Phineas Crow
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Restless Dead (Template)
Sometimes, when a person dies while suffering greatly, their souls are unable to find rest and become trapped within their bodies. They become restless, unable to except their demise. The suffering they went through during their final moments of death never truly ends and their continual unnatural existence causes them much pain and anguish.
In appearance restless dead look much like they did at their moment of death, except for their skin which becomes deathly pale and cold to the touch. The pain they constantly endure is evident in their visages, twisted by great agony and sorrow.
Creating a Restless Dead
“Restless Dead” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature types (referred hereafter as the “base creature”). It 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.
Hit Dice: Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.
Armor Class: Restless dead have a +4 natural armor bonus or the base creature’s natural armor bonus, whichever is better.
Attacks: A restless dead retains all the natural weapons, manufactured weapon attacks, and weapon proficiencies of the base creature. A restless dead also gains a slam attack.
Damage: Natural and manufactured weapons deal damage normally. A slam attack deals damage depending on the restless dead’s size. (Use the base creature’s slam damage if it’s better.)
Special Attacks: A restless dead retains all the base creature’s special attacks and also gains the following attack.
Agonizing Blow (Su): Once per day, a restless dead can make a normal slam attack and attempt to transfer some of its pain and suffering to its victim. Any living creature hit by the agonizing blow must make a Will Save (DC 10 + 1/2 restless dead’s HD + restless dead’s Cha modifier) or suffer a -4 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and ability checks for 10 rounds. A remove curse spell will remove this effect.
Special Qualities: Restless dead have all the special qualities of the base creature as well as those described below.
Damage Reduction (Ex): The body of a restless dead is fairly resilient, giving it damage reduction 5/magic.
Reanimation (Ex): A restless dead is not something that can be easily destroyed. If reduced to 0 hit points or less the restless dead falls into a death-like state and is considered helpless. The body of the restless dead than begins to rapidly heal, restoring 1 hit point per minute. When fully healed the restless dead regains consciousness and is no longer considered helpless. The only way to permanently destroy a restless dead is to either cut off its head while it is helpless or by giving it a proper burial on hallowed ground.
Abilities: Restless dead’s Strength increases by +4, its Charisma increases by +2, and its Wisdom decreases by -2. Because it is undead, it no longer has a Constitution score.
Environment: Any, usually same as base creature
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +1
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +4
Sample Restless Dead
Here is an example of a restless dead using a 6th-level elven ranger as the base creature.
Restless Elf, 6th-level ranger
Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid (Elf))
Hit Dice: 6d12 (39 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 19 ( +1 Dex, +4 natural, +4 chain shirt) touch 11, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+8
Attack: Slam +8 melee (1d6+3) or longbow +8 ranged (1d8/x3)
Full Attack: Slam +8 melee (1d6+3) or longbow +8/+3 ranged (1d8/x3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Agonizing blow
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/magic, darkvision 60 ft., elven traits, favored enemy (orc +4, aberration +2), low-light vision, reanimation, undead traits, wild empathy +7
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +4
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 13, Con --, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 12
Skills: Climb +6, Handle Animal +4, Hide +3, Knowledge (nature) +5, Listen +8, Move Silently +4, Ride +6, Search +6, Spot +9
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will, Manyshot, Rapid Shot, Track, Weapon Focus (Longbow)
Environment: Temperate forest
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: --
Agonizing Blow (Su): Once per day, the restless elf can make a normal slam attack and attempt to transfer some of its pain and suffering to its victim. Any living creature hit by the agonizing blow must make a Will Save DC 14 or suffer a -4 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and ability checks for 10 rounds. A remove curse spell will remove this effect.
Reanimation (Ex): If reduced to 0 hit points or less the restless elf falls into a death-like state and is considered helpless. The body of the restless elf begins to rapidly heal, restoring 1 hit point per minute. When fully healed the restless elf regains consciousness and is no longer considered helpless. The only way to permanently destroy the restless elf is to either cut off its head while it is helpless or by giving it a proper burial on hallowed ground.
Combat Style: The restless elf has selected archery as its combat style. It gains the benefits of the Rapid Shot and Manyshot feats while it wears light or no armor.
Favored Enemies: The restless elf has selected orcs and aberrations as its favored enemies. It gains a bonus equal to +4 against orcs and +2 against aberrations on its Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against these types of creatures. It gets the same bonus on weapon damage rolls against creatures of these types.
Wild Empathy (Ex): The restless elf can make a wild empathy check (1d20 + 7) to improve the attitude of an animal in the same manner that a Diplomacy check can change the attitude of a person. It and the animal must be able to study each other in order for it to use this ability.
Elven Traits: Immunity to sleep spells and effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects.
Undead Traits: Immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects or is harmless. Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage to its physical ability scores, ability drain, energy drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or death from massive damage. It cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if it is willing.
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I took a wild guess for the LA and I did rush through the sample so it may have some mistakes I might have missed.
I created this template to fill the void between the low powered undead templates (skeletons, zombies) and the high powered undead templates (ghosts, liches, vampires). I made it to sort of act as the undead version of the fiendish template (though its not as versatile as the fiendish template which could be applied to almost any creature).
Sometimes, when a person dies while suffering greatly, their souls are unable to find rest and become trapped within their bodies. They become restless, unable to except their demise. The suffering they went through during their final moments of death never truly ends and their continual unnatural existence causes them much pain and anguish.
In appearance restless dead look much like they did at their moment of death, except for their skin which becomes deathly pale and cold to the touch. The pain they constantly endure is evident in their visages, twisted by great agony and sorrow.
Creating a Restless Dead
“Restless Dead” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature types (referred hereafter as the “base creature”). It 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.
Hit Dice: Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.
Armor Class: Restless dead have a +4 natural armor bonus or the base creature’s natural armor bonus, whichever is better.
Attacks: A restless dead retains all the natural weapons, manufactured weapon attacks, and weapon proficiencies of the base creature. A restless dead also gains a slam attack.
Damage: Natural and manufactured weapons deal damage normally. A slam attack deals damage depending on the restless dead’s size. (Use the base creature’s slam damage if it’s better.)
Code:
Size Damage
Fine 1
Diminutive 1d2
Tiny 1d3
Small 1d4
Medium 1d6
Large 1d8
Huge 2d6
Gargantuan 2d8
Colossal 4d6Special Attacks: A restless dead retains all the base creature’s special attacks and also gains the following attack.
Agonizing Blow (Su): Once per day, a restless dead can make a normal slam attack and attempt to transfer some of its pain and suffering to its victim. Any living creature hit by the agonizing blow must make a Will Save (DC 10 + 1/2 restless dead’s HD + restless dead’s Cha modifier) or suffer a -4 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and ability checks for 10 rounds. A remove curse spell will remove this effect.
Special Qualities: Restless dead have all the special qualities of the base creature as well as those described below.
Damage Reduction (Ex): The body of a restless dead is fairly resilient, giving it damage reduction 5/magic.
Reanimation (Ex): A restless dead is not something that can be easily destroyed. If reduced to 0 hit points or less the restless dead falls into a death-like state and is considered helpless. The body of the restless dead than begins to rapidly heal, restoring 1 hit point per minute. When fully healed the restless dead regains consciousness and is no longer considered helpless. The only way to permanently destroy a restless dead is to either cut off its head while it is helpless or by giving it a proper burial on hallowed ground.
Abilities: Restless dead’s Strength increases by +4, its Charisma increases by +2, and its Wisdom decreases by -2. Because it is undead, it no longer has a Constitution score.
Environment: Any, usually same as base creature
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +1
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +4
Sample Restless Dead
Here is an example of a restless dead using a 6th-level elven ranger as the base creature.
Restless Elf, 6th-level ranger
Medium Undead (Augmented Humanoid (Elf))
Hit Dice: 6d12 (39 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 19 ( +1 Dex, +4 natural, +4 chain shirt) touch 11, flat-footed 18
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+8
Attack: Slam +8 melee (1d6+3) or longbow +8 ranged (1d8/x3)
Full Attack: Slam +8 melee (1d6+3) or longbow +8/+3 ranged (1d8/x3)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Agonizing blow
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/magic, darkvision 60 ft., elven traits, favored enemy (orc +4, aberration +2), low-light vision, reanimation, undead traits, wild empathy +7
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +4
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 13, Con --, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 12
Skills: Climb +6, Handle Animal +4, Hide +3, Knowledge (nature) +5, Listen +8, Move Silently +4, Ride +6, Search +6, Spot +9
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Iron Will, Manyshot, Rapid Shot, Track, Weapon Focus (Longbow)
Environment: Temperate forest
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Neutral Evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: --
Agonizing Blow (Su): Once per day, the restless elf can make a normal slam attack and attempt to transfer some of its pain and suffering to its victim. Any living creature hit by the agonizing blow must make a Will Save DC 14 or suffer a -4 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and ability checks for 10 rounds. A remove curse spell will remove this effect.
Reanimation (Ex): If reduced to 0 hit points or less the restless elf falls into a death-like state and is considered helpless. The body of the restless elf begins to rapidly heal, restoring 1 hit point per minute. When fully healed the restless elf regains consciousness and is no longer considered helpless. The only way to permanently destroy the restless elf is to either cut off its head while it is helpless or by giving it a proper burial on hallowed ground.
Combat Style: The restless elf has selected archery as its combat style. It gains the benefits of the Rapid Shot and Manyshot feats while it wears light or no armor.
Favored Enemies: The restless elf has selected orcs and aberrations as its favored enemies. It gains a bonus equal to +4 against orcs and +2 against aberrations on its Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against these types of creatures. It gets the same bonus on weapon damage rolls against creatures of these types.
Wild Empathy (Ex): The restless elf can make a wild empathy check (1d20 + 7) to improve the attitude of an animal in the same manner that a Diplomacy check can change the attitude of a person. It and the animal must be able to study each other in order for it to use this ability.
Elven Traits: Immunity to sleep spells and effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects.
Undead Traits: Immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects or is harmless. Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage to its physical ability scores, ability drain, energy drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or death from massive damage. It cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if it is willing.
******************************
I took a wild guess for the LA and I did rush through the sample so it may have some mistakes I might have missed.
I created this template to fill the void between the low powered undead templates (skeletons, zombies) and the high powered undead templates (ghosts, liches, vampires). I made it to sort of act as the undead version of the fiendish template (though its not as versatile as the fiendish template which could be applied to almost any creature).
Last edited:
Oh, well, back to the drawing board... 
