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Axelgear
2007-10-24, 08:27 PM
Anyone who has played the Eberron Campaign Setting is well aware that you need not be a deity to be in the worship cycle. The Ancestor Elves, Blood-Worship, and other such things are all interesting alternatives to a god as a persons patron. Elemental worship and spirit worship also exist in the Forgotten Realms setting. I create this as another way to show potential alternatives to the whole Outsider Deity 'thing'. And with further ado, I present you with my creations (Note:I will be adding to this over time):

Sjach'urathear, God of Flesh
Neutral Evil Colossal Unique Undead Construct
HD 40d12+80 (345)
Initiative+5
Speed 40 ft. (Can't run), Fly 180ft (Perfect)
AC 92 (-8 Size, +5 Dex, +25 Natural, +20 Profane, +40 Insight); SR 36; DR 15/Epic and Adamantine
Immunities Undead Immunities, Cold, Electricity, Polymorphing
Resistances Acid 20, Fire 20, Sonic 20, Turn Resistance +20
Base Attack/Grapple +37/+61
Attacks Slam +44 (4d6+5d6+23*+Paralysis), or Breath Weapon (8 Negative Levels), or Stomp (8d6+5d6+23*+Paralysis)
Face/Reach 30 ft./30 ft.
Special Attacks Breath Weapon, Horrific Appearance (DC 52), Paralyzing Touch (DC 52), Stomp, Trap the Soul
Special Qualities Perfect Automatic Still Spell, Frightful Presence (DC 62), Invulnerability, Magic Immunity, Negative Energy Affinity, Phylactery Transference
Saves Fort +22, Ref +22, Will +38
Abilities Str 35, Dex 20, Con -, Int 42, Wis 42, Cha 54
Skills Bluff +69, Concentration +69, Diplomacy +75, Hide +66, Intimidate +71, Knowledge (All) +64, Listen +84, Move Silently +74, Perform (Oratory) +69, Search +84, Sense Motive +84, Spellcraft +66, Spot +84
Feats Eschew Materials, Combat Reflexes, Greater Spell Penetration, Large and in Charge, Leadership, Power Attack, Quicken Spell, Spell Penetration, Still Spell
Epic Feats Automatic Quicken Spell x3, Automatic Still Spell x3, Blinding Speed, Ignore Material Components, Tenacious Magic (Paralyzing Touch)
Spell-like Abilities At Will - Alter Self, Astral Projection, Create Greater Undead, Create Undead, Death Knell, Enervation, Greater Dispel Magic, Harm, Summon Monster I-IX, Telekinesis, Weird; 3/day - Mirror Image, Nondetection; 2/day - Dimension Door, Greater Planar Ally; 1/day - Shadow Walk
Possessions** Belt of Giant's Strength +6, Cloak of Epic Charisma +8, Gloves of Epic Dexterity +10, Ring of Ineffable Evil
Spells per Day - CL 20 - DC 32 + Spell level
9th - 10/day - Imprisonment, Mage's Disjunction, Mindrape
8th - 10/day - Binding, Polymorph Any Object, Sympathy
7th - 10/day - Control Weather, Greater Teleport, Final Rebuke
6th - 11/day - Circle of Death, Eyebite, Flesh to Stone
5th - 11/day - Dream, Magic Jar, Persistent Image, Wall of Stone
4th - 11/day - Contagion, Dimensional Anchor, Greater Invisibility, Wrack
3rd - 11/day - Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Gaseous Form, Haste, Tongues
2nd - 12/day - Arcane Lock, Blindness/Deafness, Detect Thoughts, Entice Gift, See Invisibility
1st - 12/day - Cheat, Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist, Spirit Worm, Ventriloquism
0 - 6/day - Arcane Mark, Dancing Lights, Detect Magic, Mage Hand, Mending, Message, Open/Close, Prestidigitation, Read Magic

*Includes a +5 Bonus for Power Attack
**All Possessions are kept beside Sjach'urathear's phylactery

Create Shadows (Su): Three times per day, Sjach'urathear can conjure a mass of leaping shadows with a radius of 100 yards and a duration of 1 hour (This is a creation effect). All normal and magical light sources are negated within this radius. All characters and creatures gain a +4 bonus on their Hide checks within the shadows, and can hide even if directly observed. Shadow Dragons and all other creatures tied to the Shadow PLane gain total concealment within the shadows, though they can move and attack normally. Their attacks gain a +2 bonus and deny their opponents any Dexterity bonus to AC due to being considered invisible.

Paralyzing Touch (Su): Any creature hit by Sjach'urathear's slam attack must succeed on DC 52 Fortitude Save or be permanently paralyzed. Remove Paralysis or any spell that removes a curse undoes the paralysis but only for 1d4 rounds, after which it resumes. Nothing short of a Wish or Miracle spell can undo the paralysis.

Trap the Soul (Su): Inside Sjach'urathear's skull are 8 gems, each affixed into the bone, with silver tracings that form arcane diagrams blended into them. At any time, up to eight times per day, Sjach'urathear can select any living creature within 300 feet that he can see to target for this attack. The target must then make a DC 52 Fort save. If it succeeds on this saving throw, it suffers four negative levels and the use of Trap the Soul is not used up. If the target fails their save, their soul is instantly drawn from their body and trapped in one of the gems inside Sjach'urathear's skull. The gem then gleams wickedly for 24 hours while the soul within is slowly digested. The soulless body collapses in a mass of corruption and molders in a single round, reduced to dust. In the unlikely event Sjach'urathear is overcome before this time is up, the gem may be crushed to release the victim's soul to whatever fate awaits it. However, the sheer power of Sjach'urathear being what it is, any soul freed still has a 50% chance of failing to return if reviving magic is used.

Fear Aura (Su): Any character of less than 5 HD who is not allied with Sjach'urathear that comes within 60 ft. of him and looks upon him must make a DC 32 Save or be affected by fear as if cast by a 21st-level caster

Dual Bodies (Ex): Sjach'urathear is not a normal entity. Composed of a fusion between a demidracolich and a flesh colossus, he is capable of incredible things. If defeated in his primary form, however, Sjach'urathear is still not defeated. Once his Colossus form is destroyed, Sjach'urathear separates himself from it and allows it to rot. At this point, he immediately arises at maximum hit points per hit die but with the following adjustments:

-He gains no +80 bonus hit points
-His size shrinks to Medium
-He loses the benefit of his Large and In Charge feat
-He loses his slam attack and replaces it with a touch attack that deals 5d6 Negative Energy damage and inflicts his paralyzing touch (See above).
-He gains a paralyzing gaze that causes paralysis for 2d6 rounds to any target that fails a DC 52 Will Save. Whether the target makes their save or not, they cannot be affected by his gaze again for 24 hours.

If Sjach'urathear survives his battle, his first action is to attempt to rebuild his destroyed body and attach himself to it once more. This is a process that takes approximately a month.

Invulnerability (Su): If Sjach'urathear is defeated, he is not destroyed. So long as his arcane marks and the eight soul gems exist, he will fully self-repair and return to his skull form within a week. If all eight soul gems are removed from the arcane diagram and then destroyed, Sjach'urathear returns to his phylactery, where he then possesses a corpse. This corpse steadily warps and changes until it grows to Gargantuan size, at which point the head breaks free from the neck. This transformation takes three days. At the end of it, the diagram and soul gems regenerate of their own accord and Sjach'urathear is fully restored.

Strategies and Tactics
Sjach'urathear is a physically devastating opponent. As large as a mountain and capable of unleashing magic, he is almost unstoppable without some degree of great effort or incredible power. Once he has identified an opponent, Sjach'urathear typically tries to seduce them with pretty words and avoids fighting until he can maneuver into any sort of advantageous position. At this point, he uses a casting of final rebuke before hastening himself using Blinding Speed and stomps whatever opponent may be able to bring divine spells to bare. Once this is done, he unleashes his furious fists on every opponent in range, casting a spell every round to harm an opponent as he sees fit. If he is ever overwhelmed and his colossus body is defeated, he tries to retreat to the sky or to teleport, using spells to harry his opponents until he is able to rest. After this, he returns and stalks his opponents while invisible and tracks them until he sights a moment of weakness, at which point he attacks until they are defeated.

History and Goals
Any that have encountered Sjach'urathear would be surprised to find out at that, at the beginning of his existence, he was a small Shadow Dragon hatchling in a small creche hidden in the Underdark. Nurtured and nourished by drow who held a pact with his mother, he quickly grew strong and began to work through the dark city devoted to the Spider Queen. Sjach'urathear found the worship of Lolth most agreeable in his early years, finding the dark goddess' emphasis on treachery and betrayal, as well as personal power, something he could admire greatly. He often even held the dangerous dream of being a god himself one day, and, throughout his life, this dream was nourished bit by bit as he became more and more inquisitive of what it took to become a god. When the revelation came that deities as he knew them were naught but simply outsiders, all be they highly powerful outsiders, he became incensed. If they were merely flesh and blood, it meant that the secret to godhood rested in all things; from the lowliest rock to the planes themselves, all things, living or inert, held the capacity for godhood. A part of him was even amused by the idea that, out there in the multiverse, there might actually be a deified piece of living rubble. With this revelation, and adulthood well upon him, Sjach'urathear left the Underdark and traveled to the surface. With him, he took a small band of followers and as much arcane lore as he could gather on the planes, gods, and necromancy.

Upon arriving on the surface, Sjach'urathear immediately set about on his grand design. Seeking to unlock the mysterious boundaries between mortality and godhood slowly devolved into a quest for perfect understanding of life. Living creatures, undead monstrosities, and inert matter all shared the same basic component. You could pour energy into any one of them and give them a semblance of life, be it positive energy, negative energy, or the spirit of an elemental bound to them. However, there was no clear division on where they split or why they animated when exposed to such things, or why they reacted in the ways they did. Throughout his search, Sjach'urathear made great progress in his understanding, but he was rapidly growing old. Though the lifespan of a dragon is immense, it is not infinite. His body had grown strong and his mind keen, but he was not to stay thus. Eventually, he too would rot, and his knowledge would be lost forever. Rather than suffer this ignoble fate, he elected to transform to seek out the path that many of his followers had taken: Lichdom. And with that fateful decision, Sjach'urathear transformed into a dracolich. Accompanied by his dozen or so undead drow followers, he continued his research further. Then, one fateful day, opportunity knocked.

After centuries in the jungle he had come to call home, Sjach'urathear had become a regular fixture to the local populace who consisted entirely of undeveloped tribes that worshiped spirits. When, by accident, a wandering tribesman came upon a cabal of magically talented drow and an undead dragon, all of whom were unlike anything they'd seen, his immediate response was to treat them as gods, and this was immediately pleasing to such haughty creatures. In this small being, far weaker than him, Sjach'urathear saw promise, and his devious mind already jumped several steps ahead. Claiming to be a god, and his followers to be his heralds, Sjach'urathear insinuated himself as the head of not just one tribe, but dozens. He united them under his rule, and immediately gave them his orders. With the aid of his cleric followers, he abolished their past and turned their worship to himself. Magically capable of providing food, shelter, and other such provisions, the people willingly abandoned their old way of life to serve their dragon-king. His first order was to breed.

Sjach'urathear was immortal by this point. With a populace in the order of only just over a hundred, though, he could hardly be considered much. However, one thing he did have was time, and with his clerics able to create food for his followers and magically manipulate the land to their advantage, his people were free to devote themselves to other pursuits, specifically the ones he subtly ordered them to follow. He allowed them to have easy lives, dedicated to artistic pursuits, with the only requirement that every paired man and woman bare for him as many children as possible. No stranger to manipulation, Sjach'urathear was a kind, caring, gentle creature, having his clerics heal the sick and ease childbirth, ensuring that as many people as possible would rise to enjoy this hedonistic life. All the while, he consolidated his power, and waited. When the time came, his true colours immediately showed true.

Approximately a century later, things were well underway. The village population had increased tremendously, the population almost at a thousand, and Sjach'urathear sprang his trap. He claimed that the village had grown lax in its worship of him and that unless their worship of him was up to standards, great tragedy would befall them. They would have to dedicate their lives and cast aside all other things to serve him. Despite all the good he granted them, many in the village were reluctant to dedicate themselves wholly to their god, and it was them that he desired. Offering peace and compromise, he took his most loyal followers and set up a meeting with those who wished for a more mutually enjoyable agreement. As soon as they came to his presence, he unleashed his servants and those that opposed him were slaughtered. Every man, woman, and child was cut down only to be reanimated in a display of 'divine' necromantic power. Sjach'urathear declared this a warning to any that would disobey his will: The price for disobedience was death. The corpses of the dead were then marched to a vast construction, where their bodies were rendered and their bones turned to gelatin, before being pasted onto a large frame that resembled a large humanoid form with a simple, dragon-like tail. The only thing missing was the head.

Sjach'urathear prepared now for his final transformation. With his clerics assistance, he dipped himself into boiling acid and scoured away his remaining flesh, and then allowed them to climb into his skull to apply the silver diagrams and to insert the eight prepared gems that would sustain his being. Then, his head separated from his rotted body, which swiftly collapsed into a pile of mouldering corruption, and took its place atop the massive frame. Using spells to preserve and shape the flesh and bone, the giant body took shape around his skull and was swiftly painted black and silver to resemble his original scale pattern. When this was completed, the newly formed body of Sjach'urathear broke free from his constraints and unleashed a terrible roar. On that day, a god was born.

Upon reaching his current status, Sjach'urathear is confident in his position, and his sight has drifted from his quest for supreme understanding. As devoted and drawn as he is, he has reached the limits of what the stolen texts can teach him. Because of this, much of his time is spent wandering the Astral Plane and dealing with his servants. He typically resides atop a massive stone chair covered in designs of suffering and misery, each arm of the chair depicting when he ordered the massacre of his own people for questioning his rule. This chair is set upon a pedastel between two stone temple mounts, the highest buildings in the city that has grown around him. His people and his influence have spread in the centuries since his rise to his new form, and now they wage ceaseless wars upon other tribes to capture territory, slaves, and anything else their unholy lord decrees in his unceasing quest for universal standing.

Territory
Sjach'urathear's influence carries little outside of the island-nation on which he resides, but within it, he is unquestioned. The lands of Shakuntala, where the God of Flesh calls home, are technically a peninsula, but the land-bridge that leads to it is only accessible during the summer when warm currents divert the waters elsewhere, making it an island for just over half of the year. This, combined with its lack of contact with the outside world, generally leaves it unknown to the rest of the realm. This anonymity has been nothing but a blessing to Sjach'urathear, who has remained the unquestioned, unopposed master of his domain for a very long time now. Most of the nation is controlled by him, sprawling outwards from the Eastern coast, with only parts of the north and south of the region being outside his direct control. Within his grasp are hundreds of thousands, if not millions of lives, all who bow their head before the burning red eyes of their god-king.

Apart from an island nation at his beck and call, Sjach'urathear has other holdings as well throughout the multiverse. Largely, these include the Shadow Plane, the Negative Energy Plane, and the Lower Planes. This includes many contracts and deals with dark gods or fiends that realize that, although a relative newcomer, he is a growing force to be reckoned with. The primary link to this exists through a portal in the base of the temple on which he rests. It is through this portal that his priests travel when acting on his behalf, though, in truth, much of his time is spent traveling the planes in Astral form via the use of his Astral Projection ability. Currently, he maintains outposts on the Plane of Shadow, in the Iron City of Dis, and in Gallenghast within Azzagrat. He also has ties throughout Baator, Gehenna, the Abyss, and the Negative Energy Plane, but he maintains no formal presence in these other places.

Cult and Followers
Sjach'urathear wields a strong following of worshipers. His followers include a dozen drow followers that are dubbed as his Heralds (Drow Lich Cleric 10/Master of Shrouds 6). Each has schemed and plotted against one another and many wish to steal the secrets their lord carries, but magical incantations, knowledge stolen from Orcus, prevents them from ever betraying him, eternally bonding them into servitude. Though they all consider rebellion, they would ultimately be doomed in doing so anyway, for any attack on one another would only result in drawing their lords ire, and none knows where the phylactery of the others reside.

Aside from his Heralds, Sjach'urathear commands an impressive army of both the living and the dead. Beneath him resides a caste system, at the top of which are the Heralds, followed by any other spellcasters in his service, divine or otherwise, followed by soldiers, followed by civilians, followed by slaves. At the center of his empire rests his capital, Sjach, which contains within it a large living populace, but it also contains many undead. The portal to the Plane of Shadow and the Negative Energy Plane nearby, along with the vast amounts of sacrifices performed, create ample opportunity for undead to arise. All undead within the city have sworn allegiance to Sjach'urathear, or are under the sway of someone who has, and therefore do not harm the living, but they often keep vast retinues of slaves for tribute and feeding purposes. The city is home to several vampires who pay homage to the dragon-king as a god, and take protection from it, as they know they are unlikely to even hear of persecution in his lands so long as they serve faithfully. As they are typically spellcasters as well, this sets them high in his societal standing.

The followers of Sjach'urathear are typically a bloody bunch. Even the most light-hearted of his citizens is either unfazed by the dark rituals that routinely take place in the city or quickly wind up as slaves and on the sacrificial block themselves. While evil is not encouraged in the society, as Sjach'urathear has little care over what happens to the souls of the dead, fanaticism is. Utter devotion to the god-king is demanded from every citizen from birth to death, and his word is law. The standard citizen quickly learns that when it comes to the law, justice favours those in power. However, when it comes to individual disputes, one can be typically assured that the result will be swift, and if the two individuals are of the same status, it typically resolves quickly and easily, which is really the only benefit of the legal system under Sjach'urathear.

The rituals and beliefs of the religion behind Sjach'urathear are simple, with the basic precept that he is a god and that all other deities are pretenders. They often follow the principle of solid fact, basing that they can see their god but the followers of the so-called pretender gods cannot, and are basing their faith on nothing. All those who worship Sjach'urathear can draw divine energy from the sheer arcane and unholy power he wields, meaning that hose that pray to him do actually gain the ability to cast divine spells. This amount of stolen energy is nothing to Sjach'urathear, it being replenished instantly as draws it back from the Negative Energy Plane, but it gives him the grand illusion of godhood. This ability has allowed him to establish an actual priesthood, who carry out his will.

The most common rituals in the Cult of the Flesh God focus around worshiping him, understanding, and sacrifice, for it is only through devotion, understanding, and sacrifice that one can attain true power. Overall, Sjach'urathear does not intend to give any of his followers power, his binding of the Heralds being proof of this, but if he molds their minds enough, he believes that he might make them much more useful. Worship of him is done to further devote them to him, rather than for the gathering of divine energy it creates. Understanding is a claimed precept of his beliefs, but it is really only reserved for those that enter his clergy, where they are taught to delve and observe the mysteries of flesh. Any that attain some sort of discovery are rewarded with immediate advancement in status and other various gifts of wealth and power. Because the highest rank of priesthood often brings with it the reward of immortality through undeath, most priests ardently devote their entire lives to studying the flesh of living beings and committing acts of brutal torture to find out whatever they can.

The last and most major part of the worship of Sjach'urathear comes through sacrifice. Sjach'urathear sacrificed his old home, his treasure horde, and even his life to ascend to his current status, and it is unknown how many lives he has sacrificed in his ongoing search for understanding. As such, much sacrifice is made by his followers, both to live up to his standards and in their attempts to appease him. The uninitiated to his inner circle even believe that Sjach'urathear loathed to kill those who would not listen when he constructed his new body, and that their god is a kind, loving being who only wants what is best for his people. Because of this, the people offer sacrifice in the form of taxes and slaves to their god. Every week, eight slaves are sacrificed to him in a gory spectacle in which the slave is mutilated and tormented symbolically before being enchanted with a preservation spell. Then, they are either burned or cut in a way that lets them bleed horribly, and, when death is just about to claim them, Sjach'urathear consumes their soul. Many of the sacrifices are also elderly citizens, who are taught by the church to believe that having their soul consumed is a way to become one with their god. In some small way, they are right, but it is not exactly how they imagine it.

However, these are not the only rituals of the cult. Sacrifices of prisoners at other times and offerings given to fiends also take place from time to time to make an example in public or to seal a deal made between Sjach'urathear and some nameless unholy power. These sacrifices all vary in type, depending on the mood of the evil god-king at the time.

Points of Note
Sjach'urathear currently seeks any artifacts related to the evil god Vecna or the demon lord Orcus. He is also particularly lustful over an artifact known as the Rod of Tongues. Anyone who brings him any useful information leading to one of these items can expect to be paid for it and offered a chance for more. Anyone who brings him an artifact from either Vecna or Orcus can expect to immediately be granted some sort of favour from the god (Typically evil spellcasters ask for the secrets of Lichdom). Anyone who brings him the Rod of Tongues would immediately find themselves the favoured son/daughter of Sjach'urathear and would be able to ask almost anything of him, even as he reshapes the world around him to his dark whim.

Another point of interest is the location of Sjach'urathear's Phylactery. In an attempt to make it as undetectable as possible, upon first attaining dracolichdom, he slaughtered an entire lizardfolk village and imprisoned their bodies one by one, the last of which was curled around his phylactery, which is a ball of amber inlaid with arcane scriptures that glows with an unholy light from within. This means that, in the unlikely event of his defeat, he can possess one of these bodies and teleport to the surface using it. Each has been magically preserved so it will never rot.


New Spell
Preservation
Abjuration
Level: Cleric 1, Sorcerer/Wizard 1
Components: V, M
Casting Time: One standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Body Touched
Duration: Permanent; See text

A sickly green glow overcomes your hands, flowing in waves towards your fingertips. Slowly, this glow grows larger and larger until your entire hand is bathed in it. You touch the corpse you mean to preserve, and instantly the glow shoots from your hand and over it in a flash.

This spell preserves one corpse indefinitely. It never rots due to exposure or weathering, but any damage dealt still remains. If cast on a living creature, the spell takes effect as soon as it dies. Any spell that exposes the corpse to positive or negative energy, however, instantly causes it to resume rotting. Once this spell is cast on a corpse, it is unsuitable to be raised, and the character can only be revived using Resurrection, Greater Resurrection, Miracle, or Wish. Animate Dead, Create Undead, and other such spells still work normally.

EvilElitest
2007-10-24, 09:33 PM
A bit more fluff
from,
EE

Fuza
2007-10-24, 10:05 PM
This is pretty cool. An Undead that will beat you to death or make you explode! Lots of fun.

Mr. Moogle
2007-10-24, 10:38 PM
I saw the spell Mindrape on the 9th level spells, exuse my 1337, but what the l-l3LL is that!?

Axelgear
2007-10-25, 08:55 AM
Mindrape is a BoVD spell. It lets you know everything about your opponent AND change their memories. A very nasty spell.

Maerok
2007-10-25, 08:58 AM
Sjach'urathear, God of Flesh
Neutral Evil Colossal Unique Undead Construct
HD 40d12+80 (345)
...
Speed 40 ft. (Can't run), Fly 180ft (Perfect)


Even as a god, undead still can't run. "GET BACK HERE!!!" :smalleek:

Axelgear
2007-10-25, 01:13 PM
He can fly and teleport though. And I did a major upgrade to the fluff.

Axelgear
2007-10-26, 08:27 PM
And now, my next creation!

The Eternal Brotherhood

Before you stands a man whose whole body speaks of an unnatural grace. His skin is flawless, a pale white, but it is tinted with an unearthly blue that speaks of the grave. His hair is faded, but it still holds some of the luster once within it, the golden blonde now a shocking white. He wears no armor, only a set of loose robes that expose his muscular chest, criss-crossing his chest. When he smiles, a set of fangs glint from amongst his otherwise perfect pearl-white teeth and his red eyes glare menacingly from his face. Masculine and athletic, he is an image of a cold, handsome male form.

Sloran, Father of a Thousand Sons
Lawful Evil Undead (Human) Cleric 9/Master Vampire 3/Lifedrinker 10
HD 22d12+22 (223 HP)
Initiative +10
Speed 30 ft., 50 ft. Fly (Perfect)
AC 32 (+6 Dex, +12 Natural, +4 Deflection); DR 10/Epic and Silver
Immunities Undead Immunities
Resistances Cold Resistance 10, Electricity Resistance 10, Turn Resistance +4*
Base Attack/Grapple +14/+24
Attacks Slam +20/+15/+10 (1d8+6 plus Energy Drain)
Face/Reach 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks Blood Drain, Blood Revel, Create Spawn, Energy Drain, Domination, Rebuke Undead 13/day, Venuto al Padre
Special Qualities Alternate Form, Fast Healing 8, Greater Invigorate, Lifewell, Special Attack Boost, Spellboost, Telekinesis, Telepathy
Saves Fort +16, Ref +19, Will +21
Abilities Str 23, Dex 22, Con -, Int 20, Wis 21, Cha 28
Skills Bluff +42, Diplomacy +44, Intimidate +35, Knowledge (Arcana) +17, Knowledge (Religion) +18, Sense Motive +39, Spellcraft +32
Feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Endure Sunlight, Greater Kiai Shout, Hold the Line, Improved Grapple, Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike, Iron Will, Kiai Shout, Life Drain, Life-Sense, Leadership, Lightning Reflexes, Profane Lifeleech
Spells Vary based on need, but always include Righteous Might and Divine Power. Domains are Trickery and Pride, CL 11
Possessions Belt of the Fates, untold reserves of gold and treasure

*Turn resistance increases by 1 for every spawn under his control within 60 ft.

Alternate Form (Su): Unlike a normal vampire, Sloran does not assume an animal form. Rather, when he chooses, he becomes a terrible and unholy monster. This new form grants him an inherent +10 bonus to Strength, a size increase to Large, two claw attacks that do 1d8 damage each, each of which carry the Improved Grab quality, and a pair of wings that increase his fly speed to 100 ft. per round but drop his maneuverability to Good. In this form, Sloran is massive and bestial, appearing as some unholy fusion between man and beast.

Blood Drain (Ex): If Sloran pins a foe, he can choose to drain blood from them. Typically, he uses Special Attack Boost (Maximize) and Special Attack Boost (Empower) to increase the speed with which he drains blood from an opponent, allowing him to do up to 12 points of Con damage per round. He only does this when time is of the essence, however, as it limits the amount of blood he can store in his Lifewell. Every round he completes this attack, he gains 5 temporary hit points.

Blood Revel (Su): At any time when draining blood from a victim, Sloran can choose to enter a blood revel as a free action at the beginning of his next turn and remain in that state for up to 10 rounds. In this state, he gains a +4 profane bonus to Strength, his DR increased to 25/Epic and Silver, his fast healing increases to 14, and he is immune to his vampiric weaknesses. After these ten rounds are over, he is immediately weakened to the point of near-death. Treat him as powerless and unable to fight until one of his minions provides him with 10 points of Constitution, provided by draining it from a minion and vomiting it into his mouth. Unlike other vampires, his will is strong enough that he can choose how he wishes to act in a Blood Revel.

Blood Servant (Su): By spending 12 lifewell points, Sloran can summon a Blood Fiend (Fiend Folio) to serve him for 24 hours.

Boost Defenses (Su): By spending 8 lifewell points, Sloran can improve his natural armour and turn resistance by +2, increase his DR to 20/Epic and Silver, and doubles his cold and electricity resistance. These bonuses last for 24 hours.

Domination (Su): Sloran speaks with unnatural grace, his merest word or glance enough to control his opponents. So long as his voice is audible at a normal volume level or the subject is within his line of sight, he may subsume their will. As a standard action, he may cause any opponent within 30 feet that meets these conditions to fall under his control, as the spell Dominate Person (CL 12), unless they succeed on a DC 30 Will Save.

Energy Drain (Su): In his natural form, Sloran deals 4 Negative Levels on a successful strike with his slam attack once per round. When in his Alternate Form, each of his claw attacks deals one negative level with no maximum of times. Because he has the Life Drain feat, characters lose 14 HP per Negative Level rather than 5, and a like amount is gained by Sloran.

Enhanced Spawn (Su): All vampire or vampire spawn Sloran creates gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength and Dexterity. If they ever leave his service, they lose this bonus

Gaseous Form (Su): Sloran can assume the form of a roving grey cloud at will, as the Gaseous Form spell.

Greater Invigorate (Su): Sloran can, at any time, expend points from his lifewell to gain an enhancement bonus to Strength and temporary hitpoints equal to +1 and +1d6 per point expended respectively. Each expenditure for temporary hitpoints is cumulative, but the bonus to Strength is equal to the highest use. I.E. If he spends 5 points to gain +5 Strength and +5d6 HP and then expends another, he gains a total of +10d6 temporary hitpoints but his bonus to Strength remains at +5. These bonuses last for 24 hours.

Lifewell (Ex): Every time Sloran uses his Energy Drain or Blood Drain ability, he gains points that are collected in his lifewell at a rate of 2 per Negative Level and 1 per point of Constitution drained. These are used to power his lifewell-based abilities, as described in the ability description.

Master's Chosen (Su): Sloran can imbue any one vampire under his command with a +6 enhancement bonus to Strength and Dexterity.

More Spawn (Su): Sloran adds his Charisma modifier to his HD to determine how many spawn he can control. This means he can control 62 HD of Spawn.

Spell/Special Attack Boost (Su): By expending points from his lifewell, Sloran can create the following effects for the listed cost:
2 - Heighten Spell (2 points per level increase)
4 - Empower Spell or Special Attack
6 - Maximize Spell or Special Attack
8 - Quicken Spell

Spider Climb (Su): Sloran can climb any surface as the Spider Climb spell.

Telekinesis (Su): Sloran can use telekinesis at will as if cast by a 12th level caster.

Telepathy (Su): Sloran can communicate with any living creature within 100 feet that has a language or any vampire within one mile.

Venuto al Padre (Su): Rather than summoning animals with an affinity to vampires, as a typical vampire does, Sloran can send out a telepathic call to all vampires directly or indirectly under his control within a one-mile radius. They all immediately rush to his aid, and gladly sacrifice themselves to protect their unholy father.

Weaknesses
Sloran is no normal vampire. Quite the opposite in fact, for he is a Vampire King, as much to a vampire as a hero is to an NPC. He is tremendously powerful, and as such can bypass many vampiric weaknesses. He can be immersed in water, is not repelled by holy symbols or mirrors (Though he finds the former repugnant and the latter a nuisance) or garlic, and is not killed by sunlight or a stake to the heart. However, in sunlight, he becomes powerless (Cannot attack, cast spells, or use spell-like abilities and can only take one move action per round) and if the stake is put in place, his DR is no longer in effect. He is also unable to enter any private residence without being invited. Sloran also cannot resist attacking targets wearing any manner of holy symbol, attacking them first and foremost with relentless abandon. Even if defeated, Sloran is not destroyed, however, and he escapes in gaseous form to his vault, no matter how far away it is and regenerates over the course of ten years. After this time, he arises once more, typically vengeful and seeking to wreak some terrible havoc upon those that slew him. The only way to permanently kill Sloran is to bring to bear the Spear of Illaes (Described below).

Strategies and Tactics
Sloran is typically a straight-forward fighter. He does not care for trickery and is open and honest in every approach. He is also quite fond of duels, willingly putting a battle on hold to fight a particularly interesting opponent. He also gladly accepts any challenge from a priest or outsider of any alignment. Against a typical opponent, Sloran holds back and toys with his opponent, scaling their full capacity before destroying them, typically even offering to revive them as one of his children if they prove worthy. However, if they are a priest or outsider, he holds no blows and tries to swiftly humiliate them as devastatingly as possible, unleashing every weapon in his arsenal as soon as the opportune moment arises. Once this is done, he then stands atop the body and gloats before ripping off its head and adding it to his tally.

History and Goals
The story of the Father of a Thousand Sons is not a pleasant one. Few would believe that, centuries ago, Sloran the Unholy was once a good man who stood for all things right and just in the world. However, his story is one of terrible betrayal and a dizzying fall from grace into a deep darkness.

Sloran was once a Cleric of Heironious, devoted to the duty of what was good, right, and honest. He stood proud with hair of stunning blonde and skin so fair that he was often thought to have celestial heritage. With a heart of gold, he never strayed from his ideals, and found companionship in six like-minded individuals who all served Lawful Good or Neutral Good deities as well. Like him, they each stood for what was right, Paladins and Clerics all, and together they hunted evil and monsters with almost supernatural tenacity. Through this, their bond grew, and they became known as the Brothers of Light. Though born to different mothers and physically unrelated, in spirit they were as close as family. Some said they were even small gods themselves, and how right they would be...

Some time during their adventuring, a terrible tragedy befell the brothers. The youngest brother in their fellowship, Illaes, a Paladin dedicated to the god of martyrs, sacrificed himself to save a village and his brothers from a terrible fiend. However, upon his death, Illaes committed the ultimate sacrifice and his soul was stolen by the fiend to be tormented eternally in Baator. Though the brotherhood attempted to retrieve their brother's soul, their valiant effort and heartfelt dedication was not enough. They pleaded with their gods to send an army of angels to assist them in the task, to grant them whatever power needed to draw up their brother from the hells and deliver him to safety in the Upper Planes. But no answer came. Though their gods continued to grant them spells and their favour, they sent no aid. No help. No assistance on this divine mission. Sloran was crushed, as were his brothers. The group disbanded as its morale was broken, several committing suicide the next day until only two were left: Sloran and Jerreck. Sloran travelled with his remaining brother to monasteries and holy places to seek some sort of answer to the question of why. Why hadn't the gods helped them? But no answer came. Then, in quiet meditation atop a mountain, Sloran reached the answer he sought. His brothers had not failed Illaes. He had not failed Illaes. The gods had. Immediately, he renounced his faith and abandoned Illmater, shouting then and now that no power greater than himself would ever hold his fate in his hands again. He casted out blasphemy and dictum again and again, speaking his hate for all gods, good, evil, or otherwise, and every creature that posed as one, sought to be one, or served one. From the Baatezu of Baator to the Celestials of Celestia, not one being would ever be welcome before him again. Immediately he went to reveal this to his brother, but Jerreck had heard every word and was disgusted. He would not let his brother commit such an act. As betrayed as he too felt, the gods of the Upper Planes and other such creatures held no fault in their brother's death and imprisonment. The two fought, but the enraged Sloran was too powerful, and his hate allowed him to strike down his brother. However, with this death-blow, Sloran's fate was sealed. His outburst, his blasphemy, these could be forgiven, but such a merciless act could not. At that moment, he fell, and in a parting curse, the gods of good left him tainted to rot and die on that mountain. To live forever, burning with an eternal sadness at his loss. Sloran wept with the sudden realization of what he had done, and, cradling his brothers body, he went towards a nearby cave and carved into it a mausoleum that would hold Jerreck's body. Splattered in his brother's blood, he carved with his sword until it shattered and was worn down to a nub. Then he used his hands, all the while forgetting to eat or drink until he collapsed of exhaustion and died. But death was to be no end for the weary warrior.

Sloran arose and continued his work mindlessly for some time. Approximately two years later, when it was finished, he finally realized all that had transpired in sudden epiphany. His undead form, driven on by sadness, had absorbed the blood and residual anger, hate, depression, sadness, and other powerful emotions that surrounded the area, and had converted him into one of the most powerful vampire lords to stalk the plane. Crippling loneliness, the toll of his years, took hold, and immediately he sought companionship. The local monastery, unguarded in its supposed safety, was an easy target, and a massacre ensued. By morning, the entire building had been turned to vampirism under his sway. Rather than being a cruel vampire lord, brooding in his mountain retreat, however, the distant love for others and goodness in him still flickered in his heart, and he treated these new vampire spawn as much-loved sons. Entombing his brothers crypt and sealing within it the armor and weapons of his lost siblings, he left with his new followers the next night, and has not looked back since.

Currently, Sloran rests where he has for centuries; in Castle Ravenstone, far to the north amidst a rainy valley. The local citizenry revere their vampire overlords rather than fear them, viewing them with great awe and respect. To be fed upon by a vampire is a great reward, as it converts the fed-upon into a vampire themselves, and allows them to live forever, away from the vain eyes of selfish gods. Often, the convert has their throat pierced and is allowed to bleed to near-death into a blood vat (Described below), and then is fed upon by a vampire to transform them.

Sloran, himself, resides atop a stone throne at a table around which sit his most favoured six vampires, each dressed in a dark mockery of the armor his brothers wore in life; undead shadows of far greater men. Sloran has no grandiose plan, seeking merely to exist and to expand his undead empire, killing off priests of the traitor-gods, starving them of belief, and the outsiders who cavort at their divine feet, whether they claim to worship them or not. Many attribute the creation of Blood Fiends to Sloran as an attempt to slim out the numbers of evil outsiders.

Territory
The name Father of a Thousand Sons is not an exaggeration, and over a thousand vampires follow his orders unquestioningly. At present, Sloran has a small central kingdom that resides around Castle Ravenstone and the nearby lands, but he has spies, infiltrators, and assassins stationed all over the world, all poised and ready to carry out his orders for some scheme or another. Typically, Sloran takes an excessively long time, possibly several lifetimes, to complete any given scheme, which ostensibly makes the vast majority of these entities vampires as well. Sloran has little care to rule over the world, after all, and doesn't care whether mortals worship him or not. His only goal is to deprive those he perceives slighted him all those centuries ago and left his brother to eternal suffering of their followers. As such, few expansionist aims have been made at moving beyond Ravenstone, but were such an opportunity poised before him, he would quite probably take it all the same.

Cult and Followers
For someone who does not claim to be a god, Sloran holds the loyalty of his citizens remarkably well. They serve him not out of fear, but of true devotion. His vampire followers often require little control, as they often willingly do whatever he asks, filled with an echo of the camaraderie he once held with his brothers, looking up to Sloran as children do to a loving father or grandfather, and many actually even refer to him as such. Meanwhile, his mortal followers require little to no coaxing to serve. His vampires are not a marauding horde as one typically envisions them, feeding off the living at random, but rather are an organized bunch, and to ascend to the status of a vampire is considered quite an honour. Mortal followers often try and impress their morose king in whatever way they can, be it putting on shows for him to bring warmth to his dead heart or fighting for him in his army, but, regardless of how they do it, most people eventually achieve spawndom given time.

There is no prayer in Sloran's cult. The Eternal Brotherhood gives no worship to any being, for no god or outsider is worthy of devotion in their eyes. Any being claiming to be a god of good or righteousness inevitably falls short of the requirements they set for their followers, while any god of evil is destructive and opposed to the existence of mortals. In the eyes of Sloran and his followers, mortals are beings that are toyed with by outsiders and gods, used as currency, traded and played for, and mortals must rebel against this terrible system. Only through immortality and rejecting any spiritual philosophy can one transcend this petty game and exist for oneself. Entering any sort of undeath can suit this, or whatever other means let a person live forever. Many would say such an existence is unnatural, and the Brotherhood would agree, for what is natural is only what has been set in place by accident or by the pretender-gods to control and toy with mortals.

There are few rituals in the Eternal Brotherhood, except for the Wailing, the welcoming of a new member, and funerals. The Wailing takes place at various times per year, occurring six times, on the anniversary of each brother's death. During these times, it is customary for followers and those in service to Sloran to weep and wail in honour of the dead for hours on end. The welcoming of a new member to the Brotherhood is done in two ways. One is to welcome a mortal, which involves a night of drinking and partying, and the other is to convert them. This is a somber, solemn night, at the conclusion of which involves welcoming the new member and giving them their new home. The actual method of conversion varies, depending on whether they wish to become a vampire, lich, or other form of undead. As for funerals, few times are more sad in the Brotherhood. Final death is an act that leads the living into submission to the pretender-gods and outsiders. To die is to be at their mercy; to have your soul cast into the planes is to become theirs. As such, death is seen as the most frightening thing anyone in the Brotherhood can have befall them, and the worst fate possible, even worse than having ones soul consumed (For even if their soul is consumed, they are free and not the plaything of others for eternity). As such, if a member of the Brotherhood dies nobly, their funeral is all the sadder, and their memorials can last for months as vigils are kept before their body is laid to rest. If a person dies mortal, the death is especially tragic, and, as such, every attempt is made to ensure every member of the Brotherhood is converted to undeath before they are claimed by old age. Resurrection magic is also applied if they are available, but old age is something even that cannot undo.

New Artifact: The Belt of the Fates
Touched by the three sisters of fate themselves, this unassuming cloth belt's only sign of being different is the golden Omega clasp in the middle of it. Providing the wearer with small glimpses of their own future and of other times and places, it provides them with bonuses of insight. As such, the wearer gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Charisma and Intelligence, as well as a +2 deflection bonus to AC. The wearer can also use Greater Scrying at will as cast by a 21st level caster with no need for a focus and can, once per day, reroll any roll or force their opponents to reroll any roll. This can be announced after the roll is made but before the result is announced, and the reroll is the result. No other reroll can be taken.