Shura (3.5e Equipment)
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Shura[edit]
A blood diamond about the size of a ball bearing, Shura fuses with whoever is using it becoming an indistinguishable part of their body only reforming if they die. It copies its strongest wielders personality and abilitys and is able to use them so as to ensure said users survival, it's even able to amplify their summoning spells and grant them incredible summoning powers when things get tough. However, Shura tends to think its wielders would accomplish far more if it were in charge of there body.
History[edit]
Shura was created by the first supreme being so as to ensure his continued supremecy over all existence and so as to ensure his revival if ever he was toppled from his throne in the akashic library, obviously things didn't go quite as planned.
Created in an attempt to copy the powers of the supreme being, Shura unsurprisingly developed a Superiority complex and believed it was better suited to ruling all of existence than even the supreme being. All of this of course was done to ensure the beings continued supremacy, however he didn't like Shura's new attitude and so seeked to destroy it, finding it all but impossible as Shura had adopted the supreme beings own true immortality. Instead he destroyed the copy of his personality Shura had created and cast it from the library. Today Shura is all but unknown yet it still searches for a creature with who it may someday guide to the supreme beings throne and there rule in there name, for the new supreme beings own good of course.
Description[edit]
Shura is sentient and reflects in many respects the personality of its strongest holder (highest ECL), henceforth called the bound. Shura is extremely similar to the bound but is far more selfish and aloof than them, it can manifest in an incorporeal form at will which resembles the bounds true form but cannot travel more than 10ft away from them, or its solid form if not dissolved. Shura can communicate telepathically with its holder but must manifest and speak normally with any other creatures. Shura has the same ability scores, saving throws, caster level and all other appropriate scores as the bound -1 and can concentrate on any spell or power the bound has cast in their place. Treat Shura as a separate character in the initiative order who gets all its own mental actions (no movement, etc) and as an epic intelligent item NPC in conversations.
While the bound is alive Shura will not serve any other, if the bound dies then Shura will seek their revival and may serve others if they further this goal. So long as Shura has a personality it can use any of its powers regardless of if its within a body or not, though it must take its immaterial form to use powers with semantic components, etc. While serving others Shura retains all the bounds abilities and personality it simply travels with another by fusing into their body. Shura can while fused with anyone it's not bound to try to possess them as a standard action, the holder must succeed on a Will save (DC=10 + the bounds Will modifier), this bypasses spell resistance as Shura has become part of the holder. If Shura succeeds it is identical to if it had possessed the bound except the effect is permanent. The victim gets a new will save at the start of every week. While fused Shura can store up to the bounds maximum carrying capacity in items these can be retrieved and equipped by the holder at will, (though they need Shuras consent if not the Bound) they are stored in an extradimensional space while not in use. Stored items are not released upon the holders death, instead they can only be retrieved by the current holder or if Shura chooses to remove them.
Shura grants the bound immunity to aging, starvation and suffocation as well as any instant death effects. Shura can cast any powers or spells the bound knows using their power points or spells per day, (if their a wizard they must still memorise these each day). They share these between them, even if the bound is killed Shura retains these abilities so long as it remains bound to the same person. Shura also allows the bound to double any summoning effect used (so a spell that summons 1d4 creatures instead summons 1d8).
The bound can also use a unique summoning ability whenever they would normally take 'massive damage' this ability ignores damage reduction and the damage caused can only be healed by epic magic, epic powers or natural healing. This allows the bound to create up to 5HD of creatures for every 20hp they sacrifice, these appear as if made from the bounds blood and slowly take a more natural form. This takes 1 standard action and the created creatures serve the bound until they recover the hp used to create them or are destroyed. The bound can kill themselves with this ability though they cannot sacrifice hp past -20, in which case the creatures can be given up to five orders before disappearing. These creatures act exactly like normal creatures of there kind and are equipped the same, the only differences being that they are immune to mind-affecting effects and banishment. This ability can only be used by the bonded while Shura is within them, neither Shura or other holders can use it.
Shura's purpose is always to ensure the supremacy of the bound and views all who threaten this as needing to be destroyed (including allies), if Shura believes the bound is in danger of losing their supremecy to an ally or is in danger of death they try to possess the bound. Supremacy is a subjective idea but should be considered as whatever the bounds specialty is, so if a wizard loses in a magical duel Shura may decide to step in. The possession is immune to spell resistance as Shura is a part of the bound. The bound must have a mental fight with (effectively) itself so their mental abilitys are almost equal thus luck is the determinfactor. Roll a d100+1 for the bound and a d100 for Shura whoever is higher takes/maintains control of the bounds body, in the case of a tie roll again. If the bound wins they may act as normal and Shura will still try to ensure their survival or supremecy as normal, if Shura wins it gains total control of the bounds body for 24 hours. It has access to everything the bound normally does, effectively becoming them, however the bounds eyes have a dull sheen and appear unfocused throughout. They also gain divine rank 0 while possessed if they previously didn't have one. Shura can choose to re-attempt this possession every 10 minutes, while possessed the bound is trapped within their own body and can only watch. While in control of the bounds body Shura will take whatever actions it deems necessary so as to ensure their survival or supremacy.
Shura maintains total confidence in the bound for so long as it's bound to them, even if an enemy is obviously stronger,Shura will believe they can beat it. If however, that enemy (who has a higher ECL) kills the bound and fuses with Shura the former personality will be erased along with all its memories and Shura will now have total confid nice in the new bound. To fuse with Shura is a full round action and only the holder need consent, in order to become the new bound one must have a higher ECL than the current bound as well as defeat them or perform an act Shura acknowledges is beyond the current bound. They must then fuse with Shura in its blood diamond form, Shura will resist this as a new bound will mean the 'death' of the current personality.
Shura cannot be destroyed in any way as it has copied a piece of the supreme beings true immortality, however any Deity with the 'supreme' portfolio element can destroy the current personality resetting Shura who then simply searches for a new wielder to make their bound. This is done by taking Shura to the Deitys home plane and then having them focus their power into Shura for 100 days. Shura can only be reset in its true form, while fused with a holder it is completely invulnerable. Obviously Shura may resist being reset and depending on how strong their bonded is they may be able to go toe-to-toe with said God.
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