LordErebus12
2012-06-29, 05:47 AM
http://s7.postimage.org/jb1sruehn/b_ONE_Head_2_by_ivanalexander.jpg
Bone Horror's are ancient; Legend has it that the first Bone Horror's were cannibals and witches, driven to madness by dark magics and began consuming dead flesh. Perhaps this was done in hope that the flesh would bring dark powers and everlasting life to them. In ways they were right, they would exist forever, but not in the form they thought.
They began experimenting with their own bodies, reshaping themselves into monsters that their tribes feared and hated. Some went on to rule their tribes as Witch Doctors or even as Gods. However, If they had little control or the tribe had strong anti-necromancy laws, they were driven from their lands (if not killed outright). Those that escaped went underground, into lost tombs, catacombs, and lost cities; in search for places of mass death and quiet solitude.
When they emerged again, they sent minions out to keep some idea of the world beyond, but eventually they lost touch with the outside world.
Role:
Bone Horrors combine elements of crowd control and spell casting of the conjuration, necromancy, illusion and divinations schools (backed by some other spells to round it off) with a slow decent into eternal undeath. The minions provide crowd control while the Bone Horror works at confusing and weakening enemies through magic.
The Bone Horror's bony body can be altered in several ways, allowing unique forms of attack and other opportunities in combat. The minions under the Bone Horror's control act like undead bombs when the Bone Horror wishes. Even intelligent undead must be wary of not angering it's Bone Horror master, fear of instant destruction should be on the forefront of the controlled undead's mind if ill favor has been garnered.
The Bone Horror is not contagious through attacks, nor can convert others to undeath through killing them. While they do indeed consume flesh at higher levels, it just must be living flesh, not necessarily from a humanoid (or at least not intelligent) source.
Preferred Ability Scores: Int (Spells), Cha (abilities, later HP), Str (better melee attacks and damage)
Alignment: Any Evil
Hit Dice: 1d8
Class Skills
The Bone Horror's class skills are Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (arcane) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Spellcraft (Int) and UMD (Cha).
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Table: The Bone Horror
Level
Attack Bonus
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
-0-
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Nat Armor
1
+0
+0
+0
+2
Spell Puppet, Aura of Desecration, The Hunger
3
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
+1
+0
+0
+3
Shape Bone
4
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
+2
+1
+1
+3
Bonecraft, Near Death
4
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
+3
+1
+1
+4
Hardened Skeleton, Corpse Puppet
4
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
+1
5
+3
+1
+1
+4
Corpsetongue
4
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
+1
6
+4
+2
+2
+5
Bone Call
4
3
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
+1
7
+5
+2
+2
+5
Shards of Bone +2d8
4
4
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
+1
8
+6/+1
+2
+2
+6
Possess Undead
4
4
3
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
+2
9
+6/+1
+3
+3
+6
The Calling
4
4
3
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
+2
10
+7/+2
+3
+3
+7
Death's Visage, Animated Familiar
4
4
4
3
3
2
-
-
-
-
+2
11
+8/+3
+3
+3
+7
Shards of Bone +4d8
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
-
-
-
+2
12
+9/+4
+4
+4
+8
Necrotic Strength
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
-
-
-
+3
13
+9/+4
+4
+4
+8
Corpse Resilience
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
-
-
+3
14
+10/+5
+4
+4
+9
Life's Candle
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
-
-
+3
15
+11/+6/+1
+5
+5
+9
Shards of Bone +6d8
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
-
+3
16
+11/+6/+1
+5
+5
+10
Skeleton of Razors
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
-
+4
17
+12/+7/+2
+5
+5
+10
Liquefy Bone
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
+4
18
+13/+8/+3
+6
+6
+11
Miasma
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
+4
19
+14/+9/+4
+6
+6
+11
Shards of Bone +8d8
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
+4
20
+15/+10/+5
+6
+6
+12
Death Eternal
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
+5
Class Features
The following are the class features of the Bone Horror.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
Bone Horrors are proficient with simple weapons, light armor and shields (but not tower shields). Light Armor doesn't interfere with a Bone Horror's movements but medium or heavier armor can cause his spells with somatic components to fail.
The Shape Bone ability (below) allows the bone horror to craft bone weapons directly from itself, grafted to the arms of the bone horror. These can be any type of weapon type: simple, martial or exotic. They are proficient with them automatically and cannot be disarmed normally (sunder still functions). These qualities also apply to any armor the bone horror creates.
Spells:
A Bone Horror casts arcane spells drawn from the Bone Horror spell list presented in a later post below (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13473746&postcount=2). The Spell puppet must be adjacent or held to cast spells. A Bone Horror must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by spending 1 hour communing with its spell puppet.
To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the Bone Horror must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Bone Horror's spell is 10 + the spell level + the Bone Horror's Intelligence modifier.
A Bone Horror can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Bone Horror. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).
Before Death
1st - Spell Puppet:
Each Bone Horror carries around a gristly, inanimate puppet stitched from human skin and stuffed with shards of bone, fingernails, and grave dirt. This foul object grows in evil power the longer is exists, eventually becoming animated at 10th level. For this reason they are often created with weapons built into them, such as blades, claws, spines, etc. The puppet can later use these to deal damage, depending on the type of weapon its equipped with.
A Bone Horror’s spells come from the will of evil spirits residing in the puppet, the Bone Horror must commune with his puppet each day to prepare his spells and cannot prepare spells that are not stored in the puppet. Its ability to hold spells functions in a manner identical to the way a witch’s spells are granted by his familiar. However, the following familiar ability works differently for a Bone Horror:
The stats for the puppet are here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13480069&postcount=4).
3rd - Deliver Touch Spells (Su):
At 3rd level or higher, a Bone Horror can use his puppet to deliver touch spells. After casting a touch spell, as a full-round action, the Bone Horror can designate a target and stab a pin into his puppet, delivering the spell as a ranged touch attack. The target must be within range of his aura of desecration ability (see below).
1st - Aura of Desecration (Su):
A Bone Horror can create a 20-foot-radius aura of evil power. This aura increases the DC of channeled negative energy by a +3 profane bonus and the turn resistance of undead by +1. Every undead creature entering a desecrated area gains a +1 profane bonus on all attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws. Any undead creature created within or summoned into such an area gains +1 hit points per HD.
At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, the radius of the aura increases by 5 feet, to a maximum of 70 feet at 20th level.
If the desecrated area contains an altar, shrine, or other permanent fixture dedicated to your deity or aligned higher power, the modifiers given above are doubled (+6 profane bonus to negative channeled energy DCs, Turn Resistance +2, +2 profane bonus and +2 hit points per HD for undead created in the area). Furthermore, anyone who casts animate dead within this area may create as many as double the normal amount of undead (that is, 4 HD per caster level rather than 2 HD per caster level).
If the area contains an altar, shrine, or other permanent fixture of a deity, pantheon, or higher power other than your patron, the desecrate spell instead curses the area, cutting off its connection with the associated deity or power. This secondary function, if used, does not also grant the bonuses and penalties relating to undead, as given above.
Desecrate counters and dispels consecrate.
1st - The Hunger (Su):
The Bone Horror begins to crave the taste of living flesh, at first very strong and absolutely overwhelming if ignored. The first few days are often ravenous, but it subsides to a dull craving shortly thereafter, unless ignored. The Bone Horror gains a primary bite attack dealing 1d8 piercing damage.
Whenever the Bone Horror does a day without eating at least a bite of living flesh, the Bone Horror becomes sickened until it consumes flesh. Go three days without flesh and the Bone Horror becomes confused. Go more than two weeks without flesh and the confusion becomes permanent. The permanent confusion is removable only by a wish or miracle spell, but the only possible way to alleviate the symptoms of the hunger is to consume living flesh at least once a day.
2nd - Shape bone (Su):
The magic that Bone Horror’s practices allow them to grow shards of bone from their flesh to serve as weapons or armor. This means that a Bone Horror is nearly impossible to truly disarm. With practice the Bone Horror is able to make any melee weapon he wishes by reforming his skeleton.
This process takes its toll on his body though; each piece of armor or weapon he makes damages his health by a certain amount, with two handed dealing twice what a single handed weapon would. This damage cannot be healed in any way and does not heal naturally until the shaped item is either absorbed back into the body or removed from the body (by a successful sunder attempt for example). These are restored when absorbed or healed as normal if sundered or torn off.
Table: Shape Bone
Type
HP Drain
Weapons
Light
2
One-Handed
4
Two-Handed
8
Armor
Light
4
Medium
6
Heavy
8
Shields
Buckler
2
Light
2
Heavy
4
Tower
6
These weapons and armor are considered natural weapons as well as manufactured weapons for purposes of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons (such as the magic fang and magic weapon spells). The Bone Horror is automatically considered proficient with any weapons or armor he shapes. If the Bone Horror chooses to enchant a bone weapon or armor, whenever he shapes that type of item, it always is formed with the magical effect intact.
Lets use long sword for example; If he creates a bone +1 long sword then adds flaming, whenever he shapes a long sword, it will have that quality and enhancement bonus. In turn, if he decides to then craft a short sword from that available bone long sword, it will not maintain the flaming ability or enhancement bonus, despite the same bone being used for both swords.
If a magical bone weapon is sundered and destroyed, there is a 20% chance that the magical effect cannot be saved, the chosen armor or weapon loses the magical effect as if it was a different weapon/armor entirely. Armor shaped has the same armor bonus, max dexterity modifier and speed reduction as a normal suit of the same type but spell failure chance and check penalty are reduced by 20% and -5 respectively. Weapons deal the same damage and maintain the same critical chance as their manufactured counterparts.
All shaped weapons grow from the shaper's arms and remain attached to their body making them impossible to be removed by disarm attempts though a successful opposed strength check or sunder attempt can snap them off. Two handed weapons remain attached to only one hand though they must be held in both to be used effectively in combat. Double weapons are treated as two separate weapons when applying magical effects.
Any item shaped can be reabsorbed back into the Bone Horror’s body, restoring his health by whatever the cost to shape the item was. The shaper must be in contact with the item for the entire time it takes to absorb it. Both shaping an item and absorbing one is a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity and can be interrupted, though no hit points are lost from the shaping. A successful concentration check allows the Bone Horror to continue the process.
All items created this way are made of bone with a hardness of 5 + Armor Bonus provided by hardened skeleton. All bone has 10 hit points + number of base HP drain (even if feats reduce it) sacrificed in the making, per inch of thickness. As normal, each +1 of enhancement bonus also adds 2 to a bone’s hardness and +10 to its hit points. You cannot use this ability if the item you are shaping would drop you below 1 hit point.
Shaping armor while wearing a manufactured suit of armor causes the non-shaped armor to tear and fall off, rendering it broken and useless until repaired. The same does not hold true for other clothing (DMs discretion) as the armor can form over top of or around it.
3rd – Bonecraft (Su):
Through a slow and painful process, the Bone Horror can create new bone from within himself to alter his form in certain ways. Expending a standard action and suffering hit point drain or damage, the Bone Horror can create one of several different bone shaped items at will.
Bone Spike: Costing 1 hit point of normal damage, the bone horror launches a spike of bone out to a 30 ft. range, dealing 1d4 piercing damage.
10th – range increases to 60 ft. and damage increases 1d6 piercing damage.
Claw: Costing 6 hit point drain, the bone horror grows a large pincer shaped claw over an arm, dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage and grants a +2 bonus on grapple maneuver checks.
10th – gains the constrict ability and grapple bonus increases by another +2.
Tentacle: Costing 10 hit point drain, the bone horror grows a long segmented, tentacle-like tail from the end of an arm, gaining flexible reach and dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage. Gains a +2 bonus on athletics checks used to climb.
10th – Gains a climb speed equal to half of the Bone Horror’s land speed.
Wings: Costing 8 hit point drain, the bone horror grows a pair of large wings from its shoulders. These wings are bony and bat-like, with slightly torn membranes covering them to provide enough wind deflection to glide. Gain two wing attacks dealing 1d4 bludgeoning damage and the ability to glide forward 10 ft. for every 5 ft. descending.
10th – The wings become fully membranous, it gains a fly speed equal to the Bone Horror’s land speed (poor maneuverability).
Futhermore, whenever the Bone Horror preforms a craft check while working with bone material, the Bone Horror receives a +3 bonus to that craft check.
3rd - Near Death (Su):
Your form becomes extremely pallid and the body begins to appear sickly, without actually affecting you. your body also becomes resistant to different forms of damage.
You gain a +4 insight bonus on saves against diseases, mind-affecting effects, and poisons. At 7th level, this bonus also applies on saves against death effects, sleep effects, and stunning. At 10th level, you effectively become immune to all these effects and more from becoming undead.
4th - Hardened Skeleton (Ex):
The Bone Horror’s body slowly hardens as his powers increase, giving him the ability to manipulate its skeleton and strengthen his internal organs. He gains +1 bonus to natural armor, increasing to +2 at 8th level and further by +1 every four levels beyond that, to a maximum of +6 at 20th level.
4th - Corpse Puppet (Su):
Once per day, the Bone Horror can animate and possess a corpse of its choosing. This restores a complete semblance of life, so that none can notice it is a corpse, unless they can sense the aura of evil radiating from the body.
The Bone Horror enters into a state of helplessness and cannot move or defend itself while maintaining this ability. If it chooses to end the effect, it must use one full round action, during which the controlled body crumbles to dust as the Bone Horror regains control of its facilities.
The body acts in every way like the the Bone Horror's normal body except it bares the visage of the corpse before death. This allows him to scout an area at the cost of being possibly noticed as a dead person if someone notices and recognizes the body. The Bone Horror can use all of its abilities while in this form, however, when abilities are used the eyes glow with the same unholy light, also possibly revealing the nature of the body.
The corpse has only 10 hit points and once it reaches 0, the body crumbles to dust. The body also disintegrates if it reaches its maximum range from the Bone Horror (10 miles). If it is destroyed in these two manners, the connection breaks as a free action, allowing the bone horror to move again.
5th - Corpsetongue (Su):
The Bone Horror has control over death in powerful ways; 3+Charisma modifer times per day, if commanded to speak, any touched corpse will be affected by a Speak with Dead effect. The only difference is that the only piece actually required is a complete skull, rather than a mostly complete body as normal.
6th - Bone Call (Su):
The Bone Horror can create two bone husks (treat as two skeletons with HD equal to half the bone horror's level, minimum one) as a standard action; two chunks of bone burst forth from the Bone Horror’s body. These chucks grow into two adjacent Skeletons under the control of the Bone Horror after one round of growth.
The Bone Horror can only have one pair active at once. This ability is usable 3 + charisma modifier times per day. They cannot travel beyond 200 ft. range of the Bone Horror or they crumble to dust.
7th - Shards of Bone (Su):
Cracking and shattering of bone results in many fine and dangerous slivers, and the Bone Horror knows to channel them as a weapon. Exploding minions detonate in a burst of razor-sharp bone fragments when it dies or if the bone horror wills it to explode (swift action).
Anyone within 20 feet of the exploding minion takes 1d8 points of damage per hit die of the minion plus 2d8 extra damage. This extra damage increases by an additional 2d8 at 11th, 15th, and finally 19th levels (maximum of 8d8 plus 1d8/HD of the minion). A Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 the minion’s Hit Dice + the bone horror’s Cha modifier) halves this damage.
This instantly destroys standard mindless minions, with intelligent undead receiving a fort save against instant destruction and instead take half damage (which might still prove fatal) and become fatigued. This does not affect incorporeal undead without skeletons, such as wraiths and ghosts.
8th - Possess Undead (Sp):
A Bone Horror may take direct control of one of his undead minions within his aura of desecration, as if using magic jar; the Bone Horror’s poppet acts as the soul receptacle for this ability. The minion gets no saving throw against this ability. This Ability can be used once per day.
9th - The Calling (Ex):
Add “human skeleton” to the list of creatures the bone horror can summon with summon monster I and “human skeletal champion” to the summon monster III list.
When the bone horror casts animate dead, you are considered to be four levels higher when determining the number of Hit Dice it can animate. When it casts command undead, the spell duration is doubled.
Once per day, when you cast summon monster, you may summon a skeletal version of one of the creatures on that spell's summoning list (apply the skeleton template to that creature to create this monster).
Afterlife
10th - Death's Visage:
The Bone Horror’s type changes to undead, gaining immunities and other undead traits, loses constitution and uses charisma instead of constitution for bonus hit points. The Bone Horror gains Damage Reduction 5/Bludgeoning and also adds its class level to its Intimidate checks. This Damage Reduction increases to DR 10 / Bludgeoning at 15th level, then finally DR 15 / Bludgeoning at 20th level.
The Bone Horror is still intelligent and fully aware of their self, just a bit more… dead. The flesh of the Bone Horror becomes a sickly grey-green, body loses most of hair, eyes begins radiating red, green, or even white light and intensifies when angered. The frame becomes emaciated and cold to the touch.
12th – Necrotic Strength (Ex):
The Bone Horror’s undead body becomes stronger now that normal physical restrictions from being alive are gone. +4 bonus to Strength score.
13th - Necrotic Resilience (Su):
The Bone Horror becomes infused with raw negative energy. the Bone Horror gains +4 turn resistance against turning effects and its body begins healing at an accelerated rate; gaining fast healing equal to half its Bone Horror level.
14th - Life's Candle (Su):
In addition to any normal light that might be present, the Bone Horror's surroundings are illuminated by roving points of brightness created by living creatures. To his eyes, a Medium or smaller creature gives off life force sufficient to provide bright illumination in a 30 ft. radius, revealing itself by shining with bright, white light.
This reveals all features and objects in range of this life-adapted sight, seeing through invisibility and illusions pretending to be living creatures as well. This also allows the Bone Horror to notice and locate any living creatures within range just as if he possessed the blindsight ability.
This life-light behaves like regular light--he can't see into solid objects, or past solid walls. Typically, bright light can be seen from 10x the distance it shines. This means as long as an something doesn't block line of sight, this 30 ft. source of light can be seen from upwards of 300 ft. away, without detail.
A Large creature gives off life-light in a 60 ft. radius, and the radius doubles again for each additional size category larger than Medium, up to a maximum radius of 480 ft. for a Colossal creature.
16th - Skeleton of Razors (Su):
As a standard action, the Bone Horror may force his bones to extrude elongated portions of bone, covering his flesh in an array of razored edges. Any creature who grapples or strikes the Bone Horror in melee combat with a natural attack or unarmed weapon takes slashing damage equal to his Bone Horror level. This does stack with the damage inflicted by the constrict ability. The spikes can be suppressed indefinitely as a standard action.
17th - Liquefy Bone (Su):
Much as he can improve his own skeletal structure, he can damage that of another creature. As a standard action, the bone horror can select one target within close range (25 ft. plus 5 ft/2 levels), who must be a creature with a skeletal structure, and succeed a ranged touch attack.
The creature also takes one point of constitution damage per four Bone Horror levels. Should they fail a fortitude save against it (DC of 10 + one half Bone Horror level + your Charisma modifier), the target is also slowed for one round per two Bone Horror levels. This ability is usable 3 + charisma modifier times per day.
If the creature is entirely created of bone, such as a skeleton, it is instead destroyed. The target must be within 10 ft. per class level, and can only be affected by this ability once per day, unless he has subsequently healed away all ability damage.
18th - Miasma (Su):
As a standard action, the Bone Horror can assume 20 ft wide by 20 ft tall gaseous form at will (caster level 5th), but it can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability.
If someone passes into the cloud of miasma, the begin suffocating from its toxic fumes (see below) and melting as the acidic vapors come into contact with any materials. Each round on your turn, the miasma deals 2d6 points of acid damage to each creature and object within it.
Miasma (Inhaled Poison; Fortitude DC 10 + half of Bone Horror Level + Bone horror's Wis; Frequency: 1/rd. for 6 rounds; Effect: 1 Con drain/1d3 Con; Cure: 2 saves)
20th - Death Eternal (Su):
You can cast animate dead at will without paying a material component cost (although you are still subject to the usual Hit Die control limit).
If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, the Bone Horror assumes it's miasma form and attempts to escape. It must reach a complete pile of bones within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed. (It can normally travel up to 9 miles in 2 hours.) Additional damage dealt to the Bone Horror after being forced into miasma form has no effect.
Once at the bone pile, the Bone Horror reforms from the set of bones but is helpless for one hour. It regains 1 hit point after that hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes healing at the accelerated rate.
Arkun's War and Sandpoint:
Early Life:
The first recorded Bone Horror was Arkun, a dhampir son born to a peasant woman working in an Inn, in the southern section of the Metropolis (then just a small port city) now known as Sandpoint. His mother was cast from the town, barely escaping the local inquisitor's capture once he heard of the birth. Arkun's mother escaped with help from the Innkeeper and his Wife, a bundle of blankets in her arms and a horse given to her by the Innkeeper.
They fled as fast as they could ride, being just hours ahead of the Inquisition. They traveled into the vast jungles to the North, in hope of finding a place to live among the monks that dwelt on top of the mountains beyond. How she made it there is lost to time, but she made it to the top of the mountains safely, with a young child in tow.
She met and pleaded with the monk's for sanctuary, telling tales of cannibal tribe to the South that had captured three travelers that had joined her along the way. She had evaded capture with their help and did not wish to leave them to a certain death. The Monk's offered her and her son a place among them; however, they refused to send any help to look for those three travelers.
Arkun grew quickly and began training as a monk shortly after his mother passed on. he excelled the martial side but found it's peaceful meditative side restless and frustrating. He grew angry and left the monastery in the night. Still in his youth and full of fire, he foolishly thought he could travel South and eliminate this tribe of cannibals.
The record stands that when he returned from his journey, years later, he came with an army of undead. The monastery was of little match, taken at night, it was destroyed before dawn.
From there he headed South again, this time with his glowing eyes on the little city he could not even remember, Sandpoint. His rage was fueled by revenge and dark magic, he led his army to the ancient battleground that lies to the Northeast of Sandpoint and began building.
The Battlefields of Death:
Beneath the battlefield there was once just bunkers, with crude foxholes dug between a few of them. Now the complex lies miles beneath the surface, dug by undead hands until it punctured the Shadowlands beneath.
From this place of death, he raised a nearly unstoppable army to strike back at the place of his rage. However; he found the town more difficult to destroy, the city having expanded and strengthened itself over the years with a sizable military. Eight hundred strong, with roughly one cleric or paladin for every five warriors to begin with.
This war has lasted to this very day, some six centuries later, the armies of Arkun pours forth every night to strike at the city he hates so much. The city grew with the times, all dead were now burned instead of buried. This custom came from the need to conserve space within the walls of the city while not supplying the Undead Horde with fresh recruits.
Sandpoint:
Sandpoint is ruled by three rulers: Willus Gunn, a hierophant of great power; The Arch-Wizard Anna and The Paladin King, Fen. The city's current army is over ten thousand strong, with a little over half being paladins or clerics. The city functions as the Mecca of the Divine, with more access to divine blessings than any other city within the material plane.
The city is also protected by massive magical walls, enchanted with numerous cascading spells that help to create a sanctuary against the attacking hordes. These Spells hedge out lesser outsiders and undead, controls massive floating orbs of light called Lantrons that power, light and defend the city.
While the walls are normally just for protection, they also have the effect of purifying all water and food within the city walls, neutralizing any poisons within those who enter the walls, giving resistance to disease as well as passively healing those who sleep within its protection. It also causes all violence to be only possible outdoors, the buildings being protected with a sanctuary effect.
Bone Horror's are ancient; Legend has it that the first Bone Horror's were cannibals and witches, driven to madness by dark magics and began consuming dead flesh. Perhaps this was done in hope that the flesh would bring dark powers and everlasting life to them. In ways they were right, they would exist forever, but not in the form they thought.
They began experimenting with their own bodies, reshaping themselves into monsters that their tribes feared and hated. Some went on to rule their tribes as Witch Doctors or even as Gods. However, If they had little control or the tribe had strong anti-necromancy laws, they were driven from their lands (if not killed outright). Those that escaped went underground, into lost tombs, catacombs, and lost cities; in search for places of mass death and quiet solitude.
When they emerged again, they sent minions out to keep some idea of the world beyond, but eventually they lost touch with the outside world.
Role:
Bone Horrors combine elements of crowd control and spell casting of the conjuration, necromancy, illusion and divinations schools (backed by some other spells to round it off) with a slow decent into eternal undeath. The minions provide crowd control while the Bone Horror works at confusing and weakening enemies through magic.
The Bone Horror's bony body can be altered in several ways, allowing unique forms of attack and other opportunities in combat. The minions under the Bone Horror's control act like undead bombs when the Bone Horror wishes. Even intelligent undead must be wary of not angering it's Bone Horror master, fear of instant destruction should be on the forefront of the controlled undead's mind if ill favor has been garnered.
The Bone Horror is not contagious through attacks, nor can convert others to undeath through killing them. While they do indeed consume flesh at higher levels, it just must be living flesh, not necessarily from a humanoid (or at least not intelligent) source.
Preferred Ability Scores: Int (Spells), Cha (abilities, later HP), Str (better melee attacks and damage)
Alignment: Any Evil
Hit Dice: 1d8
Class Skills
The Bone Horror's class skills are Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (arcane) (Int), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Spellcraft (Int) and UMD (Cha).
Skill Ranks per Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Table: The Bone Horror
Level
Attack Bonus
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
-0-
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Nat Armor
1
+0
+0
+0
+2
Spell Puppet, Aura of Desecration, The Hunger
3
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
2
+1
+0
+0
+3
Shape Bone
4
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3
+2
+1
+1
+3
Bonecraft, Near Death
4
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
4
+3
+1
+1
+4
Hardened Skeleton, Corpse Puppet
4
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
+1
5
+3
+1
+1
+4
Corpsetongue
4
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
+1
6
+4
+2
+2
+5
Bone Call
4
3
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
+1
7
+5
+2
+2
+5
Shards of Bone +2d8
4
4
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
+1
8
+6/+1
+2
+2
+6
Possess Undead
4
4
3
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
+2
9
+6/+1
+3
+3
+6
The Calling
4
4
3
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
+2
10
+7/+2
+3
+3
+7
Death's Visage, Animated Familiar
4
4
4
3
3
2
-
-
-
-
+2
11
+8/+3
+3
+3
+7
Shards of Bone +4d8
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
-
-
-
+2
12
+9/+4
+4
+4
+8
Necrotic Strength
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
-
-
-
+3
13
+9/+4
+4
+4
+8
Corpse Resilience
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
-
-
+3
14
+10/+5
+4
+4
+9
Life's Candle
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
-
-
+3
15
+11/+6/+1
+5
+5
+9
Shards of Bone +6d8
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
-
+3
16
+11/+6/+1
+5
+5
+10
Skeleton of Razors
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
-
+4
17
+12/+7/+2
+5
+5
+10
Liquefy Bone
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
+4
18
+13/+8/+3
+6
+6
+11
Miasma
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
2
+4
19
+14/+9/+4
+6
+6
+11
Shards of Bone +8d8
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
+4
20
+15/+10/+5
+6
+6
+12
Death Eternal
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
+5
Class Features
The following are the class features of the Bone Horror.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
Bone Horrors are proficient with simple weapons, light armor and shields (but not tower shields). Light Armor doesn't interfere with a Bone Horror's movements but medium or heavier armor can cause his spells with somatic components to fail.
The Shape Bone ability (below) allows the bone horror to craft bone weapons directly from itself, grafted to the arms of the bone horror. These can be any type of weapon type: simple, martial or exotic. They are proficient with them automatically and cannot be disarmed normally (sunder still functions). These qualities also apply to any armor the bone horror creates.
Spells:
A Bone Horror casts arcane spells drawn from the Bone Horror spell list presented in a later post below (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13473746&postcount=2). The Spell puppet must be adjacent or held to cast spells. A Bone Horror must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by spending 1 hour communing with its spell puppet.
To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the Bone Horror must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Bone Horror's spell is 10 + the spell level + the Bone Horror's Intelligence modifier.
A Bone Horror can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Bone Horror. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligence score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).
Before Death
1st - Spell Puppet:
Each Bone Horror carries around a gristly, inanimate puppet stitched from human skin and stuffed with shards of bone, fingernails, and grave dirt. This foul object grows in evil power the longer is exists, eventually becoming animated at 10th level. For this reason they are often created with weapons built into them, such as blades, claws, spines, etc. The puppet can later use these to deal damage, depending on the type of weapon its equipped with.
A Bone Horror’s spells come from the will of evil spirits residing in the puppet, the Bone Horror must commune with his puppet each day to prepare his spells and cannot prepare spells that are not stored in the puppet. Its ability to hold spells functions in a manner identical to the way a witch’s spells are granted by his familiar. However, the following familiar ability works differently for a Bone Horror:
The stats for the puppet are here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13480069&postcount=4).
3rd - Deliver Touch Spells (Su):
At 3rd level or higher, a Bone Horror can use his puppet to deliver touch spells. After casting a touch spell, as a full-round action, the Bone Horror can designate a target and stab a pin into his puppet, delivering the spell as a ranged touch attack. The target must be within range of his aura of desecration ability (see below).
1st - Aura of Desecration (Su):
A Bone Horror can create a 20-foot-radius aura of evil power. This aura increases the DC of channeled negative energy by a +3 profane bonus and the turn resistance of undead by +1. Every undead creature entering a desecrated area gains a +1 profane bonus on all attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws. Any undead creature created within or summoned into such an area gains +1 hit points per HD.
At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter, the radius of the aura increases by 5 feet, to a maximum of 70 feet at 20th level.
If the desecrated area contains an altar, shrine, or other permanent fixture dedicated to your deity or aligned higher power, the modifiers given above are doubled (+6 profane bonus to negative channeled energy DCs, Turn Resistance +2, +2 profane bonus and +2 hit points per HD for undead created in the area). Furthermore, anyone who casts animate dead within this area may create as many as double the normal amount of undead (that is, 4 HD per caster level rather than 2 HD per caster level).
If the area contains an altar, shrine, or other permanent fixture of a deity, pantheon, or higher power other than your patron, the desecrate spell instead curses the area, cutting off its connection with the associated deity or power. This secondary function, if used, does not also grant the bonuses and penalties relating to undead, as given above.
Desecrate counters and dispels consecrate.
1st - The Hunger (Su):
The Bone Horror begins to crave the taste of living flesh, at first very strong and absolutely overwhelming if ignored. The first few days are often ravenous, but it subsides to a dull craving shortly thereafter, unless ignored. The Bone Horror gains a primary bite attack dealing 1d8 piercing damage.
Whenever the Bone Horror does a day without eating at least a bite of living flesh, the Bone Horror becomes sickened until it consumes flesh. Go three days without flesh and the Bone Horror becomes confused. Go more than two weeks without flesh and the confusion becomes permanent. The permanent confusion is removable only by a wish or miracle spell, but the only possible way to alleviate the symptoms of the hunger is to consume living flesh at least once a day.
2nd - Shape bone (Su):
The magic that Bone Horror’s practices allow them to grow shards of bone from their flesh to serve as weapons or armor. This means that a Bone Horror is nearly impossible to truly disarm. With practice the Bone Horror is able to make any melee weapon he wishes by reforming his skeleton.
This process takes its toll on his body though; each piece of armor or weapon he makes damages his health by a certain amount, with two handed dealing twice what a single handed weapon would. This damage cannot be healed in any way and does not heal naturally until the shaped item is either absorbed back into the body or removed from the body (by a successful sunder attempt for example). These are restored when absorbed or healed as normal if sundered or torn off.
Table: Shape Bone
Type
HP Drain
Weapons
Light
2
One-Handed
4
Two-Handed
8
Armor
Light
4
Medium
6
Heavy
8
Shields
Buckler
2
Light
2
Heavy
4
Tower
6
These weapons and armor are considered natural weapons as well as manufactured weapons for purposes of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons (such as the magic fang and magic weapon spells). The Bone Horror is automatically considered proficient with any weapons or armor he shapes. If the Bone Horror chooses to enchant a bone weapon or armor, whenever he shapes that type of item, it always is formed with the magical effect intact.
Lets use long sword for example; If he creates a bone +1 long sword then adds flaming, whenever he shapes a long sword, it will have that quality and enhancement bonus. In turn, if he decides to then craft a short sword from that available bone long sword, it will not maintain the flaming ability or enhancement bonus, despite the same bone being used for both swords.
If a magical bone weapon is sundered and destroyed, there is a 20% chance that the magical effect cannot be saved, the chosen armor or weapon loses the magical effect as if it was a different weapon/armor entirely. Armor shaped has the same armor bonus, max dexterity modifier and speed reduction as a normal suit of the same type but spell failure chance and check penalty are reduced by 20% and -5 respectively. Weapons deal the same damage and maintain the same critical chance as their manufactured counterparts.
All shaped weapons grow from the shaper's arms and remain attached to their body making them impossible to be removed by disarm attempts though a successful opposed strength check or sunder attempt can snap them off. Two handed weapons remain attached to only one hand though they must be held in both to be used effectively in combat. Double weapons are treated as two separate weapons when applying magical effects.
Any item shaped can be reabsorbed back into the Bone Horror’s body, restoring his health by whatever the cost to shape the item was. The shaper must be in contact with the item for the entire time it takes to absorb it. Both shaping an item and absorbing one is a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity and can be interrupted, though no hit points are lost from the shaping. A successful concentration check allows the Bone Horror to continue the process.
All items created this way are made of bone with a hardness of 5 + Armor Bonus provided by hardened skeleton. All bone has 10 hit points + number of base HP drain (even if feats reduce it) sacrificed in the making, per inch of thickness. As normal, each +1 of enhancement bonus also adds 2 to a bone’s hardness and +10 to its hit points. You cannot use this ability if the item you are shaping would drop you below 1 hit point.
Shaping armor while wearing a manufactured suit of armor causes the non-shaped armor to tear and fall off, rendering it broken and useless until repaired. The same does not hold true for other clothing (DMs discretion) as the armor can form over top of or around it.
3rd – Bonecraft (Su):
Through a slow and painful process, the Bone Horror can create new bone from within himself to alter his form in certain ways. Expending a standard action and suffering hit point drain or damage, the Bone Horror can create one of several different bone shaped items at will.
Bone Spike: Costing 1 hit point of normal damage, the bone horror launches a spike of bone out to a 30 ft. range, dealing 1d4 piercing damage.
10th – range increases to 60 ft. and damage increases 1d6 piercing damage.
Claw: Costing 6 hit point drain, the bone horror grows a large pincer shaped claw over an arm, dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage and grants a +2 bonus on grapple maneuver checks.
10th – gains the constrict ability and grapple bonus increases by another +2.
Tentacle: Costing 10 hit point drain, the bone horror grows a long segmented, tentacle-like tail from the end of an arm, gaining flexible reach and dealing 1d6 bludgeoning damage. Gains a +2 bonus on athletics checks used to climb.
10th – Gains a climb speed equal to half of the Bone Horror’s land speed.
Wings: Costing 8 hit point drain, the bone horror grows a pair of large wings from its shoulders. These wings are bony and bat-like, with slightly torn membranes covering them to provide enough wind deflection to glide. Gain two wing attacks dealing 1d4 bludgeoning damage and the ability to glide forward 10 ft. for every 5 ft. descending.
10th – The wings become fully membranous, it gains a fly speed equal to the Bone Horror’s land speed (poor maneuverability).
Futhermore, whenever the Bone Horror preforms a craft check while working with bone material, the Bone Horror receives a +3 bonus to that craft check.
3rd - Near Death (Su):
Your form becomes extremely pallid and the body begins to appear sickly, without actually affecting you. your body also becomes resistant to different forms of damage.
You gain a +4 insight bonus on saves against diseases, mind-affecting effects, and poisons. At 7th level, this bonus also applies on saves against death effects, sleep effects, and stunning. At 10th level, you effectively become immune to all these effects and more from becoming undead.
4th - Hardened Skeleton (Ex):
The Bone Horror’s body slowly hardens as his powers increase, giving him the ability to manipulate its skeleton and strengthen his internal organs. He gains +1 bonus to natural armor, increasing to +2 at 8th level and further by +1 every four levels beyond that, to a maximum of +6 at 20th level.
4th - Corpse Puppet (Su):
Once per day, the Bone Horror can animate and possess a corpse of its choosing. This restores a complete semblance of life, so that none can notice it is a corpse, unless they can sense the aura of evil radiating from the body.
The Bone Horror enters into a state of helplessness and cannot move or defend itself while maintaining this ability. If it chooses to end the effect, it must use one full round action, during which the controlled body crumbles to dust as the Bone Horror regains control of its facilities.
The body acts in every way like the the Bone Horror's normal body except it bares the visage of the corpse before death. This allows him to scout an area at the cost of being possibly noticed as a dead person if someone notices and recognizes the body. The Bone Horror can use all of its abilities while in this form, however, when abilities are used the eyes glow with the same unholy light, also possibly revealing the nature of the body.
The corpse has only 10 hit points and once it reaches 0, the body crumbles to dust. The body also disintegrates if it reaches its maximum range from the Bone Horror (10 miles). If it is destroyed in these two manners, the connection breaks as a free action, allowing the bone horror to move again.
5th - Corpsetongue (Su):
The Bone Horror has control over death in powerful ways; 3+Charisma modifer times per day, if commanded to speak, any touched corpse will be affected by a Speak with Dead effect. The only difference is that the only piece actually required is a complete skull, rather than a mostly complete body as normal.
6th - Bone Call (Su):
The Bone Horror can create two bone husks (treat as two skeletons with HD equal to half the bone horror's level, minimum one) as a standard action; two chunks of bone burst forth from the Bone Horror’s body. These chucks grow into two adjacent Skeletons under the control of the Bone Horror after one round of growth.
The Bone Horror can only have one pair active at once. This ability is usable 3 + charisma modifier times per day. They cannot travel beyond 200 ft. range of the Bone Horror or they crumble to dust.
7th - Shards of Bone (Su):
Cracking and shattering of bone results in many fine and dangerous slivers, and the Bone Horror knows to channel them as a weapon. Exploding minions detonate in a burst of razor-sharp bone fragments when it dies or if the bone horror wills it to explode (swift action).
Anyone within 20 feet of the exploding minion takes 1d8 points of damage per hit die of the minion plus 2d8 extra damage. This extra damage increases by an additional 2d8 at 11th, 15th, and finally 19th levels (maximum of 8d8 plus 1d8/HD of the minion). A Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 the minion’s Hit Dice + the bone horror’s Cha modifier) halves this damage.
This instantly destroys standard mindless minions, with intelligent undead receiving a fort save against instant destruction and instead take half damage (which might still prove fatal) and become fatigued. This does not affect incorporeal undead without skeletons, such as wraiths and ghosts.
8th - Possess Undead (Sp):
A Bone Horror may take direct control of one of his undead minions within his aura of desecration, as if using magic jar; the Bone Horror’s poppet acts as the soul receptacle for this ability. The minion gets no saving throw against this ability. This Ability can be used once per day.
9th - The Calling (Ex):
Add “human skeleton” to the list of creatures the bone horror can summon with summon monster I and “human skeletal champion” to the summon monster III list.
When the bone horror casts animate dead, you are considered to be four levels higher when determining the number of Hit Dice it can animate. When it casts command undead, the spell duration is doubled.
Once per day, when you cast summon monster, you may summon a skeletal version of one of the creatures on that spell's summoning list (apply the skeleton template to that creature to create this monster).
Afterlife
10th - Death's Visage:
The Bone Horror’s type changes to undead, gaining immunities and other undead traits, loses constitution and uses charisma instead of constitution for bonus hit points. The Bone Horror gains Damage Reduction 5/Bludgeoning and also adds its class level to its Intimidate checks. This Damage Reduction increases to DR 10 / Bludgeoning at 15th level, then finally DR 15 / Bludgeoning at 20th level.
The Bone Horror is still intelligent and fully aware of their self, just a bit more… dead. The flesh of the Bone Horror becomes a sickly grey-green, body loses most of hair, eyes begins radiating red, green, or even white light and intensifies when angered. The frame becomes emaciated and cold to the touch.
12th – Necrotic Strength (Ex):
The Bone Horror’s undead body becomes stronger now that normal physical restrictions from being alive are gone. +4 bonus to Strength score.
13th - Necrotic Resilience (Su):
The Bone Horror becomes infused with raw negative energy. the Bone Horror gains +4 turn resistance against turning effects and its body begins healing at an accelerated rate; gaining fast healing equal to half its Bone Horror level.
14th - Life's Candle (Su):
In addition to any normal light that might be present, the Bone Horror's surroundings are illuminated by roving points of brightness created by living creatures. To his eyes, a Medium or smaller creature gives off life force sufficient to provide bright illumination in a 30 ft. radius, revealing itself by shining with bright, white light.
This reveals all features and objects in range of this life-adapted sight, seeing through invisibility and illusions pretending to be living creatures as well. This also allows the Bone Horror to notice and locate any living creatures within range just as if he possessed the blindsight ability.
This life-light behaves like regular light--he can't see into solid objects, or past solid walls. Typically, bright light can be seen from 10x the distance it shines. This means as long as an something doesn't block line of sight, this 30 ft. source of light can be seen from upwards of 300 ft. away, without detail.
A Large creature gives off life-light in a 60 ft. radius, and the radius doubles again for each additional size category larger than Medium, up to a maximum radius of 480 ft. for a Colossal creature.
16th - Skeleton of Razors (Su):
As a standard action, the Bone Horror may force his bones to extrude elongated portions of bone, covering his flesh in an array of razored edges. Any creature who grapples or strikes the Bone Horror in melee combat with a natural attack or unarmed weapon takes slashing damage equal to his Bone Horror level. This does stack with the damage inflicted by the constrict ability. The spikes can be suppressed indefinitely as a standard action.
17th - Liquefy Bone (Su):
Much as he can improve his own skeletal structure, he can damage that of another creature. As a standard action, the bone horror can select one target within close range (25 ft. plus 5 ft/2 levels), who must be a creature with a skeletal structure, and succeed a ranged touch attack.
The creature also takes one point of constitution damage per four Bone Horror levels. Should they fail a fortitude save against it (DC of 10 + one half Bone Horror level + your Charisma modifier), the target is also slowed for one round per two Bone Horror levels. This ability is usable 3 + charisma modifier times per day.
If the creature is entirely created of bone, such as a skeleton, it is instead destroyed. The target must be within 10 ft. per class level, and can only be affected by this ability once per day, unless he has subsequently healed away all ability damage.
18th - Miasma (Su):
As a standard action, the Bone Horror can assume 20 ft wide by 20 ft tall gaseous form at will (caster level 5th), but it can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability.
If someone passes into the cloud of miasma, the begin suffocating from its toxic fumes (see below) and melting as the acidic vapors come into contact with any materials. Each round on your turn, the miasma deals 2d6 points of acid damage to each creature and object within it.
Miasma (Inhaled Poison; Fortitude DC 10 + half of Bone Horror Level + Bone horror's Wis; Frequency: 1/rd. for 6 rounds; Effect: 1 Con drain/1d3 Con; Cure: 2 saves)
20th - Death Eternal (Su):
You can cast animate dead at will without paying a material component cost (although you are still subject to the usual Hit Die control limit).
If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, the Bone Horror assumes it's miasma form and attempts to escape. It must reach a complete pile of bones within 2 hours or be utterly destroyed. (It can normally travel up to 9 miles in 2 hours.) Additional damage dealt to the Bone Horror after being forced into miasma form has no effect.
Once at the bone pile, the Bone Horror reforms from the set of bones but is helpless for one hour. It regains 1 hit point after that hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes healing at the accelerated rate.
Arkun's War and Sandpoint:
Early Life:
The first recorded Bone Horror was Arkun, a dhampir son born to a peasant woman working in an Inn, in the southern section of the Metropolis (then just a small port city) now known as Sandpoint. His mother was cast from the town, barely escaping the local inquisitor's capture once he heard of the birth. Arkun's mother escaped with help from the Innkeeper and his Wife, a bundle of blankets in her arms and a horse given to her by the Innkeeper.
They fled as fast as they could ride, being just hours ahead of the Inquisition. They traveled into the vast jungles to the North, in hope of finding a place to live among the monks that dwelt on top of the mountains beyond. How she made it there is lost to time, but she made it to the top of the mountains safely, with a young child in tow.
She met and pleaded with the monk's for sanctuary, telling tales of cannibal tribe to the South that had captured three travelers that had joined her along the way. She had evaded capture with their help and did not wish to leave them to a certain death. The Monk's offered her and her son a place among them; however, they refused to send any help to look for those three travelers.
Arkun grew quickly and began training as a monk shortly after his mother passed on. he excelled the martial side but found it's peaceful meditative side restless and frustrating. He grew angry and left the monastery in the night. Still in his youth and full of fire, he foolishly thought he could travel South and eliminate this tribe of cannibals.
The record stands that when he returned from his journey, years later, he came with an army of undead. The monastery was of little match, taken at night, it was destroyed before dawn.
From there he headed South again, this time with his glowing eyes on the little city he could not even remember, Sandpoint. His rage was fueled by revenge and dark magic, he led his army to the ancient battleground that lies to the Northeast of Sandpoint and began building.
The Battlefields of Death:
Beneath the battlefield there was once just bunkers, with crude foxholes dug between a few of them. Now the complex lies miles beneath the surface, dug by undead hands until it punctured the Shadowlands beneath.
From this place of death, he raised a nearly unstoppable army to strike back at the place of his rage. However; he found the town more difficult to destroy, the city having expanded and strengthened itself over the years with a sizable military. Eight hundred strong, with roughly one cleric or paladin for every five warriors to begin with.
This war has lasted to this very day, some six centuries later, the armies of Arkun pours forth every night to strike at the city he hates so much. The city grew with the times, all dead were now burned instead of buried. This custom came from the need to conserve space within the walls of the city while not supplying the Undead Horde with fresh recruits.
Sandpoint:
Sandpoint is ruled by three rulers: Willus Gunn, a hierophant of great power; The Arch-Wizard Anna and The Paladin King, Fen. The city's current army is over ten thousand strong, with a little over half being paladins or clerics. The city functions as the Mecca of the Divine, with more access to divine blessings than any other city within the material plane.
The city is also protected by massive magical walls, enchanted with numerous cascading spells that help to create a sanctuary against the attacking hordes. These Spells hedge out lesser outsiders and undead, controls massive floating orbs of light called Lantrons that power, light and defend the city.
While the walls are normally just for protection, they also have the effect of purifying all water and food within the city walls, neutralizing any poisons within those who enter the walls, giving resistance to disease as well as passively healing those who sleep within its protection. It also causes all violence to be only possible outdoors, the buildings being protected with a sanctuary effect.