Dear readers,

sometimes, campaigns go odd ways – this was one of them. When we ran RotRL, a certain ghost nymph in Part III was rather popular and instead of going for the offered boons (Mantle as a Courtier of the Seelie Court of Autumn or an item based on the nymph-ghost’s claws), my Pact-Magic-using Barbarian convinced Myriana to accompany him and become a spirit. This unique occurrence, ultimately, resulted in me writing this spirit, now cleaned up for your perusal:

New Spirit: Myriana, Autumn’s Torn Nymph
The love of lady Myriana of the Shimmerglens, who was brutally ravaged and torn asunder by the ogres of the hook and doomed to undeath, transcended her demise – the nymph refused to fall and was convinced by half-orc/half-shoanti berserker Xnurl Varkul Gunaak Zhulga to become a spirit in order to prevent tragedies like hers.

Summoning Rules
The following describes the requirements and rituals for binding Autumn’s Torn Nymph.
Spirit Level: 3rd
Constellation: Skull or Tree – Myriana is aligned with both constellation and can be bound as either. However, any restrictions that prohibit a binder from binding either also prohibit the binder from binding Myriana.
Binding DC: 17 or 22
Totems:
You gain a totem bonus on binding checks if you meet some or all of these conditions:
-You draw the seal with a mixture of swamp muck, fresh water and blood.
-You desecrate the remains of a creature with the giant subtype, preferably that of an ogre.
-You are male, no older than adult, have a positive Charisma modifier and the majority of your class levels are in either the barbarian or ranger class. (Other nature-themed martial classes may also qualify.)

Ceremony: You draw your knife, inflicting superficial cuts over your abdomen and arms to symbolize Myriana’s martyrdom – the red lines glow as Myriana manifests.
Manifestation: The seal bubbles and the ground in it becomes swampy – from the misty waters, two spectral claws emerge that, though not connected anymore to Myriana, draw her sodden, drenched and torn spirit from the seal, wet hair obfuscating her face, leaving only one eye open, in which her traumatic death is perpetually reflected.

Legend:
Myriana of the Shimmerglens, lesser courtier of the Seelie Court of Autumn may not have been a “nice” fairy, lording over will-o-wisps and dread swamp-dwellers, but the fate that had befallen her at the hands of the vile Kreegs and their hag allies was something none of the local mortals would have wished upon her. The humanity of her immortal lover stolen from her, she risked falling into the madness of undeath, when intrepid adventurers brought her hope and fulfilled her vengeance. Declining the power she offered as a last gift before opting for oblivion, Xnurl Varkul Gunaak Zhulga convinced her to join the ranks of spirits.

Granted Abilities:
Autumn’s Torn Nymph asks but one question upon being summoned forth: “Love or Vengeance?” The binder has to answer this question immediately and without hesitation and explain to Myriana how he is fighting for his own love or that of others, or how he seeks vengeance. When love is chosen, she tilts her head so her other eye becomes visible beneath the shroud of her muddy hair, reflecting the love she felt towards the mortal that proved to be her undoing. She is treated as belonging to the Tree constellation when bound thus. When vengeance is answered, the images of her horrid death in her exposed eye burn bright, instilling pure rage in the binder. She is treated as belonging to the skull constellation when bound thus. However, the binder may also reply “Love and Vengeance” and properly elaborate: Myriana throws back her hair, exposing her duality and emits an unearthly, silent scream that sends ripples through any water within 1 mile. She is treated as belonging either to the tree or skull constellation when bound thus, whatever is more beneficent to the binder. Attempts to bind her thus receive a +5 to the binding check.

Granted Abilities:
Myriana grants the following abilities:

Major Granted Abilities:

Blinding Gaze:

As a standard action, you can unleash a fraction of Myriana’s former beauty upon a creature within 30 ft. This is a gaze attack and if the creature fails a Fortitude save, it becomes blinded for rounds equal to 3 + your binder level. In addition, you are immune to being blinded by a nymph’s beauty and similar effects and immune to being killed or stunned by beauty. A creature that succeeds its Fortitude save becomes immune to this ability for 24 hours.

Capstone Empowerment:
As a standard action, the binder can stun a creature within 30 feet with a look. The target must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + spirit’s level + binder’s key ability modifier) or be stunned for 2d4 rounds. Additionally, the effects of Blinding Gaze become permanent.

Minor Granted Abilities:

Ghost’s Caress:

While bound to Myriana, all natural attacks and unarmed strikes executed by the binder benefit from the ghost-touch special quality.
Severed Arms:

Myriana’s arms have been torn off by the dread ogre brutes advancing upon her demesne, yet her spirit retained control over her severed appendages. Binders of Myriana may, at a cost, benefit from this control. As a full round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, by applying either a blade to the red lines drawn in the ceremony or simply ripping the arm away in a display of strength, binders can sever one or both of their arms in a bloody display. This inflicts 2 points of Constitution damage that cannot be healed for as long as Myriana is bound. Severed limbs may be reattached as a standard action by concentrating and holding the limb to the shoulder.

The severed limb is attached to the binder via the threads of Myriana’s might and can freely and quickly dart around the field of battle, allowing the binder to treat melee attacks executed with the severed limb as though the weapon, natural attack or unarmed strike performed with the severed limb had a reach of 20 ft. Unlike other reach weapons, an arm severed thus can freely attack adjacent squares sans incurring a penalty.

For the purpose of sundering the severed limb, the limb shares hit points with the binder (healing of the binder affects the limb, both are considered to be one target for purposes of AoE healing and damaging spells), but is a separate entity: After sustaining damage equal to 3 times the binder’s level + the binder’s Constitution score (Not modifier!), a limb falls to the ground and must be held to the shoulder, where it reattaches and cannot be torn off again for 1d4 x 10 minutes and until the damage incurred is healed.

A severed limb is two size categories smaller than the binder and thus receives appropriate size modifiers to AC, CMB, etc. Heavy Armor hampers the process of separation – this ability can only be used while wearing no armor, light armor, or medium armor that leaves sufficient space for the arms to separate. (GM’s discretion)

Torn Torso:
Binders of Myriana requiring maneuverability over toughness can tear off their lower torso as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, experiencing a fraction of the anguish of Autumn’s Torn Nymph. The binder takes 8 points of Constitution damage that cannot be healed for as long as Myriana is bound. As the binder’s legs and lower torso fall bleeding to the floor, he is kept aloft by Myriana’s power, gaining superb aerial maneuverability and speed. The binder gains a fly speed of 120 ft. with perfect maneuverability.Reattaching the lower torso is a standard action and requires the binder to hold the lower torso to the upper torso.

A Word of Warning:
Careless binders using Myriana’s more visceral abilities should take heed – it is Myriana’s might that reattaches the severed limbs and torso. If her spirit is expelled from the binder, he has to bind her again to reattach the severed limbs and is crippled until she is bound again!

Signs and Influence
Physical Sign: Your hair becomes sodden, as if drenched by swampy water and the red lines drawn upon your body emit a faint glow.
Personality: You oscillate between melancholy and pure hatred. You  have to attempt to stop any violence towards humanoid women, excluding giants, and attack all giants on sight.
Favored Ally: Rangers and Barbarians
Favored Enemy: Giants, ogres in particular.

Vestigial Companion:
Myriana’s vestigial companion depends on her constellation chosen. When bound as a tree spirit, she grants a murder of crows as animal companions. This ability functions as the packlord druid’s pack bond class feature (see PF: Ultimate Magic). One of Myriana’s crows uses the base statistics of the hawk, but also gains the following ability:

Eye Rake (Ex):
Any living creature damaged by one of Myriana’s crows must succeed on a DC 13 Reflex save or be blinded as the crow scratches and tears at the victim’s eyes. The blindness lasts for 1d4 days or until healed with remove blindness. The save DC is Constitution-based. Treat your druid level as your binder level -2 to determine your companion’s abilities. This granted ability replaces Severed Arms.

Enjoy! I hope some of you Pact magic fans out there will find this one useful!

Back to work for me!

Endzeitgeist out.

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