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The Vorpal Tribble
2005-10-24, 07:10 PM
Welcome to the 1st round of the OOTS Beastmaster Competition!

October's theme is
Fear Itself

http://my.photosleeve.com/TheVorpalTribble-albums/album03/adc.jpg


Fear, it is the most primal of emotions. The drive to survive, the urge to fight or flee. The growl in the shadows, the snap of a twig in the bushes, the glint of light off fangs, the darkness that reaches out towards you or the creeping coldness of death...

What truely scares you?

This is your task this month. To bring forth a creature that brings fear, terror, and dismay. Beings that make fear the thing one must fight against. Things that brain and body rail against the mere presence off.



-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Submitted creatures will be judged by their:

#1. Creativity
#2. Originality
#3. Fright factor

Those found copying a creature from some other source will be hung by their toes and beaten into unconsciousness with a rabid carrot (and disqualified)

Entries must be 3.5 edition.
(Epic-leveled entries 'will' be accepted this month)

Deadline is October 31st. One entry per participant.

Let the games begin!
:o

lost_my_NHL
2005-10-26, 05:42 PM
do we post here or PM you the submissions?

The Vorpal Tribble
2005-10-26, 05:46 PM
Postem here ;)

Annarrkkii
2005-10-28, 07:54 PM
Pumpkinlings

CR: 3
CE Small Outsider (Evil, chaos)
Init. +2; Senses: Spot -1, Listen -1, low-light vision
Languages: Common, Abyssal
AC: 15, touch 13, flat-footed 13
hp: 11 (2 HD), fast-healing 1
Fort. +4, Ref. +2, Will -1
Fire Resistance 5, Cold resistance 5, Electricity resistance 5, SR 14, DR 3/silver, resiliency
Speed 20 ft. (4 squares)
Melee bash +4 (1d4-1 plus 1 unholy)
Base Attack +1; Grp -5
Special Actions burning hands and cause fear 2/day (caster level 3, DC 12)
Abilities Str. 8, Dex. 14, Con. 13, Int. 11, Wis. 8, Cha. 12
SQ immune to fear, spookiness, features of flame
Feats Weapon Finesse: bash (B), Dodge
Skills Move Silently +7, Hide +10, Intimidate

The small creatures dart around, laughing wildly. Their flaming eyes and maddened cackles seem to awake a primal fear inside you, and you turn to flee. It is too late, however. You are confronted by one of the little monsters. Their small bodies are dull and brown, almost perfectly smooth. It’s mitten shaped hands reach up toward you. The most eerie part is the head. A jack’o lantern, with flaming eyes and mouth. It cackles, and belching a cloud of flame. You scream as it engulfs you.

Pumpkinlings are bizarre little creatures. Obviously not natural, they have jack’o lanterns for heads, with burning eyes and mouths. There bodies are almost perfectly smooth and brown, almost as if they were shaped from clay. They dress in fall leaves for clothing, occasionally with black tatters of cloth. The abyssal creatures are hard to kill, though not very dangerous beyond their ability to breath flames

In combat, the Pumpkinlings are not particularly lethal, but very tricky to kill. Their resilient, rubbery flesh is hard to pierce with stabbing weapons, and the demonic spirit that infuses them makes them resilient to non-silvered weapons, elements, and spells.

Resiliency: Pumpkinlings have rubbery flesh that is not susceptible to much damage by puncturing. They have DR 5 against slashing weapons.

Spell-like abilities: Pumpkinlings can use burning hands and cause fear each twice per day as a 3rd level sorcerer, DC 12

Features of flame: Pumpkinlings have flames inside their heads that glow through their mouths. Anything in a grapple with a Pumpkinling takes 1 fire damage each round the grapple is maintained.

Spooky: Pumpkinlings are all about scaring, and the demonic spirit in them aides them to this end, Pumpkinlings receive a +2 sacred bonus on Move Silently, Hide, and Intimidate.

ShneekeyTheLost
2005-10-29, 07:26 PM
A journal was found with these bodies which have not a mark on their bodies and seem to have died of pure terror and exhaustion. It reads as follows.

15th day of the month of the Scorpion, of the year seven hundred and twelve, New Imperial Reconing.
Full moon tonight, make it easier to navigate, so we pressed the advantage Nature has given us and did not set camp until the moon was at it's hight. There is something not right here, the land herself weeps, though I can see no reason for Her to. We have found a little copse, not far from a hill to set camp. The wizard warns us there is magic on the hill that requires further study.

17th day of Scorpion
That damn thing is back. We thought we had slain it, and yet it returns once again. It seems to be naught but a ghost wolf... yet it's howl is such to set men's minds on fire. Most of the party has reported horrid nightmares by now, dreams of running through a deep forest, hunted by orcs, and being slain. The Wizard says this place dates back to the Ancient Empire. I have felt a great tragedy here, as though Nature herself has felt a great wound, and yet he wishes to remain to study further.

20th day of Scorpion
Two of our people did not awaken this morning, stone dead. This marks the fourth loss so far. I have finally persuaded the Wizard to flee this place with all due haste. Last night, I saw the nightmares the others spoke of... it was more than they realize. I think these are actually the final memories of the... thing. And yet... it somehow calls to me... personally. Is this what happens to animal companions when they die?

25th day of Scorpion
The nightmares still haunt me every time my eyes close, though the creature did not persue us, the dreams are driving us all mad. We cannot rest, we cannot meditate... as much as I shun the cities, my only hope is that we may find a temple and find some cure for this before we all perish.

I have often asked myself: What would happen if an animal companion died leaving it's mission unfilled? This is my answer. I have purposely left how to get rid of it permanently up to the GM. Perhaps they must find the spirit of the companion's owner and get it to make peace with it's death. Perhaps you must avenge the death and finish the task it was set to. It is up to the GM what must be done, and will almost certainly be an adventure in and of itself.

Spirit Howler
Medium Undead Animal (Incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 6d12
Initiative: +9
Armor Class: 18 (+4 dex, +4 Deflection), touch 18, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/-
Attack: Incorporeal touch +7 melee (1d6 plus energy drain)
Full Attack: Incorporeal touch +7 melee (1d6 plus energy drain)
Special Attacks: Howl
Special Qualities: Darkvision 120', Scent, Sunlight Powerlessness, Spirit Bound, Rejuvenation, +4 turn resistance, undead traits, Incoporeal traits
Saves: Fort: +2, Ref: +5, Will: +7
Abilities: Str:-, Dex: 18, Con:-, Int: 14, Wis: 14, Cha: 18
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Environment: any land or underground
CR: 8?
Treasure:None
Alignment: Always Neutral Evil

This creature stands atop a small hill or mound. It seems as though it is a wolf at first, with blazing red eyes. Then, one can see the moonlight streaming through it, as though it is not a part of this world.

Special Attacks:

Howl (su): This is the most dangerous ability of this foul creature. All who hear the mournful howl of this creature must make a Will Save (DC 20) or be affected by a most profound curse. Every night, the afflicted is haunted by the final memories of the creature. He must make a Fort Save (DC 15) or die of sheer fright. Even those who make the fort save are unable to get any sleep and will be exhausted. While afflicted by the curse, the afflicted cannot even meditate to regain spells, as every time they close their eyes, the nightmares come back to haunt them and break their reverie. This continues until the afflicted recieves a Remove Curse... or dies. This is a supernatural, sonic, mind-affecting ability to place the curse on a person, and a supernatural, mind-affecting, death effect for purposes of the death effect. Creatures immune to or protected from death effects will still suffer exhaustion although they cannot die from failing a saving throw, the exhaustion itself may eventually become life-threatening.

Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by a Spirit Howler's incorporeal touch gains one negative level. The DC is 18 for the Fort save to remove such a negative level. The save DC is CHA based.

Rejuvenation (Su): Like a Ghost, a Spirit Howler is unable to be completely destroyed easily. If it is destroyed, it will simply come back the next night. the only way to truely get rid of it is to set the soul of the creature to rest, which may be an adventure in itself.

Sunlight Powerlessness (Wx): The Spirit Howler is powerless in natural sunlight and flees from it, retreating down into it's mound. If it is caught in sunlight, it cannot attack and may only take a single move or attack action in one round.

Spirit Bound: A Spirit Howler cannot leave it's mound for any reason. It is linked to it and cannot move beyond it's bounds.

Rykaj
2005-10-29, 07:48 PM
Wow I really like this thing Shneeky. I think I'll try to base a part of a campaign around it once if you don't mind. Good job!

Seerow
2005-10-29, 08:38 PM
No offense to others, but I think Schneeky's already won unless somebody pulls out something spectacular.

ShneekeyTheLost
2005-10-29, 08:56 PM
I don't mind if you use it, but be careful you don't kill the party. Remember, once they blow a will save on a Howl, they will have to make a Fort save every night until they either get a remove curse or die. Make sure your party has access to Remove Curse before throwing this at them.

Also, remember that spellcasters cannot meditate to regain lost spells while they are so cursed. So if the party Cleric blows his will save, the party could well be screwed if he forgot to ask for Remove Curse. Give them an out... maybe three or four days journey there is a temple with clergy willing to cast Remove Curse... for a price.

lost_my_NHL
2005-10-30, 03:40 PM
The stories of an old necromancer had led our party of 12 to risk our lives, fortunes, and souls to combat an ancient evil. Already three of us had lost their lives, two by the normal course of adventuring and one to machinations unknown.
Just approaching the beach, a cleric of ours fell to some unknown sickness. By the time we were at the port, she was dead. One of the other clerics prayed for her soul, but felt some odd hinderance. As an omen of his failure, a baboon ran from the forest, across the beach, and into the sea, drowning itself.
We continued on, much disheartened, but reached the mythical ship we had all seen in their minds these past months. It would take us to the sanctuary of our quarry.
After we left shore for the island, a sea creature took the life of our thaumaturgist. His spirit, however, was sent to heaven successfully. On the ship, wood often creaked and reshaped itself to resemble faces of the dead. This too, the necromancer had told us of. But there was something on the boat with us, and we felt it in our heads at some times, and hallucinated seeing it.
After disembarking, we had penetrated the sanctuary to the final hall, outside the chamber which would mean success. Our party struggled to decipher a puzzle to get through a door.
"I don't get it. Our analysis tells us that this stone should not exist. Yet it stands beside the seventh pillar, and the door still does not open," the precise duelist said.
"I get it. We smash the rock, smash door, smash the evil-man inside!" replied the barbarian.
"This... Isn't right... guys, I think we're in danger," said the archmage as he read the map they had made, with fear in his voice.
Suddenly a calm, chill voice arose from the shadows.
"I can help you get through that door"
Out stepped a tall, gaunt humanoid. It seemed to be wearing the ribcage and upper portion of the skull of a Balor as armor. He wore a locket that seemed to in with his flesh. But the most striking thing about him was that he had four lower limbs, each with three opposable thumbs, and yet walked flat on the ground.
"You see," the being continued in the same chilly voice, but this time with a touch of irony "That is a door that only the dead may pass," as his face twisted into a smile behind the skull, and his eyes lit up.
As comprehension dawned on everyone, the foolhardy barbarian charged it saying "You'll be the one passing through that door!" As he approached, the creature gave out a fearsome roar, sending our ranger's eagle flying out the window. Our druid's face paled, and our bard tried to play an inspirational song. All that came out of his pipes though was a hollow, fearful tone, before they clattered to the floor from his shaking hands.
Only the mage in the group, the barbarian, and the fighter remained unfazed.
The barbarian wung his axe three times, the creature dodging it every time. On the third swing, it used one of its feet to grasp the axe out of his hands, and with one swift movement, used another hand to grab the barbarian's wrist and slam him against a pillar. A loud crack signified that his back had broken.
After exchanging blows with a fighter and the duelist, it stepped back into the shadows, our fighter and duelist chasing. A few seconds later, our mage let out a scream. Turning, they saw the creature emerge from the shadows a hundred feet behind, standing over the corpses of two clerics and the mage. With only a fighter, druid, ranger, bard, and duelist, things were dire.
Our fighter ran up to it and stuck his spear clear through it's external and internal ribcage. He stopped, and lookad at the creature. It had frozen in its movement, and there was a hole where the fighter removed his spear. Puzzled, he let out a triumphant cheer. "We have killed it!"
A second later, some force siezed him, and he showed signs of an immense internal struggle. As he lost it, his eyes drifted up toward the dark sky, hoping to see the sign of his god once more. It did not show.
In an instant, the ranger was in the same situation. After he had died, the duelist ran up to the frozen creature and furiously lanced the body with his rapiers, but to no avail. As her soul was being ripped from her body, she heard a raspy voice in her head. "You will be mine forever There is no escape." She died with a scream a second later.
Both of the other characters ran around, trying to flee an unseen evil. The bard ran into the shadows, and the druid heard his body collapse to the floor With a look of terror upon her face, she paused. She turned to look behind her, but still saw only the petrified body with the duelist's and fighter's corpses by its side. Bolting for the side of the hall, she dove through a window and out into the sea below.
Eighty feet below, the rocks and frothy water swallowed her body. In spirit, the creature followed her to the window, grasping with his net and just missing her. Panting, it watched hungrily as the druid's sould emerged from the water, floating away into the distant sky. The creature's spirit smiled, and hissed at the dissapearing soul of the Druid, "I'll have you yet! You shall not rest in peace! You will come back here once more to plead for the souls of your friends, and then I shall devour you!"
The creature's spirit rejoined its body, and in a few rounds regained its movement. It then walked through the door the adventurers had been trying to get through, carrying five of thier souls with him...


Collector of Souls
Large Humanoid, Outsider (Native)
Hit Dice: 22d8+44
Initiative: +10
Armor Class: 25 (+6 dex, +8 bone armor, +2 natural, -1 size), touch 10, flat-footed 19
Base Attack/Grapple: +20/+32
Attack: Slam +27 (1d6+8)
Full Attack: 2 slams +27 (1d6+8) bite +22 (1d8+4) gore +22 (1d8+4) 2 secondary slams +22 (1d6+4)
Special Attacks: Growl, Attack soul, drain blood, sneak attack +4d6
Special Qualities: Darkvision 120', Shadow Jump 400 ft/day, Dimensional locking, DR 10/magic, Shield generator, blindsense, immune to acid, cold, sonic, SR31.
spell like ablities (at will: Hold Portal, Symbol of Fear, Shapechange, greater dispel magic, power word stun, telepathy (100 yards, unless a specific target is identified, then as long as is on the same plane), unholy aura, 3/day - Greater Shadow Evocation, Symbol of Pain, spike stones, 1/day- Shadowalk, Weird, Power word Kill, Nightmare Constantly - True seeing, tongues
Saves: Fort: +22, Ref: +31, Will: +35
Abilities: Str:24, Dex: 22, Con:14, Int: 25, Wis: 28, Cha: 30
Skills:Bluff +40, Disguise +35, Hide+34, Intimidate +40
Jup +35, Move Silently +34, Listen +38, Search +32, Spot +38, Spellcraft +25, Use Magic Device +32
Feats: improved initative, multiattack, power attack, Dodge, Combat Expertise (can transfer spiritual attack bonus to material AC), Improved disarm, Combat reflexes, Persuasive, Iron Will, Improved Unarmed strike
Environment: any
CR: 20
Treasure:None
Alignment: Always Neutral Evil

The Collectors of Souls are the most feared creature in the land, the stuff of campfire stories and fables. Truth about them is rare, though certain dubious scholars have compiled information about them. There were orginally somewhere between 5-10, but some number of them, possibly all, have been killed by various brave adventurers.
A Collector stands eight feet tall, and has black, tight skin. Different Collectors wear different armor, or none ata ll. It is known that at least one wears the ribcage and upper part of the skull of a Balor, or some other similar demon. It has four legs, each of which has three opposable thumbs, like a monkey's hand. It has a fearsome roar and an even more fearsome method of fighting.
The Collectors came into the world by the machinations of some evil, long-dead diety and were bound by a contract. The only way a Collector can be destroyed is by tricking it into violating one of the terms of its contract. This is exceedingly difficult, not only because of a Collector's intellect, but also because nobody knows what the terms are. It is said that those terms are kept in a locket, worn around the Collector's neck, but there were two copies made for each Collector: One for the Diety and one for the Collector. If a Collector is "killed," it respawns 1d4 years later.

Growl (ex): Collector makes an intimidate check with a +1 bonus for every 10 souls ever eaten, +1 for every soul eaten in the last day. Opponents must will save or become frightened. Failure by 5 or more: Panicked. Success by 5 or less: Shaken

Drain Blood (ex): When damaged by Collector's bite or gore attacks, treat those weapons as wounding, but dealing 1d4 constitution damage each

Attack soul (su): When Collector of Souls wishes it can seperate its spirit from its body and enter the spirit realm. It is incorporeal, invisible, and insubstantial. He gains a composite longbow, a sickle, and a net, each of which can only be used against incorporeal creatures. It leaves behind a body, which looses dexterity bonus to AC, but gains a stronger damage resistance of 15/magic and attacks against the body have 50% miss chance. Collector can attack creatures and characters's souls in its new form. Its body remains immobile in the material plane. Treat a creature's soul as having full hitpoints, unless damaged by Collector. It aslo is flat-footed, unless it can see and react to the Collector's spirit. When a soul is reduced to 0hp, the character dies. A dead soul may be devoured such an act prevents the character from being ressurected by mortal magic. Alternatively, on a successful entanglement with the net, Collector may force that character to make a Fort save (will) against Collectors strength mod +wisdom mod+ charisma mod + 10. Should Collector win, the soul is rended from its posessing body and is devoured by Collector. Each soul consmed heals 1d20 health for Collector. After a soul is eaten, Collector must succeed on a will save = 10 + 5 for each previous soul eaten, or be wrenched back into its body. On becoming normal again, Collector is stunned for a number of rounds = the number of souls eaten +1d4, and fatigued, as well as unable to enter the spirit world, for an equal number of days later. If the body is destroyed, the spirit can no longer attack and is effectively destroyed, until it respawns (see intro). True seeing can allow a character to see a collector's soul, but when doing so, one cannot see the collector's body. A collector's soul can be damaged by ghost touch weapons as any incorporeal creature.

Dimensional locking (ex): Any successful attempt to cast banish on a Collector causes it to be forced into the spirit realm, and temporarily destroys the body. Each month thereafter, there is a 1% cumulative chance that Collector will once again enter the material world. However, while Collector is banished to the spirit world, it still has the abilities of Attack soul, except that it is not forced back to the material world.

Shield Generator (su): As a move action, Collector can use a soul he has collected to generate a multicolored, translucent shield once per day. It grants Collector a +4 bonus to AC, on both touch, flat-footed, and normal.


Round by round tactics
prior to combat: Unholy Aura
round1: Hide in shadows, Enter spirit realm
round 2-?: Devour souls
roundx:if forced back, shadow jump near targets and sneak attack. If takes serious damage, Growl
Round 4:Growl if haven't before, and use spell-like abilities
Round 5:Use full attacks, or retreat into shadows and shadow jump, trying to sneak attack.
Round?: If after he takes serious damage, he finds he has little chance, use shadow walk to escape

Alright I'm assuming that This competition is ending tomorrow night, not tonight. So that we can continue entries on hallow's eve. It wouldn't make sense for it to end the morning of halloween, but thats what madnight halloween is. I think you made a mistake with this.


Note: I just realized i typed telekinesis instead of telepathy. I realize that it is after the deadline, but is it okay to change it to telepathy?

Belkarseviltwin
2005-10-30, 05:17 PM
here are some of the stats for my character(intro above), subject to change ( i had some trouble reading my own handwriting)

Collector of Souls
Large Humanoid (Extraplanar, Native)
{snip}
You can't be Extraplanar and Native. They're opposites. I think you meant it to be "Outsider, Native" as Extraplanar and Native are Outsider subtypes, that thing has Outsider HDs and it just looks like an Outsider (or an Undead).
BTW, nice job making a CR20 creature that doesn't just rely on power to be scare.

lost_my_NHL
2005-10-30, 06:44 PM
You can't be Extraplanar and Native. They're opposites. I think you meant it to be "Outsider, Native" as Extraplanar and Native are Outsider subtypes, that thing has Outsider HDs and it just looks like an Outsider (or an Undead).
BTW, nice job making a CR20 creature that doesn't just rely on power to be scare.

Thanks on both accounts. yeah, you're right, I meant outsider.

And the scariest part is in the special qualities description. God I'd hate to be some cocky sorcerer and try to banish it...

ShneekeyTheLost
2005-10-30, 10:38 PM
So how does one kill it when it is out harvesting souls?

If you deal enough damage to the body, will it kill the thing even if it isn't in it's body at the time?

What happens if he runs up against a fellow with true sight and a ghost touch weapon? Can that person then engage the critter while it is out eating people's souls?

lost_my_NHL
2005-10-30, 10:59 PM
So how does one kill it when it is out harvesting souls?

If you deal enough damage to the body, will it kill the thing even if it isn't in it's body at the time?

What happens if he runs up against a fellow with true sight and a ghost touch weapon? Can that person then engage the critter while it is out eating people's souls?

Fixed those, thanks

Good luck to everyone, And Happy Halloween

Cyclone231
2005-10-31, 12:09 AM
“You can’t shut out the screams of your victims. Not even when rational thought says they aren’t your fault. Not even when you know what’s to blame. Because you always blame yourself. “It’s my fault” is the whisper on your lips. I wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t smart enough, I wasn’t strong enough. I didn’t overcome it. It’s my fault.

It doesn’t disappear, the sounds of your friends screaming as you drew your sword from it’s sheath. When the bloodlust leaves and you’re left, crushed, all you can do is hate yourself. Everything reminds you of your victims, like how everything reminds you of a recent ex. Swords, yelling, children, food. It all reminds you of them.

It’s crushing. Killing. It rips into you like you ripped into them. You want to atone, but you can’t. You can’t. You’re stuck in a deep, dark pit of despair. And there’s no way out. You can claw. You can bite, you can climb, but you can’t get out. It’s like being dead, without the peaceful part. It’s like having a mass murderer over your shoulder.

And that’s why I’m going to end it.”

Somewhere, out there, something was smiling.
Beast:
Medium Outsider (Incorporeal, Native)
Hit Dice: 14d8 (63 hp)
Initiative: +8
Speed: 60 ft (12 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+4 Dex), Touch 14, Flatfooted 10
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/-
Attack: —
Full Attack: —
Space/Reach: 5 ft/-
Special Attacks: Compulsion to Murder, Compulsion to Suicide
Special Qualities: The Feast, Total Comprehension, Incorporeal Traits, Outsider Traits, Native Traits, Invisibility
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +5
Abilities: Str -, Dex 18, Con -, Int 16, Wis 16, Cha 18
Skills: Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) +12, Sense Motive +12
Feats: Alertness, Blind Fight, Improved Initiative
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: Huge
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 15-20 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: NO NO FOR GOD’S SAKES NO.

Special Qualities:
Compulsion to Murder (Sp): A Beast’s primary weapon is it’s Compulsion to Murder. It functions as Dominate Monster as if cast by a Sorcerer, except that all targets become compelled to kill their friends, teammates and anyone in the general vicinity.

Compulsion to Suicide (Sp): After a Beast has used it’s victim to kill it’s former friends and teammates, it will do one of two things: it will either force them to continue on a murdering spree, or it will cause them to became hugely depressed and sink into the depths of despair, until finally, they end it all.

The Feast (Su): Each time a Beast’s victim kills, a Beast regenerates 1d6 health. When a Beast’s victim obeys the compulsion to suicide, a Beast regenerates 2d12 health.

Total Comprehension (Su): A Beast knows no bounds of empathy; it is totally in line with all thoughts and conceptions of all races and peoples. For purposes of the game, it knows all languages and has the Detect Thoughts ability.

Invisibility (Su): A Beast is always invisible, as per the spell.

Delcan
2005-10-31, 12:48 PM
Think for a brief moment about the negative feelings that have come your way in your life. The guy that you accidentally bumped into two weeks ago. The barmaid you didn't tip. The best friend you left behind when they needed you most. The man in the dark alley with a blade that just wanted your money, but knew you walked too fast. Little stuff, right? Anger and irritation and frustration come and go like gusts of wind, really. They're there and they're gone rather quickly - almost too quickly for you to see sometimes.

But imagine that this negative energy didn't just go away - it built up somewhere. Every time someone felt angry at you, or irked at you, or just wanted you to go away, it fell onto a growing pile of dark emotion, like some twisted reverse karma. And it doesn't go away, it just keeps growing, and growing, as long as you live.

And now give that pile a creature whose sole purpose is to reflect all that emotion back upon you. The avatar of the grudge, a manifestation of pure vengeance. Whenever it looks at you, it feels every single negative emotion that has ever been directed towards you in your life, all at once. It looks at you and it feels hatred that no living creature has ever felt in its life. It never makes a sound beyond the shuffling of feet and clothing, because it cannot speak - it's too malicious and filled with contempt for your very existence to muster the strength to utter a single sound. And through it all, even with the unending waves of horrifying rage searing through its mind, it's a rather simple creature, with a simple purpose - it wants you dead.

Now give it a knife.

Spirit of Hatred
Small Outsider (Extraplanar)
HD: 8d8+ (56 hp)
Initiative: +2_
Speed: 15 ft. (3 squares)
Armor Class: 22 (+1 size, +3 natural, +2 Dex, +6 profane) touch 19 flat-footed 20
Base Attack Bonus: +8/+4
Attack: Knife +12 melee
Full Attack: Knife +12 melee
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Knife, vengeance
Special Qualities: Darkvision 120 ft., malevolent eye, darklight, twisted mind, damage reduction 5/good, spell resistance 21
Saves:
Abilities: STR 11, DEX 14, CON 17, INT 13, WIS 19, CHA 15
Skills: Balance +13, Climb +11, Hide +17, Listen +17, Move Silently +13, Search +12, Sense Motive +15, Spot +17, Survival +15 (+17 following tracks)
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (knife)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: ??
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 9+ HD
Level Adjustment: None

In the oppressive darkness, you can barely make out the outline of a stooped over, goblin-like figure, shuffling forward on heavy feet. The only clear lights within its thick blackness are its luminescent yellow eyes, and the gleam of a knife in its thin-stretched hand.

Spirits of hatred are anger and vengeance manifest, spawned and allowed into the world in places where anger and violent thought have collected and festered. They desire nothing save the extermination of all life around it.

Combat:
Spirits of hatred are simple creatures - they attack with their knife, and finish off their victims with their vengeance ability. They cannot think to run away or retreat - they fight until dead.
Knife (Ex): A spirit of hatred's knife attack deals 4d4 Con damage, with no save.
Vengeance (Su): As a standard action, a spirit of hatred can lift its free hand towards any opponent within 60 feet; the victim suffers a backlash of hateful emotion that deals 3 damage per character level (Fortitude save DC 16 negates). The save DC is Charisma-based.
Malevolent Eye (Su): The spirit of hatred can sense any creature with intelligence 3 or greater within 200 feet. It is inexorably drawn towards any intelligent creature it senses.
Darklight (Sp, Su): The spirit of hatred is constantly sheathed in a darkness spell-like effect (caster level 11th). This darkness does not affect the spirit's darkvision. In addition, the darklight provides a profane bonus to AC equal to half the spirit's HD plus its Charisma modifier. If dispelled, the spirit can activate this ability again as a free action on its next turn.
Twisted Mind (Ex): The spirit of hatred is immune to fear, charm, and all related mental spells and effects. If a detect thoughts or similar spell or effect is used on the spirit, the spell is instantly dispelled, and the caster/user is stunned for 1d4 rounds from the backlash of emotion.

Note on Level Adjustment: Spirits of hatred can be as powerful as the DM desires, for purposes of threatening any sufficiently large party. The higher in level a character is, the more creatures they've killed and harmed, and the more negative emotion they've built up over the years...

Hydro
2005-10-31, 10:31 PM
Posting the stats and other text now.

Pleasantly supprised by the turnout for this competition, by the way. I haven't really read any of the entries (to keep myself from stealing ideas) but I look forward to doing so.

Oh, and happy Halloween folks!



[hr]


“Shortcut to immort-?! ... Devlin. Sit down. Now.

“You know what a lich is. You know what it takes to become one, are familiar with the benefits and curses of ascending to lichood, and think you understand the principles of undeath which make it possible for the intellect to live on perpetually even as what is left of the body whithers and decays. But, in the grand scheme of things, you know nothing. Have you ever wondered how, even though the process affects no person other than the single fully willing participant, turning one's self into a lich is an act of irrefutable and irredeemable evil?

“This is because the process is an utter defilement of life itself. Before one can leave one's life behind, one must ritualistically tear it to unhallowed shreds. Only when one's own body, metabolism, life force and even soul are wholly and irreversibly corrupted, the natural order defied and defiled, and one's intended existence turned inside-out can the twisted remains of life finally be torn down and reconstructed into immortality and undeath. The end result, as you know, is a lich.

“If that is the path you choose to pursue after graduating from this academy, then do as you will. I have been payed to teach you the necromantic arts, not to lecture you on the finer points of morality as it pertains to the natural order of life and death. But, use your imagination, Devlin: what would happen to you if you chose that path but the process were interrupted? If you were not knowledgeable or powerful enough to finish it, or if the method you discovered was a dead end rather than a true path to lichood? If you were successful in the defilement of your life, but were then unable to pass on into undeath? If you were unfortunate enough to survive, do you have any idea what you would become?

“I have seen it. I refuse to recal the details, lest I loose my composure, but I have seen what happens when a novice decides that the master necromancers of the past were just doing things the hard way and attempts to claim lichood before she is skilled enough to successfully complete the process. I never spoke to her again, but I assure you that she would have been better off had she shriveled up and died of old age decades later. I remember seeing her go down into that lab, and I remember seeing what crawled out in her place. It was not human, not even close, but it was still alive.

“Listen well, Devlin. If you remember nothing else that I have taught you, then remember this: there are no shortcuts to immortality!”




Zaerill the Notlich
Medium Aberration
Hit Dice: 8d8+10 (46)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft (6 squares)
Armor Class: 19, Touch 13, Flatfooted 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+9
Attack: Tentacle stab +10 melee (1d8+4 plus tentacle burrow)
Full Attack: 4 Tentacle stabs +10 melee (1d8+4 plus tentacle burrow)
Space/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/5 ft (tentacle stab 20 ft)
Special Attacks: Defile Life, Fear Gaze, Spellcasting, Tentacle Burrow
Special Qualities: Arcane Body, Human Traits
Saves: Fortitude +3, Reflex +5, Will +8
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 18, Wis 15, Cha 16
Skills: Alchemy +15, Concentration +12, Spellcraft +15, Intimidate +14, Knowledge (arcana) +15, Knowledge (religion), Sense motive +14
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Spell Focus (Necromancy), Improved Spell Focus (Necromancy), [Craft Wonderous Item], [Scribe Scroll], [Still Spell]
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: All scrolls and wands
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Advancement: By character class

Zaerill was a second-rate necromancer who turned herself into an abomination by failing in the process to become a lich. It appears to be a humanoid of average height wreathed from head to toe in tattered black cloaks and robes, its eyes veiled, though an unsettling chemically odor follows it. However, to anyone who catches a glimpse of any of the creature's features it is obvious that it is no humanoid: its features are twisted and mutated, teeth oversized and needle-like and miss-aligned so that its mouth never closes completely, skin pulled tight over disfigured bones which are visible through filmy, translucent bruise-colored flesh. However, even in combat it seldom reveals much of its body: the most one is likely to see of it are the clawed business ends of the muscular tentacles that sprout from its back and torso and the black, florescent light of its eyes.

Zaerill sucks the life and steals the flesh from living creatures in the hopes of growing powerful enough to end its wretched half-life and ascend to full lichood, but it is an uphill battle: its body is unstable, constantly deteriorating and threatening to mutate out of control, and there are times when it must hastily seek out victims and drain their lives simply to have enough energy to survive. It favors mid-level characters, for they have more life to drain, but it is careful: true death still frightens it, and right now it prefers to live on in its current state for as long as possible even if it never achieves its goal of true immortality. Staying alive is not Zaerill's only goal, however: it is a brilliant schemer which could be involved or even at the head of any number of plots for power or arcane lore. It has a truly monstrous psychology and cares nothing for the lives or dreams of anyone or anything else: there is virtually no humanity left in her.

It is difficult to say whether Zaerill is a unique creature or not. There are some who say that it is simply a freak, and that all others who fail to become liches either die or fail to achieve any effect at all. This is certainly the case more often than not. However, it is whispered that there are others like her, or that there are others unlike her: other notliches who thought that immortality was within their grasp, creatures equally or even more monstrous in form, some less terrible than Zaerill and some more so.


COMBAT
When drawn into combat (or descending upon victims), Zaerill usually starts out with a few buff spells, then begins making full attacks once all his enemies are within range, then resumes spellcasting once several of his tentacles are attached to enemies and uses offensive spells to bring down those that he couldn't catch with his tentacle burrow ability. He seeks to burrow into and thus incapacitate archers and spellcasters first, and flies above foes to stay out of melee range. When in danger for his life, Zaerill favors fear spells (which can stack with his fear gaze to frighten foes and make them flee).

Arcane Body:
In some ways Zaerill's body is more like an object than a creature. It is a valid target for many item creation feats: specifically, it has a +2 armor bonus to armor class (as though wearing bracers of armor) and can fly for up to fifty minutes per day with a speed of 30 feet and perfect manuverability. Each of its tentacles has a permanent +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls. It does not require material components of 1 gp or less for its spells: it can use elements of its own body for its material components.

Fear Gaze:
Range 60 feet, Will save dc 17 to avoid. Those who fail their saves become shaken.

Human Traits:
Zaerill was once a human necromancer. It still has a number of bonus feats and gains +1 skill point per hit dice.

Tentacle Burrow:
Anyone damaged by one of Zaerill's tentacle stab attacks must succeed at a reflex save (dc 15) or the tentacle burrows into the victim's body, dealing an additional 1d4 points of damage immediately and ravaging them with toxins and negative energy. This is how Zaerill feeds.

Every time Zaerill begins its turn with one or more victims attached to tentacles, each victim with one or more tentacles attached to him automatically suffers 1d4 points of damage and takes 1 negative level. Zaerill heals 5 hit points for every negative level it inflicts.

After someone has had a tentacle attached to him for more than one round, he must succeed at a fortitude save (dc 15) every round at the start of his turn or be sickened for 1 round. He must make this save every round after the first that the tentacle remains attached to him and for one round after should it somehow be removed.

After someone has had a tentacle attached to him for more than two rounds, he must also succeed at a will save (dc 15) every round at the start of his turn or be panicked for 1 minute (whether or not his save to avoid being sickened succeeds). For as long as the tentacle remains attached, panicked victims are treated as cornered, meaning that they simply cower rather than trying to run away.

Anyone attempting to cast a spell or perform a similar action with a tentacle attached must succeed at a concentration check (dc 20+ spell level) or the action fails. Zaerill can grapple someone whom he has a tentacle attached to, using that tentacle alone, and not be considered grappled (even though he doesn't take any penalty on the grapple check). Anyone trying to move more than 20 feet from Zaerill must succeed at a strength check, as though bullrushing him, to drag him along.

A tentacle can be torn free from a victim as a standard action: the victim or the victim's ally must succeed at an opposed grapple check followed by a strength check (dc 15). This deals 1d8 points of damage to the victim. A tentacle that is already attached to a victim can be severed with a slashing weapon to end the effects on the victim: each tentacle has an armor class of 19 and 15 hit points. Severing a tentacle renders it unusable for the rest of the fight but does not otherwise harm Zaerill directly. He may regenerate tentacles, or other body parts for that matter, by ingesting enough fresh, healthy humanoid flesh and bone matter to reconstruct it.

All saves are constitution based. The sickening is a poison effect; the panicking is a fear effect, and both the panicking and the negative levels are necromantic effects.

Spells
Zaerill casts spells as a 5th level necromancer (save dc 14+spell level, 16+spell level for necromancy spells). Its prohibited schools are enchantment and conjuration.

Defile Life:
The unholy necromantic energies which Zaerill weilds against its foes, the same ones which turned it into what it is now, have a perverting, corrupting effect on living creatures. Anyone who fails their reflex save and is subjected to Zaerill's tentacle burrow ability, even for an instant, and then survives is subject to these effects.

For two months after the fight, there are no physical effects, but the victim experiences an overwhelming feeling of violation and defilement. He suffers 1 point of charisma damage every week, and 1 additional point of damage each day (enough to keep the weekly damage from healing). He is prone to psychological complications surrounding the event and may use makeup or magic to hide the entry wound from himself and those around him. Remove Curse appears to end the affliction, but it always returns after one week.

After two months, the victim begins to feel a sense of mounting dread and panic and begins to loose his sense of self. He suffers an additional point of permanent wisdom and charisma drain every day, and is always treated as shaken. Restorative magic can restore his mental ability scores but no magic short of a wish or miracle cures him completely. He knows that something is wrong with him but can't accurately describe what.

After the victim has been in this state for 1d4 days, his physical state rapidly deteriorates: he suffers 2d6 points of strength, constitution, wisdom and charisma damage every day, with a minimum constitution of 1 (he doesn't die). His body twists, deteriorates and mutates and he looses his mind. After con is at 1 and the other three ability scores are at 0 the victim remains comatose for 1d4 days. His mouth and eyes may seal shut, his arms may fuse to his body or rot off, or vestigial limbs may grow from him. He remains alive but his form is so degenerate that it is obvious that his muscles and joints will never work correctly again.

1d4 days after this, the subject suddenly begins begins to recover all his ability scores: but not as the creature he was. He has become an aberration (of the dms choosing, preferably a unique creature that does not exist anywhere else in the campaign world, and perhaps even another notlich). The subject may be vaguely humanoid, or he may grow into a strange creature that is not even suited to surviving out of water or in sunlight, and he may maintain some shreds of his old psychology or his mindset may become wholly alien and evil.

No known magic short of wish or miracle can reverse or prevent this transformation. If there is another cure, it is an elusive and archaic one which would be extremely hard to find, and would surely have to be administered before the transformation is complete...

The Vorpal Tribble
2005-11-01, 09:20 PM
Ok, Midnight has come and past. Time for voting! Everyone send their preferences to me.

Hydro
2005-11-04, 09:09 AM
Does voting work as it does in the official contests?

And is there, by any chance, anyone who plans on voting who wasn't a contest participant? ^_^()

Vaynor
2005-11-06, 01:50 AM
Yeah, I liked lost_my_NHL's one, that was good.

Hydro
2005-11-14, 10:07 AM
*pokes the thread with a stick?*

Sacrath
2005-11-14, 11:29 AM
Were there not enough votes or something?

The Vorpal Tribble
2005-11-14, 11:46 AM
I've received 3 votes so far. Was hoping I'd get at least a couple more :-/

CaptG1066
2005-11-14, 04:03 PM
PM'd my vote to Tribble

Capt G

Hydro
2005-11-16, 08:26 AM
How about telling me how we're voting?

Do we just pick our favorite for each catagory?

The Vorpal Tribble
2005-11-16, 10:34 AM
Do we just pick our favorite for each catagory?
Affirmative.