Spectral Savant

CONSTRUCTS AND CREATURES

A sibyllic guardian appears as a tall, beautiful woman wielding a massive greatsword. Guardians sometimes serve as sentinels to good-aligned psions who possess enough psionic skill (see the planar champion power, page 94). Sibyllic guardians are dedicated opponents of evil in all its forms. With an arsenal of psionic and magical capabilities plus great skill at arms, a sibyllic guardian strikes fear into the hearts of even the vilest creatures of the Abyss.

Strategies and Tactics

A sibyllic guardian begins combat by attempting to waylay its opponents with powers such as brain lock and ectoplasmic cocoon. If these attempts are unsuccessful, a sibyllic guardian is an adept warrior and has no qualms about wading into battle with greatsword in hand. Against tougher opponents, a sibyllic guardian employs the oracular vision granted by the second chance power to gain the upper hand.

A sibyllic guardian's natural weapons (as well as any weapons she wields) are treated as good-aligned and lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Ecology

Sibyllic guardians mostly inhabit the Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia, where they dwell with all manner of archons in preparation for the coming war.

Typical Physical Characteristics: A sibyllic guardian is about 6 feet tall and weighs from 180 to 200 pounds. These creatures are ageless and always female in appearance.

Typical Treasure

Called sibyllic guardians carry no treasure other than the blades they wield.

A silhouette of what once walked as a man now walks in permanent shadow. Its eyes burn from the darkness with a compelling, ravenous hunger.

SAMPLE SPECTRAL SAVANT CR 13

Male human telepath 11

LG Medium undead (incorporeal, augmented humanoid)

Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +10, Spot +10

Languages Celestial, Common, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven

AC 20 (incorporeal), touch 20, flatfooted 18 hp 71 (11 HD); DR 10/magic

Immune undead immunities, nonmagical attacks Resist cold 10, electricity 10 Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +9 Speed 30 ft. (6 squares) Melee touch +5 (1d6 cold plus energy drain and siphon power) Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft. Base Atk +5; Grp +5 Atk Options energy drain, siphon power Power Points/Day ; Psion Powers Known (ML 11th): 6th mind switch (DC 22)* 5th metaconcert, power resistance, psychic crush (DC 21)*, tower of iron will 4th energy adaptation, psionic dimension door, psionic dominate (DC 20)*, trace teleport 3rd body adjustment, dispel psionics, energy burst (DC 19)*, hostile empathic transfer (DC 19)*; 2nd brain lock (DC 18)* ego whip (DC 17)* energy push (DC 18)*, psionic tongues 1st crystal shard, detect psionics, inertial armor, mindlink, psionic charm (DC 17)*; *The save DCs for these powers might increase with the use of augments Abilities Str , Dex 14, Con , Int 23, Wis 14, Cha 16 SA energy drain, siphon power SQ turn resistance +4, incorporeal traits, undead traits Feats Combat Manifestation, Craft Cognizance Crystal, Craft

Dorje, Imprint Stone, Power Penetration, Psionic Body,

Psionic Endowment, Psionic Meditation Skills Concentration +17, Diplomacy +19, Hide +10,

Knowledge (psionics) +20, Knowledge (the planes) +20,

Listen +10, Move Silently +10, Psicraft +20, Search +14,

Sense Motive +24, Spot +10 Energy Drain (Su) Living creatures hit by a spectral savant's slam attack (or any other natural weapon the spectral savant might possess) gain one negative level.

For each negative level bestowed, the spectral savant gains 5 temporary hit points that last for up to 1 hour.

A spectral savant can use its energy drain ability once per round. Siphon Power (Su) A spectral savant can make a touch attack once per round and drain a number of power points from a living psionic character or creature, equal to its HD or lower. For creatures that possess only psi like abilities, the spectral savant drains one use of the highestlevel ability available to that creature, gaining a number of power points appropriate to the ability plus any augmentations, based on the manifester level of the creature. If the number of power points that the spectral savant would receive exceeds 11, the remaining power points are lost to the spectral savant.

A spectral savant cannot attempt to draw more than its

SIBYLUC GUARDIAN LORE

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about sibyllic guardians. When a character makes a skill check, the following lore is revealed, including information from lower DCs.

DC Result

15 Sibyllic guardians are powerful psionic archons called by the most powerful psionic characters to do battle against evil.

DC Result

20 Sibyllic guardians hail from the Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia and possess both magical and psionic abilities, as well as a mean sword arm. 25 Sibyllic guardians believe a final war is on the horizon, a war that only they and other powerful psionic oracles can sense. Divinations cannot confirm the sibyllics* belief in any approaching, ultimate conflict.

HD in power points in a single attack, from a creature that normally uses power points, simply to make them unavailable to that creature.

A spectral savant is an undead psion who has discovered the means to extend his life unnaturally. While spectral savants retain the powers they had in life, they no longer have a pool of power points to draw upon. They must instead, siphon power points from living psionic characters and creatures.

Strategies and Tactics

Any given spectral savant has an amazing array of psionic powers and abilities at its disposal. Since each spectral savant is unique, tactics and strategies in combat vary. However, a tried and true strategy for those with telepathic compulsion powers is to entrap the minds of their victims, then order them to stand still as they siphon life and power points (if any) away.

CREATING A SPECTRAL SAVANT

"Spectral savant" is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature), provided it can complete the transformation ritual (see below).

A spectral savant has all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type: The creatures type changes to undead. Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged. The creature gains the incorporeal subtype.

Hit Dice: Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.

Armor Class: A spectral savant has a deflection bonus to Armor Class equal to 5 + its Charisma modifier.

Attack: A spectral savant has a touch attack that it can use once per round. The touch attack deals 1d6 points of cold damage, and affects the victim with energy drain and/or (against a psionic foe) siphon power. Full Attack: As above. Special Attacks: A spectral savant retains all the special attacks of the base creature and gains those described below. Saves have a DC of 10 + 1/2 spectral savant's HD + spectral savant's Cha modifier unless otherwise noted. Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures hit by a spectral savant's slam attack (or any other natural weapon the spectral savant might possess) gain one negative level. For each negative level bestowed, the spectral savant gains 5 temporary hit points that last for up to 1 hour. A spectral savant can use its energy drain ability once per round. Siphon Power (Su): A spectral savant can make a touch attack once per round and drain a number of power points from a living psionic character or creature, equal to its HD or lower. For creatures that possess only psilike abilities, the spectral savant drains one use of the highestlevel ability available to that creature, gaining a number of psionic power points appropriate to the ability plus any augmentations, based on the manifester level of the creature. For example, if a spectral savant were to drain the single use of mind thrust that a cerebrilith receives in a day, it would receive 9 power points, since the cerebrilith manifests that power at 9th level (normally requiring 9 power points to do so). If the number of power points that A spectral savant is a psionic character who has discovered the spectral savant would rethe meant to extend his life unnaturally ceive exceeds its maximum (spectral savant's HD), the remaining power points are lost to the spectral savant. A spectral savant cannot attempt to draw more than its HD in power points in a single attack, from a creature that normally uses power points, simply to make them unavailable to that creature.

SPECTRAL SAVANT LORE

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (psionics) or Knowledge (religion) can learn more about spectral savants. When a char acter makes a skill check, the following lore is revealed, including information from lower DCs.

DC Result

15 Spectral savants are undead monsters. 20 Spectral savants are capable of draining psionic energy from their victims. 25 Spectral savants are not automatically evil (though more are evil than are not). 30 Spectral savant eye color is determined by alignment: good (silver), neutral (jade), evil (green).