A Nameless doesn't advance normally, due to their dreamlike nature and short lifespan. Instead, they hunger for form, knowledge, and experience, and gain these by consuming the minds of their victims. After devouring a victim, a Nameless retreats to the region of Dreams (See Nightmare’s Call) and, over the course of six hours, transforms into a twisted version of the victim. This transformation is reflected in the Augmented Nameless template.
Creating an Augmented Nameless
“Augmented Nameless” is an acquired template that is automatically added to any Nameless in the region of dreams six hours after it delivers the killing blow to a living, nonmindless creature with Hit Dice 3 below its own (or greater) with one of its psi-like abilities. The Nameless acquires the essence of the victim, and its form is forever altered to reflect this. Every time the Augmented Nameless template is applied to a Nameless, its incorporeal appearance shifts to that of its most recent victim.
A Nameless may only consume 8 creatures before its mutable nature fades, fixing it in its current (augmented) form with 9 HD. Subsequent victims do not apply this template, but extend the lifespan as above. The Augmented Nameless template is dependent on the game statistics of the Nameless (hereafter referred to as the base creature) and its victim (hereafter referred to as the victim).
An Augmented Nameless uses all the base HD Abilities creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type: Size changes to that of the victim. Type and subtype are unchanged.
Hit Dice: As the base creature’s Hit Dice +1 outsider hit die. This improves the base creature’s hit points, base attack bonus, saving throws and skills as normal, but see below. Speed: When coalesced, same as the victim. While incorporeal, as base creature.
Armor Class: If the victim has a natural armor bonus less than +3, the Augmented Nameless has a natural armor bonus of +3. Otherwise, same as the victim. When incorporeal, an Augmented Nameless loses any natural armor bonus but gains a deflection bonus to AC equal to its Charisma modifier.
Attack: Same as the victim when coalesced. When incorporeal, as base creature.
Full Attack: As the victim when coalesced. An incorporeal Augmented Nameless can make iterative attacks granted by high base attack bonus with its incorporeal touch attack as though attacking with a weapon.
Damage: As the victim when coalesced, except all natural attacks deal a bonus +1d4 cold damage. When incorporeal, the incorporeal touch deals 1d4 cold damage.
Special Attacks: As the base creature, although some may improve with additional Hit Dice (see above).
Special Qualities: As the base creature, although some may improve with additional Hit Dice (see above).
Abilities: Replace the base creature’s Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores with those of the victim. As an incorporeal creature, an Augmented Nameless normally has no Strength score, although it uses its normal Strength score when coalesced. If the victim’s Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma scores were greater than those of the base creature, increase the base creature’s by the victim’s respective ability modifier (if the victim had a mental ability score of 9 or lower, do not adjust that score on the base creature).
Skills: Same as the base creature, plus new skills from the extra outsider Hit Die gained (calculate with the Augmented Nameless’ newly modified Intelligence score). Treat any class skills the victim had as additional class skills for this Hit Die.
Feats: As the base creature. An Augmented Nameless may gain a new feat from the additional hit die gained (creatures gain a feat at every third Hit Die: 3rd, 6th, etc.). An Augmented Nameless gains Consumed Identity or Nightmare’s Avatar as a bonus feat as soon as it meets the prerequisites (see below).
Challenge Rating: Equal to the base creature’s HD +1 or the victim’s HD +1, whichever is higher.
Alignment: Neutral Evil unless Intelligence score is less than 3, then Neutral.
Advancement: See the Augmented Nameless template.
Level Adjustment: –
GMs are encouraged to keep note of which creatures a Nameless has killed and consumed only if they intend for the Nameless to use the Dire Nightmare prestige class, below (where such information is critical). Otherwise, the only reason to keep track of what victims a Nameless had previously consumed would be to track his skills by level (including changes to Intelligence). This will rarely make a difference in the overall power level of the creature, and GMs who wish to save time creating a Nameless may as well ‘wing it’ and assign an arbitrary number of skill points that they feel is enough for their monster (outsiders have 8 skill points per hit die, modified by Intelligence). It is, however, recommended that the majority of nightmares beyond 3 Hit Dice feel like significant encounters, as these are alarmingly rare demographically.
NEW FEATS:
Consumed Identity [Monstrous]
You have consumed many intelligent victims, and have gained a semblance of sentience by osmosis. Awakening to your own identity allows you to realize your destiny as a Dire Nightmare – the elite hunter/defenders among the nameless fear.
Prerequisites: Nameless, 6 HD, Intelligence 13+.
Benefit: When you kill and consume a victim (see Nightmare’s Call) whose hit dice are no more than 3 below your own, and with an Intelligence score of 10 or higher, instead of advancing through the Augmented Nameless template, you may choose instead to have the kill count toward the requirements of the Dire Nightmare prestige class described below instead of advancing with the Augmented Nameless template (although they still extend your lifespan as normal). When you fulfill the requirements to gain your first (or next) level of that class, you may gain one level of dire nightmare by resting on the region of dreams for 24 hours (which resets the body count). Keep track of the abilities any victim had as well, as the dire nightmare prestige class draws upon these for many of its abilities.
Nightmare’s Avatar [Monstrous]
Fear is a lethal weapon, although sometimes it may require a helping hand.
Prerequisites: Nameless, Intelligence 7+, must have been ‘killed’ in combat with a creature you tried and failed to overcome with psi-like abilities OR must have consumed a creature capable of manifesting astral construct.
Benefit: Add the following options to your list of racial psi-like abilities. You gain access to them at the Hit Dice indicated. You may only use these particular abilities while coalesced. Unlike the normal use of these powers, the results are composed of the stuff of nightmares instead of ectoplasm, appearing as twilight mist bathed in a violet glow, and enjoying the same 20% miss chance that dreambornHC creatures do (if they could be directly attacked).
Unlike the normal use of these powers, the results are composed of the stuff of nightmares instead of ectoplasm, appearing as twilight mist bathed in a violet glow, and enjoying the same 20% miss chance that dreambornHC creatures do (if they could be directly attacked). Additionally, if you have coalesced into a nightmarish shape (see Coalescence), any astral construct you create with these abilities also takes on a nightmarish shape as if it were under form of doom for its duration.
Should you return to incorporeal form, any active power effects from this feat end as if their duration had expired. In the region of dreams, you do not have to be coalesced to use these abilities.
Special: Killing a creature by using these psilike abilities does not trigger advancement as normal (see Nightmare’s Call).
