Because the World Needs More Hatemongers[Creature]

[Athanatos]

Jenna sobbed uncontrollably into her pillow, her body shaking. Another argument with Garrett… the third one this week. What had gotten into that man? Jenna knew that her husband had always had a bit of a temper problem, but everything she did this week caused his temper to flare. He had come within inches of taking a swing at her this time, and she was honestly beginning to fear for her safety. Normally she could rely on her son Morgan to intervene on her half if Garrett looked to be losing his temper, but he too had recently turned against her. And it wasn’t that he was merely taking his father’s side: he lashed out at both of them equally. It was possible that he was just experiencing teenage angst… but it just seemed too malevolent. As Jenna lie on her bed, wiping away the streams of tears, she slowly came to the realization that no matter how much she tried to deny it, she was beginning to hate them too.

A creak at the door. Whirling around to see the cause, Jenna saw her nine-year-old daughter Hanna. The slender, beautiful girl had not taken this sudden burst of family infighting well. Though she seemed to be the only member of the family that wasn’t screaming their lungs out at all hours of the day, her normally cheerful and curious demeanor had faded. Her delicate featured were now fixed in a severe frown, and she rarely spoke. Hanna never played with her friends from around the neighborhood anymore… just watched. Watched the domestic wreckage silently, unflinchingly. It couldn’t be good for her, it would scar her for sure. “Don’t you worry about me, angel”, said Jenna in a trembling tone, wiping away the tears from her eyes and forcing a smile. As she walked over to embrace her silent daughter, she whispered “Everything’s going to be fine, we’ll all be happy soon”.

If Jenna had looked at her daughter’s face that instant, she would have seen that for once, Hanna’s features were not in a bitter frown.

They were in a wicked, hateful smile.

Wrathling
Size/Type: Small Fey
Hit Dice: 3d6+3 (13 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 15 (+1 size, +2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/-1
Attack: Claw +5 melee (1d3+2 plus poison)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +5 melee (1d3+2 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Aura of Hatred, Extract Memories, Rage, Poison, Spell-Like Abilities
Special Qualities: Absorb Hate, Change Shape, DR 5/Magic or Cold Iron, Low-Light Vision
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 13
Skills: Bluff +11, Disguise +11, Hide +12, Jump +8, Move Silently +8, Spot +6
Feats: Ability Focus (Aura of Hatred), Improved Initiative
Environment: Any Urban
Organization: Solitary or Gang (3-6)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually Neutral Evil
Advancement: 4-5 HD (Small)

The creature before you is a hunchbacked, emaciated humanoid. Deathly pale and rail-thin, its arms and legs are of exaggerated length, and end with long, needle-like claws. A row of spines runs down the creature’s back, from its head to its long, swishing tail. The beast’s face is a mask of uninhibited rage, contorted and spiteful. Its enraged violet eyes are of particular notice.

Wrathlings are spiteful, malevolent fey that exist to see meaningless fury and antagonism spread. Inherently hateful, these creatures only barely tolerate their own kind, and even then only so out of a begrudged sense of mutual interests. Wrathlings grow strong off of negative emotions, and only truly feel joy when they tear down the relationships between other creatures.

A Wrathling’s typical modus operandi is to stealthily dispose of a humanoid child- usually a street urchin- and use its Change Shape ability to assume that child’s appearance and Extract Memories ability to take on the dead child’s memories and mannerisms. When disguised as humanoid children, Wrathlings appear exactly as the deceased child, except with a permanent sour facial expression. After assuming their new identity, Wrathlings usually do their best to appear as an unassuming child, while maximizing the number of creatures affected by their Aura of Hatred ability. A Wrathling enjoys using its Detect Thoughts ability on its victims, listening to the irrational hatred slowly mature. Once a Wrathling (or group of Wrathlings) succeeds in reducing an area to a strife-torn ghetto, they typically move onto a new target area.

Most Wrathlings go after easy targets such as slums, where children in the street are nothing out of the ordinary and the residents, having been exposed all their lives to cruel conditions, are already ill-tempered. However, particularly powerful or daring Wrathlings infiltrate the homes of wealthier individuals, taking particular pride in destroying successful marriages and loving parent-child relationships.

A Wrathling stands about 3 feet tall and weighs about 35 pounds.

Combat

Wrathlings disdain combat, preferring greatly to watch it than to take part in it. If its true identity is revealed, a Wrathling usually casts its Darkness SLA and flees the scene. If it finds itself forced into a fight, it usually turns itself invisible, flies into a fit of rage, and lunges at what it considers the weakest target. If, at any point in combat, a Wrathling believes that it can make a getaway, it breaks its own rage and initiates its above-described escape sequence.

Aura of Hatred (Su): A Wrathling’s mere presence inspires hate and violence in other beings. Every 24 hours, a creature who has spent four hours or more within 30 ft. of a Wrathling (the time need not be consecutive) must make a Will save DC 14 or act towards all other creatures with a Diplomacy category one below the category it would normally use. For example, a husband would treat his wife (normally Helpful) as Friendly, and a stranger on the street (normally Indifferent) as Unfriendly. Creatures who fail their save multiple times fall additional levels, and creatures that make their save by 5 points or more rise by a level (though they cannot rise above their original diplomatic level in such a way). A creature can also rise by a level by not failing a save for a week.

If a creature’s Diplomatic levels are five or more levels lower (i.e. it fails another save after already considering normally Helpful creatures as Hostile) than they originally were, it flies into a homicidal rage which persists until the creature is bound, knocked unconscious, brought under the effects of a Calm Emotions spell, or otherwise incapacitated. Creatures affected by Aura of Hatred treat Wrathlings with the same Diplomacy level as they did the child whose identity is being assumed by the Wrathling, even if they fail their saves. Aura of Hatred is considered a mind-affecting ability, and a Wrathling is immune to the Auras of other members of their species. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Change Shape (Su): A Wrathling can assume the form of any small or medium humanoid child.

Extract Memories (Su): A Wrathling can extract the memories of a dead creature as a full-round action. Extracting memories is a full round action, and requires a DC 8 Wisdom check. A Wrathling who fails this check by 5 or more permanently damages the child’s memories and cannot absorb them, one who fails the check by 1 to 4 absorbs incomplete memories and takes a -4 competence penalty on Bluff and Disguise checks to convince others that it is actually the child in question; similarly, one who succeeds on the check by 5 or more points receives a +4 competence bonus on such Bluff and Disguise checks. If a creature has its brain damaged by a failed Extract Memories attempt and is brought back to life, it takes a permanent 1d6 penalty to all mental scores (this penalty can be undone with Lesser Restoration spells or other appropriate magic).

Absorb Hate (Su): If a creature driven to homicidal rage by a Wrathling’s Aura of Hatred ability (see this ability description) successfully kills another being while under the effects of the rage, the Wrathling that drove it to rage- if within 30 ft. of the creature- can absorb the hateful emotions released by the act of killing. For every four killings where a Wrathling uses Absorb Hate, it advances by 1 Hit Die. A Wrathling that reaches Medium size through Hit Dice advancement becomes a rare and powerful creature called a Wrathguard (see Wrathguard description for more information).

Spell-Like Abilities: At will- Detect Thoughts; 1/day- Darkness, Invisibility

Rage (Ex): Once per day, a Wrathling can fly into a rage similar to that of a Barbarian. It receives a +4 bonus to Strength and Constitution, and a +2 bonus to Will Saves, while taking a -2 penalty to Armor Class. Some differences exist between a Barbarian’s rage and a Wrathling’s, however: a Wrathling can voluntarily end its rage as a free action at any point, and it does not suffer fatigue after its rage ends.

Poison (Ex): Any creature struck by a Wrathling’s claws must make a DC 12 Fortitude save or suffer 1d2 Wisdom damage.

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Wrathguard
Size/Type: Medium Fey
Hit Dice: 6d6+24 (45 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 Dex, +6 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+8
Attack: Claw +8 melee (1d6+5 plus poison)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +8 melee (1d6+5 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Aura of Hatred, Command Wrath, Extract Memories, Rage, Poison, Spell-Like Abilities
Special Qualities: Change Shape, DR 10/Magic or Cold Iron, Low-Light Vision
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +7, Will +6
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 16
Skills: Bluff +16, Disguise +16, Gather Information +10, Hide +11, Jump +18, Move Silently +11, Spot +10
Feats: Ability Focus (Aura of Hatred), Improved Initiative, Improved Toughness
Environment: Any Urban
Organization: Solitary, Pair, Troupe (3-6), or Family (1-2 plus 1-6 Wrathlings)
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually Neutral Evil
Advancement: 7-12 HD (Medium)

This gaunt humanoid appears somewhat like a Wrathling, but larger, upright, and with a lean, muscular physique rather than a starved one. Ornamental spines adorn its shoulders and back, and a circle of small spines on its head give it the appearance of wearing a crown.

Wrathguards act in a fashion rather similar to their weaker cousins. Just as Wrathlings, they are often found in “easy targets” such as slums, pretending to be vagabonds, or any other figure that they would judge to cause maximum hatred if they had their identities stolen. Wrathguards are very capable of infiltrating more high-profile targets, however, often posing as bureaucrats, soldiers, or merchants. Perhaps the most sickening practice of Wrathguards is to, along with as many Wrathlings as needed, displace an entire family and wreak havoc among those they interact with.

A Wrathguard stands about 6 feet tall and weighs about 130 pounds.

Combat

A Wrathguard is typically more confident and willing to fight than a Wrathling, though it still flees the scene if confronted with a significant threat (and has better means to do so as well). Wrathguards open combat by using Command Wrath on what they judge to be the most powerful member of the enemy group, then casting Improved Invisibility on themselves and picking away at their hateful and disorganized enemies.

A Wrathguard retains all special abilities of a Wrathling, with the following exceptions:

Aura of Hatred (Su): DC 18, 40 ft. radius.

Command Wrath (Su): Once per day, a Wrathguard can channel all ambient feelings of hatred and resentment in the immediate area, and focus them at one target. Every creature within 20 ft. of the Wrathguard (except for the target) must make a Will save DC 16 or be overcome with an indomitable hatred for the target. Creatures affected by Command Wrath lunge at the target thoughtlessly, performing full attack sequences when they can and chasing the target if it attempts to flee. They remain under this effect for 1d6 rounds. Since Command Wrath works by focusing all of a creature’s hateful thoughts towards one target, a DM may impose a bonus or penalty of up to +4 on the Will saves of any creatures that he judges to be particularly free of (or infested with) hateful thoughts.

Change Shape (Su): A Wrathguard can assume the form of any medium or small humanoid.

Spell-Like Abilities: At Will- Detect Thoughts; 1/day- Deeper Darkness, Improved Invisibility

Greater Rage (Ex): A Wrathguard’s rage functions like that of a Wrathling, except that it grants +6 Strength and Constitution and a +3 bonus to Will Saves.

Poison (Ex): DC 16, 1d3 Wisdom damage.

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Mainly looking for help on mechanical issues... specifically the Aura of Hatred and Command Wrath. I'm worried that its implementation is mechanically unsound. Any other help is welcome, though!

[Winged One]

Okay, EVIL. Pure freaking EVIL. Which is clearly what you were going for, of course, and you succeeded admirably.

Define "appropriate magic" for Extract Memories. Also, it should use the Disguise skill to pretend to be somebody, not the Bluff skill.

We don't use the PEACH tag anymore. [Monster] would be the correct replacement.

Finally, if you haven't already done so, may I suggest submiting this to the MitP project?

[I_Got_This_Name]

The main problem I can see with this thing is that the Wrathguard should get a separate monster entry rather than a single line in a description of how this thing advances.

[Peregrine]

*shudder* Winged One said it best: "Pure freaking EVIL."

Change Shape is a Special Quality, I believe, not a Special Attack. Actually I think a few of its Attacks might be Qualities. Also, your flavour text should say Change Shape, not Alternate Form.

Lastly, I love that something so flavourful is quite low-level. It just screams 'adventure hook', and the CR 2 screams 'build your next low-start campaign around me'. :)

[Athanatos]

I've followed all of your suggestions. Thanks for the criticism and support all across the board! You can expect the new version (with a Wrathguard as a special bonus!) up soon, after I'm done ironing out the criticism I received at the other forum I posted this at.

... aaaand posted. Some new treats:

1) Wrathlings are now equipped with at will Command Thoughts, to better appreciate the unfolding hate they cause.
2) Wrathguards, instead of being mere "Wrathlings +1", now have an additional combat ability called Command Wrath. This probably needs some ironing out.

[Fizban]

Despicable. I just had an image of a Warlock picking one of these up by the head, and channeling an eldritch blast right through. That is how much I despise this creature. Much like the jester thing in Heroes of Horror. You can be assured that any character I play will hunt them down and destroy them.
Well made, you have introduced yet another darkness that must be erradicated. Not because it is merely evil, but because it is a blight on the world that is an affront to all that is good.

[Athanatos]

Despicable. I just had an image of a Warlock picking one of these up by the head, and channeling an eldritch blast right through. That is how much I despise this creature.

Sounds like SOMEBODY failed their Will Save. ;)

[Fredderf]

Wow.
Very nicely done. I think this has to be one of the cooler creatures I have seen in a while. Low CR AND can pretty much make an adventure hook alone. I HAVE to throw one of these in a campaign one of these days...

[Peregrine]

Outstanding. It just gets better (or worse), with the Wrathguard in there now.

Sounds like SOMEBODY failed their Will Save. ;)

Not at all. I mean, the Aura of Hatred doesn't make you turn against these creatures, and it seems a perfectly suitable response to a Wrathling. Though personally I'd prefer making it cower with Fey Defiance and then having a bunch of angry paladins blast the thing out of existence. But that's just me. 8)

Oh, by the way. I don't know if this is a 'rule' that's broken often, but isn't the damage reduction of most fey overcome by cold iron? (The Fey type doesn't specify this but it holds true for all the SRD fey.)

[Fualkner Asiniti]

I absolutly hate this thing. It's horrible and wretched. I love it ;D. One thing about the flavor, however. I would call this thing Chaotic Evil. It just seems to fit better. But that's just my opinion. If you do submit this to Monsters in the Playground, I would vote yes.

[Winged One]

He has submitted it. MitP vote: yes.

[Athanatos]

A lot to catch up on!

Not at all. I mean, the Aura of Hatred doesn't make you turn against these creatures, and it seems a perfectly suitable response to a Wrathling. Though personally I'd prefer making it cower with Fey Defiance and then having a bunch of angry paladins blast the thing out of existence. But that's just me. Cool

Oh, by the way. I don't know if this is a 'rule' that's broken often, but isn't the damage reduction of most fey overcome by cold iron? (The Fey type doesn't specify this but it holds true for all the SRD fey.)

Good point about the Aura. I was mainly just jokin' at him for expressing such hate for this hate-filled fella... kinda one of those "Give into your anger, young padawan!" type deals.

Cold Iron seems logical given their fey nature. Thanks for pointing that one out to me. Hmm... methinks I'll sacrifice the Good part of the DR and replace it with Cold Iron.

I absolutly hate this thing. It's horrible and wretched. I love it Grin. One thing about the flavor, however. I would call this thing Chaotic Evil. It just seems to fit better. But that's just my opinion. If you do submit this to Monsters in the Playground, I would vote yes.

Many thanks! About the alignment... I think NE works better given this thing's propensity for well-laid out, long-term plans. Not saying that CE is a bunch of rabid, slavering idiots, just that their plans tend to be a bit less concrete and more flexible than a Wrathling likes.

Then again, it's only USUALLY Neutral Evil. You can have LE or CE all you want... but if I catch anyone making an angst-filled outcast CG Wrathling, I'm going to kill them. In the face.

He has submitted it. MitP vote: yes.

Thanks for the vote and praise! For that matter, thank you to everyone who's had kind words for this creation. This is my first official homebrew anything ever, so it's good to have a warm welcome to the field.

*Athanatos rolls a Will Save: 7 + 2 = 9 vs. DC 14*

Wait, what am I saying? Screw you guys, I hate you all.

[Fizban]

Give into my anger? pfft
I gave into my anger long ago.
Seriously, if the rage mage PrC didn't suck, I'd take it.

As for the rest of my response... it's because this is the kind of creature that must die. No questioning about it's intentions, no dinking around trying to redeem it. It is a creature of pure evil that must die. I had the same reaction when I read a short adventure in Heroes of Battle.
*spoiler-ish
The adventure centered around a hag and a grey jester (or something like that). The jester had devoured all emotion from a group of children, and the hag would eat them. If the PC's made it to the window undetected, it described the enslaved ones carving up one of their own while it lay silent.
When I read a story, I'm practically there. It really p****d me off.
*un-spoiler-ish
So yeah, you managed to capture that feeling with your intro story. Incidentally you're a pretty good writer.
And now, I want to play a horror campaign so I can kill some of these.

Woot for going that far off topic!

[I_Got_This_Name]

MitP Vote: Yes

[Seffbasilisk]

I thought you could feel a Detect Thoughts being cast upon you.....

Wouldn't know what it was, but would know something was trying to mess with your head..

[MandibleBones]

MitP: YES. YES INDEED.

I feel dirty - I need to go roll up a Paladin now. *shudders*

[Randomman413]

MitP: I love the prospect of evil children! Of course! A resounding yes!

[Athanatos]

Waah! More MitP votes! Thanks to all of you.

One last mechanical issue, though: CRs. I know I have a tendency to under-CR things, and I'm worried that a Wrathling might be CR 3 and a Wrathguard might be CR 6 instead of the CRs I've given them. Thoughts, anyone?

[Lord Iames Osari]

MitP Vote: Yes.

C'mon, Athanatos. Fail your will save vs. my psionic dominate. Or against karmic balance. Either one works for me.

And who else is with me that these things need an organization (possibly a PrC, too) devoted to their eradication?

[Winged One]

How about a base class devoted to getting rid of such horrid things? Let's call it, oh, I don't know, PALADIN!

[fangthane]

You appear to have missed the wrathguard's higher full attack bonus in the copy/paste :)

In any case, I like stuff like this; I've actually developed an Epic spell to modify character alignment over time in an area, so this kind of thing is lovely.

I wonder how players would react to an inn being run by wrathguards...

[Zeal]

MitP vote: Yes

[LordOfNarf]

The Fluff is really well fleshed out, and its long, I'd say well done and genuinely creepy

MitP vote Yes

[Peregrine]

I wonder how players would react to an inn being run by wrathguards...

I can think of a few ideas. ;D

[Were-Sandwich]

This thing is evil. MitP vote: Yes.

[Athanatos]

Huh... an inn run by Wrathguards... don't think of that one. I absolutely love it. :D

Anyway, thanks for helping the Wrathling get approved for MitP in only five days, everyone.

[Cornugon]

Love it, a nice monster that's easy to build a quest around. Good stuff. Not to mention terribly evil.

MitP Vote: Yes

Any chance we can somehow keep the story at the beggining in? The fluff it provides is delightfully despicable.

[Athanatos]

Keep it in what sense? If you're asking whether you can use it, by all means go ahead. All my fluff is OGC.

[Kamakazee_Gnome]

These look like some of the best Smiting practice ever created. :D And I'm putting them in one of my character's backstories, somehow.

Also, I think my school is infested with them :P

To sum it up

[Athanatos]

Well it looks like there's another MitP going.

I'm submitting this guy.