Korath

The interaction of Undead with the rest of the rules is often less than satisfactory. Part of this is that the undead type itself is extremely overzealous in the game effects it provides. The fact that all undead don't need sleep means that vampires don't have to sleep in their coffins. The fact that undead don't have a Constitution score means that Ghouls can run for exactly zero rounds before they have to make a Con check (that they automatically fail) to continue (and also says it can "run on indefinitely", a base contradiction that makes us sad). The fact that undead are immune to critical hits means that a vampire can't be staked through the heart (even if it was sleeping, which it isn't). But even beyond that fundamental error, the multitude of authors that compromise the Dungeons and Dragons design staff never seemed to get on the same page as to exactly what being undead means – so a surprisingly large number of contradictory statements pepper the products.

And I'm not just talking about how they made an entire Deathless Type when there's already Ghosts (Alignment: Any) right in the core rules.

Subtypes
The obvious, and slickest, way to handle the excesses of the Undead type would be to simply rewrite the Undead type with a lot less in it and throw down a number of subtypes (mindless for skeletons, amorphous for shadows, and ponderous for zombies) to put in the abilities that each type of undead is supposed to have. But polls have shown that people aren't willing to play with optional rules that do that – but perversely they are willing to add new subtypes to monsters to remove rules instituted by the base template. I don't know why, but DMs are honestly more likely to use an additional subtype that removes an inappropriate game effect from a monster than they are to use a modified base type that doesn't have the inappropriate effect in the first place. So that's how we're going to do it here.

Dark Minded (subtype)
Undead creatures with an intelligence score have an intelligence that can be influenced, though they are dead and cannot be influenced by appeals to emotion. A dark minded creature has the following traits:
- Not immune to mind affecting affects.
- Immune to morale and fear effects.
- Heals normally
- Any Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate attempts to influence a dark minded creature are made with a -10 penalty.
- A Dark Minded creature continues to advance in age categories, growing older and wiser over time. It does not accrue any penalties to its attributes for advancing in age categories, and a Dark Minded creature has no maximum age.

Unliving (subtype)
An Unliving creature is an undead that mimics many of the capacities of a living creature without truly being alive. An unliving creature has the following game effects:
- Unliving creatures have a metabolism of sorts, and thus have a Constitution score.
- Unliving creatures require food (often blood or flesh) and sleep, and are vulnerable to magical sleep effects even if they are otherwise immune to mind affecting effects.
- Unliving creatures have at least one vital organ, and are subject to critical hits from attackers with at least one rank in Knowledge (Religion).
- Not destroyed upon reaching 0 it points, though its existence still ends if it reaches -10 as normal.
- Subject to subdual damage, but can benefit from the Regeneration ability as normal.

"An eternity of loneliness and betrayal is, ultimately, an eternity."

Nosferatu are an unliving mockery of life that lives by cruelly consuming the blood of the innocent. Characters slain by the Constitution Drain of a nosferatu may rise as nosferatu themselves.

Character Modifications:
• Type: The character's type changes to Undead and the character's former type becomes a subtype with the "augmented" modifier. The character also gains the Dark Minded and Unliving subtypes.
• Hit Dice: The character's Hit Dice, BAB, Saves, and skills are all unaffected.
• Ability Scores: The character gains a +2 bonus to his Strength and Charisma.
• Alignment: The character's alignment changes to Evil.
• Special Attacks: The character can drain blood from a helpless or willing victim, inflicting 2 points of Constitution Drain per round. The character heals 5 points for each point of Constitution drain in this way, and consuming 4 points of Constitution from intelligent creatures is considered enough "food" for one day (and the nosferatu gains no sustenance from any other food). Humanoids slain by this Constitution Drain may rise as nosferatu progeny if steps are not taken to prevent this (though the character has no control over them unless granted by another ability).
• Special Qualities: The character gains Turn Resistance +2. The character suffers 2d6 damage and is considered staggered every round he is exposed to direct sunlight. This damage cannot be healed by any means until the character is in a place with no light at all (such as a coffin). A nosferatu character is vulnerable to Light effects.
• Level Adjustment: +0

Hit Die: d6
BAB/Saves: BAB: Poor (as Wizard); Fort: Bad; Reflex: Good; Will: Good
Class Skills: The Nosferatu Paragon's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (n/a), Spellcraft (Int), and Swim (Str).
Skills/Level: 4 + Intelligence Bonus

Level, Abilities:
1 Blood Pool, Gaseous Form, Flaw, +1 Spellcaster Level
2 Hypnotic Gaze, +1 Spellcaster Level
3 Command Spawn, Regeneration, Flaw, +1 Spellcaster Level

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: The Nosferatu Paragon gains no new armor or weapon proficiencies.

Spell casting: Every level, the Nosferatu Paragon casts spells (including gaining any new spell slots and spell knowledge) as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class she had previous to gaining that level. If the character does not have any levels in any spellcasting classes when she takes her first level of Nosferatu Paragon, this class feature gives her levels in Sorcerer spell casting.

Blood Pool (Ex): A Nosferatu Paragon may "store" blood she has drained from intelligent creatures against future need and draw upon this blood to power her body or her magic. If a Nosferatu Paragon consumes the Constitution of an intelligent creature after she has already fed for the day, excess Constitution drained adds to her Blood Pool. A Nosferatu Paragon's Blood Pool can never exceed her character level plus her class level of Nosferatu Paragon. Constitution drained after the Blood Pool is filled is wasted.

A Nosferatu Paragon may spend a point of her Blood Pool to heal herself of five points of damage. She may spend 4 points of Blood Pool to forgo needing to feed for one day. A spell being cast may be enhanced with any metamagic feat the Nosferatu Paragon knows by spending a number of points of Blood Pool equal to the number of extra levels the metamagic would add to the spell. Using Blood Pool is a free action, but no more than 4 points may be spent in a single round.

Gaseous Form (Su): A Nosferatu Paragon can assume gaseous form as the spell at will.

Flaw: Increasing the power of the blood within a nosferatu is not without difficulties. As the potency of the nosferatu's blood grows, so too does the power of her curse. At 1st and 3rd level of Nosferatu Paragon, the vampire gains an additional weakness related to her blood. Appropriate vampiric weaknesses are too numerous to be listed here, but could include: Inability to enter consecrated or hallowed ground; helplessness in water; repulsion (as the spell) by garlic; vulnerability to silver; daylight powerlessness (as a specter); dazed by spilled grains (2d4 rounds); nauseated by Holy Water (1d4 rounds); Inability to enter a hearth unless invited.

Hypnotic Gaze (Su): At 2nd level, a Nosferatu Paragon gains the ability to hypnotize creatures which meet its gaze. The Nosferatu Paragon may make use its gaze on one creature within short range each round as a Swift action. Creatures are affected as by a hypnotism spell except that there is no hit die cap. The hypnotism effect ends if the Nosferatu Paragon no longer maintains the gaze (for example, by attempting to hypnotize a new victim). This is a Mind Affecting Enchantment effect, the DC is Charisma based.

Command Progeny (Su): Nosferatu progeny created by a Nosferatu Paragon of 3rd level are under the Nosferatu Paragon's control.

Regeneration (Ex): At 3rd level a Nosferatu Paragon regenerates, healing subdual damage every round equal to her character level. Damage from critical hits, fire, positive energy, aligned weapons, or wood inflict lethal damage on a Nosferatu Paragon.

As Master Vampire (Libris Mortis) except: full caster progression. 3rd level: loses Master's Chosen; gains: Minor Salient Ability.

Fluff goes here.

Hit Die: d6
Prerequisites: Endure Sunlight feat, Leadership (or Undead Leadership), 13 ranks in any one skill.
Special: The character must be a Nosferatu Master who has created (personally, or through extension of their blood-line) at least ten nosferatu progeny.
Special: The character must be free of their previous vampiric master. How this occurs is unimportant.
Special: The character must have been undead for at least 100 years.

BAB/Saves: BAB: Poor (as Wizard); Fort: Bad; Reflex: Good; Will: Good
Class Skills: The Nosferatu Lord's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (n/a), Spellcraft (Int), and Swim (Str).
Skills/Level: 4 + Intelligence Bonus

Level, Abilities:
1 Salient ability, Flaw, +1 Spellcaster Level
2 Daywalker, Flight 50ft (perfect), Flaw, +1 Spellcaster Level
3 Salient abilitiy, Hard to Kill, Flaw, +1 Spellcaster Level

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: The Nosferatu Lord gains no new armor or weapon proficiencies.

Spell casting: Every level, the Nosferatu Lord casts spells (including gaining any new spell slots and spell knowledge) as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class she had previous to gaining that level. If the character does not have any levels in any spellcasting classes when she takes her first level of Nosferatu Lord, this class feature gives her levels in Sorcerer spell casting.

Salient Abilities: Nosferatu Lords gain semi-unique powers of their bloodline at 1st and 3rd level. At each indicated level, choose one from the following.

* Prestige Class Feature: Subject to DM Fiat.
* Alternate Form (as a vampire)
* Children of the Night (as a vampire)
* Control Weather (Sp): A nosferatu lord can cast either control weather or fog cloud as a 12th-level sorcerer at will
* Telekinesis (Su): A nosferatu lord can use telekinesis (caster level 12th) at will
* Telepathy (Su): A nosferatu lord can communicate telepathically with any living creature within 100 feet that has a language, and with any nosferatu under its direct control to a range of 1 mile.

Flaw: Nosferatu Lords continue to accrue additional eccentricities. At each level of Nosferatu Lord, the nosferatu gains an additional weakness related to her blood. Appropriate vampiric weaknesses are numerous, see Nosferatu Paragon above.

Daywalker: A nosferatu lord is not as vulnerable to sunlight as one of his lesser kin, and can go about in broad daylight if it desires. Under sunlight, it takes a -4 penalty to all ability scores and on all attacks, saves, and skill checks. Also, a Nosferatu lord in sunlight cannot use any of its supernatural powers. Spells that produce sunlight effects cannot harm a nosferatu lord; only direct light from the sun can weaken it. If the nosferatu lord is destroyed while exposed to direct sunlight, it seems to die, but unless the body is disposed of as described below, it continues to regenerate as normal. Nosferatu Lords do NOT sparkle in sunlight.

Hard to kill: The only way to make sure that a nosferatu lord does not return is to cut its head from its body, burn the body and the head separately, scatter the ashes from the body over running water, immerse the ashes from the head in holy water, and bury the immersed ashes in consecrated ground. Anything less will allow the Nosferatu to regenerate. A stake through the heart will still immobilize a Nosferatu Lord.(Knowledge – religion DC 25)