Dread Allip (CR +3)[3pp]

Babbling, whispering, screaming, and muttering, dread allips pass through walls and strike at living creatures, hoping to gain companions in undeath and madness. A dread allip is a crazed incorporeal undead created when a sentient creature follows an order to commit suicide against its own wishes. The angry spirit that rises from the corpse is insane and seeks to inflict a similar fate on others. Dread allips enjoy suicides, and their mad ramblings are often interrupted by insane laughter when they witness another creature taking its life.

A dread allip looks much like it did in life, but its body appears black and trails off in flame-like wisps of ectoplasm. The distinct features of the individual it once was are indistinguishable, but a person listening to the dread allip’s maddening speech might recognize a particular creature’s voice.

Creating a Dread Allip

Dread Allip” is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher (referred to hereafter as the base creature) that commits suicide because of domination by a dread allip or at the command of some other creature. A dread allip uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +3.

Type: The creature’s type changes to undead and gains the incorporeal subtype. Do not recalculate base attack bonuses, saves, or skill points.

Alignment: Any evil.

Armor Class: A dread allip loses any armor or natural armor bonuses and gains a deflection bonus to Armor Class equal to its Charisma bonus (minimum +1). If the base creature already has a deflection bonus, use the higher value.

Hit Dice: Change all of the base creature’s racial HD to d8s.

Defensive Abilities: A dread allip retains all of the defensive abilities of the base creature save those that rely on a corporeal form to function. Dread allips gain channel resistance +4, the incorporeal ability, and all of the qualities and immunities granted by the undead type.

Speed: A dread allip loses all the base creature’s speeds and gains a fly speed equal to the base creature’s highest speed, with perfect maneuverability.

Attacks: All of the base creature’s natural attacks become incorporeal touch attacks, retaining the same primary or secondary status they had for the base creature. The dread allip gains a primary incorporeal touch attack if it has no other natural attacks.

The dread allip’s natural attacks no longer deal normal damage. Instead, each attack deals Wisdom damage due to its Touch of Insanity ability (see below).

Special Attacks: The dread allip loses all special attacks that require corporeal contact, but gains those described here. A dread allip cannot cast spells that require material components unless it has the Eschew Materials feat.

Babble (Su)

A dread allip constantly mutters and whines to itself, creating a hypnotic effect. All sane creatures within 60 feet of the dread allip must succeed on a Will save or be affected as though by a hypnotism spell for 2d4 rounds. Any creature that successfully saves cannot be affected by the same dread allip’s babble for 24 hours.

When the dread allip casts a spell with a verbal component, its babble special attack is negated during casting, and any creature already hypnotized by it is freed of the effect. This a sonic, mind-affecting compulsion effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Command Allips (Su)

As a free action, a dread allip can automatically command all normal allips within 30 feet (as the command undead spell). Normal allips never attack a dread allip unless compelled.

Create Spawn (Su)

A creature that dies while dominated by a dread allip rises as a new dread allip in 1d6 rounds if it committed suicide, or died fulfilling an obviously self-destructive command, or had 0 Wisdom and was within 30 feet of the dread allip at the time of death. Any creature that becomes a dread allip regains its normal Wisdom score immediately. The new dread allip is under the command (as though under the effect of a dominate monster spell) of the one that dominated it when it died.

Dominating Trample (Su)

Once every 1d4 rounds, the dread allip may dominate creatures simply by passing through them. As a standard action during its turn, it can take a single move in a straight line. Any creature it moves through can attempt either an attack of opportunity or a Reflex save to avoid the attack. A creature that fails to avoid the dominating trample must succeed on a Will save or be controlled as if by the dominate monster spell (caster level 20th). Success renders a creature immune to that dread allip’s dominating trample for 24 hours.

The dread allip can give the simple commands normal for the dominate monster spell (“come here,” “go there,” “fight” “stand still”), plus “commit suicide. ” The “commit suicide” command is an exception to the normal restrictions against self-destructive orders. A creature ordered to commit suicide receives a second saving throw at a +5 bonus to break free of the domination effect. Failure means the creature must attack itself once per round with the most damaging melee weapon or natural attack it possesses until ordered by the dread allip to do something else. Treat this attack as a coup de grace against a helpless target. The target can attempt a new save with the same +5 bonus every subsequent round that the domination continues. If the dread allip chooses to issue one of the other four commands available to it and obedience would obviously be self-destructive, the dominated creature gets a new saving throw to break free of the domination effect, again with a +5 bonus, when the self-destructive nature of the command becomes apparent. This is a mind-affecting compulsion effect. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Touch of Insanity (Su)

Each of a dread allip’s incorporeal touch attacks deals 1d6 points of Wisdom damage (Will save negates). A successful critical hit causes 1d6 points of Wisdom damage and 1d4 points of Wisdom drain (instead of double Wisdom damage). A dread allip gains 5 temporary hit points for each point of Wisdom damage or drain. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Abilities: Dex +2, Cha +8. As an incorporeal undead creature, a dread allip has no Strength or Constitution score.

Special Qualities: The dread allip retains all the base creature’s special qualities that do not require corporeal contact with another creature.

Madness (Su)

Any creature that targets a dread allip with a thought-detecting, mind-control, or telepathic effect takes 1d6 points of Wisdom damage (no save), though the effect otherwise works normally.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Advanced Bestiary, Copyright 2014, Green Ronin Publishing, LLC; Author Jeff Hersh, Developer Owen K.C. Stephens

scroll to top