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View Full Version : Masquerade: Look around, there's another mask behind you. [Creature]



Icewalker
2009-04-15, 03:43 PM
If you don't know my inspiration for this one, I can't help you. Just find it and GO WATCH IT.
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Masquerade!
Hide your face so the world will never find you
Every face a different shade
Look around, there's another mask behind you.
Flash of mauve
Splash of puce
Fool and king
Ghoul and goose
Green and black
Queen and priest
Trace of rouge
Face of beast
Faces!
Seething shadows breathing lies
You can fool any friend who ever knew you

Pandemic Mask
Medium Aberration (Psionic)
HD 14d8+70 (133)
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Init: +3
AC 33; touch 16; flat-footed 27
(+3 Dex, +7 Force Screen, +10 Inertial Armor, +3 Defensive Precognition)
BAB/Grp +10/+11
Attack Cold Energy Push (7d6+7) DC 25
Full-Attack Cold Energy Push (7d6+7) DC 25
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks Psi-Like Abilities, Shadowed Faces, Strip Face, Mask
Special Qualities Ubiquitous Vision, True-Seeing, Perfect Sense Link, Masked
Saves Fort +11 Ref +10 Will +16
Abilities Str 13, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 24, Wis 15, Cha 27
Skills Balance +20, Bluff +25, Concentration +21, Diplomacy +25, Disguise +35, Forgery +24, Hide +20, Intimidate +25, Perform (Dance) +25
Feats Chaotic Mind, Cloak Dance, Hostile Mind, Iron Will, Greater Toughness
Environment Small rural towns
Organization Solitary, Shadow (1 and 2-8 Shadow Masks), Masquerade (2 and 4-40 Shadow Masks), Phantom Cast (3-12 and 10-80 Shadow Masks)
Challenge Rating 13
Treasure Normal
Alignment Chaotic Evil
Advancement By character class

These strange creatures are extremely rare, but when they appear it is always to horrific and terrible effects. They will disguise themselves as a person known in the area they infiltrate, then slowly corrupt the entire population of a town or village, changing them into Shadow Masks without alerting the town. Nobody knows why or even truly how they go about this, as no Pandemic Mask has ever been successfully caught or even fully observed. Once a Pandemic Mask has taken over an entire town, all news and messages from the location ceases, and the entire population vanishes, never to be seen again. Nobody has observed these events take place, only the repercussions, as all attempts to investigate during a pandemic have been discovered and the investigators are converted as well.

Psi-Like Abilities ML 14th: At Will - Cloud Mind (DC 20), Defensive Precognition (Swift action, +3 bonus), Energy Push (7d6+7 cold, DC 25), Force Screen (+7), Inertial Armor (+10), Inflict Pain (six targets, DC 25), Share Pain
3/day - Energy Bolt (14d6+14 cold, DC 25), Death Urge (2 rounds, DC 24)

Shadowed Faces (Su): At will as a swift action the Pandemic Mask can immediately switch locations with any Shadow Mask in its control within 200 ft.. The Pandemic Mask can also activate this ability once per day as an immediate action instead.

Strip Face (Su): Pandemic Masks spread by replacing the face of a victim with a mask. This horrific process requires an unconscious or willing individual to undergo a ritual lasting one minute, at the end of which the victim becomes a Shadow Mask under the sway of the Pandemic Mask. Pandemic Masks can command Shadow Masks under their command constantly and to whatever level of detail they desire telepathically with no action needed.

Mask (Su): Nobody has ever seen the true form of a Pandemic Mask, as they always take the form of a being they have met. A Pandemic Mask can take a perfect replica form of any being they have seen, and replicate the speech and style of any being they have spoken to. For every minute the Pandemic Mask has spent observing a target, they get a +10 bonus on disguise checks to imitate that target. Pandemic Masks can also mask their Shadow Masks, allowing the Shadow the same bonus to disguise as the Pandemic Mask, and further allowing its Shadow Masks to perfectly disguise themselves as their old selves, automatically succeeding on any Disguise check. Pandemic Masks have a natural +10 bonus to Disguise checks, which is also provided to any Shadow Masks under their control.

Ubiquitous Vision (Su): As the psionic power of the same name, Pandemic Masks can always perceive their entire surroundings, giving them immunity to flanking and a +4 enhancement bonus to Spot and Search checks, but a -4 penalty on saves against gaze attacks.

True-Seeing (Su): Pandemic Masks can always see through all shadows, tricks, and illusions, as if they were under the effects of a True-Seeing spell at all times.

Perfect Sense Link (Su): Pandemic Masks can perceive through their Shadows' eyes as if they were their own. At all times, with no action requirement, Pandemic Masks always see, hear, smell, and taste through the senses of all of their Shadow Masks.

Masked (Su): A Pandemic Mask is perfectly disguised in their form. Any attempt to read thoughts, alignment, intent, or any other idea through magic returns a result chosen by the Pandemic Mask.

Shadow Mask
Medium Aberration (Psionic)
HD 3d8+6 (20)
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Init: +1
AC 16; touch 11; flat-footed 15
(+1 Dex, +5 Inertial Armor)
BAB/Grp +2/+2
Attack Cold Energy Ray (3d6+3)
Full-Attack Cold Energy Ray (3d6+3)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks Psi-Like Abilities, Shatter Mind
Special Qualities Masked
Saves Fort +2 Ref +2 Will +4
Abilities Str 11, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 15
Skills Spot +7, Listen +7, Diguise +12
Feats Chaotic Mind, Toughness
Environment following Pandemic Masks
Organization Shadow (1 Pandemic Mask and 2-8 Shadow Masks), Masquerade (2 Pandemic Masks and 4-40 Shadow Masks), Phantom Cast (3-12 Pandemic Masks and 10-80 Shadow Masks)
Challenge Rating 3
Treasure Normal
Alignment Chaotic Evil
Advancement By character class

Shadow Masks are the broken minions of Pandemic Masks. They appear as they did before, except with a simple white mask placed over their face. They are entirely silent, working as shadowy minions to the Pandemic Mask. Generally however, as it begins its spread, Pandemic Masks keep all of their Shadow Masks disguised perfectly in their normal states, mingling and functioning in society as they should.

Psi-Like Abilities ML 3rd: 3/day - Energy Ray (3d6+3 cold), Inertial Armor (+5)

Shatter Mind (Su): A Shadow Mask can sacrifice itself to break open the mind of another. The Shadow Mask dies, its mask breaking off of its face, and a chosen target within 50 ft. must make a will save DC equal to the remaining hit points of the Shadow Mask or be put into a catatonic state for 1d4 days, able to be awoken sooner only by the completion of the Strip Face ritual of a Pandemic Mask, leaving them under its control as normal.

Masked (Su): A Shadow Mask is perfectly disguised in their form. Any attempt to read thoughts, alignment, intent, or any other idea through magic returns a result chosen by the Pandemic Mask controlling it.

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Combat:
When engaged in combat, a Pandemic Mask with no Shadow Masks will flee, using Cloud Mind on any attempting to pursue. Generally this won't occur, because Pandemic Masks are so well disguised.

When they do have a small or larger contingent of Shadow Masks at their command, a Pandemic Mask will open by casting swift Defensive Precognition on itself (already included in stat block) and then Inflict Pain on all of its opponents. It will then move through its crowd of attacking shadows, casting Death Urge, Energy Bolt, and Energy Push as it feels needed. If attacked directly the Pandemic Mask will switch places with a Shadow at the next opportunity. If the attack is particularly powerful or imposing it will switch as an immediate action instead.

Generally a Pandemic Mask fights very strategically. If it can, it will try to capture one or two of its strongest opponents and retreat, stripping their faces before returning to engage other enemies, and repeating. It will often achieve this by knocking them into a catatonic state by sacrificing weaker Shadow Masks.

Icewalker
2009-04-24, 01:27 AM
I'd hoped for some comments on this one, and I just watched it again last night. So...yeah. Masquerade!

grautry
2009-04-24, 07:31 AM
Very nice but Strip Face probably needs some sort of a save.

EdroGrimshell
2009-04-24, 08:12 AM
I'd like to see what would happen if someone's psyche survived and was able to oppose the pandemic mask. It would be a great tragic hero senario.

Icewalker
2009-04-24, 09:51 AM
Yeah, it might be good with a save. I was assuming that the equivalent to failing the save was getting knocked out and captured, as that's what it would need to do to perform the ritual.

Zeta Kai
2009-04-24, 07:03 PM
Okay, I'll bite. What the inspiration for this one? :smallconfused:

Debihuman
2009-04-24, 07:30 PM
Hmm...Andrew Lloyd Weber's Phantom of the Opera. Alas, I always wanted to see Eric statted up as a NPC Bard.


I really like these. It's nice to have something other than dopplegangers. Although, Pandemic Mask sounds like it should have the subtype of Shapechanger.

Debby

Gorgondantess
2009-04-24, 11:11 PM
Hmm...Andrew Lloyd Weber's Phantom of the Opera. Alas, I always wanted to see Eric statted up as a NPC Bard.

Oh, god, I have to do that now! Damn you, Debby, for being so annoyingly brilliant. And damn you, icewalker, for bringing back my addiction to Phantom.

Anyhow, great inspiration, and I'm considering throwing this on my players some day. It's a nice twist on the "town kidnapped and replaced by dopplegangers" or "Town dominated by vampires/mind flayers/evil wizards/etc." theme.