that wasn’t screaming their lungs out at all hours of the day, her normally cheerful and curious demeanor had faded. Her delicate featured were now fixed in a severe frown, and she rarely spoke. Hanna never played with her friends from around the neighborhood anymore… just watched. Watched the domestic wreckage silently, unflinchingly. It couldn’t be good for her, it would scar her for sure. “Don’t you worry about me, angel”, said Jenna in a trembling tone, wiping away the tears from her eyes and forcing a smile. As she walked over to embrace her silent daughter, she whispered “Everything’s going to be fine, we’ll all be happy soon”.
If Jenna had looked at her daughter’s face that instant, she would have seen that for once, Hanna’s features were not in a bitter frown.
They were in a wicked, hateful smile.
Wrathling
Size/Type: Small Fey
Hit Dice: 3d6+3 (13 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-1
Attack: Claw +5 melee (1d3+2 plus poison)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +5 melee (1d3+2 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Aura of Hatred, Extract Memories, Rage, Poison, Spell-Like Abilities
Special Qualities: Absorb Hate, Change Shape, DR 5/Magic or Cold Iron, Low-Light Vision
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 13
Skills: Bluff +11, Disguise +11, Hide +12, Jump +8, Move Silently +8, Spot +6
Feats: Ability Focus (Aura of Hatred), Improved Initiative
Environment: Any Urban
Organization: Solitary or Gang (3-6)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually Neutral Evil
Advancement: 4-5 HD (Small)
The creature before you is a hunchbacked, emaciated humanoid. Deathly pale and rail-thin, its arms and legs are of exaggerated length, and end with long, needle-like claws. A row of spines runs down the creature’s back, from its head to its long, swishing tail. The beast’s face is a mask of uninhibited rage, contorted and spiteful. Its enraged violet eyes are of particular notice.
Wrathlings are spiteful, malevolent fey that exist to see meaningless fury and antagonism spread. Inherently hateful, these creatures only barely tolerate their own kind, and even then only so out of a begrudged sense of mutual interests. Wrathlings grow strong off of negative emotions, and only truly feel joy when they tear down the relationships between other creatures.
A Wrathling’s typical modus operandi is to stealthily dispose of a humanoid child- usually a street urchin- and use its Change Shape ability to assume that child’s appearance and Extract Memories ability to take on the dead child’s memories and mannerisms. When disguised as humanoid children, Wrathlings appear exactly as the deceased child, except with a permanent sour facial expression. After assuming their new identity, Wrathlings usually do their best to appear as an unassuming child, while maximizing the number of creatures affected by their Aura of Hatred ability. A Wrathling enjoys using its Detect Thoughts ability on its victims, listening to the irrational hatred slowly mature. Once a Wrathling (or group of Wrathlings) succeeds in reducing an area to a strife-torn ghetto, they typically move onto a new target area.
Most Wrathlings go after easy targets such as slums, where children in the street are nothing out of the ordinary and the residents, having been exposed all their lives to cruel conditions, are already ill-tempered. However, particularly powerful or daring Wrathlings infiltrate the homes of wealthier individuals, taking particular pride in destroying successful marriages and loving parent-child relationships.
A Wrathling stands about 3 feet tall and weighs about 35 pounds.
Combat
Wrathlings disdain combat, preferring greatly to watch it than to take part in it. If its true identity is revealed, a Wrathling usually casts its Darkness SLA and flees the scene. If it finds itself forced into a fight, it usually turns itself invisible, flies into a fit of rage, and lunges at what it considers the weakest target. If, at any point in combat, a Wrathling believes that it can make a getaway, it breaks its own rage and initiates its above-described escape sequence.
Aura of Hatred (Su): A Wrathling’s mere presence inspires hate and violence in other beings. Every 24 hours, a creature who has spent four hours or more within 30 ft. of a Wrathling (the time need not be consecutive) must make a Will save DC 14 or act towards all other creatures with a Diplomacy category one below the category it would normally use. For example, a husband would treat his wife (normally Helpful) as Friendly, and a stranger on the street (normally Indifferent) as Unfriendly. Creatures who fail their save multiple times fall additional levels, and creatures that make their save by 5 points or more rise by a level (though they cannot rise above their original diplomatic level in such a way). A creature can also rise by a level by not failing a save for a week.
If a creature’s Diplomatic levels are five or more levels lower (i.e. it fails another save after already considering normally Helpful creatures as Hostile) than they originally were, it flies into a homicidal rage which persists until the creature is bound, knocked unconscious, brought under the effects of a Calm Emotions spell, or otherwise incapacitated. Creatures affected by Aura of Hatred treat Wrathlings with the same Diplomacy level as they did the child whose identity is being assumed by the Wrathling, even if they fail their saves. Aura of Hatred is considered a mind-affecting ability, and a Wrathling is immune to the Auras of other members of their species. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Change Shape (Su): A Wrathling can assume the form of any small or medium humanoid child.
Extract Memories (Su): A Wrathling can extract the memories of a dead creature as a full-round action. Extracting memories is a full round action, and requires a DC 8 Wisdom check. A Wrathling who fails this check by 5 or more permanently damages the child’s memories and cannot absorb them, one who fails the check by 1 to 4 absorbs incomplete memories and takes a -4 competence penalty on Bluff and Disguise checks to convince others that it is actually the child in question; similarly, one who succeeds on the check by 5 or more points receives a +4 competence bonus on such Bluff and Disguise checks. If a creature has its brain damaged by a failed Extract Memories attempt and is brought back to life, it takes a permanent 1d6 penalty to all mental scores (this penalty can be undone with Lesser Restoration spells or other appropriate magic).
Absorb Hate (Su): If a creature driven to homicidal rage by a Wrathling’s Aura of Hatred ability (see this ability description) successfully kills another being while under the effects of the rage, the Wrathling that drove it to rage- if within 30 ft. of the creature- can absorb the hateful emotions released by the act of killing. For every four killings where a Wrathling uses Absorb Hate, it advances by 1 Hit Die. A Wrathling that reaches Medium size through Hit Dice advancement becomes a rare and powerful creature called a Wrathguard (see Wrathguard description for more information).
Spell-Like Abilities: At will- Detect Thoughts; 1/day- Darkness, Invisibility
Rage (Ex): Once per day, a Wrathling can fly into a rage similar to that of a Barbarian. It receives a +4 bonus to Strength and Constitution, and a +2 bonus to Will Saves, while taking a -2 penalty to Armor Class. Some differences exist between a Barbarian’s rage and a Wrathling’s, however: a Wrathling can voluntarily end its rage as a free action at any point, and it does not suffer fatigue after its rage ends.
Poison (Ex): Any creature struck by a Wrathling’s claws must make a DC 12 Fortitude save or suffer 1d2 Wisdom damage.
---
Wrathguard
Size/Type: Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 6d6+24 (45 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 Dex, +6 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+8
Attack: Claw +8 melee (1d6+5 plus poison)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +8 melee (1d6+5 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Aura of Hatred, Command Wrath, Extract Memories, Rage, Poison, Spell-Like Abilities
Special Qualities: Change Shape, DR 10/Magic or Cold Iron, Low-Light Vision
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +6
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 16
Skills: Bluff +16, Disguise +16, Gather Information +10, Hide +11, Jump +18, Move Silently +11, Spot +10
Feats: Ability Focus (Aura of Hatred), Improved Initiative, Improved Toughness
Environment: Any Urban
Organization: Solitary, Pair, Troupe (3-6), or Family (1-2 plus 1-6 Wrathlings)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually Neutral Evil
Advancement: 7-12 HD (Medium)
This gaunt humanoid appears somewhat like a Wrathling, but larger, upright, and with a lean, muscular physique rather than a starved one. Ornamental spines adorn its shoulders and back, and a circle of small spines on its head give it the appearance of wearing a crown.
Wrathguards act in a fashion rather similar to their weaker cousins. Just as Wrathlings, they are often found in “easy targets” such as slums, pretending to be vagabonds, or any other figure that they would judge to cause maximum hatred if they had their identities stolen. Wrathguards are very capable of infiltrating more high-profile targets, however, often posing as bureaucrats, soldiers, or merchants. Perhaps the most sickening practice of Wrathguards is to, along with as many Wrathlings as needed, displace an entire family and wreak havoc among those they interact with.
A Wrathguard stands about 6 feet tall and weighs about 130 pounds.
Combat
A Wrathguard is typically more confident and willing to fight than a Wrathling, though it still flees the scene if confronted with a significant threat (and has better means to do so as well). Wrathguards open combat by using Command Wrath on what they judge to be the most powerful member of the enemy group, then casting Improved Invisibility on themselves and picking away at their hateful and disorganized enemies.
A Wrathguard retains all special abilities of a Wrathling, with the following exceptions:
Aura of Hatred (Su): DC 18, 40 ft. radius.
Command Wrath (Su): Once per day, a Wrathguard can channel all ambient feelings of hatred and resentment in the immediate area, and focus them at one target. Every creature within 20 ft. of the Wrathguard (except for the target) must make a Will save DC 16 or be overcome with an indomitable hatred for the target. Creatures affected by Command Wrath lunge at the target thoughtlessly, performing full attack sequences when they can and chasing the target if it attempts to flee. They remain under this effect for 1d6 rounds. Since Command Wrath works by focusing all of a creature’s hateful thoughts towards one target, a DM may impose a bonus or penalty of up to +4 on the Will saves of any creatures that he judges to be particularly free of (or infested with) hateful thoughts.
Change Shape (Su): A Wrathguard can assume the form of any medium or small humanoid.
Spell-Like Abilities: At Will- Detect Thoughts; 1/day- Deeper Darkness, Improved Invisibility
Greater Rage (Ex): A Wrathguard’s rage functions like that of a Wrathling, except that it grants +6 Strength and Constitution and a +3 bonus to Will Saves.
Poison (Ex): DC 16, 1d3 Wisdom damage.
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Mainly looking for help on mechanical issues... specifically the Aura of Hatred and Command Wrath. I'm worried that its implementation is mechanically unsound. Any other help is welcome, though!