Not exactly new but somewhat revised. What do you think of the
- CR
- complexity
- 'fear factor'?
- 'fun factor'?
I'll post this one to the Wiki when it's ~finalized
Vlith (revised)
Medium-Sized Outsider (Evil, Incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 8d8 + 24 (60 hit points)
Initiative: +5 (+5 dex)
Speed: fly 20 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 16 (+5 Dex, +1 deflection)
Base Attack/Grapple: +8 / --
Attack: Incorporeal tentacle +14 melee touch (2d10 + 1d4 wisdom damage + special)
Full Attack: 2 incorporeal tentacles +14 melee touch (2d10 + 1d4 wisdom damage + special)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. / 10 ft.
Special Attacks: Wisdom Damage, Fear (DC 15), Unholy Residue (DC 15), Possession (DC 15), Soul Eating (DC 15), Darkfinger, Quick Dispelling
Special Qualities: Incorporeal, Total Concealment, Damage Reduction 5/-, Vlith Immunities, SR 23, Blindsight 60’, Telepathy, Incorporeal Divine Spark, Willful Ignorance, Unholy Grace, Vlith Hop, Force Resistant, Primal Form
Saves: Fort +7, Reflex +12, Will +12
Abilities: STR -, DEX 21, CON 17, INT 19, WIS 17, CHA 13
Skills: Spot +14, Search +15, Hide +26, Sense Motive +14, Intimidate +12, Bluff +12, Knowledge (Religion) +15, Knowledge (Planes) +15, Spellcraft +15, Listen +14, Concentration +24, Diplomacy +12
Feats: Improved Critical (tentacle), Whirlwind Attack , Eschew Material Components , Combat Reflexes, Iron Will, Weapon Focus (tentacle)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 13 (14 with Soul Eating)
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always Neutral Evil
Advancement: 9-32 HD (Medium)
A vlith appears as a shifting, shadowy, amorphous region about 5' in diameter which is somewhat darker at the center but is translucent; it resembles an incorporeal ooze. If slain, its form will dissipate. They are native to the Gray Waste, though they can be found on various planes. They are thought to be distant relatives of Soul Eaters, although those incorporeal creatures hail from the Plane of Shadow.
Vliths do not eat, sleep, breathe, or age. They can live almost anywhere and in almost any environment.
Vliths sometimes are agents of some greater power, but usually just want to gain knowledge and power in any case. Most vliths spend a lot of time in possessed bodies (see below). They sometimes find it amusing to rule over mortals, in a possessed body, without revealing their true nature.
Combat: A vlith attacks with a pair of incorporeal tentacles. Its tentacles are prehensile, so it could wield ghost touch weapons.
A favorite tactic is for it to hide under a floor or behind a wall, taking advantage of its incorporeality and reach by peeking out slightly and using its tentacles. Treat it as having cover (+4 AC).
Fear (su): A victim struck by the vlith’s attack make a Will save (DC 15) (after the wisdom damage) or become shaken for 1d20 rounds. If already shaken he becomes frightened, and if already frightened he becomes panicked. If a panicked victim is reduced to 0 Wisdom he must make a Will save or the panic is permanent. The permanent panic can be removed by a remove curse or a heal spell, but not by dispel magic or remove fear. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Unholy Residue (ex): The vlith can make an attack that causes an effect similar to confusion (as the spell, except that the creature will not attack the vlith, except that when ‘act normally’ is rolled it can do so) for 1d6 rounds (Will DC 15 negates) (after the wisdom damage) instead of causing Fear. This results from a small fragment of the vlith’s soul being left in the victim’s body, which fights to take control of the victim until it dissipates, and as such it is not a mind-affecting power and it can affect constructs or undead. If the victim is reduced to 0 Wisdom or is mindless (having no Intelligence score), then during this time he will take simple telepathic orders from the vlith as if he is a zombie, and can make only a partial action each round to carry them out, which must be very simple and can not involve spellcasting but can involve an attack.
Possession (su): The vlith can attempt to possess a body or object by making a touch attack as a standard action. If the victim fails a Will save (DC 15) the vlith’s shadowy form disappears as it enters the body. A possessed body can’t be Turned or Rebuked even if it happens to be undead. The vlith can Possess up to 1/day, but failed attempts don’t count against that limit. The possession is otherwise the same as described for possessing fiends in the Book of Vile Darkness. (If you don’t have the BoVD, treat this as similar to the magic jar spell, but without the jar and with no time limit, and able to possess constructs.)
Soul Eating (su): 50% of vliths have this power, especially older ones, which have performed some ritual to acquire it. A creature slain by the vlith’s attack or whose Wisdom score is dropped to 0 by it must make a Will save (DC 15, Cha based); if the save fails the victim’s soul has been absorbed by the vlith. The creature dies immediately, and cannot be raised or resurrected. If the vlith is slain, it is possible that the victim could be brought back by a wish or miracle spell (against which the vlith’s SR applies) followed by true ressurection.
Darkfinger (ex): Once per day as a free action, the vlith can extend a tentacle up to 250’, which can be used to make any touch attack, such as a normal attack, Possession, or a spell-like ability. It can also be used as one normal attack as part of a full attack.
Vlith hop (su): As a move action up to once per round, it can teleport itself a short distance, up to 20’.
Quick Dispelling (su): As a free action, this acts as greater dispelling, but no caster level check is needed. It can be used up to 3 times per day, and up to once per round.
Mind Blank (su): The vlith is protected from divinations and other effects as if by the spell.
Telepathy (su): The vlith can mentally communicate with any creature that has a mind (Int 1+) within 100'.
Incorporeal Divine Spark (ex): Unlike other incorporeal creatures, the vlith does not vanish in an anti-magic field or null magic zone. Its attacks can still cause damage and Wisdom damage in such areas, and it can use (ex) abilities.
Willful Ignorance (su): The vlith can ignore the effects of any one attack, magic, or other power that would otherwise affect it by making a DC 25 Will save. The ignored attack has no effect. The vlith can decide to use this power after all its other defenses have been overcome, such as an attack that would otherwise hit it or it failing a saving throw. This is an immediate action and can be used up to once per day, but failed attempts don’t count against this limit. Using this ability does not prevent use of Quick Dispelling in the same round.
Unholy Grace (ex): It receives its Charisma bonus to saving throws.
Total Concealment (ex): Because of the vlith’s vague and blurry form it has total concealment, giving attacks on it a 50% miss chance, in addition to any miss chance due to its incorporeal nature. (Combined miss chance = 75%.)
Vlith Immunities: It is immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect works on objects or is harmless. It is also immune to ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, holy water, negative energy, mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, disintegration, possession, stunning, disease, death effects, and sonic effects (including any spell with the sonic descriptor). It is not subject to critical hits and cannot be flanked. As an incorporeal creature it cannot grapple or be grappled, even by force effects.
Primal Form (ex): Attempts by other creatures to assume the form of a vlith (such as via polymorph or shapechange spells) fail.
Force resistant: Force attacks cause it half damage.
Skills: A vlith gets a +10 racial bonus to Hide and to Concentration.
Feats: A vlith gets Improved Critical (tentacle) and Whirlwind Attack as bonus feats despite not having the prerequisites. Vliths who are spellcasters get the benefits of the Eschew Material Components feat.
Advancement: A vlith has Spell Resistance = 19 + ½ racial Hit Dice + class levels. Advanced vliths with additional racial hit dice often have additional, unique abilities.
Treasure: It usually has useful magic items if it spends a long time in a body. Even if it doesn’t spend much time in bodies, it favors using books that grant inherent bonuses. Often the other treasure will be distributed among servants or the like.
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Vlith (advanced, 32 HD)
Medium-Sized Outsider (Evil, Incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 32d8 + 128 (272 hit points)
Initiative: +9 (+5 dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: fly 20 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 19 (+5 Dex, +4 deflection)
Base Attack/Grapple: +32 / --
Attack: Incorporeal touch +38 melee (2d10 + 1d4 wisdom damage + special)
Full Attack: 2 incorporeal touches +38 melee (2d10 + 1d4 wisdom damage + special)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. / 10 ft.
Special Attacks: Wisdom Damage, Fear (DC 32), Unholy Residue (DC 32), Possession (DC 32), Soul Eating (DC 30), Darkfinger, Quick Dispelling
Special Qualities: Incorporeal, Total Concealment, Damage Reduction 5/-, Vlith Immunities, SR 35, Blindsight 60’, Telepathy, Incorporeal Divine Spark, Willful Ignorance, Unholy Grace, Vlith Hop, Force Resistant, Primal Form
Saves: Fort +26, Reflex +31, Will +29
Abilities: STR -, DEX 21, CON 17, INT 19, WIS 17, CHA 19
Skills: Spot +38, Search +39, Hide +50, Sense Motive +38, Intimidate +39, Bluff +39, Knowledge (Religion) +39, Knowledge (Planes) +39, Spellcraft +39, Listen +38, Concentration +48, Diplomacy +39
Feats: Improved Critical (tentacle), Whirlwind Attack , Eschew Material Components , Combat Reflexes, Iron Will, Weapon Focus (tentacle), Improved Toughness, Combat Expertise, Ability Focus (Panic, Possession, Unholy Residue), Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Improved Initiative
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 25 (26 with Soul Eating)
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always Neutral Evil
Advancement: by character class
- CR
- complexity
- 'fear factor'?
- 'fun factor'?
I'll post this one to the Wiki when it's ~finalized
Vlith (revised)
Medium-Sized Outsider (Evil, Incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 8d8 + 24 (60 hit points)
Initiative: +5 (+5 dex)
Speed: fly 20 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 16 (+5 Dex, +1 deflection)
Base Attack/Grapple: +8 / --
Attack: Incorporeal tentacle +14 melee touch (2d10 + 1d4 wisdom damage + special)
Full Attack: 2 incorporeal tentacles +14 melee touch (2d10 + 1d4 wisdom damage + special)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. / 10 ft.
Special Attacks: Wisdom Damage, Fear (DC 15), Unholy Residue (DC 15), Possession (DC 15), Soul Eating (DC 15), Darkfinger, Quick Dispelling
Special Qualities: Incorporeal, Total Concealment, Damage Reduction 5/-, Vlith Immunities, SR 23, Blindsight 60’, Telepathy, Incorporeal Divine Spark, Willful Ignorance, Unholy Grace, Vlith Hop, Force Resistant, Primal Form
Saves: Fort +7, Reflex +12, Will +12
Abilities: STR -, DEX 21, CON 17, INT 19, WIS 17, CHA 13
Skills: Spot +14, Search +15, Hide +26, Sense Motive +14, Intimidate +12, Bluff +12, Knowledge (Religion) +15, Knowledge (Planes) +15, Spellcraft +15, Listen +14, Concentration +24, Diplomacy +12
Feats: Improved Critical (tentacle), Whirlwind Attack , Eschew Material Components , Combat Reflexes, Iron Will, Weapon Focus (tentacle)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 13 (14 with Soul Eating)
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always Neutral Evil
Advancement: 9-32 HD (Medium)
A vlith appears as a shifting, shadowy, amorphous region about 5' in diameter which is somewhat darker at the center but is translucent; it resembles an incorporeal ooze. If slain, its form will dissipate. They are native to the Gray Waste, though they can be found on various planes. They are thought to be distant relatives of Soul Eaters, although those incorporeal creatures hail from the Plane of Shadow.
Vliths do not eat, sleep, breathe, or age. They can live almost anywhere and in almost any environment.
Vliths sometimes are agents of some greater power, but usually just want to gain knowledge and power in any case. Most vliths spend a lot of time in possessed bodies (see below). They sometimes find it amusing to rule over mortals, in a possessed body, without revealing their true nature.
Combat: A vlith attacks with a pair of incorporeal tentacles. Its tentacles are prehensile, so it could wield ghost touch weapons.
A favorite tactic is for it to hide under a floor or behind a wall, taking advantage of its incorporeality and reach by peeking out slightly and using its tentacles. Treat it as having cover (+4 AC).
Fear (su): A victim struck by the vlith’s attack make a Will save (DC 15) (after the wisdom damage) or become shaken for 1d20 rounds. If already shaken he becomes frightened, and if already frightened he becomes panicked. If a panicked victim is reduced to 0 Wisdom he must make a Will save or the panic is permanent. The permanent panic can be removed by a remove curse or a heal spell, but not by dispel magic or remove fear. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Unholy Residue (ex): The vlith can make an attack that causes an effect similar to confusion (as the spell, except that the creature will not attack the vlith, except that when ‘act normally’ is rolled it can do so) for 1d6 rounds (Will DC 15 negates) (after the wisdom damage) instead of causing Fear. This results from a small fragment of the vlith’s soul being left in the victim’s body, which fights to take control of the victim until it dissipates, and as such it is not a mind-affecting power and it can affect constructs or undead. If the victim is reduced to 0 Wisdom or is mindless (having no Intelligence score), then during this time he will take simple telepathic orders from the vlith as if he is a zombie, and can make only a partial action each round to carry them out, which must be very simple and can not involve spellcasting but can involve an attack.
Possession (su): The vlith can attempt to possess a body or object by making a touch attack as a standard action. If the victim fails a Will save (DC 15) the vlith’s shadowy form disappears as it enters the body. A possessed body can’t be Turned or Rebuked even if it happens to be undead. The vlith can Possess up to 1/day, but failed attempts don’t count against that limit. The possession is otherwise the same as described for possessing fiends in the Book of Vile Darkness. (If you don’t have the BoVD, treat this as similar to the magic jar spell, but without the jar and with no time limit, and able to possess constructs.)
Soul Eating (su): 50% of vliths have this power, especially older ones, which have performed some ritual to acquire it. A creature slain by the vlith’s attack or whose Wisdom score is dropped to 0 by it must make a Will save (DC 15, Cha based); if the save fails the victim’s soul has been absorbed by the vlith. The creature dies immediately, and cannot be raised or resurrected. If the vlith is slain, it is possible that the victim could be brought back by a wish or miracle spell (against which the vlith’s SR applies) followed by true ressurection.
Darkfinger (ex): Once per day as a free action, the vlith can extend a tentacle up to 250’, which can be used to make any touch attack, such as a normal attack, Possession, or a spell-like ability. It can also be used as one normal attack as part of a full attack.
Vlith hop (su): As a move action up to once per round, it can teleport itself a short distance, up to 20’.
Quick Dispelling (su): As a free action, this acts as greater dispelling, but no caster level check is needed. It can be used up to 3 times per day, and up to once per round.
Mind Blank (su): The vlith is protected from divinations and other effects as if by the spell.
Telepathy (su): The vlith can mentally communicate with any creature that has a mind (Int 1+) within 100'.
Incorporeal Divine Spark (ex): Unlike other incorporeal creatures, the vlith does not vanish in an anti-magic field or null magic zone. Its attacks can still cause damage and Wisdom damage in such areas, and it can use (ex) abilities.
Willful Ignorance (su): The vlith can ignore the effects of any one attack, magic, or other power that would otherwise affect it by making a DC 25 Will save. The ignored attack has no effect. The vlith can decide to use this power after all its other defenses have been overcome, such as an attack that would otherwise hit it or it failing a saving throw. This is an immediate action and can be used up to once per day, but failed attempts don’t count against this limit. Using this ability does not prevent use of Quick Dispelling in the same round.
Unholy Grace (ex): It receives its Charisma bonus to saving throws.
Total Concealment (ex): Because of the vlith’s vague and blurry form it has total concealment, giving attacks on it a 50% miss chance, in addition to any miss chance due to its incorporeal nature. (Combined miss chance = 75%.)
Vlith Immunities: It is immune to any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless the effect works on objects or is harmless. It is also immune to ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, holy water, negative energy, mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, disintegration, possession, stunning, disease, death effects, and sonic effects (including any spell with the sonic descriptor). It is not subject to critical hits and cannot be flanked. As an incorporeal creature it cannot grapple or be grappled, even by force effects.
Primal Form (ex): Attempts by other creatures to assume the form of a vlith (such as via polymorph or shapechange spells) fail.
Force resistant: Force attacks cause it half damage.
Skills: A vlith gets a +10 racial bonus to Hide and to Concentration.
Feats: A vlith gets Improved Critical (tentacle) and Whirlwind Attack as bonus feats despite not having the prerequisites. Vliths who are spellcasters get the benefits of the Eschew Material Components feat.
Advancement: A vlith has Spell Resistance = 19 + ½ racial Hit Dice + class levels. Advanced vliths with additional racial hit dice often have additional, unique abilities.
Treasure: It usually has useful magic items if it spends a long time in a body. Even if it doesn’t spend much time in bodies, it favors using books that grant inherent bonuses. Often the other treasure will be distributed among servants or the like.
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Vlith (advanced, 32 HD)
Medium-Sized Outsider (Evil, Incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 32d8 + 128 (272 hit points)
Initiative: +9 (+5 dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: fly 20 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 19 (+5 Dex, +4 deflection)
Base Attack/Grapple: +32 / --
Attack: Incorporeal touch +38 melee (2d10 + 1d4 wisdom damage + special)
Full Attack: 2 incorporeal touches +38 melee (2d10 + 1d4 wisdom damage + special)
Space/Reach: 5 ft. / 10 ft.
Special Attacks: Wisdom Damage, Fear (DC 32), Unholy Residue (DC 32), Possession (DC 32), Soul Eating (DC 30), Darkfinger, Quick Dispelling
Special Qualities: Incorporeal, Total Concealment, Damage Reduction 5/-, Vlith Immunities, SR 35, Blindsight 60’, Telepathy, Incorporeal Divine Spark, Willful Ignorance, Unholy Grace, Vlith Hop, Force Resistant, Primal Form
Saves: Fort +26, Reflex +31, Will +29
Abilities: STR -, DEX 21, CON 17, INT 19, WIS 17, CHA 19
Skills: Spot +38, Search +39, Hide +50, Sense Motive +38, Intimidate +39, Bluff +39, Knowledge (Religion) +39, Knowledge (Planes) +39, Spellcraft +39, Listen +38, Concentration +48, Diplomacy +39
Feats: Improved Critical (tentacle), Whirlwind Attack , Eschew Material Components , Combat Reflexes, Iron Will, Weapon Focus (tentacle), Improved Toughness, Combat Expertise, Ability Focus (Panic, Possession, Unholy Residue), Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Improved Initiative
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 25 (26 with Soul Eating)
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Always Neutral Evil
Advancement: by character class
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