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NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Ghoul Advancement
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HellHound
ENnies winner and NOT Scrappy Doo
Aha! Here we go!
(using the paragon class rules from Unearthed Arcana - rough draft only here, so please point out any thing you see that should be fixed)
Ghoul Paragon
Of the necromantic races, ghouls are the least like their forebears. In most cases, the transformation from living creature to a ghoul is one that takes with it almost everything that distinguished the person from others while alive. A freshly risen ghoul barely has the distinction of its prior race, let alone its prior life.
However, for all the loss gained during death, ghouls are typically the first among their kin to come to terms with their own undead state, as well as the abilities and the weaknesses therein. The hunger for the flesh of their kin is what created most ghouls – poor souls who were so desperate in their final hours that they fell to cannibalism. However, without memories of these acts or of who their kin where, they cease to be a source of revulsion, and the cycle of cannibalism becomes accepted.
For those ghouls who have clawed themselves up from the grave with the memories of their lives mostly intact, the transformation is a far more harrowing one. Few ghoul paragons are born of these sorry creatures, as most are eternally seeking a way out of their form, instead of seeking greater depths to their depravity and listening to the instinct of the dead.
Adventures: Ghoul paragons adventure as an escape from an eternity living in a crypt among other decomposing dead bodies, fighting for the chance to eat those foolish enough to enter. Few ghouls are eager to reenter the world of the living, and even the ghoul paragon is not much of an exception to this. However, the lure of fresh food and potentially companionship lures ghoul paragons from their crypts, sometimes bringing with them a small number of their fellows to seek out better hunting grounds.
Characteristics: Ghouls tend to be fairly cowardly and self-serving. A ghoul paragon is little exception. They would prefer to hunt where the odds of success are high, and the threat of destruction minimal. These cunning and feral creatures tend to avoid civilization and religion as best they can. No matter the reasons for departing their crypts to adventure, most ghoul paragons still feel most at home underground amongst the decomposing corpses of the dead. Some ghoul paragons become so obsessed with the eating of raw mea that they turn to the worship of one or more of the gods of debauchery and consumption, some few even becoming grotesque mockeries of their old form as corpulents.
Alignment: The vast majority of ghouls and ghoul paragons are chaotic evil. Some who have awakened as ghouls and who retain the shreds of their prior life also cling tenaciously to their beliefs and ethics, but these same creatures are the least likely to embrace their new nature and seek out this class.
Races: Ghoul paragons dislike elves in general because of their immunity to the paralyzing touch that ghouls rely upon. At the same time, some long for elven companionship because elves share many things in common with them – the lack of sleep as well as the ability to share a caress without being paralyzed. However finding an elf who thinks the same way and who will not kill the ghoul outright for such thoughts is even rarer than finding a ghoul who thinks them.
Other Classes: As with all the undead, ghoul paragons are wary of clerics and their powers over the dead. They have a lot in common with rogues, and while many ghoul paragons become rogues in their own right, they are also quite comfortable operating with others. In their depravity and hatred of the living, ghouls see a similarity between themselves and barbarians that perhaps barbarians do not see in return. Finally, they share little in common with arcane spellcasters as the ghoul paragon prefers his meals raw and freshly killed, not burnt to a crisp nor reduced to ash and dust.
Game Rule Information
Ghoul paragons have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Charisma determines the majority of the ghoul paragon’s abilities, affecting the save DC of both his ghoul fever and of his paralyzing attacks. Dexterity can improve the ghoul’s armor class as well, thus helping to balance for the ghost’s lack of Constitution as well as enabling them to greater heights of stealth and cunning. A natural, feral cunning is inherent among ghouls and even more so among paragons, increasing their already strong array of roguely skills.
Alignment: Any evil.
Hit Die: d12
Class Skills
The ghoul paragon’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis) and Survival (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier
Ghoul Paragon Level Advancement
BAB: 3/4 Level (Rogue / Cleric)
Fort Save: Weak
Ref Save: Strong
Will Save: Weak
Level 1 - Sneak Attack +1d6, Improved Darkvision (+30 ft.)
Level 2 - Stench of Decay
Level 3 - Ability Boost (Dexterity +2)
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the ghoul paragon racial class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The ghoul paragon gains no new training or proficiency with weapons or armor.
Improved Darkvision (Ex): At level 1, a ghoul paragon’s darkvision range increases by 30 feet.
Sneak Attack (Ex): This ability, gained at level 2, is like the rogue ability of the same name, and deals 1d6 extra damage. If the ghoul paragon gets a sneak attack bonus from another source (such as rogue levels), the bonuses to damage stack.
Stench of Decay (Ex): Once per day per point of Charisma bonus (with a minimum of once per day), the ghoul paragon can surround himself with an overwhelming stink of death and corruption for 5 minutes. Living creatures within 10 feet during this time must succeed on a Fortitude save or be sickened for 2d6 rounds + 1 round per point of Charisma bonus of the ghoul paragon. The save DC is 10 + ½ the ghoul paragon’s hit dice + the ghoul paragon’s Charisma bonus. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected again by the same ghoul paragon’s stench for 24 hours. A delay poison or neutralize poison spell removes the effect from a sickened creature. Creatures with immunity to poison are unaffected and creatures resistant to poison receive their normal bonus on their saving throws.
Ability Boost (Ex): At third level, a ghoul paragon’s Dexterity score increases by two points. This is treated similarly to the ability increase granted by gaining character levels.
(using the paragon class rules from Unearthed Arcana - rough draft only here, so please point out any thing you see that should be fixed)
Ghoul Paragon
Of the necromantic races, ghouls are the least like their forebears. In most cases, the transformation from living creature to a ghoul is one that takes with it almost everything that distinguished the person from others while alive. A freshly risen ghoul barely has the distinction of its prior race, let alone its prior life.
However, for all the loss gained during death, ghouls are typically the first among their kin to come to terms with their own undead state, as well as the abilities and the weaknesses therein. The hunger for the flesh of their kin is what created most ghouls – poor souls who were so desperate in their final hours that they fell to cannibalism. However, without memories of these acts or of who their kin where, they cease to be a source of revulsion, and the cycle of cannibalism becomes accepted.
For those ghouls who have clawed themselves up from the grave with the memories of their lives mostly intact, the transformation is a far more harrowing one. Few ghoul paragons are born of these sorry creatures, as most are eternally seeking a way out of their form, instead of seeking greater depths to their depravity and listening to the instinct of the dead.
Adventures: Ghoul paragons adventure as an escape from an eternity living in a crypt among other decomposing dead bodies, fighting for the chance to eat those foolish enough to enter. Few ghouls are eager to reenter the world of the living, and even the ghoul paragon is not much of an exception to this. However, the lure of fresh food and potentially companionship lures ghoul paragons from their crypts, sometimes bringing with them a small number of their fellows to seek out better hunting grounds.
Characteristics: Ghouls tend to be fairly cowardly and self-serving. A ghoul paragon is little exception. They would prefer to hunt where the odds of success are high, and the threat of destruction minimal. These cunning and feral creatures tend to avoid civilization and religion as best they can. No matter the reasons for departing their crypts to adventure, most ghoul paragons still feel most at home underground amongst the decomposing corpses of the dead. Some ghoul paragons become so obsessed with the eating of raw mea that they turn to the worship of one or more of the gods of debauchery and consumption, some few even becoming grotesque mockeries of their old form as corpulents.
Alignment: The vast majority of ghouls and ghoul paragons are chaotic evil. Some who have awakened as ghouls and who retain the shreds of their prior life also cling tenaciously to their beliefs and ethics, but these same creatures are the least likely to embrace their new nature and seek out this class.
Races: Ghoul paragons dislike elves in general because of their immunity to the paralyzing touch that ghouls rely upon. At the same time, some long for elven companionship because elves share many things in common with them – the lack of sleep as well as the ability to share a caress without being paralyzed. However finding an elf who thinks the same way and who will not kill the ghoul outright for such thoughts is even rarer than finding a ghoul who thinks them.
Other Classes: As with all the undead, ghoul paragons are wary of clerics and their powers over the dead. They have a lot in common with rogues, and while many ghoul paragons become rogues in their own right, they are also quite comfortable operating with others. In their depravity and hatred of the living, ghouls see a similarity between themselves and barbarians that perhaps barbarians do not see in return. Finally, they share little in common with arcane spellcasters as the ghoul paragon prefers his meals raw and freshly killed, not burnt to a crisp nor reduced to ash and dust.
Game Rule Information
Ghoul paragons have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Charisma determines the majority of the ghoul paragon’s abilities, affecting the save DC of both his ghoul fever and of his paralyzing attacks. Dexterity can improve the ghoul’s armor class as well, thus helping to balance for the ghost’s lack of Constitution as well as enabling them to greater heights of stealth and cunning. A natural, feral cunning is inherent among ghouls and even more so among paragons, increasing their already strong array of roguely skills.
Alignment: Any evil.
Hit Die: d12
Class Skills
The ghoul paragon’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis) and Survival (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier
Ghoul Paragon Level Advancement
BAB: 3/4 Level (Rogue / Cleric)
Fort Save: Weak
Ref Save: Strong
Will Save: Weak
Level 1 - Sneak Attack +1d6, Improved Darkvision (+30 ft.)
Level 2 - Stench of Decay
Level 3 - Ability Boost (Dexterity +2)
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the ghoul paragon racial class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The ghoul paragon gains no new training or proficiency with weapons or armor.
Improved Darkvision (Ex): At level 1, a ghoul paragon’s darkvision range increases by 30 feet.
Sneak Attack (Ex): This ability, gained at level 2, is like the rogue ability of the same name, and deals 1d6 extra damage. If the ghoul paragon gets a sneak attack bonus from another source (such as rogue levels), the bonuses to damage stack.
Stench of Decay (Ex): Once per day per point of Charisma bonus (with a minimum of once per day), the ghoul paragon can surround himself with an overwhelming stink of death and corruption for 5 minutes. Living creatures within 10 feet during this time must succeed on a Fortitude save or be sickened for 2d6 rounds + 1 round per point of Charisma bonus of the ghoul paragon. The save DC is 10 + ½ the ghoul paragon’s hit dice + the ghoul paragon’s Charisma bonus. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected again by the same ghoul paragon’s stench for 24 hours. A delay poison or neutralize poison spell removes the effect from a sickened creature. Creatures with immunity to poison are unaffected and creatures resistant to poison receive their normal bonus on their saving throws.
Ability Boost (Ex): At third level, a ghoul paragon’s Dexterity score increases by two points. This is treated similarly to the ability increase granted by gaining character levels.
Tonguez
A suffusion of yellow
Use Point buy to make a Ghoul Monk/Psychic Warrior - using Con as your dump stat (ie 0) means you have one NASTY high speed flipped out, up the walls running-jumping NINJA GHOUL.
Ghouls are my favourite deadites and imc they aren't actually undead they are those who have lost their mortal souls and so can never die. I've used Ghoul serial killers (with hide in plain sight and spider climb abilities) and have a Ghoul NPC who was one of the PCs 'contacts' in the city underworld
Ghouls are my favourite deadites and imc they aren't actually undead they are those who have lost their mortal souls and so can never die. I've used Ghoul serial killers (with hide in plain sight and spider climb abilities) and have a Ghoul NPC who was one of the PCs 'contacts' in the city underworld
HellHound
ENnies winner and NOT Scrappy Doo
That's just made up, Scharlata.
I do that a lot when writing up stuff.
===
I have a house rule that if using point-buy, a stat with a -- is treated as a 10 for the point-buy. I also know a DM who treats a -- as a 12 because otherwise they are too appealing to make.
For an NPC, stick to standard arrays instead of point buy, still get to use Con as a dumpstat, mind you.
I do that a lot when writing up stuff.
===
I have a house rule that if using point-buy, a stat with a -- is treated as a 10 for the point-buy. I also know a DM who treats a -- as a 12 because otherwise they are too appealing to make.
For an NPC, stick to standard arrays instead of point buy, still get to use Con as a dumpstat, mind you.
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