Cenobites, Angels to some, Demons to others

[big teej]

inspired by a typo I made in another thread.


I'm curious

has anyone tried their hand at statting the Cenobites from hellraiser?

has anyone found someone else's efforts in this direction?


failing either of these

what do you feel the best way to create these explorer's of experience would be?


making a template is optional (after all, they create new cenobites every so often)

*apologies if this goes in the homebrew forum, the discussion portion struck me as belonging here.

[robvile]

Template: Cenobite

“We are angels to some, demons to others…”

Your lust for sensation has been acknowledged and the masters of pain and pleasure sought you out to join them in their quest to release others through the ultimate experience have called you forth. Taking a ghastly appearance you are also covered in a physical manifestation of your previous life's addictions.

The Cenobite template may be added to any Humanoid race. This template will add +3. The base creature will now have the Undead Character Type.

Skills: Str +4, Dex -2, Con --, Int +0, Wis +0, Cha +2

Hit Dice: All character’s Hit Dice (current and Future) become d12s.

Speed: Same as the Base Creature

AC: The Cenobite has +5 natural armor, or the characters natural armor, which ever is better

Attacks: Cenobites usually utilize touch attacks, or ranged touch attacks

Damage: The Cenobites touch attack uses negative energy to deal damage equal to 1d8 + the cenobites Charisma bonus to living creatures. Each successful touch attack also deals 1 point of constitution damage. A will save (DC 10+ ½ cenobites HD + cenobites charisma modifier) reduces the damage by half and negates the constitution damage.

Special Attacks: A cenobite retains all the characters special attacks and gains those described below.
Sensation of Flesh (Su): Once per day, a cenobite can unleash a surge of sensations upon the victim. The blast fills a 20=foot-radious spread anywhere within a range of 400 feet + 40 feet per HD of the Cenobite. The blast does 1d6 damage per HD of the cenobite (maximum of 20d6). Half of the damage is fire damage, but the rest results directly from divine power and is therefore not subject to being reduced by protection from elements, fire shield, or similar magic. A Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ cenobites HD + cenobites charisma modifier) reduces the damage by half.

Chains of Hell (Su): As a free action, a cenobite can call forth demonic chains from hell to hold a victim paralyzed. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 cenobites HD + charisma modifier) will escape the chains. If the reflex save failed, you are paralyzed and unable to move for 1d6 rounds.

Special Qualities: A cenobite retains all the characters special qualities and gains those described below.
Damage reduction (su): A cenobites undead body is touch, giving the creature damage reduction 10/-
Immunities (ex): Cenobites are immune to cold, electric, and polymorph. In addition to those immunities possessed by undead (see undead traits).
Spell Resistance (su): A cenobite gains spell resistance 20+1 per character level beyond 10th.
Turn Immunitiy (ex): A cenobite can bot be turned. It can be banished with holy world, however, just as if it were an evil outsider.
Darkvision 60ft: As a cenobite, you are able to see in natural darkness like normal upto 60 ft.

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I found it the easiest to rename a few of the Death Knight's abilities, and then create one of my own. The death knight really sounds like a cenobite to me, and with changing some of the flavor to sound more like Hellraiser I think he really came across.

Hellraiser 3 is on netflix BTW.

[big teej]

very good work...

I feel that my players will be dealing with Pinhead and Co. very, very soon. -evil face-

[IthroZada]

I imagine Cenobites to be what you get when you mash together the Book of Erotic Fantasy and the Book of Vile Darkness.

[IthroZada]

Double post.

[Nepenthe]

Look up "Kyton" on the SRD. Done.

[robvile]

Originally Posted by Nepenthe

Look up "Kyton" on the SRD. Done.

I think the flavor is there for the looks of the cenobites, and the huge bonus is the Dancing Chains (SU). Other than that though, I'm not sure if it really embodies the fiends from Hellraiser...

I might add Dancing Chains (SU) to the template I created, and bump it up to a +5....

[Gnaeus]

I wouldn't add the chain power as a default to cenobites. Pinhead has it, but I don't think any of his allies do. I would say that cenobites get to pick from a list of powers, like the ghost template, or that they all get a re-fluffed spell, power, or maneuver of level 4 or below as an at-will chosen by the DM based on their personality.

[big teej]

Originally Posted by Gnaeus

I wouldn't add the chain power as a default to cenobites. Pinhead has it, but I don't think any of his allies do. I would say that cenobites get to pick from a list of powers, like the ghost template, or that they all get a re-fluffed spell, power, or maneuver of level 4 or below as an at-will chosen by the DM based on their personality.

indeed, speaking purely from the first two movies (the only ones I've managed to collect so far)

(for this particular list, I'm leaving out the powers of The Box itself)

Pinhead - chain power highly appropriate, as it seems to be the only power unique to him.

Butterball - doesn't really do anything in the first two movies except stand there and look freaky. - became a cenobite through obesity of memory serves- a higher frightful presence than normal cenobites?

chatterer - om nom noms on people, bite attack?

the lady - who's name I can't recall- - again, didn't seem to do much, but was certainly the most eager of the cenobites to begin rending Kristy's flesh.

and of course, the Doctor, from the 2nd fillm, a tentacle attack for sure.

Originally Posted by IthroZada

I imagine Cenobites to be what you get when you mash together the Book of Erotic Fantasy and the Book of Vile Darkness.

I approve of this, it should be sigged somewhere....

like in mine, if it's cool with you.

[IthroZada]

Originally Posted by big teej

I approve of this, it should be sigged somewhere....

like in mine, if it's cool with you.

That is a-okay with me.

[Unseenmal]

Originally Posted by big teej

indeed, speaking purely from the first two movies (the only ones I've managed to collect so far)

(for this particular list, I'm leaving out the powers of The Box itself)

Pinhead - chain power highly appropriate, as it seems to be the only power unique to him.

Butterball - doesn't really do anything in the first two movies except stand there and look freaky. - became a cenobite through obesity of memory serves- a higher frightful presence than normal cenobites?

chatterer - om nom noms on people, bite attack?

the lady - who's name I can't recall- - again, didn't seem to do much, but was certainly the most eager of the cenobites to begin rending Kristy's flesh.

and of course, the Doctor, from the 2nd fillm, a tentacle attack for sure.

The lady cenobite did not have a name....she was simply known as "Female Cenobite". Just as Pinhead did not have a name in the first film...if you check the credits he is "Lead Cenobite" Sorry for this, I am a huge fan of this series of films and I know a good deal about them.

I agree with you on your ideas for their special powers...they fit the characters very well. Except for female cenobite, she was the lustful character so perhaps stealing some powers from a succubus...(http://www.comicvine.com/female-cenobite/29-54276/)

[big teej]

Originally Posted by Unseenmal

The lady cenobite did not have a name....she was simply known as "Female Cenobite". Just as Pinhead did not have a name in the first film...if you check the credits he is "Lead Cenobite" Sorry for this, I am a huge fan of this series of films and I know a good deal about them.

I agree with you on your ideas for their special powers...they fit the characters very well. Except for female cenobite, she was the lustful character so perhaps stealing some powers from a succubus...(http://www.comicvine.com/female-cenobite/29-54276/)

admitedtly, I have not kept up with the series as originally planned, due to the fact I can't consistently find them in stores.

but I digress.

[Morbis Meh]

Dang you people for rekindling my long lost passion for horror movies! Too bad I have no one to watch them with since they scare the ever lasting poop out of my girlfriend... I used to watch the series as a kid (yes I am slightly messed in that regard lol) but now as an adult I appreciate its more conceptual undertone and the differing representation of hell. I unfortunately wouldn't implement this is a campaign I was running since my gf would be in it but I would totally play in one with the cenobites.

[big teej]

heck, they're liable to become Cannon hell-dwellers in my world

[Nepenthe]

Originally Posted by Unseenmal

The lady cenobite did not have a name....she was simply known as "Female Cenobite".

"Female Cenobite" does have a name. It's a bit of obscure lore that Doug Bradley revealed at a con. Unfortunately, it can't be written on the forums.

Honestly, I don't feel that the cenobites need unique powers. Other than Pinhead (and those atrocities from Hell on Earth which I write off as being way too "young" to understand what being a cenobite is all about) none of the cenobites demonstrate any special abilities. MAYBE give them a claw attack, but torture tools should suffice. Their real power (and weakness) is in making bargains (an aspect that was almost completely lost in the later entries of the series).

[urbanpirate]

Originally Posted by Nepenthe

"Female Cenobite" does have a name. It's a bit of obscure lore that Doug Bradley revealed at a con. Unfortunately, it can't be written on the forums.

Honestly, I don't feel that the cenobites need unique powers. Other than Pinhead (and those atrocities from Hell on Earth which I write off as being way too "young" to understand what being a cenobite is all about) none of the cenobites demonstrate any special abilities. MAYBE give them a claw attack, but torture tools should suffice. Their real power (and weakness) is in making bargains (an aspect that was almost completely lost in the later entries of the series).

there was some third party or maybe just well presented homebrew on this floating around the net. If i remember right they did a great job on pinhead and a terrible job on the rest.


Of course the cenobites need unique powers, think of the third movie, the jackhammer, the smoker, bartender, dj and camera guy all got remade in interesting ways, anything less would be a disgrace.

Also undead is not really an appropriate type for the cenobites, perhaps outsider, after all they have a new home plane to be banished to......

[Unseenmal]

Originally Posted by Nepenthe

"Female Cenobite" does have a name. It's a bit of obscure lore that Doug Bradley revealed at a con. Unfortunately, it can't be written on the forums.

Honestly, I don't feel that the cenobites need unique powers. Other than Pinhead (and those atrocities from Hell on Earth which I write off as being way too "young" to understand what being a cenobite is all about) none of the cenobites demonstrate any special abilities. MAYBE give them a claw attack, but torture tools should suffice. Their real power (and weakness) is in making bargains (an aspect that was almost completely lost in the later entries of the series).

Yes Doug Bradley did eventually reveal her to have a name but in the films she is simply Female Cenobite. In the link I provided it reveals her human name....and has this to say about her Cenobite name.....

"They say that her name is unmentionable. The horrid name, like her actions, is so vile it must forever remain unspoken. Those unfortunate enough to have discovered her true name have never returned to utter it. Therefore, she is referred to as merely the Female Cenobite."

[comicshorse]

Shouldn't there be a way for them to take unwilling victims with them to their realm. Some kind of Plane Shift maybe ?

[Nepenthe]

Originally Posted by urbanpirate

...think of the third movie, the jackhammer, the smoker, bartender, dj and camera guy all got remade in interesting ways, anything less would be a disgrace.

These are the "atrocities" I was referring to. To me these guys mark a wild departure from the original material. Things that were originally deeply rooted in base, primal and terrifying parts of the human psyche became b-movie monsters.

But on topic: Cenobites are definitely Outsiders. Personally I'd say Lawful Neutral, but by D&D definitions Lawful Evil would probably be more appropriate.

And I definitely agree on the Plane Shift.

I haven't looked too closely at the torture rules from BoVD, but I wonder if they could be adapted for use here...

[Arcane_Secrets]

Originally Posted by Gnaeus

I wouldn't add the chain power as a default to cenobites. Pinhead has it, but I don't think any of his allies do. I would say that cenobites get to pick from a list of powers, like the ghost template, or that they all get a re-fluffed spell, power, or maneuver of level 4 or below as an at-will chosen by the DM based on their personality.

I agree cenobites shouldn't generally get the chain power. What I'd say instead is that cenobites instead get a single kind of attack that either kills opponents or inflicts a certain amount of set damage of different kinds as dependent on cenobite HD. That way you can have the variability of the cenobites in the movies (like the twinned cenobites that ate their victims, or the cenobites in Hellraiser III that threw firebombs or sharpened CD's).