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Kyace
2007-07-20, 05:28 AM
Not all who haunt are ghosts, not all that go bump in the night are undead. When psychic energy from the living is strong enough, it may manifest in a ghost-like geist, random haunting behavior without a dead soul. Instead of a dead soul, the empathic energy of one or more creatures living in a location can form a new entity. This entity acts out the desires of the creature that spawned it, sometimes in destructive ways.

Geist begin as mindless psychic energy linked to a group of creatures in a location. As time goes on, geists form their normal appearance and personally based on the aggregate of the local base creatures in their local area and how the local creatures see themselves. An incorporeal geist feeds on mental energy of the creatures emotions, especially but not only on fear. Somewhere between incorporeal bullies and imaginary friends, geists begin to take on a life of their own the longer they haunt a group. Sometimes, that life is enough for the geist to take on a solid form…

Creating a Geist.
Geist is an inherited template spawned from the mental energy of any corporeal intelligent living creature. This creature (referred to as the base creature from now on) must have an intelligence score of at least 2 before it can spawn geist.

Size and Type
The creature’s size remains the same. Animals become magical animals and humanoids become monstrous humanoids, otherwise the type remains the same. The creature gains the incorporeal subtype unless it is manifesting fully, see below.

Speed
While it has the incorporeal subtype, it may fly at its highest listed speed type with perfect maneuverability. Otherwise, use the base creature’s speed.

Armor Class
Natural armor remains the same as the base creature, however while it has the incorporeal subtype, the natural armor only applies to ethereal attacks. While corporeal, the natural armor applies as normal for a corporeal creature. While incorporeal, a geist has a deflection bonus equal to its charisma bonus or +1, whichever is greater.

Attack, Full Attack and Damage
Same as base creature, however while incorporeal, attacks relying on physical contact only work against other ethereal creatures and while corporeal, physical attacks only work on other corporeal creatures.

Special Attacks
Geists retain the special attacks of the base creature; however see above for details on physical special attacks. In addition, geist have the following special attacks except for manifest fully, which requires an intelligent geist to use. Save DCs are 10 + 1/2 geist’s HD + geist’s Cha bonus.

Chilling Presence (Su) – Any creature that comes within 100 feet of a geist must make a will save or become shaken for a number of rounds equal to the geist’s Cha bonus. If a creature fails the save, the geist becomes aware of the intrusion, but not the location of the intrusion. If a creature makes the save, it cannot be affected by the geist’s chilling presence for a month. The geist may suppress or bring back its Chilling Presence as a free action. This ability is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Telekinesis (Su) – A geist may use Mage Hand at will, as the spell, with a caster level equal to the geist’s HD. A geist may instead use Telekinesis, as the spell, with caster level equal to the geist’s HD, however it loses the ability use Mage Hand and Telekinesis for 2d4 rounds. Geists use their Cha bonus for combat maneuvers with Telekinesis.

Manifestation (Su) – As the ghost ability except that intelligent geists which have already manifested may manifest fully. That is to say an ethereal geist must spend two standard actions to become fully manifested, one to manifest as the ghost ability and another to fully manifest. Likewise, fully manifested geists require two standard actions to become fully ethereal again. Fully manifested geists are fully corporal creatures; they may interact with the material plane directly. A fully manifested geist loses the fly speed gained from this template, incorporeal subtype and its deflection bonus while fully manifested. As soon as a geist fully manifests, they may as a free action create a disguise as the spell Disguise Self, otherwise they appear to look as they normally appear. Ghost touch items that they possess is brought with them between forms, otherwise items are dropped when the geist returns to incorporeal form. Geists fully manifested appear to be normal versions of the base creature and must eat, drink, breathe and even age as normal for their base creature if they remain fully manifested long enough for these needs to be felt.

Special Qualities
Dancing Lights (Su) – A geist may use Dancing Lights as the spell, at will, however they have only one casting of Dancing Lights active at a time. Instead of the vaguely humanoid shape, the light is in a vague form of the base creature.

Ghost Sound (Su) – A geist may use ghost sound, at will, with a caster level equal to its HD. Only one casting of Ghost Sound may be active at a time. If a creature makes the save against a geist’s ghost sound, they may choose to either ignore or hear but recognize all further ghost sounds by that geist as illusion for a day.

Haunting Desire (Ex) – A geist feels a compulsion to try to scare creatures like its base creature. A mindless geist will seek out and try to spook such creatures, such as with footstep or chain sounds and lights. An intelligent geist who hasn’t attempted to scare (regardless if the attempt succeeded) a creature with the same type and subtype as its base creature within the last day must make a will save against DC of 5 + days since last attempt or become temporarily mindless until it can attempt to scare a creature of that type. Attempts to scare someone that the geist knows won’t work doesn’t count; the attempt must have a reasonable chance of success. A fully manifested geist cannot become mindless.

Turning Immune (Ex) – As geists are not undead, they are immune to turning attempts. Should a geist become undead, they lose this ability.

Abilities
Same as base creature, except its charisma score increase by +6 and geists form mindless. A geist must haunt a location with creatures of the same species as its base creature for 1 year per point of intelligence the geist will have before it gains the intelligence score. Animal geists gain a point of intelligence once they ‘earn’ their intelligence score, bringing them up to an int of 3.

Skills Geists have a +8 racial bonus to Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Sense Motive, Spot,
Environment Usually the same as the base creature.
Organization Solitary
Challenge Rating Save as base creature +2
Treasure Usually the same as the base creature.
Alignment Often same as base creature but severe differences have been known to happen.
Level Adjustment Same as base creature +3


Sample Geist: A geist light horse.

http://www.ghost-pictures.org/images/spooky-horse.jpg

Geist Horse
Large Magical Animal (incorporeal*)
HD 3d8+6 (19 go)
Speed 60 ft. (12 squares); Fly 60 ft (Perfect)*
Init: +1
AC fully manifested 13 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +3 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 12
AC as incorporeal 11 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +1 deflection), touch 11, flat-footed 11*
AC as incorporeal again other incorp. 14 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +3 natural, +1 deflection), touch 11, flat-footed 13*
BAB/Grapple +2/+8
Attack Hoof -2 melee (1d4+2)
Full-Attack 2 hooves -2 melee (1d4+2)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks Chilling Presence, Manifestation, Telekinesis
Special Qualities Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, Haunting Desire, Turning Immune, Low-light vision, scent
Saves Fort +5 Ref +4 Will +2
Abilities Str 14, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 12
Skills Hide +4, Listen +8, Move Silently +8, Sense Motive +8, Spot +8
Feats Endurance, Run
Environment Temperate plains
Organization Solitary
Challenge Rating 3
Treasure None
Alignment True Neutral
Advancement -
Level Adjustment +3 (cohort)
*Loses incorporeal subtype, deflection bonus to AC and Fly speed if fully manifested.

Special Attacks
The Save DC for a geist horse's special attacks is DC 12.

Chilling Presence (Su) – Any creature that comes within 100 feet of a geist horse must make a DC 12 will save or become shaken for a number of rounds equal to the geist’s Cha bonus, 1 in this case. If a creature fails the save, the geist becomes aware of the intrusion, but not the location of the intrusion. If a creature makes the save, it cannot be affected by the geist horse’s chilling presence for a month. The geist horse may suppress or bring back its Chilling Presence as a free action. This ability is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Telekinesis (Su) – A geist horse may use Mage Hand at will, as the spell, caster level 3. A geist may instead use Telekinesis, as the spell, caster level 3, however it loses the ability use Mage Hand and Telekinesis for 2d4 rounds. Geists use their Cha bonus for combat maneuvers with Telekinesis.

Manifestation (Su) – As the ghost ability except that intelligent geist horses which have already manifested may manifest fully. That is to say an ethereal geist horse must spend two standard actions to become fully manifested, one to manifest as the ghost ability and another to fully manifest. Likewise, fully manifested geists require two standard actions to become fully ethereal again. Fully manifested geists are fully corporal creatures; they may interact with the material plane directly. A fully manifested geist loses the fly speed gained from this template, incorporeal subtype and its deflection bonus while fully manifested. As soon as a geist fully manifests, they may as a free action create a disguise as the spell Disguise Self, otherwise they appear to look as they normally appear. Ghost touch items that they possess is brought with them between forms, otherwise items are dropped when the geist returns to incorporeal form. Geist horses fully manifested appear to be normal horses and must eat, drink, breathe and even age as normal horses if they remain fully manifested long enough for these needs to be felt.

Special Qualities
Dancing Lights (Su) – A geist horse may use Dancing Lights as the spell, at will, however they have only one casting of Dancing Lights active at a time. Instead of the vaguely humanoid shape, the light is in a vague form of a horse.

Ghost Sound (Su) – A geist horse may use ghost sound, at will, caster level 3. Only one casting of Ghost Sound may be active at a time. If a creature makes the save against a geist horse’s ghost sound, they may choose to either ignore or hear but recognize all further ghost sounds by the geist horse as illusion for a day.

Haunting Desire (Ex) – A geist horse feels a compulsion to try to scare horses or at least animals. A mindless geist horse will seek out and try to spook such creatures, such as with footstep or chain sounds and lights. An intelligent geist horse who hasn’t attempted to scare (regardless if the attempt succeeded) an animal within the last day must make a will save against DC of 5 + days since last attempt or become temporarily mindless until it can attempt to scare an animal. Attempts to scare an animal that the geist horses knows won’t work doesn’t count; the attempt must have a reasonable chance of success. A fully manifested geist horse cannot become mindless.

Turning Immune (Ex) – As geist horses are not undead, they are immune to turning attempts. Should a geist horse become undead, they lose this ability.


Please tell me what you think, esp. about the +3 LA.

Zeta Kai
2007-07-20, 08:38 AM
First off, it's GEIST. What you're typing is not a word in any language that I'm aware of, & would be (in my native Germany) pronounced "Geest." Please fix this, or at least explain why you have chosen such a bizarre spelling.

Kyace
2007-07-20, 09:28 AM
Bah, sorry. I swear I checked the spelling before I started writing the template but must have swapped it partway. Curse you 6am self-proof-editer and curse you "I before E except after C"! :)

Zeta Kai
2007-07-20, 10:39 AM
and curse you "I before E except after C"! :)

Actually, that rule is a strictly English one (& only sometimes observed, at that). In German, the rule is different, simpler, & never ignored. The long-I sound is spelled "EI" & the long-E sound is spelled "IE;" essentially, the latter vowel has priority in pronouncing the intended vowel.

Getting back to your template, though, I must say that I like it. I especially enjoy the Chilling Presense ability. I think it may be overpowered though. Not broken really, but 100' is a long distance for such a potent ability. Either the ability should be nerfed slightly, or the CR should have a higher adjustment.

Kyace
2007-07-20, 01:20 PM
Would you perfer I broke up Chilling Presense into two abilities, one to shaken creatures and another to alert the Geist, or instead shorten the range? For the alert, the closest I could find is the shark's Keen Scent, which alerts the shark of creatures within 180'. Chilling Presense doesn't let the Geist know where someone entered, just that someone did and allows a will save to negate. The shaken is mostly just flavor, I can shorten it if that is what makes it overpowered.