PDA

View Full Version : Jiang Shi [Creature]



The Demented One
2006-12-15, 09:17 PM
Jiang Shi
Size/Type: Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 10d12 (65 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 20 (+6 Dex, +4 natural), touch 16, flatfooted 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +5/+8
Attack: Kukri +14 melee (1d4+3/18-20) or Bite +16 melee (1d6+3 plus Drain Chi)
Full Attack: 2 Kukris +14/+14/+9 melee (1d4+3/18-20) and Bite +11 melee (1d6+3 plus Drain Chi)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Drain chi, maneuvers, martial prowess
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., stances, undead traits, weaknesses
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +8, Will +10
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 22, Con –, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 16
Skills: Hide +19, Intimidate +8, Jump +16, Martial Lore +5, Move Silently +12, Tumble +16
Feats: Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse, Reaping Talons
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually Lawful Evil
Advancement: By Character Class (Favored Class: Swordsage)
Level Adjustment: +5

Jiang Shi are legendary warriors returned from the grave. Masters of the Sublime Way, their skill and arrogance will not allow them rest. They seek out the greatest swordsman they can find, and challenge them to duels, draining them of their chi should they lose. They are commonly known as “hopping corpses” for their fighting style–they are prone to leap out of the shadows in a frenzied attack. Jiang Shi appear much as they do in life, but they are pale, and their eyes burn with a blue fire of rage. They often dress in fine silk clothing. Twin kukris are the most commonly used weapons of the hopping corpses, but kamas, handaxes, and even unarmed strikes are not unknown to them.

Drain Chi (Su)
Whenever a Jiang Shi successfully damages a foe with a bite attack, that creature must make a DC 18 Fortitude save or have a portion of its chi siphoned off. If it fails, it takes 1 point of Strength, Dex, and Con damage. In addition, if it is capable of initiating maneuvers, the highest level maneuver it has readied is expended. Whenever a Jiang Shi successfully drains a creature of chi, it may ready one of its expended maneuvers as an immediate action. The save is Cha based.

Maneuvers (Ex)
A Jiang Shi has knowledge of several martial maneuvers from the Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon, and Tiger Claw disciplines. It may ready all of its known maneuvers at one time. It has an initiator level of 10th. As a full-round action, it may regain a single expended maneuver. It may change its readied maneuvers by meditating for five minutes. For every additional HD it gains, its initiator level increases by one, and it learns an additional maneuver. For every two HD it gains, it gains an additional maneuver readied, and may exchange one of its maneuvers known for another.

Typical Manuevers Known:
Strikes: Bonesplitting Strike, Dancing Mongoose, Death from Above, Elder Mountain Hammer, Pouncing Charge, Strength Draining Strike
Boosts: Cloak of Deception, Fountain of Blood

Martial Prowess (Ex)
A Jiang Shi gets a competence bonus on all attack rolls equal to the highest level of martial maneuver it can initiate. (This bonus is factored in to the above stat block).

Stances (Ex)
A Jiang Shi has knowledge of several martial stances from the Shadow Hand, Stone Dragon, and Tiger Claw disciplines. It can change stances as a swift action. For every five additional HD it gains, it learns and additional stance.

Typical Stances Known
Blood in the water, child of shadow, leaping dragon stance, step of the dancing moth

Weaknesses (Ex)
Jiang Shi can be paralyzed by special paper talismans inscribed with certain incantations. Creating such a talisman requires a DC 15 Knowledge (Religion) check and a DC 10 Craft (Calligraphy) check, and takes 10 minutes. Creating the talisman requires ink and paper of extremely high quality, giving it a total creation cost of 25 gp. Attaching a talisman to a Jiang Shi requires a touch attack on the part of the creature wielding the talisman. If the attack is successful, the talisman adheres to the Jiang Shi, and disrupts the necrotic energies powering it. It is incapable of moving for 1d6 rounds, after which the talisman falls off and disintegrates.

TheThan
2006-12-15, 09:29 PM
I like these, they have a nice flavor and would fit very well in any oriental based rpg. I even like how you handled the weakness. As the oriental adventure rules for the Sacred Ofuda (a wondrous item) stinks. The Sacred ofuda acts very much like the talismans you mention.

The only thing I’m not terribly sure about is the stances and stuff, as I don’t have TOB, I have no way of determining if they’re balanced well or not.