REVENANT

(TEMPLATE)

A revenant appears much as it did in life. Although the

decay and stench of a dead body are lacking, its skin has a

deathly pallor. Its body typically shows subtle or obvious

signs of its manner of death. A revenant understands

that it is dead and seeks to hide this fact from

anyone who might see it, so it rarely moves about in the

daylight and avoids brightly illuminated areas. Those who

knew the revenant in life usually recognize it. The revenant

retains its memories and habits, but it seems colder and

more emotionally distant than it once was. Astute observers

might also note that the revenant is nimbler than it once

was.

Template Traits

"Revenant" is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal living creature that has both an Intelligence score and a Charisma score greater than 6 (referred to hereafter as the "base creature"). The creature's type changes to undead. It uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +2.

Hit Dice: Change to d12.

Speed: The base creature's speeds increase by +10 feet each.

Defense: The base creature's natural armor bonus improves by +4.

Special Qualities: A revenant retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains the additional special qualities described below.

Revenant Regeneration (Ex): The base creature loses the regeneration and fast healing special qualities if it had them and gains revenant regeneration instead. Only damage that matches the revenant's special vulnerability (see below) actually reduces its hit points. However, damage of other sorts does have an effect. Track the creature's nonvulnerability damage separately from its hit points. When that damage equals or exceeds its actual current hit point total, it falls prone and is immobile and helpless for 2d6 rounds.

During this time, any further damage dealt to it heals instantly. When this time elapses, the revenant arises to fight again, and its nonvulnerability damage tally is wiped clean. Note that damage matching the revenant's special vulnerability reduces its revenant regeneration damage threshold by reducing its actual hit points.

Special Vulnerability (Ex): Each revenant has a special vulnerability related to the way it died. Any attack that deals the kind of damage that caused the revenant's original death deals damage to the creature normally. Should the revenant reach 0 hit points from such damage, it is destroyed. Possible damage types include acid, electricity, fire, cold, sonic/concussion, slashing, piercing, bludgeoning, and ballistic.

A revenant that died from poison, starvation, suffocation, or some other cause that does not cause hit point damage is instead vulnerable to some danger that frightened it in life or some means of death that it meted out to others. Choose one of the damage types above for its special vulnerability on that basis.

If the revenant was killed by an attack that dealt multiple types of damage, only one of those damage types counts as its special vulnerability. If the revenant is subjected to another such mixed-damage attack, it takes hit point damage only from the type to which it is vulnerable.

Turn Resistance (Ex): A revenant is treated as an undead with Hit Dice equal to the base creature's Hit Dice +3 for the purpose of turn or rebuke attempts. This turn resistance increases by an additional +2 when it sees a creature upon which it wishes to take revenge and decreases by -2 while it is within sight of its vulnerability fear (see below). These modifiers stack.

Undead: Revenants have the traits and immunities common to undead.

Vulnerability Fear (Ex): A revenant is terrified of any specific items directly associated with its cause of death. Only something directly associated with the revenant's death can cause this fear; the creature cannot be deceived by illusions or duplicates. When the revenant sees the item it fears, it must succeed at a Will saving throw (DC 15) or be shaken for 24 hours. Success leaves it shaken for only 1d4 rounds. If that item is used to deal damage to the revenant that matches its special vulnerability, the revenant must succeed at a Will saving throw (DC 20) or be panicked for 1 minute and shaken for 24 hours thereafter. Success indicates that the revenant is shaken for 1 minute. The time that a revenant is shaken or panicked from this effect does not stack.

Allegiances: Revenge becomes the revenant's sole purpose. Any allegiances that would interfere with that goal are sublimated or abandoned (GM's choice).

Saves: Same as the base creature, modified by new ability scores.

Ability Scores: A revenant gains the following ability score increases: Str +4, Dex +6, Cha +4. As an undead creature, a revenant has no Constitution score and uses its Charisma modifier for all Constitution and Constitution-based checks.

Skills: A revenant gains a +8 species bonus on Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Sense Motive, Spot, and Tumble checks. It can use Tumble as though it had ranks in the skill, even if it was untrained in life. A human revenant retains the extra skill points afforded to all humans.

Feats: A revenant receives Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Quick Draw, Quick Reload, and Run as bonus feats, assuming the base creature meets the prerequisites and doesn't already have these feats. A human revenant keeps the extra feat it gained as a 1st-level human character.

Advancement: By character class.

Revenant Police Officer (Human Strong Ordinary 1/ Dedicated Ordinary 1): CR 3; Medium-size undead; HD 2d12; hp 11; Mas -; Init +8; Spd 35 ft.; Defense 24, touch 16, flat-footed 20 (+4 Dex, +2 class, +4 natural, +4 concealable vest); BAB +1; Grap +5; Atk +5 melee (1d3+4 nonlethal, unarmed strike) or +5 melee (1d4+4, tonfa) or +5 ranged (2d6, Beretta 92F) or +5 ranged (2d8, Beretta M3P); Full Atk +5 melee (1d3+4 nonlethal, unarmed strike) or +5 melee (1d4+4, tonfa) or +5 ranged (2d6, Beretta 92F) or +5 ranged (2d8, Beretta M3P); FS 5 ft. by 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.; SQ darkvision 60 ft., revenant regeneration, special vulnerability (bludgeoning), turn resistance, undead, vulnerability (criminal's sawed-off shotgun); AL any; SV Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +3; AP 0; Rep +1; Str 19, Dex 18; Con -, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 12.

Occupation: Law enforcement (class skills: Drive, Intimidate).

Skills: Balance +9*, Climb +11*, Drive +6, Escape Artist +9*, Hide +9*, Intimidate +11, Investigate +2, Jump +9*, Knowledge (current events) +2, Knowledge (streetwise) +2, Knowledge (tactics) +2, Listen +10, Move Silently +9*, Profession +4, Read/Write English, Sense Motive +12, Speak English, Spot +12, Swim +5, Treat Injury +4, Tumble +9*.

Feats: Armor Proficiency (light, medium), Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Quick Draw, Quick Reload, Run, Simple Weapons Proficiency.

Possessions: Concealable vest, Beretta 92F (9mm autoloader), 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition, Beretta M3P (12-gauge shotgun), 10 12-gauge shotgun rounds, tonfa, various gear and personal possessions.

*Includes -3 armor penalty for concealable vest.