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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Pants" data-source="post: 2544837" data-attributes="member: 8849">Here's a couple I've been mulling over for a while.The Unliving Brain I actually playtested! It worked as quite a deadly foil to a group of 6 level 4 PC's. No one died, but the brain dominated one of the characters, who quickly dropped the Bard to negatives in one hit and then it started mind thrusting the hell out of everything, all while staying concealed amongst a group of dormant brains and gnoll zombies. It was fun, but I think it works best if you only use it once or twice during a campaign or so.Anyways...UNLIVING BRAINTiny Undead (Psionic)Hit Dice: 3d12 (19 hp)Initiative: +2Speed: Fly 30 ft. (good) (6 squares)Armor Class: 17 (+2 size, +2 Dex, +3 deflection), touch 17, flat-footed 15Base Attack/Grapple: –/–Attack: –Full Attack: –Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./–Special Attacks: Mind thrust, psi–like abilities, rebuke undeadSpecial Qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., madness, telepathy 100 ft., turn resistance +4, undead traits, unholy graceSaves: Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +9Abilities: Str –, Dex 14, Con –, Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 16Skills: Bluff +9, Concentration +9, Diplomacy +13, Knowledge (Psionics) +9, Psicraft +11, Sense Motive +7, Spellcraft +9Feats: Great Fortitude, Iron WillEnvironment: AnyOrganization: SolitaryChallenge Rating: 4Treasure: NoneAlignment: Usually neutral evilAdvancement: 4–9 HD (Tiny)Flying towards you is a humanoid brain, glowing with a strange energy.Creations of the insane and the truly depraved, unliving brains (more commonly called a ‘brain in a jar’ due to their usual locations…) are undead creatures given life by intermixing negative energy and psionic power. Truly brilliant creatures, unliving brains seek to gain power by dominating the living and the dead.Sometimes, unliving brains arise spontaneously from the bodies of powerful humanoid psions whose minds were psionically focused at the time of death. Other times, mad scientists or necromancers create them for use as servants, spies, or advisors.Unliving brains remember nothing of their former lives, but all display an aptitude for psionic advancement.An unliving brain resembles a normal humanoid brain, though somewhat withered.COMBATIf an unliving brain discovers hostile creatures, it first attempts to dominate the most physically powerful looking member of the party. After the ensuing chaos, the brain attempts to remain hidden and it targets the remaining members with its mind thrust and psionic suggestion powers. Madness (Su): Anyone targeting an unliving brain with a thought detection, mind control, telepathic, or psionic ability makes direct contact with its tortured mind and takes 1d4 points of Wisdom damage. A successful Will save DC 14 negates the Wisdom damage.As a standard action, the unliving brain can attempt to force any one creature that it is communicating with telepathically to take the Wisdom damage. A successful Will save negates the damage.Mind Thrust (Sp): As a standard action, the unliving brain can target a creature with 30 ft. with a mind thrust power (manifester level 2nd). The creature targeted takes 2d10 points of damage. A successful Will save (DC 14) negates the damage. The save DC is Charisma-based.Psi-Like Abilities: At will – detect hostile intent, detect psionics; 3/day – psionic suggestion (up to 3 targets within 15 feet of each other, DC 15)*, telekinetic force (one object weighing up to 300 lbs, DC 16)*; 1/day – psionic dominate (DC 17). Manifester level 7th. The save DC’s are Charisma-based.* Includes augmentation for the unliving brain's manifester level.Rebuke Undead (Su): An unliving brain can rebuke or command undead as a cleric of the same level as the unliving brain’s Hit Dice (normally 3). It gains a +3 bonus on its turn check and it deals 2d6+6 points of turning damage on a successful check.Unholy Grace (Su): An unliving brain adds its Charisma modifier as a bonus on all its saving throws and as a deflection bonus to its AC.CREATING AN UNLIVING BRAINAn unliving brain can be created with a create undead spell by a caster of at least 14th-level. The caster must have 6 ranks in either Psicraft or Knowledge (psionics). The caster must also possess a psicrystal which is used as a focus item. The body used in the spell must be of a human, elf, dwarf, githzerai, githyanki, maenad, or xeph. The brain of the creature must be removed before the spell is cast, and the black onyx material component must be placed atop the brain.This next one hails from the ancient days of 2e and Ravenloft.GIANT SKELETONLarge UndeadHit Dice: 6d12 (39 hp)Initiative: +5Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)Armor Class: 16 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +6 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 15Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+13Attack: Claw +8 melee (1d8+6) or scythe +8 melee (2d6+9 x4)Full Attack: 2 claws +8 melee (1d8+6) or scythe +8 melee (2d6+9 x4)Space/Reach: 10 ft./10 ft.Special Attacks: FireballSpecial Qualities: Damage reduction 5/bludgeoning, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to fire, resistance to cold 10, turn resistance +2, undead traitsSaves: Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +5Abilities: Str 22, Dex 13, Con –, Int –, Wis 10, Cha 1Skills: –Feats: Improved Initiative (B)Environment: AnyOrganization: SolitaryChallenge Rating: 4Treasure: StandardAlignment: Always neutral evilAdvancement: 7-12 HD (Large)A large skeletal creature shambles towards you, a large scythe gripped in its bony fingers. Within its cavernous ribcage, a strange, magical fire burns.The ignorant seem to think that giant skeletons are the bodies of fire giants stripped of their flesh and animated with fell energies. This is not true. Giant skeletons are created by magically enlarging the bones of a dead human and imbuing the corpse with a fiery essence.Giant skeletons can follow simple orders, but are otherwise utterly mindless creatures.A giant skeleton stands 12 feet tall and weighs only 400 pounds.COMBATGiant skeletons are simple opponents. Unless otherwise directed to, they simply attack with their claws or whatever weapons they’ve been armed with (usually scythes, though bone spears are common). They don’t seem to know that they possess a powerful fireball ability and usually forget to use it, unless their creator tells them to use it.Fireball (Sp): Three times per day, a giant skeleton can reach into its chest and taking hold of some of the magical fire contained therein, it can launch a fireball as the spell (caster level 8th). A successful Reflex save (DC 12) halves the damage. The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +4 racial bonus. CREATING A GIANT SKELETONA giant skeleton can be created with a create undead spell cast by a caster of at least 11th-level. The corpse must be placed on a pyre created by a magical fire effect of some kind. The corpse used must be a human’s.Also, I've got a <a href="http://www.geocities.com/paranoidus_maximus/DeathKnight.htm" target="_blank">Revised Death Knight Template</a> up on my site. I'm too lazy to repost it here, so I'll just link it. I also have the angel of decay, death knight, and unliving brain up on my site as .doc and .pdf files.</blockquote>

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