Unholy Scion

levels of both corruption and depravity (referred to hereafter as the base creature). It is most often applied to a creature that goes insane because its depravity score exceeds the maximum for severe depravity for a creature with its Wisdom score; see Table 4–1: Taint Thresholds on page 63. A tainted raver uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Armor Class: A tainted raver’s state of perpetual rage gives it a –2 penalty to Armor Class.

Special Attacks: A tainted raver retains all the special attacks of the base creature and gains a perpetual rage ability.

Perpetual Rage (Ex): A tainted raver is constantly in a state of insane fury similar to a barbarian’s rage. In this state, the raver gains a 4 bonus on its Strength and Constitution scores, a 2 bonus on Will saves, and a –2 penalty to Armor Class. An effect that counters rage, such as the calm emotions spell, temporarily suppresses this ability and negates these bonuses and penalties. Unlike a barbarian’s rage, a tainted raver’s perpetual fury does not prevent it from taking actions that require reasoned thought or concentration. A tainted raver can cast spells, use skills, activate magic items, and even act calmly and rationally. It retains at least some modicum of tactical and rational thought, although its madness can cause it to act on those thoughts in an unpredictable manner. While some tainted ravers become screaming maniacs, others manifest their lunacy in more subtle and sinister ways. A rare few can suppress the outward signs of their innate wrath and even pass, for a time, as normal. Eventually, however, even the most iron-willed raver must give vent to its rage, resulting in fi ts of homicidal temper.

Special Qualities: A tainted minion retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains those described below.

Fast Healing (Ex): A tainted raver heals 3 points of damage each round.

Madness (Ex): A tainted raver is irretrievably mad. It uses its Charisma modifi er on Will saves instead of its Wisdom modifi er and has immunity to confusion and insanity effects. Anyone targeting a tainted raver with a thought detection, mind control, or telepathic ability makes direct contact with its tortured mind and takes 1d3 points of taint (depravity) from that contact. A tainted raver cannot be restored to sanity by any means short of a miracle or wish spell. If restored to sanity, a tainted raver loses this template and all the modifi ers it applies.

Saves: A tainted raver’s state of perpetual rage gives it a 2 bonus on Will saves.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str 4 (for raging), Con 4 (for raging), Wis –6, Cha 6.

Taint: A tainted raver no longer acquires taint. For purposes of special abilities, its corruption and depravity scores are both considered to be half its Charisma score 1.

Environment: Any, usually same as base creature.

Organization: Solitary or gang (2–5). Treasure: Double standard.

Alignment: Always evil (any).

Level Adjustment: Tainted ravers cannot be player characters.

Tainted raver

Illus. by S. Prescott

Not all births that follow from the mating of an evil outsider and a mortal result in a half-fi end. If the female partner in such a union is impregnated in an area of high taint, the result is the unholy scion. An unholy scion can also be created when a fi end mentally possess an unborn child within the womb. In either case, it is a creature with fi endish power and malignance, all the more terrifying for its ability to pass as mortal. Even worse, the horror gestating in its mother’s womb is already fully intelligent and possesses the ability to infl uence its mother’s actions and observe the world through her senses. A mortal woman in such straits is often compelled to commit all manner of depraved acts, without ever fully understanding why she is forced to act in such ways—at least, not until the child is born. Unholy scions look like normal members of their mortal parent’s race, but they are subtly disturbing. Their features might be ever so slightly off, their eyes possessed of an evil gleam, or they might simply make everyone around them nervous for no obvious cause. The overwhelming majority of unholy scions are humanoid, although animal scions are not unheard of. All unholy scions are irredeemably evil. By the time the child is born, it is no longer possible to separate the possessing 155

Illus. by W. England

fiend from the newly developed mind and soul; they are one, forever intertwined. The fi end can never return to its original form, and slaying one requires slaying the other. The precise personality of the child depends on the nature of the fi end parent or possessor. Unholy scions formed from devils are deceptive and scheming, while those possessed by demons are likely to be more wantonly destructive. Unholy scions formed from taint rather than possession tend toward chaotic.

SAMPLE UNHOLY SCION

The individual seems to be an ordinary lizardfolk to all outward appearance, but its gaze is abnormally cold, even for a reptile. Unholy scions among more primitive cultures, such as lizardfolk, are usually shunned or banished. All too often they return when they have gained suffi cient power to enslave or torment their brethren. They frequently become religious or cult leaders.

This example uses a standard lizardfolk as the base creature.

Unholy Scion Lizardfolk Medium Outsider (augmented humanoid, evil, native, reptilian) Hit Dice: 2d82 (11 hp) Initiative: 1 Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares) Armor Class: 18 (1 Dex, 5 natural, 2 defl ection) or 20 (1 Dex, 5 natural, 2 heavy shield, 2 defl ection), touch 13, fl at-footed 17 or 19 Base Attack/Grapple: 1/2 Attack: Claw 2 melee (1d41 plus 2d6 against good) or club 2 melee (1d61 plus 2d6 against good) or javelin 2 ranged (1d61) Full Attack: 2 claws 2 melee (1d41 plus 2d6 against good) and bite 0 melee (1d4 plus 2d6 against good), or club 2 melee (1d61 plus 2d6 against good) and bite 0 melee (1d4 plus 2d6 against good), or javelin 2 ranged (1d61) Special Attacks: Familial charm, spell-like ability (charm person), unholy strike Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/good or magic, darkvision 60 ft., hold breath, fast healing 4, immunity to poison and mind-affecting spells and abilities, instant knowledge, resistance to acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5, and fi re 5, spell resistance 12 Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Saves: Fort 1, Ref 4, Will 1 Abilities: Str 13, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 14 Skills: Balance 7, Intimidate 4, Jump 7, Sense Motive 4, Swim 5 Feats: Multiattack Environment: Temperate marshes Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 2 Treasure: 50 coins; 50 goods; 50 items Alignment: Neutral evil Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: 6

Combat Unholy scions prefer sly and insinuating tactics, such as sending charmed minions against their foes or attempting to charm their foes into becoming minions. If combat is unavoidable, they make full use of their unholy strike and spell-like abilities. They are intelligent fighters, who attempt to eliminate the most dangerous opponents first. Charm Person (Sp): 3/day, Will DC 13 negates, caster level 2nd. The save DC is Charisma-based. Familial Charm (Su): This lizardfolk’s mother accompanies it, wrapped in a constant miasma of despair. She has the abilities of a standard lizardfolk (Monster Manual, page 169). Hold Breath: This unholy scion lizard folk can hold its breath for 52 rounds before it risks drowning. Skills: Because of its tail, this unholy scion lizardfolk has a 4 racial bonus on Jump, Swim, and Balance checks. The skill modifiers given in the statistics block include a –2 armor check penalty (–4 on Swim checks) for carrying a heavy shield. CREATING AN UNHOLY SCION “Unholy scion” is an inherited template that can be added to any living humanoid or animal (referred to hereafter as the base creature). Animal scions are exceptionally rare; the overwhelming majority Unholy scion of unholy scions are humanoids. An unholy scion uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to outsider (evil, native). Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonus, or saving throws. Size is unchanged. Armor Class: The unholy power of a scion grants it a defl ection bonus to AC equal to its Charisma modifi er (minimum 1). Attack: An unholy scion gains a claw attack if it did not already possess one. (The creature’s nails or claws do not appear to be any stronger or sharper than normal for its race.) If the base creature can use weapons, the scion retains this ability. A scion fi ghting without weapons uses its claws when making an attack action. When it has a weapon, it usually uses the weapon instead. Full Attack: An unholy scion fi ghting without weapons uses its claws when making a full attack. If armed with a weapon, it uses the weapon as its primary attack and its claws as a natural secondary attack.

Damage: Unholy scions have claw attacks. Use the damage values in the table below, or the base creature’s damage values (if any), whichever is greater.

Size Claw Damage

Fine 1 Diminutive 1 Tiny 1d2 Small 1d3 Medium 1d4 Large 1d6 Huge 1d8 Gargantuan 2d6 Colossal 3d6

Special Attacks: An unholy scion retains all the special attacks of the base creature and gains the following special attacks. Familial Charm (Su): An unholy scion’s mother is under a constant charm person or charm animal effect (as appropriate), generated by the scion. The mother might be aware that her actions are inappropriate, even that her child is evil, but she cannot shake her emotional devotion to it. The scion can switch between its own senses and its mother’s at will as a free action. The scion can use any of its spell-like abilities with its mother, rather than itself, as the source, much as wizards can deliver touch attacks through their familiars. Familial charm does not allow a save, and applies even before the scion’s actual birth (since the unborn scion is already intelligent and knowledgeable enough to have its own agenda).

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): An unholy scion with an Intelligence or Wisdom score of 8 or higher has spell-like abilities depending on its Hit Dice, as indicated on the table below. These abilities are cumulative. Unless otherwise noted, an ability is usable once per day. Caster level equals the creature’s HD, and the save DC is Charisma-based.

Unholy Strike (Su): An unholy scion’s natural weapons and any melee weapon it wields are treated as evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. In addition, all such attacks deal an extra 2d6 points of damage against good-aligned opponents. Special Qualities: An unholy scion has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities. Damage reduction 5/good or magic (if HD 11 or less) or 10/good or magic (if HD 12 or more). Darkvision out to 60 feet. Fast healing 4. Immunity to poison and mind-affecting spells and abilities. Instant Knowledge: The moment a fetus is corrupted or possessed, it gains a working knowledge of the world and has full access to its mental abilities, skills, and spelllike abilities. Resistance to acid 5, cold 5, electricity 5, and fi re 5. Spell resistance equal to creature’s HD 10 (maximum 35). Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Dex 2, Int 6, Wis 2, Cha 4. (Note: Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma modifi ers apply even before birth.) Skills: An unholy scion gains skill points as an outsider and has skill points equal to (8 Int modifi er) × (HD 3). Do not include Hit Dice from class levels in this calculation—a scion gains outsider skill points only for its racial Hit Dice, and gains the normal amount of skill points for its class levels. Treat skills from the base creature’s list as class skills and other skills as cross-class. Organization: Unholy scions are usually solitary creatures (not counting any minions they might gain), regardless of the proclivities of the base creature. Challenge Rating: HD 4 or less, as base creature 1; HD 5 to 10, as base creature 2; HD 11 or more, as base creature 3. Alignment: Always evil (any). Level Adjustment: 5.

Treasure: As base creature.

HD Abilities

1–2 Charm animal or charm person 3/day1 3–4 Desecrate 5–6 Enervation, protection from good 3/day 7–8 Major image 3/day, poison 3/day 9–10 Dominate animal or dominate person1 , baleful polymorph 11–12 Animate dead2 , true seeing 3/day 13–14 Unholy aura 3/day, unhallow 15–16 Harm 17–18 Gate3 19–20 Polymorph any object 1 An unholy scion gains charm animal and dominate animal if the base creature is an animal, or charm person and dominate person if the base creature is humanoid. 2 An unholy scion can control up to four times its HD in skeletons and zombies with this ability, in addition to any similar ability the scion might gain from class features. 3 This ability can only open a gate to the home plane of the parent or possessing fiend who created the scion. If the scion was created by taint rather than by fiendish possession, the gate opens to the Abyss.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

JAMES WYATT won an Origins award for City of the Spider Queen. He also wrote Oriental Adventures and has co-authored numerous other roleplaying game products, including the EBERRON Campaign Setting, Sharn: City of Towers, Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons, and Book of Exalted Deeds. He lives in Washington State with his wife, Amy, and their son, Carter.

ARI MARMELL has contributed to more than forty RPG and fiction products, including Vampire: The Requiem, multiple books in the Scarred Lands setting, Egyptian Adventures: Hamunaptra, Dawnforge, and the novel Gehenna: The Final Night. Heroes of Horror is his first book for Wizards of the Coast. He lives with his wife and two cats.

C.A. SULEIMAN considers himself a career gamer and has written numerous roleplaying supplements for various companies, including Dread and Darkness. He lives in the Washington, D.C., area with a lovely lady named Joana and a not-so-lovely dog named J.D.