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Sacrath
2006-04-10, 12:03 PM
Flameglyphed Template
In war, countless men and creatures clash blades and sling spells fighting for king and country. Anyone can tell you, war is hell, but still most leaders try to keep their troops in high morale and treat them well. This is not the case with the Pyromacners of Kalantash.
The Pyromancers were a long ago religious sect that waged war against most of the other inhabitants of the world. In the war the Pyromancers viewed their few troops with relative disgust. The other empires had much more manpower and much better training, the Pyromancers were in extreme danger of losing their volcano strongholds and being wiped from the earth. As many do in impossible situations, the Kalantashi turned to religion. They begged Mythra, their evil goddess of eternal flame, for a way to use their troops more… efficiently. Mythra responded by endowing upon the priests, who were not clerics as Mythra has a following composed by mostly arcane casters, the secret of the flameglyphs. These tattooed sigils endow a furious rage upon those who bear them, as well as resistance to fire and electricity. However, the true power of the flameglyphs is much more insidious. Anyone inscribed with the flameglyphs will explode in a ball of fire on death. This power did not save the Pyromancers, eventually they were destroyed and their goddess faded into myth. However, the powers of the flameglyphs trickled down through time. The ritual can be found in forgotten ironbound tomes usually along with arcane spells of fire and evil.
The Flameglyphed template is an acquired template that can be applied to any living, non-ooze, non-outsider that is larger than tiny size and has skin henceforth referred to as the base creature. It grants the base creature a +4 bonus to strength and constitution. Also it fills the base creature with a searing rage and a single minded will to commit violence. Because of this the base creature gains a +6 bonus to will saves against compulsions. Since the power of these tattoos comes from an ancient goddess of fire, the base creature gains 10 resistance to fire and electricity. Furthermore the creature gains the Deaththrows special attack. Creatures with the Flameglyphed template never form swarms.

Deaththroes(su):
Upon reaching zero (0) hit points, the creature explodes dealing fire damage (reflex half) to everyone around it based its size as shown on the table below. The reflex DC is 15+Con bonus. Flamable objects are caught on fire on a failed save.

Size Damage Radius
--------------------------------
Small 1d4/HD 5 ft
Medium 1d6/HD 10 ft
Large 1d8/HD 15 ft
Huge 2d4/HD 20 ft
Gargantuan 2d6/HD 30 ft
Collosal 2d8/HD 40 ft

CR: +1 for small and medium, +2 for Large and Huge, and +3 for Gargantuan and Colossal.

Sample Flameglyphed Creature:
Flameglyphed Orc, Warrior 1
Size/Type: Medium Humanoid (Orc)
Hit Dice: 1d8+3 (7 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 13 (+3 studded leather armor), touch 10, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/+4
Attack: Falchion +6 melee (2d4+7/18-20) or javelin +1 ranged (1d6+7)
Full Attack: Falchion +6 melee (2d4+7/18-20) or javelin +1 ranged (1d6+7)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Deaththroes
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., light sensitivity, Fire and Electricity resistance 10
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +0, Will -2 (+4 vs Compulsions)
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 11, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 7, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +1, Spot +1
Feats: Alertness
Environment: Temperate hills
Organization: Generally the same as orcs.
Challenge Rating: 1 (technically 1 ˝ but I’m not sure)
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Often chaotic evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: None (Generally Flameglyphed creatures shouldn’t be players)

Description:
Flameglyphed orcs' hair is usually black and steaked with white-blonde. Flameglyphed orcs have lupine ears and burning reddish eyes. They wear little clothing, preferring to show off their blasphemous sigils that are tattooed on their skin. They are constantly aggressive, often fighting with each other or inanimate objects if nothing else is available. Their equipment is dirty and unkempt and is often black or flame red. An adult male flameglyphed orc is a little over 6 feet tall and weighs about 210 pounds.
Females are slightly smaller.

Combat
The green humanoids in front of you are nearly skyclad except for poorly kept studded leather armor. Thier entire bodies are covered with red and orange lumanicent tattoos in strange patterns. They grip bloodstained falchions in their orange nailed hands. Their hair is striped black and white and their eyes burn with a manevolent fire. One spots you an yells a war cry as it charges forward.

Flameglyphed orcs are proficient with all simple weapons, preferring those that cause the most damage in the least time. Many orcs who take up the warrior or fighter class also gain proficiency with the falchion or the greataxe as a martial weapon. They relish combat and run as fast as possible into melee, shouting intelligible war cries featuring fiery death.

Light Sensitivity (Ex)
Flameglyphed orcs are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.

Deaththroes (Su)
Upon reaching zero (0) hit points, a flameglyphed orc explodes into a fireball dealing 1d6 fire damage (Relfex DC 18) to everything in a 10 foot radius. Flamable objects are caught on fire on a failed save.

Meat Shield
2006-04-10, 12:32 PM
Exploding Orcs! How cool is that!

CR adjustment looks about right as well. One nitpick, it is spelled 'Death Throe(s)'

EDIT: Question: do they explode at zero hitponts, negative hitpoints, or at -10 (death) hitpoints?

Also, I assume they could suicide themselves to make the explosion as well.

A tightly packed room of these could go up in a chain-reaction if carefully (or carelessly as the case may be) done.

EDIT EDIT: The save should read 'DC 15+Con bonus' Otherwise that Orc has a save DC of 31!

Sacrath
2006-04-10, 12:36 PM
I was wondering why that ability looked weird. It's fixed.

Ikkitosen
2006-04-10, 12:38 PM
One of the draconian types exploded at 0hp for some piercing damage, and those guys were an absolute nightmare to fight in numbers. Fear the hordes of flamglyphed baddies!*





*Or just shoot one of a packed bunch and watch them all go off from a distance. Fireworks!

Sacrath
2006-04-10, 12:42 PM
Yea, part of the reason that the Kalantashi lost the war, their troops die easy if you get them too close together. Some think their goddess hated them ;) .

Actually, unless they are pretty big monsters, the fire resistance should absorb the blunt of the damage.

Ikkitosen
2006-04-10, 12:49 PM
Ah I missed that, that's a shame ;)

Zeful
2006-04-10, 12:49 PM
It seems like a good template, but why non-mindless? Throwing hordes of enlarged spiders that explode would have been usefull.

Sacrath
2006-04-10, 01:03 PM
I sort of wanted a "mind warping" vibe with it. Also, I wanted to avoid oozes and swarms and such.

Nolfar
2006-04-10, 01:11 PM
To avoid oozes, swarms and the like, you might want to add in a line that it can't be applied to creatures with the ooze or swarm type and possably even that any creature capable of creating more of itself does not pass this template on (such as with the Fusion psionic power or the Clone spell).

bosssmiley
2006-04-10, 01:41 PM
"Live for the swarm..."

That's nearly as demented as Nuclear Suicide Wizards (http://www.dndresources.com/index.php?showtopic=1530). Demented in a *good* way though ;)

Scorpina
2006-04-10, 01:43 PM
Isn't there a feat in Savage Species that pretty much has this covered?

squishycube
2006-04-10, 01:44 PM
Good style, two nitpicks:
1. The table says a medium creature explodes in a radius of 10 feet, but the sample orc says it explodes in a radius of 5 feet.
2. Orcs usually have a level of warrior too when they are used as samples.

InaVegt
2006-04-10, 01:46 PM
Isn't there a feat in Savage Species that pretty much has this covered?
yes there is, but that's 3.0

Sacrath
2006-04-10, 01:50 PM
Good style, two nitpicks:
1. The table says a medium creature explodes in a radius of 10 feet, but the sample orc says it explodes in a radius of 5 feet.
2. Orcs usually have a level of warrior too when they are used as samples.

1. Fixed.
2. It has a level of Warrior, I just never listed it. I'll fix it.


"Live for the swarm..."
*Happy Dance*

Zeful
2006-04-10, 10:35 PM
I understand the mind-warping aspect but still having giant spiders explode after death would still be cool.

Also I would like to point out that many encounters against wizards could have CRs higher than orignally intended. Especially if Enlarge Person/ Animal is a favorite spell.

Meat Shield
2006-04-10, 11:40 PM
Question: do they explode at zero hitponts, negative hitpoints, or at -10 (death) hitpoints?

Also, I assume they could suicide themselves to make the explosion as well.

Also, the save should read 'DC 15+Con bonus' Otherwise that Orc has a save DC of 31!

Sacrath, I have copied a couple comments I added to my earlier post - I think you read the post before I added the new comments. I think you need to add a couple things then you are golden.

Sacrath
2006-04-11, 12:26 AM
I updated the orc but not the template, thanks.

I don't know what to do about Enlarge Person, but I don't think it should be that big of a problem really the damage doesn't increase that much.

I'll get the wordage on the save changed.

I also updated it to include vermin and other stuff.

They could suicide, if you wish to attack your self you get an auto crit at max damage (as per Death Urge).