I have a friend that regularly GMs our group (sadly he does not have an account in the forums), this is what he had to say.
What my Friend Said:
My Friend wrote:
An army of Vampire Adventurers is a misnomer, but if allowed to be an irregular force, it can work. FOR THIS TO WORK THE GM MUST PLAY TO KILL. If not, then there is no point.
First of all, the GM is going to want 3 parties in the level bracket suggested.
I recommend,
A ranger specialized in ranged combat
A general purpose heavy armor fighter
A wizard with both Lightning Bolt and Fireball.
A Rogue with patience and high stealth.
As the core of each team. The Ranger is meant to rain down poisoned arrows from range. I recommend hitting the Cleric with Drow Poison as the opening move, the Paladin second. Make heavy use of a variety of poisons, clip everybody a fire every other arrow into the Cleric.
The wizard should be firing Lightning into the party to break them up and separate them, if they group, Fireball. Keep the Wizards mobile and hidden.
The Fighter is his group's shield and secondary striker. Arm him with a bow and sword and board load out. The Fighter should also pepper the party with poisoned arrows until the party starts to respond. I would recommend Cut from the Air, Spellcut, and Smash for the Air as feats. They are to draw the heat off the Wizards and Rangers.
The Rogue is meant to wait and when the players are distracted and running off, sneak in and start killing. Start with the downed players, then move to disable the casters before killing them. Disable first so they can use their magics properly.
The last slot in each vampire party is flavor to taste.
I recommend a gunslinger to deal with AC, a single cleric for undead heals, and a cavalier to issue challenges.
Don't forget that you are using Vampires. They should be throwing swarms of bats, packs of wolves, and possibly lesser vampires at the party. They are also immune to mind affects.
This creates a dangerous battle that the players must work together on, and support each other.
Play the lethality up. Players have a lot of hit points to burn through, and the closer to 0 they are, the scarier the Vampires are. If the players leave an opening to damage a downed player, take it. That strips the players of a safety net.
You don't have to kill the players, something can always save them, or revive them after the fact, I recommend that second one, but the vampires need to feel lethal.
For Vinnie, have a rogue single him out a try to turn him, or dominate him. Vinnie will be a an Undead, or not a problem until Strahd can deal with the situation. Don't take the player out of the game, but target the character and let them know Strahd has a personal interest in them, and will make their life hell.
So looking over Pathfinder Society stuff to tie into a Home Game involving Tar-Baphon, and I find 10-98 Siege Of Gallow-spire, in particular, the fallowing.
Whispers of the Pillar:
Whispers of the Pillar You have interfaced with the Whispering Tyrant’s Pillar, which contains much of his accumulated arcane knowledge. In quiet moments, the pillar whispers in the corners of your mind, sharing arcane knowledge. For now, at least, you do not seem to have suffered any ill effects from this connection to the Whispering Tyrant’s power. Choose one of the following benefits, crossing the others off your Chronicle sheet.
-Spell Access: A dizzying array of spells flashed through your mind. If you are a spontaneous spellcaster, you can cross this boon off your Chronicle sheet to retrain as many of your spells known as you wish at no cost into appropriate spells of any school except abjuration and divination. You cannot retrain spells granted by specific class features, such as sorcerer bloodlines or oracle mysteries. If you use a spellbook, from now on, you can learn any spell by simply scribing it to your spellbook, without needing to find or pay an NPC to learn the spell. If you are a witch, the messages of your patron interfere somewhat with these whispers, but you can still find new spells of schools other than abjuration and divination for half cost.
-Spell Knowledge: Spellcraft becomes a class skill for you, and you gain a +2 insight bonus on all Spellcraft checks.
Now the question I have is, as thus, has there been any official say on the long term effects of the above, and if not, what is the unofficial consequences that all my fellow GMs have no doubt cooked up? Heck, I will take theories if you got any.
So is it possible to summon undead like one would an outsider or a beast in the preexisting rules? Spells, feats, builds, anyway and everyway is good to know. If there is no way to then I would also appreciate a definitive "no way, no how" so I know homebrew is necessary.
You came up with that faster then I could have imagined. If I tried to make something like this I would still be working on it a week from now. It looks pretty good, better then I could have done on a first draft.
I was thinking about stating some scaling artifacts and or legendary items, but I do no not have any idea how those are stated up. Does anyone know where I can look for guidelines, or does anyone have some rules of thumb they use for that?
Forsaken-Wraith Template
CR+2
AL: At first Aliment stays the same, prolong usage of this template will change aliment to Evil, as time wears away at the users sanity.
Type: at first no change, but after prolonged use the creature’s type changes to Undead, Native Outsider (augmented)
Senses: Low light vision 60ft, Dark vision 60ft. If the character already has one or both of these, it instead increases by 60ft. Sent.
Hit Dice: Same as base creature
Defensive Abilities: Regeneration 5/Fire, Form of Shadows, Immune to Positive and Negative Energy
Weaknesses: A Forsaken-Wraith cannot benefit from Positive or Negative Energy.
Speed: Same as the base creature.
Special Qualities:
Approaching Darkness (Su) Once per day the Forsaken-Wraith can create an effect similar to the spell Darkness, with the exception that the radius is 50 feet centered on user at time of casting, and lasts for 10 minutes.
Fast as Darkness: (Su) The Forsaken-Wraith can cast Shadow Step once every 1d4 rounds at a caster level equal to his hit dice,
Banished from Death: When the Forsaken-Wraith would be killed they instead fade away and reform one day (24 hours) later intact, at full health, and cured of all afflictions.
Form of Shadows (working name) the creatures outline becomes shadowy and harder to make out. 10% miss chance
Special Attacks: A Forsaken-Wraith gains the special attacks described below. Save DCs are equal to 10 + 1/2 Forsaken-Wraith's HD + either the Forsaken-Wraith’s int, wis or cha modifier (which ever is higher) unless otherwise noted.
Any weapons or armor wielded by a Forsaken-Wraith counts as having Ghost Touch
Fear Aura (Su): Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60- foot radius that look at the Forsaken-Wraith must succeed on a Will save or become frightened. Creatures with 5 HD or more must succeed at a Will save or be shaken for a number of rounds equal to the Forsaken-Wraith's Hit Dice. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same Forsaken-Wraith’s aura for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting fear effect
Dread Scream (Su): As a Standard Action the Forsaken-Wraith can emit a powerful shriek, this functions as a 15 foot cone sonic attack 1d8 damage per every HD the Forsaken-Wraith has and is Shaken for one round, Reflex for half damage. A Will save removes the Shaken condition.
Draining Grasp: (Su) the Forsaken-Wraith can use Vampiric Touch as per the spell as a Standard Action.
What is the "Black Breath" that folks keep mentioning? Did I miss it in the OP, or is there a link or creature that I'm not seeing?
From the wiki
"The Black Breath, also known as the Black Shadow, was a serious and often fatal condition, resulting from contact with a Nazgûl.
Rather than actually being the breath of the unseen wraiths, it was more of a produced aura, meant to incapacitate foes. This power was used extensively in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, though not during their confrontations with Frodo and his companions in Eriador.
Effects and treatment
In a mild form, the Black Breath could cause a brief period of unconsciousness, accompanied by bad dreams, and a state of agitation upon being woken."
I honestly forgot about this when I had originally posted the Template
I think the poison/necrotic contamination you are referring to is either their "Black Breath" ability, which (and I could be wrong) is more of an area of effect centered on the Nazgul or the Morgul Blade which is a type of magic blade.
The 9 Rings for men and the 7 For Dwarves are to my knowledge basically the same and 3 or so of the 7 were destroyed by Dragons fire in LOTR Lore, but that seems a little to easy a destruction method.
Each of the 9 having a unique permeant Kill method would be interesting, but would probably be based of the user, as it was only the Witch-King that was foretold "not by the hand of man shall he fall." When the Witch-King died it was to the hands of a Hobbit wielding something called a "Barrow-Blade" and a Woman.
I had placed it at CR+5 do to the recommendation of a friend who misremembered what the Lich Templet CR adjustment was. CR+2 would be better.
There is a solid argument for Undead, I choose Native Outsider because they are described as being in the Wraith World as well as the physical world at the same time, so I thought Native Outsider would be appropriate.
I was thinking that the more permeant way to kill them would require the Ring that gives the template be removed before killing them, either through cutting the finger with the ring from the body, or by some form of high level magic. The Ring itself would probably have the destruction requirement of being thrown into the fires that were used to make it.
As for boosts, I was thinking maybe give the Forsaken-Wraith the ability to do Vampiric Touch every 2d4 rounds, would that fit?
You make good points.
I will change the fast healing to regeneration. The fear aura I copied of of the Litch template, so I think it is line of affect. How does this sound for the Dread Scream?
Dread Scream (Su): As a Standard Action the Forsaken-Wraith can emit a powerful shriek, this functions as a 15 foot cone sonic attack 1d8 damage per every HD the Forsaken-Wraith has and is Shaken for one round, Reflex for half damage. A Will save removes the Shaken condition.
This gold ring inscribed with Mystical Runes and a set with a gemstone is one of Nine Rings of Power, those who wear this ring cease to physically age, but over time they become hallow shells of what they once were. The wearer of this Ring ignore age penalties and gain the Forsaken-Wraith Templet.
Forsaken-Wraith Template
CR+5
AL: At first Aliment stays the same, prolong usage of this template will change aliment to Evil, as time wears away at the users personality.
Type: at first no change, but after prolonged use the creature’s type changes to Native Outsider (augmented)
Senses: Low light vision 60ft, Dark vision 60ft. If the character already has one or both of these, it instead increases by 60ft.
Hit Dice: Same as base creature
Defensive Abilities: Fast Healing 5/Fire, 10% miss chance, Immune to Positive and Negative Energy
Weaknesses: A Forsaken-Wraith cannot benefit from Positive or Negative Energy, or receive outside healing.
Speed: Same as the base creature.
Special Qualities: (Su) Once per day the Forsaken-Wraith can create an effect similar to the spell Darkness, with the exception that the radius is 50 feet centered on user at time of casting, and lasts for 10 minutes.
(Su) The Forsaken-Wraith can cast Shadow Step once every 1d4 rounds at a caster level equal to his hit dice,
When the Forsaken-Wraith would be killed they instead fade away and reform one day (24 hours) later intact, at full health, and cured of all afflictions
Special Attacks: A Forsaken-Wraith gains the special attacks described below. Save DCs are equal to 10 + 1/2 Forsaken-Wraith's HD + either the Forsaken-Wraith’s int, wis or cha modifier (which ever is higher) unless otherwise noted.
Any weapons or armor wielded by a Forsaken-Wraith counts as having Ghost Touch
Fear Aura (Su): Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60- foot radius that look at the Forsaken-Wraith must succeed on a Will save or become frightened. Creatures with 5 HD or more must succeed at a Will save or be shaken for a number of rounds equal to the Forsaken-Wraith's Hit Dice. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same Forsaken-Wraith’s aura for 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Dread Scream (Su): As a Standard Action the Forsaken-Wraith can emit a powerful shriek, this functions as a 15 foot cone sonic attack 1d4 damage per every 2 HD the Forsaken-Wraith has, Reflex for half.
Quick note, I took a decent amount of inspiration from the Shadow of War games for this.
