Vigil (3.5e Monster)
 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
 | |||||||||
|
Rate this article Discuss this article | |||||||||
The Vigils are wardens of ancient crypts, guardians of hidden tombs, and protectors of the legacy of the Ancients, a civilization whose name has been lost to history, that had existed and attained pinnacles of culture, magical learning and technology long before contemporary races rose to eminence and power. They are named for the act of being ever wakeful. The Ancients have mastered the skill of affixing souls to objects to let them remain into the world of the living forever, and there they languish, in the long forgotten tombs and ruins of ancient cities, and continue to protect the remnants of their lost civilization.
Vigils are ancient constructs of intricate construction, built to be receptacles of the souls of loyal warriors and nobles wishing to transcend their mortal coil. Weaker vigils are animated with artificial souls of rudimentary intellect. Their bodies are a dark brass color, patterned with ornate markings and engravings, and sophisticated mechanisms that move smoothly and flawlessly upon countless of interlocked components. Vigils are constructed of orichalcum, a mystical alloy invented and popularized by ancient civilizations, that current day scientists and metallurgists are still struggling to reproduce.
Vigils can speak the Ancient tongue, but rarely do so. When they do speak, their voice sounds disjointed and mechanically hollow.
Combat[edit]
Vigils are all immune to electricity, have high spell resistance, and possess a deflection bonus to Armor Class equal to their Charisma bonus (if any). More powerful vigils have personal shields that function independently from their deflection bonuses, and some carry orichalcum weapons, and are the prime source of such weaponry for aspiring adventurers seeking to claim one.
Vigils are constructs with the Augmented Undead subtype, giving them Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses and skills as an intelligent undead, with construct traits.
A vigil's natural weapons are considered orichalcum, ignoring all deflection bonuses to AC and bypassing up to 10 points of hardness and damage reduction/adamantine (higher damage reductions are effectively lessened by 10 points when attacked by a vigil or an orichalcum weapon).
All Vigils have the following special abilities.
Vigilance (Su): Vigils are mentally keyed to any traps laid out in the immediate vicinity of their resting place. If within 30 feet of a sleeping Vigil a trap is sprung or a sarcophagus or coffer opened, it immediately wakes up and readies for combat.
Susceptibility to Turning/Rebuking: Since vigils are souls of the dead kept within this world by a mechanical body, they can be affected, albeit only partially, by turning or rebuking attempts. A vigil that is turned or rebuked is dazed for one round, and a vigil that is commanded or destroyed becomes stunned for 2 rounds. A vigil has effective +4 turn resistance.
Types of Vigils[edit]
Vigils come in many shapes and sizes, from the small, insect-like drones all the way to the immensely powerful sentinels and praetorians. They are, however, always lawful of alignment, and zealous in their protection duties. An overview of all known mass-produced Vigil types follows below.
Drone[edit]
Full article: Vigil Drone (3.5e Monster).
| Drone | |
|---|---|
| Size/Type: | Small Construct (Augmented Undead) |
| Hit Dice: | 1d12+10 (16 hp) |
| Initiative: | +2 |
| Speed: | 20 ft. (4 squares), climb 10 ft. |
| Armor Class: | 13 (+1 size, +2 Dex), touch 13, flat-footed 11 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +0/-3 |
| Attack: | Bite +2 melee (1d4+1) or discharge +2 ranged touch (2d4 electricity) |
| Full Attack: | Bite +2 melee (1d4+1) or discharge +2 ranged touch (2d4 electricity) |
| Space/Reach: | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Discharge, vigilance |
| Special Qualities: | Construct traits, Darkvision 60 ft., DR 3/adamantine, immunity to electricity, low-light vision, SR 15 |
| Saves: | Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +3 |
| Abilities: | Str 12, Dex 15, Con —, Int 1, Wis 12, Cha 6 |
| Skills: | Climb +9, Hide +10, Jump +3, Move Silently +6 |
| Feats: | Stealthy |
| Environment: | Ancient crypts and ruins |
| Organization: | Solitary or clutch (2-8) |
| Challenge Rating: | 1 |
| Treasure: | None |
| Alignment: | Always lawful (any) |
| Advancement: | — |
| Level Adjustment: | — |
Always keep your ears sharp for chittering in the dark.
Vigil drones are six-legged mechanical insects infused with rudimentary artificial souls that possess a bestial intellect and predatory instincts. Drones maintain crypts and gravesites and slumber within purposefully engineered clefts and grooves in the walls, responding to any foreign presence by awakening and becoming hostile.
Combat[edit]
The walls of ancient crypts and tomb catacombs are lined with specially shaped grooves and indentations, that perfectly fit a coiled-up drone. When awakening, it unfurls its six legs and springs to life. Drones gain a +10 circumstance bonus to Hide checks while dormant in their alcoves.
Discharge (Su): Drones can project a powerful electric shock from the array of probes and feelers on its head, dealing 2d4 points of electricity damage to one creature within 10 feet.
Skills: Drones gain a +8 racial bonus to Jump checks. This bonus is included in the above statistics.
Protector[edit]
Full article: Vigil Protector (3.5e Monster).
| Protector | |
|---|---|
| Size/Type: | Medium Construct (Augmented Undead) |
| Hit Dice: | 4d12+20 (46 hp) |
| Initiative: | +2 |
| Speed: | 30 ft. (6 squares) |
| Armor Class: | 15 (+2 Dex, +2 natural, +1 deflection), touch 13, flat-footed 13 |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +2/+5 |
| Attack: | Slam +6 melee (1d6+4) |
| Full Attack: | 2 slams +6 melee (1d6+4) |
| Space/Reach: | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | Spell-like abilities, vigilance |
| Special Qualities: | Construct traits, Darkvision 60 ft., DR 5/adamantine, immunity to electricity, low-light vision, SR 17 |
| Saves: | Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +7 |
| Abilities: | Str 17, Dex 14, Con —, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 12 |
| Skills: | Knowledge (history, nobility and royalty) +4, Listen +8, Spot +8, Use Magic Device +7 |
| Feats: | Iron Will, Weapon Focus (slam) |
| Environment: | Ancient crypts and ruins |
| Organization: | Solitary, overwatch (1 protector and 2-4 drones or group (2-6) |
| Challenge Rating: | 3 |
| Treasure: | None or orichalcum light weapon and/or orichalcum light shield (see text) |
| Alignment: | Always lawful (any) |
| Advancement: | — |
| Level Adjustment: | — |
Spurred by curiosity and greed, a young adventurer parts the lid of the ornate sepulcher at the center of the silent chamber. Promptly, an alcove in the wall bursts open and releases a flash of bronzed metal from within, charging the unwittting raider with heavy footsteps and single-minded fury.
Protectors are basic Vigils, animated by the souls of rank-and-file soldiers whose only exceptional feature was their undying loyalty to their masters. They were given a humanoid body to reflect their own, and actuate it through memory ingrained deep within their spirit. They stand about 6 feet tall and weigh in at roughly 240 pounds.
Combat[edit]
Protectors rest within orichalcum alcoves built into the walls of any crypt or dungeon they protect, and spring out to attack any interlopers on sight. While they can reason and be reasoned with, they usually strike with an ingrained fury, but may be convinced to let a creature leave in peace, and will often stop pursuing a creature if they flee back to the exit of the place they protect.
Some select protectors were interred within their alcoves with an orichalcum light weapon or light shield, or both. Protectors guarding important locations or tombs are usually always armed with both, but in most places, only roughly 20% of encountered protectors will carry a weapon or shield, and only 5% will carry both.
Spell-Like Abilities: 3/day—electric arrow (electricity-substituted acid arrow), magic weapon; 1/day—bull's strength. Caster level 5th.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Monsters
