Template: Elder Eternal Evil

[Epametheus]

Alright, here goes.. This is kinda disorganized, since I just copied and pasted from a .txt file.
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Elder Eternal Evil Template (no level equivalent; this is not meant for PCs, period)

What it can be applied to: Evil outsiders, Undead

Pre-reqs: Completed hit die advancement, if applicable; combined class-level/hit-die total of 40 or more; evil alignment; infamy (ex: if the creature's name is used to scare children world-wide, or if the creature is actually known and feared by the inhabitants of an Outer Plane); history (the creature has been around a long, long time); a granter of the status (such as diety directly connected to the creature, though a few rare and completely unique creatures come into being with this template (ex: the Fenris Wolf)).

Type: As base creature, with elder eternal evil added as a sub-type.

Movement: Normally same as base creature, though something may change on a case-by-case basis.

Hit dice: HP becomes max for each die, with an additional +2 HP for each hit die

Stat mods: +6 to all stats possessed by the creature

Saves: The creature gains a +6 profane bonus to all saves

Skills: The creature is considered to have Skill Mastery in all skills it possesses.

AC: As base creature.

Feats: The creature gains 5 bonus feats, to be spent as it sees fit.

SR: Set to 35, unless the base creature's SR is better -- only the strongest of mortal spellcasters have any real chance of effecting an elder eternal evil.

Special Qualities:
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Aura of Desecration: the area within 100 ft of an EEE is considered to be under the effects of
a Desecrate spell; this is a supernatural ability, and the EEE can turn it on or off as a free action.

Unbindable: Perhaps with the exception of a 9th level spell researched with the specific purpose of binding the creature (and even then, it is not likely to succeed), no mortal summoning magic can control/restrain an elder eternal evil. Deities can compel such creatures, but many find it easier to simply bargain with them.

Unbanishable: Nothing short of a Wish or a Miracle can remove the creature from the plane it is on, and even those allow a saving throw. This includes the set of Word spells, Maze, and other spells that shift the creature to a pocket dimension against its will. It can elect to allow a spell to affect it, though.

Improved Unhallow: An EEE can cast Unhallow as a standard action, at will. This is a spell-like ability. The casting time is reduced to a standard action.

Eternal: An elder eternal evil can only be permenantly slain on its home plane. If special conditions need to be carried out to slay it (such as shattering a lich's phylactery), these must also be performed on the home; vanquishing an elder eternal evil off of it's home plane simply banishes it back to it's home plane 1d4 years, and it cannot leave the plane during this time. For undead creatures, the home plane normally defaults to the Negative Energy Plane. If an EEE is actually properly slain on its home plane, its spirit merges with the plane, and cannot be recalled even by the intervention of a greater power. In the very rare cases where the plane in question is the Prime or a non-evil outer plane, the results of the merger can be devastating. In rare cases, however, it has been possible to confine the creature's spirit once its (im)material form has been destroyed off of its home plane.

Aura of Malice: All adverseries of an EEE within an area of up to 1000' radius are under the effects of an Emotion: Despair spell. It can expand or contract the area within this limit as a free action every round. No save or SR is allowed against the effect, and it cannot be countered Emotion: Hope or similar spells, unless the origin of the Hope effect is from something of higher status than the EEE. This is a supernatural ability.

No Language Barrier: An EEE can be understood by any creature, and can understand any creature, regardless of whether or not it's sentient or even has a mind.

Rebuking: An Elder Eternal Evil can rebuke creatures of its base type (evil outsider or undead) as a cleric with a level equal to the EEE's combined level and hit dice, 6 + cha mod times a day. Outsiders are assumed to have +4 turn resistance. The peers of the Elder Eternal Evil shall recognize its dominion.
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Alignment: Always evil (any); NO exceptions

Treasure: Errr... Staggering?

CR: +3? Though the CR of any such creature is often completely off the scale, anyways.
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Anyways, thoughts? Opinions?

 

[EOL]

First off I assume this is something you're putting together in anticipation of Epic Level Rules? Because I have a hard time seeing where even a 20th level party would have any hope of defeating an EEE.

That being said I like it, though I pity the party that runs into so many of these things that you decided to standardize around a template. And when I say I like it I mean it's probably something I'll be using in my campaign (once the epic level rules come out)

I have a couple of comments, first why no AC increase? You adda bonus to everything else why leave out AC. I would think +5 to it's natural armor (in addition to the natural armor it already had) would be right in line with the concept. Along these lines I would also include some DR (base creature probably already has it, but just in case...) you wouldn't want this puppy damaged by the rusty longsword from over the hearth.

The big question is whether the CR matches the template the majority of templates give a +2 so I could see where a +3 might seem appropriate, but I still think it's low. I would be inclined to go with at least a +4 and I don't think a +5 would be completely out of the question.

 

[The Iron Mark]

*imagines a EEE Tarrasque*

*Has a heart attack and dies*

 

[LostSoul]

"Elder Eternal" sounds strange. I picture all Eternal things as old because they've been around for an eternity.

Although I guess you could have a new, cute-as-buttons, baby Eternal Evil.

 

[Crothian]

Why so powerful? Let's look at hp alone. We'll take a creature with a d10 HD. He ussually average 6. You increase that to max +2. So, thewre's a gain of 6 hp on the HD and you're increasing the con by 6, which adds an additional 3 hp per HD for a total of +9hp per HD. That's insane. I'd say the CR needs to be +5 or even +6.

 

[EOL]

Why so powerful? Let's look at hp alone. We'll take a creature with a d10 HD. He ussually average 6. You increase that to max +2. So, thewre's a gain of 6 hp on the HD and you're increasing the con by 6, which adds an additional 3 hp per HD for a total of +9hp per HD. That's insane. I'd say the CR needs to be +5 or even +6.

I would have to agree that the amount of additional hp's this templete gets is pretty excessive. You might want to tone that done a little bit. However on the other hand hit points become less and less important the higher the campaign level is. They never become unimportant but the party has far more options than just beating on a monster until it's dead.

 

[Epametheus]

Thanks..

Seriously, the HP aspect doesn't bother me much. High level parties have a staggering damage potential (especially if the party is larger than the "standard" four), and I've seen a monster with 430 someting HP, an AC of 44, and a 30 SR (it was 22 HD pit fiend with some magic items) get dropped from about 300 or so to 0 within about one round's time, after about half the party had been incapacitated. I guess the additional +2 per die is overkill, though.

Hmmm... Perhaps +5 to existing natural armor, or +5 to existing deflection bonus (in the case the creature is insubstantial and has deflection instead of natural) and a granted DR of 30/+5 (unless the base DR is better) would be in order.

Hmmm... +5 CR may be in order, but it's also very relative.. A creature with the template may well have a by-the-book CR of something like 39 (ex: a 39 hit die pit fiend with 20 levels of wizard -- though ideally, something with the template will be much cooler than that), which is nearly meaningless, since a party that could actually deal with the L20 wizard aspect of it could sure as hell deal with the 39 HD pit fiend aspect of it.