Ok I posted this in another thread as it was a alt death knight inspired by said thread.
Graveborn Legionnaire
The origins of the Graveborn Legionnaire are shrouded in the secrets of the past. His name, the nation he fought for and even the wars he raged are like sands in the wind, details changed with each telling .The rest of the story changes little and there in lays the truth of the tale.
War leader Jeg’rel was a fearless man, who put his nation’s needs above all. He would kill, maim and lay villages to ruin all on the needs of his nation.. To him his nation was above any one man. Then came a time of the Great War, towns and cities whole regions laid to red ruin. Time and again he led his men to battle throwing away lives for his nations need.
He meet his end at the height of the war and his body lay in a mass grave. His soul stood in line for judgment, and there is where the fiends found him. Oh the devils painted a bleak and dark future for his nation. A future of servitude and slavery of how he failed his nation at its hour of need. They should him a way of half truths and deceptions. And to the damnation of his soul and countless others, he believed them.
Soon after his dead hand climbed from his grave mound and eat of the grave dirt sealing his fate. Deep in the fires of hell the devils danced with glee as their legionnaire summoned his horde and begin his unholy crusade
Appearance: Graveborn Legionnaire’s Appear as Mummified versions of who they were in life. There armor dark, pitted and caked in grave dirt that never washes away or falls from there bodies .They smell of fresh dirt and seem to chill the very air around them
Graveborn Legionnaire often go dormant for decades of even centuries only to be called back for a battle or war. Bringing a Graveborn Legionnaire back to awareness can be done in several ways. Speaking its true name at its grave site or in it’s place of rest. A battle within 2 miles per HD of its resting place may also wake a resting Graveborn Legionnaire. And lastly a grave danger to the thing it gave it’s soul to protect will almost always waken a Graveborn Legionnaire.
Graveborn Legionnaire is a template that can be added to any evil
Humanoid creature of 8th level or higher (referred to hereafter as the character). The character’s type changes to undead. It uses all the character’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
HitDice: All the character’s Hit Dice (current and future) become d12s.
Speed: Same as the character.
AC: The Graveborn Legionnaire has +5 natural armor, or the character’s natural armor, whichever is better. They wear what ever armor they did in life
Attacks: Graveborn Legionnaire usually fights with martial weapons. This weapon is a corrupted version of one they used in life [see below], but if disarmed they will use their touch of the grave attack.
Damage: The Graveborn Legionnaire has several attacks at his disposal
* touch of the grave : This touch attack uses chilling cold to deal damage equal to 1d8 + the Graveborn Legionnaire ‘s Charisma bonus to living creatures. Each successful touch attack also deals 1 point of strength damage. A Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 Graveborn Legionnaire’s HD + Graveborn Legionnaire‘s Charisma modifier) reduces the damage by half and negates the Strength damage. Characters with natural attacks can use their
natural weaponry or use the touch attack, as they prefer.
*Corruptions blade: The Graveborn Legionnaire’s most fearsome attack is that which they carried in life. Soon after there death the Graveborn Legionnaire’s weapon takes on a new sinister quality’s The weapon counts as unholy and wounding further more any one struck with such a vile weapon may be infected with an unholy corrupting disease. Target must make a fortitude save [of DC 10 + 1/2 Graveborn Legionnaire’s HD + Graveborn Legionnaire‘s Charisma modifier] or lose 1d6 Con per day until a remove despise spell is cast. Any one who dies from such a wound is doomed to rise as a zombie in 1d6 days under the Graveborn Legionnaire’s control.
Special Attacks:
Fear Aura (Su): Graveborn Legionnaire’s are shrouded in a dreadful aura of death and evil. Creatures of less than 8HD within 30 feet of a Graveborn Legionnaire’s must succeed at aWill save (DC 10 +
1/2 Graveborn Legionnaire’s HD + Graveborn Legionnaire’s Charisma modifier)
or be affected as though by a fear spell cast by a sorcerer of the Graveborn Legionnaire’s level.
Command Undead[su] : A Graveborn Legionnaire can command a number of undead equal to three times its levels in Hit Dice of followers. This functions just as the spell Command undead except in the number of HD controlled
Channel Negative energy[su]: A Graveborn Legionnaire may channel energy as a cleric of ½ it’s total Hit Dice.
Spells: A Graveborn Legionnaire can cast any spells it could while alive, unless alignment restrictions prohibit the casting of a particular spell.
Special Qualities: A Graveborn Legionnaire all the character’s special qualities and gains those described below.
Damage Reduction (Su): A Graveborn Legionnaire undead body is tough, fueled by fiendish power giving the creature damage reduction 15/magic
Immunities (Ex): Graveborn Legionnaires are immune to cold, electricity, and polymorph in addition to those immunities possessed by undead (see below).
Spell Resistance (Su): A Graveborn Legionnaire gains spell resistance 20 +1 per character’s level beyond 10th.
Summon Mount (Su): A Graveborn Legionnaire has the ability to summon a mount, typically a nightmare, though it may be of any other species normally used as a mount. [add fiendish template]The mount may have no more Hit Dice than half the Graveborn Legionnaire s levels. If the mount is lost or killed, the Graveborn Legionnaire may summon another one after a year and a day.
Unholy Arua (Ex): A Graveborn Legionnaire is not affected by positive energy and there for can not be turned. Also because of its close ties to some fiendish master it gains a +4 unholy bonuses on all saves. Further more any place that a Graveborn Legionnaire stays at for more then a year and a day becomes unhallowed as the spell
Dust to dust: Any time a Graveborn Legionnaire is brought to zero Hit Points it falls to dust and falls to the ground. However the Graveborn Legionnaire is not destroyed and the dust moves though the earth at a rate of 60 feet per round until it comes to either is last resting place or a grave yard.. Once at a resting place the Graveborn Legionnaire regains 1 hp per day until it regains awareness at full Hit points
Futer more a Graveborn Legionnaire may go to dust anytime it wills and often rests for years or decades like this leaving it’s undead horde to guard it’s grave site.
The only way know to kill a Graveborn Legionnaire for good is to dig it up as its regenerating. Then cast bless on its bones and hallow upon it’s grave only then can the Graveborn Legionnaire’s soul rest.[ A Graveborn Legionnaire will awaked in 1d6 rounds if anyone attacks it’s followers of digs at it’s grave
Undead Traits: A Graveborn Legionnaire is immune to mindaffecting effects, poison,
sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necromantic effects, and any
effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects. It is not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, or death from massive damage. A Graveborn Legionnaire cannot be raised, and resurrection
works only if it is willing. The creature has darkvision (60-foot range).
Saves: As character +4[for unholy arua]
Abilities: A Graveborn Legionnaire gains +4 to Strength, Wisdom and Charisma. Being undead, it has no Constitution score.
Skills: Same as character.
Feats: Same as character
Climate/ Terrain: Any land and underground.
Organization: Solitary or troupe (see command undead, above).
Challenge Rating Not sure here
Treasure: standard.
Alignment: Same as character (always evil).Normally Lawful Evil
Advancement: Graveborn Legionnaire continue to advance in level as per their original class
Am not good with templates so feed back would be much welcome..As would help on the CR
eh bump
Sounds like a strong monster to me. I would at least give this a CR +3 or +4, especially when the template is used at low levels.
Thanks guys. He is a strong one,and made to be more then a mere random encounter, with his horde, mount and his near unkillablitys he is not meant to be a short term random foe
I like it seeker. I think you can up the channeling to full HD without abusing it. Also you need to mention how often he can channel.
Need to change "remove despise" to "remove disease" in the corrupted weapon description.
Since that, the natural armor, the channel, the SR, and the ability score boosts are the only real stacking powers added, I'd rate this at +2 CR at most. That's kinda a good thing - lets you use more class levels to begin with.
However, I'd give it Unholy Toughness (or whatever you want to call it) - Charisma bonus to HP per HD. I think that will be (or is?) a standard rule in Pathfinder, but just in case I'd add it. That would make it at least +3, given the likely high charisma scores of what you'll be putting this on.
+4