Yellow Knight (undead githyanki template)

What do you folks think of this one, I'm trying to tune it for a game this week...

Monster Name YELLOW KNIGHT (template)
Yellow Knight is a template that can be added to githyanki only. A yellow knight is almost always seeking those who stole its silver sword.
Size & Type Type changes to undead
Hit Dice: Change to d12; the creature loses any Con bonus it may have previously had.
Initiative: Same as base creature
Speed: Same as base creature
AC: The Yellow Knight gains a +6 natural armor bonus. If it already somehow has a better natural armor bonus, that bonus improves by +2. There is a very good chance that it is now missing its armor, having been looted.
Attacks: A yellow knight gains two melee slam attacks at its full base attack bonus (as per the base creature).
Damage: The yellow knight’s slam attack deals a base 2d4 damage.
Face/Reach: Same as base creature
Special Attacks: Same as base creature, plus weakening gaze, taint, paralyzation
Special Qualities: Same as base creature, plus undead qualities, cold and electricity immunity, DR10/+2, fast healing 3, sword sense
Saves: Same as base creature
Abilities: Add +6 Str, +6 Wis, +6 Cha. As an undead creature, the yellow knight has no constitution score.
Skills: Same as base creature, plus the yellow knight gains a +40 racial bonus to tracking checks made on the astral plane.
Feats: Same as base creature, plus final strike, improved critical (slam), power critical (slam), track, weapon focus (slam), weapon specialization (slam).
Climate/Terrain: Same as base creature
Organization: Usually solitary, but sometimes travels with other githyanki
Challenge Rating: As base creature +2
Treasure: Likely none
Alignment: Same ethics as base creature but always evil
Advancement Range: Same as base creature
Description: A yellow knight is an undead githyanki whose spirit manages to linger, usually because its silver sword has been stolen. A yellow knight looks much like a githyanki, but even more emaciated, gaunt and drawn. It bears the marks of whatever wounds killed it before and its eyes give off yellow smoke. On the astral plane a yellow knight taints the ectoplasmic vapors around it, staining the very plane yellow around it.
Combat: A yellow knight’s equipment has usually been looted, but its formidable slam more than makes up for it. When it encounters the one who stole its sword, a yellow knight will always immediately attack with single-minded ferocity. It attempts to move into melee, using its githyanki psionics liberally to do so.

Weakening Gaze (Su): range 50’; Will save, DC10+1/2 the yellow knight’s HD + the yellow knight’s Cha bonus. A failed save deals 1d6 Str damage (this can only occur once/round, but still check twice per round as normal with a gaze attack).

Taint (Su): The yellow knight’s taint is visible on the astral plane, but even on other planes it is there. Any creature within 5’ of the yellow knight will be affected by it if they fail a Fort save (DC10+1/2 yellow knight’s HD + cha bonus). The taint causes victims a physical and mental fatigue, dealing 2d8 points of subdual damage as well as 1d6 points each of temporary Wisdom and Intelligence damage. Regardless of whether the victim succeeds at this save, the taint power will not affect it again for a day.

Paralyzation (Su): The yellow knight’s slam requires a Fort save, DC10+1/2 the yellow knight’s HD, to avoid paralyzation for 1d6+2 rounds.

Sword Sense (Su): The yellow knight can sense its sword’s current possessor’s name and has a mental image of its face.

Here's an example Yellow Knight made with a blackguard:

GITHRASHI’MON, Githyanki 8th-level psychic warrior/2nd-level blackguard Yellow Knight; CR13; medium undead (evil); HD10d12, hp72, Init +3, Spd 30’, AC17 (-1 dex, +6 natural), ATK +15 Melee (2 slams 2d4+7 plus Fort save DC15 or paralyzed 1d6+2 rounds); SA Weakening gaze (50’ range, Will save DC21 or take 1d6 Str damage; check twice per round as normal but can only deal damage to each creature once/round), taint (all within 5’ must make Fort save, DC21, or suffer 2d8 subdual damage plus 1d6 each int and wis damage), paralyzation, psionics, smite good 1/day (+6 To hit, +2 damage); SQ PR15/SR5, Detect Good, dark blessing, sword sense; SV Fort +15, Ref +4, Will +9; Str24, Dex8, Con-, Int10, Wis18, Cha23;
Skills & Feats: Concentration +11, Diplomacy +10, Search +10, Spot+14, Use Psionic Device +7, Wilderness Lore; Deep Impact, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (githyanki silver sword), Final Strike, Great Sunder, Improved Critical (slam), Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Power Critical (slam), Psionic Weapon, Sunder, Track, Weapon Focus (githyanki silver sword, slam), Weapon Specialization (githyanki silver sword, slam).
Gear: None
Psionics: At will: clairaudience/clairvoyance, dimension slide, telekinesis; plane shift 1/day; mind thrust, empty mind.
Power Points 21; Powers Known: (0-level): Distract (cha), Far Punch (con), Valor (str); (1st level): Biofeedback (str), Combat Precognition (wis), Vigor (str); (2nd level): Animal Affinity (str), Combat Prescience (wis), Darkvision (wis); (3rd level): Displacement (str).
Psionic Combat Modes: Id Inisinuation (3 pps, Str based), Mental Barrier (3 pps), Mind Blast (9 pps, Cha; +4 to DC for nonpsionic defenders), Thought Shield (1 pp).
Spells: Inflict Light Wounds (1d8+1).

Any feedback here??? I'm planning on using this template and example creature in a few hours here, anyone think it's too tough for CR+2? Too many special abilities?? Anything????

Sorry if this is too late, but here goes. According to the latest Psi-HB errata, undead cannot use Psi-metabolism powers, since they do not have any metabolism to manipulate, so on the example creature you might want to get rid of Animal Affinity, Bio-feedback, Displacecent Valor, and Vigor if you want to follow the errata. Note that undead creatures can use Psychokinesis abilities, but they use their Cha ability instead of the Con. As for the Paralyzation attack, I believe you add the undead's CHarisma modifier as well to it, seeing as the lich's paralyzation touch does that as well. Iam not really the best judge of template CR, but doing a quick comparison to the lich and vampire templates, it is hard to tell whether this template is more powerful. On one hand, it has abilities coming from both the lich and the vampire: fast healing, paralyzation, and cold and electicity immunity, but these are considerably weaker than their counterparts in the lich and the vampire The natural armor bonus is on per with the vampires, and 1 better than the lich's. Its unique abilties (weakening gaze and taint) are quite powerful, but I don't quite know if they are better than the vamp's blood drain, children of the night, domination, gaseous form, and spider climb abilities. The Damage Reduction of a yellow knight (10/+2) is superior to both the lich's and the vampire's DR (both at 15/+1). The githyanki yellow knight does not have any weaknesses comparable to that of the lich or vampire. The feats and ability bonuses don't appear to be too unbalancing for a CR +2 creature. The skill bonus is worse CR wise than that of the Lich and Vampire. Overall, you might want to change the template to a CR +3 or keep it at CR +2. It's seems to be a bit on the strong side for a CR +2 creature.

At last! Feedback!

Psychotic Jim said:

Sorry if this is too late, but here goes. According to the latest Psi-HB errata, undead cannot use Psi-metabolism powers, since they do not have any metabolism to manipulate, so on the example creature you might want to get rid of Animal Affinity, Bio-feedback, Displacecent Valor, and Vigor if you want to follow the errata. Note that undead creatures can use Psychokinesis abilities, but they use their Cha ability instead of the Con. As for the Paralyzation attack, I believe you add the undead's CHarisma modifier as well to it, seeing as the lich's paralyzation touch does that as well. Iam not really the best judge of template CR, but doing a quick comparison to the lich and vampire templates, it is hard to tell whether this template is more powerful. On one hand, it has abilities coming from both the lich and the vampire: fast healing, paralyzation, and cold and electicity immunity, but these are considerably weaker than their counterparts in the lich and the vampire The natural armor bonus is on per with the vampires, and 1 better than the lich's. Its unique abilties (weakening gaze and taint) are quite powerful, but I don't quite know if they are better than the vamp's blood drain, children of the night, domination, gaseous form, and spider climb abilities. The Damage Reduction of a yellow knight (10/+2) is superior to both the lich's and the vampire's DR (both at 15/+1). The githyanki yellow knight does not have any weaknesses comparable to that of the lich or vampire. The feats and ability bonuses don't appear to be too unbalancing for a CR +2 creature. The skill bonus is worse CR wise than that of the Lich and Vampire. Overall, you might want to change the template to a CR +3 or keep it at CR +2. It's seems to be a bit on the strong side for a CR +2 creature.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately the psychometabolic powers were used when Gith'rashimon here was alive so I can't really just switch em out... so he can't even use them??? Suck!

Thank you for the detailed analysis. I'm not sure whether it merits a +3 either. Probably not in this particular case, as he loses many of his psionic powers. Of course, I guess I could always insert a clause that says yellow knights get to use psychometabolic powers using their cha bonus, but I like the rationale behind them being off-limits to undead.

Must decide fast... only got about four hours til game time...