The Tygre
2011-07-26, 05:17 PM
The Mourner in Black
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/6021/shotrememberamadeus09jp.jpg
"Don't you ever laugh as the hearse goes by,
For you may be the next to die.
They wrap you up in a big white sheet,
From your head down to your feet.
They put you in a big black box,
And cover you up with dirt and rocks.
All goes well for about a week,
Then your coffin begins to leak..."
~ The Hearse Song
Mourner in Black
Medium Undead (Extraplanar, Incoporeal, Native)
Hit Dice: 7d12 (46 hp)
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Initiative: +1
Armor Class 13; touch 13; flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +2 Deflection bonus)
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/-
Attack: Incorporeal touch +5 melee (1d4 plus 1d6 Dexterity damage)
Full-Attack: Incorporeal touch +5 melee (1d4 plus 1d6 Dexterity damage)
Space: 5 ft.; Reach: 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Dexterity damage, Manifestation, Unburdened Grief
Special Qualities: Cold Iron Weakness, Immunities, Incorporeal, Swift as a Shadow
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +9
Abilities: Str -, Dex 12, Con -, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 14
Skills: Diplomacy +14, Hide +4, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (Local) +4, Knowledge (Religion) +3, Listen +7, Search +6, Sense Motive +10, Spot +7
Feats: Ability Focus (Dexterity Damage), Alertness – B, Iron Will, Negotiator
Environment: Any urban
Organization: Solitary, Procession (3-10)
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually Lawful Neutral
Advancement: 8-15 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -
You feel it before you see it. Out of the mist, a tall figure draped in black emerges, silent and regal. Its face is concealed, but somehow you know that it is a familiar visage. Passing by, the shadowy figure leaves a chill behind it.
Death comes to all things. It is the inevitable fate of all creatures, and even the immortals know that they cannot exist forever. Day by day, hour by hour, the living enter the land of the dead. It is custom to pay respect to the dearly departed, to mourn their passing. But not all know of the finality of death, and that is where the Mourners in Black step in.
The Mourners in Black are undead who revere the power of death. But while other undead creatures with similar inclinations despise the living, the Mourners pity them and afford them respect. It is a Mourner’s duty to weep for the soldier with no name, the corpse without a face, or those missing and never found. When tears cannot be shed, or voices cannot cry out, the Mourners are there. In life, they were devotees of gods of death, judgment, and peace. Their respect for the black abyss beyond the veil carried them away from their final resting place, and into duty to those who have gone ahead in silence.
Mourners are drawn to the power of death and enervation. At their mortal deaths, Mourners go not into the Outer Planes, but as close to the heart of entropy, the Plane of Negative Energy, as the can; the Plane of Shadows. From that border region of shade and twilight, they keep a close watch on the Material Plane, waiting for whenever they might be needed. The Plane of Shadows is the Mourners' home, sitting between life and total oblivion. When a Mourner's work is done, it returns to the Plane of Shadows until it is needed again. Rumors from planar travelers hint at a base for the Mourners in Black, a great citadel or necropolis where the vigilant dead confer.
Most mortal interaction with Mourners actually comes before a death. Countless tales and studies of ghosts and the paranormal will show the Mourners’ presence. The Mourners visit the living for the same reason they guard the dead; respect for death, and to give comfort that would otherwise be denied. The stories are always the same; relatives of the deceased sit by, peaceful and ignorant to any dire news. In the dark of the night, a stranger concealed in black arrives. No matter how the stranger is met, it always relays news of the deceased. Before any further questions can be asked, the stranger disappears, never to be heard from again.
At particularly momentous deaths, multiple Mourners in Black will sometimes gather together and form a full funeral procession. These events are haunting sights, with the Mourners joylessly carrying a black coffin or following a dark carriage. Performed in the late hours of the night, Mourner processions are dire omens for any who witness them.
Mourners in Black stand between five and six feet tall, though they have been known to alter their height from time to time. As incorporeal beings, they have no weight, but when manifested weigh the same as an average human. Mourners in Black speak Common and whatever languages they (and the deceased) spoke in life.
Combat
Mourners in Black prefer not to fight, and will avoid combat if they can. However, their defense of the dead is unshakeable, and a Mourner will fight to its destruction to stop the desecration of the dead. Mourners with a cause are also single-minded in their task, and will stop at nothing to deliver their ominous messages.
Aura of Grief (Su): Every round that an enemy remains within 20 feet of a Mourner in Black, he or she must make a Will save (DC 17 ) or be overcome with grief and regret, becoming unable to move or attack for 1d4 rounds. Victims may still defend themselves, however. A successful save renders the subject immune to that Mourner in Black's aura of grief for 24 hours. The save is charisma-based. This ability only affects living creatures with an Intelligence of 3 or more.
Cold Iron Weakness (Ex): The Mourner in Black is a being of death and the lands beyond that blackness. In addition to all the forms of damage an incorporeal creature is already susceptible to, a Mourner in Black also takes damage from Cold Iron weapons and effects.
Dexterity Damage (Su): The touch of a Mourner in Black is cold as the grave, and chills living flesh to the very bone. Living creatures hit by a Mourner in Black’s incorporeal touch attack must succeed on DC 17 Fortitude save or take 1d6 Dexterity damage. The DC is Charisma based.
In addition, while bearing no mechanical effect, affected creatures will always bear some kind of mark showing where the Mourner contacted them.
Manifestation (Su): Every mourner in black has this ability. When a mourner in black manifests, it becomes visible and corporeal on the Material Plane in order to interact with creatures and objects. They may still use their incorporeal touch while manifesting and can choose to move through objects at will although any carried objects are dropped when this occurs.
Swift as a Shadow (Sp): Mourners in Black are creatures of gloom and melancholy. They go where they are needed, and then disappear back into the dark. A Mourner in Black may Shadow Walk, as the spell, once per day (Caster Level 10th). This effect works solely on the Mourner in Black; the Mourner cannot take anyone else with it.
Unburdened Grief (Su): To bear the sorrow of the forgotten dead, to hold anger and sadness at one’s very heart would break a mere mortal. The Mourners in Black are, at their core, mourning made manifest, and even their grief can overwhelm them. In the face of those who would disrespect the fallen, the Mourners find a way to release their agony. 3/day, a Mourner in Black may pull away their dark trappings and unleash a 60 ft. cone of undiluted misery and pain. This effect deals 7d6 damage, Fortitude save DC 15 negates. This DC is Charisma based.
Plot Hooks
+ The PCs have been hired to investigate a rash of deaths in the local gravedigger's guild. It turns out that the culprit is a Mourner in Black that has become angry with the gravediggers for not only failing to do their job on a timely basis (which might mean anything from letting corpses rot too long to taking a break to eat and rest), but also for not allowing anyone else to conduct the burials, even family members. It's up to the PCs to either negotiate, or pick a side.
+ The most simple premise; a Mourner in Black visits one of the PCs. Whether out in the wilderness or at the heart of the city, the Mourner delivers its ominous message and leaves. But who was it really for; the PC, or someone they know?
+ The PCs come upon a sight of incredible rarity; a dying Mourner in Black. While in corporeal form, something attacked the Mourner and gravely wounded it. The Mourner asks for the PCs to relay its final message before it fades away entirely.
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/6021/shotrememberamadeus09jp.jpg
"Don't you ever laugh as the hearse goes by,
For you may be the next to die.
They wrap you up in a big white sheet,
From your head down to your feet.
They put you in a big black box,
And cover you up with dirt and rocks.
All goes well for about a week,
Then your coffin begins to leak..."
~ The Hearse Song
Mourner in Black
Medium Undead (Extraplanar, Incoporeal, Native)
Hit Dice: 7d12 (46 hp)
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Initiative: +1
Armor Class 13; touch 13; flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +2 Deflection bonus)
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/-
Attack: Incorporeal touch +5 melee (1d4 plus 1d6 Dexterity damage)
Full-Attack: Incorporeal touch +5 melee (1d4 plus 1d6 Dexterity damage)
Space: 5 ft.; Reach: 5 ft.
Special Attacks: Dexterity damage, Manifestation, Unburdened Grief
Special Qualities: Cold Iron Weakness, Immunities, Incorporeal, Swift as a Shadow
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +3, Will +9
Abilities: Str -, Dex 12, Con -, Int 11, Wis 15, Cha 14
Skills: Diplomacy +14, Hide +4, Intimidate +6, Knowledge (Local) +4, Knowledge (Religion) +3, Listen +7, Search +6, Sense Motive +10, Spot +7
Feats: Ability Focus (Dexterity Damage), Alertness – B, Iron Will, Negotiator
Environment: Any urban
Organization: Solitary, Procession (3-10)
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually Lawful Neutral
Advancement: 8-15 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -
You feel it before you see it. Out of the mist, a tall figure draped in black emerges, silent and regal. Its face is concealed, but somehow you know that it is a familiar visage. Passing by, the shadowy figure leaves a chill behind it.
Death comes to all things. It is the inevitable fate of all creatures, and even the immortals know that they cannot exist forever. Day by day, hour by hour, the living enter the land of the dead. It is custom to pay respect to the dearly departed, to mourn their passing. But not all know of the finality of death, and that is where the Mourners in Black step in.
The Mourners in Black are undead who revere the power of death. But while other undead creatures with similar inclinations despise the living, the Mourners pity them and afford them respect. It is a Mourner’s duty to weep for the soldier with no name, the corpse without a face, or those missing and never found. When tears cannot be shed, or voices cannot cry out, the Mourners are there. In life, they were devotees of gods of death, judgment, and peace. Their respect for the black abyss beyond the veil carried them away from their final resting place, and into duty to those who have gone ahead in silence.
Mourners are drawn to the power of death and enervation. At their mortal deaths, Mourners go not into the Outer Planes, but as close to the heart of entropy, the Plane of Negative Energy, as the can; the Plane of Shadows. From that border region of shade and twilight, they keep a close watch on the Material Plane, waiting for whenever they might be needed. The Plane of Shadows is the Mourners' home, sitting between life and total oblivion. When a Mourner's work is done, it returns to the Plane of Shadows until it is needed again. Rumors from planar travelers hint at a base for the Mourners in Black, a great citadel or necropolis where the vigilant dead confer.
Most mortal interaction with Mourners actually comes before a death. Countless tales and studies of ghosts and the paranormal will show the Mourners’ presence. The Mourners visit the living for the same reason they guard the dead; respect for death, and to give comfort that would otherwise be denied. The stories are always the same; relatives of the deceased sit by, peaceful and ignorant to any dire news. In the dark of the night, a stranger concealed in black arrives. No matter how the stranger is met, it always relays news of the deceased. Before any further questions can be asked, the stranger disappears, never to be heard from again.
At particularly momentous deaths, multiple Mourners in Black will sometimes gather together and form a full funeral procession. These events are haunting sights, with the Mourners joylessly carrying a black coffin or following a dark carriage. Performed in the late hours of the night, Mourner processions are dire omens for any who witness them.
Mourners in Black stand between five and six feet tall, though they have been known to alter their height from time to time. As incorporeal beings, they have no weight, but when manifested weigh the same as an average human. Mourners in Black speak Common and whatever languages they (and the deceased) spoke in life.
Combat
Mourners in Black prefer not to fight, and will avoid combat if they can. However, their defense of the dead is unshakeable, and a Mourner will fight to its destruction to stop the desecration of the dead. Mourners with a cause are also single-minded in their task, and will stop at nothing to deliver their ominous messages.
Aura of Grief (Su): Every round that an enemy remains within 20 feet of a Mourner in Black, he or she must make a Will save (DC 17 ) or be overcome with grief and regret, becoming unable to move or attack for 1d4 rounds. Victims may still defend themselves, however. A successful save renders the subject immune to that Mourner in Black's aura of grief for 24 hours. The save is charisma-based. This ability only affects living creatures with an Intelligence of 3 or more.
Cold Iron Weakness (Ex): The Mourner in Black is a being of death and the lands beyond that blackness. In addition to all the forms of damage an incorporeal creature is already susceptible to, a Mourner in Black also takes damage from Cold Iron weapons and effects.
Dexterity Damage (Su): The touch of a Mourner in Black is cold as the grave, and chills living flesh to the very bone. Living creatures hit by a Mourner in Black’s incorporeal touch attack must succeed on DC 17 Fortitude save or take 1d6 Dexterity damage. The DC is Charisma based.
In addition, while bearing no mechanical effect, affected creatures will always bear some kind of mark showing where the Mourner contacted them.
Manifestation (Su): Every mourner in black has this ability. When a mourner in black manifests, it becomes visible and corporeal on the Material Plane in order to interact with creatures and objects. They may still use their incorporeal touch while manifesting and can choose to move through objects at will although any carried objects are dropped when this occurs.
Swift as a Shadow (Sp): Mourners in Black are creatures of gloom and melancholy. They go where they are needed, and then disappear back into the dark. A Mourner in Black may Shadow Walk, as the spell, once per day (Caster Level 10th). This effect works solely on the Mourner in Black; the Mourner cannot take anyone else with it.
Unburdened Grief (Su): To bear the sorrow of the forgotten dead, to hold anger and sadness at one’s very heart would break a mere mortal. The Mourners in Black are, at their core, mourning made manifest, and even their grief can overwhelm them. In the face of those who would disrespect the fallen, the Mourners find a way to release their agony. 3/day, a Mourner in Black may pull away their dark trappings and unleash a 60 ft. cone of undiluted misery and pain. This effect deals 7d6 damage, Fortitude save DC 15 negates. This DC is Charisma based.
Plot Hooks
+ The PCs have been hired to investigate a rash of deaths in the local gravedigger's guild. It turns out that the culprit is a Mourner in Black that has become angry with the gravediggers for not only failing to do their job on a timely basis (which might mean anything from letting corpses rot too long to taking a break to eat and rest), but also for not allowing anyone else to conduct the burials, even family members. It's up to the PCs to either negotiate, or pick a side.
+ The most simple premise; a Mourner in Black visits one of the PCs. Whether out in the wilderness or at the heart of the city, the Mourner delivers its ominous message and leaves. But who was it really for; the PC, or someone they know?
+ The PCs come upon a sight of incredible rarity; a dying Mourner in Black. While in corporeal form, something attacked the Mourner and gravely wounded it. The Mourner asks for the PCs to relay its final message before it fades away entirely.