TheElfLord
2006-08-29, 07:42 PM
Hi everyone. I just made a template for an upcoming game of mine. I was trying to capture the flavor of shades from the Myth series of computer games. Comments on how to change the template to make it better or more workable are most welcome. In addition, I don't know how much this template should add to a creature's challenge rating. Thanks for all the help, here it is:
Template: Shade
Shades are the reanimated corpses of long dead fighting spell casters. Their eternal rest has been disturbed to provide a potent lieutenant to a powerful evil Cleric or Wizard. Shades often take the role of undead generals, commanding large forces, although they are personally quite powerful.
Creating a Shade:
“Shade” is a template that can be added to a humanoid creature (called the base creature) that meets the following requirements:
The creature must be dead
Base attack bonus +7
Proficient with all martial weapons
Able to cast 3rd level arcane spells
The character’s type changes to undead. It uses all the character’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Hit Dice: Increase to d12
Speed: Shades naturally hover, with their feet floating from one to five feet off the ground. During their movement, a shade can make any vertical movement change it desires within this range as well as move 20 ft horizontally. Shades are considered to have a speed of fly 20 ft ().
AC: The shade has +3 natural armor, or the base creatures natural armor, whichever is greater
Special Attacks: The shade retains all of the base creature’s special attacks and in addition gains the following attacks. Saves have a DC of 10+ 1/2 the shade’s hit dice plus the shade’s intelligence modifier.
Dispersal Dream (Spell): Once a day a shade can cast a dispersal dream. The dream sets off a chain reaction in nearby targets. The dream deals 10d6 in a 5’ radius burst centered on the first target (reflex save for half). It then jumps to the next nearest creature if that creature is within ten feet of the first. It then deals 10d6 damage to that creature before moving on to another target. The dream continues until there are no eligible targets. A creature can only be targeted once by a single dream. The dream always jumps to the nearest available target, whether friend or foe of the caster. It is even possible for the caster to be caught in the chain reaction. A dispersal dream cannot be used if there is a visible enemy within ten feet of the caster. If the shade can already cast a dispersal dream, the number of times it can cast it a day goes up by one.
Spells: The shade can cast any spells it knew while alive.
Special Qualities: The shade retains all the character’s special qualities and those listed below, and gains the undead type.
Turn Resistance (Ex): A shade has +3 turn resistance
Damage Reduction (Su): A shade has damage reduction 12/magic
Immunities (Ex): A shade is immune to electricity and polymorph. When it has over half its hit points, it is also immune to mind affecting attacks. Unlike most undead when a shade has less than half its hit points, it loses its immunity to mind influencing effects.
Saves: Will save +2, otherwise same as the base creature
Abilities: Str +2 and Int +2, but being undead has no constitution score.
Skills:
Feats: Same as the character.
Alignment: any evil
CR: ??? I don’t know how much this should add, please make suggestions.
Template: Shade
Shades are the reanimated corpses of long dead fighting spell casters. Their eternal rest has been disturbed to provide a potent lieutenant to a powerful evil Cleric or Wizard. Shades often take the role of undead generals, commanding large forces, although they are personally quite powerful.
Creating a Shade:
“Shade” is a template that can be added to a humanoid creature (called the base creature) that meets the following requirements:
The creature must be dead
Base attack bonus +7
Proficient with all martial weapons
Able to cast 3rd level arcane spells
The character’s type changes to undead. It uses all the character’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Hit Dice: Increase to d12
Speed: Shades naturally hover, with their feet floating from one to five feet off the ground. During their movement, a shade can make any vertical movement change it desires within this range as well as move 20 ft horizontally. Shades are considered to have a speed of fly 20 ft ().
AC: The shade has +3 natural armor, or the base creatures natural armor, whichever is greater
Special Attacks: The shade retains all of the base creature’s special attacks and in addition gains the following attacks. Saves have a DC of 10+ 1/2 the shade’s hit dice plus the shade’s intelligence modifier.
Dispersal Dream (Spell): Once a day a shade can cast a dispersal dream. The dream sets off a chain reaction in nearby targets. The dream deals 10d6 in a 5’ radius burst centered on the first target (reflex save for half). It then jumps to the next nearest creature if that creature is within ten feet of the first. It then deals 10d6 damage to that creature before moving on to another target. The dream continues until there are no eligible targets. A creature can only be targeted once by a single dream. The dream always jumps to the nearest available target, whether friend or foe of the caster. It is even possible for the caster to be caught in the chain reaction. A dispersal dream cannot be used if there is a visible enemy within ten feet of the caster. If the shade can already cast a dispersal dream, the number of times it can cast it a day goes up by one.
Spells: The shade can cast any spells it knew while alive.
Special Qualities: The shade retains all the character’s special qualities and those listed below, and gains the undead type.
Turn Resistance (Ex): A shade has +3 turn resistance
Damage Reduction (Su): A shade has damage reduction 12/magic
Immunities (Ex): A shade is immune to electricity and polymorph. When it has over half its hit points, it is also immune to mind affecting attacks. Unlike most undead when a shade has less than half its hit points, it loses its immunity to mind influencing effects.
Saves: Will save +2, otherwise same as the base creature
Abilities: Str +2 and Int +2, but being undead has no constitution score.
Skills:
Feats: Same as the character.
Alignment: any evil
CR: ??? I don’t know how much this should add, please make suggestions.