Creature Templates: W
3 creature templates, from Werecreature to Worm That Walks.
Werecreature · Wight · Worm That Walks
Werecreature
Template
You can turn an existing, living humanoid into a werecreature by completing the following steps. (These changes reflect a werecreature in its hybrid form.)
Increase the creature's level by 1 and change its statistics as follows.
- It gains the beast and werecreature traits, and its alignment is usually adjusted to match that of its werecreature type.
- Increase its size by one category if the animal is a larger size than the base humanoid.
- Increase its AC, attack bonuses, DCs, saving throws, and skill modifiers by 1.
- Increase its damage with Strikes and other offensive abilities by 1. If the werecreature is limited in how often it can use an ability (such as a breath weapon), increase the damage by 2 instead.
- Increase its HP by the amount shown on the table. This HP increase is more than typical in order to compensate for the creature's weakness to silver.
- The creature gains weakness to silver as shown on the table.
Werecreature Abilities
All werecreatures gain the following abilities, some of which match an ability of the animal the werecreature transforms into. You might also need to adjust some abilities that conflict with the theme of the werecreature (such as abilities with a conflicting alignment trait).
Senses The werecreature gains all the senses of the animal.
Animal Empathy (divination, primal) A werecreature can communicate with animals of the same general kind.
Claws The werecreature gains a claw Strike (an agile unarmed attack that deals slashing damage). If it had any agile attacks, the damage dealt by its claws should be roughly the same as the damage dealt by those attacks. If it had only non-agile attacks, its claws should deal three-quarters that damage.
Jaws The creature gains a jaws Strike (an unarmed attack that deals piercing damage) that inflicts its curse of the werecreature. If it had any non-agile attacks, the damage dealt by its jaws should be roughly the same as the damage dealt by those attacks. If it had only agile attacks, its jaws should deal one-third more damage.
Change Shape (concentrate, polymorph, primal, transmutation) The werecreature changes into its humanoid, hybrid, or animal shape. Each shape has a specific, persistent appearance. A true werecreature's natural form is its hybrid shape. In humanoid shape, the werecreature uses its original humanoid size, loses its jaws and claws Strikes, and gains a melee fist Strike that deals bludgeoning damage equal to the slashing damage dealt by its claw. In animal shape, its Speed and size change to that of the animal, it gains any special Strike effects of the animal that it didn't already have (such as Grab), and it loses its weapon Strikes.
Curse of the Werecreature (curse, necromancy, primal) This curse affects only humanoids.
Saving Throw DC is the standard DC for the werecreature's new level – 1 Fortitude; Effect On each full moon, the cursed creature must succeed at another Fortitude save or turn into the same kind of werecreature until dawn. The creature is under the GM's control and goes on a rampage for half the night before falling unconscious until dawn.
Moon Frenzy (polymorph, primal, transmutation) When a full moon appears in the night sky, the werecreature must enter hybrid form, can't Change Shape thereafter, becomes one size larger, increases its reach by 5 feet, and increases the damage of its jaws by 2. When the moon sets or the sun rises, the werecreature returns to humanoid form and is fatigued for 2d4 hours.
Wight
Adjustment
All wights can drain life through their unarmed attacks, but some can draw life force through weapons as well.
- Add the undead and wight traits.
- Add the Necril language.
- Add the following immunities: death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious.
- Add drain life to any number of the creature's Strikes and reduce the damage of each of those Strikes by half the creature's level.
- Add the following abilities.
Drain Life (divine, necromancy) When the creature damages a living creature with this Strike, it gains temporary HP equal to its level, and the target must succeed at a Fortitude save or become drained 1. This save uses the moderate DC for the wight creature's level.
Worm That Walks
Template
You can turn an existing evil, living, spellcasting creature into a worm that walks using the following steps.
Increase the creature's level by 1 and change its statistics as follows.
- It gains the aberration and swarm traits and usually remains evil.
- Increase AC, attack bonuses, DCs, saving throws, and skill modifiers by 1.
- Reduce its Hit Points by the amount listed on the table (to a minimum of 2 HP per level).
- The worm that walks gains fast healing, resistance to physical damage, and weakness to area damage and splash damage as indicated in the table. These abilities are the reason the worm that walks has fewer HP.
Worm That Walks Abilities
A worm that walks loses any abilities that came from its previous physical form and any traits that represent its life, such as human and humanoid. It retains any spellcasting abilities it had in life, regardless of their origin, and gains the abilities listed below. You might need to adjust other abilities that conflict with the monster's new theme as a worm that walks.
Immunities All worms that walk have immunity to disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, and unconscious. They also have the swarm mind ability, which makes them immune to mental effects that target a specific number of creatures, though they are still subject to mental effects that affect all creatures in an area.
Discorporate When the worm that walks is reduced to 0 HP, it discorporates and the component worms that make up its body disperse in every direction. If even a single worm escapes, the worm that walks will eventually re-form using a process that typically takes 1d10 days. While the exact circumstances and surroundings determine how long the worm that walks's foes have to dispatch the fleeing worms before they escape, usually its foes have only a single round. Typically, this requires the application of an area effect or splash weapon within 1 round to the space where the worm that walks collapsed. After any amount of area or splash damage is dealt to that space, the character dealing the damage must attempt a DC 15 flat check. Each subsequent area or splash damage effect performed on the area reduces the DC of this flat check by 2, to a minimum of DC 5. If any of these flat checks succeed, none of the worms escape, and the worm that walks is destroyed permanently. At the GM's discretion, clever means of trapping or otherwise detaining the vermin may extend the time allowed to finish off the worm that walks.
Tendril Regardless of the creature's former anatomy, it gains a tendril melee Strike with reach that deals persistent piercing damage as it leaves biting worms on the target. If it had any agile attacks, the damage dealt by its tendril should be roughly the same as the damage dealt by those attacks. If it had only non-agile attacks, its tendril should deal three-quarters of that damage.
Squirming Embrace The worm that walks Strides, ending its movement sharing a space with a creature, and deals piercing damage to the creature equal to 1d8 plus an additional 1d8 for every 3 levels the worm that walks has. The creature can attempt a basic Reflex save with a DC of the worm that walks's spell DC – 2.
Swarm Shape (concentrate) The worm that walks collapses into a shapeless swarm of worms. It drops all held, worn, and carried items. While discorporated, the worm that walks can't use attack actions and can't cast spells, but it can move through areas small enough for its individual worms to fit without having to Squeeze. It can use the same action to coalesce back into its normal form.