The Vorpal Tribble
2009-07-20, 04:20 PM
That God Never Saw
http://th05.deviantart.net/fs40/300W/f/2009/054/2/e/2e951cb9407d0d4abfb660d9ba562933.jpg
There are those that were never meant to be. They aren't necessarily evil or unlovable, but they are simply an unforetold mistake. Not forgotten or invisible, they were never noticed to begin with. They were those that god never saw. As such they go through life like a shade, often without consequence, but some use this to their advantage, becoming an unknown force. Like the wind, only the results are seen, never the source.
How they came about at all is the biggest mystery. It is said by some that they are the offspring of vestiges, conceived beyond all eyes. Others say they are a mistake, a grain of sand that slipped through the crushing gears of fate. Both are possibly the case, and others beside, but however they came to be their existence is a somewhat disturbing occurrence to all.
Those That God Never Saw tend towards unhealthy appearances. Pale skin, lank hair, and lackluster eyes are commonplace. They have a wild, abandoned look and always seem a little haunted and disheveled, as if the lack of any higher notice has left them wilted like a plant without sunlight. Otherwise they are mostly normal, though with a disposition towards fierce independence. Nothing looks after them, and so they make their own decisions. Many have a 'live for the moment' attitude. It is as if they feel the overhanging reality that there will be no reward or punishment after life, so make what they can of the short time they have. Others cling to life like a limpet to a rock. They are hypochondriacs and phobia filled, horribly frightened of anything that may cut their life short. Many seek immortality in some fashion, to become famous or to discover a cure for aging. Others even seek out ways to become a deity themselves, and others seek to become a vestige of their own. Regardless of personality, they are always seen as eccentric and unnerving, those about them instinctively sensing their own mortality around these soulless souls.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Sample Creature That God Never Saw
Mirage, Dryad That God Never Saw
Medium Aberration
Hit Dice: 4d6 (14 hp)
Initiative: +4 Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+4 Dex, +3 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+2
Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d4/19–20) or masterwork longbow +7 ranged (1d8/x3)
Full Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d4/19–20) or masterwork longbow +7 ranged (1d8/x3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Killjoy, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, noticed, one chance, rebel against nothingness, spurn deific touch, unaligned, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +7
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 19, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 16
Skills: Bluff +5, Escape Artist +11, Handle Animal +10, Hide +17, Knowledge (nature) +11, Listen +10, Move Silently +11, Ride +6, Spot +10, Survival +10, Use Rope +4 (+6 with bindings)
Feats: Fade Into Violence (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Fade_Into_Violence,all)(B), Great Fortitude, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate Desert
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Unaligned
Advancement: By character class
This woman is obviously a dryad, except her hair is colorless and spidery like the veins of a withered leaf. Her skin is withered and grey, with deep fissures and cracks that should be weeping blood but which looks dry as death, like weathered wooden shingles.
Mirage appeared one day, whistling from the bottom of a deep, waterless well in the midst of a desert. No one knows from where she came, and she only knows thirst and a horrible cold wind before she was pulled out. No trees are to be found for a hundred miles, yet she remains alive without her patron oak. She speaks no language, though is learning that of the wandering caravan that found her. They do not like keeping her within their midst, but secretly plan to sell her at the nearest opportunity.
Combat
Mirage just sits and takes any beating she is given until it brings her near death. She then suddenly leaps up with a scream of defiance and pummels her attacker with whatever is nearest at hand.
Behind the Scenes (Ex): Mirage is visible yet rarely noticed. She gains a +6 racial bonus on Hide and Bluff checks. As well she gains the benefits of Fade Into Violence (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Fade_Into_Violence,all) even if she don't meet the prerequisites.
Against outsiders with an alignment subtype she is invisible as the spell.
Killjoy (Ex): Creatures with souls instinctively sense the nature of Mirage and experience pangs of depression. Any morale bonuses they gain while within 20 feet of a her lessens by 1. This cannot produce a negative to their base saves. Those in this range also take a -4 penalty to saves against Crushing Despair.
Noticed (Ex): Mirage has a sixth sense in regards to actually being noticed. She can sense when she is the focus of a divination spell or clairsentient power. As well, if she is singled out of the crowd even by a pair of eyes she can sense she is being watched. This sense has no limit as long as the being watching for Mirage can see her.
One Chance (Ex): Mirage does not have a dual nature—her soul and body form one unit like an Outsider. If she is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells and Powers that restore souls to their bodies, such as psionic revivify, raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don’t work on Mirage. It takes a different effect, such as bend reality, reality revision, limited wish, wish, to restore her to life.
Rebel Against Nothingness (Ex): Mirage may rage once per day as a 4th level barbarian. The rage ends once the time limit has passed or the attacker flees. At the end of this rage she is not fatigued but is instead affected as Crushing Despair.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will—entangle (DC 14), speak with plants, tree shape; 3/day— charm person (DC 14), deep slumber (DC 16), tree stride; 1/day—suggestion (DC 16). Caster level 6th. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.
Spurn Deific Touch (Ex): Mirage is immune to all divine spells and powers, be they harmful or harmless. As well, she cannot take levels in any divine spell-casting class or class that receives special abilities from a higher source or alternate plane.
Unaligned: Mirage is outside the pantheon of good and evil, law and chaos, even neutrality. She may have an inclincation towards any, but deep down at the spiritual level there is only void.
Wild Empathy (Ex): This power works like the druid’s wild empathy class feature, except that the dryad has a +6 racial bonus on the check.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Creating a Creature That God Never Saw
"Creature That God Never Saw" is an inherited template that can be added to any living creature except for elementals and outsiders, hereafter referred to as the base creature. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: Creature type changes to Aberration. Do not recalculate hit points, base attack or skills.
Special Qualities: A creature that god never saw has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.
Behind the Scenes (Ex): A Creature That God Never Saw is visible yet rarely noticed. No matter how powerful they are, they seem to be a presence beneath notice. They gain a +6 racial bonus on Hide and Bluff checks. As well they gain the benefits of Fade Into Violence (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Fade_Into_Violence,all) even if they don't meet the prerequisites.
Against outsiders with an alignment subtype they are invisible as the spell.
Double Life Span (Ex): The irony of a Creature That God Never Saw is they live much longer than others of their kind. They reach maturity at the same time as any... and from there on age only half as slowly as they would normally.
Noticed (Ex): A Creature That God Never Saw has a sixth sense in regards to actually being noticed. They can sense when they are the focus of a divination spell or clairsentient power. As well, if they are singled out of the crowd even by a pair of eyes they can sense they are being watched. This sense has no limit as long as the being watching them can see them.
One Chance (Ex): A Creature That God Never Saw does not have a dual nature—its soul and body form one unit like an Outsider. When a creature with this template is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells and Powers that restore souls to their bodies, such as psionic revivify, raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don’t work on a Creature That God Never Saw. It takes a different effect, such as bend reality, reality revision, limited wish, wish, to restore it to life.
Spurn Deific Touch (Ex): A Creature That God Never Saw is immune to all divine spells and powers, be they harmful or harmless. Ongoing divine effects, such as Circle Against Evil, a Creature That God Never Saw may also ignore as long as they allow spell resistance.
As well, a Creature That God Never Saw cannot take levels in any divine spell-casting class or class that receives special abilities from a higher source or alternate plane. They keep any spell-like abilities they have, though if they cast spells as a druid, cleric, or other divine spellcaster they lose all those spells.
Unaligned: A Creature That God Never Saw is outside the pantheon of good and evil, law and chaos, even neutrality. They may have an inclination towards any, but deep down at the spiritual level there is only void.
Special Attacks: A creature that god never saw has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.
Killjoy (Ex): Creatures with souls instinctively sense the nature of a Creature That God Never Saw and experience pangs of depression. Any morale bonuses they gain while within 20 feet of a Creature That God Never Saw lessens by 1. This cannot produce a negative to their base saves. Those in this range also take a -4 penalty to saves against Crushing Despair.
Rebel Against Nothingness (Ex): A Creature That God Never Saw may rage once per day as a barbarian at the same level as their HD. The rage ends once the time limit has passed or the attacker flees. At the end of this rage are not fatigued but are instead affected as Crushing Despair.
Abilities: Adjust from the base creature as follows: Wis +2, Cha -2
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature.
Level Adjustment: Same as base creature +1.
http://th05.deviantart.net/fs40/300W/f/2009/054/2/e/2e951cb9407d0d4abfb660d9ba562933.jpg
There are those that were never meant to be. They aren't necessarily evil or unlovable, but they are simply an unforetold mistake. Not forgotten or invisible, they were never noticed to begin with. They were those that god never saw. As such they go through life like a shade, often without consequence, but some use this to their advantage, becoming an unknown force. Like the wind, only the results are seen, never the source.
How they came about at all is the biggest mystery. It is said by some that they are the offspring of vestiges, conceived beyond all eyes. Others say they are a mistake, a grain of sand that slipped through the crushing gears of fate. Both are possibly the case, and others beside, but however they came to be their existence is a somewhat disturbing occurrence to all.
Those That God Never Saw tend towards unhealthy appearances. Pale skin, lank hair, and lackluster eyes are commonplace. They have a wild, abandoned look and always seem a little haunted and disheveled, as if the lack of any higher notice has left them wilted like a plant without sunlight. Otherwise they are mostly normal, though with a disposition towards fierce independence. Nothing looks after them, and so they make their own decisions. Many have a 'live for the moment' attitude. It is as if they feel the overhanging reality that there will be no reward or punishment after life, so make what they can of the short time they have. Others cling to life like a limpet to a rock. They are hypochondriacs and phobia filled, horribly frightened of anything that may cut their life short. Many seek immortality in some fashion, to become famous or to discover a cure for aging. Others even seek out ways to become a deity themselves, and others seek to become a vestige of their own. Regardless of personality, they are always seen as eccentric and unnerving, those about them instinctively sensing their own mortality around these soulless souls.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Sample Creature That God Never Saw
Mirage, Dryad That God Never Saw
Medium Aberration
Hit Dice: 4d6 (14 hp)
Initiative: +4 Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 17 (+4 Dex, +3 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+2
Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d4/19–20) or masterwork longbow +7 ranged (1d8/x3)
Full Attack: Dagger +6 melee (1d4/19–20) or masterwork longbow +7 ranged (1d8/x3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Killjoy, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, noticed, one chance, rebel against nothingness, spurn deific touch, unaligned, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +7
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 19, Con 11, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 16
Skills: Bluff +5, Escape Artist +11, Handle Animal +10, Hide +17, Knowledge (nature) +11, Listen +10, Move Silently +11, Ride +6, Spot +10, Survival +10, Use Rope +4 (+6 with bindings)
Feats: Fade Into Violence (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Fade_Into_Violence,all)(B), Great Fortitude, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Temperate Desert
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Unaligned
Advancement: By character class
This woman is obviously a dryad, except her hair is colorless and spidery like the veins of a withered leaf. Her skin is withered and grey, with deep fissures and cracks that should be weeping blood but which looks dry as death, like weathered wooden shingles.
Mirage appeared one day, whistling from the bottom of a deep, waterless well in the midst of a desert. No one knows from where she came, and she only knows thirst and a horrible cold wind before she was pulled out. No trees are to be found for a hundred miles, yet she remains alive without her patron oak. She speaks no language, though is learning that of the wandering caravan that found her. They do not like keeping her within their midst, but secretly plan to sell her at the nearest opportunity.
Combat
Mirage just sits and takes any beating she is given until it brings her near death. She then suddenly leaps up with a scream of defiance and pummels her attacker with whatever is nearest at hand.
Behind the Scenes (Ex): Mirage is visible yet rarely noticed. She gains a +6 racial bonus on Hide and Bluff checks. As well she gains the benefits of Fade Into Violence (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Fade_Into_Violence,all) even if she don't meet the prerequisites.
Against outsiders with an alignment subtype she is invisible as the spell.
Killjoy (Ex): Creatures with souls instinctively sense the nature of Mirage and experience pangs of depression. Any morale bonuses they gain while within 20 feet of a her lessens by 1. This cannot produce a negative to their base saves. Those in this range also take a -4 penalty to saves against Crushing Despair.
Noticed (Ex): Mirage has a sixth sense in regards to actually being noticed. She can sense when she is the focus of a divination spell or clairsentient power. As well, if she is singled out of the crowd even by a pair of eyes she can sense she is being watched. This sense has no limit as long as the being watching for Mirage can see her.
One Chance (Ex): Mirage does not have a dual nature—her soul and body form one unit like an Outsider. If she is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells and Powers that restore souls to their bodies, such as psionic revivify, raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don’t work on Mirage. It takes a different effect, such as bend reality, reality revision, limited wish, wish, to restore her to life.
Rebel Against Nothingness (Ex): Mirage may rage once per day as a 4th level barbarian. The rage ends once the time limit has passed or the attacker flees. At the end of this rage she is not fatigued but is instead affected as Crushing Despair.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will—entangle (DC 14), speak with plants, tree shape; 3/day— charm person (DC 14), deep slumber (DC 16), tree stride; 1/day—suggestion (DC 16). Caster level 6th. The save DCs are Wisdom-based.
Spurn Deific Touch (Ex): Mirage is immune to all divine spells and powers, be they harmful or harmless. As well, she cannot take levels in any divine spell-casting class or class that receives special abilities from a higher source or alternate plane.
Unaligned: Mirage is outside the pantheon of good and evil, law and chaos, even neutrality. She may have an inclincation towards any, but deep down at the spiritual level there is only void.
Wild Empathy (Ex): This power works like the druid’s wild empathy class feature, except that the dryad has a +6 racial bonus on the check.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Creating a Creature That God Never Saw
"Creature That God Never Saw" is an inherited template that can be added to any living creature except for elementals and outsiders, hereafter referred to as the base creature. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: Creature type changes to Aberration. Do not recalculate hit points, base attack or skills.
Special Qualities: A creature that god never saw has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.
Behind the Scenes (Ex): A Creature That God Never Saw is visible yet rarely noticed. No matter how powerful they are, they seem to be a presence beneath notice. They gain a +6 racial bonus on Hide and Bluff checks. As well they gain the benefits of Fade Into Violence (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Fade_Into_Violence,all) even if they don't meet the prerequisites.
Against outsiders with an alignment subtype they are invisible as the spell.
Double Life Span (Ex): The irony of a Creature That God Never Saw is they live much longer than others of their kind. They reach maturity at the same time as any... and from there on age only half as slowly as they would normally.
Noticed (Ex): A Creature That God Never Saw has a sixth sense in regards to actually being noticed. They can sense when they are the focus of a divination spell or clairsentient power. As well, if they are singled out of the crowd even by a pair of eyes they can sense they are being watched. This sense has no limit as long as the being watching them can see them.
One Chance (Ex): A Creature That God Never Saw does not have a dual nature—its soul and body form one unit like an Outsider. When a creature with this template is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells and Powers that restore souls to their bodies, such as psionic revivify, raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don’t work on a Creature That God Never Saw. It takes a different effect, such as bend reality, reality revision, limited wish, wish, to restore it to life.
Spurn Deific Touch (Ex): A Creature That God Never Saw is immune to all divine spells and powers, be they harmful or harmless. Ongoing divine effects, such as Circle Against Evil, a Creature That God Never Saw may also ignore as long as they allow spell resistance.
As well, a Creature That God Never Saw cannot take levels in any divine spell-casting class or class that receives special abilities from a higher source or alternate plane. They keep any spell-like abilities they have, though if they cast spells as a druid, cleric, or other divine spellcaster they lose all those spells.
Unaligned: A Creature That God Never Saw is outside the pantheon of good and evil, law and chaos, even neutrality. They may have an inclination towards any, but deep down at the spiritual level there is only void.
Special Attacks: A creature that god never saw has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.
Killjoy (Ex): Creatures with souls instinctively sense the nature of a Creature That God Never Saw and experience pangs of depression. Any morale bonuses they gain while within 20 feet of a Creature That God Never Saw lessens by 1. This cannot produce a negative to their base saves. Those in this range also take a -4 penalty to saves against Crushing Despair.
Rebel Against Nothingness (Ex): A Creature That God Never Saw may rage once per day as a barbarian at the same level as their HD. The rage ends once the time limit has passed or the attacker flees. At the end of this rage are not fatigued but are instead affected as Crushing Despair.
Abilities: Adjust from the base creature as follows: Wis +2, Cha -2
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature.
Level Adjustment: Same as base creature +1.