WyrmwraithThis ghostly, skeletal creature appears to once have been a dragon,
but it is now something far less noble.Wyrmwraith CR 17Source Bestiary 5 pg. 280
XP 102,400
CE Gargantuan undead (incorporeal)
Init +16; Senses darkvision 60 ft., lifesense; Perception +38
Aura unnatural auraDefenseAC 31, touch 31, flat-footed 18 (+6 deflection, +12 Dex, +1 dodge,
+6 profane, –4 size)
hp 252 (24d8+144)
Fort +14, Ref +20, Will +19
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, incorporeal, positive
energy transference; Immune undead traits
Weaknesses sunlight powerlessnessOffenseSpeed fly 80 ft. (perfect)
Melee incorporeal bite +27 (4d6 plus energy drain),
2 incorporeal claws +27 (2d8 plus divine dispelling),
2 incorporeal wings +24 (2d6), incorporeal tail slap +24 (2d8)
Space 20 ft., Reach 15 ft. (20 ft. with incorporeal bite)
Special Attacks breath weapon (60-ft. cone, 20d6 negative
energy and 1 negative level, Reflex DC 22 half damage,
usable every 1d4 rounds), create spawn, ectoplasmic shift,
energy drain (2 levels, DC 28)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 24th; concentration +30)
At will—animate dead, command undead (DC 18), desecrate, detect undead, protection from good
5/day—create undead, control undead (DC 23), unhallow, unholy blight (DC 20)
3/day—create greater undead, quickened finger of death (DC 23), waves of exhaustion
1/day—energy drain (DC 25), soul bind (DC 25)StatisticsStr —, Dex 34, Con —, Int 20, Wis 21, Cha 22
Base Atk +18; CMB +34; CMD 57 (61 vs. trip)
Feats Acrobatic, Dodge, Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (finger of death), Skill
Focus (Intimidate), Skill Focus (Perception), Stealthy, Weapon
Focus (incorporeal bite), Weapon Focus (incorporeal claw)
Skills Acrobatics +40, Escape Artist +14, Fly +45, Intimidate +39,
Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge (planes) +17, Knowledge
(religion) +32, Perception +38, Sense Motive +32, Stealth +31,
Survival +29
Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Elven, Infernal
SQ phase lurchEcologyEnvironment any
Organization solitary or cadre (1 plus 2–4 dread wraiths)
Treasure doubleSpecial AbilitiesCreate Spawn (Su) Any humanoids slain by a wyrmwraith
become dread wraiths in 1d4
rounds. Spawn are under the command of the wyrmwraith
that created them and remain enslaved until its death, at
which point they become free-willed dread wraiths. They
don’t possess any of the abilities they had in life.
Divine Dispelling (Su) When a wyrmwraith strikes a creature
with one of its claws, that creature is also affected by a targeted
greater dispel magic (CL 20th) that can dispel only divine spells.
Ectoplasmic Shift (Su) A wyrmwraith can push through the
ectoplasmic veil to temporarily assume a physical form made
of ectoplasm. As a swift action, the wyrmwraith can become
corporeal for 1d4 rounds. It can return to its incorporeal
form as a free action. Once its ectoplasmic form’s duration
ends, the wyrmwraith can’t assume that form again for 1d4
rounds. While in ectoplasmic form, the wyrmwraith loses the
incorporeal ability (including its deflection bonus to AC) and
gains a +16 natural armor bonus to AC, DR 15/—, a Strength
score equal to its Dexterity score, and the phase lurch ability.
The AC for a typical wyrmwraith in ectoplasmic form is 41.
When in ectoplasmic form, its attacks are Melee bite +27
(4d6+18 plus energy drain), 2 claws +27 (2d8+12 plus divine
dispelling), 2 wings +24 (2d6+6), tail slap +24 (2d8+18).
Phase Lurch (Su) A wyrmwraith in ectoplasmic form can
pass through walls or material obstacles. It must begin and
end its turn outside whatever wall or obstacle it’s moving
through. It can’t move through corporeal creatures with this
ability, and its movement speed is halved while moving
through a wall or obstacle. Any surface it moves through is
coated with a thin, silvery mucus that lingers for 1 minute.
Positive Energy Transference (Su) Whenever a wyrmwraith
succeeds at a saving throw to resist positive energy damage
but still suffers damage, the wyrmwraith can immediately
transfer that damage to any dread wraith spawn of its
choice with 120 feet that it controls. The wyrmwraith takes
any excess damage beyond the spawn’s hit points. Even if
the wyrmwraith has no spawn under its control, when it
succeeds at its save against a positive energy effect that
normally deals half damage on a successful save, it instead
takes one quarter damage.DescriptionWyrmwraiths arise from the souls of powerful dragons
who refuse to accept death or have an irrational fear of
moving on to an afterlife. No longer concerned with
amassing wealth and power, wyrmwraiths instead brood
with an unrelenting hatred of all living things. They hate
other dragons above all else, seeing the existence of those
living creatures as a mockery of their own.
Wyrmwraiths typically haunt their former lairs or some
other location where they can hide from the sunlight. They
are drawn toward ancient ruins, forgotten catacombs, and
other places associated with death. Litter, detritus and
bones lie heaped in areas controlled by a wyrmwraith
instead of the coins and gems. In the rare instances when a
wyrmwraith is away from its den, the malice of its presence
still lingers palpably in the cold air. Still displaying the
draconic instinct to protect their homes from would-be
thieves, wyrmwraiths will often create and leave behind
undead guardians.
Wyrmwraiths slay those who venture near their
lairs, surrounding themselves with their newly created
dread wraiths and any other undead they can create or
control, carving out small fiefdoms populated by undead
servitors. They send their minions to collect anything
and anyone with knowledge or power they believe can
aid them in their dark endeavors. Captured individuals
who please the wyrmwraith can expect to be reborn as
powerful undead while those that fail wallow in eternal
torment as dread wraiths.
On rare occasions throughout history, powerful
necromancers or dark cults have managed to entice or
coerce a wyrmwraith into an alliance. These collaborations
are fleeting, as wyrmwraiths still retain a
twisted shadow of their draconic pride,
seeing all other creatures as beneath
them. Unless compelled to work
with others, a wyrmwraith turns
on its allies once they are no longer
useful to it.
Finding a way to gain a wyrmwraith’s
attention is difficult because it is no longer
interested in wealth or other mundane
material possessions. Instead, wyrmwraiths
seek knowledge or items to reverse or
improve their undead condition. Their
own loathing of what they have become is
the only thing as strong as their hatred of
the living. Yet, despite their predicament,
they still fear ultimate death.
A wyrmwraith blights the land with
its very presence, a slowly spreading stain
tainting anything it touches. Undead activity
inevitably increases in any area a wyrmwraith
inhabits. Unless a wyrmwraith is
destroyed, its territory often becomes a
lifeless wasteland for miles.
Wyrmwraiths are very dangerous
opponents in combat. They prefer to
soften up enemies with their breath
weapon and spells before closing in for
melee. Wyrmwraiths target clerics, paladins,
and other spellcasters wielding divine magic, both
because they know divine magic possesses the greatest
threat to them and because they see it as a chance to
strike back against the gods for their accursed state.
Wyrmwraiths care little about how many of their undead
minions are destroyed in combat. They are merely pawns
to the wyrmwraiths, who have the means at their disposal
to create more.
Wyrmwraiths appear as skeletal, ghostly versions of
their former selves, their features warped by malice. No
matter the size they once possessed, wyrmwraiths measure
roughly 50 ft. from snout to tail. Unencumbered by flesh,
they move with a silent, effortless, and deadly grace. Even
wyrmwraiths’ minds become changed in undeath. Already
long-lived creatures when they were dragons, some
wyrmwraiths have spent an even longer time as undead.
Brooding and nurturing brutal hatred for the living for
so long drives these wyrmwraiths insane, causing them
to become reckless—or self-destructive—and to venture
out into the night to rain down destruction on a nearby
settlement or even an entire kingdom, knowing that they
will eventually be hunted down and destroyed.
|