Treasure Hoardling Creature (CR +0)[3pp]

Sometimes the greed and avaricious nature of a being, such as a dragon, becomes a curse upon the treasure it hoards away like a miser, especially when some creatures can brood upon such piles for centuries or even eons. This empathic force sometimes animates the very hoard that it sought to protect, giving it a life of its own. These piles of walking riches are known as treasure hoardlings and do nothing but seek more treasure to add to its own body.

Creating a Treasure Hoardling Creature

“Treasure Hoardling” is an acquired template that can be added to any intelligent creature who hoards treasure, but is most often applied to dragons.

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

CR: +0

Alignment: Always neutral evil.

Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to construct. Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonuses, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.

hp: Treasure hoardling creatures gain bonus hit points as a construct based on its size.

Defensive Abilities: Fast healing equal to 1/5th the creature’s final CR (minimum fast healing 1), hardness 10 (15 if CR 10 or higher, or 20 if CR 15 or higher); Immune construct traits.

Special Abilities: A treasure hoardling creature retains all the special abilities of the base creature, and gains the special abilities as described below.

Animated Composition (Ex)

All treasure hoardling creatures are animated objects, and as objects, take only half damage from energy attacks. Divide the damage by 2 before applying the creature’s hardness. Spells and effects that deal additional damage to objects (such as shatter) deal additional damage to treasure hoardling creatures, ignore this ability, and the treasure hoardling creature’s hardness. All treasure hoardling creatures’ natural attacks bypass all damage reduction material types (though not other types), and any hardness that is less than 10. (This increases to 15 at CR 10 or higher, and 20 if CR 15 or higher.)

Covetous Strike (Su)

Once per round, when a treasure hoardling succeeds with a melee attack, the creature struck loses its most valuable piece of wealth (excluding land), this wealth becomes a part of the treasure hoardling creature; it can be recovered if the creature succeeds at a grapple check or if the treasure hoardling creature is killed. A successful Reflex save (10+ 1/2 the treasure hoardling’s HD + its Strength modifier) negates the loss of wealth. For each piece of wealth absorbed, the treasure hoardling creature heals 5 points of damage or gains 5 temporary hit points (max equal to double the treasure hoardling creature’s normal hit point total) for one hour.

Obsessed with Treasure (Sp)

A treasure hoardling creature is constantly drawn in the direction of the most valuable (per market price) piece of treasure within 400 ft. + 40 ft. per HD, as per locate object with a caster level equal to the treasure hoardling’s HD. It will then seek to absorb it with its covetous strike ability.

Possessive Power (Su)

Any magic item that was part of the base creature’s hoard, that has a constant or use-activated ability, such as a +1 flaming sword, +2 cloak of resistance, +3 ring of resistance, +4 belt of giant strength, +5 shield, or a +5 light fortification armor etc., are applied to the treasure hoardling’s stats. Weapon enhancements only apply to the treasure hoardling’s primary form of attack (such as a dragon’s bite).

Selfish Shield (Su)

If a weapon valued at more than 1 gp touches a treasure hoardling creature, the weapon is absorbed as per the covetous strike ability, upon a failed save. This ability is not limited to only working once per round.

Abilities: Adjust the base creature as follows: Str +4, Wis -4 (minimum 1), -4 Cha (minimum 1. As a construct, a treasure hoardling creature has no Constitution or Intelligence scores.

Feats: As an unintelligent construct, a treasure hoardling creature has no feats

Skills: As an unintelligent construct, a treasure hoardling creature has no skill ranks or class skills.

Languages: As an unintelligent construct, a treasure hoardling creature does not understand any language.

Treasure: A treasure hoardling is composed of the treasure award of its base creature, and anything it has absorbed via its covetous strike ability.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

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

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