Author Topic: The Monsters  (Read 1902 times)

Offline Hanako Tachibana

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The Monsters
« on: September 13, 2012, 12:00:11 AM »
THE MONSTERS
 This chapter introduces akashic monsters, artificial spirits, and other creatures commonly found in campaigns featuring akashic magic.
 Detailed explanations of special attacks and special qualities are fully described in the Monster Manual glossary.  This chapter uses that information to describe new akashic monsters, but also to introduce a new creature subtype (akashic) and two new types of special attacks (akashic techniques and technique-like abilities).

THE AKASHIC SUBTYPE
 The akashic subtype applies to creatures that can use akashic powers or abilities or that have the ability to use techniques.  (In other words, creatures with the akashic subtype have a tama pool or have technique-like abilities.)
 Characters who have levels in any technician class, or who have technique-like abilities as racial traits, gain the akashic subtype.
 Traits: Other than the fact that all akashic creatures have akashic powers or technique-like abilities, akashic creatures have no specific traits.  The akashic subtype simply identifies creatures that may be vulnerable to techniques, spells, and effects targeting akashic creatures.

AKASHIC POWERS
 Creatures with akashic powers are similar to creatures with racial spellcasting ability, such as dragons or nagas.  They have the ability to use techniques just as a member of an akashic character class can (and can activate akashic items accordingly).  Creatures with the ability to use techniques are subject to the same rules for using techniques that characters are, but they are not actually members of a class and do not gain any class abilities unless otherwise specified.
 Creatures with akashic techniques generally emulate the using ability of a particular technician class.  When such a creature takes levels in that same class, it can stack its innate akashic powers and its class progression together.
 Creatures with akashic powers that take levels in a class other than the one they emulate combine their two tama pools into a single reserve, but they use techniques from each technician class separately.

TECHNIQUE-LIKE ABILITIES
 Most akashic monsters have some number of technique-like abilities.  These are very similar to spell-like abilities.  Naturally, they are akashic (and therefore magical as well, unless the DM has decided to segregate magic and akashic magic in the campaign) and work just like techniques or spells.  A creature with technique-like abilities does not pay for these abilities with tama.
 Technique-like abilities do not work in an antimagic field.
 A technique-like ability usually has a limit on how often it can be used.  A technique-like ability that can be used at will has no use limit.    Using a technique-like ability is a standard action unless noted otherwise, and doing so while threatened provokes attacks of opportunity.  It is possible to make a Concentration check to use a technique-like ability defensively and avoid provoking attacks of opportunity, just as when using a technique or casting a spell.  A technique-like ability can be interrupted just as a technique can be.
 All creatures with technique-like abilities are assigned a technician level, which indicates how difficult it is to dispel their technique-like effects and determines all level-dependent variables (such as range or duration) the abilities might have.  When a creature uses a technique-like ability, the technique is used as if the creature have spent an amount of tama equal to its tama capacity (as calculated from its technician level), which may augment the technique to improve its damage or save DC.  However, the creature does not actually spend tama for its technique-like abilities, even if it has a tama pool due to racial abilities, class levels, or some other akashic ability.
 The DC of a saving throw (if applicable) against a creature's technique-like ability is 10 + 1/2 the creature's technician level + the creature's Con modifier.  Remember to check the technique's Augment entry to see if the creature's technician level (and thus the effective tama expenditure) increases the DC of the saving throw.  For creatures in this book, changes to the effect's save DC, damage, and so on are noted in the technique-like ability entry.

READING AKASHIC CREATURE ENTRIES
 Many of the creatures in this chapter have akashic powers of technique-like abilities, and a few have both.  These abilities are presented as described below.
 Each of a creature's technique-like abilities has a technician level.  Each ability that allows a saving throw also gives a save DC in parenthesis following the technique name.
 Techniques that have increased due to augmentation include information about the effect.  An asterisk indicates that the technique has already been augmented by the creature's innate ability.
 Technique's that can't be augmented, or that are used at their normal minimum level, do not contain any special notations.  Resolve the effect of using the technique without augmentation at the creature's given technician level.
 Some creatures may have particular techniques that are used at a higher or lower level than their normal technician level.  In such cases, the technician level is given in the parenthetical information following the technique name.
« Last Edit: September 13, 2012, 12:45:53 AM by Hanako Tachibana »
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Offline Hanako Tachibana

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Re: The Monsters
« Reply #1 on: September 13, 2012, 12:07:06 AM »
ARTIFICIAL SPIRIT
 Diminutive Construct (Incorporeal)
 Hit Dice: 1d10 (5 hp)
 Initiative: +2
 Speed: Fly 30 ft. (perfect)
 Armor Class: 19 (+4 size, +2 Dex, +3 deflection)
 Base Attack/Grapple: +0/---
 Attack: ---
 Full Attack: ---
 Space/Reach: 1 ft./0 ft.
 Special Attacks: ---
 Special Qualities: construct traits, granted abilities, improved evasion, incorporeal traits, spiritual hands, spiritual vision
 Saves: Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +0
 Abilities: Str ---, Dex 14, Con ---, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 16
 Skills: Hide +14, Listen +6, Search +2, Spot +6
 Feats: Alertness
 Environment: Any
 Organization: Solitary
 Challenge Rating: 1/2
 Treasure: None
 Alignment: Always neutral
 Advancement: ---
 Level Adjustment: ---

 An artificial spirit is a small fragment of tama and willpower pulled from the Akashic Records by a technician.  It is found only as the creation and companion of a technician or character with similar abilities.
 The artificial spirit describe here is that of a 1st-level technician.

Combat
 Construct Traits: An artificial spirit has immunity to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necromancy effects, mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects or is harmless.  It is not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain.  It cannot heal damage, but it can be repaired.  Artificial spirits do not have the usual construct traits of darkvision and low-light vision.
 Granted Abilities: The artificial spirit described here has the special abilities of alertness, share technique, and telepathic link, as described in Skills & Feats}.
 Improved Evasion (Ex): If an artificial spirit is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for hald damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.
 Incorporeal Traits: An artificial spirit is harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities.  It has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source, except for force effects or attacks made with ghost touch weapons.  It can pass through solid objects, but not force effects, at will.  Its attacks ignore natural armor, armor, and shields, but deflection bonuses and force effects work normally against them.  The creature always moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks id it doesn't wish to be.
 Spiritual Hands (Ex): Although it lacks a physical body, an artificial spirit can interact with the physical world in a limited manner.  It has an effective Strength score of 1 (so it can lift 2.5 pounds or drag 12.5 pounds).  This effective Strength score does not allow the artificial spirit to attack in any way; it is never allowed an attack roll.
 Spiritual Vision (Ex): Although it has no physical sensory organs, an artificial spirit can sense its environment as well as a creature with normal vision and hearing.  Darkness (even supernatural darkness) is irrelevant, as are areas of supernatural silence, though an artificial spirit still can't discern invisible or ethereal beings.  An artificial spirit's spiritual vision range is 30 feet.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2012, 07:35:23 PM by Hanako Tachibana »
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