frightful faces and the bonfire [Archive] - Wizards Community

frightful faces and the bonfire [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
R.M.G.C.L.F.
02-06-07, 09:32 PM Faerhelm
Medium Fey
HD:8d6+24 (52hp)
Init:+4
Speed: 40ft
AC:18 (+4 dex, +4 natural)
BAB/Grapple:+4/+6
Attacks: 2 claws+8 melee
Damage: Claw 1d8+2 (19-20/x3)
Face/Reach: 5ft by 5ft/5ft
Special Attacks: Frightful Presence, Deathshead Visage
Special Qualities: Deathshead visage, DR10/iron, fey limitations, low-light vision, darkvision 60ft, light sensitivity, SR16
Saves: Fort+5, Ref+10, Will+9
Abilities:Str14,Dex19,Con17,Int8,Wis12,C ha21
Skills: points total Perform(dance)+11, Wilderness lore+6, hide+11, move silently+9, tumble+10, jump+9, Listen+10, scry+4
Feats: iron will, weapon finesse, endurance, stealthy(B), Track(B)
_________________________
Climate/Terrain: Forests, Mountains, and Hills
Organization: Solitary, pair, or dance (3-6)
CR:5
Alignment: Usually Chaotic Neutral
Treasure: skull and items only (stashed in a tree or loosely buried nearby, search dc:19 to find)
Advancement: By character class (favored class rogue)

A sinister figure dances madly around a bonfire. Its earth-colored body is completely naked, revealing its full array of male and female anatomy. Its facial features are shielded by an inhuman skull, although whether this is some closely affixed headgear or a natural boney growth is unclear. Its hidden eyes (or are they sockets?) burn with sharp, cold light.
It takes a knowledge(nature) check dc:10, knowledge(local) dc8, or knowledge(arcana) dc11 check to correctly identify a faerhelm, also known as a skull dancer or protean lady.

Faerhelms are wild, passionate, and enigmatic beings. They seek out the ancient wild places in the world to dance by the firelight. Faerhelms are full of intensity and unguessable desires. They have a general aloofness, but they frequently use their powers to spy upon or interfere with the doings of the civilized world.

Faerhelms are nocturnal, and usually have some lair or den where they rest during the daylight hours. They usually have firewood and flint stacked near the entrance of the dwelling, but sometimes all that marks it is a bit of ash and a faint earthy aroma. Faerhelms eat berries, fruit, milk, and clay.

Faerhelms do not speak if it can be avoided, but they understand sylvan, abyssal, celestial, and druidic.

Combat: faerhelms are quick to anger and quick to forgive. Anyone violating the sanctity of their sleep or trespassing upon their bonfire dances will earn a flurry of murderous wrath, but this can be eased by an apology and/or offering, and when seriously hurt they retreat rather than die without holding too great a grudge. Faerhelms become suspicious and unfriendly towards anyone who kills animal or plant for food in their presence, or eats flesh or plant matter without first offering up some prayer of thanks. If such behavior persists they become very easily incited to violence upon slight territorial trespass or discourtesy, and they may teach wanton plant-devourers and hunters a lesson with minor bad magic or simply offer a frightful howl of rage and non-verbal rebuke. (knowledge(nature) check dc:18, knowledge(local) dc:20, or knowledge(arcana) dc22 will reveal the faerhelm’s ticks and irritations)

Frightful Presence(ex): if a faerhelm does something threatening (attack, shriek, advance rapidly, etc.) those with 8 or fewer hit dice must make a will save dc:19 or become shaken for the duration of the encounter. Those with 4hd or less are frightened instead, those with 2hd are panicked, those with 1hd are paralyzed with fear and must make another will save at the same dc or go mad with dread.

Deathshead visage every faerhelm has a deathshead mask, an animal skull imbued with magical properties. They will never voluntarily remove the mask (a mind-control or compulsion suggesting this as a course of action is treated with equal weight as a suicide command). The skull can be removed with a strength check dc:21 (10 plus the hit dice of the faerhelm plus the constitution of the faerhelm), or it can be sundered (AC19, 26 hp). Once removed, the faerhelm’s true head is exposed, nothing more than a black and green nearly shapeless glistening mask with clumps of tendrils for ears, a handful of teeth around a tiny vacuoles for a mouth, and two shapeless blobs of phosphorescence seem to serve as eyes. A faerhelm with its skull removed becomes shaken, and bleeds for 1d4 rounds (taking 2 damage per round). If even a shard can remain, the faerhelm can magically recraft its skull with a night’s labor. Otherwise it must seek out the nearest available skull of appropriate type.
Faerhelm’s respond to theft or destruction of their skull with undying enmity.

Bull Skull: Grants a secondary gore attack dealing 1d12 base piercing damage and +4str.

Dragon Skull: grants a breath weapon (40ft line) dealing 4d6 fire damage. Once it uses its breath weapon, it cannot use it again for 1d6 rounds. The dragon skull also enables it to snort flames and\ sparks, starting fires (as with a match) as a quickened action. Increases SR by 2.

Albertosaurus Skull: Grants a bite attack dealing 1d10 peircing damage and adds a +2 bonus to the frightful presence.

Devil Skull: grants a gore attack dealing 1d6 peircing damage (gore treated as unholy and cursed for purpose of damage reduction) and adds +3 to the frightful presence dc.

Horse Skull: grants +4 dex, run and improved initiative as bonus feats, and allows the wearer to grant itself 2 rounds hasted as a supernatural ability once per night, standard action.

Human Skull: gains a gaze attack that forces creatures within 30ft to make a fort save (dc:19) or be shaken for two rounds and knocked prone.

Bird Skull: grants the wearer the constant benefits of a feather fall effect and jump effect, and a secondary bite attack dealing 1d4 peircing damage

Ram Skull: grant the wearer a secondary gore attack dealing 1d8 bludgeoning damage and forcing the creature struck to make a reflex save (16, dc strength-based) or be knocked prone. Also grants the spell-like abilities shatter and reduce plants once per night.

Nightmarish Skull: a skull of varied description with a confusion of sockets, horns, and fangs, this skull adds a +4 bonus to the frightful presence dc. It also adds 1d6 points of cold subdual damage to the creature’s natural weapons, and grants a breath weapon (usable every other round) that deals 3d8 cold subdual damage in a 20ft cone. Any creature rendered unconscious by this subdual damage is instantly transported to the plane of shadow, without save, leaving behind no more trace than a patch of chilled air and a flash of purple light.

Fey Limitations: faerhelms cannot cross running water. (knowledge (nature) dc:13, local dc:12, or arcana dc 17)
Faerhelms take double damage from fire.
Cold iron weapons used against them have their critical threat range and critical multiplier increased by one and deal one additional point of damage. (knowledge(nature) dc14, local dc16, arcana dc18)
They cannot enter a private dwelling with holly or pure iron hung at the door or window, or a candle on the windowsill, nor can they remove or destroy items in such a manner placed, unless given permission by the dwelling’s owner. (knowledge(nature or local) dc:16, knowledge(arcana) dc:21)
A pinch of salt thrown (treat as a ranged touch attack with 10ft range increment) at one deals 1d6 acid damage and negates its DR for one round. (knowledge (nature) dc:22, knowledge(local) dc:19)

Bonfire Dance (sp): Given the right celestial conditions and the minimum requisite number of participants, faerhelm can create a number of magical effects by dancing around a bonfire made with three different types of wood. The save dc (where applicable) is the spell level plus 15, +1 for each dancer beyond the minimum required. The dance takes 12 minutes, and during the dance all participants cannot take any other action, although they may leap and scamper to avoid weapons and attacks (+3 circumstantial bonus to reflex saves and +2 dodge bonus to AC). Only one dance may be performed each nights.
If the bonfire dance duplicates a spell effect with a target, that target must be in some way suspended directly over the bonfire, or the dancers can affect the target regardless of range provided they have some portion of the target’s body (hair, fingernail, tooth, etc.) which is thrown into the bonfire at the climax of the dance. This form of attack leaves a signature, some token of the faeries performing the rite is apparent in the form of a slight earthy slick or a bit of powdered bone and a faint (-4 to track attempt) odor. In the case of hostile magic such as bestow curse and contagion, a brief image of the dancers will flicker in the target’s mind, and a spellcraft check dc:18 will identify the source creatures. Any effects with a temporary duration less than 24 hours last for the entire night. The caster level is equal to the hit dice of the most advanced participant.

Waxing moon, 1 dancer: plant growth

Waning moon, 1 dancer: reduce plants

Any weather conditions, 1 dancer dancing lights

Full moon, 1 dancer emotion

Cloudless night, waining moon, 1 dancer scry

Cresent moon, fog or mist, 3 dancers: teleport without error, complete with a free teleport back to the same location.

Full Moon, 3 dancers: summon nature’s ally V

Blackest Night (stars shrouded by clouds, no moon visible), 4 dancers: animate dead

Half Moon, thunderstorm, 5 dancers plane shift

Cresent moon, 3 dancers bestow curse

Gibbous moon, 3 dancers remove curse

gibbous or full moon, fog or mist, 5 dancers Contagion

Cloudless night, cresent or full moon, 5 dancers remove disease

Gibbous moon, two dancers deafness

New moon, three dancers blindness

full moon, heavy clouds or fog, seven dancers phantasmal killer

Full moon, two dancers dream

full moon, three dancers nightmare

Waxing moon, four dancers enlarge, permanent

waning moon, four dancers reduce, permanent

Harvest Moon, six dancers control plants

Eclipse (lunar or solar), seven dancers reincarnation

Skull Treasure: the skull of the faerhelm can be taken up and worn by another. However, it is hostile towards any other than the wearer. The skull has an ego score equal to the faerhelm’s hit dice plus the faerhelm’s mental ability bonuses (here 14). It drains blood through tiny nicks and scratches on the head, dealing 1d4 temporary con damage when put on and 2 con damage each night it is worn. It only conveys benefits during night hours, and if sunlight ever touches it, the helm permanently loses its virtue.
R.M.G.C.L.F.
02-07-07, 02:00 PM bump
R.M.G.C.L.F.
04-25-07, 10:49 PM :bump:
R.M.G.C.L.F.
09-01-07, 09:50 PM Bump? :weep:
tryco
09-02-07, 09:26 AM i don't know much about certain rules, but i really like the mask and bonfire magic. now i have to do some homework on the different moon-types.
these creatures could be great sources for local-lore of certain villages in remote locations.

i think i might use it one day.
Rinian2
09-02-07, 09:42 AM I like the idea that the skull grants them different abilities but I'd like more monsters and animals represented. Where are the bears and wolves? And the werebears and werewolves? (Perhaps a random table to find out which skull they're wearing?)

The idea of the Bonfire Dance is great! If a character somehow causes offence to one of these guys, he could end up in a lot of trouble. One of their dances should enable them to create new Deathshead Visages for their young. (Do fey have young?)

Should the DR be iron or cold iron? Or is it both nowadays?

I'm thinking that the CR might be a little low but it's a close call.

Very nice RMGCLF.
R.M.G.C.L.F.
09-03-07, 08:56 PM Thank you very much. ^_^

Rinian2: I suppose I could bring things up to twelve, to have random generation. Always need to find work for d12s.
LivingShadow
09-04-07, 07:26 PM (Do fey have young?)

From what I can tell fey come to being spontaniously in natural settings.
R.M.G.C.L.F.
09-05-07, 01:08 AM I dunno. I think that fey sometimes breed with humans and elves, and that seems to indicate the capacity to reproduce traditionally.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
R.M.G.C.L.F. 02-06-07, 09:32 PM	Faerhelm Medium Fey HD:8d6+24 (52hp) Init:+4 Speed: 40ft AC:18 (+4 dex, +4 natural) BAB/Grapple:+4/+6 Attacks: 2 claws+8 melee Damage: Claw 1d8+2 (19-20/x3) Face/Reach: 5ft by 5ft/5ft Special Attacks: Frightful Presence, Deathshead Visage Special Qualities: Deathshead visage, DR10/iron, fey limitations, low-light vision, darkvision 60ft, light sensitivity, SR16 Saves: Fort+5, Ref+10, Will+9 Abilities:Str14,Dex19,Con17,Int8,Wis12,C ha21 Skills: points total Perform(dance)+11, Wilderness lore+6, hide+11, move silently+9, tumble+10, jump+9, Listen+10, scry+4 Feats: iron will, weapon finesse, endurance, stealthy(B), Track(B) _________________________ Climate/Terrain: Forests, Mountains, and Hills Organization: Solitary, pair, or dance (3-6) CR:5 Alignment: Usually Chaotic Neutral Treasure: skull and items only (stashed in a tree or loosely buried nearby, search dc:19 to find) Advancement: By character class (favored class rogue) A sinister figure dances madly around a bonfire. Its earth-colored body is completely naked, revealing its full array of male and female anatomy. Its facial features are shielded by an inhuman skull, although whether this is some closely affixed headgear or a natural boney growth is unclear. Its hidden eyes (or are they sockets?) burn with sharp, cold light. It takes a knowledge(nature) check dc:10, knowledge(local) dc8, or knowledge(arcana) dc11 check to correctly identify a faerhelm, also known as a skull dancer or protean lady. Faerhelms are wild, passionate, and enigmatic beings. They seek out the ancient wild places in the world to dance by the firelight. Faerhelms are full of intensity and unguessable desires. They have a general aloofness, but they frequently use their powers to spy upon or interfere with the doings of the civilized world. Faerhelms are nocturnal, and usually have some lair or den where they rest during the daylight hours. They usually have firewood and flint stacked near the entrance of the dwelling, but sometimes all that marks it is a bit of ash and a faint earthy aroma. Faerhelms eat berries, fruit, milk, and clay. Faerhelms do not speak if it can be avoided, but they understand sylvan, abyssal, celestial, and druidic. Combat: faerhelms are quick to anger and quick to forgive. Anyone violating the sanctity of their sleep or trespassing upon their bonfire dances will earn a flurry of murderous wrath, but this can be eased by an apology and/or offering, and when seriously hurt they retreat rather than die without holding too great a grudge. Faerhelms become suspicious and unfriendly towards anyone who kills animal or plant for food in their presence, or eats flesh or plant matter without first offering up some prayer of thanks. If such behavior persists they become very easily incited to violence upon slight territorial trespass or discourtesy, and they may teach wanton plant-devourers and hunters a lesson with minor bad magic or simply offer a frightful howl of rage and non-verbal rebuke. (knowledge(nature) check dc:18, knowledge(local) dc:20, or knowledge(arcana) dc22 will reveal the faerhelm’s ticks and irritations) Frightful Presence(ex): if a faerhelm does something threatening (attack, shriek, advance rapidly, etc.) those with 8 or fewer hit dice must make a will save dc:19 or become shaken for the duration of the encounter. Those with 4hd or less are frightened instead, those with 2hd are panicked, those with 1hd are paralyzed with fear and must make another will save at the same dc or go mad with dread. Deathshead visage every faerhelm has a deathshead mask, an animal skull imbued with magical properties. They will never voluntarily remove the mask (a mind-control or compulsion suggesting this as a course of action is treated with equal weight as a suicide command). The skull can be removed with a strength check dc:21 (10 plus the hit dice of the faerhelm plus the constitution of the faerhelm), or it can be sundered (AC19, 26 hp). Once removed, the faerhelm’s true head is exposed, nothing more than a black and green nearly shapeless glistening mask with clumps of tendrils for ears, a handful of teeth around a tiny vacuoles for a mouth, and two shapeless blobs of phosphorescence seem to serve as eyes. A faerhelm with its skull removed becomes shaken, and bleeds for 1d4 rounds (taking 2 damage per round). If even a shard can remain, the faerhelm can magically recraft its skull with a night’s labor. Otherwise it must seek out the nearest available skull of appropriate type. Faerhelm’s respond to theft or destruction of their skull with undying enmity. Bull Skull: Grants a secondary gore attack dealing 1d12 base piercing damage and +4str. Dragon Skull: grants a breath weapon (40ft line) dealing 4d6 fire damage. Once it uses its breath weapon, it cannot use it again for 1d6 rounds. The dragon skull also enables it to snort flames and\ sparks, starting fires (as with a match) as a quickened action. Increases SR by 2. Albertosaurus Skull: Grants a bite attack dealing 1d10 peircing damage and adds a +2 bonus to the frightful presence. Devil Skull: grants a gore attack dealing 1d6 peircing damage (gore treated as unholy and cursed for purpose of damage reduction) and adds +3 to the frightful presence dc. Horse Skull: grants +4 dex, run and improved initiative as bonus feats, and allows the wearer to grant itself 2 rounds hasted as a supernatural ability once per night, standard action. Human Skull: gains a gaze attack that forces creatures within 30ft to make a fort save (dc:19) or be shaken for two rounds and knocked prone. Bird Skull: grants the wearer the constant benefits of a feather fall effect and jump effect, and a secondary bite attack dealing 1d4 peircing damage Ram Skull: grant the wearer a secondary gore attack dealing 1d8 bludgeoning damage and forcing the creature struck to make a reflex save (16, dc strength-based) or be knocked prone. Also grants the spell-like abilities shatter and reduce plants once per night. Nightmarish Skull: a skull of varied description with a confusion of sockets, horns, and fangs, this skull adds a +4 bonus to the frightful presence dc. It also adds 1d6 points of cold subdual damage to the creature’s natural weapons, and grants a breath weapon (usable every other round) that deals 3d8 cold subdual damage in a 20ft cone. Any creature rendered unconscious by this subdual damage is instantly transported to the plane of shadow, without save, leaving behind no more trace than a patch of chilled air and a flash of purple light. Fey Limitations: faerhelms cannot cross running water. (knowledge (nature) dc:13, local dc:12, or arcana dc 17) Faerhelms take double damage from fire. Cold iron weapons used against them have their critical threat range and critical multiplier increased by one and deal one additional point of damage. (knowledge(nature) dc14, local dc16, arcana dc18) They cannot enter a private dwelling with holly or pure iron hung at the door or window, or a candle on the windowsill, nor can they remove or destroy items in such a manner placed, unless given permission by the dwelling’s owner. (knowledge(nature or local) dc:16, knowledge(arcana) dc:21) A pinch of salt thrown (treat as a ranged touch attack with 10ft range increment) at one deals 1d6 acid damage and negates its DR for one round. (knowledge (nature) dc:22, knowledge(local) dc:19) Bonfire Dance (sp): Given the right celestial conditions and the minimum requisite number of participants, faerhelm can create a number of magical effects by dancing around a bonfire made with three different types of wood. The save dc (where applicable) is the spell level plus 15, +1 for each dancer beyond the minimum required. The dance takes 12 minutes, and during the dance all participants cannot take any other action, although they may leap and scamper to avoid weapons and attacks (+3 circumstantial bonus to reflex saves and +2 dodge bonus to AC). Only one dance may be performed each nights. If the bonfire dance duplicates a spell effect with a target, that target must be in some way suspended directly over the bonfire, or the dancers can affect the target regardless of range provided they have some portion of the target’s body (hair, fingernail, tooth, etc.) which is thrown into the bonfire at the climax of the dance. This form of attack leaves a signature, some token of the faeries performing the rite is apparent in the form of a slight earthy slick or a bit of powdered bone and a faint (-4 to track attempt) odor. In the case of hostile magic such as bestow curse and contagion, a brief image of the dancers will flicker in the target’s mind, and a spellcraft check dc:18 will identify the source creatures. Any effects with a temporary duration less than 24 hours last for the entire night. The caster level is equal to the hit dice of the most advanced participant. Waxing moon, 1 dancer: plant growth Waning moon, 1 dancer: reduce plants Any weather conditions, 1 dancer dancing lights Full moon, 1 dancer emotion Cloudless night, waining moon, 1 dancer scry Cresent moon, fog or mist, 3 dancers: teleport without error, complete with a free teleport back to the same location. Full Moon, 3 dancers: summon nature’s ally V Blackest Night (stars shrouded by clouds, no moon visible), 4 dancers: animate dead Half Moon, thunderstorm, 5 dancers plane shift Cresent moon, 3 dancers bestow curse Gibbous moon, 3 dancers remove curse gibbous or full moon, fog or mist, 5 dancers Contagion Cloudless night, cresent or full moon, 5 dancers remove disease Gibbous moon, two dancers deafness New moon, three dancers blindness full moon, heavy clouds or fog, seven dancers phantasmal killer Full moon, two dancers dream full moon, three dancers nightmare Waxing moon, four dancers enlarge, permanent waning moon, four dancers reduce, permanent Harvest Moon, six dancers control plants Eclipse (lunar or solar), seven dancers reincarnation Skull Treasure: the skull of the faerhelm can be taken up and worn by another. However, it is hostile towards any other than the wearer. The skull has an ego score equal to the faerhelm’s hit dice plus the faerhelm’s mental ability bonuses (here 14). It drains blood through tiny nicks and scratches on the head, dealing 1d4 temporary con damage when put on and 2 con damage each night it is worn. It only conveys benefits during night hours, and if sunlight ever touches it, the helm permanently loses its virtue.
R.M.G.C.L.F. 02-07-07, 02:00 PM	bump
R.M.G.C.L.F. 04-25-07, 10:49 PM	:bump:
R.M.G.C.L.F. 09-01-07, 09:50 PM	Bump? :weep:
tryco 09-02-07, 09:26 AM	i don't know much about certain rules, but i really like the mask and bonfire magic. now i have to do some homework on the different moon-types. these creatures could be great sources for local-lore of certain villages in remote locations. i think i might use it one day.
Rinian2 09-02-07, 09:42 AM	I like the idea that the skull grants them different abilities but I'd like more monsters and animals represented. Where are the bears and wolves? And the werebears and werewolves? (Perhaps a random table to find out which skull they're wearing?) The idea of the Bonfire Dance is great! If a character somehow causes offence to one of these guys, he could end up in a lot of trouble. One of their dances should enable them to create new Deathshead Visages for their young. (Do fey have young?) Should the DR be iron or cold iron? Or is it both nowadays? I'm thinking that the CR might be a little low but it's a close call. Very nice RMGCLF.
R.M.G.C.L.F. 09-03-07, 08:56 PM	Thank you very much. ^_^ Rinian2: I suppose I could bring things up to twelve, to have random generation. Always need to find work for d12s.
LivingShadow 09-04-07, 07:26 PM	(Do fey have young?) From what I can tell fey come to being spontaniously in natural settings.
R.M.G.C.L.F. 09-05-07, 01:08 AM	I dunno. I think that fey sometimes breed with humans and elves, and that seems to indicate the capacity to reproduce traditionally.