Hollowed (3.5e Template)

Hollowed
Summary::Hollowed creatures are the result of an attempt to turn men into mindless, deathless warriors.

Through a complex series of rituals, ordinary creatures have their souls corrupted and ripped almost completely from their body to be used for their master’s nefarious schemes. Neither fully alive nor completely dead, these creatures are wretched, losing their memories, free will, and emotions but gaining an array of impressive physical abilities.

A Hollowed creature possesses living tissue, but can be healed by positive or negative energy due of the foul magics used in the Hollowing. Though a Hollowed creature can carry out complex directions, they function best under the direct control of an Overmind, which gives the Hollowed even better bonuses. Hollowed creatures look just like their base creature counterparts, except the skin, hair, fur, scales and iris lose almost all pigmentation, leaving the Hollowed creature looking pallid, gray-skinned and gray-eyed.

Creating a Hollowed Creature
This template is an acquired template which can be applied to any animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid or any outsider with the native subtype, refered to as the base creature. Any creature with a soul to be warped and an intelligence score can be used with the exception of living constructs.

Only Overminds can create a Hollowed creature, using a ritual that takes 2 hours +1 hour for every HD possessed by the base creature. Multiple Overminds can participate in the same ritual. For each Overmind present beyond the first, the ritual's time is shortened by one hour, to a minimum of two hours. Each hour, the Overmind must make a Concentration check with a DC equal to 10 + the HD of the base creature. If the check fails, the Overmind must begin the ritual again.

The ritual uses several exotic poisons and complicated infusions, which are consumed in the process of completing the ritual. The total cost to create a Hollowed creature is equal to 1,500 gp and 80 XP per HD of the base creature. The XP cost can be divided among all participating Overminds if desired.

Lastly, the ritual uses elements of the Dark Speech to warp and corrupt the base creature's soul. Any Overmind participating in a ritual takes 1d3 temporary Charisma damage.

Size and Type
Size remains unchanged. Type changes to aberration. It retains any subtypes except alignment subtypes (such as good). It does not gain the augmented subtype. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. It retains whatever Hit Dice it had prior to the Hollowing.

Hit Dice
Same as Base Creature

Speed
Same as Base Creature

Armor Class
The Hollowing toughens the creature’s hide, granting it a Natural Armor bonus of +2. If the base creature already has a Natural Armor bonus, its existing bonus increases by +1.

Special Qualities

 * Hollowed Traits: A Hollowed creature retains all the proficiencies with weapons and armor from before the Hollowing. It does not receive any additional proficiencies. A hollowed creature does not age, nor does it need to eat, sleep, or breathe.  Hollowed creatures are immune to ability damage, ability drain, death effects, disease (including magical diseases such as Mummy Rot and Lycanthropy), exhaustion, fatigue, poison, sleep effects.  It is still subject to critical hits and extra damage from attacks such as sneak attacks, and are at risk of death by massive damage (if the damage is of a type that overcomes their regeneration).
 * Damage reduction 2/-
 * Darkvision out to 60 feet.
 * Difficult to Kill: Even after being killed with Electrical or Acid Damage, a Hollowed creature will return to life after 1d3 days. Complete destruction of the entire corpse via acid or such spells as Disintegrate prevents this. Hollowed creatures thus destroyed cannot be raised by any means.
 * Low-Light Vision
 * Mental Shielding: Immune to all enchantment and mind-affecting spells and effects, except those from its overseer.
 * Psychic Backlash: A Hollowed creature under the direct control of an overseer gains bonuses to combat, but is also vulnerable. If the controlling Overseer is slain, the controlled creature is stunned for 1d3 rounds while it attempts to revert to its last set of orders, if possible.
 * Regeneration A Hollowed creature has regeneration 3. Electric and Acid damage overcomes the creature’s regenerative power.  A severed limb will regrow itself in 3d6 hours. If held to the stump, the limb reattaches instantly. A severed limb from a Hollowed creature withers and dies after 1 week.
 * Slow To Learn: Due to the extensive damage the creature takes when becoming a Hollowed creature, it only gains 1/2 XP from all sources. This penalty does not apply retroactively.
 * Spell resistance equal to the creature’s HD+5 (maximum 20).
 * Limited Telepathy: All Hollowed can communicate telepathically with any Overmind but not any other creature, even other Hollowed.

Abilities
A Hollowed creature has the following changes to its ability scores: +4 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Con, -4 Int, +2 Wis, -6Cha. The creature becomes stronger, faster, tougher, unafraid of pain or death and more aware of its surroundings, but much of its mind and its ability to interact with other creatures is crippled.

Feats
All Hollowed creatures gain the Diehard feat, even if they do not meet the requirements.

Environment
Any.

Organization
Single, Pair, Squad (4-8), Unit (12-30, usually 85% regular warriors, 10% support/specialist units, 5% shock troops of Large size.)

CR
Base Creature +CR::3

Treasure
One quarter usual, gear is never better than masterwork.

Alignment
Always Neutral. A Hollowed creature obeys its master's orders without question.

Advancement
As Character Class or Creature HD, though see "Slow to Learn" Special Quality above.

Level Adjustment
Level Adjustment::--