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Iituem
2007-01-19, 08:38 PM
Sacrifice Bound

The sacrifice bound are champions of noble methods and deeds, devoting their lives to the betterment of the world. Usually clerics or paladins with clerical training take this path, although some noble wizards and sorcerers choose to become sacrifice bound, along with a very small number of influential bards. As well known as they are for their deeds the sacrifice bound are legendary for their ability to arise from the dead, refreshed and young again, though at the cost of their closest friends. Many sacrifice bound have persisted as champions of causes for hundreds of years before their hearts finally grew too heavy from the loss of so many old friends and chose to simply pass into old age and rejoin their comrades in death.

Of particular note are the rivalries between some liches and sacrifice bound, whose engagements have been known to span whole lifetimes as one perpetually confronts and confounds the other. Sacrifice bound look as they did before they achieved their status, save that their features always seem healthy and those around them grow healthier by their presence. Sacrifice bound speak whatever languages they knew before becoming what they are, as well as any they have learnt since.



The Template

Size and Type: The creature's type remains as it was.

Hit Dice: Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.

Armour Class: The sacrifice bound gain a +5 deflection bonus to AR.

Attack: The sacrifice bound can use their touch once per round to heal 1d8+5 damage to a living ally or inflict 1d8+5 damage to an undead opponent by chanelling positive energy (this counts as a touch attack). Undead can halve the damage with a successful Will save (DC 10 + half sacrifice bound's HD + sacrifice bound's Cha modifier). Sacrifice bound with natural weapons retain those natural weapons. Sacrifice bound fighting without weapons use either the touch attack (if fighting undead) or its primary natural weapon (if any), to which they may apply the positive energy bonus. Sacrifice bound armed with a weapon uses its touch or a weapon, as it desires.

Full Attack: Fighting without weapons, sacrifice bound use either their touch attack (if fighting undead) or natural weapons (if any). If armed with a weapon, they usually use the weapon as a primary attack along with a touch as a natural secondary attack against undead, provided they have a way to make that attack (either a free hand or a natural weapon it can use as a secondary attack). If multiple natural weapon attacks are made, the positive energy damage bonus applies only to one of the natural weapon attacks.

Special abilities:
Positive Aura (Su): Sacrifice bound are shrouded by a faint aura of health and well-being. Living creatures within a 60ft radius that look at the sacrifice bound are affected as though by both the aid and remove paralysis spells as cast by a cleric of the sacrifice bound's level. The sacrifice bound can exclude individuals from this aura at will as a free action.
Purifying Touch (Su): Any living creature the sacrifice bound touches is instantly affected by remove disease and neutralise poison as cast by a cleric of the sacrifice bound's level.

Spells: The sacrifice bound can cast any spells as normal.

Special Qualities:
Fast Healing (Su): The constant infusion of positive energy into the sacrifice bound's body gives them fast healing 5.

Immunities (Ex): Sacrifice bound are immune to disease, poison, polymorph (though they can polymorph themselves) and mind-affecting attacks.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Int +2, Wis +2, Cha +2.

Skills: Sacrifice bound have a +8 racial bonus on Listen, Search, Sense Motive and Spot checks. Otherwise the same as the base creature.

Organisation: Solitary or troupe (1 sacrifice bound plus 1-3 devotees and 5-8 henchmen).

Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2.

Treasure: Standard coins, double goods, double items.

Alignment: Any good.

Advancement: By character class.

Level adjustment: Same as the base creature +4.




Sacrifice Bound Characters

Sacrifice Bound characters must be a spellcaster with a caster level of 11th or higher.

In order to become sacrifice bound the character must recruit three devotees who would willingly sacrifice their lives for him and whose lives he has positively affected in a major way. The devotees cannot be coerced into this agreement and must honestly be willing to sacrifice themselves for the sacrifice bound. The character must then bind each of them to him in a process that requires a relic related to a noble cause in some way worth at least 40,000gp (the character can create this relic, provided it is used or associated in some way with a noble cause, deed or event) per devotee. The relic must be given freely as a gift to a noble institution or patron with no expectation of reward. If no suitable relic can be found, undertaking a task that greatly benefits others and expending at least 40,000gp in the process will suffice. Once this has been accomplished the character can bind the willing devotee to him, expending 1,600xp in the process.

The sacrifice bound can only ever have three devotees, though he can replace devotees who have died (naturally or as a result of sacrifice) or renounced their devotion (thus releasing them from their obligation) at no additional material or xp cost, provided the new devotees meet the same requirements as the old (having been affected in a major positive way by the sacrifice bound and agreeing to the terms of their own free will, without coercion).

Once he has accomplished this for three such devotees (expending 120,000gp and 4,800xp in the process) he must then continue adventuring. Should he die as a result of a noble quest of some description (thus becoming a martyr) he will remain dead for three days, after which he will be recreated as a sacrifice bound character with all his levels and abilities intact (this resurrection does not affect his devotees). Should he die as the result of ignoble actions or of old age he will simply pass on.

From this point onwards, should the sacrifice bound die (whether in combat or simply of old age or natural causes) all of his remaining devotees will instantly know what has happened and the manner in which it happened (simply the cause of death, not by whom). The sacrifice bound can remain dead for as long as the devotees wish, but should one of them desire to bring the sacrifice bound back they can sacrifice themselves in his name. The devotee will instantly become a channel for positive energy, being completely destroyed in the process (their soul passes on to the afterlife). The sacrifice bound reforms at the place where the devotee sacrificed himself with all levels and abilities intact, as a young character for his race (all aging penalties are reversed, though not bonuses). They will continue to age normally from this point (accruing a maximum of +3 from age bonuses). The remaining devotees (if any) will know that the sacrifice bound has been resurrected.

Devotees who sacrifice themselves in this matter can never be brought back by any mortal magic (not even a wish or miracle). They know that nothing short of divine intervention will be able to bring them back from the dead, prior to making the sacrifice. The souls of devotees remain intact and travel to their afterlife as normal; the manner of their death simply bars their ever returning to the mortal world.

Killing Sacrifice Bound
It is relatively easy to kill the sacrifice bound and keep them dead, compared to liches. All one needs to do is kill the sacrifice bound and then execute all three of his devotees before they can bring him back. This is generally easier said than done, as the sacrifice bound usually have rather a number of allies.



-=-=-=-=-=-

So this is my answer to all the people wanting 'good' liches. Given the source of power of and methods to become a liche, that seems rather silly. Instead, let me provide a (hopefully) equal 'good' immortal...

Mewtarthio
2007-01-19, 09:16 PM
Careful with that Regeneration. Regeneration's pretty powerful. Also, it doesn't strike me as particularly "Good" to have other people sacrifice themselves for your sake. That's like the antithesis of "Good," actually.

Jack_Simth
2007-01-19, 10:27 PM
They have to voluntarily choose it twice in full knoweledge. Not exactly Evil.

Iituem
2007-01-19, 11:03 PM
Its actually being quite good on -their- part, certainly. That said, the means by which he establishes his particular method of immortality are generally quite benevolent, and he's completely incapable of forcing them to give up their lives (no coercion clause). Since you have to earn that sort of loyalty yourself, good is at the very least favoured.

May downgrade the Regeneration to 2, rather than 5, though.

Jack Mann
2007-01-20, 06:59 AM
The problem isn't the amount of regeneration, but rather the quality itself. Essentially, he becomes largely immune to most forms of hit point damage. Now, regaining two or five a round, that's pretty good, but it's not the main advantage of the ability.

Athenodorus
2007-01-20, 08:48 AM
If the sacrifice's soul passes on to the afterlife, can they be restored with True Ressurection, Wish, or Miracle?

Their soul remaining intact is what prevents this from becoming evil, IMO, and destroying them might at the very least result in giving offense to a deity or two, depending on your campaign world. But if they can be revived, what's to stop the goodietwoshoeslich from True Rezzing his followers?

Iituem
2007-01-20, 01:48 PM
Hm. In that case, I'll downgrade it to 'fast healing 5' instead. Easier to balance.

Also, the soul -does- remain intact, although the sacrifice does still die. As for True Resurrection, supposedly one could just TR one's devotees for the 25,000gp. I think for the sake of balance we may have to forbid that one (especially as the sacrifice resurrection regenerates them to their youth, even after death by old age). So let's say that the sacrifice cannot be returned by any means of mortal magic (not even a wish or miracle). Nothing short of divine intervention can return them. Their souls do remain intact and in all likelihood will go to a suitable afterlife as a result.