Zaydos
2015-10-31, 12:12 PM
Now not everything about ghosts and spirits is scary and vicious. Sometimes the dead are thought to look after the living like guardian angels. D&D doesn't represent this the best, but let's give it a little help.
The Loving Dead
Not all things that can be bound are vestiges in the traditional sense. The Loving Dead is an aggregate spirit of the binder’s own dead loved ones and ancestors; those who feel a sense of love towards the binder which transcends life or death and continues even into the final beyond.
Level: 6th.
Binding Check DC: 20.
Legend: The Loving Dead is no entity of dread and foreboding legend, they are merely those whose life was once connected to the binder’s own and continues to this day to feel a love for them even in death.
Manifestation: The Loving Dead appears as a figure in heavy white robes, hood partially obscuring their face which can on occasion be recognized as someone from the binder’s life.
Sign: Your face becomes a fixed serene mask, your eyes taking on the glassy appearance of the dead.
Influence: The Loving Dead have no desire to impose their will upon a binder, after all they love their binder. Even so they can accidentally apply such an influence. When under the Loving Dead’s influence a binder must show proper respect and reverence for the dead and burial sites, and may not suffer non-self-created undead to continue their existence, being forced to destroy them given the opportunity.
Granted Abilities: While bound to the Loving Dead you are protected by them, which shields you from death and harm. Their guidance can also aid your actions lending you a portion of their insight from beyond the veil.
Avoid Harm: As an immediate action you may invoke the protection of the dead to negate one instance of damage completely. Once you use this ability you must wait 5 rounds before using it again.
Guidance of Ancestors: As a free action as part of making a skill check you may invoke the guidance of the dead gaining an insight bonus on the skill check equal to +3 + ¼ your EBL. Once you use this ability you must wait 5 rounds before using it again.
Not Yet: While the Loving Dead is bound 1/day per 4 EBL when you would die you are instead reduced to -9 hp and stable seeming to have died unless a DC 20 Heal check is made.
Love’s Embrace: While the Loving Dead is bound you gain a +2 bonus to all saving throws and AC. Summoned creatures must make a Will save to touch you (on a success they can ignore this effect for 24 hours). This also blocks any attempt to possess the warded creature (by a magic jar attack, for example) or to exercise mental control over the creature (including enchantment (charm) effects and enchantment (compulsion) effects that grant the caster ongoing control over the subject, such as dominate person). The protection does not prevent such effects from targeting the protected creature, but it suppresses the effect for the duration of the pact. If the pact ends before the effect granting mental control does, the would be controller would then be able to mentally command the controlled creature. Likewise, the effect keeps out a possessing life force but does not expel one if it is in place before the pact is made.
Recovery: You gain Fast Healing equal to ½ your EBL when at less than ½ your maximum hit points.
The Loving Dead
Not all things that can be bound are vestiges in the traditional sense. The Loving Dead is an aggregate spirit of the binder’s own dead loved ones and ancestors; those who feel a sense of love towards the binder which transcends life or death and continues even into the final beyond.
Level: 6th.
Binding Check DC: 20.
Legend: The Loving Dead is no entity of dread and foreboding legend, they are merely those whose life was once connected to the binder’s own and continues to this day to feel a love for them even in death.
Manifestation: The Loving Dead appears as a figure in heavy white robes, hood partially obscuring their face which can on occasion be recognized as someone from the binder’s life.
Sign: Your face becomes a fixed serene mask, your eyes taking on the glassy appearance of the dead.
Influence: The Loving Dead have no desire to impose their will upon a binder, after all they love their binder. Even so they can accidentally apply such an influence. When under the Loving Dead’s influence a binder must show proper respect and reverence for the dead and burial sites, and may not suffer non-self-created undead to continue their existence, being forced to destroy them given the opportunity.
Granted Abilities: While bound to the Loving Dead you are protected by them, which shields you from death and harm. Their guidance can also aid your actions lending you a portion of their insight from beyond the veil.
Avoid Harm: As an immediate action you may invoke the protection of the dead to negate one instance of damage completely. Once you use this ability you must wait 5 rounds before using it again.
Guidance of Ancestors: As a free action as part of making a skill check you may invoke the guidance of the dead gaining an insight bonus on the skill check equal to +3 + ¼ your EBL. Once you use this ability you must wait 5 rounds before using it again.
Not Yet: While the Loving Dead is bound 1/day per 4 EBL when you would die you are instead reduced to -9 hp and stable seeming to have died unless a DC 20 Heal check is made.
Love’s Embrace: While the Loving Dead is bound you gain a +2 bonus to all saving throws and AC. Summoned creatures must make a Will save to touch you (on a success they can ignore this effect for 24 hours). This also blocks any attempt to possess the warded creature (by a magic jar attack, for example) or to exercise mental control over the creature (including enchantment (charm) effects and enchantment (compulsion) effects that grant the caster ongoing control over the subject, such as dominate person). The protection does not prevent such effects from targeting the protected creature, but it suppresses the effect for the duration of the pact. If the pact ends before the effect granting mental control does, the would be controller would then be able to mentally command the controlled creature. Likewise, the effect keeps out a possessing life force but does not expel one if it is in place before the pact is made.
Recovery: You gain Fast Healing equal to ½ your EBL when at less than ½ your maximum hit points.