[Creature] Dark have been my dreams...

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Nihil



Medium Undead (extraplanar, incorporeal, psionic)
Hit Dice: 13d12 (97 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: Fly 50 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 19 (+5 deflection, +4 dex), touch 19, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple +6/+14
Attack: Incorporeal bite +10 touch (1d4 plus 1d4 charisma drain plus poison the soul) or incorporeal tentacle +10 touch (1d6)
Full Attack: 4 incorporeal tentacles +10 touch (1d6) and bite +8 touch (1d6 plus 1d4 charisma drain plus poison the soul)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with tentacle)
Special Attacks: Improved grab, poison the soul, psi-like abilities, spiritual hole
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., incorporeal traits, power resistance 23, undead traits
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +9
Abilities: Str -, Dex 18, Con -, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha -
Skills: Concentration +16, Intimidate +11, Listen +17, Spot +17
Feats: Ability Focus (death urge), Improved Grapple, Improved Toughness, Multiattack, Psionic Endowment
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 12
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 14-26 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: -

A decrepit man of considerable age and saggy, wrinkled skin suddenly flies forward. The lower half however seems to have been ripped away, and are supported by dozens of knotted tentacles appearing much as exposed intestines. Red eyes dot these tentacles, literally glowing with malevolence. The throat is torn open to expose the black, bottomless abyss of their mind and soul. The edges are lined with many segmented black legs like those of a spider's that clack ominously as they brush one another...

The nihil are the mere echoes of a being, often the elderly, who died fearing that nothing awaited them on the other side, yet never attempted to discover another truth. Thus the nothingness that awaited them became all too true, created in their very souls to slowly eat them away...

A nihil speaks whatever language it did in life.

Combat
A nihil usually waits for a creature to pass by while hiding within its spiritual hole. If the victim does not come to inspect it the nihil leaps from it to attack, attempting to bite and drain away its very sense of self.

Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, the nihil must hit with its bite attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity, using their dexterity modifier instead of their nonexistent strength.

Poison the Soul (Su): A creature bitten by a nihil is wounded not only physically but spiritually. They must succeed on a DC 21 will save each day or take 1 point of Charisma drain as they begin to slide into hopelessness. With each point of lost Charisma they grow older and more hideous in appearance though do not actually increase in age. Every hour they must succeed on an additional save or be affected as by the Crushing Despair spell. While despairing, supernatural class abilities dependent on faith, such as a paladin's Divine Grace or a cleric's ability to cast spell are restricted. Good Hope temporarily alleviates the condition for an hour, though only Remove Curse, Limited Wish, Wish, Miracle or similar spells can permanently remove it.

Psi-like Abilities: At Will - Recall Agony (DC 23). 3/day - Death Urge (DC 25), Fate Link (DC 23), Forced Share Pain (DC 23). Manifester level 15th. Save DC's are Charisma-based, with the nihil considered to have a Charisma of 20 for the purpose of determining the save.

Spiritual Hole (Su): As a full-round action a nihil can disappear into the horrible nothingness of its soul, appearing to be sucked within the hole of their throat. This acts as a portable hole, though the nihil itself does not count towards the amount that this hole is capable of holding and it cannot be destroyed. Whether the nihil is within the hole or not, any sentient creature that begins their round within 10 feet of it must succeed on a DC 21 will save or take 1d4 points of Charisma-drain each round. Anyone that physically touches the hole is grabbed by the legs that ring it and must make an opposed grapple check. If the nihil wins, the victim's spirit and mind is automatically sucked within the hole, killing the victim. Every round while the victim is within the soul must succeed on another will save or have its very soul destroyed, producing another nihil. The victim cannot be resurrected by any means short of a Wish or Miracle spell.

Those that witness a nihil siphon a soul must succeed on a DC 21 will save or become so stricken with the ordeal that they attempt to slay themselves as the Death Urge power. Those that resist the urge are unaffected by this ability for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting effect.

The save DC's are Charisma-based, with the nihil considered to have a Charisma of 20 for the purpose of determining the save.

[pestilenceawaits]

Creepy picture, I really like them. very cool undead variant. I almost think they should have the CR nudged up a bit some of those psi abilities can be devastating (death urge) and the DCs are pretty high.

[TempusCCK]

I like it, but it has too many instant-death powers for my taste, especially with a CR of 11.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Originally Posted by TempusCCK

I like it, but it has too many instant-death powers for my taste, especially with a CR of 11.

It only has one instant death, and that is only after its grappled you. A quori is, what, only a CR 6 or 9 and it can insta-kill each time it stings you.

Death Urge requires a save as well as it being difficult to kill yourself quickly unless a cliff is handy.

Upped the CR slightly though.

[TempusCCK]

Yeah, but a CR 11 means that it's an appropriate for one 11th level character, with the Will save progressions, most casters are still going to have to roll in the 15+ to avoid alot of some, in my opinion, powerful abilities.

Eh, 12 is a little better, and I guess it all really depends on what kind of campaign you're running when you're using it. I'd probably put it up around 13-14 for my stuff.

[Lord Iames Osari]

No, CR 11 means it's appropriate for 4 11th level characters.

[TempusCCK]

The soul-hole gives it a large ambush advantage, and even if you throw up a party of four 11 level characters, all those abilities are almost too vicious for an 11th level character, or even a party because of that AoE attack.

Basically I looked at it like this, this is a save heavy creature, with an average DC of about 23. A single 11th Level character with a good will save progression and average will bonus (+3), would still have to roll +13 to make the save, which is a roughly 35% (13/20 = 65%, 100-65 = 35) chance for the good will characters of the party to make any of the saves, which is just a little too low for my tastes.

Of course, this is all averaged and completely subject to circumstance. All in all, I believe it's a very good creature, just a little low on the CR.

[knightsaline]

So this is what happens to those who have no god in the forgotten realms.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Yes, it is save heavy, however, with its low AC anyone can blast it from a distance. A bow with a +1 enhancement could make short work of it. I'd have to up its CR to around 15 or so before the saves would be fair for high will savers, and its simply not on par with the higher leveled demons and devils.

So this is what happens to those who have no god in the forgotten realms.

Now that'd be pretty interesting...