PDA

View Full Version : New Template: Railroad Character



The_Werebear
2006-02-15, 03:58 PM
The world out there is full of many extraordinary people who take up the mantle of adventurer, with all the risks and benefits inherant to that job. There are few with the talent, and even fewer with the inclination to do such a job. Those people become some of the most powerful ever to exist, famous across the land and the planes. But where there are PCs, there are an even greater power sure to be there. These are known as Railroad Creatures, from the elven term "Rhail"(Invincible) and the dwarf term "Rhud"(Pain in the ass)

Railroad Creature is a template that can be applied to any creature capable of being annoying to the PCs.

A Railroad Creature uses the base creature's statistics and special abilities, except where noted here.

Size and Type: The railroad Creature's type normally stays the same as the base creature's, but will occasionally change to make them immune to the PC's favored attack styles. For example, a Gnoll with the Railroad Creature template might become a construct for a limited time to make him immune to the party rogue's sneak attacks.

Speed: The Railroad Creature's speed is whatever is necesary to catch up with the party.

Armor Class: Same as the base creatures, + The party fighter's base attack bonus.

Special Attacks: The base Creature's special attacks, plus the following

Smite Important Character(Su): The Railroad Creature can, at will, make an attack on a creature important to the plot at +8967, instantly killing or knocking out that character. Some example targets for this ability are PC's who stray from the plot, NPC's who the PC's are using in ways different from intended, and PC love interests.

Special Qualities: As the base creature's plus the following

Detect PC(Su): The Railroad Creature, at will, can detect player characters. This functions as a detect evil spell, except it targets player charactes. Also, Railroad Creature have a continuous Locate Creature effect, targeted on the nearest party of unlikely heroes.

Immaculate Knowledge(Ex): The railroad Creature has unlimited stores of knowledge on the party, any local rumors, geography for a 10,000 mile radius of their home area, and any other things of importance. Every time the Railroad Creature would make a knowledge check, it is automatically treated as a sucess.

Wellspring of Health(Su): Railroad Creatures are notoriously tough, springing back from damage that would hack a tarrasque into tiny pieces. Every time the Railroad Character would be reduced to negative hp, they instead gain three HD.

Incredible Luck(su): Railroad Creatures are blessed with incredible, unbelieveable, completely ridiculous luck. As a free action, the Railroad Creature may reroll any die while the PC's aren't looking.

Abilities: The Railroad Creature's abilities increase to +4 over the highest ability in the party.

Skills: Railroad Creature have maximum ranks in all skills.

Challenge Rating: As base creature

Alignment: Exactly the same as the party (Allied) or diametrically opposite(Opposed)

Level Adjustment: Whatever the DM darn well wants it to be.

Anything I leave out?

Nolfar
2006-02-15, 04:08 PM
Yeah:

Leave No Evidence (Ex): Any target killed by a Railroad creature is immediately and totally destroyed so fully that not even a well worded Wish or Miracle can be cast to bring the creature back.

Shhalahr Windrider
2006-02-15, 07:02 PM
Yeah:

Leave No Evidence (Ex): Any target killed by a Railroad creature is immediately and totally destroyed so fully that not even a well worded Wish or Miracle can be cast to bring the creature back.
Better make sure the creature has the option use that ability rather than continually on. Now and then, raising the victim might be the point of the railroad. ;D

It should also have some sort of spell-disruption ability, I think.

And SR 20+highest caster level in the party.

Gordon
2006-02-15, 07:08 PM
Anything I leave out?

Its name is Miko?

Best! Monster! EVAR!

jdrich
2006-02-15, 07:12 PM
You left this out:


Speed: The Railroad Creature's speed is whatever is neccessary to catch up with the party, or twice as fast as neccessary to escape alive.

Townsfolk
2006-02-15, 08:50 PM
But they can't be slain... the extra hit die ability...

However, there should be some sort of defense for death spells and disintigration (the PC could roll a 20 to overcome SR...).

Frojoe21
2006-02-15, 09:26 PM
You are forgetting SR ∞, and most importantly:

Attacks

Mark of Justice (Ex, Su, SP, whatever it needs to be)

When a railroad character strikes an opponent with a melee attack, the subject immediately has a permanent Mark of Justice cast on him. Nothing short of a wish or miracle cast by a level 30000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000 wizard or cleric can remove this.

True Strike (See mark of justice)

A railroad character can cast true strike as a free action a number of times per day equal to 4000+his ECL.

Shhalahr Windrider
2006-02-15, 09:30 PM
However, there should be some sort of defense for death spells and disintigration (the PC could roll a 20 to overcome SR...).
Hmm... Don't see anything stating that a natural 20 automatically succeeds vs. spell resistance. So...

SR 21 + highest caster level in party! ;D

P.S. If I've overlooked a place where they do say nat. 20 succeeds, please let me know.

I_Got_This_Name
2006-02-15, 09:55 PM
They can always use their Incredible Luck to always make saves.

Alternately, add the following:
Saves: Add the highest save DC the party can force the Railroad Creature to make in each category to its saves. A natural 1 is not an automatic failure on a Railroad Creature's saves.

This way, if the party wizard can cast a DC 30 Finger of Death and DC 27 Dominate Person, an RR Creature with a normal +1 fortitude and will save gets a +31 fortitude and +28 will save.

pocketwatch
2006-02-15, 10:17 PM
Terrain and Habits: Any. Often spawn near villages that suffer from low level monster attacks. Always stikes while the wizard is asleep.

tgva8889
2006-02-15, 10:22 PM
Actually, I think terrain should be Wherever the PCs happen to be.

ccelizic
2006-02-15, 10:45 PM
I love that Challenge rating "as base creature" very tongue in cheek.

Snatch Item: As a free action that provokes no attacks of oppertunity the Railroad character may grab any object that is an important plot device. If the object is attended by a PC then he gets to make the disarm check without provoking an attack of oppertunity. In such situations he rolls attacks as if influenced by the spell "True Strike".

Sticky Fingers: No item may be forced from the Railroad's possession. Though a railroad may suppress this affect if it's convenient to "accidentally" drop a cursed sword or the likes.

Sturdy Equipment: All items in the railroad's possession are automatically affected by the spell "make whole" as cast by a level 20 cleric if they recieve any form of damage from any source or destroyed.

Gordon
2006-02-16, 01:44 AM
Contingent Invulnerability (Ex): Any items the Railroad creature attends or covets cannot be destroyed except by a carefully worded Wish cast by the DM. If the item belongs to a party member, or is inconvenient to the DM, it may be "accidentally" destroyed as an Immediate Action which provokes no Attack of Opportunity, and which counts as an act of whatever alignment the Railroad Character chooses. Items so destroyed are irrevocably ruined, and cannot be restored, even by Wish or Miracle cast by P*n-P*n. One completely non-functional and non-restorable part will remain, which is dropped in front of the owning PC with the words, "Oh, sorry, was that yours?"

The_Werebear
2006-02-16, 12:29 PM
Those are all good ones.

One I forgot

Force of Will Crafting(Su): The Railroad Creature can create any item they need, magic or nonmagic, by sheer force of will and plot device. These items appear on the Railroad character one round after someone in the party mentions they are glad the Railroad creature doesn't have it. These items disapear upon the pickpocketing or death of the railroad creature.

Altair_the_Vexed
2006-02-16, 12:52 PM
Woo!!!

*steals*

;)

ccelizic
2006-02-17, 12:02 AM
Convenient Portals: There is always a secret passage leading exactly where the railroad wishes to go. All doors that the railroad wishes to use immediately unlock themselves as the railroad touches them and may be locked after closing the door as an immediate action.

Flashy entrence: As a standard action that provokes no attacks of oppurtunity, a railroad may cause a section of wall to explode, creating an entrence large enough for him and any minions to pour through. At the railroad's discretion the explosion may create a large cloud smoke and debris which unerringly covers the party. The cloud causes the party to cough and gag for one round and lose their first round of combat and conveniently provides concealment to the railroad and any allies but not to any partymembers caught in it.

bosssmiley
2006-02-17, 12:45 AM
You know the need to systematise the game has gone too far when people create a template for GM fiat. ::)

(codger mode engaged)

"Back in the day we didn't bother with these fancy templates to gyp the party. We just decreed that something was the case. Anyone who objected was beaten with a willow switch."

The_Werebear
2006-02-17, 02:40 AM
Yes, but this time you have a paper trail covering your butt when the players go "You can't do that"

Whip out the Railroad character sheet and procede to lay official waste

Single Shot Zombie
2006-02-17, 07:02 AM
Of course, be prepared for your characters to hate your guts for all eternity once you whip out that particular deus ex machina. :P

And you forgot this:

Extremely Long Speech (Ex): Whenever a railroad character meets any player character, he/she/it may, at the DM's discretion, proceed into a lenghty and pompous dialogue that would put even Vaarsuvius (the King....no, Queen....no........Monarch of Lengthy Speech) to shame. This can only be done once at the start or end of the encounter, and affects all player characters within hearing range of the railroad character. Deaf characters would "miraculously" be able to hear the entire speech (though they are still deaf to anything else), and even the language-deficient can understand the railroad character.

While the railroad character is busily monologing about how great he/she/it is/how freaking screwed the players are/how close his/her/its plans are nearing completion etc., the player characters suffer effects similar to that of a mass hold monster spell, except that the duration of the effect lasts as long as the railroad character chooses to monologue. Creatures normally immune to mind-affecting effects are still susceptible to this effect. The railroad character can select, as an immediate action at will, any number of creatures in the vicinity (or even select player characters if he/she/it so chooses) that are immune to this effect; this immunity can be revoked anytime as an immediate action.

The Will save DC to negate this effect is equal to 19+the railroad character's Charisma modifier+the highest current Will save modifier in the party. A successful save means that the player character is stunned for 1 round, and would have to save against the effects of the Extremely Long Speech again on the next round against the same save DC.

If the players fail their save against the Extremely Long Speech by 10 or more, they doze off, falling asleep out of sheer boredom for the rest of the speech. Creatures normally immune to sleep effects (such as elves) are still susceptible to this effect.

If the sleep effect lasts for at least as long as the amount of time needed for the characters to gain a good night's rest, they do not gain any benefits of their long nap (i.e. no hp regain, no new spell slots etc.), and would wake up fatigued or exhausted if they had been unable to have regular sleep at the correct time.

If held long enough by the speech, player characters would suffer the effects of sleep deprivation, starvation and thirst. Several railroad characters have actually been known to simply kill their victims through this method. Items that provide magical refreshment (such as a ring of sustenance or a clear ioun stone) do not function within 300 feet of the railroad character.

A railroad character can monologue for as long as he/she/it likes, without worry of fatigue, starvation, lack of breathable air or thirst.

The sole drawback of this powerful ability is that while monologing, the railroad character is incapable of doing anything else, save to grant/remove immunity to the Extremely Long Speech.