Science Lich (3.5e Template)

Science Lich
Summary::

Creating a Science Lich
"Science Lich" is a an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature. It require the construction of an immortality engine (see below).

Ability Scores: A science lich receives a +4 bonus to all ability scores. Science liches are augmented through bionic enhancement and other form of self augmentation.

Size and Type: A science lich 's type change to aberration (augmented form type). Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, hit points or skill points. Size is unchanged.

Feat: A science lich has augmented her body as part of gaining this template, she gain grimoire endurance and overcome deficiency as a bonus feats, she do not need to meet the prerequisites. If she already possessed endurance and/or do not have a racial penalty she gain a bonus feat she meet the prerequisite for instead (one for each).

Special Qualities: A science lich possess the following special qualities.

Augmented Body: A science lich has augmented her body beyond mortal's limits, choose two of the following special abilities from the list below::


 * Extra Space: The science lich gain the Additional Magic Item Space-CE feat even if she does not meet the prerequisites.


 * Integrated Shielding: The science lich gain a shield with a strength of 5 and a hardness of 5. She may tweak her shield with 24 hours of work, making it either a heavy shield (strength of 10, hardness 8, but very slow recharge) or a combat shield (strength of 7, harness, 6, but slow recharge) or a adaptive shield (strength of 2, hardness 3, but fast recharge). She may also make her shield an Heat Shields, electromagnetic shield or spell shield, doing so however remove 3 points of hardness from her shield. She may also make her shield a kinetic shield, adding three points to the shield hardness. She may return her shield to normal or change it quality by working on it for 24 hours as normal.


 * Personal Teleporter: The sceince lich may use greater warp as a extraordinary ability at will as a 1 round action, she may warp to any anchor points and count her immortality engines as warp anchor (even if they aren't).


 * Redundant Biology: The science lich is immune to critical hit, does not need to breath, eat or sleep. Additionally if she loses her head to a vorpal weapon or similar effect, she does not die. Her intelligence drops to 1 and he is blind and deaf, but he may continue fighting in such a state.


 * Regeneration: The science lich gain regeneration 2 bypassed by two of the following: slashing, piercing, bludgeoning, fire, cold, acid or electrical damage. She regenerate lost limb within 1 minutes, or 1 round if they are reattached.


 * Unstable Core: The science lich essentially enhanced her body with the self-destruct feature, unlike a normal self-destruct item the science lich explosion deal 1d6 damage per hit dice, it range improved to 10 feet per hit dice and it offer no saving throws. This ability both trigger on the science lich death or the science lich may do so as an immediate action.

Boosted Metabolism: A science lich is immune to disease, poison, she cannot be stunned or fatigued (if she would be exhausted she is fatigued instead), stabilize from dying and never take bleeding damage and have 25% fortification.

Reconstruction: Science liches are named so because of their ability to respawn from 'phylacteries', these immortality engines are very varied in appearance and functions; data backup cloning machines, stabilized temporal vortexes, lichbot factory, etc. While each technically work very differently they all have the same effect; when the sceinec lich die she reappear within 1d10 days to her immortality engine (if she has multiple immortality engines she must choose which one she will reappear at at the moment of her death, if it is destroyed mid reconstruction the science lich must choose another and the time before she reappear double). If all her immortality engines are destroyed, she dies for real and must be returned to life normally. More detail on immortality engines below.

For SCIENCE!: A science lich has no time for silly superstition and 'magic', she gain a +4 bonus on all saving throws against spells and spell-like ability. She however also take a -2 penalty on the save DC of her spell (but not spell-like or supernatural abilities). Biotechnicians and constructors do not take any penalties from this ability.

Challenge Rating: +CR::3

Level Adjustment: +Level Adjustment::3

Immortality Engine
An integral part of becoming a science lich is the creation of an immortality engine, a labrious process which require the potential science witch to have at least 13 ranks and skill focus in at least two of these skills: knowledge (engineering), knowledge (xeno), craft (alchemy) or profession (scientist). The first immortality engine is built over 24 hours and cost 25,000 gp. Each additional immortality engine built cost an additional 25,000 gp and double the time it took to build it.

Immortality engines are huge objects, with 250 hit point and a hardness of 40. They are always protected with a powerful shield (10 hp per HD of the science lich, hardness 20, range 30, very slow recharge). A science lich become immediately aware if one of her immortality engine is being damaged.