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Perilous
Gateways
The
Trail of Tears
By Eric L. Boyd

Bloodstained
(Template)
Sometimes,
in the aftermath of a battle in which a large volume of blood seeped into
the immediate surroundings, the anguished life energy contained within
that blood does not immediately dissipate. By means not fully understood,
that energy is sometimes transferred into bloodstained objects on the
field of battle or even the immediate natural environment. Such objects,
should they later become animate, are often warped by the lingering energies
of the blood into dark and twisted forms.
Bloodstained
creatures bear the stench of decay and the dark brown hue of dried blood.
Even if not intelligent, they seem to harbor a lingering malevolence within
their form.
Creating
a Bloodstained Creature
Bloodstained
is a template that can be added to any corporeal undead or true elemental
(i.e., an elemental, not just a creature of type elemental; referred to
hereafter as the "base creature") whose component materials
were stained with large amounts of blood prior to being animated (if a
construct or undead) or summoned (if a true elemental). The creature's
type remains unchanged. It uses all of the base creature's statistics
and special abilities except as noted here.
Hit
Dice: Increase by one die type, to a maximum of d12.
Speed:
As the base creature.
AC:
Natural armor improves by +1.
Special
Attacks: A bloodstained creature retains all of the special attacks
of the base creature and also gains the following ability:
Wounding
(Su): Can cause wounds that continue to bleed (internally if bludgeoning
damage; externally if piercing or slashing damage). Any wound inflicted
through physical contact with the victim bleeds for 1 point of damage
per round thereafter in addition to the normal damage the melee attack
deals. Multiple wounds from the bloodstained creature result in cumulative
blood loss (two wounds for 2 points of damage per round, and so on). The
bleeding can be stopped only by a successful Heal check (DC 15) or the
application of any cure spell or other healing spell (heal,
healing circle, and so on).
Special
Qualities: A bloodstained creature retains all of the special qualities
of the base creature and also gains the supernatural ability to defy death.
Defy
Death (Su): Bloodstained creatures (including bloodstained constructs,
which are normally destroyed upon reaching 0 hit points) can continue
to act normally until they reach -10 hit points, and they are not considered
disabled, unconscious, or in need of stabilizing. Upon reaching -10 hit
points, a bloodstained creature is well and truly dead.
Saves:
Same as the base creature.
Abilities:
Increase from the base creature as follows: Con +2, Int +2, Chr +2. Creatures
with no Constitution score, for example undead, do not gain an increase
in Constitution. Creatures with no Intelligence or Charisma score gain
a score of 2.
Skills:
Same as the base creature.
Feats:
Bloodstained creatures gain Great Fortitude as a bonus feat.
Climate/Terrain:
Same as the base creature.
Challenge
Rating: Same as the base creature +1.
Treasure:
Same as the base creature.
Alignment:
Always evil.
Advancement:
Same as the base creature.
In
the Realms
Bloodstained
creatures can be found anywhere great battles have been fought and great
quantities of blood have been shed in the Realms. They are perhaps best
known in areas that have seen many generations of warfare, such as the
Fields of the Dead, or on the sands of gladiatorial arenas such as the
Blood Arenas of Manshaka.
Sample
Bloodstained Creature
This
example uses a greater earth elemental formed from a blood-soaked field
of battle as the base creature.
Bloodstained
Greater Earth Elemental: CR 10; Huge elemental (earth); HD 21d10+126;
hp 241; Init -1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 21 (touch 7, flat-footed 21); Atk +23/+18/+13
melee (2d6+15, slam); Face/Reach 10 ft. x 5 ft./15 ft.; SA Earth mastery,
push, wounding; SQ Damage reduction 10/+2, defy death, elemental traits;
AL NE; SV Fort +20, Ref +6, Will +7; Str 31, Dex 8, Con 23, Int 8, Wis
11, Cha 13.
Skills
and Feats: Hide -9, Listen +21, Spot +21; Cleave, Great Cleave, Great
Fortitude, Power Attack, Sunder.
Earth
Mastery (Ex): A bloodstained earth elemental gains a +1 attack and
damage bonus if both it and its foe touch the ground. If an opponent is
airborne or waterborne, the elemental suffers a -4 penalty to attack and
damage.
Push
(Ex): A bloodstained earth elemental can start a bull rush maneuver
without provoking an attack of opportunity. The combat modifiers given
in earth mastery also apply to the elemental's opposed Strength checks.
Wounding
(Su): The bloodstained earth elemental can cause wounds that continue
to bleed (internally if bludgeoning damage; externally if piercing or
slashing damage). Any wound inflicted through physical contact with the
victim bleeds for 1 point of damage per round thereafter in addition to
the normal damage the melee attack deals. Multiple wounds from the bloodstained
creature result in cumulative blood loss (two wounds for 2 points of damage
per round, and so on). The bleeding can be stopped only by a successful
Heal check (DC 15) or the application of any cure spell or other healing
spell (heal, healing circle, and so on).
Defy
Death (Su): A bloodstained earth elemental can continue to act normally
until it reaches -10 hit points, and it are not considered disabled, unconscious,
or in need of stabilizing. Upon reaching -10 hit points, it is well and
truly dead.
Elemental
Traits: Immune to poision, sleep, paralysis, and stunning; not subject
to critical hits or flanking; darkvision 60 ft.; cannot be raised or resurrected
(though a wish or miracle spell can restore life)

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