Dread Revenant (CR +2)[3pp]

A dread revenant is the animate remains of a sentient creature whose desire to fulfill a special goal is so powerful it allows it to return from beyond the grave. This can also happen when a powerful deity or ethos returns a dead champion from ages past, disturbing the champion’s well-earned rest, forcing the dread revenant to go on a quest that no living mortal would dare to undertake. Such a revenant may be just as intelligent as it was in life, but the dread revenant’s will is usually bound by the deity or ethos that summons and compels it.

Dread revenants look much as they did in life, depending on the condition of their corpse. Some easily pass for living creatures, others are rotting corpses that appear not much different from the average ghoul, wight, or zombie. A few are so old their bodies have become petrified.

Dread revenant” is an acquired template that can be added to any living corporeal creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

A dread revenant uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

CR: +2

Alignment: Always lawful evil.

Type: The creature’s type changes to undead with the augmented subtype. Do not recalculate BAB, saves, or skill points.

Senses: A dread revenant gains blindsense with a 60-foot radius.

Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +4.

Hit Dice: Change all racial Hit Dice to d8s. Class Hit Dice are unaffected. As undead, dread revenants use their Charisma modifier to determine bonus hit points (instead of Constitution).

Defensive Abilities: A dread revenant has channel resistance +4, regeneration (equal to the dread revenant’s Charisma score [choose an attack form specific to the base creature that will negate this ability]).

Melee: A dread revenant gains two slam attacks appropriate for its size if it does not already have a slam attack (see Natural Attacks). Its slam also causes energy drain and can potential inflict a death grip (see below).

Special Attacks: The dread revenant gains the following. Save DCs are equal to 10 + 1/2 the dread revenant’s HD + the dread revenant’s Charisma modifier.

Death Grip (Ex)

A dread revenant can attempt to strangle an opponent it successfully hits with both its slam attacks, it requires a successful grapple check as if it possessed the grab ability; it is not considered grappled and does not suffer the usual -20 grapple penalty. Its opponent is able to hold her breath (unless she is flat-footed). Opponents add +4 to their CMD if wearing full plate or a leather collar, or +10 if wearing a gorget. If its combat maneuver check is successful, then in addition to double its normal slam damage (and normal negative levels) damage, if the target was also not able to hold her breath she must make a DC 10 Constitution check. The check must be repeated each round, with the DC increasing by +1 for each previous check. If the target fails one of these Constitution checks, she begins to suffocate. In the first round, she falls unconscious (0 hit points). In the following round, she drops to –1 hit points and is dying. In the third round, she suffocates and dies. If the grapple fails or is broken, the subject is free. If the dread revenant’s combat maneuver check exceeds the CMD of the target by 10 or more, add a +2 circumstance bonus to the DC of the Constitution check.

Energy Drain (Su)

A creature hit by a dread revenant’s slam (or other natural weapon) gains a negative level, if the base creature possess at least 10 Hit Dice, this effect increases to two negative levels.

Rejuvenation (Su)

In most cases, it’s difficult to destroy a dread revenant through simple combat: the “destroyed” creature restores itself in 2d4 days. Even the most powerful spells are usually only temporary solutions. The only way to permanently destroy a dread revenant is to determine the reason for its existence and set right whatever prevents it from resting in peace. The exact means varies with each dread revenant and may require a good deal of research, and should be created specifically for each different dread revenant by the GM.

Abilities: Str +4 (+2 to melee attack and damage rolls and thrown weapon damage rolls, Climb and Swim checks, CMB, CMD, Strength checks, and any of the creature’s Strength-based DCs), Dex +2 (+1 to Init, ranged attack rolls, AC, touch AC, and Ref saves; +1 to Acrobatics, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Fly, Ride, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth checks; add +1 to all of the creature’s Dexterity-based DCs), Cha +4 (+2 to Bluff, diplomacy, Disguise, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Perform, and Use Magic Device; attempts to influence others, and Channel Energy DCs, +2 to all of the creature’s Charisma-based DCs). As an undead creature, a dread revenant has no Constitution score, all Constitution-based DCs are now Charisma-based DCs.

Skills: A dread revenant has a +8 racial modifier on Stealth checks.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathways Bestiary (c) 2017, Rite Publishing LLC.; Author: Steven D. Russell.

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