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Beelzebub1111
2005-08-13, 06:23 PM
This is a template Idea I got from watching Inuyasha

Clay Bodied
This template can be added to any living humanoid or monsterous humanoid creature (hereafter refered to as the base creature)
Size and Type: The creature's type changes to undead(augmented humanoid or monsterous humanoid) Do not recalculate BAB, saves, skill points, or size.
Hit Dice: Change to d12
Speed: Speed remains unchanged
Armor Class: Natural armor increases by 1 (as the skin is now made of clay)
Special Qualities: Retains special qualities of the base creature, and adds the folowing:
~Darkvision out 60ft
~Lifesense: Can sense any living thing within 30ft
~Immune to critical hits, and extra damage from sneak attacks
~Not subject to subdual damage
~If reduced to zero hit points, the character is instead destroyed but can be resurected by using the clay pieces of the body to make a new body and redo the creation process without the need for the ashes or graveyard soil(see below)
Abilities:Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +0, Dex +0, Con --, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +0
Skills: -8 on all charisma based skill checks againsed those with the sent ability.
Enviroment: Same as base creature
Organization: Same as base creature
CR: Same as base creature
Treasure: Same as base creature
Alignment: Same as base creature
Advancement: by character class
Level Adjustment: Same as base creature+2

A clay bodied creature looks the same as it did in life exept that anyone with the sent ability notices the smell of graveyard dirt about them. To create a clay bodied creature, you must make a body out of clay using the soil from the one you wish to resurect's grave. Then you must use mix their body's ashes in with the clay and ignite the sculpture. The clay body then takes the form (including color) of the one being resurected and retains all of their abilities. The first time this is done the subject uses one level for being revived

EDITS:
Removed the "no level loss" after the first time
Fixed a Typo
Changed LA to +2

bingo_bob
2005-08-13, 08:26 PM
Eesh... that's interersting, but it seems to me that you're giving them free ressurections, without level loss! Good concept though.

Pop Goes the Weasel
2005-08-13, 10:26 PM
Well, it is evil, after all. That's almost like saying becoming a lich is cheating. Both of these are fair because most adventuring parties are good rather than evil.

bingo_bob
2005-08-13, 10:43 PM
...extra damage from snead attacks...

Snead attack? What's a snead attack? :P

Very good template, though with all the goodies you're giving it, you might want to raise the LA. Because otherwise it just screams 'Feral Template' in my mind. If you don't know, that's an overpowered template with a measly +1 adjustment...

Beelzebub1111
2005-08-13, 10:51 PM
Ha ha ha, very funny. Anyways I fixed the typo and raised the LA to +2

bingo_bob
2005-08-13, 10:56 PM
Just on a final note, you may want to mention what having a non-ability entails, seeing as it isn't immediately obvious.

CharPixie
2005-08-13, 11:03 PM
Two suggestions:

Change the immunity to either Light or Medium Fortification; it's more mild, and with Light you can probably get away with a +1 LA.

Make the level they come back at their minimum level. If they die and are remade, and they have gained a level since then, they still lose a level, but the level at which they come back is their new minimum level. It makes a character that can die often, but is still one that wouldn't want to die too often.

Oh, and what is the cost of being pieced back together?

It's a very cool idea, but not one I'd allow near players easily, even with a lot of changes. Becoming eternal is a rather nifty benefit for a PC.

Winged One
2005-08-13, 11:06 PM
I think you should make it so that there's no penalty to Intimidate against creatures with scent.

MisterRaziel
2005-08-13, 11:21 PM
Why do they get darkvision?

bingo_bob
2005-08-13, 11:35 PM
Raziel that's probably a good point. It seems to me that tremorsense would be a bit more flavorful, though it may make the lifesense less useful...

MisterRaziel
2005-08-13, 11:46 PM
Sorry, I wasn't being clever. I'm genuinely curious.

It seems like this template combines aspects of constructs and undead - construct natural armour without the DR, and undead traits without the vulnerability to positive energy.

Now, lifesense I can see - being a resurrected creature, it's come from beyond the veil (so to speak), so I can see that it would be attuned.

I'm just not following where the darkvision comes from... unless it's a by-product of the ritual.

I will say this though - it's an interesting idea. I'd like to use it in my campaign.

AtomicKitKat
2005-08-13, 11:53 PM
Technically speaking, Kikyo is not so much an undead as a construct. She's not immune to standard injury though(she can bleed, possibly get eviscerated). She can still be attacked and bleed. She also requires regular infusion of "lost souls"(I think they're basically harvested from recently dead people), in order to maintain a semblance of life.

Venatius
2005-08-14, 04:34 AM
Why do they get darkvision?

Well, I think you said it yourself. They have some undead facets, and all undead have darkvision.

MrNexx
2005-08-14, 10:55 AM
Technically speaking, Kikyo is not so much an undead as a construct. She's not immune to standard injury though(she can bleed, possibly get eviscerated). She can still be attacked and bleed. She also requires regular infusion of "lost souls"(I think they're basically harvested from recently dead people), in order to maintain a semblance of life.

However, the feeding off of dead souls would really seem to be a undead trait, moreso than construct.

Personally, I agree; Kikyo is a construct. But, I think she's also an undead, because the construct body is inhabite by an undead spirit.

AtomicKitKat
2005-08-15, 12:07 AM
However, the feeding off of dead souls would really seem to be a undead trait, moreso than construct.

Personally, I agree; Kikyo is a construct. But, I think she's also an undead, because the construct body is inhabite by an undead spirit.

A construct(golem specifically) is generally animated by a spirit(oftentimes an elemental). The Flesh Collosus from Epic Level Handbook is an excellent example of a construct that resembles an undead(zombie) until you infuse it with a ghost(which can be yourself), in which case it becomes akin to a gigantic flesh golem. Matter of fact, Kikyo's body is very much like a Flesh Collosus in miniature(but better crafted, of course)

MisterRaziel
2005-08-15, 01:16 AM
If it is indeed an undead, does that mean I can turn it?

Wih
2005-08-15, 03:04 AM
It becomes undead, it can be turned.
Two changes need to be made:
The LA needs to become +3
The CR needs to become +1
And it needs to be unable to be turned/rebuked.

It gain NA, it's HD becomes maxxed out, it gets a non-ability. Oh, and immunity to critical hits/sneak attacks, and a 30ft blindsense against living creatures.
It's worth at least a +3 LA, if you give it the inability to be turned. If it can be turned, it's inherrantly weak...giving up LA without getting a Turn Resist is not good.