Scorched One from Polyhedron #136

[redking]

The Scorched One deserves conversion into 3.5e. It fits the Dark Sun setting perfectly. A new undead for SotDL perhaps?

[Rajaat99 (Brent Welborn)]

I still run 2nd edition, so thank you for this.

[The_DMs_Revenge (Adam Cieszlak)]

Awesome find.

This seems like awful thing to put into DS at large - similar to the Dwarven Banshee convo. from a few days ago. As written, they’d quickly turn the setting into a zombie apocalypse. They’d also step on the toes of Sun Krags.

With a bit of a tweek or if contained (say as a cursed-creation from a specific source - MacGuffin or whatever) that’d be a great addition.

PS: If you really want, I can do a 3.5e conversion tonight, and post it here after. Should take ~15 min after doing Faces…

[Rovewin]

Interesting side note: the sidebar in the original article in Polyhedron 136 indicates Chris Tulach as the creator from the 1999 article. He is also the author credited in 4e’s Dark Sun Bloodsand Arena from 2010. Definitely looks Dark Sun inspired.

[redking]

@The_DMs_Revenge

As written, they’d quickly turn the setting into a zombie apocalypse.

You could make it conditional undeath. Like “scorched ones were once living people left for dead by people they trusted, like friends of family. A creature might become a scorched one when it wakes up to find it’s water skins and desert supplies stolen, and then dies in the wastes”.

That would make it very conditional. It harkens back to the original setting, when people go berserk with lack of water. The scorched ones can be victims of this.

@The_DMs_Revenge

PS: If you really want, I can do a 3.5e conversion tonight, and post it here after. Should take ~15 min after doing Faces…

Awesome. A template would be the most flexible. I’m looking forward to seeing it.

[The_DMs_Revenge (Adam Cieszlak)]

@redking

You could make it conditional undeath. Like “scorched ones were once living people left for dead by people they trusted, like friends of family. A creature might become a scorched one when it wakes up to find it’s water skins and desert supplies stolen, and then dies in the wastes”.

Absolutely. Boom, conditional reanimation.

@redking

Awesome. A template would be the most flexible. I’m looking forward to seeing it.

Well, yeah, by definition templates are more flexible. But this feels more like a Krag to me (Krags are a defined monster, not a template) - they all come back the same way. But… once we’re happy with a monster, translation to a template wouldn’t be hard for me either.

[redking]

@The_DMs_Revenge

Well, yeah, by definition templates are more flexible. But this feels more like a Krag to me (Krags are a defined monster, not a template) - they all come back the same way. But… once we’re happy with a monster, translation to a template wouldn’t be hard for me either.

That’s good. Its worthwhile having a ‘standard’ scorched one in any case.

[The_DMs_Revenge (Adam Cieszlak)]

I had a few free minutes over lunch, so let the argument begin: Scorched One - 3.5e conversion - Google Docs.

BTW, I set it so viewers can comment, so feel free to replicate comments in the doc, @redking.

[The_DMs_Revenge (Adam Cieszlak)]

Oh, and I used Fire Seeds to replace Sol’s Searing Orb because i looked up the spell, and it’s very similar to Fire Seeds (which is in the 3.5e PHB Sun domain - if its good enough for Pelor, it’s good enough for me).

[redking]

In the original scorched one, they can only be fully destroyed by being fully immersed in water. That’s somewhat of an annoyance, but we can implement something similar and easier.

Dawnlight Rejuvenation (Su): A scorched one is difficult to destroy. A scorched one that is killed will revive with full hit points at dawn the next day if its body is bathed in the light of the sun. Only by burying the body of the scorched one for at least a full day and night will the scorched one be fully destroyed. A successful Knowledge (religion) check at 20 DC reveals this vulnerability. Otherwise the scorched one will continue to stalk its killers.

---

The above is a variant of ghost rejuvenation.

I just saw this -

Enduring Focus (Su): A scorched one’s life force is tied to its focus, the rage and pain of being denied life-giving water by those it trusted or loved most. The scorched one’s thirst for water can only be quenched by its total immersion in water; until then, it cannot be permanently killed, and reforms 1d100 days after its apparent destruction.

Its good and I like it. Problem is there is no way to immerse someone in the desert wastes. Maybe its enough to soak the scorched one. A couple of litres should be enough.

[The_DMs_Revenge (Adam Cieszlak)]

I instead did Enduring Focus from TotDL. Same deal, just more 3.5e DS legit.

It was a late edit though, so you might have missed it.

Edit: Unless your point was a lack of available water. But that’s kinda the point. They’d SUCK to actually kill. But that’s part of the reason for the CR. I could maybe see upping it to CR 9…

[The_DMs_Revenge (Adam Cieszlak)]

Ah, yup.

Soaking might do it - DM’s call. An oasis or a village well?

Burying or otherwise immobilization is still a legit way of dealing with them (for you, not like, for everyone living nearby in the longterm).

[redking]

@The_DMs_Revenge

Unless your point was a lack of available water. But that’s kinda the point. They’d SUCK to actually kill. But that’s part of the reason for the CR. I could maybe see upping it to CR 9…

I just saw it moments ago and edited my post. My suggestion is bring them back the next day if left for dead (again) and allow soaking to be a sufficient condition to destroy them permanently. Also the Knowledge (religion) check to reveal the vulnerability.

@The_DMs_Revenge

Soaking might do it - DM’s call. An oasis or a village well?

It would probably require the party to empty their water skins. Tough choice.

[The_DMs_Revenge (Adam Cieszlak)]

Yup, I saw that. We’re concurrently posting, i think.

The 2e write-up does say next SUNRISE. I’ll at least edit that in.

Glad you like it. I’ll play with a template tonight.

[redking]

I think we can come to accord with the permanent destruction. Since the holy water vulnerability is already there, we can say that soaking in holy water (4 pints meaning 4 holy waters) is sufficient to destroy a scorched one permanently if a source of water to immerse the scorched one cannot be found. Knowledge (religion) check DC 20 to find out about full immersion, DC 25 check to know about soaking in holy water.

EDIT: We’ll have to figure out a way to sneak the scorched one into SotDL.

[The_DMs_Revenge (Adam Cieszlak)]

Cool.

We’ll work them into Beyond.

[The_DMs_Revenge (Adam Cieszlak)]

Edited to include a template as well. Let me know what you think: Scorched One - 3.5e conversion - Google Docs

[redking]

Looks good. I’d like you to look carefully at paragraph three under subsection Habitat/Society. I suggest track as a bonus feat. I see you have already given the scorched one ranks in survival, but it needs the track feat to make full use of it.

[The_DMs_Revenge (Adam Cieszlak)]

Mmmm, while anyone can look for tracks (see SRD excerpt below),

While anyone can use Survival to find tracks (regardless of the DC), or to follow tracks when the DC for the task is 10 or lower, only a ranger (or a character with the Track feat) can use Survival to follow tracks when the task has a higher DC.

You make a fair point - a Scorched One should be able to follow a caravan after a sandstorm (for example). Added in 30 sec.

Edit: done.

[redking]

Scorched One is looking good. I was going to mention fast healing actually, but I see you already put it in there. Fast healing tracks well with obsessive types of undead. Final task: produce a unique Scorched One with a backstory and stats.