Margaret Weis - Amber and Iron

Beloved speak any languages they knew in life.

Once a Vallenwood Guard, those warriors who protect the stairs leading to the raised walkways in the tree-town of Solace, Cam was seduced into the ranks of the Beloved with promises of pleasure and eternal youth. Still attractive and charming, the Beloved is now consumed with bringing more victims to Chemosh and the woman he has never met, yet he knows her amber eyes and will recognize her commanding voice: Mina.

Cam:Male human fighter 2; CR 5; Medium undead (augmented humanoid); HD 2d12; hp 16; Init +5; Spd 30 ft.; AC 15 (touch 11, flat-footed 14); Atk +6 (1d6+4 short sword) or +6 (1d3+4 unarmed strike); SA Mina’s kiss; SQ Beloved of Chemosh weaknesses, fast healing 5, immunity to magic, turn immunity, undead traits; AL NE; SV Fort +3, Ref+1, Will +2; Str 19, Dex 12 Con -, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 17.

Skills and Feats: Climb +6, Diplomacy +6, Intimidate +7, Jump +5, Swim +4; Charming, Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike.

Possessions: Chain shirt, short sword.

“Beloved of Chemosh” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

A Beloved of Chemosh uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Size and Type:The creature’s type changes to undead. (augmented humanoid). Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.

Hit Dice:Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.

Speed:Same as the base creature. If the base creature has a swim or fly speed, the Beloved of Chemosh retains the ability to swim orfly.

Special Attacks:A Beloved of Chemosh retains all the special attacks of the base creature and gains those described below.

Mina’s Kiss (Su): A Beloved of Chemosh has the ability to create more of its kind but may do so only with those willing to swear their souls to Chemosh and allow the Beloved to place a kiss on their bare skin directly above the heart. Mina’s Kiss requires a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity. No saving throw is allowed. Victims appear dead for one minute then rise, acquiring the Beloved of Chemosh template.

Special Qualities:A Beloved of Chemosh retains all the special qualities of the base creature and gains those described below.

Fast Healing (Ex): A Beloved of Chemosh heals 5 points of damage each round, even when it has been reduced to 0 or fewer hit points and will eventually recover even from complete physical destruction. If a limb or body part is severed, it can either re-grow the member in one day, or re-attach it instantly by holding it to the stump. Severed members that are not re-attached will wither into dust after 10 minutes.

Immunity to Magic (Ex): A Beloved of Chemosh is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance. Those who cast spells against one often report sensing a magical backlash (though it causes no damage to the caster).

Turn Immunity (Ex): A Beloved of Chemosh cannot be turned. He can be banished with holy word, however, just as if he were an evil outsider. (If banished, he is sent to the Abyss.)

Abilities:Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +4, Cha +4. As an undead creature, a Beloved of Chemosh has no Constitution score.

Environment:Any, usually same as base creature.

Organization:Solitary, pair, gang (3—5)

Challenge Rating:Same as the base creature +3.

Alignment:Always evil (any).

Advancement:By character class.

Level Adjustment:Same as the base creature +6.

Beloved of Chemosh, for all of their invulnerabilities, are not immortal. Unfortunately, the weakness that the Lord of Bones chose for his new disciples is so terrible that most will be unwilling to exploit it.

Detection: Beloved cannot be detected by normal means. However, their true nature is immediately revealed to clerics or mystics with the Channeling, Necromancy, or Undeath domains and by any character with the Death Sight spell-like ability. Particularly sensitive animals often act skittish or hostile in the presence of a Beloved of Chemosh. A mundane method of revealing a Beloved of Chemosh is to examine the skin directly above his heart, which will reveal a mark in the shape of a woman’s lips (the mark of Mina’s Kiss).

Hand of a Child: A Beloved of Chemosh suffers terrible, permanent damage when attacked by an innocent child. An innocent child must be younger than Adulthood (as defined in the Player’s Handbook, pg. 109) and one who has never caused the death of any creature with an intelligence score. Any unarmed or armed attack by an innocent child against a Beloved of Chemosh gains the Disruption quality (equivalent to a magical weapon, see the Dungeon Master’s Guide, pg. 224), requiring the Beloved to succeed on a DC 14 Will save or be destroyed. In addition, the attack causes 1d6 points of bonus damage that cannot be healed through the Beloved’s fast healing special quality. An innocent child who witnesses the destruction of a Beloved of Chemosh in this way suffers 1d4 points of temporary Wisdom and Charisma damage and forever loses the ability to harm a Beloved (because they are no longer innocent). All Beloved of Chemosh are aware of their weakness to children and usually avoid direct contact with youngsters.

Beloved of Chemosh Characters Beloved of Chemosh are always evil and have Chemosh as their patron deity, which causes certain classes to lose some class abilities. In addition, certain classes take additional penalties.

Clerics:Beloved of Chemosh clerics lose their ability to turn undead but gain the ability to rebuke undead.

Sorcerers, Wizards, and Wizards of High Sorcery:Beloved of Chemosh sorcerers and wizards retain their class abilities, but the link between master and familiar is broken, and the familiar shuns its former companion. The character cannot summon another familiar.