Dread Banshee Creature (CR +3)[3pp]

Like a normal banshee, a dread banshee is the enraged spirit of a female creature who either betrayed those she loved or was herself betrayed. Maddened by grief, a dread banshee visits her vengeance on all living creatures-innocent or guilty-with her fearsome touch and deadly wails. The appearance of a dread banshee is as varied as that of standard banshee except they can appear as they did in life, or as a beautiful, ghostly female creature that glides through the air.

Dread banshee” is an acquired template that can be added to any living, intelligent creature.

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

CR: +3

Alignment: Always chaotic evil.

Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to undead with the appropriate augmented subtype, plus the incorporeal subtype if the base creature did not already have it. Do not recalculate base attack bonuses, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.

Hit Dice: Change all racial Hit Dice to d8s.

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

Armor Class: The base creature’s armor, shield, and natural armor bonuses no longer apply, but the dread banshee gains a deflection bonus to AC equal to its Cha bonus or +1, whichever is higher.

Attack: The dread banshee losses all the base creature’s natural attacks, and its weapon and armor proficiencies. The dread banshee gains a primary incorporeal touch attack. A dread banshee uses its primary incorporeal touch attack when making an attack action. Because an incorporeal creature has no Strength score, its Dexterity modifier rather than its Strength modifier applies to all its attack rolls.

Damage: The dread banshee’s incorporeal touch attacks deal negative energy damage equal to 3d6 + and additional 1d6/CR plus terror (see below). So for example a CR 13 Dread banshee would deal 16d6 negative energy damage plus terror.

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

Daylight Vulnerability (Su)

A dread banshee takes a –4 penalty on all attack rolls, checks, and saves when in natural sunlight (but not within the radius of a daylight spell).

Dread Terror (Su)

A creature damaged by the dread banshee’s touch attack must make a successful Will Save DC (10 +1/2 the dread banshee’s HD + her Cha modifier). Failure means that the victim cowers in fear for 1d4+1 rounds. A successful save renders the target shaken for 1 round. If a target is protected against fear by a dispellable effect (such as heroes’ feast or mind blank), the banshee’s touch attempts to dispel one such effect with greater dispel magic (CL equal to dread banshee’s CR). Negative energy damage caused by a dread banshee’s touch can only harm the living; it cannot heal undead. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Dread Wail (Su)

Once every 1d4 rounds, a dread banshee may wail as a standard action. The wail lasts until the beginning of her next turn. All creatures within 80 feet of the banshee when she begins her wail, as well as all creatures that end their turn within that radius, must make a successful Fortitude save (10 +1/2 the dread banshee’s HD + her Cha modifier, this save is only required once per wail.) Creatures under the effects of a fear effect take a –4 penalty on this save. Creatures that make their save are sickened for 1d8+1 rounds. Those that fail take 10 points of damage per CR of the dread banshee (as if affected by a wail of the banshee with caster level equal to her CR ). This is a sonic death effect. Dread Banshee wails are supernaturally powerful, and penetrate the effect of any spell of 3rd level or lower that creates silence.

Hear Heartbeat (Ex)

A dread banshee can sense the beating hearts of living creatures within 120 feet, as if it had the blindsight ability.

Abilities: Dex +12 (+6 to incorporeal touch attacks; AC and touch AC, Initiative, and Reflex saves. +6 to Acrobatics, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Fly, Ride, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth checks, add +6 to any of the base creature’s Dexterity-based DCs), Wis +8 (+4 to Will saves, +4 to Heal, Perception, Profession, Sense Motive and Survival checks, add +4 to any of the base creature’s Wisdom-based DCs), +4 Cha (+2 to Bluff, diplomacy, Disguise, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Perform, and Use Magic Device; attempts to influence others, and Channel Energy DCs, +2 to any of the base creature’s Charisma-based DCs). As an incorporeal creature, a dread banshee lacks a Strength score, and as an undead creature, it has no Constitution score.

Feats: Dread banshee creatures gain Dodge, Eschew Materials, Mobility, Spring Attack and Weapon Focus (touch) as bonus feats.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

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

scroll to top