Avaricious Creature (CR +3)[3pp]

While simply attempting to earn more gold or certain goods to make oneself better off is not a sin, this simple need to create a better life through the accusation of wealth can easily transform into avarice, the desire for things. As attempts to garner ever greater amounts of treasure simply for the sake of having more than everyone else it drives the individual to perform immoral acts all in the pursuit of things at the cost of mortal lives and livelihood, as the love of money is the root of many kinds of evil. For greed is never satisfied – as soon as one obtains the thing sought after, the obtainer starts craving more, and more, and more, ad infinitum. This addiction in the worlds touched by the fiends of sin, transform one into an avaricious creature. Avaricious creatures believe everyone has a price, including themselves, but often cannot comprehend motivations like justice and revenge as they are not luxurious and have a horrible return on investment. An avaricious creature wears the finest garments, and accents its body with bits of luxury, it favors the color yellow and the motif of frogs, and its appearance often changes to reflect this.

Creating an Avaricious Creature

Avaricious” is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature.

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

CR: +3.

Alignment: Neutral evil

Defensive Abilities: fast healing equal to CR; DR 5/good (if the avaricious creature is CR 6 or higher this becomes DR 10/good, if CR 12 or higher this becomes DR 15/good); Immune death effects, disease, fire mind-affecting, poison, petrification; Resist acid cold, electricity 10; SR 11+CR

Special Abilities: A avaricious creature retains all the special abilities of the base creature, plus the special abilities as described below:

Breath Weapon (Su)

Once every 1d4 rounds an avaricious creature can vomit up a cone of molten gold (5 ft. per HD) as an immediate action dealing 1d6 points of fire damage per 2 HD and the subjects are staggered. A successful Reflex save (DC 10 +1/2 the avaricious creature’s HD + its Cha modifier) halves the damage and negates the staggered effect. On the following round the molten gold sticking to the subjects deals the same amount of damage again. The gold disappears after the following round, and the subject is no longer staggered.

Covetous Aura (Su)

An avaricious creatures is surrounded by a covetous aura (5ft. per HD). Anytime a harmless spell of a level equal to 1/2 its HD or a supernatural effect of a creature of equal to its HD is cast or activated within this aura, the avaricious can choose to have the spell or effect affect it as well.

Luxurious Glide (Ex)

An avaricious creature can glide through places of luxury and piles of treasure as easily as a fish swims through water. Its movement leaves no sign of passage nor disturbs a single coin. It is almost as though they melt and flow through the objects of luxury, art, coins, and gems to their new location. It is barred from moving through anything of premium quality unless it is a form of coinage or valued for its rarity (it could move through a antique a vaunted keep, but would be stopped by the adjacent miller’s cottage).

Touch of Gold (Sp)

Once per day a avaricious creature can make a touch attack (or as part of a melee attack) and transform a subject into gold (or other valuable substance) as polymorph any object with a caster level equal to the avaricious creature’s CR. The DC for the save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the avaricious creature’s HD + its Cha modifier), if a subject makes its saving throw the ability is not used up for that day. For up to one hour per day, the avaricious creature can mentally communicate with the subject, although she is in no way compelled to answer any questions or even respond.

Vulnerability to Charity

if the avaricious creature ever performs an act of true charity (giving with no expectation of reward) it permanently loses the benefits of this template and can only perform move actions for 24 hours. This act can be performed against its will, and/or it could be tricked into performing it.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Dex +4 (+2 to Ranged attack rolls; AC and touch AC, Initiative, and Ref saves. +2 to Acrobatics, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Fly, Ride, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth checks, add +5 to any of the base creature’s Dexterity-based DCs), Con +4 (+2 hp per HD, +2 to Fortitude saves, and any of the base creature’s Constitution-based DCs), +8 Cha (+4 to Bluff, diplomacy, Disguise, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Perform, and Use Magic Device; attempts to influence others, and Channel Energy DCs, +4 to any of the base creature’s Charisma-based DCs).

Feats: An avaricious creature gains Greater Steal, and Improved Steal as bonus feats even if it does not meet the prerequisites.

Skills: gains bonus rank Sleight of Hand equal to its HD and it becomes a class skills.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

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

scroll to top