Wll good Halloween. This year I bring a rework of the Nosferatu template from PF1 (
Nosferatu (CR +2) – d20PFSRD). Even if we already have a Nosferatu template in the Epic (
https://www.enworld.org/threads/custom-divine-abilities-portfolios-etc.197014/post-8670644), it is only a Super Vampire, it has little or nothing of Murnau's Nosferatu, with his diseases. This final version is a combination of the base Nosferatu with the Nosferatu template of Liber Vampyr of the Necromancer of the Northwest (
DriveThruRPG)
Nosferatu (CR +3)
Nosferatu are savage undead who may be the progenitors of the common, more refined vampires. The curse of the nosferatu lacks the elegance and romance of its modern form, harkening to a forgotten age of verminous hunger and eerie powers. Granted immortal life but not immortal youth, nosferatu are withered, embittered creatures.
Their ancient sensibilities still reflect the cruelty of epochs past, and their age-spanning plots are untethered by the modern affliction of morality. Nosferatu resent common vampires (which they call “moroi,” an ancient term from a lost language) for their beauty, whereas those vampires scorn the nosferatu as bestial relics of an earlier age, best hidden away in remote ruins so as not to sully the charismatic reputation of “true” vampires.
They draw sustenance from blood, but most of their powers come from their ability to control diseases and repulsive creatures like vermin and rats.
Creating a Nosferatu
“Nosferatu” is an acquired template that can be added to any living creature referred to hereafter as the base creature). Most nosferatu were once humanoids, fey, or monstrous humanoids. A nosferatu uses the base creature’s stats and abilities except as noted here.
CR: Same as the base creature +3.
Alignment: Any evil.
Type: The creature’s type changes to undead (augmented). Do not recalculate class Hit Dice, BAB, or saves.
Senses: A nosferatu gains darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, and scent.
Armor Class: Natural armor improves by +8.
Hit Dice: Change all racial Hit Dice to d8s. Class Hit Dice are unaffected. As an undead, a nosferatu uses its Charisma modifier to determine its bonus hit points (instead of Constitution).
Defensive Abilities: A nosferatu gains channel resistance +4 and DR 10/ash tree and piercing (the weapon’s actual head must be made of ash tree; any ability that overcome both cold iron and silver [like a +3 weapon or an unarmed strike of a 7th level monk] overcome as well ash tree). It also gains immunity to cold and electricity and resistance 10 to sonic, in addition to all the defensive abilities granted by the undead type.
A nosferatu gains fast healing 5. If reduced to 0 hit points in combat, a nosferatu explodes in a swarm of rats or bats (50% chance of either), which mindlessly attack any creatures they encounter. Regardless of what happens to the swarm, the nosferatu’s body reforms in its coffin during the next new moon. Unlike the normal creatures of the monster manual, the rat swarm transmit the bubonic plague disease instead of filth fever while the bat swarm transmit rabies with their swarm attack (DC 11).
Weaknesses: Nosferatu recoil from mirrors or strongly presented rose flowers. These things don’t harm the nosferatu, they merely keep it at bay. A recoiling nosferatu must stay at least five feet away from the mirror or rose and cannot touch or make melee attacks against that creature. Holding a nosferatu at bay takes a standard action. After 1 round, a nosferatu can overcome its revulsion of an object and function normally, as long as it succeeds on a Will save (DC 25) each round to do so. Nosferatu who are directly asked their name must respond by providing the name that is written on the tombstone or marker on the grave that the nosferatu’s coffin is buried under. If the nosferatu’s coffin is buried in an unmarked grave or a grave that does not have a name on it, it must instead respond that it has no name. Reducing a nosferatu’s hit points to 0 destroys it temporarily, but not permanently, as it will reform at the next new moon. The only way to permanently slay a nosferatu is to expose it to sunlight. Exposing any nosferatu to direct sunlight staggers it on the first round of exposure and destroys it utterly on the second consecutive round of exposure if it does not escape. A nosferatu destroyed in this way does not reform.
A nosferatu cannot enter a private home or dwelling unless invited in by someone with the authority to do so.
A nosferatu’s appearance is so twisted that no one can look upon it and not realize that it is an undead monstrosity. Additionally, any animals within 60 feet of a nosferatu must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + ½ the nosferatu’s hit dice + the nosferatu’s Charisma modifier) or become panicked as long they remain in the area and for 1d4 rounds thereafter.
Driving an ash wooden stake through a helpless nosferatu’s heart instantly slays it (this is a full-round action). However, it returns to life if the stake is removed, unless its head is also severed and anointed with holy water.
A nosferatu who has not spent at least 8 of the last 24 hours in a coffin filled with (or buried beneath) dirt from the graveyard in which the nosferatu’s corpse was originally buried loses all benefits of this template except the undead type and the ability to reform. They still retain all weaknesses imposed by this template.
Speed: Same as the base creature.
Melee: A nosferatu gains two claw attacks if the base creature didn’t have any (1d4 points of damage for a Small nosferatu, 1d6 points of damage for a Medium one).
Special Attacks: A nosferatu gains several special attacks. Its save DCs are equal to 10 + ½ the nosferatu’s Hit Dice + the nosferatu’s Cha modifier unless otherwise noted.
Aura of Sickness (Su)
All living creatures that enter an area of 30 ft. centered on the nosferatu must make a Fortitude save or become sickened as long they remain in the aura and for 1d4 rounds thereafter. If they leave the aura and later re-enter it after the condition end, they must make a new saving throw or they become again sickened. After succeeding, a creature become immune to that nosferatu’s aura of sickness for 24 hours.
Blood Drain (Ex)
A nosferatu can suck blood from a helpless, willing, or grappled living victim with its fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe, it drains blood, draining 1d4 points of Constitution and Wisdom damage each round the pin is maintained. On each round it drains blood, the nosferatu gains 5 temporary hit points that last for 1 hour (up to a maximum number of temporary hit points equal to its full normal hit points).
Children of the Disease (Su)
Once per day, a nosferatu can call forth 1d6+1 rat swarms, 1d4+1 bat swarms, or 2d6 wolves as a standard action. (If the base creature is not terrestrial, this power might summon other creatures of similar power.) These creatures arrive in 2d6 rounds and serve the nosferatu for up to 1 hour. Unlike the normal creatures of the monster manual, the rat swarms transmit the bubonic plague disease instead of filth fever while the bat swarms and wolves transmit rabies with their swarm attack and bite attack respectively (DC 11 and 13 respectively).
Create Spawn (Su)
A nosferatu can create spawn out of those it slays with blood drain, provided that the slain creature is of the same creature type as the nosferatu’s base creature type. The victim rises from death as a nosferatu in 1d4 days. This new nosferatu is under the command of the nosferatu that created it, and remains enslaved until its master’s destruction. A nosferatu may have enslaved spawn totaling no more than twice its own Hit Dice; any spawn it creates that would exceed this limit become free-willed undead. A nosferatu may free an enslaved nosferatu in order to enslave a new spawn, but once freed, a nosferatu cannot be enslaved again.
Dominate (Su)
A nosferatu can crush a humanoid opponent’s will as a standard action. Anyone the nosferatu targets must succeed at a Will save or fall instantly under the nosferatu’s influence, as though by a
dominate person spell (caster level equal to the nosferatu’s HD). This ability has a range of 30 feet. After succeeding, a creature become immune to that nosferatu’s dominate for 24 hours. At the GM’s discretion, some nosferatu (such as a very old one, not originally humanoid or with an unusually strong bloodline) might be able to affect different creature types with this power.
Paralytic Fear (Su)
If a nosferatu confirm a critical hit with its claws attack, the opponent must succeed a Will save or become paralyzed by the fear until the end of the nosferatu next turn. After suffering this ability, regardless of whether he pass the saving throw or not, a creature become immune to that nosferatu’s paralytic fear for 24 hours. This is a fear, mind-affecting effect.
Plaguelord (Su)
A nosferatu can, with a touch, inflict a living target with one of three diseases: blinding sickness, bubonic plague, or red ache. Additionally, the grave soil of a nosferatu’s coffin is automatically infected with one of the diseases after a single night of being slept in by the nosferatu (chosen by the nosferatu at the time of the infection), and anyone within 5 feet of such a coffin every time it is open is exposed to the disease, regardless of the disease’s normal contraction method, until the infected soil is removed.
Finally, by sprinkling some dust from its grave into a body of water as part of an hour-long ritual, the nosferatu can corrupt it, causing it to expose anyone who drinks from it to one of these three diseases (chosen at the time of the ritual). This effect extends to all connected bodies of water within a 100 ft/HD radius, and lasts for 1 week per HD the nosferatu possesses. The nosferatu can perform this ritual once per week.
Regardless of the means by which it is contracted, the saving throw DCs for any of the nosferatu’s plague lord DCs are equal to the normal saving throw DC of the disease, plus 1 per two HD that the nosferatu possesses. Anyone who dies from such a disease has a chance of rising as an uncontrolled undead (the chance and type of undead is based on the kind of disease which killed them, see
Table: Plaguelord Diseases, below) on the next new moon after they die.
Table: Plaguelord Diseases
Disease | % Chance | Undead |
Blinding Sickness | 30 | Zombie |
Bubonic Plague | 3 | Nosferatu |
Red Ache | 20 | Ghoul |
Telekinesis (Sp)
As a standard action, a nosferatu can use
telekinesis (caster level equal to the nosferatu’s HD).
Special Qualities: A nosferatu gains the following.
Spider Climb (Ex)
A nosferatu can climb sheer surfaces as though under the effects of a spider climb spell.
Swarm Form (Su)
As a standard action, a nosferatu can change into a bat swarm, centipede swarm, rat swarm, or spider swarm. The nosferatu gains the swarm attack and extraordinary special attacks of the swarm it has transformed into. While in swarm form, a nosferatu can’t use its claw attacks or any of its special attacks. It retains all its other abilities, counts as an undead creature, and can use any of the swarm’s abilities and defenses. It can remain in swarm form until it assumes another form or until the next sunrise.
Telepathy (Su)
A nosferatu can communicate telepathically with any creature within 60 feet that speaks the same language it does. In addition, a nosferatu can use this ability to communicate with any animal, magical beast, or vermin.
Empathy Towards Filth (Ex)
A nosferatu gains a druid’s wild empathy ability, save that it works only on rats and vermins. A nosferatu consider its HD as its druid level for this ability. Vermins are normally mindless, but this empathic communication imparts upon them a modicum of implanted intelligence, allowing the nosferatu to train them and use them as guardians (though it does not grant them skills or feats). Normal rats and vermins have a starting attitude of friendly toward the nosferatu instead of unfriendly. Empathy towards filth treats rats and vermin swarms as if they were one creature possessing a single mind. The nosferatu can thus use this ability to influence and direct the actions of those swarms.
Ability Scores: Str +6, Dex +4, Int +4, Wis +6, Cha +4. As an undead creature, a nosferatu has no Constitution score.
Skills: A nosferatu gains a +8 racial bonus on Heal, Intimidate, Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth checks. A nosferatu always treats Heal, Intimidate, Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth as class skills. Otherwise, skills are the same as the base creature.
Feats: A nosferatu gains Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Skill Focus (in two different skills), Stealthy, and Toughness as bonus feats.
Count Orlok CR 9
Human aristocrat 9/rogue (consigliere) 3
NE Medium undead (augmented)
Init +8;
Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +31
Aura sickness (DC 21, 30 ft.)
DEFENSE
AC 23, touch 15, flat-footed 18 (+4 Dex, +1 dodge, +8 natural)
hp 126 (12d8+72) fast healing 5
Fort +9,
Ref +10,
Will +13
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4;
DR 10/ash tree and piercing;
Immune cold, electricity, undead traits;
Resistance sonic 10
Weakness nosferatu weakness
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft., climb 20 ft.
Melee 2 claws +15 (1d6+5/19-20)
Special Attacks blood drain (1d4 Con and Wis), children of the disease, create spawn, dominate (DC 21), paralytic fear (DC 21), plaguelord (DC +6), rogue talents (charmer, fast stealth), sneak attack +5d6
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th; concentration +17)
At will—
telekinesis (DC 20; 180 lb.)
STATISTICS
Str 20,
Dex 18,
Con –,
Int 18,
Wis 18,
Cha 20
Base Atk +9;
CMB +14;
CMD 29
Feats Accomplished Sneak Attacker x3, Dodge, Improved Critical (claws), PersuasiveB, Pestilent, Weapon Focus (claw)
Nosferatu Bonus Feats Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Skill Focus (bluff, diplomacy), Stealthy, Toughness
Skills Bluff +26, Climb +28, Diplomacy +30, Heal +16, Intimidate +32, Linguistics +19, Perception +31, Sense Motive +31, Stealth +31;
Racial Modifiers +8 Heal, Intimidate, Perception, Sense Motive, and Stealth checks
Languages Bulgarian, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Latin, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Turkish, Ukrainian, other 4; telepathy 60 ft.
SQ convincing attitude, empathy toward filth +17, spider climb, swarm form