Help me select powers for a soulless guy.

[Andrew D. Gable]

So, I have an NPC appearing in my version of the Shadowfell who was afflicted by what I call the Oblivion Wind. I'm thinking I might try to make a monster theme out of this, as it's easily possible for more than one to exist. Basically, he's sort of hollow (think Sayid as he is on Lost now... even though the idea for this NPC was created months ago, before Sayid was the way he is... just a weird bit o' coincidence), soulless... Any ideas on what powers such a soulless guy should have? I'd like to do something with an ability to fight on after he reaches 0 HP... and perhaps make him be invisible to undead. He's not truly undead, but is identified by undead as such.

 

[Mentat55]

Because he is "hollow", maybe he projects an aura that drains the souls of those around him -- a sort of black hole for souls. Perhaps large penalties on death saves? Induce vulnerability to necrotic damage (and combine that with necrotic attack powers)? Maybe penalties to saves or defenses against Will-based attacks, or domination/charm effects?

 

[latinoosvaldo]

I think you should make him resistant to radiant and necrotic damage (no life or soul to be harmed), a touch attack to drain healing surges, an aura that drains healing surges from bloodied creatures (for paragon version), some minor action gaze attack that dazes the target (for glimpsing the emptiness of his soulless body), and perhaps a way to destroy it other than combat (and making this other form of defeat the only one possible for epic version). Regeneration should do for heroic version. Also, he can use something like dragon's frightful presence, and maybe some extra damage similar to warlock's curse ("Your soul is mine" effect).

 

[UltimaGabe]

In keeping with the other poster's "black hole for souls" idea, what if he had an ability (possibly free, maybe immediate reaction) to gain hit points whenever an enemy spends a healing surge? Like, let's ay he has an aura 5 that, whenever a healing surge is spent, it heals 2 less HP, and those 2 HP go to him instead. In other words, as someone else's soul gains strength, he sucks some of it himself.

Or, depending on your interperetation, you could instead say that whenever a healing surge is spent, it hurts him instead of healing him (like, the overwhelming rush of life in his enemy hurts him, since he has no soul). Just an idea.

 

[Amaroq]

Mmmm... I like the black-hole-of-souls effect, its much what I was thinking too:

1. psychic/necrotic, feeds on somebody's soul, hits for damage, gains temp HPs or regains real?

2. immune fear effects - or what about even a reflects a fear effect? Encounter power, immediate interrupt, when a fear effect misses, apply it to a different single target within close burst 5?

3. Attack which dazes or otherwise slows/weakens .. Mmm, maybe "weakens, save ends - special: while the effect remains on the target, Sayid gains +3 to damage rolls."

4. Clearly some kind of close burst fear power would work.

5. What about something interesting to do with a "mark" .. not exactly nerfing a mark, but .. twisting it .. somehow?

 

[Amaroq]

p.s., the lads over in the 4e Fan Creations and House Rules section may do really well with this - a guy just posted "the other half" of this, e.g., a zombie reanimated by stealing somebody's soul and slapping it into the zombie's body, complete with effects on the still-living body the soul was stolen from.

 

[fba827]

So, I have an NPC appearing in my version of the Shadowfell who was afflicted by what I call the Oblivion Wind.

Random curiosity not directly tied to anything in this thread ... what happens to the Oblivion Wind? Did it carry some of the soul as part of the wind? Or did it basically expel the soul from the host body? And is it possible for the soulless body to ever get back the soul?

I'm thinking I might try to make a monster theme out of this, as it's easily possible for more than one to exist.

Do you expect all/most people affected by this to be affected the same way? The reason I ask -- giving the template a lurker-flavored power because of this NPC may not be appropriate if two months from now if you give this same template to a NPC that you want to be all soldier-y.

If you want it to remain independent of NPC role, then stick with resistances and thematic stuff, or an attack power that can be variable (i.e. it can go as a ranged attack or a melee attack, etc), or have the template simply say "if lurker, then this power ... if brute, then this power ..."

Any ideas on what powers such a soulless guy should have?

The first one that comes to mind has already been said - immune to fear effects. I'd take it a little further than that and also give some sort of small bonus to defenses and saves for effects that have the charm keyword. -- the soul may not be there, which gives the bonus, but the mind can still be tweaked to obey, hence not complete immunity like fear.

I'm also inclined to suggest a very small racial bonus to endurance, but such a thing may not be 'worth' the bookkeeping space since endurance is so infrequently used for NPCs.

Another thing that may not be worth the bookkeeping but ...
Fighting without Reserve A soulless creature is always fighting like he has nothing to lose. Any power or feature that the base creature has which only activates when bloodied is active even when not bloodied.

I'd like to do something with an ability to fight on after he reaches 0 HP...

Stubborn Mind: Without the weakness of the soul to cower for respite, the body and mind are able to fight on; When reduced to zero of fewer hit points, the Soulless is dazed (save ends). First Failed Save: Dead.

(I was initially going to say "is not unconcious but fights on with the dazed condition until reaching negative bloodied, and takes ongoing 5damage per tier every round until dead ... but then i realized this is an NPC and all that wouldn't make sense for them, only pcs)

and perhaps make him be invisible to undead. He's not truly undead, but is identified by undead as such.

Veil of the Soulless: The soulless creature is invisible to creatures with the undead subtype (or perhaps restrict this to unintelligent undead?)

5. What about something interesting to do with a "mark" .. not exactly nerfing a mark, but .. twisting it .. somehow?

Mark of the Soulless: (minor action; at-will). Target: all adjacent enemies that does not have the Soulless template. The void in the soulless body calls to the target's spirit. The target is marked by the Soulless until the end of the Soulless's next turn. While marked, if the target ends his turn further from the Soulless than he started, he takes 5 (per tier) necrotic damage.
(or make something similar to the paladin's divine challenge)

Anyway, just random thoughts... if i think of others, i'll add more ..