Einherjar
Welcome again to From the Workshop, where we create interesting and new things for your pathfinder/3.5 games. This week’s topic is a template which draws somewhat on norse mythology, as well as from various popular fantasy sources. Tales of warriors who died with one quest yet unfinished and rose from the grave to continue their pursuing their epic goal are as old as time. This template is the result of a deity or other semi-divine being granting a dying hero or villain one last chance to accomplish her life’s goal. The recipients of this blessing are infused with a fraction of their patron’s power, making them more powerful than they were in their previous life and granting them temporary immortality. These lucky few are transformed into beings known as an einherjar.
In life, Kjed Fireheart was the leader of a rebellion against the wizard overlord Bartnum Rabniar III, head of the Ivory Circle, a conclave of wizards who have taken it upon themselves to bring order to the world by subjugating it under their wise and benevolent rule. In reality, the people under Bartnum’s rule resented him, and he was an ineffective governor with little care for the plights of his people. Kjed led his people to war in an uprising against the wizard, and after a three-year long campaign came surprisingly close to his goal. But on the eve of what would have been the final battle, an assassin crept into Kjed’s tent and poisoned him. Without their leader the rebellion was quickly broken.
Kjed’s story did not end there, however, as the spirits of his ancestors granted him life once more in order to finish his work and bring an end to the rule of the wizard tyrant. Kjed now wanders Bartnum’s lands, stopping the injustices his men perpetrate and making his way ever closer to the wizard’s Crystal Tower, where he plans to confront the Barnum in a final, epic showdown before passing on to his much deserved rest.
Kjed Fireheart, Protector of the Northlands (CR 8)
XP 4,800
Human einherjar monk 6
LN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft; Perception +12
DEFENSE
AC 21, touch 19, flat-footed 17 (+1 armor, +3 Dex, +1 natural, +1 dodge, +1 deflection, +4 monk bonus)
hp 64 (6d8+36); fast healing 2
Fort +9 Ref +8 Will +8; evasion; +2 vs. enchantment spells and effects
DR 5/magic; ferocity; Immune death spells and effects, disease, and energy drain
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft (60 ft while in oversoul transformation)
Melee unarmed strike +11 (1d8+6) or flurry of blows +11/+11/+6 (1d8+6)
Special Attacks stunning fist (DC 18) – 6/day
STATISTICS
Str 21, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 10
Base Atk +4; CMB +11; CMD 28
Feats Ability Focus (stunning fist), Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Disarm, Improved Unarmed Strike, Mobility, Stunning Fist, Toughness, Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike)
Skills Acrobatics +12 (+18 jumping), Climb +14, Escape Artist +12, Perception +12, Sense Motive +12, Stealth +12
SQ fast movement, immortal form, high jump, ki pool, oversoul transformation, purity of body, slow fall, undying purpose
Treasure NPC Gear (amulet of might fists +1, bracers of armor +1, ring of protection +1)
Creating an Einherjar
“Einherjar” is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature with 5 or more Hit Dice and an Intelligence and Charisma of 3 or greater (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
Challenge Rating: Same as the base creature +3.
Type: The creature’s type remains the same. Do not recalculate Hit Dice, base attack bonus, skill points or saves.
Armor Class: An einherjar is magically protected by her patron, granting her a +1 sacred or profane bonus to her AC, according to her patron’s alignment (if the patron is neutral, they choose whether you gain sacred or profane bonuses; once made, this choice cannot be reversed).
Defensive Abilities: An einherjar retains all of the defensive abilities of the base creature. Einherjars gain darkvision 60 ft, fast healing 2, immunity to death effects and energy drain, and DR 5/magic (if HD 11 or less) or 10/magic (if HD 12 or more). Einherjars also gain the ferocity ability and the rejuvenation ability.
Rejuvenation (Su): In most cases, it's difficult to destroy an einherjar through simple combat: the destroyed einherjar restores herself in 2d4 days. After this time passes, the einherjar returns fully healed (albeit without any gear she left behind on her previous body) at the last place that she considered home (if she doesn’t consider anywhere “home,” she instead returns to the place she died). Even the most powerful spells are usually only temporary solutions. The only way to permanently destroy an einherjar is to determine the reason for its existence and set right whatever prevents it from resting in peace. The exact means varies with each einherjar and may require a good deal of research, and should be created specifically for each different einherjar by the GM.
Speed: During the oversoul transformation (see below) an einherjar’s speed increases by 10 feet in whatever mode the creature most often employs (usually land speed).
Special Qualities: An einherjar gains the following:
Immortal Form (Ex): This functions just like the monk class feature timeless body, except that the einherjar doesn’t die from old age.
Oversoul Transformation (Su): As a full-round action, an einherjar can call upon all the power that keeps it alive. The einherjar’s fast healing becomes equal to her hit dice or 10, whichever is higher. She also gains +2 sacred or profane bonuses to all her ability scores and her DR becomes over good or evil (if the einherjar is gaining sacred bonuses, then DR is over evil; if gaining profane bonuses, the einherjar gains DR over good). Once this ability has been evoked the einherjar only has ten minutes left before she dies for the last time and goes on to her final resting place. Once an einherjar dies from its oversoul transformation, she can’t be brought back by normal means, not even by her rejuvenation ability, but a wish or miracle spell can allow her to later be brought back to life by normal means (however, most einherjar are not willing to be returned to life). Einherjar restored to life this way return lose the einherjar template and can never regain it.
Undying Purpose (Ex): Einherjar all have a specific purpose that is obtainable and has a concrete end point (for example, an orc could become an einherjar with the purpose of destroying an elf, but not to just become stronger). The patron can revoke the status of einherjar if he feels that the einherjar isn’t actively striving toward her final goal.
Abilities: An einherjar gains a +4 bonus on three ability scores of her choice and a +2 bonus on the other three.