Fantasy NPC: The Thirsty Prince That Drowned

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The Thirsty Prince That Drowned

A translucent figure of golden luminescence resembling a fit young man, wearing a silk skirt, an ornate diadem, and a necklace adorned with lapis lazuli.

CR 6; 2,400 XP

LE Medium Undead (incorporeal)

Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +1

Defense
AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 13 (+3 deflection, +4 Dex, +1 dodge)

hp 26 (9d8+27)
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +9

Defensive Abilities channel resistance +4, incorporeal, rejuvenation; Immune undead traits

Offense
Speed fly 30 ft. (perfect)

Melee desiccating touch +10 (6d6 plus fatigue)

Special Attacks call sandstorm

Statistics
Str —, Dex 18, Con —, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 17

Base Atk +6; CMB +6; CMD 24
Feats Ability Focus (desiccating touch), Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Iron Will

Skills Bluff +15, Diplomacy +15, Fly +24, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (nobility) +13, Perception +1, Sense Motive +13

Language three long forgotten ancient languages

Call Sandstorm (Su) The Thirsty Prince can invoke hostile winds across the desert where he perished, disturbing dust and sand across a few miles until the sandstorm reaches full power 3d20 minutes later. Any visibility within the sandstorm is limited to 60 feet, and even then everyone farther than 5 feet gains concealment, movement speed is halved, ranged attacks and Perception checks suffer –4 penalty per 10 feet of distance. Survival checks to avoid getting lost have DC of 30. The sandstorm lasts until the Prince dismisses it, which takes another 3d20 minutes, with a maximum duration of three days. The Prince can't call another sandstorm for as long as the last one lasted.

Desiccating Touch (Su) The Thirsty Prince's touch drains moisture from those he touches, dealing 6d6 points of damage to living creatures and making them fatigued until they spend a round drinking water or other refreshing drink. A successful Fortitude saving throw (DC 19) halves the damage and prevents becoming fatigued. Failing multiple saving throws against this ability, does not make the target exhausted, but increases the amount of liquid that needs  to be drunk to remove the fatigue. Alternatively, the Thirsty Prince can turn a gallon of liquid or a single touched potion into dust—gaining the effects of the potion in the process as if he drank it. The saving throw DC is Charisma-based.

Rejuvenation (Su) The Thirsty Prince is tied to his corporeal remnants, and the royal signet that is still on one of the fingers. After being destroyed, he will reform within 2d4 days next to his bones, or if they are destroyed, near his signet (which is a magic item, granting +2 deflection bonus to AC and +2 resistance bonus to saving throws, worth 14,000 gp, not  even going into its even higher artistic and historical value).

The Thirsty Prince That Drowned was a royal prince of an ancient dynasty traveling through the desert with a diplomatic mission for his realm. On his way back, his caravan was attacked by local nomads, long feuding with his people. When a sandstorm struck, he escaped, but without his guides, his guards, and his slaves, he quickly got lost. After days of wandering, delirious and weakened, he miraculously stumbled upon an off-trail oasis... And then, his exhaustion and wounds caused him to stumble and fall into the very waters that were meant to be his salvation, and he quickly drowned.

Now, his restless spirits haunts the oasis, waiting for someone to bring his remains back to his father's kingdom, willing to promise royal ransom to anyone who would come... But he is a vain and arrogant youth, convinced of his personal and cultural superiority, demanding servility and adherence to the customs of his long gone lands, willing to call sandstorms on those who would defy or disrespect him. He also has no idea how to reach his kingdoms—he had guides and caravan-master dealing with the route, a duty below his exalted station after all.

Even if his kingdom is reached, it's a land of the dead by now, an abandoned city half consumed by the desert. Putting the Prince to actual rest would require recreating ancient burial customs, taking a few days of preparation, even if many of them would be merely staged pretense, and passing at least three out of four skill checks (all DC 30): Knowledge (nobility), Knowledge (religion), Profession (embalmer), and Perform (act, oratory, or sing). Spending a week deciphering and interpreting inscriptions and pictograms on the ancient necropolis reduces DC of all those checks to 20 and making them untrained. Of course, the necropolis might be seemingly devoid of life, but it doesn't mean that it is safe for the living.