Totem Spectre Template

It is a truism,sadly,that anything pure risks corruption. Totem spectres are hateful,murderous reflections ofthe animals they once represented.Although totem spectres were never living animals,they were the spiritual manifestations ofall 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 ofanimal—but the most common forms are bears,wolves, wolverines,snakes,sharks,and hawks.Sometimes a totem spectre manifests itselfto 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 ofboth the listener and the land.Cunning and clever,totem spectres never tell obvious lies but mix them with the truth.Ifcaught 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 ofa 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 halfoftheir body appears mostly solid, while the rear/lower halfgradually 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 ofmadness, 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 ofsmell.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 ofthe 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 ofHit Dice by +4.As undead versions ofthe epitome oftheir species,all totem spectres have maximum hit points.

Speed: The spectre’s means ofmovement becomes flying, ifit 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 ofan 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,

physical animal ofits kind would inflict.Creatures immune to mind-affecting attacks suffer only 1d6 points ofdamage per attack,regardless ofcreature type or size.

Special Attacks: A totem spectre retains all the base creature’s special attacks (except those precluded by its incorporeality,such as Improved Grab) and also gains the following:

Enslave Animals (Sp): The totem spectre can use an effect identical to greater dominate, except that it affects only animals.The spectre need not know the animal’s truename.It can use this ability at will,but can enslave only one animal at a time.The animal can resist with a Will save (DC 10 + half the totem spectre’s HD + totem spectre’s Charisma modifier).

Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by a totem spectre’s incorporeal touch attack gain two negative levels.The creature can remove a negative level with a Fortitude save (DC 10 + half the totem spectre’s HD + its Charisma modifier).For each negative level,the totem spectre gains 5 temporary hit points.

Spiritblast (Sp): The totem spectre can loose a blast ofspiritual energy at a single target (only one that can see and communicate with spirits) up to 50 feet away as a standard action once per day.The blast inflicts 10d6 points ofdamage.A Reflex save (DC = 10 + halfthe totem spectre’s HD + its Charisma modifier) reduces this damage by half.Those failing their save are also permanently struck blind.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): A totem spectre can cast the following spells as a 10th-level witch:1/day—enfeebled mind, fireburst, learn truename, stone blast, suggestion, water roil, whisper ofmadness, wind churn. The save DC against these spells is DC 10 + the creature’s Wisdom bonus + spell level.

Special Qualities: A totem spirit has all the base creature’s special qualities and also gains the following:

Incorporeal (Su): An incorporeal creature has no physical body.It can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons or creatures that strike as magic weapons, and spells,spell-like abilities,or supernatural abilities.It is immune to nonmagical attack forms.When hit by spells or magic weapons,it has a 50 percent chance to ignore damage from a corporeal source (except for positive energy,negative energy,force effects such as forcebeam).

An incorporeal creature can enter or pass through solid objects but must remain adjacent to the object’s exterior,and so cannot pass entirely through an object whose space is larger than its own.It can sense the presence ofcreatures or objects within a square adjacent to its current location,but enemies have total concealment (50 percent miss chance) from an incorporeal creature that is inside an object.To see farther from the object it is in and attack normally,it must emerge.An incorporeal creature inside an object has total cover,but when it attacks a creature outside the object,it has only halfcover,so a creature outside with a readied action could strike at it as it attacks. An incorporeal creature cannot pass through a force effect.

An incorporeal creature’s attacks pass through (ignore) natural armor,armor,and shields,although deflection bonuses and force effects (such as eldritch armor) work normally against it.Incorporeal creatures cannot grapple or be grappled.

Speak With Animals (Su): The totem spectre can comprehend and communicate with all animals.It can ask questions ofand receive answers from animals,although they are no more friendly or cooperative than normal.

Unnatural Aura (Su): Animals,whether wild or domesticated,can sense the unnatural presence ofa totem spectre at 30 feet.They do not willingly approach nearer and panic if forced to do so;they remain panicked while within that range.

Abilities: Alter from the base creature’s as follows:Str —, Dex +6,Con —,Int +10,Wis +4,Cha +6.

Saving Throws: Recalculate saves so Will saves are good.

Skills: The creature gains 2 additional skill points/Hit Die.

Organization: Always solitary.

Challenge Rating: As base creature’s +4.

Level Adjustment: As base creature’s.

Totem Spectre Encounter (EL 11)

Arson fires ravage a small town,and the elders offer a substantial reward for help.It’s not hard for the PCs to discover the fires are being set each night by Wold Agorak,a 9th-level human bear totem warrior.When they confront him,he raves that the town presents a danger to the countryside and must be destroyed.Ifthey ask him why he thinks so,he says his totem spirit told him.Wold has been deceived,ofcourse,through use ofclever lies and suggestions, by a bear totem spectre.If Wold reveals his source,the spectre manifests and attacks, urging Wold to aid it against “these enemies ofthe land.”