Manes

Description

A glittering suit of armor encases a humanoid corpse standing erect in the alert stance of a guardian. It carries a large metal shield and a magnificent sword. The figure is surrounded by an eerie nimbus of blue-gray mist.

Manes are the physical and spiritual form of long-dead heroes. In a golden-hued breastplate and carrying a large bronze shield they stand at the gates of their own graveyard. A slit helmet covers their bowed head and a gray-blue mist surrounds them.

They patrol graveyards around their tombs and the places where they are interred. They are on guard against intruders of their final resting place. They walk a regular round at night, checking and rechecking the many graves in their care as a sentry on the night watch.

Before the midnight hour they consider all mortals within the gates of the sanctified grounds of the cemetery to be welcomed visitors paying homage to the departed. Once the last hour has struck and before the first rays of dawn the manes become vigilant defenders of their eternally sleeping comrades. At the stroke of midnight they assume a physical form. The leader carries a horn to call others to defense and a sharp sword to defend the grave site from defilement.

Depending on the age and size of the graveyard there can be up to fifteen manes on sentry duty.

Combat

Manes are not on duty during the hours prior to midnight and cease their vigil at dawn. They will not pursue anyone outside of the gate of the graveyard and once the sun's rays have peaked over the horizon they will not fight. They will try to fool, harass, or mislead would-be daytime grave robbers but cannot assume a physical form or otherwise directly attack during the daylight hours. Manes consider the grave, its marker, any gifts or tributes to the deceased, and the body interred to be part of their responsibility to protect. They will remember the faces and actions of all that pass through the gates.

Detect Good (Su): The manes can detect those of any good alignment as an innate ability. This ability is always active.

Ethereal Jaunt (Su): The manes are under the effects of the ethereal jaunt spell during the daylight hours and prior to midnight. This is an innate ability and can not be dispelled or suppressed. If the manes are held in physical form, as by a dimensional anchor spell, and is exposed to natural sunlight, it is reduced to one hit point within a round. Any manes that are reduced to one hit point by this means, or through combat, automatically lose their physical form and return to the ethereal plane until the next morning.

Shield Force (Ex): When four or more manes are engaged in a fight they will attempt to flank or push intruders out the cemetery gates by linking shields and forming a closed box. They then move the subject to the gate and try to force the subject outside, whether through or over the gate. This is done as a Bull Rush using the combined Strength bonuses of all shield-linked manes. Should this fail, one or more manes will pass into the closed shield box to kill the subject.

Ghost Touch (Su): Any weapons and shields being wielded by a mane gain the ghost touch special ability. This ability is lost a round after the weapon leaves the grip of the mane.

Horn (Ex): One or more members of a group of manes carry a horn, which can be blown in physical or spiritual form. In physical form the horn effects subjects as the color spray spell. While in ethereal form the horn acts as the spell control winds. The effective caster level of these spells is equal to the HD of the manes.

Notes

The horn retains its magical powers when not in the possession of the manes, but the abilities can only be used by a creature of lawful good alignment. It has a maximum of fifty charges.

Manes consider all lawful good paladins and clerics to be their superiors. The manes cannot make hallowed ground, turn undead, or bless. These abilities inspire reverence in the manes.

The shield, breastplate and sword of the manes are the elements that animate this undead creature. These items are issued to the spirits of clerics and paladins by their deity when they fall fighting undead on consecrated ground. The spirit of the faithful will not rest until relieved by a superior officer.

Whenever manes are found, there will be no other types of undead. In most cases other undead hide from the vigilant manes by staying underground or behind mausoleum walls. In spirit form the manes are able to fight and destroy or chase off other spirits. In physical form they hound and pursue all types of zombies, wights, ghouls and even liches from the grave site.

The material armor and weapon of the manes are part of their material form. If they are removed or otherwise separated from the bodies of the manes they return to their ethereal form and may only be worn or handled by others in spiritual form or plane. The horn of the manes was a gift of a deity and may be held and possessed by physical mortals.

In some cases the manes are bound into service to a small family burial ground within a much larger cemetery. They hold this as a fortress under siege by the evil undead that freely walk the grounds surrounding them. In great pitched battles for territory sometimes the manes fall. Manes that are reduced to one hit point return to their spiritual form. The next morning they revive and return to duty restored to full vitality. This tenacity and ability to recover is one of the key strengths of this form of undead.

Manes can be turned as normal intelligent undead. If a lawful good cleric or paladin turns a manes, the manes considers that he has been relieved of duty. He will quickly disarm and lay his weapon, armor, and horn on the ground as he retreats from the turning cleric. The spirit is then dismissed and finds rest after his long service.

Many of these lawful good clerics that turn manes are very soon overrun by other undead the manes had forced into hiding. This is usually how new manes are enlisted.

It is not unheard of for manes and lasa to protect the same graveyard and to aid and cooperate with each other during a battle. Both recognize their shared goal and can even develop an odd type of respect for one another.