[d20r, Creature] Living Spellseed Template

[Fax Celestis]

Living spellseed is a template that can be applied to a sorceror seed (hereafter referred to as the "base seed") to create a sorceror's familiar or a new creature.

Creating a Living Spellseed
Size and Type
Living spellseeds are Tiny creatures. As a Tiny creature, a living spellseed gains a +2 size bonus to Armor Class, a +2 size bonus on attack rolls, and a +8 size bonus on Stealth checks, but uses smaller weapons than Medium-size creatures, and her lifting and carrying limits are half of those of a Medium character.

Living spellseeds are creatures of the Avatar type. As creatures of the Avatar type, a living spellseed has a d8 HD, base attack bonus equal to 3/4 their HD (like a cleric), a good Will save, and 2+Int skills per HD (x4 at first level). This type also confers special benefits, as described in the description below.

If the base seed deals acid, cold, electrical, or fire damage, the new creature possesses the appropriate subtype, gaining all appropriate features. If the base seed deals negative energy damage, the new creature possesses the Undead subtype, gaining all appropriate features.

Hit Dice
Living spellseeds have d8 HD. All living spellseeds start with one HD, which may improve with later amplification.

Speed
Living spellseeds do not walk: rather, they are magically buoyant and fly through the air at a speed of 20' with good maneuverability. This ability (and therefore any movement) is supernatural, and is therefore suppressed in an anti-magic field.

Armor Class
Living spellseeds add their Charisma modifier as a dodge bonus to their Armor Class. They are denied this bonus at any time they lose their Dexterity modifier to their armor class, are flat-footed, or are helpless.

Attacks
Living spellseeds have a primary slam attack that deals 1d4 damage, plus one and a half times their strength modifier. If the base seed has the ability to deal acid, cold, electrical, fire, negative energy, positive energy, or sonic damage, the new creature's slam attack instead deals 1d6 of the appropriate energy type.

If the base seed does not have the ability to deal energy damage, the seed instead inflicts its least expensive option on a successful hit with the normal saving throw to resist.

Special Attacks
Spellweaving (Su): As a standard action, a living spellseed can craft and cast a spell. By activating this ability, the living spellseed immediately gains a number of Spellweave Points (SP) equal to their HD. These points may be immediately spent upon weaving a spell, but may only use the living spellseed's base seed. Any points left over at the end of the living spellseed's turn dissipate harmlessly.

When crafting a spell, a living spellseed may purchase any number of abilities from the base seed (or any bonus seeds gained from being a sorceror’s familiar) as long as he can afford their total cost. Thus a five-HD living fire spellseed could use this ability as a standard action to obtain 5 SP. With that 5 SP, he could then cast a spell to deal 1d6 fire (for 3 SP), but would have two points left over. If he instead was a six-HD living fire spellseed, using this ability would net him 6 SP, which he could then use to cast a spell that dealt 2d6 fire (6 SP).

If multiple types of saves are needed, then the target must make separate saving throws (one for each type required) or suffer the effects tied to that save.

Casting a spell in this fashion provokes an attack of opportunity. The save DC for a spell cast in this fashion is 10 + 1/2 the living spellseed's HD + his Charisma modifier. Unless otherwise noted, the range on a living spellseed's spell using this ability is 25' plus 5' per HD.

Spellweaving is affected by arcane spell failure chance.

Seed Secrets (Ex): A living spellseed learns one seed secret from its own seed for each 4 HD it possesses.

Special Qualities
*Darkvision 60'.
*Immunity to poison, sleep, paralysis, and stunning.
*Not subject to critical hits or flanking.
*Unlike most other living creatures, a living spellseed does not have a dual nature—-its soul and body form one unit. When a living spellseed is slain, no soul is set loose. Spells that restore souls to their bodies, such as raise dead, reincarnate, and resurrection, don’t work on a living spellseed. It takes a different magical effect, such as limited wish, wish, miracle, or true resurrection, to restore it to life.
*Proficient with natural weapons only.
*Does not sleep, eat, or breathe.

Base Saves
As Avatar-type creatures, living spellseeds have a good Will save and poor Fortitude and Reflex saves.

Abilities
Living spellseed familiars use the same statistics as their sorceror master, adjusted as follows: -8 Strength, +4 Dexterity, and -2 Constitution (minimum 1 in all cases). Living spellseeds that are not familiars use the following stat array: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8, with the same adjustments as above.

Skills
Living spellseeds receive 2+Int skills per HD. Living spellseed familiars select one skill set that their master possesses; non-familiar living spellseeds have the following skill list: Awareness, Concentration, Escape Artist, Spellcraft, Stealth.

Feats
Living spellseeds gain Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat. A living spellseed can qualify for feats that require the spellweaving class feature as long as they meet all the other prerequisites. A living spellseed with more than 4 HD can qualify for feats that require knowledge of seed secrets as long as they meet all the other prerequisites.

Alignment
Living spellseed familiars match their master's; non-familiar living spellseeds are generally True Neutral.

CR
1/2 HD.

[DrakebloodIV]

Interesting thought I just had. Couldn't you have a living spellseed 'grow' into a spell creature as it accumulated spellpower? So a spellseed could gradually transform to imitate some form of spell or even grow limbs or gain sapience. Also, could you give more information on the ecology of non-familiar spellseeds?