Soul Vessel (3.5e Template)
Soul Vessel[edit]
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Lichdom isn't the only way to cheat death. With the right rituals and equipment, you don't even need to die first.
Soul vessels are marriges of ritual and machine, life and liflessness. The process is often mistaken for necromancy, but the soul vessel is still very much alive, somewhere in there.
Creating a Soul Vessel[edit]
Soul vessel is an aquired template that can be applied to any corporeal, living creature. The process is most often used on those who are, for whatever reason, close to premature death and requires three stages to be completed.
First, the base creature has it's (still-living) soul removed & stored. This can be achieved by a variety of means, including spells, rituals and magic items (specifics are left up to DM discretion).
Second, the now-vacant body is repaired and treated in a complex and lengthy ritual, preparing it to act as a host for the "saved" soul. The culmination of this ritual is the insertion of a diamond (with a value of at least 500gp) into the skull of the body to act as a focus & "home" for the soul once it is returned.
Thirdly, the soul is released from where it has been stored and it is re-implanted into the body.
Due to the preparation rituals performed, the body no longer qualifies as alive, but rather as a construct, however, it is intrinsically linked to the soul which it originally and once again houses. Once re-implanted, the creature is essentially a symbiote of a living soul and a construct, combining certain benefits from both. It is not a living construct, as the construct part of the creature remains a mere automaton, but the living soul wich has been placed back into it is in full control.
Limited Construct Traits[edit]
All the following are traits of the soul vessel;
— Low-light vision and darkvision out to 60 feet.
— No Constitution score.
— Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning and disease effects.
— No requirement for food, sleep, or air.
— The soul vessel is neither physically alive or properly dead, however, due to being intrinsically linked to the living soul it carries, it is not fully a construct either. As such, while it can receive healing from both spells with the 'heal' descriptor and the 'repair' descriptor, they only provide half the benefit (round up) to the soul vessel.
— The rituals used to prepare the body of a soul vessel mean that it will no longer age naturally. As long as it is kept healthy and safe, the body can last indefinately without degredation. As such, a soul vessel does not suffer from age-related reductions of physical attributes and it's maximum age is infinite. This process also gives some protection from level-draining effects; any time such an effect is encountered that allows a save, a failed save may be re-rolled, though the result of the second roll must be taken, even if it is another fail.
Size and Type[edit]
Size remains the same, type changes to Construct (Soul Vessel).
Hit Dice[edit]
Any racial hit die are changed to D10s and existing HP are recalculated with the new (nonexistent) constitution modifier.
Speed[edit]
There are no changes to movement speed or types.
Armor Class[edit]
Increase Natural AC by +2.
Attack[edit]
The base creature retains the ability to use manufactured weapons and any natural weapons it had before. The number and types of attacks remain unchanged.
Special Attacks[edit]
The base creature retains all Ex, Su and Sp abilities, attacks and qualities, apart from any that depend on possessing a living body.
Abilities[edit]
The creature recieves +2 to it's Intelligence and Wisdom, and -2 to it's Charisma. The process of being disconnected from glands and other emotionally-clouding biology allows superior clarity of thought. Unfortunately, the same factors also make the creature less able to interact with others in social situations.
Environment[edit]
Soul vessels are found wherever the base creature would be found.
Organization[edit]
Soul vessels have no society of their own, usually attempting to remain in their previous one; however, many find it hard to fit in due to their altered state and become wanderers.
Challenge Rating[edit]
+1
Treasure[edit]
As base creature.
Alignment[edit]
As base creature.
Advancement[edit]
By character class.
Level Adjustment[edit]
+1
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