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chaosbrand
2006-08-11, 08:15 AM
This is a homebrew undead monster which I recently made because I wanted to have an intelligent undead besides liches and nightshades and vampires. Please comment honestly.

Khoschei
Description
A khoschei appears to be an ivory-colored skeleton, its bones always as white as the clouds, as if it regularly cleaned itself. Its eye sockets glow with a strange blue light, while a pale purple aura surrounds the creature. Only four fingers can be found on each of its hands, each finger ending in a blunt spike. Its lower jaw protrudes slightly forward, making it seem like an ape’s jaw. They are always in the presence of lesser undead, depending on how many khoscheis are present.

Personality
Khoscheis are intelligent undead creatures that almost always lead a group of lesser skeletons to aid it with its task. They usually make pacts with necromancers and liches, forming alliances with them as they see necessary. A khoschei rarely makes another its ally, but will do so as the situation arises. They favor using weakening spells, then charge in to finish off their decrepit enemies right after they charge a wave of skeletons to test their mettle.

Khoschei
Size/Type: Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 20d12+40 (170 hp)
Initiative: +8
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 25 (+4 dex, +7 natural, +4 bracers of armor +4), touch 14, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+15
Attack: Slam +18 melee (2d6+7/19-20 plus Necrotic Pulse)
Full Attack: 2 Slams +18 melee (2d6+7/19-20 plus Necrotic Pulse) and bite +13 melee (1d8+3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 18, Con -, Int 18, Wis 17, Cha 18
Special Attacks: Depcrepifying gaze, desecrating aura, necrotic pulse, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/good, darkvision 90 ft., fast healing 5, spell resistance 25, undead traits
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +10, Will +14
Feats: Alertness, cleave, great fortitude, improved critical (slam), improved initiative, power attack, quicken spell-like ability, skill focus (concentration), weapon focus (bite), weapon focus (slam)
Skills: Concentration +30, Diplomacy +15, Hide +27, Knowledge (arcana) +27, Listen +26, Move Silently +27, Search +26, Spot +26
Environment: Any
Organization: Bone (1 plus 2-5 medium-sized skeletons and 1 mohrg), Skull (2 plus 4-15 medium-sized skeletons and 1-5 mohrgs), Necrocluster (3-5 plus 20-30 medium-sized skeletons plus 5-10 mohrgs and 1-3 devourers)
Challenge Rating: 15-18 (?)
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always Lawful Evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: -

Before you stands a skeletal figure, its smooth bones as white as the clouds above. Its twin eyes stare at you with malevolent intellect, and an ominous aura surrounds its gaunt form.

Combat
Decrepifying Gaze (Su)
Once per round as a free action, a khoschei can launch a gaze at a target, who must succeed on a DC 20 Will save or take a –1 penalty to all his attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves for the duration of the encounter. Whether or not the target was affected, he may not be affected again for 24 hours.

Desecrating Aura (Su)
All khoscheis give off a 20-foot radius emanation of utter desecration, imbuing their surroundings with negative energy. This ability works much like a desecrate spell, except that the creature’s evil is so great that it is treated as the shrine of an evil power. All undead within 20 feet of the khoschei (including the creature itself) gain a +2 profane bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws, and +2 hit points per HD. (The khoschei Hit Dice, attack, and save entries given here include these profane bonuses.) Charisma checks made to turn undead within this area take a -6 penalty.

A khoschei’s desecrating aura cannot be dispelled except by a dispel evil spell or similar effect. If the effect is dispelled, the khoschei can resume it as a free action on its next turn. Its desecrating aura is suppressed if a khoschei enters a consecrated or hallowed area, but the khoschei’s presence also suppresses the consecrated or hallowed effect for as long as it remains in the area.

Necrotic Pulse (Su)
When a khoschei hits with its slam attack, the target must succeed on a DC 25 Fortitude save or feel in intense flow of dark energy seeth through his veins. In addition to taking an additional 3d6 points of damage, the victim gains a –4 penalty on all his attack rolls, damage rolls, armor class, and skills for 2d6 rounds. On the event of a critical hit, the additional damage instead increases to 5d6 and the effects last for an additional 2 rounds.

Multiple effects do not stack. This can be removed by a Neutralize Poison spell or the like.

Spell-like Abilities (Sp)
At will – Detect magic, touch of fatigue, cause fear, command undead, animate dead; 5/day – Ray of enfeeblement, scare; 3/day – Waves of fatigue, create undead; 1/day – Symbol of weakness.

EDIT - Changed quicken spell into quicken spell-like ability.
EDIT 2 - Added fluff.
EDIT 3 - Changed minions in organizations.

GolemsVoice
2006-08-11, 10:10 AM
I think, its pretty good, Cr 15-18 is ok.
It is truly able to do some damage, especially in addition to some other, minor undeads, and it makes a nice "Thing-that-clerics want-to-destroy" for your campaign, maybe as an evil overlord or a chapter endboss.
Nice.

chaosbrand
2006-08-12, 12:29 AM
Added fluff, so it won't be too boring to look it over, hopefully. ;D

The_Pyre
2006-08-12, 01:19 AM
Interesting concept. You might like to add a Command Undead ability, something along the lines of the spell or based on an evil cleric's Rebuke/Command Undead ability.

I'd rather use this with Mohrgs instead of skeletons, however. That would be much more fun. ;)

EDIT: Oh, wait. It already has Command Undead. Forget that part, then. ;D

chaosbrand
2006-08-12, 01:24 AM
Ah, Command Undead. Yes, that would be good.

Mohrgs? Cool idea, too. By this level, ordinary skeletons wouldn't do so much as make the players blink, anyway. Mohrgs would be better for cannon fodder.

chaosbrand
2006-08-13, 06:56 AM
Hmm... do you think a single mohrg will help even just a little by the time the players are level 15? Or will I have to increase it to two?