Deceased (template)
The Deceased template is a template applied to any intelligent living creature native to the ../PlaneOfExis upon its death and transference to the ../PlaneOfSepulture.
Deceased
Type: The base creature becomes a Sepulture native.
Speed: The deceased have a fly speed of 30 feet (perfect), unless the base creature has a higher fly speed. Despite the fly speed, they often appear to be walking, as they did in life.
Abilities: Same as the base creature, except the deceased has no Constitution because it is dead. The deceased retains its Strength but it only applies to attacks against other incorporeal or ethereal creatures.
Skills: The deceased have a +8 racial bonus on Notice, Search and Stealth checks.
Traits: The deceased retain all the traits of the base creature, although those relying on physical contact do not affect corporeal creatures. The deceased also gain the ability drain, corrupting touch, manifestation, rejuvenation, and unnatural aura traits. The save Difficulty of the deceased's qualities is 10 + 1/2 the deceased's level (round down) + the deceased's Charisma.
Ability Drain: The deceased deals Charisma ability drain with its incorporeal touch. The amount of ability drain is 2 points per touch. Its opponent is allowed a Fortitude save to negate the ability drain. On each successful attack, the deceased gains an extra recovery check with a +5 bonus.
Corrupting Touch: A deceased can use the Harm power with its incorporeal touch. It may not use it on itself.
Manifestation: A deceased dwells on Sepulture but may travel to the Ethereal Plane freely. As an ethereal creature, it cannot affect or be affected by anything on the Material Plane. When a deceased is on the Ethereal Plane, it may manifest. When a deceased manifests, it partly enters the Material Plane and becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane. A manifested deceased can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, supernatural weapons or powers, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source. A manifested deceased can pass through a solid object at will, and its own attacks pass through armor. A manifested deceased always moves silently. A manifested deceased remains partially on the Ethereal Plane, where it is not incorporeal. A manifested deceased can be attacked by opponents on either the Material Plane or the Ethereal Plane; the Ethereal Plane can be reached through the use of the Plane Shift supernatural power. The deceased's incorporeality helps protect it from foes on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Ethereal Plane. A deceased's Strength is given in parentheses for the sake of combat with other ethereal or incorporeal opponents.
Rejuvenation: It is difficult to destroy a deceased through simple combat. The destroyed spirit restores itself within eight days. A deceased that would otherwise be destroyed returns to Sepulture with a successful level check (1d20 + deceased's total level) against Difficulty 16.
Unnatural Aura: Animals, whether wild or domesticated, can sense the unnatural presence of the deceased at a distance of 30 feet. They do not willingly approach nearer than that and panic if they are forced to do so; they remain panicked as long as they are within that range.
Combat: A deceased retains the attacks of the base creature, although those relying on physical contact do not affect creatures unless they are incorporeal or ethereal. Against corporeal creatures, an deceased usually cannot deal physical damage at all. However, the deceased can use its special attacks when it manifests. A deceased gains a bonus to defense equal to its Charisma or +1, whichever is higher.
Saving Throws: A deceased's natural armor bonus to toughness is the same as the base creature's but applies only to incorporeal or ethereal creatures. When the deceased manifests, its natural armor bonus is +0.
Advancement: A deceased advances by heroic role, usually continuing in the role(s) it had in life.
Level Lag: 2.
Ghostly Equipment: When a deceased first transfers to Sepulture, all its equipment and carried items usually become incorporeal along with it. In addition, the deceased retains items it particularly valued in life (provided they are not in another creature's possession). The equipment passes harmlessly through corporeal objects or creatures. A supernatural weapon, however, can harm corporeal creatures when the deceased manifests, but any such attack has a 50% miss chance unless the weapon has a supernatural quality that states otherwise (such as the Ghost Touch supernatural power). The original material items remain behind, just as the deceased's physical remains do. If another creature seizes the original items and effectively claims them as their own, the incorporeal copies fade away. This loss generally angers the deceased, which stops at nothing to return the items to their original resting place, or with the buried body of the deceased.