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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cleon" data-source="post: 6230736" data-attributes="member: 57383">Taker of Life Water Creation HomebrewOriginal StatsFor some reason better left to sages to ponder, the brackish water held between the various ridges of the demiplane has attained a sort of sentience. The humans living on the demiplane call the water Death-Below-From-Above, or simply the Taker of Life. Disturbed only by the movement of the valgoss, the slaiyiths, and the rain which feeds the water being’s substance, the unmoving water possesses the capability to form solid extensions of itself. These extensions can take the form of huge grasping arms or even what appears to be the upper torso of a humanoid figure, complete with two arms and a menacing face made of black water. The arms can grasp with a Strength of 18/75, strike with powerful blows, or cast spells as 5th-level clerics (see statistics below). The extensions can reach about six feet from the surface of the water, although they may have spells which can affect foes at a much greater range.All the water on the plane is a single, ultra-powerful entity, but each extension exists as an individual creature—if the extension is destroyed, the Taker of Life cannot create a new extension in that area for 10+3d6 minutes. The Taker of Life, as a whole, lies beyond the capacity of the PCs to affect unless they can destroy an entire plane’s worth of water.Malicious and evil, the Taker of Life attacks any who come near it, seeking to drag them down into its own watery mass. Those in the water cannot perceive the creature’s extension well enough to fight it—it’s too dark and too difficult to distinguish the solid water from the rest—and the “creature” automatically hits those in the water. Its favorite tactic is simply to use its strength to hold foes underneath the water and drown them. The Taker of Life is happy, however, to kill foes above the surface outright and pull their corpses into the water. Either way, its victims are never seen again; the water somehow absorbs them—body and soul. Those slain by the Taker of Life cannot be raised or resurrected if it manages to drag them into its own watery mass.TAKER OF LIFE WATER CREATION: AC 1; MV 12 (surface of water only), Sw 36; HD 9; hp 45; THAC0 11; #AT 1; Dmg 2d6; SA casts spells as a 5th-level cleric; SD +1 or better weapon to hit, immune to fire; SW Lower water, transmute water to dust, part water, and similar spells inflict 1d8 points of damage per spell level; MR 10%; SZ M (6’ above the water’s surface); ML fearless (20); Int genius (18); AL NE; XP 5,000.Typical spell selection (5/5/2): 1st—cause light wounds, command, curse, darkness, magical stone; 2nd—enthrall, heat metal, hold person (x2), silence 15-foot radius; 3rd—call lightning, summon insectsHomebrew ConversionTaker of LifeMedium Outsider (Evil, Native, Water)Hit Dice: 9d8+27 (67 hp)Initiative: +6Speed: 30 ft. (4 squares), swim 90 ft.Armor Class: 19 (+3 Dex, +6 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 16Base Attack/Grapple: +9/+14Attack: Slam +14 melee (2d6+5)Full Attack: 2 slams +14 melee (2d6+5)Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.Special Attacks: Absorb victim, spellsSpecial Qualities: Amorphous, damage reduction 10/magic, immunity to fire, invisibility in water, outsider traits, rejuvenation, spell resistance 13, vulnerability to water magic, waterbound, watersenseSaves: Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +9Abilities: Str 21, Dex 17, Con 17, Int 18, Wis 16, Cha 14Skills: Balance +5, Concentration +15, Hide +15, Intimidate +14, Jump +7, Knowledge (arcana) +16, Knowledge (nature) +16, Knowledge (religion) +16, Listen +16, Move Silently +15, Spellcraft +18, Spot +16, Tumble +15, Swim +25Feats: Combat Reflexes, Eschew Materials, Improved Initiative, Power AttackEnvironment: Temperate aquaticOrganization: SolitaryChallenge Rating: 7Treasure: NoneAlignment: Always neutral evilAdvancement: 10–12 HD (Medium); 13–17 HD (Large); 18–27 HD (Huge)Level Adjustment: —The black water surges upward as if the liquid itself had come alive. Its form shifts constantly, one moment it’s a single writhing limb, the next moment it’s a vaguely humanoid torso with grasping hands and a rippling face.The greatest threat to life on the plane of Maelost is an evil entity that infuses every body of water on the plane of Maelost. The local Hanim tribesfolk call this being Death-Below-From-Above or simply the Taker of Life. Innately hostile, the Taker of Life wishes to kill and absorb any living creature it can reach. However, it greatly fears the power of the master slaiyiths and never attacks a creature under their protection – a category which includes all slaiyith, the symbiotic valgoss worms, or any creature who hosts a valgoss.Creatures absorbed by the Taker of Life are dissolved into the water, body and soul, and cannot be raised from the dead by normal means.As a whole, The Taker of Life is no more capable of action that a pond. When it wishes to attack it solidifies part of its liquid body into a “water creation” able to strike blows and cast spells. The stats above detail these water creations. The Taker itself is too vast and diffuse to be destroyed by any conventional means.A typical Taker of Life Water Creation is roughly 6 feet tall or long and weighs about 280 pounds.CombatA Taker of Life water creation hides invisibly in the water until a living creature comes within reach, then emerges to attack. It often uses hold person to prevent opponents moving away or command to order a victim to come closer. They routinely cast deathwatch on themselves and concentrate their efforts on killing creatures the spell reveals to be close to death.Water creations fight until they're destroyed. The Taker of Life just uses its rejuvenation power to create a replacement.Absorb Victim (Su): A Taker of Life water creation can drag the body of a dead creature into its depths and dissolve it in 1 round. No trace of the corpse is left, so it cannot be returned to life by raise dead or resurrection; methods that do not require any remains will work, such as miracle, true resurrection or wish.The Taker of Life absorbs part of the soul or spirit of any creature it dissolves. An absorbed victim cannot be returned to life by a reincarnate spell or contacted via speak with dead.Amorphous (Ex): A Taker of Life water creation is not subject to critical hits and cannot be flanked.Invisibility in Water (Ex): The Taker of Life's water creation is indistinguishable from water. A water creation that is submerged underwater is invisibleRejuvenation (Ex): The Taker of Life's essence permeates every open body of water on Maelost. The water creation is merely a solid "extension" of the Taker. If it is destroyed, the Taker will form a new water creation 3d6+10 minutes later. The reformed water creation appears with full hit points and a full spell selection (which need not be the same spells as it had prepared for its last incarnation). A Taker of Life can deliberately dissipate its water creation as a standard action, forming a new water creation after a 3d6+10 minute delay.Abilities that imprison life forces such as trap the soul will "kill" a Taker of Life and force it to form a new water creation instead of capturing the Taker's essence.Spells: A Taker of Life water creation casts spells as a 5th-level cleric with the Death and Destruction domains. It can choose its spells from the cleric list or the druid list.The Taker of Life can spontaneously cast inflict wounds spells like a cleric able to channel negative energy.Typical Spells Prepared (5/4+1/3+1/2+1; save DC 13 + spell level, 150—create water (×2), detect magic (×2), resistance;1st—bane, command (DC 14), deathwatch, inflict light wounds*, protection from good;2nd—death knell* (DC 15), hold person (DC 15), silence (DC 15), summon swarm;3rd—call lightning (DC 16), contagion* (DC 16), deeper darkness.Vulnerability To Water Magic (Ex): Spells that destroy or manipulate water, such as the control water spell, will inflict 1d8 damage per spell level (no save) if cast on a Taker of Life water creation, in addition to any normal effects the spell might have upon water-based creatures.Waterjoined (Ex): The Taker of Life is bonded to an area of water. Indeed it is part of that water, given solidity and animation by the malign essence that taints most standing water in Maelost. The water creation cannot willingly separate itself from its main body of water. If forcibly separated by some means, the water creation instantly reverts to liquid water and starts flowing downhill. If this liquid form reaches the main body of water by the Taker of Life's next turn the water creation will resolidify (the liquid form can flow up to 30 ft. in this time). If it cannot rejoin its main body in time the water creation is destroyed and starts using its Rejuvenation ability (see above) to reform.Watersense (Ex): The Taker of Life is aware of everything that happens in the body of water it is part of, as if it were sensing the water with Blindsight.Waterwalking (Ex): A Taker of Life water creation can move across water as if it is using the water walk spell. This ability cannot be dispelled or countered.Skills: A Taker of Life water creation has a +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. It can always choose to take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. It can use the run action while swimming, provided it swims in a straight line.Originally appeared in Tales From the Infinite Staircase (1998) in Tale 3: Lord of Worms</blockquote>

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