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Legacy of the Dragons
Totem Spectre Template It is a truism, sadly, that anything pure risks corruption. Totem spectres are hateful, murderous reflections of the animals they once represented. Although totem spectres were never living animals, they were the spiritual manifestations of all the qualities the living animals represented. Thus, the corrupted spirits are, for all intents and purposes, undead entities. Totem spectres come in many varieties—virtually any kind of animal—but the most common forms are bears, wolves, wolverines, snakes, sharks, and hawks. Sometimes a totem spectre manifests itself to a totem warrior or greenbond that can communicate with spirits, posing as a pure totem spirit. In this guise, it tells the mortal lies that run counter to the best interests of both the listener and the land. Cunning and clever, totem spectres never tell obvious lies but mix them with the truth. If caught in a lie, they attack. Their spiritblast power affects only those with animistic ties, but their regular attacks, such as the energy draining touch, are devastating to everyone. Although the presence of a totem spectre terrifies normal animals, they can (and often do) enslave animals to do their bidding. Totem spectres speak Common.
Sample Totem Spectre: Bear Large Undead (Incorporeal) Hit Dice: 10d12 (120 hp), dying/dead —/0 Initiative: +4 Speed: Fly 80 feet (good) Armor Class: 19 (–1 size, +4 Dexterity, +6 deflection), touch 19, flat-footed 14 Base Attack/Grapple: +5/— Attack: Claw +7 melee (1d8+8) Full Attack: 2 claws +7 melee touch (1d8+8) and bite +2 melee touch (2d6+4) Space/Reach: 10 feet/10 feet (Face/Reach: 5 feet by 5 feet/10 feet) Special Attacks: Spiritblast, energy drain, enslave animals, spell-like abilities, undead traits Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent, incorporeal, speak with animals, unnatural aura Saves: Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +8 Abilities: Str —, Dex 19, Con —, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 12 Skills: Bluff +14, Intimidate +9, Listen +14, Sneak +10, Spot +16, Wilderness Survival +12 Feats: Defensive Move, Night Owl, Speed Burst, Track, Weapon Finesse Environment: Cold forests Organization: Solitary Treasure: None Challenge Rating: 9 Advancement: 11–14 HD (Large) Level Adjustment: —
These creatures stand nearly 9 feet tall. Only semi-corporeal, the front/upper half of their body appears mostly solid, while the rear/lower half gradually fades into near invisibility. Totem bear spectres are bad-tempered and territorial.
Combat A totem bear spectre attacks mainly by tearing at opponents with its spiritual claws, inflicting terrible damage and draining energy. Using its Speed Burst feat, it starts combat by moving its full speed and making a full attack. It prefers to act at night, when its Night Owl feat makes it more powerful. Spiritblast (Sp): See ability description on the next page. A Reflex save (DC 16) can reduce this damage by half. Energy Drain (Su): See ability description on the next page. The Fortitude save to remove a negative level is DC 16. Enslave Animals (Sp): See ability description on the next page. The Will save to resist is DC 16. Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): A totem bear spectre can cast the following spells as a 10th-level witch: 1/day—enfeebled mind, fireburst, learn truename, stone blast, suggestion, water roil, whisper of madness, wind churn. The save DC against these spells is DC 10 + the creature’s Wisdom bonus + spell level. Scent (Ex): The totem bear spectre can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. For upwind foes, the range increases to 60 feet; downwind, it drops to 15 feet. When detecting a scent, the totem bear spectre doesn’t determine its exact source, only its presence in range. The spectre can take a standard action to note the scent’s direction. Once within 5 feet of the source, it can pinpoint the source. A totem bear spectre also can follow tracks by smell, making a Wisdom check to find or follow a track. Incorporeal (Su): See ability description on the next page. Unnatural Aura (Su): See description on the next page.
Creating a Totem Spectre “Totem spectre” is a template that one can add to any animal, although it is usually applied only to typical totem animals. A totem spectre uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to undead. Size does not change. Hit Dice: The Hit Die type changes to d12; increase the number of Hit Dice by +4. As undead versions of the epitome of their species, all totem spectres have maximum hit points. Speed: The spectre’s means of movement becomes flying, if it isn’t already. Speed doubles. Maneuverability is good. AC: Change the creature’s natural armor bonus to a deflection bonus, plus give it an additional deflection bonus to Armor Class based on its Charisma modifier. Attacks: The creature’s attack progression changes to that of an undead creature (+1/2 per Hit Die). All attacks become touch attacks. Damage remains the same. Despite its incorporeality, its damage psychically mimics the damage a living,
