Amiel
2010-04-03, 08:42 AM
They exist in the spaces between worlds. They persist where there is only nothingness and emptiness. They inspire acts of vile evil; to those born under their sign is a fate worse than the most horrible torture.
They are the inverse of the Cosmos; they are the negative film behind the positive lens. They are the constellations of entities who have suffered from fates so ignominious and tragic that their birth screams into their new forms cursed the very multiverse from which they were extinguished.
They are the Black Zodiac.
The Torn Child
Numerous treatises across Creation have written of the sins of the parents descending upon their children. To some, their progeny manage the means to rise up from such a spiritual mire, eventually bringing blessed light and reputation back upon their name. To most however, the horror not only engulfs the current generation but extends into perpetuity; ensuring that all upon the family line exist with only suicide as a thought and rat gnawed bones.
This ideal is no better encapsulated than upon the entity known as the Torn Child. Some scholars have presented the position that the child is the ghost of a union between a reformed incubus and mortal that was ripped out of the womb by demon worshippers. This child, male or female, was then drawn and quartered into the four cardinal directions to prevent resurrection attempts and instill infinite horror into its parents.
Others are of the opinion that the Torn Child is the scion of a deity, who was aborted as an atropal to spread its abomination upon Creation.
The truth is thus far beyond even the foresight and knowledge of gods. The Torn Child appears as angelic beyond description, its form unmarred by anger and by grief. Yet those whose eyes linger upon it eventually realise that it has no legs whatsoever, that all that remains is the sound of constantly dripping blood with no associated image. It floats upon nothing and looks upon you with completely black eyes.
Oh god, its eyes!
Medium Outsider (Abomination, Evil, Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 30d8+510 (750 hp)
Initiative: +13 (+5 Dex, +8 Improved Initiative)
Speed: Fly 180 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 63 (+5 Dex, +35 natural, +13 profane)
Base Attack/Grapple: +30/+50
Attack: Draining touch +63 melee touch (3d6 Con drain)
Full Attack: 2 draining touches +63 melee touch (3d6 Con drain)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft.
Special Attacks: Constitution drain, Feast of Anguish, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Abomination traits, damage reduction 30/epic, good, regeneration 20, spell resistance 42, the Grey Presence, the Torn Child
Saves: Fort +47, Ref +37, Will +37
Abilities: Str 50, Dex 20, Con 45, Int 44, Wis 20, Cha 30
Skills: Bluff +85, Concentration +85, Diplomacy +97, Hide +65, Intimidate +91, Knowledge (arcana, history, religion, the planes) +78, Listen +77, Search +78, Sense Motive +75, Spellcraft +84, Spot +77
Feats: Cleave, Dodge, Combat Expertise, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability, Spring Attack
Epic Feats: Blinding Speed, Devastating Critical (touch), Overwhelming Critical (touch), Superior Initiative
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 35
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Combat
Constitution Drain (Su): When the Child hits a living opponent with a touch attack the opponent takes 3d6 points of permanent Constitution drain. The Child heals 31 points of damage whenever it drains Constitution, gaining any excess as temporary hit points. These temporary hit points last a maximum of 1 hour. The attack allows a Fortitude save DC 48. The DC is Charisma-based.
Feast of Anguish (Ex): The Torn Child subsists on the anguish and horror of others. Every 45 HD of victims it murders in extreme suffering allows it to benefit from a further +13 to its attack rolls, damage rolls, regeneration, AC. The Child may also apply the bonus to a single application of its Special Attacks.
Negative Energy Aura (Su): A 130-foot-radius spread negative energy aura emanates from the Torn Child. All undead benefit from a turn resistance of +20. Living creatures in the aura are treated as having ten negative levels unless they have some sort of negative energy protection or protection from evil. Creatures with 10 or fewer HD or levels perish (and, at the Child's option, rise as spectres under the Child's command 1 minute later).
Spell-Like Abilities: At will—animate dead, blasphemy, blur, create undead, darkness, deeper darkness, desecrate, detect magic, fear, fireball, greater dispel magic, greater invisibility, read magic, suggestion, symbol of death, telekinesis, greater teleport (self plus 1,000 pounds), spectral hand, unholy aura, unholy blight, unhallow. Caster level 30th; save DC 15 + spell level. The DCs are Charisma-based.
The Grey Presence (Ex): The Child's very presence leeches the very vitality from its surroundings. All in a 130-foot-radius are slowed. A Will save DC 48 must be succeeded against or all victims suffer from a permanent slowness effect. The DC is Charisma-based.
Additionally, all within its presence lose all benefits of fast healing and regeneration, and damage needed to penetrate damage reduction is reduced by 10 points.
Finally, all within its immediate area are emotionally deadened, excruciating under a -10 penalty to all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
The Torn Child (Ex): The Child seethes with an impossible anger and uncontainable fury; at itself, its existence, at the very Cosmos itself. This grants it tremendous power, it benefits from a +13 profane bonus to all possible beneficial effects; these include but are not limited to, AC, attack rolls, ability scores, saves, DCs.
Its dead, completely black eyes are horrific to look upon, and all who do so invite death. Its gaze attack terminates exactly as the weird spell.
Those born under its sign experience the same though less intense anger directed at themselves, at others. These must succeed against a Will save DC 48 or attempt to self-harm, dealing 3d6 points of damage to themselves.
Additionally, they always act hostile to others and will always attack unprovoked; the check to influence them to a more helpful attitude increases in difficulty by 10.
They are the inverse of the Cosmos; they are the negative film behind the positive lens. They are the constellations of entities who have suffered from fates so ignominious and tragic that their birth screams into their new forms cursed the very multiverse from which they were extinguished.
They are the Black Zodiac.
The Torn Child
Numerous treatises across Creation have written of the sins of the parents descending upon their children. To some, their progeny manage the means to rise up from such a spiritual mire, eventually bringing blessed light and reputation back upon their name. To most however, the horror not only engulfs the current generation but extends into perpetuity; ensuring that all upon the family line exist with only suicide as a thought and rat gnawed bones.
This ideal is no better encapsulated than upon the entity known as the Torn Child. Some scholars have presented the position that the child is the ghost of a union between a reformed incubus and mortal that was ripped out of the womb by demon worshippers. This child, male or female, was then drawn and quartered into the four cardinal directions to prevent resurrection attempts and instill infinite horror into its parents.
Others are of the opinion that the Torn Child is the scion of a deity, who was aborted as an atropal to spread its abomination upon Creation.
The truth is thus far beyond even the foresight and knowledge of gods. The Torn Child appears as angelic beyond description, its form unmarred by anger and by grief. Yet those whose eyes linger upon it eventually realise that it has no legs whatsoever, that all that remains is the sound of constantly dripping blood with no associated image. It floats upon nothing and looks upon you with completely black eyes.
Oh god, its eyes!
Medium Outsider (Abomination, Evil, Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 30d8+510 (750 hp)
Initiative: +13 (+5 Dex, +8 Improved Initiative)
Speed: Fly 180 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 63 (+5 Dex, +35 natural, +13 profane)
Base Attack/Grapple: +30/+50
Attack: Draining touch +63 melee touch (3d6 Con drain)
Full Attack: 2 draining touches +63 melee touch (3d6 Con drain)
Space/Reach: 5 ft/5 ft.
Special Attacks: Constitution drain, Feast of Anguish, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Abomination traits, damage reduction 30/epic, good, regeneration 20, spell resistance 42, the Grey Presence, the Torn Child
Saves: Fort +47, Ref +37, Will +37
Abilities: Str 50, Dex 20, Con 45, Int 44, Wis 20, Cha 30
Skills: Bluff +85, Concentration +85, Diplomacy +97, Hide +65, Intimidate +91, Knowledge (arcana, history, religion, the planes) +78, Listen +77, Search +78, Sense Motive +75, Spellcraft +84, Spot +77
Feats: Cleave, Dodge, Combat Expertise, Great Cleave, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability, Spring Attack
Epic Feats: Blinding Speed, Devastating Critical (touch), Overwhelming Critical (touch), Superior Initiative
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 35
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Combat
Constitution Drain (Su): When the Child hits a living opponent with a touch attack the opponent takes 3d6 points of permanent Constitution drain. The Child heals 31 points of damage whenever it drains Constitution, gaining any excess as temporary hit points. These temporary hit points last a maximum of 1 hour. The attack allows a Fortitude save DC 48. The DC is Charisma-based.
Feast of Anguish (Ex): The Torn Child subsists on the anguish and horror of others. Every 45 HD of victims it murders in extreme suffering allows it to benefit from a further +13 to its attack rolls, damage rolls, regeneration, AC. The Child may also apply the bonus to a single application of its Special Attacks.
Negative Energy Aura (Su): A 130-foot-radius spread negative energy aura emanates from the Torn Child. All undead benefit from a turn resistance of +20. Living creatures in the aura are treated as having ten negative levels unless they have some sort of negative energy protection or protection from evil. Creatures with 10 or fewer HD or levels perish (and, at the Child's option, rise as spectres under the Child's command 1 minute later).
Spell-Like Abilities: At will—animate dead, blasphemy, blur, create undead, darkness, deeper darkness, desecrate, detect magic, fear, fireball, greater dispel magic, greater invisibility, read magic, suggestion, symbol of death, telekinesis, greater teleport (self plus 1,000 pounds), spectral hand, unholy aura, unholy blight, unhallow. Caster level 30th; save DC 15 + spell level. The DCs are Charisma-based.
The Grey Presence (Ex): The Child's very presence leeches the very vitality from its surroundings. All in a 130-foot-radius are slowed. A Will save DC 48 must be succeeded against or all victims suffer from a permanent slowness effect. The DC is Charisma-based.
Additionally, all within its presence lose all benefits of fast healing and regeneration, and damage needed to penetrate damage reduction is reduced by 10 points.
Finally, all within its immediate area are emotionally deadened, excruciating under a -10 penalty to all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
The Torn Child (Ex): The Child seethes with an impossible anger and uncontainable fury; at itself, its existence, at the very Cosmos itself. This grants it tremendous power, it benefits from a +13 profane bonus to all possible beneficial effects; these include but are not limited to, AC, attack rolls, ability scores, saves, DCs.
Its dead, completely black eyes are horrific to look upon, and all who do so invite death. Its gaze attack terminates exactly as the weird spell.
Those born under its sign experience the same though less intense anger directed at themselves, at others. These must succeed against a Will save DC 48 or attempt to self-harm, dealing 3d6 points of damage to themselves.
Additionally, they always act hostile to others and will always attack unprovoked; the check to influence them to a more helpful attitude increases in difficulty by 10.