Ringwraith (Template)
A ringwraith is an undead creature somewhere between a lich, a death knight, and a wraith. Like a death knight, a ringwraith is a powerful, evil warrior, capable of wrecking terrible hovoc upon a battlefield, or leading huge armies against opponents. Like wraiths, the touch of a ringwraith brings gret pain and weakness, as welll as the fact that they are partially incorporeal. Like liches, ringwraiths can only die for good if their "phylactery" is destroyed. They are always made in groups of nine, all of one race, and an individual can only have one set at a time. Only Sauron has yet trully learned how to make these creatures.
Ringwraiths appear as black figures, garbed in billous black cloaks and hoods. Their limbs, and indeed their whole bodies, are garbed in adamantine full plate, ahich appears as old, pitted iron. Their hoods however, seem to be empty, but for darkness. Shoud their hoods ever be pulled back, one would see that they have no heads (or bodies within their armor), and tht all there is is two glowing, malevolent eyes and a floatin crown of gold. They often ride nightmares or winged mounts and carry cursed swords, secure in their personal power and near-indestructability.
Special Attacks: As well as any other attacks from class or item, ringwraiths gain the following special attack.
__Wraith Sword (Ex): Each ringwraith is armed with a cursed longsword. This sword has many properties. It is considered a +5 lawful unholy poisoned vorpal longsword. Anyone struck by it must succeed a Fortitude save (DC 30) or be poisoned. Once poisoned, the victim loses 1 point of Constitution, plus another point of Constitution every ten minutes thereafter. Any character reduced to 0 hit points dissolves, arising as a wraith the round after under the control of the possessor of the master ring. Anyone other than the ringwraith who picks up its sword must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 30) every round they hold it or die. Even undead must make this save, though they substitute Charisma for Constitution. If they fail, they too are destroyed.
Special Qualities: Along with any others, ringwraiths receive the following special qualities.
__Invulnerable (Ex): Ringwraiths can be hurt by members of their former race, whether it be human, elf, or what have you, but no member of their race can kill them. If a ringwraith is brought to 0 or less hit points by a member of its former race, that individual instead dies, and the ringwraith regains full hit points.
__Phylactery (Ex): If it isn't bad enough that a human cannot kill a human ringwraith, or an elf and elven ringwraith, no one else can trully "kill" them either. If someone of a different race reduces a ringwraith to 0 or fewer hit points, it is destroyed physically, but its spirit returns to its master ring (q.v), and returns to physical form the next day, again at full hit points. Only with the destruction of the master ring it is connected to can a ringwraith be trully laid to rest.
__Summon Mount (Su): A ringwraith is virtually indestructible, but its mount isn't. A ringwraith can summon a mount, choosing between a nightmare or a fiendish wyvern with much higher intelligence than normal. It can do this once per month.
Sample Ringwraith
The Witch King, Lord of the Nine and the chief servant of the Dark Lord is a powerful being. The template is being added to what is affectively a human Noble 10/Blackguard 10/Legendary Tactician 10.
Medium-sized Undead
Hit Dice: 30d12 (89 hp)
Initiative: +4(Dex)
Speed: 60 ft.
AC: 18 (+5 bracers, +3 Dex)
Attacks: Unholy Heavy Flail +9
Damage: Qarterstaff 1d6+2 or by spell
Face/Reach: 5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Spells
Special Qualities: Invulnerable, pleasing illusion
Saves: Fort, Ref, Will
Abilities: Str 13, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 25, Wis 17, Cha 21
Skills:
Feats: Cleave, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Leadership, Mounted Combat, Sunder
Climate/Terrain: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 34
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Lawful evil
Advancement: As character class.
Once one of the greatest of the Kings of Men, the Witch King fell from grace just as the other ringwraiths did. As the most powerful of the Nine, the Witch King is their absolute leader, owing more allegience only to Sauron.
COMBAT Though the touch of a lich is terrible to feel, any person who became a lich already desired to battle from a distance. If forced into combat, a lich will prefer to rain misery and pain down upon their enemies in the form of spells, relying on their fear aura, touch attacks, and any magical weapons they might possess if their spells cannot handle their foes. Of course, preferable to all of these is the use of summoned or controlled minions to combat anyone insane enough to battle an undead master of magic. __Damaging Touch (Su): . __Paralyzing Touch (Su): . __Fear Aura (Su): . __Spells: Liches are powerful spellcasters all, and can cast any spells they could in life. __Turn resistance: A lich has +4 turn resistance. __Damage reduction: A lich has damage reduction of 15/+1. Some liches instead enjoy DR 20/+2. __Immunities: Liches are immune to cold, electricity, polymorph and mind-affecting spells. __Lich Sight: Liches are immune to cold, electricity, polymorph and mind-affecting spells. __Undead Control: Liches are the masters of the undead. Spell Resistance: Liches 12 + the lich's HD. __Pleasing Illusion(Su): The fallen wizard hides its undead form behind a pleasing face. Most male Unhallowed appear as elderly, but firm men of impressive stature with long, white beards and hair. Women, on the other hand, often appear as youthful, beautiful women, though either type may assume whatever form is most appropriate. Regardless, both gain the effective Charisma score of 20. "Lich" is a template that can be added to any humanoid creature (the character), provided it can create the required phylactery. The creature's type changes to "undead." It uses all the character's statistics and special abilities except as noted here: Hit Dice: increase to d12 Speed: Same as character AC: +5 natural, or the character's natural, whichever is higher. Damage: Creatures without natural weapons gain a touch attack that uses negative energy to deal 1d8+5 points of damage to living creatures; a Will save with a DC of 10+1/2 lich's hit dice+lich's Charisma modifier halves the damage. Creatures with natural weapons can use those, or the touch attack, as they prefer. Special Attacks: The character retains all of their special attacks, plus gains the additional ones below. Saving throw DCs, where appropriate, are 10+1/2 lich's hit dice+lich's Charisma modifier. Fear Aura: Creatures less than 5 hit dice within 60' of the lich must succeed at a Will save or be affected as though by fear cast at the Lich's level. Paralyzing Touch: Any living creature the lich touches must succeed at a Fortitude save or be permanently paralyzed. Remove paralysis or any spell that can remove a curse can free the victim. This effect cannot be dispelled. Anyone paralyzed by the lich seems dead, but a spot check (DC 20) or heal check (DC 15) reveals that the victim is still alive. Spells: The lich can cast any spells it could cast while alive. Coldfire (Su): Baneliches can hurl balls of blue-green fire. Despair (Su): Baneliches are the masters of the undead. Doom Gaze (Su): Baneliches are the masters of the undead. Gain over time. Dream Haunting (Su): Liches are the masters of the undead. Grasp of Death (Su): Baneliches are the masters of the undead. Gain over time. Grasp of Enfeeblement (Su): Baneliches are the masters of the undead. Gain over time. Painwrack Gaze (Su): Baneliches are the masters of the undead. Gain over time. Voice of Maleficence (Sp): Baneliches are the masters of the undead. Gain over time. Special Qualities: The lich retains all of the character's special qualities, plus those listed below, and it gains the undead type. Turn resistance: A lich has +4 turn resistance. Damage reduction: A lich has damage reduction of 15/+1. Some liches instead enjoy DR 20/+2. Immunities: Liches are immune to cold, electricity, polymorph and mind-affecting spells. Lich Sight: Liches are immune to cold, electricity, polymorph and mind-affecting spells. Undead Control: Liches are the masters of the undead. Spell Resistance: Liches 12 + the lich's HD. Other Salient Abilities: At least liches in Ravenloft get to benefit from these powers, and DMs can decide if they allow them in other games The number of abilities a lich can have depend upon their Intelligence score, as shown below: Alternate Form (Su): Liches are the masters of the undead. Animating Touch (Su): Liches are the masters of the undead. Augmented Spellcasting (Ex): Liches are mighty sprllcasters all. They may prepare double the number of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-level spells per day. Bone Command (Su): Liches are the masters of the undead. Chilling Wind (Su): Liches are the masters of the undead. Fast Healing (Ex): The lich constantly draws upon the energies of its phylactery. The lich benefits from fast healing 5. Magic Mimicry (Su): Liches are the masters of the undead. Metal Immunity (Ex): Liches are the masters of the undead. Poison Aura (Su): Liches are the masters of the undead. Proxy Travel (Su): Liches are the masters of the undead. Skull Scry (Su): Liches are the masters of the undead. Undead Mastery (Su): Liches are the masters of the undead. Vortex of Evil (Su): Liches are the masters of the undead. Saves: Same as character. Abilities: A lich gains +2 to Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. It has no Constitution score. Skills: The lich gains +8 racial bonus to Hide, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks. Otherwise same as the character. Feats: Same as the character. CR: Same as the character +2 Treasure: Standard coins, double goods, double items. Alignment: Any evil. Advancement: By character class. The Lich's phylactery An integral part of becoming a lich is the creation of a phylactery in which to store it's life force. Unless the phylactery is destroyed, the lich will reappear 1d10 days after its apparent death.
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