New Monster: Mummy, Elf, Death-Challenged

MUMMY, ELF, DEATH CHALLENGED

Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 9d12+3 (61 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares)
Armor Class: 21 (+1 Dex, +10 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+10
Attack: Slam +10 melee (1d6+9) or positive touch +11 melee
Full Attack: Slam +10 melee (1d6+9) or positive touch +11 melee
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Despair, positive touch
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/–, darkvision 60 ft., elfsight, undead traits, death challenged, starlight healing, vulnerability to fire, woodland stride, wild empathy
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +8
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 12, Con —, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 15
Skills: Hide +7, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spot +11, Survival +7, Heal +6
Feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Self-Sufficient, Toughness
Environment: Forest
Organization: Solitary, warden squad (2–4), or guardian detail (6–10)
Challenge Rating: 5
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic good
Advancement: 10–16 HD (Medium); 17–24 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: —

An elf who has lived so long and performed so many good deeds that she expires from terminal niceness may be honored by her community through an elaborate ceremony, becoming a death-challenged elf mummy.
Most death-challenged mummies are about 5 feet tall and weigh about 90 pounds.
Death-challenged mummies can speak Common and Elven and often converse with visitors.

COMBAT
Despair (Su): At the mere sight of a death-challenged mummy, any evil-aligned viewer must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or be paralyzed with fear for 1d4 rounds. Whether or not the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by the same death-challenged mummy’s despair ability for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Death Challenged (Su): A cleric channeling negative energy cannot rebuke or command a death-challenged mummy. A death-challenged mummy does not heal damage through negative energy, such as inflict spells or those that specifically affect typical undead. A cleric who can turn undead by channeling positive energy can rebuke or command a death-challenged mummy by using a turn attempt, but cannot turn or destroy the mummy. A death-challenged mummy heals half the amount of hit point damage that would be restored by a cure spell to a living being, or half the amount of damage that a spell using positive energy would deal to a typical undead.
Positive Touch (Su): A death-challenged mummy's touch adds 1d10 temporary hit points to a living creature or damages undead creatures for the same amount. Temporary hit points granted by multiple positive touches stack. A creature that gains temporary hit points from the mummy's positive touch greater than its maximum permanent hit points explodes.
Elfsight (Su): A death-challenged mummy has exceptional visual acuity. She gains a +4 racial bonus on Search and Spot checks. In addition, a death-challenged mummy has low-light vision of increased range, allowing her to see three times as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination.
Starlight Healing (Su): A death-challenged mummy regains 9 hit points per hour when exposed to moonlight or starlight.
Sun Bask (Su): When exposed to direct sunlight, a death-challenged mummy must make a Will save (DC 15) each round or be dazed with rapturous bliss, unable to take actions.
Woodland Stride (Ex): A death-challenged mummy may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at her normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment.
Wild Empathy (Ex): A death-challenged mummy can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. The death-challenged mummy rolls 1d20+9 and adds her Charisma bonus to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.
To use wild empathy, the death-challenged mummy and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal visibility conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute, but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
The death-challenged mummy can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a –4 penalty on the check.


See the Skirmisher Publishing forum for discussion and updates.

New Defect: Ugly On the Outside

Defect: Ugly On the Outside [General]
A character with this Defect exhibits the inner taint of his soul in his features and demeanor in a way that makes him look morally foul and corrupt and cannot be effectively hidden.

Prerequisite: Evil alignment

Detriment: A character who is ugly on the outside suffers a penalty on all Charisma-based skill and ability checks based on how strong his aura of evil is (Detect Evil, PHB). This penalty is -1 for those with an evil aura that is Faint, -2 for one that is Moderate, -3 for one that is Strong, and -4 for one that is Overwhelming.

New Defect: Epileptic

Defect: Epileptic [General]
A character with this Defect is subject to having seizures that cause him to black out and leave him helpless.

Detriment: Whenever an Epileptic character is exposed to a potential trigger for his condition, he must make a DC 10 Fortitude saving throw. Such triggers can include flashing lights; significant stress, including onset of melee; becoming fatigued, exhausted, sickened, or nauseated; being suddenly awakened; and consuming alcohol or drugs. Failing this save, the character will fall prone and thrash about on the ground under the seizure passes; duration is a base 1d10 rounds, after which the character is entitled to a DC 15 Fortitude save each round. Once the Epileptic character passes this saving throw, the seizure is over, but the character will be spent and disoriented, suffering a -2 penalty to all his ability scores for a hour.

New Monster: Lawyer, Dire, Intellectual Property

(New outsiders are hard)


ADVOCATUS (DIRE LAWYER)
Advocati are outsiders from an unknown distant plane of law unconstrained by principle or reason. Their body shapes resemble distorted and caricature-like human forms, except for their heads, which display a horrid combination of the features of a vulture and some primitive form of insect, possibly a roach or beetle. They wear ornate robes, maintaining their spotless and dust-free finish and rich, deep blackness by secret treatments rumored to require the blood of their victims.
Advocati greedily devour coin and other objects of value, though the expense of their diet is dwarfed by their other forms of spending and exaction.
Advocati speak Celestial, Infernal, and Draconic, but can speak with almost any creature because of their tongues ability.

COMBAT
Advocati generally prefer to render their foes helpless using a range of special attacks, but can brawl viciously if engaged in personal combat.
Advocatus Traits: An advocatus possesses the following traits (unless otherwise noted in a creature’s entry).
—Darkvision out to 120 feet.
—Immune to cold and sonic attacks and to poison.
—Aura of Law (Su): An advocatus responds to detect chaos, detect evil, detect good or detect law spells as if it was a lawful neutral cleric of a level equal to its Hit Dice, regardless of its actual alignment.
—Magic Circle against Chaos (Su): A magic circle against chaos effect always surrounds an advocatus (caster level equals the advocatus’s Hit Dice). (The defensive benefits from the circle are not included in an advocatus’ statistics block.)
—Teleport (Su): Advocati can use greater teleport at will, as the spell, except that the creature can transport only itself and up to 50 pounds of objects.
—Tongues (Su): All Advocati can speak with any creature that has a language, as though using a tongues spell. This ability is always active.
—Insightful Gaze (Su): Advocati continually detect chaos and law and discern lies within 60 feet, as the spells. An Advocatus is not stunned if it detects an overwhelming aura of chaos, evil, good or law.
—Change Shape (Su): An Advocatus can take the form of any Small or Medium humanoid or Large giant.
—Writ (Sp): An Advocatus with 10 or more hit dice can use either dictum or word of chaos, at its option and regardless of the being's alignment, once per day for each 6 hit dice. The Charisma-based saving throw is listed below for particular types of Advocati. An Advocatus that can use this ability is unaffected by dictum or word of chaos.
—Deposition (Sp): Five times per day, an Advocatus can compel a creature to remain in its presence to answer questions that the Advocatus puts to it. The creature must succeed in a Will save (Charisma based) to move more than 30 feet from the Advocatus or to use any form of dimensional travel (as dimensional anchor). The Advocatus may ask one question per round to which the target must respond at the end of its turn if within the area of effect, truthfully and with relevance to the sense of the question. However, being an ability of infernal origin, a deposition does not prevent the target from giving incomplete or misleading information. This is equivalent to a 3rd level spell effect.
—Chilling Effect (Sp): Twice per day, an Advocatus of 15 or more hit dice can release a wave of bitter cold as a 30-foot spread, originating from its current location but immobile after casting, that causes non-magical, unattended liquids to freeze solid (to a depth of 10 feet if the liquid is deeper) and deals 2d6 cold damage per round for a duration of 10 minutes per caster level. The caster level of this ability is listed for each type of Advocatus. It may be treated as a 3rd level spell effect. An Advocatus may give up a daily use of chilling effect to create a wall of ice instead, as the spell.
—Soul Bind (Sp): An Advocatus of 20 or more hit dice can cast soul bind once per day. If the Advocatus does not possess the required material component, it is instantaneously created as part of the casting, causing damage of 1hp per hit die of the victim to the Advocatus.
—Resilient (Ex): An Advocatus that is reduced to between -1 and -9 hit points does not become unconscious and can continue to act, though it remains disabled and loses 1 hit point if it performs a standard action.
—An Advocatus gains Great Fortitude as a racial bonus feat.


LAWYER, DIRE, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (Advocatus demiurgus)
Medium Outsider (Advocatus, Extraplanar, Cold, Lawful)
Hit Dice: 16d8+80 (152 hp)
Initiative: +8
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 29 (+4 Dex, +15 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 25
Base Attack/Grapple: +16/+22
Attack: +5 keen shortsword +25 melee (1d6+6/18–20)
Full Attack: +5 keen shortsword +25/+20/+15/+10 melee (1d6+6/18–20)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spell-like abilities, cease and desist
Special Qualities: Aura of law, damage reduction 10/chaotic, darkvision 120 ft., immunity to cold, sonic and poison, magic circle against chaos, spell resistance 31, teleport, tongues, insightful gaze, change shape, resilient
Saves: Fort +17, Ref +14, Will +14
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 19, Con 20, Int 22, Wis 18, Cha 19
Skills: Appraise +25, Bluff +23, Concentration +24, Diplomacy +23, Forgery +25, Gather Information +25, Knowledge (arcana) +25, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +25, Knowledge (local) +25, Knowledge (nature) +25, Knowledge (religion) +25, Knowledge (the planes) +25, Sense Motive +23, Spellcraft +28
Feats: Great FortitudeB, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse, Improved Grapple, Improved Sunder, Combat Reflexes, Skill Focus (Spellcraft)
Environment: A lawful-aligned plane
Organization: Solitary, pair, or team (3–5)
Challenge Rating: 16
Treasure: Double coins and goods; standard items
Alignment: Always either lawful evil or chaotic good
Advancement: 17–20 HD (Medium); 21–40 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: +6
Dire Intellectual Property Lawyers intervene either to sequester and destroy, or to protect and support, mortal creations that offend against the convoluted and nigh-incomprehensible strictures of their home plane. Despite their diametrically opposed alignment, both sorts look identical.

COMBAT
A Dire Intellectual Property Lawyer usually disdains physical combat, preferring to obliterate foes with spells quickly and return to its duties. If forced into an extended battle, it issues a Writ and attacks with visible annoyance.
An Advocatus’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Advocatus Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): Writ 2/day DC 29, Deposition DC 25, caster level 16th.
Fly (Sp): Twice per day, a Dire Intellectual Property Lawyer can fly as the spell but at a speed of 30 feet.
Restrict Spells (Sp): Three times per day, as an immediate action, a Dire Intellectual Property Lawyer can forbid an arcane spellcaster from casting any spell that has a proper name in its title, as if the Advocatus had cast greater dispel magic as a counterspell but with a +4 bonus to its caster level check (making its caster level check d20+20). The Advocatus must first succeed in a Spellcraft check to identify the spell.
Cease and Desist (Su): Three times per day, a Dire Intellectual Property Lawyer can render helpless and transport to its own plane any creature that does not appear in the System Reference Document Copyright 2000-2003, Wizards of the Coast, Inc. or any creature that has levels in a class that does not appear in the System Reference Document.
The Advocatus must grapple the target and invoke the cease and desist ability in place of its damage on a successful grapple check. The target is entitled to a Will save (DC 22, Charisma-based). The Advocatus gains a +4 insight bonus to the DC of this save against a creature which is described in a product published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc. (but not against a creature that has a class published in a Wizards of the Coast, Inc. product).
If the target fails its save, it is paralysed, rendered unable to take actions (including mental actions) and becomes incorporeal. One round later, the target is carried off to the Advocatus' home plane as if by a greater teleport spell. The Advocatus can choose to depart with the target or remain in the material plane.


Other Dire Lawyers:
Lawyer, Dire, Family (Advocatus matrimonius), 14HD
Lawyer, Dire, Personal Injury (Advocatus Orcus), 19HD
Lawyer, Dire, Small-Town (Advocatus municipalis), 12HD
Lawyer, Dire, Paralegal (Advocatus minor), 6HD

New Defect: Has "Fans"

Defect: Has “Fans”

This character is under the impression that he has fans, people who admire him for whatever reason. They are in fact, however, just ass holes who make fun of the character behind his back while acting supportive in the presence of the character.
Detriment: A character who Has “Fans” collects a number of jerks equal to his hit dice, who do nothing other than shamelessly make fun of him when the character is not around. A full 1d6 hours after entering an area, the nuisance hangers on have spread enough rumors and have done enough sullying of reputations to bestow a -1 penalty to Charisma based skill checks when dealing with an area’s NPCs for every jerk the character has following him (e.g. an 8 hit dice character would have 8 “fans”, so after 1d6 hours he would receive a -8 penalty to Charisma based skill checks). A character’s “fans” could be completely made up of party members and cohorts (if enough are available and the players are willing to fulfill this role), or it could be NPCs who attach themselves to the character 1d4 hours after he arrives in the area and then are left behind once he leaves. More commonly it will be a combination of the two, with “fans” who follow the character immediately starting on their mockery, and other “fans” coming in later and starting afterwards.
Special: A character with this defect never actually knows that his “fans” are being two faced; they should all act nicely to him in his presence. Characters who also have the Defect: Suicidal Tendencies, and somehow manage to find out about their “fans” attempt to commit suicide with a -4 circumstantial penalty to their will saves and a -2 circumstantial penalty to their fortitude saves.

New Feat: Throw the Little Man

Feat: Throw The Little Man [General]
This character is capable of throwing creatures that are smaller than him to great effect, an ability which has been used either to hurt the small creature, or get it to a location it could not otherwise reach. This feat was used most notably to the latter effect in the Lord of the Rings when Aragorn threw Gimli at the battle of Waterdeep.
Prerequisites: At least 14 Strength.
Benefit: After making a successful grapple, this character may throw a creature that is at most one category smaller than the throwing character. The only exception to this rule is in the case of a “larger” Medium creature throwing a Dwarf (e.g. a human throwing a Dwarf). The number of feet that the smaller character can be thrown is found by the following formula: The throwing character’s Strength mod times the number of size categories that the thrown creature is smaller than the throwing character (dwarves are treated as being 1 size smaller than medium creatures for the purposes of this forumula) times 10. For example, a size medium character with 14 Strength may use this feat to throw a size small character 20 ft. (2 x 1 x 10). That same character could throw a size tiny creature 40 ft. (2 x 2 x 10). If he so chose, the throwing character may throw the smaller character as though it were a thrown weapon, up to the distance dictated by the previous formula. If doing so, the character is treated as being proficient in the exotic weapon: thrown person, a weapon which has a 5 ft. range increment and deals damage equal to an unarmed attack dealt by a creature of that size augmented by the thrower’s Strength modifier instead of the thrown person’s.
Special: It should be assumed that the thrown character travels in an arc pattern. For simplicity’s sake, that creature reaches a maximum height of ½ the total distance traveled if thrown horizontally. If thrown vertically, that creature reaches a maximum height up to the distance the throwing character would normally be able to throw and travels a horizontal distance of 5 feet. Thrown characters should take falling damage as is appropriate for the heights they reach (e.g. if a character is thrown 20 ft. horizontally he should take falling damage appropriate to a 10 ft. fall, that same character thrown 20 ft. vertically should take falling damage appropriate to a 20 ft. fall.). The Tumble skill may be used to halve this damage.

New Defect: Don't Know Your Own Strength

Defect: Don’t Know Your Own Strength [General]
This character is strong, but doesn’t realize how strong he really is. As a result, he will sometimes hurt other characters or break things without intending to. Examples of fictional characters that have this defect include the Abominable Snow Man in Bugs Bunny cartoons, and Lenny in Of Mice And Men.
Prerequisite: At least 14 Strength.
Detriment: This character does not know how to aptly control his strength. Whenever he attempts to inflict non-lethal damage, he has a 50% chance of inflicting lethal damage instead .This is included for unarmed damage only when it would be inconvenient for the player, that player should not be allowed to use this defect to their benefit (e.g. if he wanted to deal lethal damage with unarmed strikes when he normally could not do so). Additionally, this defect affects several skills in varying ways. If a dexterity based skill check that involves the use of hands (e.g. Disable Device, Use Rope, Open Lock, etc.) is used and results in a failure, it is treated as a critical failure (e.g. on a failed Open Lock check, the character may break his lock pick in the lock, rendering him without his lock pick and preventing any chance of using that skill on the lock again). If this character attempts to make any sort of Craft check, a failure will result in all materials being used in the Craft attempt to be ruined. The character failing a Handle Animal check results in killing the animal if it is two or more size categories smaller than the character, or otherwise causes the animal to become hostile towards the character.
Special: If this character engages in any sort of harmless physical contact with another creature (e.g. hugging, holding hands, a pat on the back, etc.), there is a 30% chance that he will inflict damage upon the creature as per his unarmed strike damage. This damage is always lethal if possible, if he would normally be unable to deal lethal damage with an unarmed strike, it is subject to the 50% chance of dealing lethal damage.