Ultimate NPCs
| Author | Ian "Lizard" Harrac |
| Publisher | Mongoose Publishing |
| Publish date | 2004 |
| OGL Section 15 | unpc |
The material below is Open Game Content
Cletus’ life was a series of ‘If only…’ If only his father had not been a drunkard…if only his mother had had fewer children to raise…if only a painful desire to have more in his life than a crumbling hovel in a sewage-infested slum had not led him into criminal pursuits…if only his idea of robbing the crypts beneath the city had seemed stupider to him at the time…if only he had not been drawn to that one, massive, crypt hidden behind the crumbling stone…if only he had thought, for a second, that there was a reason it had been sealed…if, if, if…
All of the ‘if onlys’ of his life came together in that single instant of terror when the thing emerged from the crypt, a swirl of dust and mist that coalesced into something terrifying, something terrifyingly hungry. The thing said nothing, simply stared at him and Cletus’ will disappeared into a void.
When he awoke, he was dead. He was also famished. Without thinking, he grabbed a sewer rat and bit into it, feeling the red, life-giving blood drip down his chin and his throat. It was sustenance…but it was not enough. With determination and purpose in his pale eyes, he strode up from the sewers, reborn in death.
Cletus Deadwood-1
Male Human Vampire Rog1: CR 3; Medium undead (augmented humanoid); HD 1d12; hp 12; Init +8; Spd 30 ft.; AC 22, touch 14, flat-footed 18; Base Atk +0; Grp +4; Atk +5 melee (1d6+4/19-20, masterwork short sword) or +4 melee (1d6+4 plus energy drain, slam); Full Atk +5 melee (1d6+4/19-
20, masterwork short sword) or +4 melee (1d6+4 plus energy drain, slam); SA blood drain, children of the night, create spawn, dominate, energy drain, sneak attack +1d6; SQ alternate form, cold resistance 10, damage reduction 10/silver and magic, electrical resistance 10, fast healing 5, gaseous form, spider climb, trapfinding, turn resistance +4; AL NE; SV Fort +0, Ref +8, Will +1; Str 19, Dex 19, Con -, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 18.
Skills and Feats: Balance +8, Bluff +12, Climb +8, Disable Device +8, Hide +18, Intimidate +8, Listen +11, Move Silently +18, Open Lock +10, Search +14, Sense Motive +13, Sleight of Hand +8, Spot +15; Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Stealthy.
Possessions: 50 ft. hemp rope, backpack, crowbar, lantern (bullseye), masterwork leather armour, masterwork short sword, masterwork thieves’ tools, sack, shovel.
Cletus’ early efforts were successful. He preyed on the folk he knew best – the poor, the destitute, the forgotten, the abandoned. Few cared if they showed up bloodless – one less beggar in the streets, one less urchin stealing fruit. Cletus made the sewers his home, finding many secret and forgotten ways.
For a while, this satisfied him – it was a better life than he had had, at any rate – but the prospect of an eternity of sleeping in basements and killing bums was slowly growing galling to him. He had power and skill now and the powerful and the skilful do not dwell in the sewers.
Cletus Deadwood-5
Male Human Vampire Rog5: CR 7; Medium undead (augmented humanoid); HD 5d12; hp 38; Init +8; Spd 30 ft.; AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 23; Base Atk +3; Grp +7; Atk +8 melee (1d6+5/19-20,
+1 short sword) or +7 melee (1d6+4 plus energy drain, slam) or +8 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); Full Atk +8 melee (1d6+5/19-20, +1 short sword) or +7 melee (1d6+4 plus energy drain, slam) or +8 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); SA blood drain, children of the night, create spawn, dominate, energy drain, sneak attack +3d6; SQ alternate form, cold resistance 10, damage reduction 10/silver and magic, electrical resistance 10, evasion, fast healing 5, gaseous form, spider climb, trap sense +1, trapfinding, turn resistance +4, uncanny dodge; AL NE; SV Fort +1, Ref +10, Will +2; Str 19, Dex 19, Con -, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 18.
Skills and Feats: Balance +8, Bluff +12, Climb +8, Decipher Script +4, Disable Device +12, Escape Artist +6, Hide +22, Intimidate +12, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +3, Knowledge (local) +4, Listen +11, Move Silently +22, Open Lock +14, Search +18, Sense Motive +17, Sleight of Hand +12,
Spot +19; Alertness, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Stealthy.
Possessions: +1 leather armour, +1 short sword, 50 ft. hemp rope, masterwork light crossbow (50 bolts), masterwork thieves’ tools, sack (potion of cat’s grace).
Cletus began his quest to enhance his status by learning the full layout of the sewers. He found where they ran under the mansions of the wealthy and learned which had long forgotten connections which he could use. His vampiric powers made it easy to get in and out of almost anywhere. He also enjoyed leaving behind a trail of corpses, revelling in the freedom he had to go where he pleased and to avoid any responsibility for his crimes.
Cletus Deadwood-10
Male Human Vampire Rog10: CR 12; Medium undead (augmented humanoid); HD 10d12; hp 70; Init +8; Spd 30 ft.; AC 28, touch 15, flat-footed 28; Base Atk +7; Grp +11; Atk +12 melee (1d6+5/19- 20, +1 short sword) or +11 melee (1d6+4 plus energy drain, slam) or +12 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); Full Atk +12/+7 melee (1d6+5/19-20, +1 short sword) or +11/+6 melee (1d6+4 plus energy drain, slam) or +12/+7 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); SA blood drain, children of the night, create spawn, crippling strike, dominate, energy drain, sneak attack +5d6; SQ alternate form, cold resistance 10, damage reduction 10/silver and magic, electrical resistance 10, evasion, fast healing 5, gaseous form, improved uncanny dodge, spider climb, trap sense+3, trapfinding, turn resistance +4; AL NE; SV Fort +3, Ref +13, Will +5; Str 19, Dex 19, Con -, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 18.
Skills and Feats: Appraise +4, Balance +6, Bluff +12; Climb +6, Decipher Script +6, Diplomacy +11, Disable Device +17, Escape Artist +4, Hide +25, Intimidate +17, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +3, Knowledge (local) +6, Listen +18, Move Silently +25, Open Lock +19, Search +23, Sense Motive +23, Sleight of Hand +10, Spot +23; Alertness, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Spring Attack, Stealthy, Whirlwind Attack.
Possessions: +1 short sword, +2 elven chain, 50 ft. hemp rope, masterwork light crossbow (50 bolts), masterwork thieves’ tools, ring of protection +1, sack.
Arrogance, of course, breeds carelessness. Cletus soon found himself being stalked. The first hunters were fools, easily dispatched, but others came, each wave more powerful and more cunning.
His many secret lairs were found and blocked off. The sewers became a trap, with barriers of holy water and sacred wards slowly but surely forcing him into a smaller and smaller space. Soon, very soon, he would be unable to flee. Rather than face that, he chose to make a break for it, battling his way past what he considered the weakest group of hunters and breaking out into the city above. With a bitter and spiteful look back at his former home, he flew away.
Cletus Deadwood-15
Male Human Vampire Rog15: CR 17; Medium undead (augmented humanoid); HD 15d12; hp 103; Init +10; Spd 30 ft.; AC 32, touch 18, flat-footed 32; Base +11; Grp +15; Atk +17 melee (1d6+5/19-20, +1 wounding short sword) or +15 melee (1d6+4 plus energy drain, slam) or +18 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); Full Atk +17/+12/+7 melee (1d6+5/19-20, +1 wounding short sword) or +15/+10/+5 melee (1d6+4 plus energy drain, slam) or +18/+13/+8 ranged (1d8/19-20, masterwork light crossbow); SA blood drain, children of the night, create spawn, crippling strike, dominate, energy drain, sneak attack +8d6; SQ alternate form, cold resistance 10, damage reduction 10/silver and magic, defensive roll, electrical resistance 10, evasion, fast healing 5, gaseous form, improved uncanny dodge, spider climb, trap sense +5, trapfinding, turn resistance +4; AL NE; SV Fort +5, Ref +17, Will +7; Str 19, Dex 22, Con -, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 18.
Skills and Feats: Appraise +6, Balance +8, Bluff +13, Climb +6, Decipher Script +8, Diplomacy +13, Disable Device +22, Escape Artist +8, Gather Information +7, Hide +32, Intimidate +22, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +3, Knowledge (local) +9, Listen +25, Move Silently +32, Open Lock +26, Search +28, Sense Motive +23, Sleight of Hand +12, Spot +28; Alertness, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Feint, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Spring Attack, Stealthy, Weapon Focus (short sword), Whirlwind Attack.
Possessions: +1 wounding short sword, +3 elven chain, gloves of Dexterity +2 , masterwork light crossbow (50 bolts), masterwork thieves’ tools, ring of invisibility, ring of protection +2, sack.
He found an old castle, long forgotten and made it his lair. He forayed into the woods, striking at one village, then another, never the same one twice in a row and varying the timing of his attacks. As he did, he also began to turn a few of his victims into his spawn and used his other abilities to seduce the still-living to his cause. A mad lust for vengeance now fires his undead frame. He will raise an army under his command and bring it to the city which cast him out, leaving it utterly destroyed.
Cletus is someone gifted with power he did not ask for and never really adjusted to. His dreams have always been small; even at the peak of his power, he wants nothing more than to engage in destruction for imagined slights. He is very powerful but underneath that power is a small and petty man who has found himself playing on a larger stage than he ever imagined and he continually forgets his lines. He is small-minded, easily distracted by trivia and has little grasp of the true value of things.
He would have made a good henchman or underling but fate left him on his own and he has basically managed to survive without prospering or finding any purpose greater than to satisfy whatever random whim occupies him for the moment.
Cletus Deadwood-20
Male Human Vampire Rog20: CR 20; Medium undead (augmented humanoid); HD 20d12; hp 135; Init +11; Spd 35 ft.; AC 37, touch 21; flatfooted 37; Base Atk +15; Grp +22; Atk +25 melee (1d6+9/19-20, +2 unholy short sword of wounding) or +22 melee (1d6+7 plus energy drain, slam) or +24 ranged (1d8+2/17-20, +2 keen light crossbow); Full Atk +25/+20/+15 melee (1d6+9/19-20, +2 unholy short sword of wounding) or +22/+17/+12 melee (1d6+7 plus energy drain, slam) or +24/+19/+14 ranged (1d8+2/17-20, +2 keen light crossbow); SA blood drain, children of the night, create spawn, crippling strike, dominate, energy drain, sneak attack +10d6; SQ alternate form, cold resistance 10, damage reduction 10/silver and magic, defensive roll, electrical resistance 10, fast healing 5, gaseous form, improved evasion, improved uncanny dodge, slippery mind, spider climb, trap sense +6, trapfinding, turn resistance +4; AL NE; SV Fort +6, Ref +21, Will +8; Str 24, Dex 25, Con -, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 18.
Skills and Feats: Appraise +8, Balance +9, Bluff +23, Climb +9, Decipher Script +8, Diplomacy
+31, Disable Device +27, Escape Artist +9, Gather Information +7, Hide +38, Intimidate +29, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +3, Knowledge (local) +9, Listen +25, Move Silently +33, Open Lock
+27, Search +33, Sense Motive +30, Sleight of Hand +15, Spot +28; Alertness, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Feint, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Spring Attack, Stealthy, Weapon Focus (short sword), Whirlwind Attack.
Possessions: +2 keen light crossbow (50 bolts), +2 unholy short sword of wounding, +5 quick elven chain, belt of giant Strength +4, gloves of Dexterity +4, masterwork thieves’ tools, ring of invisibility, ring of protection +4, sack (chime of opening).
