Venardhi
2011-02-28, 07:07 AM
Made this basically because I needed something to offset a few levels of a wild shape-focused druid gestalt build and nothing seemed to fit right. My DM has already accepted it in a much more rough form, but I want to make sure I'm not overdoing it before it goes down on my character sheet. Suggestions on potential 'negatives' or weaknesses to add would be appreciated if you feel it is too powerful.
Nature's Thrall
Nature's Thrall is an inherited or acquired template added to any giant, humanoid, monstrous humanoid, animal or magical beast .
The origins of a servant to the natural world matter little to the elemental forces that call upon them to be a Nature's Thrall. Some may have latent Fay or Elemental blood, some may have divine magic flowing through their veins already, but all are transformed by the magics that thrust themselves upon her no matter her readiness or willingness.
The Nature's Thrall is transformed over the course of hours, days or years into a force of nature's wrath upon any who would disturb it, granted a solemn responsibility to defend it, and granted great power to protect it. Developing horns or antlers, a beast's thick hide or bark like skin amongst other powerful enhancements, the Nature's Thrall is expected to give as much, or more, in return to the natural world or face the consequences of its wrath.
Size and Type: A Nature's Thrall's type does not change though she is granted several benefits of the plant and fey types upon the completion of her transformation. Her size remains that of her base creature.
Armor Class: A Nature's Thrall is granted thick beast-like hide or rough, bark-like skin that grants +4 natural armor to her armor class.
Feats: A Nature's Thrall is granted Sacred Vow as a bonus feat whenever she is called upon. See below: Thrall's Vow.
Attack: A Nature's Thrall retains all the attacks of the base creature and also gains a Head Butt or Gore attack if it didn’t already have one. If the base creature can use weapons, the Nature's Thrall retains this ability. A creature with natural weapons retains those natural weapons. A Nature's Thrall fighting without weapons uses either its Head Butt or Gore attack or its primary natural weapon (if it has any). A Nature's Thrall armed with a weapon uses its Head Butt or Gore attack or a weapon, as it desires. The Choice of natural weapon (Ram or Goat horns for Head Butt, Antlers or Bull's Horns for Gore) must be decided when the Nature's Thrall template is applied and cannot be changed.
Full Attack: A Nature's Thrall fighting without weapons uses either its Head Butt or Gore attack (see above) or its natural weapons (if it has any). If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack along with a Head Butt or Gore attack or other natural weapon as a natural secondary attack.
Damage: Nature's Thralls have Head Butt or Gore attacks. If the base creature does not have this attack form, use the appropriate damage value from the table below according to the Nature's Thrall’s size. Creatures that have other kinds of natural weapons retain their old damage values or use the appropriate value from the table below, whichever is better. A Nature's Thrall adds one and one-half times its Strength modifier to its gore damage when charging.
Size Damage / Charge Damage
Tiny 1d3 / 1d6
Small 1d4 / 1d8
Medium 1d6 / 2d6
Large 1d8 / 2d8
Huge 2d6 / 2d12
Because a Head Butt or Gore attack is a natural attack, a Nature's Thrall can use the full attack action to attack with a melee weapon and follow up with its Head Butt or Gore attack as a secondary attack at a -5 penalty. It does get iterative attacks (multiple attacks with the same weapon at a cumulative -5 penalty), if it is entitled to any, with its melee weapon (but not with its head butt or gore) when using such an attack routine.
Spell-Like Abilities:
A Nature's Thrall with a Wisdom score of 8 or higher gains the ability to Summon Nature's Ally once per day as the druid spell depending on her Hit Dice as shown in the table below:
HD
1–2 Summon nature’s ally I 1/day
3–5 Summon nature’s ally II 1/day
6–7 Summon nature’s ally III 1/day
8–10 Summon nature’s ally IV 1/day
11–12 Summon nature’s ally V 1/day
13–15 Summon nature’s ally VI 1/day
16–17 Summon nature’s ally VII 1/day
18–20 Summon nature’s ally VIII 1/day
21+ Summon nature’s ally IX 1/day
Special Qualities: A Nature's Thrall creature has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.
Spell Resistance (Ex): A Nature's Thrall creature has a natural Spell Resistance of 6 + her HD.
Low-Light Vision (Ex): The creature gains low-light vision, enabling it to see twice as well as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of shadowy illumination. It retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Immunities (Ex): A Nature's Thrall is granted immunity to poison, magic sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning, and mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It is not subject to extra damage from critical hits except from Cold Iron and/or Slashing attacks.
Skill Bonuses (Ex): A Nature's Thrall has truly become a part of nature and instinctively knows how to survive its many dangers, exist alongside its inhabitants and the lore long forgotten by most who have left its verdant embrace. A Nature's Thrall has a +4 to skill checks in Survival, Handle Animal and Knowledge: Nature.
Child of Nature (Ex): A Nature's Thrall is considered of the Fay or Plant type if doing so would be beneficial in the use of magic items.
Abilities: Adjust from the base creature as follows: +2 Dexterity, + 4 Wisdom, +2 Charisma
Environment: Any natural. A Nature's Thrall generally avoids civilization.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2.
Organization: Nature's Thralls from humanoid races will often find themselves ostracized from the civilization and societies they might once have called home. They are usually lone travelers, or accompanied by animals and fay with similar goals. Animals or Monstrous Beasts granted the template will usually defend one particular region of nature and lead the animals within it against any outside threat.
Thrall's Vow: If she forsakes her duty to defend nature or willingly harms it of her own volition, The Nature's Thrall will find herself an enemy of nature and all the creatures who live amongst the wilds as well as losing any benefits other than the irreversible physical changes that have overcome her. Animals will attack her on sight and all inhabitants of Nature will benefit as if from Favored Enemy when fighting her. Losing all the special qualities granted by the Nature's Thrall template, Her appearance will become cursed with a withered appearance and the scent of death will be upon her until and unless she should atone herself.
If witnessing an act of desecration upon nature or its inhabitants, the Nature's Thrall must actively pursue vengeance or be denied the benefits of rest and sleep until or unless she accepts failure and rejects her calling.
Level Adjustment: +3.
Thanks for reading/responding!
- Vin
Nature's Thrall
Nature's Thrall is an inherited or acquired template added to any giant, humanoid, monstrous humanoid, animal or magical beast .
The origins of a servant to the natural world matter little to the elemental forces that call upon them to be a Nature's Thrall. Some may have latent Fay or Elemental blood, some may have divine magic flowing through their veins already, but all are transformed by the magics that thrust themselves upon her no matter her readiness or willingness.
The Nature's Thrall is transformed over the course of hours, days or years into a force of nature's wrath upon any who would disturb it, granted a solemn responsibility to defend it, and granted great power to protect it. Developing horns or antlers, a beast's thick hide or bark like skin amongst other powerful enhancements, the Nature's Thrall is expected to give as much, or more, in return to the natural world or face the consequences of its wrath.
Size and Type: A Nature's Thrall's type does not change though she is granted several benefits of the plant and fey types upon the completion of her transformation. Her size remains that of her base creature.
Armor Class: A Nature's Thrall is granted thick beast-like hide or rough, bark-like skin that grants +4 natural armor to her armor class.
Feats: A Nature's Thrall is granted Sacred Vow as a bonus feat whenever she is called upon. See below: Thrall's Vow.
Attack: A Nature's Thrall retains all the attacks of the base creature and also gains a Head Butt or Gore attack if it didn’t already have one. If the base creature can use weapons, the Nature's Thrall retains this ability. A creature with natural weapons retains those natural weapons. A Nature's Thrall fighting without weapons uses either its Head Butt or Gore attack or its primary natural weapon (if it has any). A Nature's Thrall armed with a weapon uses its Head Butt or Gore attack or a weapon, as it desires. The Choice of natural weapon (Ram or Goat horns for Head Butt, Antlers or Bull's Horns for Gore) must be decided when the Nature's Thrall template is applied and cannot be changed.
Full Attack: A Nature's Thrall fighting without weapons uses either its Head Butt or Gore attack (see above) or its natural weapons (if it has any). If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack along with a Head Butt or Gore attack or other natural weapon as a natural secondary attack.
Damage: Nature's Thralls have Head Butt or Gore attacks. If the base creature does not have this attack form, use the appropriate damage value from the table below according to the Nature's Thrall’s size. Creatures that have other kinds of natural weapons retain their old damage values or use the appropriate value from the table below, whichever is better. A Nature's Thrall adds one and one-half times its Strength modifier to its gore damage when charging.
Size Damage / Charge Damage
Tiny 1d3 / 1d6
Small 1d4 / 1d8
Medium 1d6 / 2d6
Large 1d8 / 2d8
Huge 2d6 / 2d12
Because a Head Butt or Gore attack is a natural attack, a Nature's Thrall can use the full attack action to attack with a melee weapon and follow up with its Head Butt or Gore attack as a secondary attack at a -5 penalty. It does get iterative attacks (multiple attacks with the same weapon at a cumulative -5 penalty), if it is entitled to any, with its melee weapon (but not with its head butt or gore) when using such an attack routine.
Spell-Like Abilities:
A Nature's Thrall with a Wisdom score of 8 or higher gains the ability to Summon Nature's Ally once per day as the druid spell depending on her Hit Dice as shown in the table below:
HD
1–2 Summon nature’s ally I 1/day
3–5 Summon nature’s ally II 1/day
6–7 Summon nature’s ally III 1/day
8–10 Summon nature’s ally IV 1/day
11–12 Summon nature’s ally V 1/day
13–15 Summon nature’s ally VI 1/day
16–17 Summon nature’s ally VII 1/day
18–20 Summon nature’s ally VIII 1/day
21+ Summon nature’s ally IX 1/day
Special Qualities: A Nature's Thrall creature has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.
Spell Resistance (Ex): A Nature's Thrall creature has a natural Spell Resistance of 6 + her HD.
Low-Light Vision (Ex): The creature gains low-light vision, enabling it to see twice as well as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of shadowy illumination. It retains the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
Immunities (Ex): A Nature's Thrall is granted immunity to poison, magic sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, stunning, and mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). It is not subject to extra damage from critical hits except from Cold Iron and/or Slashing attacks.
Skill Bonuses (Ex): A Nature's Thrall has truly become a part of nature and instinctively knows how to survive its many dangers, exist alongside its inhabitants and the lore long forgotten by most who have left its verdant embrace. A Nature's Thrall has a +4 to skill checks in Survival, Handle Animal and Knowledge: Nature.
Child of Nature (Ex): A Nature's Thrall is considered of the Fay or Plant type if doing so would be beneficial in the use of magic items.
Abilities: Adjust from the base creature as follows: +2 Dexterity, + 4 Wisdom, +2 Charisma
Environment: Any natural. A Nature's Thrall generally avoids civilization.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2.
Organization: Nature's Thralls from humanoid races will often find themselves ostracized from the civilization and societies they might once have called home. They are usually lone travelers, or accompanied by animals and fay with similar goals. Animals or Monstrous Beasts granted the template will usually defend one particular region of nature and lead the animals within it against any outside threat.
Thrall's Vow: If she forsakes her duty to defend nature or willingly harms it of her own volition, The Nature's Thrall will find herself an enemy of nature and all the creatures who live amongst the wilds as well as losing any benefits other than the irreversible physical changes that have overcome her. Animals will attack her on sight and all inhabitants of Nature will benefit as if from Favored Enemy when fighting her. Losing all the special qualities granted by the Nature's Thrall template, Her appearance will become cursed with a withered appearance and the scent of death will be upon her until and unless she should atone herself.
If witnessing an act of desecration upon nature or its inhabitants, the Nature's Thrall must actively pursue vengeance or be denied the benefits of rest and sleep until or unless she accepts failure and rejects her calling.
Level Adjustment: +3.
Thanks for reading/responding!
- Vin