Corrupted Blood (3.5e Template)

Name::Corrupted Blood
Summary::Infected by some matter of mutagen, your body begins to change, growing stronger, and more aberrant...

Creatures who are exposed to certain elements, be it alien matter from a distant planet, or a terrible retrovirus rewriting their DNA, may begin to change and warp. The powers they gain are great, but it may come at the cost of their humanity. The template comes in various degrees of corruption... if you employ some manner of scaling score for corruption (such as taint) you can apply its effects to this template.

Creating a Corrupted Blood
Corrupted Blood is an acquired template which can be applied to any creature. Even constructs and undead can fall victim to strange effects. Corruption comes in 6 degrees of severity. You may select a number of abilities dependent on the chart below. You may trade out a Lesser power for two Least powers, or trade out a Greater power for two Lesser powers (or four Least powers) if you wish.

The further up the scale they grow, the more visibly corrupted they are, with glowing patches, black scars, or other signs of mutation until they are no longer recognizable. These visual mutations have no mechanical effect, and exist for flavor purposes.

Size and Type
Size and type do not change. However if you possess a corruption level of 4 or above, you do count as an aberration, as well as a member of your original type.

Speed
Least Speed Boost (Ex): The leg muscles bulge with power, granting a +10 increase in a single movement speed.

Lesser Speed Boost (Ex): The legs elongate or no longer become natural for a creature of it's kind, resulting in a +20 bonus to speed, and the ability to take 10 ft. steps instead of 5 ft.

Greater Speed Boost (Ex): The legs have mutated into something incomprehensible to the eyes. The creature gains a +30 bonus to speed, the ability to take 10 ft. steps instead of 5 ft, is never hampered by difficult terrain, and does not need to move in a straight line to charge.

Armor Class
Least Chitinous Plate (Ex): The skin becomes hard and scaly, resulting in a +2 increase in natural armor.

Lesser Chitinous Plate (Ex): The skin gains bony armor plates covering it, resulting in a +4 increase in natural armor. It also gains bone spikes upon its surface like a crab's shell (treat as armor spikes which deal 1d6 + 1/2 your Str, it is a natural weapon).

Greater Chitinous Plate (Ex): The skin gains metallic armor with thick rubbery hide underneath, resulting in a +6 increase in natural armor. It's spikes improve to deal 1d8 + Str.

Least Precognition (Ex): Due to sensitive micro-hairs on your body, the creature can react to things better. It gains a +2 insight bonus to AC. It loses this bonus if ever caught flatfooted.

Lesser Precognition (Ex): Due to sensitive antenna, the creature can react to things better. It gains a +4 insight bonus to AC. It loses this bonus if ever caught flatfooted. In addition it gains +2 to initiative.

Greater Precognition (Ex): Due to sensitive alien organs all over its body, the creature can react to things better. It gains a +6 insight bonus to AC. It loses this bonus if ever caught flatfooted. In addition it gains +4 to initiative.

Least Shielding (Su): Some manner of subtle projected energy from the creature deflects incoming blows, granting a +2 deflection bonus to AC.

Lesser Shielding (Su): Some manner of visible aura from the creature deflects incoming blows, granting a +4 deflection bonus to AC. The creature is also immune to 3rd level or lesser Force effects.

Greater Shielding (Su): Some manner of visible aura from the creature deflects incoming blows, granting a +6 deflection bonus to AC. The creature is also immune to 6th level or lesser Force effects, including being able to walk through a Wall of Force (but not a higher level spell like Forcecage).

Attack
Least Natural Weapon (Su): The creature's body warps as a new arm tipped with a claw, tentacle, secondary expandable jaw within your mouth, or other horrible deformation appears. The creature gains a natural attack, bite, claw, tentacle... it matters not. Whatever the new attack, it deals 1d6 + Str damage. The body is twisted, forcing the creature to wear unusual armor to handle the appearance of the new limb. Claws are good for attacking but no good for holding items, the nature of the natural weapon simply determines damage type and which weapon focus applies to it. It is a new body part so thus a creature with a bite attack can actually possess two bites.

Lesser Natural Weapon (Su): The creature's body warps as new arm tipped with a claw, tentacle, secondary expandable jaw within your mouth, or other horrible deformation appears. The creature gains two natural attacks, bites, claws, tentacles... it matters not nor need it be the same kind. Whatever the new attack, it deals 1d8 + Str damage. The body is twisted, forcing the creature to wear unusual armor to handle the appearance of the new limb. Claws are good for attacking but no good for holding items, the nature of the natural weapon simply determines damage type and which weapon focus applies to it. It is a new body part so thus a creature with a bite attack can actually possess two bites.

Greater Natural Weapon (Su): The creature's body warps as new arm tipped with a claw, tentacle, secondary expandable jaw within your mouth, or other horrible deformation appears. The creature gains three natural attacks, bites, claws, tentacles... it matters not nor need it be the same kind. Whatever the new attack, it deals 1d10 + Str damage. The body is twisted, forcing the creature to wear unusual armor to handle the appearance of the new limb. Claws are good for attacking but no good for holding items, the nature of the natural weapon simply determines damage type and which weapon focus applies to it. It is a new body part so thus a creature with a bite attack can actually possess two bites.

Special Attacks
Least Energy Beam (Sp): The creature can spew a powerful beam of energy out as a ranged touch attack with a range of 60 ft. and dealing 1d6 damage every 2 HD (round down). The damage can either be fire, cold, electrical, acid, or typeless damage, with variable changes depending on element. Once selected the choice cannot be changed.
 * Fire: +1 damage per die.
 * Cold: Fort save vs speed cut in half for 1 round, DC 10 + 1/2 + Con.
 * Electrical: +3 to hit against metal objects.
 * Acid: Ignore hardness.
 * Typeless: No change.

Lesser Energy Beam (Sp): As Least Energy Beam, but the damage increases to 1d8 and the range increases out to 90 ft. Glowing energy can be seen pulsing underneath the creature's skin.

Greater Energy Beam (Sp): As Lesser Energy Beam, but the damage increases to 1d10, and the range increases out to 120 ft. The body is consumed by the energy, and any attacker striking the creature with a natural weapon or unarmed attack takes 1d6 points of the appropriate damage (plus additional effects).

Least Psi/Spell-Like Ability (Sp or Ps): Warped by magical or psionic energy, the creature can employ the use of them with a thought. The creature selects one of these benefits. You may select a spell/power of lower level than suggested.
 * One 1st level spell/power at will.
 * Two 1st level spell/powers 3/day each.
 * Four 1st level spell/powers 1/day each.
 * One 2nd level spell/power 3/day each.
 * Two 2nd level spell/powers 1/day each.
 * One 3rd level spell/power 1/day.

Lesser Psi/Spell-Like Ability (Sp or Ps): Warped by magical or psionic energy, the creature can employ the use of them with a thought. The creature selects one of these benefits. You may select a spell/power of lower level than suggested.
 * One 2nd level spell/power at will.
 * Two 2nd level spell/powers 3/day each.
 * Four 2nd level spell/powers 1/day each.
 * One 3rd level spell/power 3/day each.
 * Two 3rd level spell/powers 1/day each.
 * One 4th level spell/power 1/day

Greater Psi/Spell-Like Ability (Sp or Ps): Warped by magical or psionic energy, the creature can employ the use of them with a thought. The creature selects one of these benefits. You may select a spell/power of lower level than suggested.
 * One 3rd level spell/power at will.
 * Two 3rd level spell/powers 3/day each.
 * Four 3rd level spell/powers 1/day each.
 * One 4th level spell/power 3/day each.
 * Two 4th level spell/powers 1/day each.
 * One 5th level spell/power 1/day

Least Toxin (Ex): Select a natural weapon the creature possesses, this weapon now inflicts poison when striking the enemy. It deals 1d4/1d4 damage to the ability score you choose on selecting this power, with a Fortitude save to negate.

Lesser Toxin (Ex): Select a natural weapon the creature possesses, this weapon now inflicts poison when striking the enemy. It deals 1d8/1d8 damage to the ability score you choose on selecting this power, with a Fortitude save to negate.

Greater Toxin (Ex): Select a natural weapon the creature possesses, this weapon now inflicts poison when striking the enemy. It deals 2d6/2d6 damage to the ability score you choose on selecting this power, with a Fortitude save to negate.

Special Qualities
Corruption (Ex): All corrupted creatures possess this quality regardless of level. A corrupted creature which remains active radiates a baleful aura which eventually corrupts other things. Each week a corrupted creature remains in an area, such as a cave or a building, there is a scaling 1% chance that another creature will gain the corrupted blood template (or a corrupted creature will increase it's corruption level). Naturally in a place where corruption thrives, this causes many corrupted creatures to completely deform their territory, turning it into a monstrous wasteland. For short-term battles it has no effect, but in the long term it is wise to dispose of such creatures.

Least Aura of Decay (Su): The presence of the corrupted is a baleful horror to even reality, and around it entropy seems to take it's toil in high speed. All creatures within 10 ft. of the creature take a must make a Fortitude save or take a -2 penalty to AC, a successful save reduces the penalty to -1.

Lesser Aura of Decay (Su): The presence of the corrupted is a baleful horror to even reality, and around it entropy seems to take it's toil in high speed. All creatures within 10 ft. of the creature take a must make a Fortitude save or take a -4 penalty to AC, a successful save reduces the penalty to -2.

Greater Aura of Decay (Su): The presence of the corrupted is a baleful horror to even reality, and around it entropy seems to take it's toil in high speed. All creatures within 10 ft. of the creature take a must make a Fortitude save or take a -8 penalty to AC, a successful save reduces the penalty to -4.

Least Damage Reduction (Ex): The creature becomes abnormally difficult to damage. The creature gains DR 2/-, or DR 4/material, where the material is something such as silver or adamantine. This stacks with any pre-existing damage reduction is possesses.

Lesser Damage Reduction (Ex): The creature becomes abnormally difficult to damage. The creature gains DR 4/-, or DR 8/material, where the material is something such as silver or adamantine. This stacks with any pre-existing damage reduction is possesses.

Greater Damage Reduction (Ex): The creature becomes abnormally difficult to damage. The creature gains DR 6/-, or DR 12/material, where the material is something such as silver or adamantine. This stacks with any pre-existing damage reduction is possesses.

Least Death Throes (Ex): If a corrupted creature perishes from an attack, it explodes in a 5ft radius explosion dealing 1d6 plus +1 point of damage per HD to its attacker, with a Fortitude save for half.

Lesser Death Throes (Su): If a corrupted creature perishes from an attack, it explodes in a 5ft radius explosion dealing 2d6 plus +2 points of damage per HD to its attacker, with a Fortitude save for half.

Greater Death Throes (Su): If a corrupted creature perishes from an attack, it explodes in a 5ft radius explosion dealing 3d6 plus +3 points of damage per HD to its attacker, with a Fortitude save for half.

Least Recovery (Ex): The creature can piece itself together from almost nothing. It gains either fast healing 3, or regeneration 1, with the regeneration bypassed by at least five means besides force damage (such as fire, cold, electric, acid, and bludgeoning damage).

Lesser Recovery (Ex): The creature can piece itself together from almost nothing. It gains either fast healing 6, or regeneration 2, with the regeneration bypassed by at least four means besides force damage (such as fire, cold, electric, and bludgeoning damage).

Greater Recovery (Ex): The creature can piece itself together from almost nothing. It gains either fast healing 9, or regeneration 3, with the regeneration bypassed by at least three means besides force damage (such as fire, electric, and sonic damage).

Least Resistance (Ex): The creature can resist the elements through the evolution of it's body against them. It gains up to 10 points of resistance against the elements, which can be spread out as desired (such as fire resist 10, or fire and acid resist 5).

Lesser Resistance (Ex): The creature can resist the elements through the evolution of it's body against them. It gains up to 20 points of resistance against the elements, which can be spread out as desired (such as fire resist 20, or fire and acid resist 5 and cold resist 10).

Greater Resistance (Ex): The creature can resist the elements through the evolution of it's body against them. It gains up to 40 points of resistance against the elements, which can be spread out as desired (such as fire resist 40, or fire and acid resist 20).

Least Spellblock (Su): Equipped with defenses against the supernatural, the creature shrugs off magical attacks with spell resistance equal to it's HD + 5.

Lesser Spellblock (Su): Equipped with defenses against the supernatural, the creature shrugs off magical attacks with spell resistance equal to it's HD + 10.

Greater Spellblock (Su): Equipped with defenses against the supernatural, the creature shrugs off magical attacks with infinite spell resistance, like a golem.

Abilities
The corrupted blood creature gains various improvements to his ability scores based on its level of corruption. For example a 1st degree corrupted creature gains +2 to any one ability score, while a 4th level creature gains a +8, +6, +4, and +2 bonus to four scores of it's choice.

Skills
The creature gains a +2 racial bonus to intimidate for each degree of corruption it possesses, to a maximum of +12 at level 6.

Environment
Corrupted creatures try to fit in their original habitats, but they no longer fit there, for they have become something unnatural. Their mere presence eventually mutates the land around it to something terrible.

Organization
As base creature.

Challenge Rating

 * 1st degree: +CR::1
 * 2nd degree: +CR::2
 * 3rd degree: +CR::3
 * 4th degree: +CR::4
 * 5th degree: +CR::5
 * 6th degree: +CR::6

Treasure
As base creature.

Alignment
Usually evil.

Advancement
As base creature.

Level Adjustment
Level Adjustment::--, it is not appropriate for player characters.