Ouranos
2010-02-01, 05:21 PM
So, I'm a big fan of Highlander. Always have been. Many years ago I found a sourcebook online someone wrote up for a Highlander character, with lots of goodies and extras and details, and still have it if anyone wants the whole thing. But it looks like a poor hodgepodge of a Homebrew, and I wanted to actually flesh it out, make it worthwhile. Here's the template itself, I'd like to start here and then work our way through the rest that really needs fixing.
Template Traits
“Immortal” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid, or monstrous humanoid (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The creature’s type changes to Immortal. It uses all of the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted in this book.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2.
Hit Dice: Same as the base creature
Speed: Same as the base creature.
Defense: Same as the base creature.
Attacks: Same as the base creature.
Special Qualities: The following qualities are basic abilities for all Immortals. These powers first appear after the character receives his “First Death.”
First Death: is the date the Immortal dies from his mortal self and is reborn into immortality. First Death can only happen as a violent death. This could come from an accident, combat, or any other form of trauma. If a pre-Immortal dies from old age or disease, (a non-trauma death), then the pre-Immortal, dies a mortal death, and is not reborn as an Immortal. The date of the characters first death should be recorded on the Player Character’s sheet along with the place and how.
Age Freeze: The Immortal’s age freezes at the time of First Death. The Immortal physical appears to remain at this age, and will not age again, until the Prize is won.
Immortals can be magically aged, (with all the effects of normal aging applying), but they will re-grow younger at a rate of 1 year per day, if a successful Quickening save is made at a DC of 12. If the save is not made the Immortal must wait to try again the following day at the same DC.
Quickening Powers: Immortals all have a stored pool of Quickening that can be used for various Quickening Powers. Immortals receive one Quickening Power at first death, then again after every 250 years of age. See chapter on “Quickening” for further details.
Regeneration: Immortals regenerate at 1 Hit Point per every 20 combat rounds, (2 minutes). This rate increases with Immortals age, at a rate of 1 Hit Point per 100 years of age. Thus, an Immortal who is at the age of 2000 would regenerate 1 hit point every combat round. If a limb, or any other body part other than the head, is cut off or lost in some other way, it will re-grow back, eventually. Any limbs that are severed will re-grow in HP x 1 year.
Example: Liam cuts Claris arm off, causing 25 Hit Points of damage. It will take 25 years to re-grow a new arm. If the detached limb can be found before the stump heals up, it will then re-attach normally. But it will take twice as long to regenerate the lost hit points.
Sense Quickening: This allows the Immortal to sense other Immortals at a radius of 1 foot x 10 years of age. Thus an Immortal, who was 250 years old, could be able to sense another Immortal within a 25-foot radius of him.
This ability also allows an Immortal to sense Holy Ground with the same range. This ability will not let the Immortal pinpoint the other Immortal in a crowd of people. Once an Immortal enters the range of another Immortal, nether can be surprised, although they can be caught “flat footed” if they do not make a successful Quickening save at a DC of 10. Newborn Immortals will become nauseated from the feeling. The feeling of nausea will remain until another Immortal explains what he is feeling and the rules of the game to him or her.
Weapon Bond: This is the only trait that appears after his mentor trains the Immortal. This trait cannot be utilized until after the proper training and time is acquired, (six months is a good rule of thumb), at the end of the training period, the Immortal must make a successful Quickening save at a DC or 12 to empower his first weapon. If the save fails, then the Immortal must spend another month in training before he can retry to bond with his weapon.
The Immortal becomes bonded to a particular weapon of his choice. Through this weapon, the Immortal is able to evoke various other Quickening Powers (Empower weapon, Hide weapon, Weapon Breech, etc). Only one weapon may be bonded at one time. If a second weapon is bonded, the first weapon looses the ability to channel Quickening powers. The cost to bond to a new weapon is a permanent loses of ¼ the Immortal’s Quickening Points. This lose can be avoided altogether, if the player makes a successful Quickening save at a DC of 20.
Advancement: By character class.
Alignment or Allegiances: Same as the base creature
Saves: Quickening Save: This is a new saving throw category. To find the Immortal’s total save modifier you add the Immortal’s Honor ability score modifier, plus 1 point for every 250 years of life.
Action Points: If used, same as the base creature
Reputation Bonus: If used, same as the base creature
Ability Scores: Immortal Characters should use the method of rolling ability scores as determined by the game world and the Dungeon Master.
Honor: Honor is a new ability score, and uses the same ability modifiers as the other normal abilities. A player’s Honor Score represents how well your character can follow the rules of the “Game”. You apply your character’s Honor modifier to: Quickening saves, Quickening Powers, Age related abilities, and various other Immortal related skills.
Players begin with an Honor Score between 3 and 18. Alignment does play a factor in your character’s Honor score. The following are modifiers added to your final Honor score.
Lawful add a +1
Good adds a +1
Chaotic subtracts a –1
Evil subtracts a –1
Neutral has no modifiers.
Optionally the DM can determine the player’s Honor score based on the Immortal’s alignment. Average Honor Scores based on Alignment:
A chaotic alignment should start between 12 and 13.
A neutral alignment should start between 14 and 16.
A lawful alignment should start between 17 and 18.
A DM’s review of the Immortal’s Honor score can be at anytime it seems necessary; but a good rule of thumb is to check it after the end of an adventure or story line. Remember that is harder to gain honor than too loss honor. Honor is a set of rules that a person lives and dies by. It is much easier not having a code to live by then it is to live up to one.
A player’s Honor score can be increased or decreased based on the DM’s judgment on how well the Immortal plays the Game. This based on the DM judgment, but some violations of the “Game” have some set loses.
Some examples are as follows:
Exposing the Game to mortals is a loss of 1 point of honor. This loss can be prevented if the mortal can be trusted not to expose the Game. The Immortal then must make a successful Quickening save at a DC of 20.
Attacking on Holy Ground is a loss of ½ of the Honor ability, by the attacking Immortal, and ¼ points of the defending Immortal. The defending Immortal can make a Quickening save at a DC of 30 to avoid the loss of Honor.
Teaming up against another Immortal (i.e. two on one) is a loss of 6 points.
These are but a few examples to be used as guide lines, the final judgment is up to the DM.
Skills: Age of the Immortal has an effect on skills he has learned. Every 100 years, an Immortal can increase his known skills by his Honor score bonus. For each point of a skill, the Immortal must make a Quickening save at a DC of 15 to increase the skill. This can only be attempted once every 100 years.
Feats: Immortals begin play with the "Basic Dueling Feat" once their training is completed. From then on, the Dueling Feats can be acquired, as you would normally gain feats.
This is the base template, and as I said I can provide the netbook they came from, but wanted to start here and then add more of the details later.
Template Traits
“Immortal” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid, or monstrous humanoid (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The creature’s type changes to Immortal. It uses all of the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted in this book.
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +2.
Hit Dice: Same as the base creature
Speed: Same as the base creature.
Defense: Same as the base creature.
Attacks: Same as the base creature.
Special Qualities: The following qualities are basic abilities for all Immortals. These powers first appear after the character receives his “First Death.”
First Death: is the date the Immortal dies from his mortal self and is reborn into immortality. First Death can only happen as a violent death. This could come from an accident, combat, or any other form of trauma. If a pre-Immortal dies from old age or disease, (a non-trauma death), then the pre-Immortal, dies a mortal death, and is not reborn as an Immortal. The date of the characters first death should be recorded on the Player Character’s sheet along with the place and how.
Age Freeze: The Immortal’s age freezes at the time of First Death. The Immortal physical appears to remain at this age, and will not age again, until the Prize is won.
Immortals can be magically aged, (with all the effects of normal aging applying), but they will re-grow younger at a rate of 1 year per day, if a successful Quickening save is made at a DC of 12. If the save is not made the Immortal must wait to try again the following day at the same DC.
Quickening Powers: Immortals all have a stored pool of Quickening that can be used for various Quickening Powers. Immortals receive one Quickening Power at first death, then again after every 250 years of age. See chapter on “Quickening” for further details.
Regeneration: Immortals regenerate at 1 Hit Point per every 20 combat rounds, (2 minutes). This rate increases with Immortals age, at a rate of 1 Hit Point per 100 years of age. Thus, an Immortal who is at the age of 2000 would regenerate 1 hit point every combat round. If a limb, or any other body part other than the head, is cut off or lost in some other way, it will re-grow back, eventually. Any limbs that are severed will re-grow in HP x 1 year.
Example: Liam cuts Claris arm off, causing 25 Hit Points of damage. It will take 25 years to re-grow a new arm. If the detached limb can be found before the stump heals up, it will then re-attach normally. But it will take twice as long to regenerate the lost hit points.
Sense Quickening: This allows the Immortal to sense other Immortals at a radius of 1 foot x 10 years of age. Thus an Immortal, who was 250 years old, could be able to sense another Immortal within a 25-foot radius of him.
This ability also allows an Immortal to sense Holy Ground with the same range. This ability will not let the Immortal pinpoint the other Immortal in a crowd of people. Once an Immortal enters the range of another Immortal, nether can be surprised, although they can be caught “flat footed” if they do not make a successful Quickening save at a DC of 10. Newborn Immortals will become nauseated from the feeling. The feeling of nausea will remain until another Immortal explains what he is feeling and the rules of the game to him or her.
Weapon Bond: This is the only trait that appears after his mentor trains the Immortal. This trait cannot be utilized until after the proper training and time is acquired, (six months is a good rule of thumb), at the end of the training period, the Immortal must make a successful Quickening save at a DC or 12 to empower his first weapon. If the save fails, then the Immortal must spend another month in training before he can retry to bond with his weapon.
The Immortal becomes bonded to a particular weapon of his choice. Through this weapon, the Immortal is able to evoke various other Quickening Powers (Empower weapon, Hide weapon, Weapon Breech, etc). Only one weapon may be bonded at one time. If a second weapon is bonded, the first weapon looses the ability to channel Quickening powers. The cost to bond to a new weapon is a permanent loses of ¼ the Immortal’s Quickening Points. This lose can be avoided altogether, if the player makes a successful Quickening save at a DC of 20.
Advancement: By character class.
Alignment or Allegiances: Same as the base creature
Saves: Quickening Save: This is a new saving throw category. To find the Immortal’s total save modifier you add the Immortal’s Honor ability score modifier, plus 1 point for every 250 years of life.
Action Points: If used, same as the base creature
Reputation Bonus: If used, same as the base creature
Ability Scores: Immortal Characters should use the method of rolling ability scores as determined by the game world and the Dungeon Master.
Honor: Honor is a new ability score, and uses the same ability modifiers as the other normal abilities. A player’s Honor Score represents how well your character can follow the rules of the “Game”. You apply your character’s Honor modifier to: Quickening saves, Quickening Powers, Age related abilities, and various other Immortal related skills.
Players begin with an Honor Score between 3 and 18. Alignment does play a factor in your character’s Honor score. The following are modifiers added to your final Honor score.
Lawful add a +1
Good adds a +1
Chaotic subtracts a –1
Evil subtracts a –1
Neutral has no modifiers.
Optionally the DM can determine the player’s Honor score based on the Immortal’s alignment. Average Honor Scores based on Alignment:
A chaotic alignment should start between 12 and 13.
A neutral alignment should start between 14 and 16.
A lawful alignment should start between 17 and 18.
A DM’s review of the Immortal’s Honor score can be at anytime it seems necessary; but a good rule of thumb is to check it after the end of an adventure or story line. Remember that is harder to gain honor than too loss honor. Honor is a set of rules that a person lives and dies by. It is much easier not having a code to live by then it is to live up to one.
A player’s Honor score can be increased or decreased based on the DM’s judgment on how well the Immortal plays the Game. This based on the DM judgment, but some violations of the “Game” have some set loses.
Some examples are as follows:
Exposing the Game to mortals is a loss of 1 point of honor. This loss can be prevented if the mortal can be trusted not to expose the Game. The Immortal then must make a successful Quickening save at a DC of 20.
Attacking on Holy Ground is a loss of ½ of the Honor ability, by the attacking Immortal, and ¼ points of the defending Immortal. The defending Immortal can make a Quickening save at a DC of 30 to avoid the loss of Honor.
Teaming up against another Immortal (i.e. two on one) is a loss of 6 points.
These are but a few examples to be used as guide lines, the final judgment is up to the DM.
Skills: Age of the Immortal has an effect on skills he has learned. Every 100 years, an Immortal can increase his known skills by his Honor score bonus. For each point of a skill, the Immortal must make a Quickening save at a DC of 15 to increase the skill. This can only be attempted once every 100 years.
Feats: Immortals begin play with the "Basic Dueling Feat" once their training is completed. From then on, the Dueling Feats can be acquired, as you would normally gain feats.
This is the base template, and as I said I can provide the netbook they came from, but wanted to start here and then add more of the details later.