Petitioner (3.5e Template)

Petitioner
Summary::When a creature dies and passes onto the afterlife, barring any transformation into a creature like a lemure or the like, they become a petitioner. Though they are a shadow of their material selves, their abilities are simply locked away waiting to be freed.

The original petitioner from the Manual of the Planes represented the soul in the afterlife, a person one could talk and interact with. However, it leveled all beings into 2nd level commoners, effectively, and was all in all dull that Joe from the street was treated the same as Knight King Ragnar, who wrestled Asmodeus and won. This version of the petitioner template retains more abilities and personality from the original, as well as allowing stories about particularly strong souls being sent to the afterlife and the threat they might cause.

Creating a Petitioner
This is an inherited template applied to creatures who have died and re-appeared in their respective afterlife.

Size and Type
The creature becomes an Type::Outsider. Do not recalculate any BAB, saves, or skill points.

Hit Dice
The creature retains its HD (though see Drained Soul).

Special Attacks
The creature may have weakened, or lose, any special attacks they have due to Drained Soul.

Special Qualities
Drained Soul : Death is a harrowing experience, and in the process the creature is weakened. Though they retain their HD and abilities, they cannot use any abilities gained past 2nd level, and they are considered 2nd level for all things including BAB and saves. They retain their ability scores (including scores from leveling), skill points, and their original hp. Skill ranks are limited to a maximum of 2. They still have their skill points but they cannot use them.

Typically, a petitioner is content to live its existance as a weakened being like this. However some seek to retain their lost powers and go out and adventure in their afterlife. As they gain levels and experience they "level" again, reducing the penalties so that they are effectively 3rd level, 4th level, 5th level, and so forth until they regain the full amount of their strength they possessed. Legends tell of particularly ambitious (and often evil) mortals who died, became petitioners, and escaped to regain their power before they were noticed only to return in a bid to take over the afterlife. While usually a failed attempt with stiff penalties, stories continue about evil kings taking over heaven and hell and ruling twice as cruel as they were in real life.

Rarely, a god or the manipulation of magic or the plane itself will automatically promote a soul a few levels up to their normal maximum. Other times, a god may use a petitioner and transform them into a planar being such as an angel, fiend, or other similar being.

Planebound : A petitioner cannot normally leave their afterlife, they are stuck there until revived somehow. The permission of a deity is enough to unbind a petitioner, as well as powerful magic such as miracle and wish. A petitioner can also leave their plane if somehow summoned or called.

Plane Marked : The petitioner's appearance changes slightly when they die to fit their plane they're on. Upper planes may have small angel wings, animal features, or halos. Lower planes tend towards horns, burned skin, and blackened eyed. In all cases it is clear to anyone with at least 1 rank in Knowledge The Planes what plane they hail from. They often they have signs of their death which they can display as a free action on their turn, such as a scar or wound which is clearly fatal and yet they live, or the smell of ash and dust coming off their bodies for someone who was disintegrated. It's considered spooky, so much petitioners choose not to display their death.

Undying : As long as the petitioner is on their plane, they cannot actually die. If slain they respawn in 1d10 days in a random part of the plane. Its usually a traumatic experience, and every time they die it'll take a cumilative additional 1d10 days for them to respawn so most avoid doing so. This is ignored on things such as Ysgard, which respawns people petitioner and not as a planar trait.

Skills
Due to Drained Soul, most petitioners have their skill ranks capped at the maximum for 2nd level. They do not lose their actual skill ranks invested.

Feats
A petitioner retains all its feats, though it cannot use any which require pre-requisites they no longer qualify for (such as BAB restrictions or skill restrictions higher than their effective level).

Environment
Any afterlife.

Organization
Petitioner have socieities as appropriate for their plane.

Challenge Rating
CR::Set to 2. It increases back to "normal" the more levels they regain.

Alignment
As their respective plane.

Level Adjustment
Level Adjustment::--