I made a template recently for a soon-to-be bard minion of a necromancer character of mine (long story).
The things is, none of the templates that I had seen quite fit. Zombies were dumb, slow, and too ugly. Vampires were too strong. The character was still fleshy so Skeleton wouldn't work. So, I made my own. This template is meant to be something like a super-well preserved zombie, that still has all of its memories and such. just a little more creepy. and dead. Of course.
note: Lakidaa does not have the Libris Mortis or the BoVD. woe.
This template may be added to any sentinent living being that has a body made of flesh (ie, no Dryads, Warforged, Vampires, or Elementals)
Description: The Gray Man is a marvel of necromancy, a sort of zombie that is very, very close in appearance to its living counterparts that was preserved with a combination of spells, resins, and a special kind of lacquer. They look near-identical to their living counterparts, but with greyed flesh and a sheen from the coats of sealant that keep their skin safe from rot and other Bad Things. The limbs and places with delicate skin (usually the face) are coated with extra layers, creating a sort of mask that is both protective and really creepy. Their minds are exactly the same before death, with memory and personality intact, but they also remember the experience of dying and being brought back.
Becoming a Gray Man: a creature can be made into a Gray Man only if his skull is completely intact and unharmed. His body must also be in good condition, but being in one piece is not neccessary. The creature must have at least 3/4 of its limbs intact. The spells Raise Dead and Gentle Reposte must be cast on the body by a caster of at least 10th level, and the body must be specially treated; his internal organs must be removed and replaced with suitable approximations, his flesh must be preserved with concoctions and the Getle Reposte spell, and his major orifices must be sealed, in order to lessen the risk of mold and other things hiding inside the body. Even though the flesh won't deteriorate, it is never a good thing to have a wasp's nest inside a chest cavity. These things all cost 1000 GP, including the needed payment to a qualified NPC caster. If you start off as a creature with the Gray Man template, you do not have to worry about these costs, but a Gray Man is usually in the service of another to pay off this cost. Consult the GM about this.
-note: this is supposed to be priced as a distractingly attractive alternative to a Ressurection from a temple. adjust the costs accordingly.
Changes:
Type: you gain the Type undead, and lose any other types you had before. You do not gain the Augmented type.
HD: all HD become D12, and you lose all Con-bonus HP.
Saves: as your class, except the Fort save doesn't matter anymore. (except where it does. Thanks, Andre. Lakidaa is silly)
AC: you gain an AC bonus equivalent to the ones listed on the Zombie template (see the SRD 3.5)
Stats:
Str: +2 Your flesh is harder and tougher and generally stronger.
Dex: -2 Your flesh is a bit, ah, gummy from the resins and lacquers.
Con: Null. as an undead, you have no Con.
Int: +/- 0 Your brain is perfectly preserved, through the Gentle Repose spell. Almost good enough to eat
.
Wis: +2 You died. You saw death and the great beyond. That widens anyone's horizons.
Cha: -2 You look creepy and off. Not to mention the slight reek of chemicals and the other things used to preserve you.
Conditions:
Senses: you have no sense of smell or taste. You cannot Track by scent.
Water Weakness: If you are out in the rain/in water for 10 minutes without protection, the chemicals and resins that keep you together begin to re-liquefy. Every 10 minutes in the rain without some protection, take 1d4 Dex damage. This can be reparied by being hit with an inflict spell that heals as much HP as you have Dex in one go (fex: Fred has 12 Dex, so he needs 12 HP healed by one spell), being dried out by a spell (If you are hit by one of those spells when in this soggy state, you instantly regain all your Dex, but are not healed), or hanging out by a fire for a number of hours equal to 1/2 your Dex score, doing nothing but attending to yourself, respeading the resins equally so you don't end up all goopy. You are considered flatfooted and unarmed for that time, as you have to put the weapons down(if you can deal lethal damage with a natural weapon, you are armed, but flatfooted.). If your Dex hits 0, you are unable to move or speak, and must be repaired by a spellcaster of at least 10th level that can apply the Gray Man template. The cost to repair you is 1/2 your Dex x 100 GP, +200 GP to pay a NPC to help you. The spellcaster must succeed on a Spellcraft roll DC of 15 plus your Dex modifier for you to be repaired. This repairing process takes two uninterrupted days to complete, and when finished all Dex damage is undone.
note: just stepping outside for a nip isn't going to damage your Dex. We're talking walking around in a good rainstorm. Being dunked for some time will hurt your Dex, wading through a puddle (quick) won't, so long as you try to mop yourself off a bit.
Turning: You can be Turned, Rebuked, or Bolstered, but never Commanded. You can be destroyed outright. You have +4 Turning resistance, though.
Desiccating Absorbtion: You are not only unnaffected by spells that try to dry you out, you are healed by them. Gain 1 HP back for every 3 damage that would have been dealt to you.
Abilites: you keep all class and racial abilites, and gain two new ones:
Wail(Su): As a full round action, you can release a piercing wail from the Great Beyond. Everyone in a 15' cone in front of the Gray Man makes a Will save (DC 10+(1/2 your level+Cha Modifier)). If a person so afflicted fails, they are shaken for one round. You may use this ability 1+your Cha modifier times per day. Creatures that are deafened add a +4 bonus to their saving throws. This ability is not a sonic ability, so sonic resistance does not prevent the effect.
Hollow Innards: You have enough room in your abdominal cavity to hide things. These things can only be accessed by cutting open the stitches that keep your psudeo-guts inside. A Medium-Sized creature can hide 5 pounds of stuff, and for every size category, double the carrying capacity. a Small one can store about 3 pounds, and every size category below it can hold half as much as the one above it. Unstiching youself is a move-action, and grabbing an item from inside is a separate action. You can stitch yourself (or get someone to help you) shut, but it takes 5 minutes (as a Medium creature. Add 5 minutes for every size category up, and half it for every one down) to do so. You can sneak anything in your hollow innards past someone with a Sense Motive check DC 35, and they have to be suspicious of you to even require such a roll. Most people don't think about these things. You can fit things inside within reason. No hiding a greataxe inside a medium creature, no matter the weight. Those things are big.
LA: +1
The things is, none of the templates that I had seen quite fit. Zombies were dumb, slow, and too ugly. Vampires were too strong. The character was still fleshy so Skeleton wouldn't work. So, I made my own. This template is meant to be something like a super-well preserved zombie, that still has all of its memories and such. just a little more creepy. and dead. Of course.
note: Lakidaa does not have the Libris Mortis or the BoVD. woe.
This template may be added to any sentinent living being that has a body made of flesh (ie, no Dryads, Warforged, Vampires, or Elementals)
Description: The Gray Man is a marvel of necromancy, a sort of zombie that is very, very close in appearance to its living counterparts that was preserved with a combination of spells, resins, and a special kind of lacquer. They look near-identical to their living counterparts, but with greyed flesh and a sheen from the coats of sealant that keep their skin safe from rot and other Bad Things. The limbs and places with delicate skin (usually the face) are coated with extra layers, creating a sort of mask that is both protective and really creepy. Their minds are exactly the same before death, with memory and personality intact, but they also remember the experience of dying and being brought back.
Becoming a Gray Man: a creature can be made into a Gray Man only if his skull is completely intact and unharmed. His body must also be in good condition, but being in one piece is not neccessary. The creature must have at least 3/4 of its limbs intact. The spells Raise Dead and Gentle Reposte must be cast on the body by a caster of at least 10th level, and the body must be specially treated; his internal organs must be removed and replaced with suitable approximations, his flesh must be preserved with concoctions and the Getle Reposte spell, and his major orifices must be sealed, in order to lessen the risk of mold and other things hiding inside the body. Even though the flesh won't deteriorate, it is never a good thing to have a wasp's nest inside a chest cavity. These things all cost 1000 GP, including the needed payment to a qualified NPC caster. If you start off as a creature with the Gray Man template, you do not have to worry about these costs, but a Gray Man is usually in the service of another to pay off this cost. Consult the GM about this.
-note: this is supposed to be priced as a distractingly attractive alternative to a Ressurection from a temple. adjust the costs accordingly.
Changes:
Type: you gain the Type undead, and lose any other types you had before. You do not gain the Augmented type.
HD: all HD become D12, and you lose all Con-bonus HP.
Saves: as your class, except the Fort save doesn't matter anymore. (except where it does. Thanks, Andre. Lakidaa is silly)
AC: you gain an AC bonus equivalent to the ones listed on the Zombie template (see the SRD 3.5)
Stats:
Str: +2 Your flesh is harder and tougher and generally stronger.
Dex: -2 Your flesh is a bit, ah, gummy from the resins and lacquers.
Con: Null. as an undead, you have no Con.
Int: +/- 0 Your brain is perfectly preserved, through the Gentle Repose spell. Almost good enough to eat
.Wis: +2 You died. You saw death and the great beyond. That widens anyone's horizons.
Cha: -2 You look creepy and off. Not to mention the slight reek of chemicals and the other things used to preserve you.
Conditions:
Senses: you have no sense of smell or taste. You cannot Track by scent.
Water Weakness: If you are out in the rain/in water for 10 minutes without protection, the chemicals and resins that keep you together begin to re-liquefy. Every 10 minutes in the rain without some protection, take 1d4 Dex damage. This can be reparied by being hit with an inflict spell that heals as much HP as you have Dex in one go (fex: Fred has 12 Dex, so he needs 12 HP healed by one spell), being dried out by a spell (If you are hit by one of those spells when in this soggy state, you instantly regain all your Dex, but are not healed), or hanging out by a fire for a number of hours equal to 1/2 your Dex score, doing nothing but attending to yourself, respeading the resins equally so you don't end up all goopy. You are considered flatfooted and unarmed for that time, as you have to put the weapons down(if you can deal lethal damage with a natural weapon, you are armed, but flatfooted.). If your Dex hits 0, you are unable to move or speak, and must be repaired by a spellcaster of at least 10th level that can apply the Gray Man template. The cost to repair you is 1/2 your Dex x 100 GP, +200 GP to pay a NPC to help you. The spellcaster must succeed on a Spellcraft roll DC of 15 plus your Dex modifier for you to be repaired. This repairing process takes two uninterrupted days to complete, and when finished all Dex damage is undone.
note: just stepping outside for a nip isn't going to damage your Dex. We're talking walking around in a good rainstorm. Being dunked for some time will hurt your Dex, wading through a puddle (quick) won't, so long as you try to mop yourself off a bit.
Turning: You can be Turned, Rebuked, or Bolstered, but never Commanded. You can be destroyed outright. You have +4 Turning resistance, though.
Desiccating Absorbtion: You are not only unnaffected by spells that try to dry you out, you are healed by them. Gain 1 HP back for every 3 damage that would have been dealt to you.
Abilites: you keep all class and racial abilites, and gain two new ones:
Wail(Su): As a full round action, you can release a piercing wail from the Great Beyond. Everyone in a 15' cone in front of the Gray Man makes a Will save (DC 10+(1/2 your level+Cha Modifier)). If a person so afflicted fails, they are shaken for one round. You may use this ability 1+your Cha modifier times per day. Creatures that are deafened add a +4 bonus to their saving throws. This ability is not a sonic ability, so sonic resistance does not prevent the effect.
Hollow Innards: You have enough room in your abdominal cavity to hide things. These things can only be accessed by cutting open the stitches that keep your psudeo-guts inside. A Medium-Sized creature can hide 5 pounds of stuff, and for every size category, double the carrying capacity. a Small one can store about 3 pounds, and every size category below it can hold half as much as the one above it. Unstiching youself is a move-action, and grabbing an item from inside is a separate action. You can stitch yourself (or get someone to help you) shut, but it takes 5 minutes (as a Medium creature. Add 5 minutes for every size category up, and half it for every one down) to do so. You can sneak anything in your hollow innards past someone with a Sense Motive check DC 35, and they have to be suspicious of you to even require such a roll. Most people don't think about these things. You can fit things inside within reason. No hiding a greataxe inside a medium creature, no matter the weight. Those things are big.
LA: +1
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