Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 wyvern76 Oct 29, 2003 2:26:03	These are some ideas I came up with for more salient abilities for vampires and ghosts in RL3e. Vampires Allergen Immunity (Ex): The vampire is unaffected by the presence of either garlic or mirrors (not both). This salient ability can be taken twice, selecting one allergen each time. Flight (Su): The vampire can fly at its base speed with perfect maneuverability. This ability does not extend to any alternate forms. Improved Damage Reduction (Su): The vampire's damage reduction increases by 5. This is cumulative with any increase gained as the vampire ages. Nondetection (Su): The vampire is permanently protected from scrying as if by a nondetection spell cast by a 6th-level sorcerer. Regeneration (Ex): The vampire gains regeneration at the same rate as its fast healing ability. This replaces (does not stack with) the fast healing ability. It can reattach but cannot regrow limbs. It cannot regenerate while it has a stake through its heart, nor can it regenerate damage from sunlight, holy water or sacred damage from spells such as flame strike. In addition, if its head is separated from its body, the body becomes inert and cannot regenerate. The head remains active but loses the use of all supernatural and spell-like abilities. It can roll at a speed of 10 ft/round, even up walls, and will seek to reattach itself to the body. It can only be stopped if either the head or the body is destroyed by fire, acid, sunlight or immersion in running water. The head can also be temporarily immobilized by filling its mouth with garlic or holy wafers. Ghosts Haunt (Su): The ghost can create phantasms of changes in the surrounding environment. It does not need to manifest to use this power. As a move action, it can create the sensation of heat, cold, or a breeze within a radius equal to its rank times five feet. It can only create one of these effects at a time, but can switch from one to another as a move action. Once created, the effect moves with the ghost and persists until the ghost chooses to end it. It can vary the radius within the maximum limits determined by its rank, in increments of 5 feet. The ghost can choose to affect all creatures within the area of effect, or target a single creature, but cannot selectively target more than one creature at a time. This ability is usually found only in ghosts that are bound to a specific location. Greater Invisibility (Su): The ghost is naturally invisible, even while manifesting, and may attack without becoming visible. It may choose to become visible or invisible at will as a free action. This ability is not subject to the invisibility purge spell. Mind Games (Su): Instead of visual effects, a ghost may use this ability to create auditory effects. These two options are mutually exclusive; a ghost cannot create both visual and auditory effects. Rank one: Ghost sound Rank two: Ventriloquism Rank three: Silence Rank four: Sculpt sound Rank five: Song of discord Spells (Su): The ghost can create effects that duplicate selected spells from the bardic spell list. These abilities are cumulative; thus, a ghost of the third rank can cast one spell from the rank one list, one from the rank two list, and one from the rank three list. It can only cast one spell from each list, and the spell cannot be changed once determined. Each spell can be cast three times per day with a caster level is equal to the ghost's rank plus hit dice, or the minimum level required to cast the spell as a bard, whichever is higher. Although these abilities mimic spells, they are supernatural abilities and thus do not provoke attacks of opportunity. A ghost must manifest to use this abilities on targets on the material plane. Rank one: Dancing lights, daze, detect magic, lullaby, mage hand, message, open/close, prestidigitation Rank two: Cause fear, charm person, disguise self, hideous laughter, hypnotism, lesser confusion, remove fear, sleep Rank three: Animal trance, blindness/deafness, calm emotions, daze monster, detect thoughts, enthrall, hold person, hypnotic pattern, silence, tongues (self only) Rank four: Charm monster, confusion, crushing despair, daylight (self only), deep slumber, fear, good hope, lesser geas, see invisibility Rank five: Break enchantment, detect scrying, dominate person, hallucinatory terrain, hold monster, modify memory, shadow conjuration Voice of Doom (Su): The ghost's voice reverberates unnaturally, creating a menacing effect. All humanoids within earshot must succeed at a Fear save or be shaken. This is a sonic, mind-affecting, pattern illusion. Those who successfully save cannot be affected by the same ghost's voice of doom for one day. Those who fail their saves are affected for as long as the ghost continues speaking and for 2d4 rounds afterwards. If the ghost resumes speaking before the effect wears off, they do not gain another saving throw. The ghost does not have to speak intelligible words; maniacal laughter is just as effective. It may also choose to speak in a normal voice at will. The ghost can use this ability without manifesting.
#2 zombiegleemax Oct 30, 2003 0:14:54	On the whole what you've produced looks very cool to me. I like all of your Vampire Abilities (though I wouldn't use enhanced DR) and most of the Ghost abilities. A two thoughts offered as constructive criticisms. (1) Improved Invisibility is a *MAJOR* barrier to most PCs to confront and attack and may lead to frustration (which could sometimes be the point). I see no reason not to allow See Invisibility to work against this. (2) The "Spells" salient ability is too powerful IMO, especially by Rank 5. I am hard pressed to think of many other Salient abilities that grant a single ability on lines with a 3rd level spell...much less one that could give a ghost 5 different abilities of up to 4th level spells 3/day each. Why *wouldn't* every ghost "pick" this ability. -Eric Gorman
#3 wyvern76 Oct 30, 2003 21:34:26	Originally posted by HvF On the whole what you've produced looks very cool to me. I like all of your Vampire Abilities (though I wouldn't use enhanced DR) and most of the Ghost abilities. Thanks. Glad you like 'em. (1) Improved Invisibility is a *MAJOR* barrier to most PCs to confront and attack and may lead to frustration (which could sometimes be the point). I see no reason not to allow See Invisibility to work against this. I think you misread it. See invisibility would work just fine; it's invisibility purge that's ineffective. IOW, the ghost is naturally invisible, and cannot be made otherwise. This ability is taken almost verbatim from the Phantom Fungus in the Monster Manual, btw. (2) The "Spells" salient ability is too powerful IMO, especially by Rank 5. I am hard pressed to think of many other Salient abilities that grant a single ability on lines with a 3rd level spell...much less one that could give a ghost 5 different abilities of up to 4th level spells 3/day each. Why *wouldn't* every ghost "pick" this ability. I considered that, but compare it with existing salient abilties. Mind Games emulates spells of exactly the same levels, and they're useable at will, and apparently without manifesting. This is mitigated by the fact that there's no flexibility of choice, and the spells are only illusions. Horrific Appearance is a constant ability that can potentially do 1d4 points of ability damage to three abilities to anyone within 60 ft. Frightful Moan is roughly equivalent to a 4th-level spell useable at will. If you still think the spells are over-powered, just make them useable 1/day. Wyvern
#4 hblast Nov 01, 2003 14:05:22	I'm probably making a mistake here with differing rules but... Regeneration & Undead (like vampires)... doesn't that kinda clash? Undead being immune to subdual damage and all... Just asking (not familiar with the setting)...
#5 wyvern76 Nov 01, 2003 21:47:59	Originally posted by Hblast I'm probably making a mistake here with differing rules but... Regeneration & Undead (like vampires)... doesn't that kinda clash? Undead being immune to subdual damage and all... Technically, you're correct, but I never liked that aspect of the 3e regeneration rules. It adds a needless layer of complexity, IMO. If the damage is healed anyway, what difference does it make whether it's lethal or nonlethal? I think the dread golem template in RL3e can allow constructs to gain regeneration, even though that's also technically against the rules. Btw, I forgot to mention that severed body parts of a vampire with the regeneration quality can move on their own and will attempt to reattach to the body. Wyvern
#6 wyvern76 Dec 23, 2004 4:34:52	Here's a few more additions -- I came up with these several months ago, but it took forever for me to get around to posting them. Better late than never, though... Dream (Su): The ghost can enter the dreams of any sleeping creature within 60 ft to deliver a message, as per the dream spell. The ghost does not have to enter a trance to use this ability, but it requires deep concentration which provokes attacks of opportunity and does not allow the ghost to take any other action while delivering the message. The ghost's concentration is broken if it takes any damage (no check allowed). The ghost can use this ability a number of times per day equal to its rank, but only once per day one any given person. Nightmare (Su): This ability is subject to the same conditions and limitations as the dream salient ability, described above, but it mimics the effects of a nightmare spell. Possess Object (Su): As a standard action, the ghost can merge its body with an object on the Material Plane (including objects carried or worn by a creature), causing it to animate. Any damage done to the possessed object is also suffered by the ghost. The maximum size of object that can be possessed is dependant on the ghost's rank, as shown on the table below. A ghost of rank 3 or higher can animate multiple objects as shown on the table, but the animated objects must stay within 10 ft of each other. If they are forcibly separated by more than 10 ft, the ghost must choose which of them it wishes to remain in. A ghost can leave a possessed object as a free action. Rank one: Tiny Rank two: Small Rank three: Medium, or two Tiny Rank four: Large, or two Small Rank five: Huge, or two Medium, or three Tiny Wyvern