OCS Tome of Terrors
OCS Tome of Terrors
3.5
Bone Dancer: Some say the first bone dancer was created by Gremian, Lord of Revelry, as a means of vengeance against those who disdained the power of the dance. Others say these creatures are created by an ice witch ritual dance used against captives in an annual ceremony. And still others blame the bone dancer’s existence on vicious peak faeries.
Anyone killed by taking Constitution damage from dancing with bone dancers rises again in 3 rounds and shakes off its skin to become a bone dancer and join in the dance.
Dead Rattor: Dead rattors are created by use of a special ritual performed on the three nights of the triple full moon using the feat Create Sacrificial Undead. Knowledge of this ritual and its components is not widespread and requires at least a major quest and/or intensive research to discover its particulars.
CONSTRUCTION
The ceremony for creating a dead rattor takes 8 hours on each of three nights and must take place on the night that all three moons are full and the nights immediately preceding and following the triple full moon. Vestments for the ceremony cost 1,500 fr but can be reused. Each night rare herbs and incenses worth at least 800 fr must be burned in a small campfire. Each prospective sacrifice must be shackled with alchemical silver shackles and bound with an alchemical silver chain. The sacrifices must be wererats and should be killed by the rising of the moon on the middle night. The ears are cut off with an alchemical silver knife then the knife is plunged into the sacrificial victim’s left eye and left there to simmer. Multiple dead rattors can be created; but a wererat must be sacrificed for each one. At the end of the third night’s ceremony, each wererat shrinks into the form of a dead rattor. Dead rattors are under the control of their creator for only 24 hours. After that, the dead rattor becomes free-willed.
Prerequisites: Sacrificial Undead, baleful polymorph; Costs: 2,400 fr of rare herbs and incenses, 1,500 fr for vestments, an alchemical silver knife for each prospective sacrifice, an alchemical silver set of shackles for each prospective sacrifice, an alchemical silver chain for each prospective sacrifice, a wererat sacrifice for each undead to be created, and 5 xp/HD of undead created; Time: 3 days (24 hours).
Digger Ghoul: CONSTRUCTION
The ceremony for creating a digger ghoul takes 8 hours and must take place on the night of the waning gibbous moon, Luminor, during an autumn rainstorm. The rainstorm need not last for the whole ceremony but must last at least an hour. Vestments for the ceremony cost 3,000 fr but can be reused. Rare herbs and incenses worth at least 300 fr must be mixed with grave dirt and burned in a black cauldron. The sacrifice must be a humanoid rogue that must be killed using a scythe with a snaith made of bone. Multiple digger ghouls can be created; but a humanoid rogue must be sacrificed for each one. At the end of the ceremony, the dead rogue’s body changes into the form of a digger ghoul. The claws and teeth thicken and lengthen to 6 inches each. The hair grows at an alarming rate until it reaches the shoulder blades. The hair also thickens and becomes stringy. The eyes sink deep into the skull and glow with an inner yellow light. The digger ghoul is ingrained with a singular purpose: to find and dig up bodies for its master. Once the ceremony is complete, the digger ghoul jumps up and sniffs the ground to smell out dead bodies within range. The digger ghoul will go to the nearest buried dead body and dig it up for its creator. As soon as the digger ghoul unearths a body, it runs off in search of another. It will continue doing this until ordered to stop, it is attacked, it is destroyed, or there are no dead bodies in range.
The digger ghoul can also be given other orders within its abilities. Digger ghouls are expert trackers, excellent diggers, and fast scouts. Only orders that use one of these abilities will be obeyed.
Digger ghouls are always under the control of their creator and do not count as undead controlled for purposes of the animate dead spell.
Prerequisites: Sacrificial Undead, ghoul touch; Costs: 300 fr of rare herbs and incenses, grave dirt, 3,000 fr for vestments, a scythe with a snaith made of bone, a humanoid rogue victim for each undead to be created, and 100 xp/HD of undead created; Time: 1 days (8 hours).
Risen: They were born from the remains of those mortals who fell under the mighty clashing gods of Hakam Nore and Starrl. When the wounded Starrl’s blood spilled unto the bodies, they rose as eternal undead creatures infused with the divine essence of Starrl.
Shadow Spy: They are created in a special ritual done on the eve of the new moon of Zkor. Usually teenagers and children of medium races are made into shadow spies. Halflings, goblins, and gnomes of all ages are also often fodder for this ritual; because medium creatures can be made into more dangerous types of undead. The soon-to-be-shadow-spies are sacrificed in a ceremony that binds their spirits to both shadowstuff and the leader of the ritual. Most of the time, this is a huge ceremony involving the sacrifice of hundreds of youths and small-sized humanoids. The resulting shadow spies are totally faithful to their creator and can speak with him using a series of gestures and shapes. They understand any language their creator can speak.
The next night a second ritual provides the creator the means to understand the shadow spy’s semi-language through a gem infused with the dark of the moon Zkor, made in a separate ceremony. Without the gem information can not be received from the shadow spy (it still retains the ability to understand its creator’s languages).
The ceremony for creating a shadow spy takes 8 hours and must take place on the night of the eve of the new moon of Zkor. Vestments for the ceremony cost 500 fr but can be reused. Rare herbs and incenses worth at least 1,000 fr must be burned in a blackened iron brazier. The sacrifices must be small size creatures and should be killed by midnight. The hearts are cut out of the sacrificial victims and offered to the darkness (thrown out of visual range) creating the shadow spy. Multiple shadow spies can be created; but a small-sized creature must be sacrificed for each one.
The next night, the new moon, requires another ceremony. The brazier is again lit, costing another 1,000 fr worth of rare herbs and incenses, while the creator chants over a black gem (worth 10 fr/HD of undead created the night before). This ceremony takes 8 hours.
Prerequisites: Sacrificial Undead, blacklight; Costs: 2,000 fr of rare herbs and incenses, 500 fr for vestments, a black gem worth 10 fr/HD of undead to be created, and a sacrificial victim of Small size for each undead to be created and 5 xp/HD of undead created;
Time: 2 days (16 hours).
Shadow Warrior: Shadow warriors are undead members of some unknown race on a plane parallel but separate from our own. Because of the amount of bonus “racial” feats, it is theorized that shadow warriors were actually fighter-classed creatures; there is no proof to substantiate this, though. Upon death, through a dark ritual, their essences are sucked into the ethereal and bound to their creator as hunter-killers.
It is supposed by many sages that the shadow warriors are the remnants of some otherworldly empire once or still ruled by Starsmith. Whether this is the case or that they are really demonic spirits trapped in shadowstuff is a debate best left to the experts.
Spirit of the Night: When Gingus Starsmith fell, his followers continued his research and even began construction of the Veil of Shadows. Upon Starsmith’s return in the body of a dead dragon after the Great Conjunction, he finished the arcane construct and began to implement its powers across his newly acquired empire. Sages call this time the Age of Shadows because of all the shadowy creatures that made their first recorded appearances then. Carthan, the Wise, a prominent sage of Bridgeford, insists that the artifact created by Starsmith and his minions was either directly or indirectly to blame for the appearance of all these shadowy creatures.
Spirit of the Slain: Rowers of willow galleys are formerly captured unfortunates who have had their life-forces completely drained to power the ship’s flight through the ethereal.
The willow galley ship’s hold drains one level per day from each creature in the hold (no save) in order to give the ship its ethereal and material speed. Creatures drained to 0 levels are dead with no hope of resurrection (possibly a god could resurrect them; but raise dead, resurrection, true resurrection, wish and miracle automatically fail) and become spirits of the slain.
Rowers on the willow galley are formerly captured unfortunates who have had their life-forces completely drained to power the ship’s flight through the ethereal. The ship’s hold drains one level per day from each creature in the hold (no save) in order to give the ship its ethereal and material speed. Creatures drained to 0 levels are dead with no hope of resurrection (possibly a god could resurrect them; but raise dead, resurrection, true resurrection, wish and miracle automatically fail) and become spirits of the slain.
Power Wraith: Any humanoid slain by a power wraith becomes a power wraith in 1d4 rounds. Its body remains intact and inanimate, but its spirit is torn free from its corpse and transformed.
Power wraiths are created when an utter master fails his Fortitude save when casting an utter master spell resulting in enough damage to reduce his Constitution score to 0. A power wraith can also be created by an elocutionist who has broken his oath failing his Fortitude save when casting any spell resulting in enough damage to reduce his Constitution score to 0. If the dead utter master’s or elocutionist’s body is not blessed by spell or holy water, it rises again 3 days later as a free-willed power wraith.
Sanctum Wraith: Sanctum wraiths are incorporeal creatures born of evil and darkness.
Any humanoid slain by a sanctum wraith becomes a sanctum wraith in 1d4 rounds. Its body remains intact and inanimate, but its spirit is torn free from its corpse and transformed.
CONSTRUCTION
The ceremony for creating a sanctum wraith takes 8 hours on each of three nights and must take place on the nights Durvs 14-16. In ancient times dragons called this period the festival of samhain. Vestments for the ceremony cost 5,000 fr and cannot be reused. Each night rare herbs and incenses worth at least 1,200 fr must be burned in silver sanqphors throughout the sanctum. A line of silver dust worth at least 500 fr per 100 square feet of the sanctum must be traced around the sanctum on the first night, samhain’s eve. This line delineates the boundaries of the protective sacrifice’s aura as well as the limits of the future sanctum wraiths’ domain. Up to three wraiths can be sacrificed (one each night) to fuel the protective aura around your sanctum. You must pay 1,000 xp per wraith sacrificed. Once the ceremony is complete, your sanctum radiates a palpable aura of evil much like the wraith’s unnatural aura ability. Any living creatures entering your sanctum without first speaking the word of command you set during the ceremony becomes affected by the essences of the sacrificed wraith(s). The intruder must make a Fortitude save DC 10 + ½ your caster level + your primary casting stat bonus, each hour or take 1d4 Constitution damage (+2 per wraith beyond the first that was sacrificed), successful saves halve the damage. A creature reduced to 0 Constitution in this way dies and rises again in 1d4 rounds as a sanctum wraith. The sanctum wraith is prevented from attacking anyone that spoke the word of command set by you during the ceremony and can never leave the confines of its domain, your sanctum. Once the aura has created as many sanctum wraiths as the number of wraiths you sacrificed in the ceremony, it is discharged and does not further work.
Sacrificial Undead, create greater undead, unhallow; Costs: 3,600 fr of rare herbs and incenses, 5,000 fr for vestments, 500 fr of powdered silver per 100 square feet of the sanctum, up to three wraith sacrifices, and 1,000 xp per wraith sacrificed. Time: 3 days (24 hours).
Death Elemental: Undead elementals exist; spontaneously created whenever a wave of negative energy sweeps over an elemental plane. It catches some elementals unaware and transforms them into death elementals. The wave eats away all of the creature’s physical elemental material leaving only a smaller, incorporeal blotch of raw negative energy that seeks to destroy everything in some sort of misguided revenge.
“Death elemental” is an acquired template that can be added to any elemental.
Ice Shaman: Ice shamans are corpses reanimated through a dark, sinister, and powerful magic ritual using the Sacrificial Undead feat.
“Ice shaman” is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature (other than an undead or a creature with the Fire subtype) that has a skeletal system.
Inga's Skeleton: An Inga’s skeleton is a normal skeleton that at one time possessed the minor artifact, Inga’s Scythe. The scythe transforms those skeletons that carry it by giving them an Intelligence score, skills, and feats.
“Inga’s Skeleton” is an acquired template that can be added to any undead skeleton of Huge size or smaller that is basically humanoid or able to wield two-handed weapons.
Power Lich: A power lich is an undead spellcaster, usually a wizard or sorcerer but sometimes a cleric or other spellcaster, who has used its magical powers to unnaturally extend its life by transforming its life-force or spirit into sound and storing it in a magical sound receptacle.
“Power lich” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid, giant, monstrous humanoid, or intelligent undead creature, provided it can create the required phylactery.
The process of becoming a power lich is unspeakably evil and can be undertaken only by a willing character.
The Power Lich’s Crystal Obsidian Bell
An integral part of becoming a power lich is creating a magic bell in which the character stores its sound force. Changing the base creature’s life force or spirit into sound force is the second part of the extended ritual. As a rule, the only way to get rid of a power lich for sure is to destroy its crystal obsidian bell. Unless its crystal obsidian bell is located and destroyed, a power lich reappears 1d8 days after its apparent death.
Each power lich must make its own crystal obsidian bell, which requires the Craft Wondrous Item feat. The character must be able to cast spells and have a caster level of 18th or higher. The character must know at least 12 power words or words of power. The crystal obsidian bell costs 440,000 fr and 17,600 XP to create and has a caster level equal to that of its creator at the time of creation.
The bell is Diminutive and has 50 hit points, hardness 25, and a break DC of 50.
Other forms of crystal obsidian bells can exist, such as chimes, drums, or similar items. This item is specifically created by a power lich in order to store his essence, much like a lich’s phylactery but much more powerful.
In addition to all of the abilities of a lich’s phylactery, a crystal obsidian bell can be rung (a standard action) so as to produce power word, blind three times per day; power word, stun twice per day; and power word, kill once per day.
Moreover, the bell itself can store one spell of up to 8th level. The bell can be set to release this spell as a free action if the wielder whispers to it the conditions of the release when the spell is stored. Storing a spell in the crystal obsidian bell takes one minute. The conditions needed to bring the spell into effect must be clear, although they can be general. In all cases, the crystal obsidian bell immediately brings into effect the stored spell, the latter being “cast” instantaneously when the prescribed circumstances occur. If complicated or convoluted conditions are prescribed, the spell may fail when called on. The stored spell occurs based solely on the stated conditions, regardless of whether the caster wants it to.
Strong to overwhelming enchantment, evocation, and transmutation; CL 18th or higher; Craft Wondrous Item, power word blind, power word kill, power word stun, magic jar, polymorph any object, creator must know at least 12 power words/words of power; Cost: 440,000 fr and 17,600 XP; Weight: 1 lb.
Shadow Lich: A shadow lich is an undead spellcaster, usually a wizard or sorcerer but sometimes a cleric or other spellcaster, who has used its magical powers to unnaturally extend its life by infusing its life-force with shadowstuff.
“Shadow Lich” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid, giant, or monstrous humanoid creature, provided it can create the required phylactery.
The process of becoming a shadow lich is unspeakably evil and can be undertaken only by a willing character.
The Shadow Lich’s Shadow Box
An integral part of becoming a shadow lich is creating a magic shadow box in which the character stores its life force. As a rule, the only way to get rid of a shadow lich for sure is to destroy its shadow box. Unless its shadow box is located and destroyed, a shadow lich reappears 1d10 days after its apparent death.
Each shadow lich must make its own shadow box, which requires the Craft Wondrous Item feat. The character must be able to cast spells and have a caster level of 11th or higher. The shadow box costs 120,000 fr and 4,800 XP to create and has a caster level equal to that of its creator at the time of creation.
The most common form of shadow box is a sealed metal box containing strips of parchment on which magical phrases have been transcribed. The box is Tiny and has 40 hit points, hardness 20, and a break DC of 40 on the plane of shadows. It is incorporeal otherwise and becomes much harder to destroy without access to the plane of shadows.
Other forms of shadow boxes can exist, such as rings, amulets, or similar items.
Strong to overwhelming transmutation; CL 15th or higher; Craft Wondrous Item, etherealness, magic jar; Cost: 120,000 fr and 4,800 XP; Weight: —.
Skeleton: When a new food source has been found, the Nore trap will expectorate the current food source if it is dead. This is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The Nore trap will keep a food source until a new one has been found. The spat out food sources will be in one of two of states of digestion. Roll 1d20 to determine the stage, 1–13 indicates complete consumption, while 14–20 indicates partial consumption.
All expectorated food sources become undead fiends. Any food source that was completely consumed animates as a skeleton within 1 minute of being spat out. An expectorated food source lands in a random adjacent square (use 1d12). Partially consumed food sources become other types of undead. Determine type of undead on the table below.
Partially Consumed Expectorated Food Sources
d20 Roll Undead Type Time to Animate
1–10 Zombie 5 minutes
11–15 Ghoul 10 minutes
17–19 Ghast 1 hour
20 Wight 8 hours
Zombie: When a new food source has been found, the Nore trap will expectorate the current food source if it is dead. This is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The Nore trap will keep a food source until a new one has been found. The spat out food sources will be in one of two of states of digestion. Roll 1d20 to determine the stage, 1–13 indicates complete consumption, while 14–20 indicates partial consumption.
All expectorated food sources become undead fiends. Any food source that was completely consumed animates as a skeleton within 1 minute of being spat out. An expectorated food source lands in a random adjacent square (use 1d12). Partially consumed food sources become other types of undead. Determine type of undead on the table below.
Partially Consumed Expectorated Food Sources
d20 Roll Undead Type Time to Animate
1–10 Zombie 5 minutes
11–15 Ghoul 10 minutes
17–19 Ghast 1 hour
20 Wight 8 hours
Ghoul: When a new food source has been found, the Nore trap will expectorate the current food source if it is dead. This is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The Nore trap will keep a food source until a new one has been found. The spat out food sources will be in one of two of states of digestion. Roll 1d20 to determine the stage, 1–13 indicates complete consumption, while 14–20 indicates partial consumption.
All expectorated food sources become undead fiends. Any food source that was completely consumed animates as a skeleton within 1 minute of being spat out. An expectorated food source lands in a random adjacent square (use 1d12). Partially consumed food sources become other types of undead. Determine type of undead on the table below.
Partially Consumed Expectorated Food Sources
d20 Roll Undead Type Time to Animate
1–10 Zombie 5 minutes
11–15 Ghoul 10 minutes
17–19 Ghast 1 hour
20 Wight 8 hours
An afflicted humanoid that dies of a dead rattor's ghoul fever rises as a ghoul at the next midnight. A humanoid of 4 Hit Dice or more rises as a ghast, not a ghoul.
Anyone killed by risen will rise as a ghoul under the risen’s control 24 hours later.
Ghast: When a new food source has been found, the Nore trap will expectorate the current food source if it is dead. This is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The Nore trap will keep a food source until a new one has been found. The spat out food sources will be in one of two of states of digestion. Roll 1d20 to determine the stage, 1–13 indicates complete consumption, while 14–20 indicates partial consumption.
All expectorated food sources become undead fiends. Any food source that was completely consumed animates as a skeleton within 1 minute of being spat out. An expectorated food source lands in a random adjacent square (use 1d12). Partially consumed food sources become other types of undead. Determine type of undead on the table below.
Partially Consumed Expectorated Food Sources
d20 Roll Undead Type Time to Animate
1–10 Zombie 5 minutes
11–15 Ghoul 10 minutes
17–19 Ghast 1 hour
20 Wight 8 hours
An afflicted humanoid that dies of a dead rattor's ghoul fever rises as a ghoul at the next midnight. A humanoid of 4 Hit Dice or more rises as a ghast, not a ghoul.
Wight: When a new food source has been found, the Nore trap will expectorate the current food source if it is dead. This is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The Nore trap will keep a food source until a new one has been found. The spat out food sources will be in one of two of states of digestion. Roll 1d20 to determine the stage, 1–13 indicates complete consumption, while 14–20 indicates partial consumption.
All expectorated food sources become undead fiends. Any food source that was completely consumed animates as a skeleton within 1 minute of being spat out. An expectorated food source lands in a random adjacent square (use 1d12). Partially consumed food sources become other types of undead. Determine type of undead on the table below.
Partially Consumed Expectorated Food Sources
d20 Roll Undead Type Time to Animate
1–10 Zombie 5 minutes
11–15 Ghoul 10 minutes
17–19 Ghast 1 hour
20 Wight 8 hours
Sacrificial Undead [Item Creation]
You can create undead followers by means of sacrificial rituals.
Prerequisites: Evil alignment, Spell Focus (necromancy), Craft Magical Arms and Armor
Benefit: This feat allows you to construct different kinds of undead. Making an undead is a ritual that takes place on a specified night (full moon, new moon, spring equinox, winter solstice, all hallows eve, etc.) and usually takes 8 hours/HD of the created undead. The ritual requires the sacrifice of one intelligent creature for each created undead. Each undead that can be created by this process has a Construction paragraph that tells the specifics of the ritual as well as any additional requirements.
