Halja (3.5e Creature)

For use with Third Edition

A Halja in its corporeal form.

Size/Type:	Medium-Sized Outsider (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice:	2d8+10 (50 hp)
Initiative:	+5
Speed:	37 ft.
Armor Class:	20 (+3 Dex, +7 Natural), touch 13, flat-footed 10
Base Attack/Grapple:	+4/+2
Attack:	Hand-scythe +2 melee (2d6+4/12-14) or claw +1 melee (2d4+1/5-10)
Full Attack:
Space/Reach:	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:	Rake
Special Qualities:	Invisibility, teleportation, shifting
Saves:	Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +5
Abilities:	Str 13, Dex 16, Con 20, Int 23, Wis 23, Cha 15
Skills:	Knowledge (religion) +15, Knowledge (the planes) +12, move silently +10
Feats:	Alertness, Spell Penetration, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Hand-scythe)
Environment:	Any land and underground, Etheral Plane
Organization:	Solitary, pair or hunt (3-5)
Challenge Rating:	10
Treasure:	Only Soul Crystals (see below)
Alignment:	Always lawful neutral
Advancement:	6-8 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment:

The Halja are servants of the Raven Lord, god of death. Created from souls of powerful followers, the Halja have no purpose but to hunt down those who have cheated the Raven Lord by denying him their souls, such as liches or those that have been Resurrected. They resemble well-built humanoids wearing hooded black robes that trail behind them. Their face cannot be seen through the hood's shadows, but ghostly mist trails from the hood. They have no lower bodies, with wisps of shadow where the legs should be. A Halja's skin is like that of a corpse (though they are not undead) and they all clutch a hand-scythe (kama) in one hand and a Soul Crystal (see below) in the other. Halja speak the language of their target and their own tongue.

Combat

Usually, Halja enter the Prime Material Plane invisibly, to take the souls of the dead away to the Ethereal Plane. Only when they are going after someone who has earned the Raven Lord's ire do they appear visibly. They attack their target until one of them is killed. If the Halja kills its target, it places its Soul Crystal on the corpse's chest, absorbing the soul, and disappears to the Ethereal Plane.

Rake (Ex): Attack bonus +2 melee, damage 1d6+2.

Invisibility (Su): A Halja can turn invisible at will. They usually come to the Prime Material Plane this way.

Teleportation (Su): A Halja can teleport between the Prime Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane at will.

Shifting (Ex): Halja are constantly shifting between corporeality and incorporeality. Every 2d6 rounds, the Halja's skin becomes translucent. During this time, the Halja is incorporeal and functions as an incorporeal creature. After 2d6 rounds in incorporeal form, a Halja returns to corporeality.

The Soul Crystal

Every Halja carries a Soul Crystal in one hand. The crystal, made of unbreakable blue material of unknown origin, is used to transport souls to the Ethereal Plane. Halja capture souls of the dead in the crystal by placing it on the corpse, where it sucks the soul into the crystal. If it is retrieved from a dead Halja, a Soul Crystal is worth 2500 GP. If filled, it is worth 3500 GP. The process used to suck in souls is impossible for non-Halja and is only known to the Halja themselves.

Summoning a Halja

Clerics of the Raven Lord may choose to permanantly replace the Greater Elemental on the Summon Monster VIII table with a Halja. Only worshippers of the Raven Lord may do this. These clerics usually use the summoning at funerals, in case a Halja does not show up on its own to carry away the soul. They also may summon a Halja as a last resort in combat.

For use with Second Edition

• Climate/Terrain: Any
• Frequency: Very rare
• Organization: Parties
• Activity Cycle: Any
• Diet: Nil
• Intelligence:: Very (11-12)
• Treasure: See above
• Alignment: Lawful neutral
• No. Appearing: 1-5
• Armour Class: 7
• Movement: 5
• Hit Dice: 2+10
• THAC0: 9
• No. of Attacks: 1
• Damage/Attack: 2-12
• Special Attacks: Nil
• Special Defenses: Invisibility, Teleportation, Shifting
• Magic Resistance: Nil
• Size: M (6' tall from trail)
• Morale: Fearless (19-20)
• XP Value: 700

Habitat/Society: The Halja dwell on the Ethereal Plane in their incorporeal forms unless sent to exact the Raven Lord's vengance. Upon this, they assusme corporeal forms (though this is unstable - see above) and hunt down the escaped soul mercilessly upon any plane they are located. When they otherwise appear on other planes, it is to take the souls of the recently dead away, and they do this under the shroud of invisibility. Halja sometimes form parties of 3-5 on their journeys.

Ecology: Halja are not natives to the Ethereal Plane. In fact, they were once mortals, powerful priests and servants of the Raven Lord. Those that followed his dogma to the letter and never betrayed the faith found them forever changed upon their death, awakening in the Raven Lord's ethereal hall as Halja. Rewarded for their faith, the Halja serve as bodyguards, servants, and minions of their god. Halja do not mate - they are only created by their god personally from their souls.

Notes

The Halja originally came from the PS2 video game Odin Sphere. They also were inspired by 4E's Sorrowsworn in some ways.

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