Incarnate Giant Owl

Description

The incarnate giant owl resembles its namesake, but is even more alert and it attacks with an almost unnaturally silky smoothness. These are nocturnal birds of prey, feared for their ability to hunt and attack in near silence. They are intelligent, and though naturally suspicious, sometimes associate with good creatures.

A incarnate typical giant owl stands about 9 feet tall, has a wingspan of up to 20 feet, and resembles its smaller cousins in nearly every way except size. It is completely free of scars and defects, yet somehow appears well tested in battle.

Combat

An incarnate giant owl attacks by gliding silently just a few feet above its prey and plunging to strike when directly overhead. It's natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Smite Imbalanced (Su): Once per day the incarnate giant owl can make a normal melee attack to deal 4 points of extra damage against a fully non-neutral foe.

Superior Low-Light Vision (Ex): An incarnate giant owl can see five times as far as a human can in dim light.

Skills: Incarnate giant owls have a +8 racial bonus on Listen checks and a +4 racial bonus on Spot checks. *When in flight, incarnate giant owls gain a +8 bonus on Move Silently checks.

Advanced Benefits

In addition to the standard changes due to Hit Dice advancement, incarnate giant owls also gain the following special benefits.

• The smite imbalance attack deals additional damage equal to the creature's HD (maximum +20).
• Spell resistance is equal to creature's HD + 5 (maximum 25).
• 8+ HD ― Resistance to acid 10 and electricity 10
• 12+ HD ― Damage reduction 10/magic.

Creating an Incarnate

"Incarnate" is an inherited template that can be added to any corporeal aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant, or vermin of any non-good, non-evil alignment (referred to hereafter as the base creature.)

An incarnate creature uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here. Do not recalculate the creature's Hit Dice, base attack bonus, saves, or skill points if its type changes.

Size and Type: Animals or vermin with this template become magical beasts, but otherwise the creature type is unchanged. Size is unchanged. Incarnate creatures encountered on the Material Plane have the extraplanar subtype.

Special Attacks: An incarnate creature retains all the special attacks of the base creature and also gains the following attack.

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. (Lawful good, chaotic good, lawful evil, or chaotic evil.)

Special Qualities: An incarnate creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following qualities.

• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• Damage reduction (see the table below).
• Resistance to acid and electricity (see the table below).
• Spell resistance equal to creature's HD + 5 (maximum 25).

Hit Dice	Resistance to Acid and Electricity	Damage Reduction
1–3	5	-
4–7	5	5/magic
8–11	10	5/magic
12 or more	10	10/magic

If the base creature already has one or more of these special qualities, use the better value.

If an incarnate creature gains damage reduction, its natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Abilities: Same as the base creature, but Intelligence is at least 3.

Environment: Any neutral-aligned plane.

Challenge Rating: HD 3 or less, as base creature; HD 4 to 7, as base creature +1; HD 8 or more, as base creature +2.

Alignment: Always neutral (any).

Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +2.

Also in this section of the source

J'ghul

Author: Robert J. Hall.

Statistic	Value
Size/Type	Medium Outsider (Extraplanar, Lawful)
Hit Dice	9d10+9 (54 hp)
Initiative	+8
Speed	50 ft. (unarmored) (10 squares), climb 20 ft.
Armor Class	20 (+4 Dex, +4 dodge, +2 natural), touch 18, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple	+9/+11
Attack	Unarmed strike +13 melee (1d8+2) or bite +13 melee (1d6+2)
Full Attack	Unarmed strike +13/+8 melee (1d8+2) or bite (1d6+2)
Space/Reach	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks	Monk training, summon panther
Special Qualities	Damage reduction 5/chaos, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, resistance to acid 10 and electricity 10, spell resistance 14, claustrophobia
Saves	Fort +7, Ref +10, Will +9
Abilities	Str 15, Dex 18, Con 12, Int 6, Wis 17, Cha 10
Skills	Balance +7, Climb +5, Escape Artist +6, Hide +16, Jump +8, Listen +15, Move Silently +16, Spot +15, Survival +6, Tumble +15
Feats	Alertness, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Environment	Any lawful neutral plane
Organization	Solitary, team (2–4), or squad (5–12)
Challenge Rating	7
Treasure	Standard
Alignment	Always lawful neutral
Advancement	By character class
Level Adjustment	+6

This humanoid creature has distinctly panther-like features, including a sleek coat of black hair, and a feline head and limbs. It walks upright, but appears as though it could readily drop down and run on all fours.

Tall, lean, and generally humanoid in shape, the j'ghul also possesses the distinctive features and qualities of a panther. Except for the palms of the hands and the soles of their paws, their entire body is covered in a dense coat of sleek, shiny black fur.

The head and legs in particular are distinctively feline, and they possess a fang-lined mouth, slitted pupils, and short, pointed ears. It does not, however, possess the tail of a cat. The most humanoid feature of a j'ghul is the hand, which has only a light coat of fur on the back and possesses three fingers and opposable thumbs for grasping objects.

Perhaps the greatest flaw in a j'ghul is a powerful, inate dislike of being underground or in enclosed spaces. They are at a strong disadvantage in such locales, and will maneuver to take the fight outdoors.

A j'ghul is about 7 feet tall and weighs about 280 pounds.

J'ghul speak Common, Elven, and Sylvan.

Combat

The j'ghul rely on their martial art skills to battle and overcome a foe. They fear little, and will readily take on even much larger foes. If a battle is going against them, they will often withdraw in good order to continue the fight another day. J'ghul are proficient in the use of all monk weaponry.

Monk Training (Ex): An adult j'ghul is trained in the same class abilities as a monk of 6th level. The bonus feats selected will vary depending on the school where the j'ghul was trained. A j'ghul that takes class levels as a monk does so as if she already had 6 levels of the monk character class.

Unlike most other races, a j'ghul that maintains a lawful neutral alignment is never subject to the prohibition against raising her monk level if she raises other classes by a level or more.

Summon Panther (Sp): Once per day a j'ghul can attempt to summon 1 incarnate panther with a 30% chance of success. (For game purposes a panther is the same as a leopard.) This ability is the equivalent of a 3rd level spell.

Claustrophobia: Whenever a j'ghul is in a completely enclosed indoor area or underground, it is shaken and takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. A window or open door to the outdoors is sufficient to negate this condition.

J'gul as Characters

J'gul characters posses the following racial traits.

• +2 Strength, +4 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom.
• Medium size.
• A j'gul's base land speed is 50 feet, which includes a monk's +20 ft. unarmored speed bonus. It also has a climb speed of 20 feet.
• Darkvision out to 60 feet.
• Low-light vision.
• Scent.
• Racial Hit Dice: A j'ghul begins with nine levels of outisder, which provide 9d8 Hit Dice, a base attack bonus of +9, and base saving throw bonuses of Fort +6, Ref +6, and Will +6.
• Racial Skills: A j'ghul's outsider levels give it skill points equal to 12 x (8 + Int modifier). Its class skills are Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Survival, and Tumble.
• Racial Feats: A j'ghul's outsider levels give it three feats.
• +2 natural armor bonus.
• Natural Weapons: Bite (1d6).
• Special Attacks (see above): Monk training, summon panther.
• Special Qualities (see above): Damage reduction 5/chaos, resistance to acid 10 and electricity 10, spell resistance equal to 5 + class levels, claustrophobia.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, Sylvan. Bonus Languages: Auran, Celestial, Draconic, Infernal.
• Favored class: Monk.
• Level Adjustment: +6.

J'gul Culture

The j'gul regard honor as the paramount virtue, and live their life according to a deeply held belief system from which they rarely stray. Dueling is a common means of settling differences between j'gul, and all will honor the results of the fight regardless of who is actually at fault. The rare j'gul who grossly violates their code is ritually banished from the society, and many such choose ritual suicide rather than following a life of dishonor.

The j'ghul are highly proficient and well trained in the arts of unarmed combat. Almost without exception they are prepared from birth for battle, and they have developed many unique and ingenious schools of martial arts. This extensive training, combined with their sharp cat-like senses, makes them deadly scouts, hunters, and fighters.

Personality-wise, the j'ghul are disciplined creatures who much prefer to function as members of an organized team. However they are highly capable of operating independently and generally live solitary lives when not at war. Once they are resolved on an action, they will persevere until it is completed, regardless of the obstacles. They can be passionate beings, but their lengthy martial training gives them a strong discipline under even the most trying conditions. Thus they are not easily provided, and will fight only when they choose.

Most of the j'gul are bonded with specific clan groupings, in which they remain for their adult lifespan. These clans forma type of communal family, and any male or female within the clan is allowed to mate. Bonding outside the clan is expressly forbidden except under certain unusual circumstances.