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<blockquote data-quote="ElectricDragon" data-source="post: 7518353" data-attributes="member: 10778"><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>Rituals</strong></span></p><p>Rituals are the second kind of secret disseminated by Nethrancor, of which there are two categories. First are those rituals available to living creatures in exchange for a (deific-ability guaranteed) promise to become undead. These rituals are also available to undead creatures in exchange for a service.</p><p>Any ritual can be researched as if it were a 9th level spell for time and cost (though no caster level is required).</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 12px">I. The Hollow Night Ritual</span></strong></p><p>The holiday has no set date; instead it is caused by a year-long ritual held once per month, on the night of the new moon (choose one moon if multiple moons, or solstices and equinoxes or another astronomical event if no moons). On the thirteenth night of the ritual (13 moons/solar year, or 4 seasons, etc. ~1 year later), the holiday starts at dawn and encompasses an radius of five miles from the sight of the sacrifices.</p><p></p><p>Each session of the ritual takes several hours and requires a sacrifice of some kind.</p><p></p><p>All sacrifices must take place on the same <em>cursed</em> sacrificial altar or <em>cursed</em> sacrificial stakes.</p><p>The year's sacrifices are divided into 4 triads.</p><p></p><p>Each triad is a 3 month period (3 separate sacrifices or one big pyre of 3 at once).</p><p>The first triad of sacrifices must be wild animals slaughtered on the altar/burned at the stake.</p><p></p><p>The second triad of sacrifices must be befriended animals (pets) slaughtered on the altar/burned at the stake.</p><p></p><p>The third triad of sacrifices must each be intelligent creatures slaughtered on the altar/burned at the stake.</p><p></p><p>And the final triad of sacrifices must each be an intelligent creature well-known by the ritual master and must be personally slaughtered by the ritual master/burned at the stake by the ritual master.</p><p></p><p>The thirteenth night requires no sacrifice (unless the ritual master wishes to continue the holiday another year, then the sacrifices must start over with at least a wild animal).</p><p></p><p>It is always permissible to use a later sacrificial requirement for an earlier one (e.g. using pets for the first six months).</p><p></p><p>A strange quirk of this ritual requires that none of the blood of any of the sacrifices be drank.</p><p></p><p><strong>Prerequisites:</strong> Hollow night ritual; 12 prescribed sacrifices, each on the new moon each month for a year (or 3 on each of the nights of the solstices and equinoxes); a <em>cursed</em> sacrificial altar dedicated to Nethrancor or 3 <em>cursed</em> sacrificial stakes dedicated to Nethrancor. Costs: 100 gp of incense for each sacrifice, vestments worth 1,000 gp (can be reused), the 12 sacrifices, an iron unholy symbol of Nethrancor and 50 xp/sacrifice.</p><p></p><p><strong>Effects:</strong> For one day (plus one day for each previous year’s successful sacrifices) undead within 5 miles of the sacrifices become immune to the effects of normal daylight.</p><p></p><p><strong>Campaign Note:</strong> Each successive year the sacrifices continue; the “holiday” grows one day longer. “Holidays” that encompass a whole year change the surrounding terrain into an Infernal Cesspool but still have their normal effects as long as the sacrifices continue. A "holiday" that continues for 5,000 years opens a permanent gate to Nethrancor’s realm at the center of the Infernal Cesspool. Note that though the altar and area cannot change, the same ritual master is not required for all rituals.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 15px"><strong>Infernal Cesspool (Terrain Feature)</strong></span></p><p>Infernal Cesspools are another type of terrain feature of any terrain type; but Infernal Cesspools are usually found only in marshes and plains. Two famous examples of non-(plain or marsh) terrain: Farrag’s Heart and The Eye, both mountainous terrain.</p><p></p><p>Sages have long speculated about both how and why Infernal Cesspools arise. One theory goes that these areas are surrounded by so much death that the terrain itself absorbs it and then later emits this negative energy back into the environment. Another says that the evil perpetuated in the area bleeds over into the environment making the land itself evil. Still another would have one believe that a gate, only partially open, exists somewhere nearby and everything that lives in the area picks up some of this negative energy.</p><p></p><p>Whatever the case, Infernal Cesspools exist in various parts of the world. Most are situated in the middle of a swamp or bog, but a few have been found in the center of an ancient battlefield or among the gravestones of a long forgotten burial ground. One has even been reported in the mountainous terrain of Farrag’s Heart Chamber and there are rumors of one in the swamp surrounding.the crag called The Eye.</p><p></p><p>Dark creatures dwell near Infernal Cesspools, usually in the middle of trackless swamps and bogs. They are more fearsome in appearance than their normal counterparts, having darker colors and a nastier attitude. The close association with the negative energy that flows out of the infernal cesspool has altered them. This alteration takes at least 10 years to fully affect the creature. Someone just passing through the area of an infernal cesspool area will not be noticeably changed, though a creature being born in such an area automatically starts with the dark template.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 12px">Marsh Terrain Features</span></strong></p><p> <strong>— Marsh Category —</strong></p><p> <strong>Moor</strong>/ <strong>Swamp</strong></p><p>Shallow bog: 20%/ 35%</p><p>Deep bog: 5%/ 20%</p><p>Light undergrowth: 30%/ 20%</p><p>Heavy undergrowth: 10%/ 20%</p><p>Infernal Cesspool: 5%/ 5%</p><p><strong>Movement:</strong> Movement through an infernal cesspool is as for shallow bog (1 square costs 2 squares of movement); and it appears as a shallow bog. It provides the same penalties to Move Silently checks as bogs (+2 to DC).</p><p><strong>Short Term Effects:</strong> Undead are unharmed by daylight.</p><p><strong>Long Term Effects:</strong> After a period of 10 years or so, creatures living near an infernal cesspool gain the Dark template.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 12px">Plains Terrain Features</span></strong></p><p> <strong>——— Plains Category ———</strong></p><p> <strong>Farm</strong>/ <strong>Grassland</strong>/ <strong>Battlefield</strong>/ <strong>Cloud Island</strong></p><p>Light undergrowth: 40%/ 20%/ 10%/ 5%</p><p>Heavy undergrowth: —/ 10%/ —/ —</p><p>Light rubble: —/ —/ 10%/ 5%</p><p>Trench: 5%/ —/ 5%/ 5%</p><p>Berm: —/ —/ 5%/ 5%</p><p>Infernal Cesspool: —/ 5%/ 10%/ 5%</p><p><strong>Movement:</strong> Movement through an infernal cesspool is as for shallow bog (1 square costs 2 squares of movement); and it appears as a shallow bog. It provides the same penalties to Move Silently checks as bogs (+2 to DC).</p><p><strong>Short Term Effects:</strong> Undead are unharmed by daylight.</p><p><strong>Long Term Effects:</strong> After a period of 10 years or so, creatures living near an infernal cesspool gain the Dark template.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 12px">Farrag’s Heart Chamber</span></strong></p><p> <strong>Rugged</strong></p><p>Gradual slope: 25%</p><p>Steep slope: 55%</p><p>Cliff: 15%</p><p>Infernal Cesspool: 5%</p><p>Light undergrowth: 10%</p><p>Scree: 20%</p><p>Dense rubble: 20%</p><p>Farrag's Heart Chamber is a special terrain feature of a specific rugged mountain terrain. It has all the properties of an infernal cesspool, even though the chamber is over five miles in diameter. [Infernal cesspool takes the place of chasm (5%) on the Mountain Terrain Features table for this area.] The infernal cesspool is not centered on Farrag’s Heart and is actually two separate infernal cesspools flanking the heart chamber; looks like nothing more than a heavy mist that lies upon the ground up to about 2 feet high, as such, it provides no penalties to Move Silently checks, but it does impose a -4 slipperiness penalty to Climb checks but only to creatures without the Dark template.</p><p><strong>Movement:</strong> Movement through an infernal cesspool is as for shallow bog (1 square costs 2 squares of movement); and most of the time it appears as a soupy mist that clings about your lower extremities.</p><p><strong>Short Term Effects:</strong> Undead are unharmed by daylight. Non-Dark creatures suffer a -4 penalty to Climb checks.</p><p><strong>Long Term Effects:</strong> After a period of 10 years or so, creatures living within 1 mile of the infernal cesspool gain the Dark template. Creatures born within 1 mile of the infernal cesspool immediately gain the Dark template.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 15px">Dark Template</span></strong></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong>CREATING A DARK CREATURE</strong></span></p><p>“Dark” is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin (referred to hereafter as the base creature).</p><p>A dark creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and abilities except as noted here. Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes.</p><p><strong>Size and Type:</strong> Animals or vermin with this template become magical beasts, but otherwise the creature type is unchanged. Size is unchanged. A dark creature gains the (Augmented) and (Evil) subtypes.</p><p><strong>Special Attacks:</strong> A dark creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following special attack.</p><p><em>Negative Energy Touch (Su):</em> The creature's natural attacks do additional negative energy damage. This extra damage is equal to the creature's Hit Dice (that is a 3HD dark creature does +3 hp negative energy damage with each attack). This touch heals undead the same amount, but has no effect on other dark creatures (damage or healing)</p><p><strong>Special Qualities:</strong> A dark creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following. If the base creature already has one or more of these special qualities or special attacks, use the better value. If a dark creature gains damage reduction, its natural weapons are treated as evil weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.</p><p></p><p><strong>Damage Reduction:</strong></p><table style='width: 100%'><tr><td><p style="text-align: center"><strong>Hit Dice</strong></p> </td><td><strong>Resistance to Turning</strong></td><td><strong>Damage Reduction*</strong></td></tr><tr><td><p style="text-align: center">1-3</p> </td><td><p style="text-align: center">+5</p> </td><td><p style="text-align: center">—</p> </td></tr><tr><td><p style="text-align: center">4-7</p> </td><td><p style="text-align: center">+5</p> </td><td><p style="text-align: center">5/good</p> </td></tr><tr><td><p style="text-align: center">8-11</p> </td><td><p style="text-align: center">+10</p> </td><td><p style="text-align: center">5/good</p> </td></tr><tr><td><p style="text-align: center">12 or more</p> </td><td><p style="text-align: center">+10</p> </td><td><p style="text-align: center">10/good</p> </td></tr><tr><td><span style="font-size: 10px">*If the base creature already has damage reduction add "or good" to it and use the better reduction number of the two</span></td><td></td><td></td></tr></table><p><strong>Darkvision 60 ft.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Negative Energy Dependence (Su):</strong> Dark creatures find that they can no longer live outside a 3-mile radius of the infernal cesspool for more than a day. They begin to rot almost immediately upon exiting the area. The dark creature loses hit points at the rate of 5 per hour or portion thereof and cannot heal normally. Once the Infernal Cesspool area is re-entered, lost hit points are regained normally (through rest) and the rotting stops and heals.</p><p><strong>Turn Resistance (Ex):</strong> A dark creature gains strong turn resistance because it is still a living creature. See the table above for details.</p><p><strong>Turn weakness (Su):</strong> Dark creatures are susceptible to the turning/rebuking abilities of certain classes, but they gain strong turn resistance because they are not actually undead.</p><p><strong>Undead Traits (Su):</strong> Though not technically undead, the massive amounts of negative energy that have coursed through their bodies give the dark creature some of the abilities of being an undead, as follows: Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). Immunity to paralysis and death effects. Not subject to ability drain, or energy drain. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell, but not another dark creature's touch) can heal a dark creature. Positive energy damages dark creatures as if they were undead.</p><p></p><p><strong>Abilities:</strong> Same as the base creature, but Intelligence is at least 3.</p><p><strong>Environment:</strong> Any infernal cesspool (see above)</p><p><strong>Challenge Rating:</strong> HD 3 or less, as base creature; HD 4 to 7, as base creature +1; HD 8 or more, as base creature +2.</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Changes to: Always evil. Law/Chaos axis is unchanged.</p><p><strong>Level Adjustment:</strong> Same as the base creature +2.</p><p><strong>Habitat/Ecology:</strong> <em>Dark creatures abound in their base creature counterpart’s normal habitat. Sadly, that habitat is most likely overrun with negative energies to such an extent that most inhabitants have acquired the dark template or are on their way to acquiring it. Sometimes the infernal cesspool at the heart of the dark area also houses some type of gate to a less enlightened plane. Some infernal cesspools are powered by the negative energy given off by evil, shadowed, or negatively aligned artifacts. A few have a history of bloodshed that instead powers the cesspool. Nethrancor provides a ritual to create one, but the length of the required ritual is measured in centuries.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ElectricDragon, post: 7518353, member: 10778"] [SIZE=4][B]Rituals[/B][/SIZE] Rituals are the second kind of secret disseminated by Nethrancor, of which there are two categories. First are those rituals available to living creatures in exchange for a (deific-ability guaranteed) promise to become undead. These rituals are also available to undead creatures in exchange for a service. Any ritual can be researched as if it were a 9th level spell for time and cost (though no caster level is required). [B][SIZE=3]I. The Hollow Night Ritual[/SIZE][/B] The holiday has no set date; instead it is caused by a year-long ritual held once per month, on the night of the new moon (choose one moon if multiple moons, or solstices and equinoxes or another astronomical event if no moons). On the thirteenth night of the ritual (13 moons/solar year, or 4 seasons, etc. ~1 year later), the holiday starts at dawn and encompasses an radius of five miles from the sight of the sacrifices. Each session of the ritual takes several hours and requires a sacrifice of some kind. All sacrifices must take place on the same [I]cursed[/I] sacrificial altar or [I]cursed[/I] sacrificial stakes. The year's sacrifices are divided into 4 triads. Each triad is a 3 month period (3 separate sacrifices or one big pyre of 3 at once). The first triad of sacrifices must be wild animals slaughtered on the altar/burned at the stake. The second triad of sacrifices must be befriended animals (pets) slaughtered on the altar/burned at the stake. The third triad of sacrifices must each be intelligent creatures slaughtered on the altar/burned at the stake. And the final triad of sacrifices must each be an intelligent creature well-known by the ritual master and must be personally slaughtered by the ritual master/burned at the stake by the ritual master. The thirteenth night requires no sacrifice (unless the ritual master wishes to continue the holiday another year, then the sacrifices must start over with at least a wild animal). It is always permissible to use a later sacrificial requirement for an earlier one (e.g. using pets for the first six months). A strange quirk of this ritual requires that none of the blood of any of the sacrifices be drank. [B]Prerequisites:[/B] Hollow night ritual; 12 prescribed sacrifices, each on the new moon each month for a year (or 3 on each of the nights of the solstices and equinoxes); a [I]cursed[/I] sacrificial altar dedicated to Nethrancor or 3 [I]cursed[/I] sacrificial stakes dedicated to Nethrancor. Costs: 100 gp of incense for each sacrifice, vestments worth 1,000 gp (can be reused), the 12 sacrifices, an iron unholy symbol of Nethrancor and 50 xp/sacrifice. [B]Effects:[/B] For one day (plus one day for each previous year’s successful sacrifices) undead within 5 miles of the sacrifices become immune to the effects of normal daylight. [B]Campaign Note:[/B] Each successive year the sacrifices continue; the “holiday” grows one day longer. “Holidays” that encompass a whole year change the surrounding terrain into an Infernal Cesspool but still have their normal effects as long as the sacrifices continue. A "holiday" that continues for 5,000 years opens a permanent gate to Nethrancor’s realm at the center of the Infernal Cesspool. Note that though the altar and area cannot change, the same ritual master is not required for all rituals. [SIZE=4][B]Infernal Cesspool (Terrain Feature)[/B][/SIZE] Infernal Cesspools are another type of terrain feature of any terrain type; but Infernal Cesspools are usually found only in marshes and plains. Two famous examples of non-(plain or marsh) terrain: Farrag’s Heart and The Eye, both mountainous terrain. Sages have long speculated about both how and why Infernal Cesspools arise. One theory goes that these areas are surrounded by so much death that the terrain itself absorbs it and then later emits this negative energy back into the environment. Another says that the evil perpetuated in the area bleeds over into the environment making the land itself evil. Still another would have one believe that a gate, only partially open, exists somewhere nearby and everything that lives in the area picks up some of this negative energy. Whatever the case, Infernal Cesspools exist in various parts of the world. Most are situated in the middle of a swamp or bog, but a few have been found in the center of an ancient battlefield or among the gravestones of a long forgotten burial ground. One has even been reported in the mountainous terrain of Farrag’s Heart Chamber and there are rumors of one in the swamp surrounding.the crag called The Eye. Dark creatures dwell near Infernal Cesspools, usually in the middle of trackless swamps and bogs. They are more fearsome in appearance than their normal counterparts, having darker colors and a nastier attitude. The close association with the negative energy that flows out of the infernal cesspool has altered them. This alteration takes at least 10 years to fully affect the creature. Someone just passing through the area of an infernal cesspool area will not be noticeably changed, though a creature being born in such an area automatically starts with the dark template. [B][SIZE=3]Marsh Terrain Features[/SIZE][/B] [B]— Marsh Category —[/B] [B]Moor[/B]/ [B]Swamp[/B] Shallow bog: 20%/ 35% Deep bog: 5%/ 20% Light undergrowth: 30%/ 20% Heavy undergrowth: 10%/ 20% Infernal Cesspool: 5%/ 5% [B]Movement:[/B] Movement through an infernal cesspool is as for shallow bog (1 square costs 2 squares of movement); and it appears as a shallow bog. It provides the same penalties to Move Silently checks as bogs (+2 to DC). [B]Short Term Effects:[/B] Undead are unharmed by daylight. [B]Long Term Effects:[/B] After a period of 10 years or so, creatures living near an infernal cesspool gain the Dark template. [B][SIZE=3]Plains Terrain Features[/SIZE][/B] [B]——— Plains Category ———[/B] [B]Farm[/B]/ [B]Grassland[/B]/ [B]Battlefield[/B]/ [B]Cloud Island[/B] Light undergrowth: 40%/ 20%/ 10%/ 5% Heavy undergrowth: —/ 10%/ —/ — Light rubble: —/ —/ 10%/ 5% Trench: 5%/ —/ 5%/ 5% Berm: —/ —/ 5%/ 5% Infernal Cesspool: —/ 5%/ 10%/ 5% [B]Movement:[/B] Movement through an infernal cesspool is as for shallow bog (1 square costs 2 squares of movement); and it appears as a shallow bog. It provides the same penalties to Move Silently checks as bogs (+2 to DC). [B]Short Term Effects:[/B] Undead are unharmed by daylight. [B]Long Term Effects:[/B] After a period of 10 years or so, creatures living near an infernal cesspool gain the Dark template. [B][SIZE=3]Farrag’s Heart Chamber[/SIZE][/B] [B]Rugged[/B] Gradual slope: 25% Steep slope: 55% Cliff: 15% Infernal Cesspool: 5% Light undergrowth: 10% Scree: 20% Dense rubble: 20% Farrag's Heart Chamber is a special terrain feature of a specific rugged mountain terrain. It has all the properties of an infernal cesspool, even though the chamber is over five miles in diameter. [Infernal cesspool takes the place of chasm (5%) on the Mountain Terrain Features table for this area.] The infernal cesspool is not centered on Farrag’s Heart and is actually two separate infernal cesspools flanking the heart chamber; looks like nothing more than a heavy mist that lies upon the ground up to about 2 feet high, as such, it provides no penalties to Move Silently checks, but it does impose a -4 slipperiness penalty to Climb checks but only to creatures without the Dark template. [B]Movement:[/B] Movement through an infernal cesspool is as for shallow bog (1 square costs 2 squares of movement); and most of the time it appears as a soupy mist that clings about your lower extremities. [B]Short Term Effects:[/B] Undead are unharmed by daylight. Non-Dark creatures suffer a -4 penalty to Climb checks. [B]Long Term Effects:[/B] After a period of 10 years or so, creatures living within 1 mile of the infernal cesspool gain the Dark template. Creatures born within 1 mile of the infernal cesspool immediately gain the Dark template. [B][SIZE=4]Dark Template[/SIZE][/B] [SIZE=2][B]CREATING A DARK CREATURE[/B][/SIZE] “Dark” is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A dark creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and abilities except as noted here. Do not recalculate the creature’s Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes. [B]Size and Type:[/B] Animals or vermin with this template become magical beasts, but otherwise the creature type is unchanged. Size is unchanged. A dark creature gains the (Augmented) and (Evil) subtypes. [B]Special Attacks:[/B] A dark creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following special attack. [I]Negative Energy Touch (Su):[/I] The creature's natural attacks do additional negative energy damage. This extra damage is equal to the creature's Hit Dice (that is a 3HD dark creature does +3 hp negative energy damage with each attack). This touch heals undead the same amount, but has no effect on other dark creatures (damage or healing) [B]Special Qualities:[/B] A dark creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following. If the base creature already has one or more of these special qualities or special attacks, use the better value. If a dark creature gains damage reduction, its natural weapons are treated as evil weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. [B]Damage Reduction:[/B] [TABLE] [TR] [TD][CENTER][B]Hit Dice[/B][/CENTER][/TD] [TD][B]Resistance to Turning[/B][/TD] [TD][B]Damage Reduction*[/B][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][CENTER]1-3[/CENTER][/TD] [TD][CENTER]+5[/CENTER][/TD] [TD][CENTER]—[/CENTER][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][CENTER]4-7[/CENTER][/TD] [TD][CENTER]+5[/CENTER][/TD] [TD][CENTER]5/good[/CENTER][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][CENTER]8-11[/CENTER][/TD] [TD][CENTER]+10[/CENTER][/TD] [TD][CENTER]5/good[/CENTER][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][CENTER]12 or more[/CENTER][/TD] [TD][CENTER]+10[/CENTER][/TD] [TD][CENTER]10/good[/CENTER][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][SIZE=2]*If the base creature already has damage reduction add "or good" to it and use the better reduction number of the two[/SIZE][/TD] [TD][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] [B]Darkvision 60 ft. Negative Energy Dependence (Su):[/B] Dark creatures find that they can no longer live outside a 3-mile radius of the infernal cesspool for more than a day. They begin to rot almost immediately upon exiting the area. The dark creature loses hit points at the rate of 5 per hour or portion thereof and cannot heal normally. Once the Infernal Cesspool area is re-entered, lost hit points are regained normally (through rest) and the rotting stops and heals. [B]Turn Resistance (Ex):[/B] A dark creature gains strong turn resistance because it is still a living creature. See the table above for details. [B]Turn weakness (Su):[/B] Dark creatures are susceptible to the turning/rebuking abilities of certain classes, but they gain strong turn resistance because they are not actually undead. [B]Undead Traits (Su):[/B] Though not technically undead, the massive amounts of negative energy that have coursed through their bodies give the dark creature some of the abilities of being an undead, as follows: Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects). Immunity to paralysis and death effects. Not subject to ability drain, or energy drain. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell, but not another dark creature's touch) can heal a dark creature. Positive energy damages dark creatures as if they were undead. [B]Abilities:[/B] Same as the base creature, but Intelligence is at least 3. [B]Environment:[/B] Any infernal cesspool (see above) [B]Challenge Rating:[/B] HD 3 or less, as base creature; HD 4 to 7, as base creature +1; HD 8 or more, as base creature +2. [B]Alignment:[/B] Changes to: Always evil. Law/Chaos axis is unchanged. [B]Level Adjustment:[/B] Same as the base creature +2. [B]Habitat/Ecology:[/B] [I]Dark creatures abound in their base creature counterpart’s normal habitat. Sadly, that habitat is most likely overrun with negative energies to such an extent that most inhabitants have acquired the dark template or are on their way to acquiring it. Sometimes the infernal cesspool at the heart of the dark area also houses some type of gate to a less enlightened plane. Some infernal cesspools are powered by the negative energy given off by evil, shadowed, or negatively aligned artifacts. A few have a history of bloodshed that instead powers the cesspool. Nethrancor provides a ritual to create one, but the length of the required ritual is measured in centuries.[/I] [/QUOTE]
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