Mortic, EtiolingGlowing veins of green creep across the flesh of this pale,
spasming gnome. Stifled giggles escape her rictus grin.Etioling CR 10Source Pathfinder #142: Gardens of Gallowspire pg. 88
XP 9,600
CN Small humanoid (gnome, mortic)
Init +9; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +17DefenseAC 27, touch 23, flat-footed 22 (+4 armor, +7 deflection, +4 Dex,
+1 dodge, +1 size)
hp 112 (15d8+45)
Fort +12, Ref +10, Will +9
Defensive Abilities ectoplasmic shield, negative energy affinityOffenseSpeed 20 ft.
Melee corrupting touch +11 (10d6)
Special Attacks corrupting touch
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +17)
4th (2/day)—dimension door, greater invisibility
3rd (5/day)—confusion (DC 20), crushing despair (DC 20), fear (DC 20), see invisibility
2nd (6/day)—darkness, glitterdust (DC 19), hold person (DC 19), minor image (DC 19), silence (DC 19)
1st (7/day)—disguise self, feather fall, hideous laughter (DC 18), silent image (DC 18), vanish (DC 18)
0 (at will)—dancing lights, detect magic, ghost sound (DC 17), mage hand, open/close (DC 17), prestidigitationStatisticsStr 8, Dex 21, Con 17, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 24
Base Atk +11; CMB +15; CMD 32
Feats Agile Maneuvers, Combat Casting, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Ectoplasmic Spell, Improved Initiative, Iron
Will, Mobility
Skills Bluff +17, Intimidate +17, Perception +17, Sense
Motive +12, Stealth +21; Racial Modifiers +2 Intimidate,
+2 Perception
Languages Common, Gnome, Sylvan
SQ ghostly gasp, mortic traits, spellsEcologyEnvironment any
Organization solitary, pair, or support group (3–5)
Treasure standard (mwk chain shirt)Special AbilitiesCorrupting Touch (Su) An etioling can corrupt living flesh
with her touch as a standard action. This attack inflicts
a number of d6 equal to its CR in damage (10d6 for
most etiolings). This damage is not negative energy—it
manifests in the form of physical wounds and aches from
supernatural aging. Creatures immune to magical aging
are immune to this damage, as are undead and creatures
with the mortic subtype; otherwise, the damage bypasses
all forms of damage reduction. A successful DC 24 Fortitude
save halves the damage dealt. An etioling cannot turn this
ability off.
Ectoplasmic Seep (Su) An etioling’s body constantly weeps
ectoplasm—a physical manifestation of the bleachling apathy
her body can no longer contain. Any creature touching or
being touched by an etioling, or attacking her with a melee
weapon, must succeed at a DC 20 Reflex saving throw or be
coated in this fluid apathy, taking a –2 penalty on attack rolls,
caster level checks, saving throws, skill checks, and weapon
damage rolls until the ectoplasm can be scraped off as a
standard action. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Ectoplasmic Shield (Su) An etioling adds her Charisma
modifier as a deflection bonus to her Armor Class.
Ghostly Gasp (Su) In addition to the normal abilities all
mortics gain when using their death gasp, an etioling
gains a fly speed of 30 feet (perfect) and can pass through
walls and other solid obstructions as if under the effects
of ethereal jaunt, except that the etioling cannot pass
through living creatures or plants. While moving through
a wall or other solid object in this way, the etioling treats
the structure as difficult terrain and must use additional
movement to pass through it.
Spells (Ex) An etioling casts spells as a 10th-level bard but
cannot cast spells while holding her breath.DescriptionPerhaps the most miserable of the mortics—humanoids
infused with necrotic energy—etiolings are born from
gnomes who have already begun to suffer from the
Bleaching. The burst of negative energy into their living
flesh twists the process and awakens connections to the
First World and long-lost fey magic, leaving the surviving
creature ethereal, manic, and overflowing with the vital
essence of fey. While they resemble bleachling gnomes,
veins of primal, First World energy pump beneath an
etioling’s pale flesh. Occasional pulses of unchecked
energy crackle across their flesh and hair.
Their transformation is hardly one of redemption.
An etioling’s touch decays living flesh to fuel the
supernatural furnace that rages inside them, and their
bodies shake uncontrollably as the churn of primordial
magic and negative energy causes tremors and muscle
spasms. Focusing for more than a few moments becomes
impossible, and etiolings become creatures of instinct
and impulse, acting on vague memories and emotional
connections. Like ghosts, they stick for days or weeks into
a routine, reliving some pivotal memory and assigning
familiar identities to new people they meet. Etiolings
suspend not only their living functions but also their
physical connection to the living world, becoming
ethereal when they hold their breath.
An etioling stands between 2 and 3 feet tall and weighs
about 25 pounds.EcologyOutwardly, etiolings seem carefree and giddy—almost
unsettlingly so—as they struggle to focus or hold still. Their
existence is a constant battle of wills between the heady,
screaming rush of euphoria provided by their rekindled
connection to the First World and any semblance of
rational thought. The struggle to maintain themselves can
be overwhelming, and those who don’t succumb to mania
are often aggressive and irritable instead. This supernatural
wellspring of emotion forces bleachling apathy from their
bodies, manifesting it as a physical ectoplasm capable of
turning aside attacks and infecting other creatures.
Like most mortics, etiolings spring forth from disaster.
Anywhere negative energy intrudes on the living world—
especially in powerful surges—gnomes risk this unnatural
transformation. The infusion of necrotic power hijacks
the Bleaching that most gnomes succumb to, warping
their minds and reigniting ancient connections to
sylvan magic. Most mortic gnomes develop unsettling or
“ghostly” magic focusing on illusions, fear, and confusion,
but others develop more primordial and fey magic that
hijacks others’ emotions and inspires endless revelry.
Whether courtesy of the negative energy replacing
their souls or the powerful fey magic that burns inside
them, etiolings can briefly slip from the physical world
and become ghostly apparitions capable of flight and
passing through solid matter. This ethereal state silences
the mania bubbling from within and allows the crushing
bleachling depression to flow over them, providing
painful respite from their energetic lives. Because this
unearthly state severs them from the wellspring of
emotion that powers their magic, they cannot use any of
their sylvan magic while incorporeal.Habitat and SocietyThose etiolings who survive their radical
change with their minds largely intact often
band together in small communities for
support. More often, evil and abusive fey flock
to the mortic gnomes—attracted by the sylvan magic and
primal emotion like flies to honey—and orbit the etioling
to bask in the chaos they create or prey on creatures
weakened by the dread gnome’s deadly caress.
Thanks to their magic and incidental allure to fey,
etiolings usually find homes in primeval wildernesses.
Even those who take up residence in permanent structures
find their magic and unwanted followers transforming
any dwelling into an overgrown ruin within weeks.
Because they cannot control their corrupting touch,
anything the gnomes interact with regularly is scrubbed
clean of life, from insects and moss to gardens to mortal
neighbors. While the world around them flourishes, their
own circles decay into tumbledown sterility.
Storms bring some measure of calm to the etioling’s
mind—as if the primordial energy within them were
siphoned off by the more powerful forces swirling about—
and the mortics can seem truly mad as they rejoice in
dangerous weathers. Most are simply
intoxicated by the terrible but
awesome displays of nature,
though a few become true
servants of powerful weathercontrolling
outsiders or fey, striking
grim bargains to bring suffering to
others in exchange for control over
their own unstable minds.Creatures in "Mortic" CategorySource Pathfinder #139: The Dead Road pg. 86
Mortics are humanoids afflicted with the physiology and appetites of undead. All mortics are pulled between two worlds: as living humanoids, they crave community and friendship, but their necromantic nature forces them to indulge in inhuman hungers and commit violence against the living. As a result, most mortics lurk at the edge of civilization or isolate themselves with others of their own kind. Although living creatures, mortics can suspend their living processes temporarily, becoming more like undead.
|