Dunno if it'll make the cut or not. I like the general concept, I'm a little less confident on the interaction mechanics. I like the "call upon Neub to save your butt" portion better than the "call upon Neub to put down a uppity high-level guy".
Name: Neub, Mother of the Forgotten
Symbol: A broken sword, held within a teardrop
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 60'
Hit Points (Hit Dice): Variable HD (Attacks as a Fighter 1, see text)
Armor Class: As Chain +3
Movement: 60'
Hit Points (Hit Dice): Variable HD (Attacks as a Fighter 1, see text)
Armor Class: As Chain +3
Attacks: Weapon and Special
Damage: 1d6+1 and Special
Save: As Fighter of current HD
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: Special, See Text
Hoard Class: Special, See Text
XP: As monster of equivalent HD
Born from the wailing death cries of uncounted farmhands, runaway apprentices, noble's cocky sons, and peasants with nothing left to lose, Neub, Mother of the Forgotten stands alone as the patron of novice adventurers slain on their first delving into the unknown.
Neub appears from afar as a well-equipped fighter, carrying herself as a warrior of great ability.
As she closes, however, one sees a changing vision of horrible fates. Her visible flesh - face and forearms - slowly morph through a series of gruesome, fatal woundings - cuts, crushing blows, partial severings, acid and fire burns, bites, and deep piercings. Her fine chainmail armor shows dents, slashes, melts away through her flesh, spouts arrow piercings, and all manner of appalling, seemingly unsurvivable events before reforming anew. Her weapon bends, breaks and rusts away. Every death and fate worse than death that has been suffered by the beginning delver is mirrored upon Neub's form in an everchanging milieu of horror.
Neub favors the inexperienced. When facing imminent doom, a young adventurer can call on Neub, with so little as a cry of her name as the unfortunate fool falls to his death. If answered, some strange chance of fate may save the delver from impending death, or, give him or her a chance to run and hide. The supplicant must sacrifice to Neub the next 2,000GP in treasure the adventurer finds in coin, gem, or magical items, and must also forgo any XP award from that treasure found. If Neub is not repaid, a horrible death will soon follow the reneging character.
At 1st level, there is a 7% chance that Neub will save the doomed character. This reduces to 3% at level 2, and 1% at level 3.
Neub despises the successful explorer or hero, and can be called upon to harry the same until the targets are dead or Neub is defeated. Summoning Neub requires sacrificing coin, gems, and magical items worth the notice of a skilled adventurer - as a general guideline, a number of items, mundane or magical, and coins and gems worth 4 times the amount of XP the embodiment of Neub is worth.
Neub will take these items and engage her targets whenever they next enter any underground environment. Targets who have a habit of respectful treatment of the corpses (animated or not) of those lost early in their careers may only experience her as a visitation, being gifted with nothing but a sad smile and forlorn sigh.
While Neub can be drawn into the world at a variable strength, she forever attacks with her weapon as a level 1 Fighter. If melee proves unworkable, Neub begins to despair, and will, on an attack roll of 15+ that does not connect with a target, point, and with a plaintive, accusatory cry, drain a level (save vs Death).
Neub has no organized following, nor any temples. Her churches are the first level of dungeons; her altars are spiked pits and other deadly obstacles. Her prophets are the tales of bards and the hushed tones of those who called upon her and were saved.
Born from the wailing death cries of uncounted farmhands, runaway apprentices, noble's cocky sons, and peasants with nothing left to lose, Neub, Mother of the Forgotten stands alone as the patron of novice adventurers slain on their first delving into the unknown.
Neub appears from afar as a well-equipped fighter, carrying herself as a warrior of great ability.
As she closes, however, one sees a changing vision of horrible fates. Her visible flesh - face and forearms - slowly morph through a series of gruesome, fatal woundings - cuts, crushing blows, partial severings, acid and fire burns, bites, and deep piercings. Her fine chainmail armor shows dents, slashes, melts away through her flesh, spouts arrow piercings, and all manner of appalling, seemingly unsurvivable events before reforming anew. Her weapon bends, breaks and rusts away. Every death and fate worse than death that has been suffered by the beginning delver is mirrored upon Neub's form in an everchanging milieu of horror.
Neub favors the inexperienced. When facing imminent doom, a young adventurer can call on Neub, with so little as a cry of her name as the unfortunate fool falls to his death. If answered, some strange chance of fate may save the delver from impending death, or, give him or her a chance to run and hide. The supplicant must sacrifice to Neub the next 2,000GP in treasure the adventurer finds in coin, gem, or magical items, and must also forgo any XP award from that treasure found. If Neub is not repaid, a horrible death will soon follow the reneging character.
At 1st level, there is a 7% chance that Neub will save the doomed character. This reduces to 3% at level 2, and 1% at level 3.
Neub despises the successful explorer or hero, and can be called upon to harry the same until the targets are dead or Neub is defeated. Summoning Neub requires sacrificing coin, gems, and magical items worth the notice of a skilled adventurer - as a general guideline, a number of items, mundane or magical, and coins and gems worth 4 times the amount of XP the embodiment of Neub is worth.
Neub will take these items and engage her targets whenever they next enter any underground environment. Targets who have a habit of respectful treatment of the corpses (animated or not) of those lost early in their careers may only experience her as a visitation, being gifted with nothing but a sad smile and forlorn sigh.
While Neub can be drawn into the world at a variable strength, she forever attacks with her weapon as a level 1 Fighter. If melee proves unworkable, Neub begins to despair, and will, on an attack roll of 15+ that does not connect with a target, point, and with a plaintive, accusatory cry, drain a level (save vs Death).
Neub has no organized following, nor any temples. Her churches are the first level of dungeons; her altars are spiked pits and other deadly obstacles. Her prophets are the tales of bards and the hushed tones of those who called upon her and were saved.
What would their mothers think?
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