The Demented One
2006-12-17, 04:04 PM
Carrion-Bound
A Carrion-Bound is a sinister creation employed by unscrupulous druids as servants or guardians. Though they appear to be undead, they are actually a hive of assorted vermin dwelling within and magically bound to a corpse. Because a Carrion-Bound has no more intelligence than any vermin, all Carrion-Bound are bound to the service of a druid. Such creatures could almost be mistaken for decomposing zombies, were it not for the constant undulation of vermin within them, and the flowing of refuse from their orifices. The creation of a Carrion-Bound does not use any evil magic, and is not in itself evil, but most druids frown on their creation, as most druids who create them use them for nefarious purposes.
Creating A Carrion-Bound
Carrion-Bound is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal, living aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, or monstrous humanoid.
Hit Dice
Convert all HD to d8. Any class levels the base creature had are lost, and are replaced with a Vermin HD.
Size and Type
Type changes to Vermin. Size remains unchanged.
Base Attack Bonus
A Carrion Bound has a base attack bonus equal to three-quarters its HD, as a cleric.
Special Attacks
A Carrion-Bound retains any extraordinary special attacks of the base creature, but loses any supernatural or spell-like abilities of the base creature. It also gains the following attacks.
Spew Vermin (Ex)
Once per day, a Carrion-Bound may expel a swarm of vermin from its body. It may choose to expel a swarm of either centipedes, locusts, or spiders. The swarm appears in a square adjacent to the Carrion-Bound, and fights with mindless loyalty. The swarm fights for a number of rounds equal to the Carrion-Bound’s HD, after which it disperses, and all surviving members retreat back to the Carrion-Bound’s body.
Stinging Touch (Ex)
A Carrion-Bound’s limbs are covered in cruel, barbed stingers, which allow it to make a touch attack that deals 1d6 damage. In addition, a creature damaged by the touch attack is exposed to a potent poison, with a Fortitude save equal to 10 + ½ the Carrion-Bound’s HD + the Carrion-Bound’s Con modifier. The poison has initial and secondary damage of 1d3 Str damage, 1d3 Dex damage, and 1 Con damage.
Special Qualities
A Carrion-Bound retains any extraordinary special qualities of the base creature, but loses any supernatural or spell-like qualities of the base creature. It also gains the following qualities.
Decomposing (Ex)
The corpse-husk of a Carrion-Bound is constantly decomposing. Each day, a Carrion-Bound must make a DC 20 Fortitude save or permanently lose a single point of hp.
Mindless Traits (Ex)
A Carrion-Bound has no intelligence score, and is immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
Mystic Bond (Ex)
A Carrion-Bound is mystically linked with the druid that created it. As long as it remains within 1 mile of that druid, the druid may see through his senses, taking a standard action to switch between his own point of view and the Carrion-Bound’s. In addition, the druid may telepathically communicate with the Carrion-Bound. Should the Carrion-Bound go further than 1 mile/caster level of the druid, it begins decomposing at an accelerated rate, and must make a Fortitude save every hour, rather than every day.
Spider Climb (Ex)
A Carrion-Bound can climb sheer surfaces, as the spider climb spell.
Vermin Empathy (Ex)
A Carrion-Bound can improve the attitude of vermin. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The Carrion-Bound rolls 1d20 and adds its HD and Cha modifier to determine the vermin empathy check result.
Saves
A Carrion-Bound has a good Fortitude save, but poor Reflex and Will saves.
Abilities
Increase from the base creature as follows: Str -2, Dex +4, Con +2, Wis +2. A Carrion-Bound has no Intelligence score, and has a Charisma score of 1.
Skills
Being mindless, a Carrion-Bound loses all of its purchased skill ranks. However, they receive a +5 racial bonus on all Climb, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, and Spot checks.
Feats
Being mindless, a Carrion-Bound loses all of its feats. However, it gains Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, and Lightning Reflexes as bonus feats.
Challenge Rating
As base creature plus two.
Level Adjustment
None
[hr]
Creating a Carrion-Bound
Some druids choose to create Carrion-Bound to serve them. Creating a Carrion-Bound first requires acquiring a suitable corpse, which must be treated with preservative fluids worth 5,000 gp. The body must then be buried under a pile of offal and refuse, and left their for a week, during which various vermin seek out and nest in the body cavity of the corpse. Once the week has passed, the creator must unearth the body, and begin the final portion of the ritual. He must spend 8 hours chanting in the Druidic tongue. At the end of the ritual, he must spend 250 xp per HD of the Carrion-Bound to be created, and cast the awaken spell (the xp spent replaces awaken’s normal xp cost). This causes the residing vermin to unite in a hivemind under the service of the druid, creating the Carrion-Bound. A druid may control only one Carrion-Bound at a time, and cannot control a Carrion-Bound whose HD exceed his caster level.
A Carrion-Bound is a sinister creation employed by unscrupulous druids as servants or guardians. Though they appear to be undead, they are actually a hive of assorted vermin dwelling within and magically bound to a corpse. Because a Carrion-Bound has no more intelligence than any vermin, all Carrion-Bound are bound to the service of a druid. Such creatures could almost be mistaken for decomposing zombies, were it not for the constant undulation of vermin within them, and the flowing of refuse from their orifices. The creation of a Carrion-Bound does not use any evil magic, and is not in itself evil, but most druids frown on their creation, as most druids who create them use them for nefarious purposes.
Creating A Carrion-Bound
Carrion-Bound is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal, living aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, or monstrous humanoid.
Hit Dice
Convert all HD to d8. Any class levels the base creature had are lost, and are replaced with a Vermin HD.
Size and Type
Type changes to Vermin. Size remains unchanged.
Base Attack Bonus
A Carrion Bound has a base attack bonus equal to three-quarters its HD, as a cleric.
Special Attacks
A Carrion-Bound retains any extraordinary special attacks of the base creature, but loses any supernatural or spell-like abilities of the base creature. It also gains the following attacks.
Spew Vermin (Ex)
Once per day, a Carrion-Bound may expel a swarm of vermin from its body. It may choose to expel a swarm of either centipedes, locusts, or spiders. The swarm appears in a square adjacent to the Carrion-Bound, and fights with mindless loyalty. The swarm fights for a number of rounds equal to the Carrion-Bound’s HD, after which it disperses, and all surviving members retreat back to the Carrion-Bound’s body.
Stinging Touch (Ex)
A Carrion-Bound’s limbs are covered in cruel, barbed stingers, which allow it to make a touch attack that deals 1d6 damage. In addition, a creature damaged by the touch attack is exposed to a potent poison, with a Fortitude save equal to 10 + ½ the Carrion-Bound’s HD + the Carrion-Bound’s Con modifier. The poison has initial and secondary damage of 1d3 Str damage, 1d3 Dex damage, and 1 Con damage.
Special Qualities
A Carrion-Bound retains any extraordinary special qualities of the base creature, but loses any supernatural or spell-like qualities of the base creature. It also gains the following qualities.
Decomposing (Ex)
The corpse-husk of a Carrion-Bound is constantly decomposing. Each day, a Carrion-Bound must make a DC 20 Fortitude save or permanently lose a single point of hp.
Mindless Traits (Ex)
A Carrion-Bound has no intelligence score, and is immune to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
Mystic Bond (Ex)
A Carrion-Bound is mystically linked with the druid that created it. As long as it remains within 1 mile of that druid, the druid may see through his senses, taking a standard action to switch between his own point of view and the Carrion-Bound’s. In addition, the druid may telepathically communicate with the Carrion-Bound. Should the Carrion-Bound go further than 1 mile/caster level of the druid, it begins decomposing at an accelerated rate, and must make a Fortitude save every hour, rather than every day.
Spider Climb (Ex)
A Carrion-Bound can climb sheer surfaces, as the spider climb spell.
Vermin Empathy (Ex)
A Carrion-Bound can improve the attitude of vermin. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The Carrion-Bound rolls 1d20 and adds its HD and Cha modifier to determine the vermin empathy check result.
Saves
A Carrion-Bound has a good Fortitude save, but poor Reflex and Will saves.
Abilities
Increase from the base creature as follows: Str -2, Dex +4, Con +2, Wis +2. A Carrion-Bound has no Intelligence score, and has a Charisma score of 1.
Skills
Being mindless, a Carrion-Bound loses all of its purchased skill ranks. However, they receive a +5 racial bonus on all Climb, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, and Spot checks.
Feats
Being mindless, a Carrion-Bound loses all of its feats. However, it gains Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, and Lightning Reflexes as bonus feats.
Challenge Rating
As base creature plus two.
Level Adjustment
None
[hr]
Creating a Carrion-Bound
Some druids choose to create Carrion-Bound to serve them. Creating a Carrion-Bound first requires acquiring a suitable corpse, which must be treated with preservative fluids worth 5,000 gp. The body must then be buried under a pile of offal and refuse, and left their for a week, during which various vermin seek out and nest in the body cavity of the corpse. Once the week has passed, the creator must unearth the body, and begin the final portion of the ritual. He must spend 8 hours chanting in the Druidic tongue. At the end of the ritual, he must spend 250 xp per HD of the Carrion-Bound to be created, and cast the awaken spell (the xp spent replaces awaken’s normal xp cost). This causes the residing vermin to unite in a hivemind under the service of the druid, creating the Carrion-Bound. A druid may control only one Carrion-Bound at a time, and cannot control a Carrion-Bound whose HD exceed his caster level.