AKORAN, THE GREEN LICH OF ENVY “L care not for the depredations of good or of evil. I have suffered grievously from both.” Once a brilliant young woman full of joy, AKoran is now an empty husk tediously striving towards her next arcane achievement, whatever it takes. Having seen the best and the worst of the world during her life and unlife, Akoran has long since grown cynical. She throws herself into her research and has since become emotionally withdrawn, Despite her reputation, Akoran is not mad, merely absorbed by her drive for answers. Asa girl, Akoran was raised by her grandmother (her parents having been taken by disease) and they lived together happily in relative peace for many years. Shortly after Akoran became a young woman, however, her grandmother fell terribly ill. Knowing what was to come, the dying woman sent her grandchild out into the woods to gather medicinal herbs—the better to prevent her from witnessing her passing. Much like the ivory bowl full of herbs that slipped from her grasp, Akoran’s heart shattered upon her return. Having never coped with death well, Akoran broke down and became terrified over the inevitability and finality of death. She grew increasingly paranoid, believing that death was waiting around every corner. In desperation, she joined up with a peaceful cult in a nearby city seeking answers of the afterlife. Ultimately, concerned city authorities sabotaged the cult by planting seeds of discord causing the otherwise peaceful group to fracture and turn to violent infighting. Akoran, trying to salvage the group's ties, was soon caught up in the violence. Forced by unknown attackers to undergo a dark ritual, she was brutally tortured and then sacrificed. When she next awoke, she not only found her organization destroyed by the authorities (who swooped in upon them in their weakened state), but also that she had been transformed into an undead monster (as evidenced by the large dagger protruding from her stilled heart). To this day she does not know whether her kidnappers were opposing cult members trying to sacrifice her, friends trying to protect her from the guild’s inevitable collapse in their own way, or corrupt city authorities simply trying to set up the cult with an incriminating “murder.” Anyone with knowledge of the incident either fled the area or was killed in the raid shortly afterwards—leaving Akoran with far too many unanswered questions. Her life, having once again fallen apart, AKoran took what little she knew about the arts of necromancy and dedicated her life to learning its most powerful secrets. For decades, she has adventured abroad in hopes that her growing power will one day reveal to her the attackers who betrayed her to the cold eternity of undeath and the secrets of the terrible ritual they performed.AKORAN, VERSATILE HERITAGE HUMAN GRAVE ROBBER CREATURE 14 Female Chelaxian human lich necromancer Perception +19; darkvision Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Common (Taldane}, Infernal, Necril, Shadowtongue, Varisian Skills Acrobatics +20, Arcana +25 (expert), Crafting +23 (expert), Deception +19, Diplomacy #19, Intimidation +19, Lich Lore +25 (master), Medicine #17, Nature #17, Occultism +25, Performance #19, Religion +21 (master), Society +21, Stealth +20, Underworld Lore +21 ‘Str 10 (+0), Dex 18 (+4), Con 16 (+3), Int 20 (+5), Wis 12 (+1), Cha 16 (+3) Items fine clothing, material component pouch, ring of wizardry (type III), spellbook" (2), scroll of comprehend Ianguages, scroll of earthbind, scroll of fly, scroll of invisibility (4th), soul cage (ceremonial dagger, rarely carried), writing set, SOsp, SOcp; Current Bulk 0.8 Trapped Items Your items marked with an asterisk are boobytrapped. See Ongoing Spells below for more information, AC 34; Fort +22, Ref +23, Will +20 HP 148 plus 11 temporary hit points false life, negative healing, negative survival), Immunities death effects Diehard You die from the dying condition at dying 5, rather than dying 4. Fast Recovery You regain twice as many Hit Points from resting. Each time you succeed at a Fortitude save against an ongoing disease or poison, you reduce its stage by 2, or by 1 against a virulent disease or poison, Each critical success you achieve against an ongoing disease or poison reduces its stage by 3, or by 2 against a virulent disease or poison. In addition, you reduce the severity of your drained condition by 2 when you rest for a night instead of by 1. Numb to Death The first time each day that you regain Hit Points while you are dying, you regain additional Hit Points equal to your level, and you neither gain the wounded condition nor increase the value of this condition. Resolve When you roll a success at a Will save, you get a critical success instead. Undying Conviction (aura) 30 feet. Undead creatures under your control and within your aura gain a +2 status bonus to saving throws to resist positive damage and to Will saving throws to resist effects that would make them controlled, Bounce Back ® Frequency once per day; Trigger You lose the dying condition. Effect Don't increase the value of your wounded condition due to losing the dying condition, ‘Speed 35 feet (25 feet without longstrider) Melee *> hand of the lich +22 (agile, finesse, magical, necromancy, unarmed), Damage 146+2 negative, Critical The target must succeed at a Fortitude save against DC 33 or be slowed 1 until the end of your next turn. Ranged °>9 ray of frost +20 (attack, cantrip, cold, evocation, range 120 feet), Damage 5d4+5 cold; Critical Success The target takes double damage and takes a~10-foot status penalty to its Speeds for 1 round. Arcane Prepared Spells DC 33, attack +23; 7th animate dead” (2), eartingerey, tempest of shades; 6th mage armee, vampiric exsanguination (3); Sth blister”, command, cone of cold, geyser; 4th fly, sanguine mist™, stoneskin, veil; 3rd illusory disguise, invisibility sphere, stinking cloud, vampiric touch (3); 2nd fatse+tite, invisibility, kergstrider, see invisibility, telekinetic maneuver; 1stfeather fall, illusory object, ray of enfeeblement, true strike; Cantrips (7th) chill touch, daze, detect magic, puff of poison™, ray of frost, spout™™ Occult Spontaneous Spells DC 29, attack +19; Cantrips (7th) forbidding ward, guidance Arcane Rituals DC 33; Sth call spirit; Ath garden of death; 2nd create undead (graveknight, skeleton, wraith, zombie) Focus Spells DC 39; 7th (3 Focus Points) call of the grave (Pathfinder Core Rulebook 406), eyes of the dead (Boof of the Dead 35), life siphon Pathfinder Core Rulebook 407); Cantrips (7th) inspire courage (Pathfinder Core Rulebook 386)Arcane Bond You place some of your magical power ina bonded item You gain the Drain Bonded Item free action. Drain Bonded Item © (arcane) Frequency once per day, Requirements You haven't acted yet on your turn; Effect You expend the power stored in your bonded item. During your turn, you gain the ability to cast one spell you prepared today and already cast, without spending a spell slot. You must still Cast the Spell and meet the spell’s other requirements. Bizarre Magic The DCs to Recognize Spells you cast and Identify Magic you use increase by 5. Bonds of Death © Frequency once per day; Requirements You have cast animate dead this turn. Effect You sway with the motions of your spells that animate the dead, channeling your power to sustain two at the same time. You Sustain your previous casting of animate dead, binding the necromantic energy of the two spells together ‘with metaphysical twine. On subsequent rounds, you can Sustain bothanimate dead spells with a single action to Sustain the Spell. This benefit lasts until either of the spells ends. Conceal Spell “> (concentrate, manipulate, metamagic, wizard) You attempt to conceal the fact that you are Casting a Spell. If the next action you use is to Cast a Spell, attempt a Stealth check against one or more observers’ Perception DCs; if the spell has verbal components, you must also attempt a Deception check against the observers’ Perception DC. If you succeed at your check (or checks) against an observer's DC, that observer doesnt notice you're casting a spell, even though material, somatic, and verbal components are usually noticeable and spells normally have sensory manifestations that would make spellcasting obvious to those nearby. This ability hides only the spell’s spellcasting actions and manifestations, not its effects, so an observer might still see a ray streak out from you or see you vanish into thin air. Deceptive Worship You can use Occultism instead of Deception to Impersonate a typical worshipper of another faith or to Lie specifically to claim you are a member of the faith you are Impersonating. You still need to use the Deception skill to Impersonate a specific worshipper or to perform other deceptive actions, such as attempting to Lie about any other matter. Enshroud Soul Cage You wreathe your soul cage in an ever-growing collection of obfuscating illusions and protective abjurations to hide it from your enemies. You disguise the soul cage as any non-magical object of the same Bulk, and it gains the effects of the magic aura and nondetection spells. The effects have unlimited durations, are heightened to half your level rounded up, and use your spell DC against any attempt to counteract them. The magic aura makes your soul cage appear non-magical. You can ignore the effects of any of these spells when dealing with your own soul cage, You are mentally alerted whenever your soul cage is damaged. Eschew Materials When Casting a Spell that requires material components, you can provide these material components without a spell component pouch by drawing intricate replacement sigils in the air. Unlike when providing somatic components, you still must have a hand completely free. This doesn't remove the need for any materials listed in the spells cost entry. Experienced Smuggler When the GM rolls your Stealth check to see if a passive observer notices a small item you have concealed, the GM uses the number rolled or 10—whichever is higher—as the result of your die roll, adding it to your Stealth modifier to determine your Stealth check result. This provides no benefits when a creature attempts a Perception check while actively searching you for hidden items. Hand of the Lich You gain the advanced undead benefits Book of the Dead 44). The damage die for your fist increases to 1d6 instead of 1d4, it deals negative damage instead of bludgeoning damage, and it loses the nonlethal trait. Your fist becomes magical. When you critically hit a living creature with your fist Strike, the creature is slowed 1 until the end of your next turn unless it succeeds at a Fortitude save against your spell DC. This is a critical specialization effect. Lich Dedication You gain the undead trait and the basic undead benefits (Book of the Dead 44). Your undead craving is for knowledge. You gain a unique soul cage - a magic item that houses your soul. Whenever you‘would die, your soul flees to thesoul cage to allow you to be rebuilt. As long as your soul cage exists, you can't truly be destroyed. Macabre Virtuoso You learn the create undead rituals (Core Rulebook 411) to create two types of common undead for which you meet the prerequisites. (Your GM might give you access to additional types of undead.) You can’t teach these rituals to anyone else and you can't participate in either ritual while allowing someone else to serve as the primary caster unless they also know the ritual. When you reach a new level, you can change either or both of these rituals to a different type of undead for which you now meet the prerequisites. When acting as primary caster, you can perform all create undead rituals in 4 hours instead of 1 day and you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to your primary check. You can also perform the ritual without the aid of a secondary caster, in which case you attempt the secondary check, Magical Shorthand Learning spells comes easily to you. If you're an expert in a traditions associated skill, you take 10 minutes per spell level to learn a spell of that tradition, rather than 1 hour per spell level. If you fail to learn the spell, you can try again after 1 week or after you gain a level, whichever comes first. If you're a master in the tradition’s associated skill, earning a spell takes 5 minutes per spell level, and if yourre legendary, it takes 1 minute per spell level. You can use downtime to learn and inscribe new spells. This works as if you ‘were using Earn Income with the tradition’s associated skill, but instead of gaining money, you choose a spell available to you to learn and gain a discount on learning it, learning it for free if your earned income equals or exceeds its cost. Metamagical Experimentation During your daily preparations, you can gain a metamagic wizard feat of your choice that has a level requirement of no more than half your level, which you can use until your next daily preparations. Negative Survival Unlike normal undead, you aren't destroyed when reduced to 0 Hit Points. Instead, powerful negative energy attempts to keep you from being destroyed even in dire straits. You are knocked out and begin dying when reduced to 0 Hit Points. Because you're undead, many methods of bringing someone back from dying, such as stabilize, dor't benefit you. When you would die, youre destroyed rather than dead, just like otherundead. Nonlethal Spell > (manipulate, metamagic) If your next action is to Cast a Spell that deals damage and doesn't have the death or negative trait, that spell gains the nonlethal trait. Ongoing Spells At the start of each day you typically cast (or maintain) the following spell effects: contingency (7th), false life (2nd), longstrider (2nd), and mage armor (6th). Contingency casts stoneskin on you when you take physical damage. Your spellbooks are protected by 7thevel glyph of warding spells (feeblemind [6thl). You also similarly trapped the helmet visors of your three bodyguards (hallucination [6th]; all undead appear alive). The spell traps each activate when the respective container is opened unless the proper password is, first said aloud. Reach Spell ‘> (concentrate, metamagic) If the next action you use is to Cast a Spell that has a range, increase that spell’s range by 30 feet. As is standard for increasing spell ranges, if the spell normally has a range of touch, you extend its range to 30 feet. Reanimator Dedication You can spend 10 minutes contemplating undeath to replace one of the spells you've prepared in your spell slots with an animate dead spell of the same level. In addition, if you're able to target the mostly intact remains of an appropriate type of dead creature when castinganimate dead, the undead you animate gains a +1 status bonus to attack rolls, AC, saving throws, and skill checks for the duration of animate dead. Ritualist Dedication You gain a +2 circumstance bonus to all primary checks to perform a ritual ‘Schooled In Secrets You can use Occultism in place of Diplomacy to Gather Information about such groups. If you belong to a secret cult, lodge, sect, or similar organization, you automatically recognize members of your group unless they are specifically attempting to conceal their presence from you.Stitch Flesh You can use Treat Wounds to restore Hit Points to undead creatures, not just living ones. The techniques you use to do so vary, but all require sutures, bandages, and other tools included in healer's tools. Some conditions that might raise the DC of treating undead’s wounds differ from that of living creatures. For instance, the GM might increase the DC if the undead being treated is in a church of a particular deity or the wounds were caused by powerful positive energy. Toughness You reduce the DC of recovery checks by 1. Undead Hunger While you don't eat or drink the same food as humanoids do, you usually have thirsts and hungers related to your undead state. Additionally, while you don't sleep, you enter a state of quiescence for at least 4 hours a day to recuperate, which lets your undead flesh reknit and recover naturally. ‘Weapon Specialization You deal an additional 2 damage with weapons and unarmed attacks in which you are an expert. This damage increases to 3 if you're a master, and 4 if you're legendary. Widen Spell (manipulate, metamagic) If the next action you use is to Cast a Spell that has an area of a burst, cone, or line and does not have a duration, increase the area of that spell. Add 5 feet to the radius of a burst that normally has a radius of at least 10 feet (a burst with a smaller radius is not affected). Add 5 feet to the length of a cone or line that is normally 15 feet long or smaller and add 10 feet to the length of a larger cone or line. CHARACTER NOTES COMPANION CREATURE Akoran keeps a pair of skeleton guard minions close by as menial servants and a graveknight companion for protection, She is also followed by an animate raven skeleton minion as well, which she uses as a scout and spy. “BIRD” MINION -1 NE | TINY | MINDLESS | SKELETON | MINION | UNDEAD Nimble raven skeleton Perception +5; darkvision Skills Acrobatics #5, Thievery +5 Str-3, Dex +3, Con +0, Int -4, Wis +3, Cha +O Cunning A raven can use simple items as tools, such as poking a stick at an opening to tease out a piece of food. They are also quite adept at stealing objects. A raven car't use Thievery to Palm an Object, Disable a Device, or Pick a Lock, but it can use Thievery to Steal light objects that it can carry in its beak or talons or to accomplish other relatively simple tasks. ‘AC 15; Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +5 HP 4 (negative healing); Immunities death effects, disease, mental, paralyzed, poison, unconscious; Resistances cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5, piercing 5, slashing 5 Nimble Dodge © Trigger The bird is targeted with a melee or ranged attack by an attacker they can see; Effect The bird gains a +2 circumstance bonus to AC against the triggering attack. Speed 20 feet, climb 20 feet, fly 40 feet Melee“ beak +7 (finesse), Damage 146 piercingCAPTAIN LEE (GRAVEKNIGHT) CREATURE 10 Perception +19; darkvision Languages Common, Necril Skills Athletics +23, Intimidation +22, Religion #19, Warfare Lore +20 Str +7, Dex +4, Con +4, Int +2, Wis +3, Cha +5 Items +1 resilient full plate, composite longbow (20 arrows), war flail ‘AC3i,Fort +21, Ref +19, Will +18 HP175 (negative healing, rejuvenation}; Immunities cold, death, disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious Rejuvenation (divine, necromancy) When a graveknight is destroyed, its armor rebuilds its body over the course of 1d10 days-or more quickly if the armor is worn by a living host (see Graveknight Armor, below). If the body is destroyed before then, the process restarts. A eraveknight can only be permanently destroyed by obliterating its armor (such as with disintegrate), transporting it to the Positive Energy Plane, or throwing it into the heart of a volcano. Sacrilegious Aura (abjuration, aura, divine, evil] 30 feet. When a creature in the aura uses a positive spell or ability, Captain Lee automatically attempts to counteract it, with a +17 counteract modifier. Attack of Opportunity ‘Speed 25 feet Melee *> frost war flail +24 (cold, disarm, magical, sweep, trip), Damage 2d10+10 bludgeoning plus 146 cold, Critical The target is knocked prone and must succeed at a Fortitude save with a ~4 circumstance penalty against DC 24 or be slowed 1 until the end of your next turn. Melee > fist +23 (agile, cold), Damage 2d6+10 bludgeoning plus 146 cold, Critical The target must succeed at a two Fortitude saves against DC 24 with a ~4 circumstance penalty and DC 29 or be slowed 1 until the end of your next turn. Ranged *> frost composite longbow +21 (cold, deadly 1410, magical, range increment 100 feet, reload 0, volley 30 feet), Damage 2d8+6 piercing plus 146 cold, Critical The target must succeed at a Fortitude save with a~4 circumstance penalty against DC 24 or be slowed 1 until the end of your next turn. Additionally, if the target of the critical hit is adjacent to a surface, it gets stuck to that surface by the missile. The target is immobilized and must spend an Interact action to attempt a DC 10 Athletics check to pull the missile free; it can't move from its space until it succeeds. The creature doesn't become stuck if itis incorporeal, is liquid (like a water elemental or some oozes), or could otherwise escape without effort Devastating Blast ‘99 (arcane, cold, evocation) Captain Lee unleashes a 30foot cone of energy. Creatures in the area take 6d12 cold damage (DC 29 basic Reflex save). Captain Lee can use this ability once every 1d4 rounds. Frost Weapon (cold, conjuration, magical) This weapon is empowered with freezing ice. It deals an additional 146 cold damage on a successful Strike. Ona critical hit, the target is also slowed 1 until the end of your next turn unless it succeeds at a DC 24 Fortitude save. Graveknight's Curse This curse affects anyone who wears Captain Lee's armor for at least 1 hour. Saving Throw DC 33 Will save; Onset 1 hour; Stage 1 doomed 1 and cannot remove the armor (1 day); Stage 2 doomed 2, hampered 10, and cannot remove the armor (1 day);Stage 3 dies and transforms into the armor's graveknight. Phantom Mount *99? (arcane, conjuration) Captain Lee summons a supernatural mount as per phantom steed, heightened to a level equal to half his level. Unlike phantom steed, the steed’s AC and saving throw bonuses are all 4 lower than Lee's, and the steed has one-third the Lee's Hit Points (rounded down). If the steed is destroyed, Captain Lee must wait 1 hour before using this ability again.HP 58; AC 27, Fort #17, Ref +15, Will +14, Ruinous Weapons Any weapon Captain Lee wields gains the effects of the frost weapon rune in addition to a +7 striking weapon rune. Weapon Master Captain Lee has access to the critical specialization effects of any weapons he wields. DON AND JAX (SKELETON GUARDS) CREATURE-1 Perception +2; darkvision Skills Acrobatics +6, Athletics +3 ‘Str +2, Dex +4, Con +0, Int -5, Wis +0, Cha +0. Items scimitar, shortbow (20 arrows) AC 16; Fort +2, Ref +8, Will +2 HP 4 (negative healing); Immunities death effects, disease, mental, paralyzed, poison, unconscious; Resistances cold 5, electricity 5, fire 5, piercing 5, slashing 5 Speed 25 feet Melee ‘> scimitar +6 (forceful, sweep), Damage 1d6+2 slashing Melee > claw +6 fagile, finesse), Damage 1d4+2 slashing Ranged °> shortbow +6 (deadly 1d10, range increment 60 feet, reload 0), Damage 1d6 piercing FEATS & ABILITIES Ancestry Feats and Abilities Multitalented (bard), versatile heritage Class Feats and Abilities Advanced School Spell, alertness, arcane bond, arcane school (necromancy], arcane spellcasting, arcane thesis (metamagical experimentation), Bard Dedication’, Conceal Spell (from Metamagical Experimentation), defensive robes, disease and poison protection, Enshroud Soul Cage,expert spellcaster, Eyes of the Dead, focus pool (3), lightning reflexes, Macabre Virtuoso, magical fortitude, master spellcaster, Inspirational Performance, Lich Dedication, muse (enigma), Natural Ambition, negative healing, negative survival, Nonlethal Spell, powerful fist, Reach SpelP, resolve, undead hunger, Undying Conviction, weapon specialization, Widen SpelP, wizard weapon expertise, weapon specialization. Free Archetype Feats Bonds of Death, Deathly Secrets, Greater Deathly Secrets, Hand of the Lich, Reanimator Dedication General Feats Bounce Back, Diehard, Fast Recovery, Toughness’, Skill Feats Additional Lore (lich lore), Bizarre Magic, Deceptive Worship, Eschew Materials, Experienced Smuggler’, Magical Crafting, Magical Shorthand, Natural Skill (Medicine, Society), Ritualist Dedication, Schooled in Secrets, Stitch FleshSPELLBOOK Your spellbooks possess all the common spells of the Arcane tradition from the Pathfinder Core Rulebook of Sth- level and lower, plus the following: 7th animate dead, tempest of shades*: Sth blister, geyser; 4th sanguine mist, vampiric maiden"; Cantrips puff of poison™, spout" CAPTAIN LEE, GRAVEKNIGHT “As you command, my lady!” Once a commander in the local militia, Captain Lee was a fellow cultist and dear friend of Akoran shortly before he was killed during the cults final days of collapse. Once Akoran herself was revived after her own murder, and learned what had happened to her friend, she tracked down his body, dug it up, and gave him a second chance at stopping those who had destroyed them. He has been serving her loyally ever since. “© Advanced Player's Guide, ° Bonus feat,°”® Book of the Dead, *™ Secrets of Magic