Lost

any particular ethical outlook. However, its warped mental state causes it to hate all living creatures—particularly those who channel incarnum. An incarnum wraith’s specifi c features are indistinct and malleable, and it might display a variety of different faces during a single encounter as it shifts among the many souls that make up its form. As an incorporeal creature, it is weightless. An incarnum wraith speaks Common.

Combat

An incarnum wraith approaches its target silently, then strikes with its incorporeal touch attack to drain essentia.

Create Spawn (Su): Any humanoid that has an essentia pool and is slain by an incarnum wraith becomes a new incarnum wraith in 1d4 rounds. Its body remains intact and inanimate, but its spirit is torn free from its corpse and transformed. Such spawn are under the command of the incarnum wraith that created them and remain enslaved until its death. They do not possess any of the abilities they had in life. A humanoid that does not have an essentia pool is merely dead if slain by an incarnum wraith. It does not become a new incarnum wraith.

Incarnum wraith

Essentia Drain (Su): Any living creature hit by an incarnum wraith’s incorporeal touch attack must succeed on a DC 19 Fortitude save or lose 1d4 points of essentia. The save DC is Charisma-based. If the creature struck does not have essentia, or its essentia pool is already depleted, it takes Constitution damage equal to the points of essentia that would normally be lost. Whether it drains essentia or Constitution, an incarnum wraith gains 5 temporary hit points on each successful attack. Lost essentia returns to the character’s essentia pool when the wraith is destroyed, or 1 hour after the loss occurs, whichever comes fi rst.

Though they were once normal creatures, the lost have been tainted by incarnum and bound to negative emotions or ideals. Many of these miserable beings are misshapen wretches who have fled to the wilderness and gradually degenerated into savages, but a few are cunningly social and well groomed. The hunchbacked madman foaming at the mouth and screaming about the flies in his heart, the eyeless savage leaping through the wood, the effete noble with a penchant for bloodletting, and even the griffon that descends upon hapless travelers in the wild with his gore-encrusted beak and talons—all these creatures and more are lost. Forever separated from its mortal brethren, a lost is pinned to the depths of hate and rage by a single wisp of pure incarnum. A lost is created when a passing strand of uncontrolled soul energy strikes a creature that happens to share its negative emotional state at that moment. For example, a human who is angry at a merchant for fl eecing him out of his hard-earned silver might encounter a strand of incarnum that embodies anger in the alley near the merchant’s stall. The incarnum permanently bonds the wrath to the man’s soul and amplifi es it until it becomes blind rage. This bonding process fi ercely intensifi es the creature’s heartbeat, making it audible at a distance of 5 feet with a DC 20 Listen check. Once the bonding is complete, the creature gains the lost template. Each lost appears as a deformed version of its former self, though the type and extent of the deformities vary widely from one individual to another. The creature’s mental stability is also hampered to a greater or lesser extent based on the emotion to which it is bound. For example, a lost dwarf who has retained his wits might wear a single glove to cover the twisted remains of his fi ngers, while a lost human blacksmith might drool, twitch, and stumble like a mad dog. None but the most deviously insane lost bother with dress or personal upkeep; they simply sleep where they can and let their clothes deteriorate into rags. But even a lost that successfully disguises its nature cannot escape its traitorous heart. Thus, the rare lost that attempts to masquerade as fully humanoid haunts noisy public places to mask its telling heartbeat. No lost has ever been restored to its former state, but sages speculate that a method might exist to redeem at least some of these creatures. The exact means of doing so is left to the DM to devise, but it should require a quest of some sort.

Illus. by A. Stokes

Illus. by A. Stokes

A lost that retains an Intelligence score of 3 or higher speaks any languages that it knew before acquiring the template.

SAMPLE LOST

This example uses a 1st-level human commoner as the base creature.

Fury of Wrath (Ex): On his fi rst turn, this lost gains 2 temporary hit points and a +1 bonus on damage rolls. These bonuses last for 10 rounds.

SAMPLE ELITE LOST

This example uses a 3rd-level nymph barbarian as the base creature.

Lost, 1st-Level Human Commoner Medium Humanoid (Incarnum) Hit Dice: 1d4+5 (7 hp) Initiative: +0 Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares) AC: 13 (+3 natural), touch 10, fl at-footed 13 Base Attack/Grapple: +0/+2 Attack: Slam +2 melee (1d4+2) Full Attack: Slam +2 melee (1d4+2) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. Special Attacks: Fury of wrath Special Qualities: Damage reduction 1/magic, twisted mind Saves: Fort +2, Ref +0, Will –1 Abilities: Str 14, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 8, Cha 8 Skills: Listen +1, Profession (teamster) +6, Spot +1 Feats: Skill Focus (Profession [teamster]), Toughness Environment: Any Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 1/2 Treasure: None Alignment: Neutral evil Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: —

A limping wreck of a man stares at the surrounding landscape with a swollen, incarnadine eye. A single trickle of black liquid escapes from the corner of his mouth. His clothes are in tatters, and he reeks of the wilderness.

This lost was a teamster who saw his childhood sweetheart horribly beaten to death by a gang of thugs the day before he was to marry her. Overwhelmed with rage at her attackers, he had the misfortune to attract a stray wisp of wrathful incarnum. This lost commoner has degenerated to animal intelligence. He spends most of his time scavenging in back alleys for bread crusts or rooting in the forest for grubs.

COMBAT

When this lost commoner spies humanoids, his wrath and hunger drive him to attack. If he slays one opponent, he attempts to break off the combat and drag the corpse off to feed on it.

Lost Dolcianne, Elite Lost, 3rd-Level Nymph Barbarian Medium Fey (Incarnum) Hit Dice: 6d6+18 plus 3d12+9 (67 hp) Initiative: +4 Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares), swim 20 ft. AC: 24 (+4 Dex, +3 natural, +3 leather, +4 defl ection), touch 18, fl at-footed 24 Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+8 Attack: Spiked chain +11 melee (1d10+3) or slam +8 melee (1d4+2) Full Attack: Spiked chain +11/+6 melee (1d10+3) or slam +8 melee (1d4+2) Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with spiked chain) Special Attacks: Blinding beauty, song of misery, spell-like abilities, spells, stunning glance Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/magic, damage reduction 10/cold iron, low-light vision, twisted mind, unearthly grace, wild empathy +10 Saves: Fort +12, Ref +14, Will +13 Abilities: Str 14, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 17, Cha 19 Skills: Concentration +12, Diplomacy +6, Escape Artist +13, Handle Animal +13, Heal +12, Hide +20, Listen +12, Move Silently +20, Ride +6, Sense Motive +12, Spot +12, Survival +7, Swim +10, Use Rope +4 (+6 with bindings) Feats: Combat Reflexes, Weapon Finesse, Dodge, Exotic Weapon Profi ciency (spiked chain) Environment: Forest Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 9 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Neutral evil Advancement: By character class Level Adjustment: —

The beauty of this female is as undeniable as it is unsettling. Her fey features include pointed ears and a shy smile, but her gaze has a sad quality that gives her a melancholy air.

At the moment that the uncontrolled incarnum struck her, Dolcianne was mourning the passing of a dryad she had known for many years. The incarnum strand bound and amplifi ed the primary emotion that Dolcianne was feeling at the time—namely, misery. Now a demented

creature of the forest, she lives like a savage and torments all those around her. Should Dolcianne ever recover from her lost state, she would be a powerful ally for her rescuers.

COMBAT

Because of her own misery, Dolcianne is driven to cause pain and sadness to any living creatures she sees. She is especially cruel to human, elf, or half-elf females, since they remind her all too much of her lost friend.

Blinding Beauty (Su): Any creature within 30 feet of Dolcianne that looks directly at her must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or be permanently blinded, as though by the blindness spell. Dolcianne can suppress or resume this ability as a free action. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Rage (Ex): Once per day, Dolcianne can enter a state of fierce rage that lasts for 8 rounds. The following changes are in effect as long as she rages: hp increase by 45; AC 22, touch 16, flat-footed 22; Grp +10; Atk +13 melee (1d10+5, spiked chain) or +10 ranged (1d4+4, slam); Full Atk +13/+8 melee (1d10+5, spiked chain) or +10 ranged (1d4+4, slam); SV Fort +14, Will +15; Str 18, Con 20; Swim +12. At the end of her rage, Dolcianne is fatigued for the duration of the encounter.

Song of Misery (Ex): As a free action, Dolcianne can begin a droning song. Every creature within 30 feet who can hear her is fascinated for as long as the song continues, plus 1 round thereafter (Will negates, DC 18). The sight of her does not allow a new saving throw, but any attack made against an affected character—even if the attack comes from Dolcianne herself—automatically ends the effect. Song of misery is a mind-affecting effect.

Spell-Like Abilities: 1/day—dimension door. Caster level 7th.

Spells: Dolcianne casts divine spells as a 7th-level druid.

Druid Spells Prepared (caster level 7th): 0—cure minor wounds, detect magic, flare, guidance, light, resistance; 1st— entangle (DC 14), faerie fi re, longstrider, obscuring mist, speak with animals; 2nd—barkskin, bear’s endurance, bull’s strength, cat’s grace; 3rd—cure moderate wounds, protection from energy, spike growth (DC 16); 4th—ice storm.

Stunning Glance (Su): As a standard action, Dolcianne can stun a creature within 30 feet with a mere glance. The target creature must succeed on a DC 17 Fortitude save or be stunned for 2d4 rounds. The save is Charisma-based.

Possessions: +1 shadow leather armor, masterwork spiked chain, wand of cure moderate wounds (50 charges), boots of elvenkind, matching platinum earrings, necklace and anklets (worth 2,400 gp as a set), 350 gp emerald navel ring, 80 pp.

TACTICS

Dolcianne prefers to use her exceptional Hide and Move Silently skills to ambush groups of humanoids. She prepares her defensive spells first (see Power-Up Suite, below), then reveals herself from a point within 30 feet of her targets, hoping to blindthem with her blinding beauty and stop them in their tracks with her song of misery. If she gains surprise, she casts an ice storm centered on an obvious spellcaster. If only one or two opponents are still capable of fi ghting at that point, she draws her spiked chain and looks for attacks of opportunity against charging combatants. Otherwise, she moves away and casts a spell, such as entangle or spike growth, before moving another 50 feet away. She continues to use such hit-and-run tactics, depending on her superior speed to keep her out of her foes’ reach. When Dolcianne is fi nally engaged in melee, she activates her rage and wades in with her spiked chain. During a fi ght, she seeks to maximize her attacks of opportunity with the spiked chain and her Combat Refl exes feat. If forced to fl ee, she uses dimension door and obscuring mist to cover her escape.

Power-Up Suite: If she has time to prepare for a battle, Dolcianne casts longstrider, barkskin, cat’s grace, bear’s endurance, and bull’s strength, in that order.

CREATING A LOST

“Lost” is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature with an Intelligence score of at least 3 (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A lost uses all the base creature’s statistics and abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type: A lost’s type does not change, but it gains the incarnum subtype. Size is unchanged.

Speed: The creature’s base land speed increases by 10 ft. Though a lost might stumble and twitch, it can be surprisingly nimble when closing for a kill. Any swim, fl y, or burrow speeds the base creature might have do not increase.

Armor Class: The base creature’s natural armor bonus improves by 3.