Drakevarg
2018-09-22, 12:34 AM
Been doing a lot of tweaking of various things for my low-magic setting, including significant changes to the undead since being - y'know, dead already - they shouldn't be trivial to deal with. Just thought I'd share my notes for the project, get some outside opinions. Worth noting is that while magic isn't necessarily unheard of in my setting, spellcasters specifically are extremely rare (meaning, players can only access spellcasting classes as a story reward). There are probably other things worth pointing out, but I'm not making a worldbuilding thread right now, just reviewing a specific set of rule tweaks. Can point out other changes as needed.
This is taken verbatim from my own notes, so I apologize ahead of time if its formatting is confusing to people who aren't me.
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Intelligent
Mindless
Savage
Ghost
Skeleton
Wendigo
Vampire
Zombie*
Ghoul
Swordwraith
Fossil
Shadow
**Diseased and Unkillable Variants, +1.5 CR
Swordwraith - Died in battle.
Wendigo - Died a cannibal.
Ghoul - Died of plague.
Fossil - Died long ago.
Vampire - Died in occult ritual.
Skeletons are almost always the result of deliberate necromancy. Zombies can turn up anywhere bodies are not properly dealt with, shadows anywhere death occurred with intense emotion. Ghosts are actually extremely common, but rarely bother the living.
Slaying the Dead
Lesser Undead
Mindless undead are virtually unkillable even in the best of circumstances. If reduced to zero HP, a zombie enters a state similar to a vampire's torpor until their fast healing returns them to maximum HP, at which point they reanimate with the swarm-shifter template (always a swarm of undead parts). A skeleton or fossil is less tenacious than a zombie, and thus will attempt to reanimate via the swarm-shifter's healing ability, reforming and collapsing into a heap of bones repeatedly until it returns to full HP.
If reduced to zero HP by fire damage, a zombie instead loses the zombie template and gains the skeleton template (fiery variant, CR +0.5). A skeleton thus slain similarly gains the fiery variant. If it had previously gained the swarm-shifter template, it retains it. The flaming skeleton loses the zombie's fast healing ability (if it had it) and crumbles into ash when slain, returning 2d4 days later as a shade. Fossils have no particular response to attempted cremation.
Death Titans
Undead in large numbers are especially dangerous, as 17 HD or more of such undead with the swarm-shifter template may conglomerate into a death titan. Death titans, much like the lesser undead they are comprised of, merely enter torpor when reduced to zero HP. They will only reanimate when provided a sacrificial body (the Boneyard, rather than having Fast Healing 10, heals (3 x victim's HD) when using its Utter Subsumption ability, similar to a Charnel Hound's Body Integration). If slain via immersion in holy water, both lesser undead as well as death titans can be destroyed without risk of reanimation.
Exorcism
Incorporeal shades are little more than mad ghosts, and thus are impossible to dispose of without some form of exorcism. Much like ghosts, a banished shade will reappear 2d4 days later unless the source of their anguish is dealt with. Despite their corporeal manifestation, swordwraiths behave similarly - unless exorcised or otherwise laid to rest, a slain swordwraith will reform 2d4 days later at the site of their haunting.
Exorcism is a practice that essentially involves severing an undead's connection with its subject of haunting, usually by calling on the natural spirits of the land itself, though sometimes by begging the aid of a higher power. An exorcist who knows the right sort of ritual spends ten consecutive rounds chanting or speaking the appropriate words, at the end of which the exorcist must make a DC 20 Knowledge (Religion) check. If the exorcist's concentration is interrupted the ritual must begin again.
If successful, the presence is forced to manifest for one round. The exorcist can choose to continue the ritual, making another DC 20 Knowledge (Religion) check each round to force the haunting presence to remain manifested for an additional round. If the presence is destroyed during this period, its connection to the haunting is severed. It may still return as a ghost at some point, albeit one with no particular attachment to the location or events it previously haunted. Because of this the haunting presence is effectively pacified.
Ghouls
Ghouls are perhaps more easily disposed of than other forms of undead, in that they do not become more difficult to destroy the more you fail to do so. Ghouls get Regeneration 5 (despite their undead state), shrugging off all wounds not dealt by fire, holy water, or decapitation. A ghoul reduced to 0 by any other form of damage enters a state of torpor, at which point they can be killed with a coup de grace. It is worth noting that a ghoul killed by fire or decapitation may still revive as some form of lesser undead (a zombie, flaming skeleton, or in the worst cases a shade), so holy water remains the best solution.
Vampires
Vampires are produced by occult ritual, which kills the subject while leaving their soul bound to the corpse, allowing for an eternal false-life. Vampires are powerful but their ghostlike souls may slowly go mad over the ages. A vampire whose sanity is reduced to 0 becomes a ghoul, losing most of its power as well as the ability to reform a body once its current one is destroyed. A vampire can create servants in the form of hooded pupils by feeding them their blood each night for three days. If a hooded pupil dies, it returns as a vampire 1d4 days after burial as if it had been killed by a vampire's blood drain (losing the hooded pupil template in the process, of course). Vampires can freely take levels in Dread Necromancer. Upon qualifying for the lich template, they become "Ancients" and gain qualities of a lich in addition to their extant template.
New Vampire Template
Size and Type: Type changes to undead. Size unchanged.
Hit Dice: Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.
Speed: Same as base creature.
Armor Class: NAB +10 or base creature's NAB +6, whichever is higher.
Attack: Gain Slam attack.
Damage:
Tiny
1d4
Small
1d6
Medium
1d8
Large
2d6
Huge
2d8
Gargantuan
2d10
Colossal
4d8
Special Attacks: All saves are DC (10 + 1/2 HD + CHA).
Blood Drain (Ex): A vampire can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of CON drain each round the pin is maintained. On each successful attack, the vampire gains 5 temporary HP for up to one hour.
Children of the Night (Su): Vampires command the lesser creatures of the world and once per day can call forth nocturnal beasts to do their bidding. These creatures vary from vampire to vampire, but their combined CR never exceeds the vampire's CR -2. The summoned beasts arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve the vampire for up to an hour.
Despair (Su): At the mere sight of a vampire, the viewer must make a successful Will save of be paralyzed with fear for 1d4 rounds Whether or not the save is successful, that targt cannot be affected by that vampire's despair ability for 24 hours. The vampire can suppress this ability at will.
Suggestion (Su): A vampire can make a suggestion to any number of targets within 30 ft (Will negates). This is the equivalent of a suggestion spell (caster level 12th). The vampire can pick and choose which targets to affect with the ability.
Create Spawn (Su): A sentient creature slain by a vampire's blood drain rises as a vampire 1d4 days after burial. The new vampire is under the command of the vampire that created it and remains enslaved until its master's destruction. At any given time a vampire may have enslaved spawn totaling no more than twice its own HD; any spawn it creates that would exceed this limit are created as free-willed vampires. A vampire that is enslaved may create and enslave spawn of its own, so a master vampire can control a number of lesser vampires in this fashion. A vampire may voluntarily free an enslaved spawn in order to enslave a new spawn, but once freed a vampire cannot be enslaved again.
Mummy Rot (Su):
Supernatural Disease
Natural Weapon
Fort DC
as above.
Incubation Period
1 minute.
Damage
1d6 CON, 1d6 CHA
Unlike normal diseases, mummy rot persists until the victim reaces CON 0 and dies, or is cured.
Mummy rot is a powerful curse, not a natural disease. A reature attempting to have any conjuration (healing) spell cast upon the afflicted must make a DC 20 caster level check or else the spell has no effect. To eliminate mummy rot, the curse must first be broken, after which caster level checks are no longer necessary and mummy rot can be cured as any normal disease.
An afflicted creature that dies of mummy rot shrivels away into dust that blows away into nothing at the first wind.
This ability can be suppressed by the vampire at will.
Special Qualities:
Alternate Form (Su): A vampire can assume the shape of certain nocturnal creatures - always of the same or dire varieties as those summoned by their Children of the Night ability. While in its alternate form, the vampire loses its natural slam attack and suggestion ability, but gains the natural weapons and special abilities of its new form. It can remain in that form until it assumes another or until the next sunrise.
Damage Reduction (Su):
DR 5/--
DR 10/silver and magic.
A vampire's natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
Fast Healing (Su): A vampire has Fast Healing 5 so long as it has at least one hit point. If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, it automatically assumes gaseous form and attempts to escape. It must reach its coffin home within 2 hours or enter torpor (it can travel up to nine miles in 2 hours). Any additional damage dealt to a vampire forced into gaseous form has no effect. Once at rest in its coffin, a vampire is helpless. It regains one hit point after one hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes Fast Healing 5.
Gaseous Form (Su): As a standard action, a vampire can assume gaseous form as the spell (caster level 5th), but it can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 ft. (perfect).
Resistances (Ex): A vampire has Resist Cold 10 and Resist Electricity 10.
Spider Climb (Su): A vampire can climb sheer surfaces as though with a spider climb spell.
Turn Resistance (Ex): A vampire has +4 turn resistance.
Vulnerability to Fire (Ex): A vampire takes +50% damage as normal from fire attacks.
Abilities:
STR
+8
DEX
+4
CON
--
INT
+2
WIS
+4
CHA
+4
Skills: +8 Bluff/Perception/Search/Sense Motive/Stealth
Feats:
Alertness
Combat Reflexes
Dodge
Improved Initiative
Lightning Reflexes
CR +3
Vampire Weaknesses
Repelling a Vampire: Vampires cannot tolerate the odor of garlic and will not enter an area laced with it. Vampires are also unable to cross running water, although they can be carried over while resting in their coffin or aboard a ship. They are utterly unable to enter a home or other building unless invited by someone with authority to do so. They may freely enter public spaces, since these are by definition open to all.
Slaying a Vampire: Vampires are nearly impossible to destroy permanently. Exposing a vampire to sunlight does not destory it as many myths indicate, but instead suppresses their supernatural abilities. Immersing a vampire in running water robs it of one third of its hit points per round, forcing it into torpor after the third round of immersion.
Driving a stake through the vampire's heart (of any material, it need not be wood) also forces the vampire into torpor until the stake is removed.
Torpor: A vampire forced into torpor is, for all intents and purposes, dead. However, the instant blood comes into contact with the remains (even if those remains are mere dust), the vampire will return to un-life. The first time a vampire comes back from torpor, it gains the swarm-shifter template as a result of learning how to reconstitute its form.
Nukekubi
Vampires that experience decapitation (either while in torpor or before rising as a vampire to begin with) become Nukekubi (rather than develop the swarm-shifter template), and gain the following abilities instead:
Speed: Fly 50 ft. (Good) in Detached Form.
Attack: Gain Entrail attack (Detached Form only) and Bite attack (all forms).
Damage:
Size
Entrail
Bite
Tiny
1d2
1d3
Small
1d3
1d4
Medium
1d4
1d6
Large
1d6
1d8
Huge
1d8
2d6
Gargantuan
2d6
2d8
Colossal
2d8
4d6
Special Attacks:
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the nukekubi must hit with its entrails attack. If it gets hold, it can constrict and bite.
Constrict (Ex): A nukekubi deals automatic entrails damage to an opponent of its size or smaller with a successful grapple check.
Special Qualities:
Alternate Form (Su): A nukekubi can make itself appear humanoid by squeezing its entrails back into the shell of its original body. (It must first soak the entrails in vinegar to reduce their engorgement.) If the body is destroyed while the head is separated from it, the nukekubi enters torpor after 1d4 days. Nukekubi in their detached form also enter torpor if exposed to the sun for more than one round. This torpor ends when they are removed from direct sunlight.
Fear Aura (Su): As a free action, a nukekubi in its detached form can can create an aura of fear in a 30-foot radius. Cratures within this distance of the nukekubi must succeed a Will save or become shaken. This is in addition to the natural aura of despair all vampires can emit.
Ancient
"Ancient" is a template that can be added to a vampire in place of the Lich template given by Dread Necromancer 20.
Size and Type: Unchanged.
Hit Dice: Unchanged.
Armor Class: Unchanged.
Attacks: A vampire ancient has a touch attack it can use once per round.
Damage: A vampire ancient has a touch attack that uses negative energy to deal 1d8 +5 points of damage to living creatures; a Will save halves this damage. Alternatively, the vampire ancient can channel this energy through one of its natural weapon attacks, dealing 1d8 +5 points of extra damage.
Special Attacks:
Feat Aura (Su): Vampire ancients are shrouded in a dreadful aura of death. Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60 foot radius that look at the vampire ancient must succeed on a Will save or be affected as though by a fear spell from a sorcerer of the vampire ancient's level. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same vampire ancient's aura for 24 hours. This is in addition to any other fear auras the vampire ancient may have.
Paralyzing Touch (Su): Any living creature a vampire ancient hits with its touch attack must succeed on a Fort save or be permanently paralyzed. Any effect that can remove a curse can free the victim. The effect cannot be dispelled. Anyone paralyzed by the vampire ancient seems dead, though a DC 20 Perception check or a DC 15 Heal check reveals that the victim is still alive.
Special Qualities:
Turn Resistance (Ex): A vampire ancient's turn resistance increases by +4.
Damage Reduction (Su): DR 15/bludgeoning and magic.
This overlaps but does not replace a normal vampire's DR 10/silver and magic. The vampire ancient retains DR 5/-- in addition to this. (In other words, a normal weapon deals 15 points less against a vampire ancient. If the weapon is a magical bludgeoning weapon, it still deals 10 points less than normal. If the weapon is also silver, it only deals 5 points less than normal).
Immunities (Ex): A vampire ancient has immunity to cold, electricity, polymorph (though they can still use polymorph effects on themselves), and mind-affecting attacks.
Abilities:
INT
+2
WIS
+2
CHA
+2
CR +2
The Vampire's Phylactery
A key component in becoming a vampire ancient is creating a phylactery, in which the vampire stores a bit of its essence. With this, a vampire may resist torpor by reconstituting themselves near the phylactery 1d10 days after their "death," their previous remains crumbling into ash. If the phylactery is destroyed, the vampire ancient is once again subject to torpor, although it is possible to create a new phylactery, albeit with great difficulty and cost (120,000gp and lengthy rituals).
Draconic Undead
Skeletons – Use Skeletal Dragon template.
Zombies – Use Zombie Dragon template if Adult or older, use Zombie template otherwise.
Vampires – Use Vampire template.
Ghosts – Roll Ghost and Ghostly Dragon templates together – the dragon may select abilities from either template.
Other Undead
CR 4
Corpse Rat Swarm
Skulking Cyst
Skeletal Warbeast
CR 5
Ephemeral Swarm
CR 6
Bloodmote Cloud
--
CR 7
Skirr
Death Scarab Swarm
CR 8
--
CR 9
--
--
--
CR 13
Charnel Hound
CR 14
Necronaut
Boneyard
CR 15
--
--
CR 16
Dream Vestige
CR 17
--
CR 18
--
Discounting undead swarms, nonstandard undead seem to come in two varieties; necromantic chimeras built from parts of several different bodies, and “death titans” formed from the amalgamation of countless souls and bodies. The former are popular “experiments” for necromancers, while the latter are akin to walking natural disasters born from intense emotion and tragedy.
This is taken verbatim from my own notes, so I apologize ahead of time if its formatting is confusing to people who aren't me.
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Intelligent
Mindless
Savage
Ghost
Skeleton
Wendigo
Vampire
Zombie*
Ghoul
Swordwraith
Fossil
Shadow
**Diseased and Unkillable Variants, +1.5 CR
Swordwraith - Died in battle.
Wendigo - Died a cannibal.
Ghoul - Died of plague.
Fossil - Died long ago.
Vampire - Died in occult ritual.
Skeletons are almost always the result of deliberate necromancy. Zombies can turn up anywhere bodies are not properly dealt with, shadows anywhere death occurred with intense emotion. Ghosts are actually extremely common, but rarely bother the living.
Slaying the Dead
Lesser Undead
Mindless undead are virtually unkillable even in the best of circumstances. If reduced to zero HP, a zombie enters a state similar to a vampire's torpor until their fast healing returns them to maximum HP, at which point they reanimate with the swarm-shifter template (always a swarm of undead parts). A skeleton or fossil is less tenacious than a zombie, and thus will attempt to reanimate via the swarm-shifter's healing ability, reforming and collapsing into a heap of bones repeatedly until it returns to full HP.
If reduced to zero HP by fire damage, a zombie instead loses the zombie template and gains the skeleton template (fiery variant, CR +0.5). A skeleton thus slain similarly gains the fiery variant. If it had previously gained the swarm-shifter template, it retains it. The flaming skeleton loses the zombie's fast healing ability (if it had it) and crumbles into ash when slain, returning 2d4 days later as a shade. Fossils have no particular response to attempted cremation.
Death Titans
Undead in large numbers are especially dangerous, as 17 HD or more of such undead with the swarm-shifter template may conglomerate into a death titan. Death titans, much like the lesser undead they are comprised of, merely enter torpor when reduced to zero HP. They will only reanimate when provided a sacrificial body (the Boneyard, rather than having Fast Healing 10, heals (3 x victim's HD) when using its Utter Subsumption ability, similar to a Charnel Hound's Body Integration). If slain via immersion in holy water, both lesser undead as well as death titans can be destroyed without risk of reanimation.
Exorcism
Incorporeal shades are little more than mad ghosts, and thus are impossible to dispose of without some form of exorcism. Much like ghosts, a banished shade will reappear 2d4 days later unless the source of their anguish is dealt with. Despite their corporeal manifestation, swordwraiths behave similarly - unless exorcised or otherwise laid to rest, a slain swordwraith will reform 2d4 days later at the site of their haunting.
Exorcism is a practice that essentially involves severing an undead's connection with its subject of haunting, usually by calling on the natural spirits of the land itself, though sometimes by begging the aid of a higher power. An exorcist who knows the right sort of ritual spends ten consecutive rounds chanting or speaking the appropriate words, at the end of which the exorcist must make a DC 20 Knowledge (Religion) check. If the exorcist's concentration is interrupted the ritual must begin again.
If successful, the presence is forced to manifest for one round. The exorcist can choose to continue the ritual, making another DC 20 Knowledge (Religion) check each round to force the haunting presence to remain manifested for an additional round. If the presence is destroyed during this period, its connection to the haunting is severed. It may still return as a ghost at some point, albeit one with no particular attachment to the location or events it previously haunted. Because of this the haunting presence is effectively pacified.
Ghouls
Ghouls are perhaps more easily disposed of than other forms of undead, in that they do not become more difficult to destroy the more you fail to do so. Ghouls get Regeneration 5 (despite their undead state), shrugging off all wounds not dealt by fire, holy water, or decapitation. A ghoul reduced to 0 by any other form of damage enters a state of torpor, at which point they can be killed with a coup de grace. It is worth noting that a ghoul killed by fire or decapitation may still revive as some form of lesser undead (a zombie, flaming skeleton, or in the worst cases a shade), so holy water remains the best solution.
Vampires
Vampires are produced by occult ritual, which kills the subject while leaving their soul bound to the corpse, allowing for an eternal false-life. Vampires are powerful but their ghostlike souls may slowly go mad over the ages. A vampire whose sanity is reduced to 0 becomes a ghoul, losing most of its power as well as the ability to reform a body once its current one is destroyed. A vampire can create servants in the form of hooded pupils by feeding them their blood each night for three days. If a hooded pupil dies, it returns as a vampire 1d4 days after burial as if it had been killed by a vampire's blood drain (losing the hooded pupil template in the process, of course). Vampires can freely take levels in Dread Necromancer. Upon qualifying for the lich template, they become "Ancients" and gain qualities of a lich in addition to their extant template.
New Vampire Template
Size and Type: Type changes to undead. Size unchanged.
Hit Dice: Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.
Speed: Same as base creature.
Armor Class: NAB +10 or base creature's NAB +6, whichever is higher.
Attack: Gain Slam attack.
Damage:
Tiny
1d4
Small
1d6
Medium
1d8
Large
2d6
Huge
2d8
Gargantuan
2d10
Colossal
4d8
Special Attacks: All saves are DC (10 + 1/2 HD + CHA).
Blood Drain (Ex): A vampire can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, dealing 1d4 points of CON drain each round the pin is maintained. On each successful attack, the vampire gains 5 temporary HP for up to one hour.
Children of the Night (Su): Vampires command the lesser creatures of the world and once per day can call forth nocturnal beasts to do their bidding. These creatures vary from vampire to vampire, but their combined CR never exceeds the vampire's CR -2. The summoned beasts arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve the vampire for up to an hour.
Despair (Su): At the mere sight of a vampire, the viewer must make a successful Will save of be paralyzed with fear for 1d4 rounds Whether or not the save is successful, that targt cannot be affected by that vampire's despair ability for 24 hours. The vampire can suppress this ability at will.
Suggestion (Su): A vampire can make a suggestion to any number of targets within 30 ft (Will negates). This is the equivalent of a suggestion spell (caster level 12th). The vampire can pick and choose which targets to affect with the ability.
Create Spawn (Su): A sentient creature slain by a vampire's blood drain rises as a vampire 1d4 days after burial. The new vampire is under the command of the vampire that created it and remains enslaved until its master's destruction. At any given time a vampire may have enslaved spawn totaling no more than twice its own HD; any spawn it creates that would exceed this limit are created as free-willed vampires. A vampire that is enslaved may create and enslave spawn of its own, so a master vampire can control a number of lesser vampires in this fashion. A vampire may voluntarily free an enslaved spawn in order to enslave a new spawn, but once freed a vampire cannot be enslaved again.
Mummy Rot (Su):
Supernatural Disease
Natural Weapon
Fort DC
as above.
Incubation Period
1 minute.
Damage
1d6 CON, 1d6 CHA
Unlike normal diseases, mummy rot persists until the victim reaces CON 0 and dies, or is cured.
Mummy rot is a powerful curse, not a natural disease. A reature attempting to have any conjuration (healing) spell cast upon the afflicted must make a DC 20 caster level check or else the spell has no effect. To eliminate mummy rot, the curse must first be broken, after which caster level checks are no longer necessary and mummy rot can be cured as any normal disease.
An afflicted creature that dies of mummy rot shrivels away into dust that blows away into nothing at the first wind.
This ability can be suppressed by the vampire at will.
Special Qualities:
Alternate Form (Su): A vampire can assume the shape of certain nocturnal creatures - always of the same or dire varieties as those summoned by their Children of the Night ability. While in its alternate form, the vampire loses its natural slam attack and suggestion ability, but gains the natural weapons and special abilities of its new form. It can remain in that form until it assumes another or until the next sunrise.
Damage Reduction (Su):
DR 5/--
DR 10/silver and magic.
A vampire's natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
Fast Healing (Su): A vampire has Fast Healing 5 so long as it has at least one hit point. If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, it automatically assumes gaseous form and attempts to escape. It must reach its coffin home within 2 hours or enter torpor (it can travel up to nine miles in 2 hours). Any additional damage dealt to a vampire forced into gaseous form has no effect. Once at rest in its coffin, a vampire is helpless. It regains one hit point after one hour, then is no longer helpless and resumes Fast Healing 5.
Gaseous Form (Su): As a standard action, a vampire can assume gaseous form as the spell (caster level 5th), but it can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 ft. (perfect).
Resistances (Ex): A vampire has Resist Cold 10 and Resist Electricity 10.
Spider Climb (Su): A vampire can climb sheer surfaces as though with a spider climb spell.
Turn Resistance (Ex): A vampire has +4 turn resistance.
Vulnerability to Fire (Ex): A vampire takes +50% damage as normal from fire attacks.
Abilities:
STR
+8
DEX
+4
CON
--
INT
+2
WIS
+4
CHA
+4
Skills: +8 Bluff/Perception/Search/Sense Motive/Stealth
Feats:
Alertness
Combat Reflexes
Dodge
Improved Initiative
Lightning Reflexes
CR +3
Vampire Weaknesses
Repelling a Vampire: Vampires cannot tolerate the odor of garlic and will not enter an area laced with it. Vampires are also unable to cross running water, although they can be carried over while resting in their coffin or aboard a ship. They are utterly unable to enter a home or other building unless invited by someone with authority to do so. They may freely enter public spaces, since these are by definition open to all.
Slaying a Vampire: Vampires are nearly impossible to destroy permanently. Exposing a vampire to sunlight does not destory it as many myths indicate, but instead suppresses their supernatural abilities. Immersing a vampire in running water robs it of one third of its hit points per round, forcing it into torpor after the third round of immersion.
Driving a stake through the vampire's heart (of any material, it need not be wood) also forces the vampire into torpor until the stake is removed.
Torpor: A vampire forced into torpor is, for all intents and purposes, dead. However, the instant blood comes into contact with the remains (even if those remains are mere dust), the vampire will return to un-life. The first time a vampire comes back from torpor, it gains the swarm-shifter template as a result of learning how to reconstitute its form.
Nukekubi
Vampires that experience decapitation (either while in torpor or before rising as a vampire to begin with) become Nukekubi (rather than develop the swarm-shifter template), and gain the following abilities instead:
Speed: Fly 50 ft. (Good) in Detached Form.
Attack: Gain Entrail attack (Detached Form only) and Bite attack (all forms).
Damage:
Size
Entrail
Bite
Tiny
1d2
1d3
Small
1d3
1d4
Medium
1d4
1d6
Large
1d6
1d8
Huge
1d8
2d6
Gargantuan
2d6
2d8
Colossal
2d8
4d6
Special Attacks:
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the nukekubi must hit with its entrails attack. If it gets hold, it can constrict and bite.
Constrict (Ex): A nukekubi deals automatic entrails damage to an opponent of its size or smaller with a successful grapple check.
Special Qualities:
Alternate Form (Su): A nukekubi can make itself appear humanoid by squeezing its entrails back into the shell of its original body. (It must first soak the entrails in vinegar to reduce their engorgement.) If the body is destroyed while the head is separated from it, the nukekubi enters torpor after 1d4 days. Nukekubi in their detached form also enter torpor if exposed to the sun for more than one round. This torpor ends when they are removed from direct sunlight.
Fear Aura (Su): As a free action, a nukekubi in its detached form can can create an aura of fear in a 30-foot radius. Cratures within this distance of the nukekubi must succeed a Will save or become shaken. This is in addition to the natural aura of despair all vampires can emit.
Ancient
"Ancient" is a template that can be added to a vampire in place of the Lich template given by Dread Necromancer 20.
Size and Type: Unchanged.
Hit Dice: Unchanged.
Armor Class: Unchanged.
Attacks: A vampire ancient has a touch attack it can use once per round.
Damage: A vampire ancient has a touch attack that uses negative energy to deal 1d8 +5 points of damage to living creatures; a Will save halves this damage. Alternatively, the vampire ancient can channel this energy through one of its natural weapon attacks, dealing 1d8 +5 points of extra damage.
Special Attacks:
Feat Aura (Su): Vampire ancients are shrouded in a dreadful aura of death. Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60 foot radius that look at the vampire ancient must succeed on a Will save or be affected as though by a fear spell from a sorcerer of the vampire ancient's level. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same vampire ancient's aura for 24 hours. This is in addition to any other fear auras the vampire ancient may have.
Paralyzing Touch (Su): Any living creature a vampire ancient hits with its touch attack must succeed on a Fort save or be permanently paralyzed. Any effect that can remove a curse can free the victim. The effect cannot be dispelled. Anyone paralyzed by the vampire ancient seems dead, though a DC 20 Perception check or a DC 15 Heal check reveals that the victim is still alive.
Special Qualities:
Turn Resistance (Ex): A vampire ancient's turn resistance increases by +4.
Damage Reduction (Su): DR 15/bludgeoning and magic.
This overlaps but does not replace a normal vampire's DR 10/silver and magic. The vampire ancient retains DR 5/-- in addition to this. (In other words, a normal weapon deals 15 points less against a vampire ancient. If the weapon is a magical bludgeoning weapon, it still deals 10 points less than normal. If the weapon is also silver, it only deals 5 points less than normal).
Immunities (Ex): A vampire ancient has immunity to cold, electricity, polymorph (though they can still use polymorph effects on themselves), and mind-affecting attacks.
Abilities:
INT
+2
WIS
+2
CHA
+2
CR +2
The Vampire's Phylactery
A key component in becoming a vampire ancient is creating a phylactery, in which the vampire stores a bit of its essence. With this, a vampire may resist torpor by reconstituting themselves near the phylactery 1d10 days after their "death," their previous remains crumbling into ash. If the phylactery is destroyed, the vampire ancient is once again subject to torpor, although it is possible to create a new phylactery, albeit with great difficulty and cost (120,000gp and lengthy rituals).
Draconic Undead
Skeletons – Use Skeletal Dragon template.
Zombies – Use Zombie Dragon template if Adult or older, use Zombie template otherwise.
Vampires – Use Vampire template.
Ghosts – Roll Ghost and Ghostly Dragon templates together – the dragon may select abilities from either template.
Other Undead
CR 4
Corpse Rat Swarm
Skulking Cyst
Skeletal Warbeast
CR 5
Ephemeral Swarm
CR 6
Bloodmote Cloud
--
CR 7
Skirr
Death Scarab Swarm
CR 8
--
CR 9
--
--
--
CR 13
Charnel Hound
CR 14
Necronaut
Boneyard
CR 15
--
--
CR 16
Dream Vestige
CR 17
--
CR 18
--
Discounting undead swarms, nonstandard undead seem to come in two varieties; necromantic chimeras built from parts of several different bodies, and “death titans” formed from the amalgamation of countless souls and bodies. The former are popular “experiments” for necromancers, while the latter are akin to walking natural disasters born from intense emotion and tragedy.