MONSTERS
CHAPTER 5:
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cast spells with an XP cost in this manner. The ghosteater can cast the ghost’s spells, even if the ghost is dead, up to the point that its victim’s body is digested (which takes 1d4 days). A dead body regains no spell slots and cannot prepare additional spells. Consume Ghost (Ex): If a ghosteater reduces a ghost’s Wisdom to 0 or touches a helpless ghost with one of its touch attacks, it automatically absorbs the target’s ghost body into one of its fleshy sacs if the target is its own size or smaller. The ghost is treated as if the ghosteater had the swallow whole ability. A consumed ghost takes 1d4 points of Wisdom damage and 1d4 hit points of damage every round. In the unusual event that a swallowed ghost becomes no longer helpless while it is consumed, it can attempt to cut itself free with natural slashing weapons or a light slashing weapon by dealing 15 points of damage to the fleshy sac (AC 15). Once the ghost exits, the fleshy sac cannot hold another ghost until it heals, which takes 1d4 days. Each fleshy sac can hold one Mediumsize, two Small, four Tiny, or eight Diminutive ghosts. Wisdom Damage (Su): The touch of a ghosteater’s tentacle deals 1d4 points of temporary Wisdom damage. A creature reduced to 0 Wisdom falls into a deep sleep filled with nightmares and is completely helpless. If the creature is a ghost, it succumbs to the ghosteater’s consume ghost ability. Incorporeal: A ghosteater can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, +1 or better magic weapons, spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. The creature has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source, except for force effects or attacks made with ghost touch weapons. A ghosteater can pass through solid objects, but not force effects, at will. Its attacks ignore natural armor, armor, and shields, but deflection bonuses and force effects work normally against them. A ghosteater always moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it doesn’t wish to be. Ethereal Jaunt (Su): A ghosteater can become ethereal three times per day as if under the effect of an ethereal jaunt spell.
MONSTROUS VAMPIRE
(TEMPLATE)
A monstrous vampire is a creature similar to a normal vampire, but it can create vampire spawn out of creatures that are not humanoids. Some are intelligent and act similarly to normal vampires, while others are
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bestial and are merely powerful hunters with new dangerous abilities augmenting their normal ones. A monstrous vampire appears much as it did in life, although like normal vampires, its features are often hardened and feral; creatures that already have such an appearance sometimes acquire red glowing eyes, longer teeth, and larger claws. Monstrous vampires often suffer a chromatic change after their transformation, becoming darker or lighter in color. Thus, a monstrous vampire displacer beast might become midnight black with red eyes, or instead become a very pale white color. A monstrous vampire yuan-ti abomination might have dark gray and black scales, or pale yellow and white, like an albino. Like normal vampires, monstrous vampires cast no shadows and throw no reflections in mirrors. Monstrous vampires usually do not have coffins, but they are tied to the site of their burial just as any normal vampire. They bond to a particular large stone at the site of their burial (called the tombstone, but usually without any carving or markings), and it is to this stone that a monstrous vampire must return if reduced to 0 hit points or lower. A monstrous vampire can cross running water on a ship or if it is resting in a container bearing its tombstone.
CREATING A MONSTROUS VAMPIRE “Monstrous vampire” is a template that can be applied to any aberration, animal, beast, dragMD on, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, or vermin (referred to hereafter as the base creature). The creature’s type changes to undead. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities, except as noted in the vampire template in the Monster Manual and as noted below. Sample Monstrous Vampire
Here is an example of a monstrous vampire using a human-armed yuan-ti abomination as the base creature. Monstrous Vampire Yuan-Ti Abomination
Large Undead Hit Dice: 9d12 (58 hp) Initiative: +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Speed: 30 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft. AC: 30 (–1 size, +3 Dex, +1 bracers of armor, +1 deflection, +16 natural) Attacks: Masterwork falchion +16/+11 melee or bite +15 melee or slam +15 melee; or masterwork
