Yair
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The following is a template I'm going to apply in an adventure I'm planning. I'd appreciate any comment or criticism.
Obviously, it is meant to represent a drowned sailor.
DROWNED SAILOR
Drowned sailors are the spirits of humanoids who have drowned at sea with their ship. Awakened by powerful negative energy effects on the site of the drowned vessel, the drowned sailors haunt the living world as they seek escape from their undead existence.
A drowned sailor can only manifest in certain places and times, and its appearance changes accordingly (see below).
CREATING A DROWNED SAILOR
“Drowned Sailor” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid that died at sea, referred to hereafter as the base creature.
A drowned sailor uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to undead. Do not recalculate the creature’s base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.
As an undead, the drowned sailor has no constitution score, darkvision out to 60 feet, immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects, is not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain, is immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures. He also has an immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless), uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks, is not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed, and is not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect undead creatures. These spells turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead. Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep.
Hit Dice: All current and future Hit Dice become d12s.
Speed: Drowned sailors retain their base speed. Furthermore, they may also Swim in or walk on the sea floor at their full normal speed.
Special Qualities: A drowned sailor has all the special qualities of the base creature as well as those described below.
Manifestation (Su): A drowned sailor's true body lies at the bottom of the sea, but at certain nights it can manifest a temporary body in the surface world. When a drowned sailor manifests, it draws material from other planes to form a new body in the Material Plane. A manifested drowned sailor's body is represented through this template; his real body is just a pile of decayed flesh lying at the bottom of the sea.
The drowned sailor can only manifest for three nights each year – on the night he drowned at, and on the two adjacent nights. He can only manifest in areas he frequented in life, and that are near the shore – port towns, beaches, islands, and so on. On the night he drowned at the drowned sailor appears as he did in life. On the other two nights he appears as a zombie-like wet undead creature. At daybreak, the drowned sailor's manifested body dissolves into salt water.
Rejuvenation (Su): In most cases, it’s difficult to destroy a drowned sailor through simple combat: The “destroyed” spirit will often restore itself in the next year. Even the most powerful spells are usually only temporary solutions. A drowned sailor that would otherwise be destroyed will return to haunt the living next year on a successful level check with DC 16 (retry each year); if destroyed by a turn undead effect, you may replace the DC with the turning check result.
A drowned sailor's undead existence can only be permanently ended if he somehow completes his last journey, or if his bodily remains are taken from the sea and buried in consecrated ground. [Well, a Miracle, Ressurection, or True Ressurection can also work, by RAW.]
Abilities: Same as the base creature, except that the drowned sailor has no Constitution score.
Environment: Any seashore locale.
Organization: Solitary, gang (2–4), or crew (25-40).
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +1.
Treasure: None (Normal at ship's remains).
Alignment: Any Evil.
Level Adjustment: NA.
Drowned Equipment
When a drowned sailor manifests, all its equipment and carried items usually manifest along with it. When this temporary body is destroyed, it is turned to seawater along with its equipment.
In addition, however, the drowned sailor may take one item from his drowned ship's hold. These items can be brought wholly to the surface world, and remain after the manifested body dissolves, but the drowned sailor need not take them with him – and usually drowned sailors choose not to do so, as when the body fades the item will remain on the surface. If the sailor retuns to the sea by daybreak, the item returns to the ship's hold.
Obviously, it is meant to represent a drowned sailor.
DROWNED SAILOR
Drowned sailors are the spirits of humanoids who have drowned at sea with their ship. Awakened by powerful negative energy effects on the site of the drowned vessel, the drowned sailors haunt the living world as they seek escape from their undead existence.
A drowned sailor can only manifest in certain places and times, and its appearance changes accordingly (see below).
CREATING A DROWNED SAILOR
“Drowned Sailor” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid that died at sea, referred to hereafter as the base creature.
A drowned sailor uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to undead. Do not recalculate the creature’s base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.
As an undead, the drowned sailor has no constitution score, darkvision out to 60 feet, immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects, is not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain, is immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures. He also has an immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless), uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks, is not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed, and is not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect undead creatures. These spells turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead. Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep.
Hit Dice: All current and future Hit Dice become d12s.
Speed: Drowned sailors retain their base speed. Furthermore, they may also Swim in or walk on the sea floor at their full normal speed.
Special Qualities: A drowned sailor has all the special qualities of the base creature as well as those described below.
Manifestation (Su): A drowned sailor's true body lies at the bottom of the sea, but at certain nights it can manifest a temporary body in the surface world. When a drowned sailor manifests, it draws material from other planes to form a new body in the Material Plane. A manifested drowned sailor's body is represented through this template; his real body is just a pile of decayed flesh lying at the bottom of the sea.
The drowned sailor can only manifest for three nights each year – on the night he drowned at, and on the two adjacent nights. He can only manifest in areas he frequented in life, and that are near the shore – port towns, beaches, islands, and so on. On the night he drowned at the drowned sailor appears as he did in life. On the other two nights he appears as a zombie-like wet undead creature. At daybreak, the drowned sailor's manifested body dissolves into salt water.
Rejuvenation (Su): In most cases, it’s difficult to destroy a drowned sailor through simple combat: The “destroyed” spirit will often restore itself in the next year. Even the most powerful spells are usually only temporary solutions. A drowned sailor that would otherwise be destroyed will return to haunt the living next year on a successful level check with DC 16 (retry each year); if destroyed by a turn undead effect, you may replace the DC with the turning check result.
A drowned sailor's undead existence can only be permanently ended if he somehow completes his last journey, or if his bodily remains are taken from the sea and buried in consecrated ground. [Well, a Miracle, Ressurection, or True Ressurection can also work, by RAW.]
Abilities: Same as the base creature, except that the drowned sailor has no Constitution score.
Environment: Any seashore locale.
Organization: Solitary, gang (2–4), or crew (25-40).
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +1.
Treasure: None (Normal at ship's remains).
Alignment: Any Evil.
Level Adjustment: NA.
Drowned Equipment
When a drowned sailor manifests, all its equipment and carried items usually manifest along with it. When this temporary body is destroyed, it is turned to seawater along with its equipment.
In addition, however, the drowned sailor may take one item from his drowned ship's hold. These items can be brought wholly to the surface world, and remain after the manifested body dissolves, but the drowned sailor need not take them with him – and usually drowned sailors choose not to do so, as when the body fades the item will remain on the surface. If the sailor retuns to the sea by daybreak, the item returns to the ship's hold.
