New delays · 3:26pm Jun 14th, 2017
I do once again apologize for the lack of timely updates. Part of this has to do with the recent heat wave weather sapping all of my energy in my free time.
Part of it has to do with my brain going 'hold on, princess, you need to quantify shit before you take one more goddamn step.' This is a D&D world...which means I needed to work out a Queen of Blades template to apply to a human base creature. I needed to nail down exactly what kinds of adjustments and abilities are granted by this template. I needed to pick feats and classes and plot out the future of the character in purely mechanical terms...
So I did. The template isn't 100% rock-solid with no future alterations as I still don't have the upper end with Apocalypse being granted an analogue spell or power to create a similar effect, and the example I created to sanity-test my plans features a peek into the stats and abilities she'll have once she gets to level 11 (effective character level 15.) Without further ado, the bare bones basics of pulling the Zerg into a D&D 3.5 world!
Template:Based on balancing around the same level as the Half-Farspawn template from Lords of Madness:
Queen of Blades Acquired Template.
Can be applied to any non-aberration with an intelligence of at least 6.
Size and Type: Size is unchanged, type becomes Aberration, gains the Psionic subtype if it did not already have it.
Armor Class: Natural Armor improves by +2.
Attack: A Queen of Blades gains one of two forms of attack based on the base creature. If the base creature has wings a Queen of Blades gains two tentacle attacks where the tentacles are made of a material similar to bone while still being flexible. These tentacles end in sharp points that allow for bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage to be dealt to the target. If the base creature does not have wings it gains these same tentacles, but they appear as fiendish or bat-like wings that lack membranes. Tentacle damage depends on size, with a baseline of 1d6 at Medium size.
Psi-like abilities/Spell-like abilities: Unfinished. Progression by hit dice, but even a 1hd Queen of Blades can manifest Mind Thrust or Energy Ray (mutually exclusive, locked at template application) as a Psion of their hit dice every 1d3 rounds. (Energy Ray is locked to one of the four available energy types.)
Special Qualities: As base creature, plus below.
- Darkvision +60 feet.
- Immunity to the energy type to which Energy Ray is locked. If mind thrust was chosen this becomes 15 Force Resistance.
- Fire Resistance 10
- Fast Healing 2
Anathema: A Queen of Blades may never gain levels in a divine spellcasting class. If the base creature already had levels in such a class they lose the ability to cast spells from that class after obtaining this template.
Assimilate Essence (Ex): A Queen of Blades can consume the corpses of a number of creatures (determined by the DM) that share either a physical feature or ability that depends on their physiology. Each creature must have either hit dice or a CR equal to her Effective Character Level to count against this predetermined number. Consuming mind flyers can lead to tentacle attacks allowing brain extraction. Trolls could grant regeneration. Umber hulks could boost natural armor. A Queen of Blades can only assimilate essence if it killed or participated in killing the creatures. (Try not to let one eat a Tarrasque...) This is limited to Extraordinary abilities and natural weapons or other body features only. A Queen of Blades could consume vampires and eventually obtain Blood Drain, but would not be able to assimilate Gaseous Form or anything else designated as supernatural. She could similarly consume a number of centaurs in an attempt to assimilate the Tauric template. (Exception: consuming the Draconis Fundamentum of at least 40 true dragons of at least Adult age category allows the acquisition of a breath weapon matching the energy type of Energy Ray usable as a Half-Dragon, gain dragonblood subtype. A true dragon given this template is excluded from this exception. A Queen of Blades pursuing this path must combat the dragons to be consumed without assistance from her hive mind.)
Infest (Ex): A Queen of Blades is able to spread her aberrant nature to any living creature with a physical body that has a defined anatomical structure (no oozes or similarly amorphous nature) as part of a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity if she is dumb enough to use it in combat. If the target is unwilling it may attempt a Fortitude save with a DC equal to 10 plus 1/2 the Queen of Blades' hit dice. Success leaves the victim sickened but otherwise unaffected. Failure leaves the victim sickened and afflicted with the Zerg Metamorphosis disease (see below).
Hive Mind (Ex): Any creature given the Zerg subtype by a Queen of Blades automatically becomes telepathically linked to her mind, though not necessarily enslaved to her will.
Telepathy (Ex or Su): If communicating with a member of the Hive Mind this ability is considered Extraordinary. Anything with an artificial mind cannot perceive this communication, such as Warforged or other Living Constructs. It is otherwise identical to the standard supernatural version.
Abilities: Str +4, Con +2, Int +6, Wis -2
Feats: Leadership (special: Willing victims to Infest counting as generals in the hive mind treat Intelligence as the governing and limiting factor. Unwilling victims who remain intelligent do not. Only applies to intelligent Zerg. Inelligible for normal version.) and Wild Talent.
Challenge Rating: +2
Level Adjustment: +4
Advancement : By character class or age category.
Favored Class : Changes to Any Psionic.
If using the Taint rules found in Heroes of Horror a Queen of Blades always counts as having at least mild corruption regardless of actual taint score or alignment.
Still a work in progress.
Disease: Zerg Metamorphosis
'Contact' infection actually requires a specific effort on the part of the Queen of Blades to deliver, and can neither be done accidentally or without her knowledge.
Save DC is 10+1/2 hit dice of the Queen at the time of infestation (infection) and incubation period is one day. Damage is 1d3 Int and 1d3 Cha. Can only be cured by Remove Disease or better spells, but saving prevents damage as normal.
If charisma is reduced to zero by the damage of this disease the afflicted character becomes an intelligent Zerg and they must then make a Will save against the same DC they have been fighting for the duration of the disease or else be brought under the control of the Queen as part of her Hive Mind.
If a character's Intelligence is reduced to zero by this disease they become mindless Zerg soldiers under her control instead.
(Intelligent and Mindless Zerg templates are a project for another day.)
Sample Queen of Blades
The creature before you brandishes a glowing blade of brilliant purple hue, tinted just a bit more towards blue. Her hair seems to be made of dozens of thick tendrils that resemble dreadlocks in a superficial manner. Her entire body seems to have been skinned from the neck down with bony protrusions having grown to cover vulnerable areas in the abdomen as well as the backs of her forearms and the front of her shins. Her eyes glow with a purple light similar to the transluscent blade, and cracks in the skin around them also emit this light. Two wing-like appendages grow from her lower back, but they twitch in odd places that betray their nature as tentacles
This example uses a Gestalt character with 6 levels of (Pathfinder's)Soulknife and 5 Illumine Soul alongside 10 warlock and 1 Fleshwarper. (Illumine Soul was completed at level 10 before Fleshwarper was started at 11 in keeping with the rule that a Gestalt character cannot increase the level of two different prestige classes during the same character level)
Queen of Blades, Sarah Francessca Destefano: 11th level Gestalt
Medium Aberration (Augmented Humanoid [Human] [Psionic])
Hit Dice: 11d10 + 37 (97 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft
AC: 33 (+3 Dex, +9 Elven Chain of Heavy Fortification, +1 Dusty Rose Ioun Stone, +4 Ring of Protection, +6 Natural), Touch 18, Flat-footed 30
Base Attack: +11
Attack: +3 Keen Ghost Touch Undead Bane Two-Handed Mind Blade (Greatsword or Scythe) +24 Melee (2d6+16 or 2d4+16/18-20 or 19-20 X4)
Full Attack: +3 Keen Ghost Touch Undead Bane Mind Blade +24/+19/+14 melee (2d6+16/18-20 or 2d4+16/19-20 x4) and Tentacles +15/+15 melee (1d6+4 each)
Space/reach: 5/5
Special Attacks: Psi-like Abilities, Spell-like Abilities, Psychic Strike +3d8
Special Qualities: Queen of Blades traits (No assimilated abilities), Electricity immunity,Resist Fire 10, Resist Acid 5, Resist Cold 5, Fast Healing 2, DR 2/cold iron
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +9
Abilities: Str 28, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 17
Skills: Autohypnosis +13, Concentration +12, Decipher Script +5, Heal +10, Jump +16, Knowledge (Psionics) +17, Know. (Arcana) +17, Know. (religion) +8, Listen +11, Spellcraft +17, Spot +13, Tumble +15, Use Magic Device +16
Feats: Psycarnum Blade, Weapon Focus (Mind Blade), Shape Soulmeld (Rageclaws), Psionic Body, Obtain Familiar, Graft Flesh (Silthilar)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 13
Treasure: +4 Elven Chain of Heavy Fortification (+9 armor, 100% immunity to critical hits), +4 Ring of Protection, Heward's Handy Haversack, Dusty Rose Ioun Stone, Wand of Cure Light Wounds, Skin of the Defender, Belt of Giant Strength +6, Possum Pouch, Survival Pouch, 300 gold worth of trade bars or ingots.
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +4
Combat:
Sarah is generally peaceful and easygoing around anyone that is not undead, so long as they don't attack her first. Sarah prefers melee combat when necessary due to her high strength, but she can attack at range with ease as well with her Eldritch Blast as a level 10 warlock. She is most likely to use only invocations that affect herself other than Eldritch Blast with various Blast Shape invocations.
Being a Dungeon Master myself even though I mostly deal with Pathfinder (in my opinion, a glorified 3.5) and 5e, I find the stats of these monsters rather interesting.
4571289 I actually used to work for David Silver as part of his staff on a 3.5 MUCK long before he made Ponyfinder. I was the primary 'Rulebook Master' due to just barely making enough money to buy one a month when fresh material came out.