Half-Incarnate 8th-Level Bugbear Rogue

Description

This plane-touched being has physical qualities similar to a bugbear, with a mottled, pale green flesh that grows darker along the neck, spine and tail. The head is hairless and has a narrow mane of short, bristling spines. Forming a V-shape down the front chest is a set of gills. These are normally closed when the creature is on land, making the flesh appear almost seamless.

The gills and a finned tail allow this being to be as at home in the water as it is on land. This being wears specially fitted leather armor that allows it to use its gills and tail underwater.

In spite of its heritage this creature does not possess the evil bearing of the bugbear, and in many ways appears as a magnificent natural being that is completely at home in the wilds.

Combat

The half-incarnate bugbear is a creature of primordial nature that uses the wilds to its advantage. It stalks a foe, then typically strikes when the opponent's guard is down. Against a more powerful foe, the half-incarnate bugbear readies itself with his spell-like abilities, and then makes good use of his ability to smite non-neutral foes.

Smite Imbalanced (Su): Once per day the creature can make a normal melee attack to deal 11 points of extra damage against a fully non-neutral foe.

Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day―magic fang, greater magic fang; 1/day―bull's strength, find the path, freedom of movement, true seeing. Caster level 11th.

Skills: Half-Incarnate Bugbears have a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.

Creating a Half-Incarnate

"Half-incarnate" is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal creature with an Intelligence of 4 or more (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

A half-incarnate uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here. Roll on the following table to determine the additional physical traits of the half-incarnate that is added to the base creature.

The benefits of these physical features are described below.

Size and Type: The creature's type changes to outsider. Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonus, or saves. Size is unchanged. Half-incarnates are normally native outsiders.

Speed: If the half-incarnate has wings it can fly. Flexible wings provide a fly movement of 60 ft. with maneuverability good. Gliding wings provide a fly movement of 30 ft. with maneuverability of clumsy.

If the half-incarnate has gills it can swim. Unless the base creature has a better swim speed the creature can swim at the base creature's land speed.

Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +1 (this stacks with any natural armor bonus the base creature has).

Attacks: If the half-incarnate has a claw, gore, bite, or slam attack, these are gained as attack forms. A half-incarnate with a claw or gore attack uses these as the primary weapons. If the base creature can use weapons, the half-incarnate retains this ability. A half-incarnate fighting without weapons uses its primary natural weapon when making an attack action. When it has a weapon, it uses the weapon instead.

Full Attack: A half-incarnate without weapons uses its best natural weapons when making a full attack. If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack and a bite as a natural secondary attack. If it has a free claw, it will uses the claw as an additional secondary attack.

Damage: If the half-incarnate has bite, claw, gore, or slam attacks but the base creature does not, use the damage values in the table below. Otherwise use the values below or the base creature's values, whichever are better.

Damage

Special Attacks: A half-incarnate retains all the special attacks of the base creature and gains the special attack described below.

Smite Imbalanced (Su): Once per day the creature can make a normal melee attack to deal extra damage equal to its HD (maximum of +20) against a fully non-neutral foe. (This attack can be used against a foe with either a lawful good, chaotic good, lawful evil, or chaotic evil alignment.)

Spell-Like Abilities: Half-incarnates with an Intelligence or Wisdom score of 8 or higher has spell-like abilities depending on its Hit Dice, as indicated in the table below. Unless otherwise indicated, an ability is usable once per day. Caster level equals the creature's HD, and the save DC is Charisma-based.

Special Qualities: A half-incarnate has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.

• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• Immunity to polymorph.
• Resistance to acid 10 and electricity 10.
• +4 racial bonus on saving throws against disease and poison.
• Damage reduction 5/magic (if HD 11 or less) or 10/magic (if HD 12 or more).
• A half-incarnates natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpse of overcoming damage reduction.
• Spell resistance equal to creature's HD + 10 (maximum 35).
• It can also gain a special quality based on its specific half-incarnate physical trait. If it has enhanced scent, it gains scent as a special quality. If it has flexible limbs, it gains improved grab as a special quality. If it has gills, it gains amphibious as a special quality.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +4, Dex +4, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +4, Cha +2.

Skills: A half-incarnate gains skill points as an outsider and has skill points equal to (8 + Int modifier) x (HD + 3). Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation―the half-incarnate gains outsider skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. Treat skills from the base creature's list as class skills, and other skills as cross-class skills.

Challenge Rating: HD 4 or less, as base creature +1; HD 5 to 10, as base creature +2; HD 11 or more, as base creature +3.

Alignment: Always neutral

Level Adjustment: Same as base creature +4.

Half-Incarnate Characters

Humanoid half-incarnates often have a character class, preferring druids, barbarians, rangers, and clerics. Non-humanoids are also sometimes rangers or druids. Half-incarnate clerics serve the neutral deities, especially those of nature.

Also in this section of the source

Half-Lich

Author: Paul M. Stefko. (Chul'crogx's description by editor.)

Whether through eldritch magic or dark pacts with vile entities, some few of the undead spellcasters called liches have been able to couple with mortal women. These so-called "lich-loved" inevitably give birth to children that for all appearances are healthy examples of their race. However, adulthood reveals their true nature―the hideous, part living, part undead half-lich.

While for most purposes a half-lich is considered undead, some factors give the creature a link to the living. Half-liches are not immortal, instead aging at a tenth of the normal rate for their race. This still yields a considerable life-span; even half-lich humans survive for centuries barring violence or accident. Also, half-liches are capable of mating with compatible mortals. Nine out of ten offspring conceived from such pairings will miscarry or result in a stillborn, but one out of ten will be a true half-lich, just as the parent was.

Other than these points, half-liches are undead just as their fathers. Their flesh slowly necrotizes as they age, growing dry or falling off completely, revealing the skeleton beneath. Half-liches may not be resurrected or raised, as their spirits are bound into their (un)dying flesh.

The connection a half-lich feels to the Negative Energy Plane gives him an insight into death. Half-liches are callous and uncaring at best, hideously sadistic at worst.

Half-liches speak Common and gain languages as other characters do.

Sample Half-Lich

This example uses a 5th-level troglodyte cleric as the base creature.