2016-02-14

Monster: Pale Publican

Pale Publican


A swarm of solid coins is swirling around a transparent figure of a bloated man in opulent clothing.

CR 10; XP 9,600
LE Medium Undead (incorporeal)
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +21


Defense
AC 22, touch 22, flat-footed 14 (+4 deflection, +7 Dex, +1 dodge)
hp 110 (13d8+52)
Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +9
Defensive Abilities armor of wealth, channel resistance +4, incorporeal; Immune undead traits
Weakness eternal greed

Offense
Speed fly 30 ft. (perfect)
Melee 2 incorporeal touches +17 (1d4 Charisma damage)
Ranged 10 thrown coins +18 (1d6+1 plus weight of debt)

Statistics
Str —, Dex 24, Con —, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 19

Base Atk +9; CMB +16; CMD 31
Feats Alertness, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus (Appraise), Weapon Focus (coin)
Skills Appraise +21, Bluff +17, Diplomacy +17, Fly +15, Intimidate +17, Perception +21, Sense Motive +21
SQ eternal debt
Language Common and three other local languages

Ecology
Environment any
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure double standard

Special Abilities
Armor Of Wealth (Su) A pale publican can use the amassed coins not only to attack but also to defend oneself. Whenever he attacks with his thrown coins, he can refrain from making one or more of available attacks gaining 1 temporary hit point for each attack not made. Using total defense action grants the pale publican 20 temporary hit points. Temporary hit points gained from armor of wealth last for one hour or until the pale publican passes through a solid object.

Charisma Damage (Su) A pale publican touch erodes personality of living creatures. Sapient beings find themselves obsessing over wealth mostly. When the Charisma damage inflicted by this attack equals or exceeds Charisma ability score of a sapient being, a geas is placed on that creature to collect more wealth for the pale publican’s hoard.

Eternal Debt (Su) Each pale publican is served by a number of minor spirits that are bound to perform menial tasks for him. They act like multiple unseen servants but are restricted to carrying, cleaning, and taking other care of the pale publican’s treasure and files.

Eternal Greed (Su) Pale publicans are entities driven by avarice. Despite being undeads, they are susceptible to mind-affecting patterns, phantasms, and compulsions that show money or jewels or otherwise focus on their greed.

Throw Coins (Su) As a standard action, a pale publican can telekineticaly throw coins from his hoard with great strength and precision against targets within 60 feet. Each coin is treated as a +1 weapon dealing 1d6 points of bludgeoning and slashing damage.

Weight Of Debt (Su) A creature struck with one of a pale publican’s coins is cursed with weight of debt. For each coin that hit (even if the damage was reduced to 0), the victim suffers a cumulative –1 penalty that applies to all checks to which regular armor check penalty applies, to all saving throws against mind-affecting powers that inspire or take advantage of greed, to all checks and rolls made to earn money or capital, to determine rewards of investment, and to all Economy rolls of any kingdom in which the cursed creature holds a leadership role. This is a curse effect with removal DC of 11+the pale publican’s HD. The bearer of weight of debt can also remove the curse by spending a number of days equal to accumulated penalty by personally helping poor and sick.

Common people hold little love for taxes and tolls and even less for those who attempt to collect them. While the sentiment seems to be universal, for tax assessors and collectors are one of the most hated groups everywhere, people living on frontiers are usually in better position to get rid of tax collectors, for many travelers are killed by bandits, beasts, and savage barbarians coming from beyond the borders of civilized lants. And where death is common, so are spirits bound by unfulfilled desires. Occasionally, a tax collector so thoroughly corrupted by greed and avarice dies suddenly (through violence or accident) and yet the hoard of wealth amassed remains untouched for some reason. Occasionally, a greedy richman dies clinging to uncounted wealth while thirsting for more. From all those deaths, a pale publican can spring, a potent spirit of avarice haunting the place of own death, collected hoard, or even place where he worked for his riches while alive.

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