The Abiologists of House Oussath

House Oussath

Matriarch: Riss'Umrae Oussath (Impossible-bloodline Sorcerer)

The court of house Oussath comprises a large number of Pseudologoi, male-advisers to the house. A fact which has attracted promising magicians and artisans from other houses as petitioners seeking an opportunity to research, unhindered by material wants. Only the Guild of Crows rivals their research output and no house matches the output of magic items, with many common items first being exclusive to the house's artisans.



The matriarch and founder of the house believes that only the iron-willed deserve person-hood and that mind truly rules matter. This is exemplified by the house's minimalist sigil which is a lone iron band, representing the mind encompassing all else. Her goals are nothing short of using magic to engineer a superior Drow.

This begins with the house's obsession with corpsecrafting and animate dead. A servitor of the house with enhanced strength, resiliance and utterly loyal - animated by the will of its creator. Were it not for the lack of mind exhibited by the creature it would be considered perfect.

All within the household of Oussath, servants and nobles alike, including the Matriarch, bare their 'Mark of Loyalty'. A cursed magic item that manipulates thoughts and emotions of the weak-willed to be utterly loyal to the house, and with freedom comparable to the houses undead servitors, without compromising their ability for independent thought. This has caused many to accuse the house of having a Lawful alignment, or worse a lack of  passion and ambition. The other houses have tried, repeatedly, to reverse-engineer this token for themselves but the magical formula has been designed to resist this and any such clones are insidiously flawed to the Oussath's benefit. Attempts to develop a similar token from first-principles result in designs too expensive to be worthwhile.

Only those with the will to resist the charm of the item regularly and consistently are considered anything more than animals. Resisting the orders of house members is cause either for execution as a liability, or promotion to nobility for their mental potential.

Outside the house, they are most known for the constant supply of magical items that leave their workshops for the markets of the Jadetower and the development of many new magical devices and forms of undead that were at one time unique to their workshops: including Augmentation Implants and Animate Armour.

As part of their plans to architect the super-drow the Matriarch has comissioned the construction of a new ward of the city: the Undergrottos. A network of tunnels dug beneath the Pit that grows every day like an ant's colony. Only those baring the Mark of Loyalty are admitted, and only those the house perceives as having skills worth purchasing. Those who live within claim it to be a utopia compared to the Pit; free of strife, poverty, religion and ambition  - only peace and loyalty. Most listen to these descriptions and feel uneasy, like a part of the Drow race has been removed and their friends are lesser for it.

This rigidly ordered society has caused many to accuse the Matriarch and the house of being aligned with infernals.

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Specialist Equipment

Tunnel Drill

100gp

A magical device designed to efficiently tunnel beneath the Pit and was heavily used for the construction of the Undergrottos. Allows the character to tunnel through stone or any material of hardness 8 or less at a rate of 5ft depth per round. If the tunnel becomes excessively deep then care must be taken to avoid a collapse or other accident.

It can be used as a two-handed improvised weapon (with -4 to hit) dealing 3d6 piercing damage.

Oussath Mark of Loyalty

40gp, Slot: Head (cursed); Faint Enchantment, Caster Level 3

A small, cursed, magical item in the shape of an open circle cast in iron. It is attached to a character's forehead, where it bonds and cannot be removed. Thereafter the character's emotions and thoughts are manipulated so as to make attacking or hindering members of house Oussath more difficult while marking the character's thoughts as the property of the house. No attempt is made to conceal the item's nature and those who bare the mark do so through either bargain or coercion.

The mark behaves as a Charm Person spell, cast upon the character any time they encounter someone identified as a member of House Oussath (i.e. wearing their sigil and colours). They must react favourably to them and may not take hostile actions against them unless commanded otherwise by another member of the house. This compulsion can be thwarted by making a Will save against DC 12. The marked character normally receives only one save per member of house Oussath in each 24 hour period, regardless of the outcome, however violence towards the marked character (or threats of violence) will allow a new saving throw with a +5 modifier.

This ability does not function if the marked character has any reason to doubt the legitimacy of those they are dealing with and may be entitled to a perception and/or sense motive check against impostors.

The item cannot ordinarily be removed unless the curse is first lifted by a spell, for example Remove Curse or Wish.

When created this item may be upgraded to include the enchantment of any other head-slot item. Headbands of Intellect are the most common such item.

Crafting Requirements: Craft Wondrous Item, Charm Person, 20gp of crafting materials.

Augmentation Feats

Animate Armour Mastery [Combat, Augmentation]

Prerequisite: Heavy Armour Proficiency
Benefit: When wearing Animate Armour you may use your own Dexterity score instead of the armour's, whichever is highest. In addition you now benefit fully from morale bonuses to both Strength and Dexterity.
Normal: When wearing Animate Armour you treat your Dexterity score as 10 and do not benefit from any morale bonuses to either Dexterity or Strength.

Implant Acceleration [Combat, Augmentation]

Prerequisite: Augmentation Implants

Benefit: In addition to their normal enchantment Augmentation Implants provide one half their normal enhancement bonus to Strength as an enhancement bonus to Dexterity.

Powerfist [Combat, Augmentation]

Prerequisite: Augmentation Implant, Improved Unarmed Strike

Benefit: You may increase your unarmed attack damage to 1d8 (1d6 if small, 2d6 if large), unless it would otherwise be greater.

Shockfist [Combat, Augmentation]

Prerequisite: Powerfist

Benefit: Grants +1 electrical damage on all unarmed attacks. A number of times per day equal to 2 plus your Constitution modifier (if you have one), you may add 1d6 electrical damage to your unarmed attacks. You must declare that you are using this ability before you make the attack and the use is expended regardless.

Special: At 5rd level, and every 5 levels thereafter, the bonus damage increases by 1d6

Magic Overloading [Arcane]

Prerequisite: Ability to cast a spell of second level or higher
Benefit: As a standard action you may touch an ally with either Augmentation Implants or Animate Armour and sacrifice a spell of level 1 or more to grant the ally d8 per spell-level temporary hitpoints and increase the enhancement bonus of their Augmentation Implant by the spell-level or add the spell-level as an enhancement bonus to the Strength of their Animate Armour.
Both bonuses last 1 round per spell-level.
Special: If using it on themselves the caster needs only a Swift action to activate this ability.

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NPCs

Oussath Guard, CR1/2

2HD Medium Humanoid (Drow) Warrior 2

Init +0; Perception +3, Darkvision 120ft

DEFENCE

Wound Points 11

Armour Resistance 4

AC 18 - Touch 10, Flatfooted 18 (+8 armour)

Fort +3; Refl +0; Will +1 (+2 vs Enchantment)

Immunity to Sleep; Light Blindness
Spell Resistance 8

OFFENCE

Speed 30ft

MELEE Greatsword +7 (2d6+6 slashing, Crit 19-20)

RANGE Crossbow +2 (d10, Crit 20, Poison)

Space 5ft; Reach 5ft;

Special: Drow SLA

STATISTICS

Str 18 Dex 10 Con 11 Int 11 Wis 12 Cha 12

BAB+2; CMB+6, CMD 16

Feat: Weapon Focus (Greatsword)

Skills: Intimidate +6, Craft Armor +5, Perception +3

Languages: Undercommon, Drow

Gear: +1 Animate Splint Mail, Greatsword, Heavy Crossbow, 30 bolts (Drow Poison), Oussath Mark of Loyalty, Cure Light Wounds potion, Shield potion

Oussath Augyr, CR2

3HD Medium Humanoid (Drow, Augmented) Fighter 3

Init +1; Perception +2, Darkvision 120ft

DEFENCE

Wound Points 10, Vitality 21

Armour Resistance 4

AC 17 - Touch 10, Flatfooted 17 (+7 armour)

Fort +5; Refl +1; Will +1 (+2 vs Enchantment, +1 vs Fear)

Immunity to sleep; Light Blindness
Spell Resistance 9

OFFENCE

Speed 20ft

MELEE Magic Unarmed +6 (damage d8+3 blunt +1 electric, Crit 20)

RANGE Throwing Axe +3 (damage d6+2 slashing, Crit 20, Range Increment 10ft)

Full Attack: Two Unarmed attacks +4/+4 (both d8+3 blunt +1 electric)

Space 5ft, Reach 5ft;

Special: Drow SLA, Shockfist 1d6 (2/day)

STATISTICS

Str 15, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 10

BAB+3; CMB+5, CMD 16

Feats: Two Weapon Fighting, Improved Unarmed Strike, Powerfist, Shockfist, Bravery +1, Armor Training +1

Skills: Craft Alchemy +6, Know Engineering +6, Perception +2 (ACP-6)

Languages: Undercommon, Drow

Gear: Splint Mail, 2x Throwing Axe, Oussath Mark of Loyalty, Augmentation Implants +2 with +1 weapon enchantment, Cure Moderate Wounds potion, Web Grenade

Shockfist (2/day): Adds 1d6 electrical damage to an unarmed attack.

Oussath Abiologist, CR2

3HD Medium Humanoid (Drow) Wizard 3

Init +2; Perception +2, Darkvision 120ft

DEFENCE

Wound Points 9, Vitality 8

Armour Resistance 0

AC 15 - Touch 15, Flatfooted 10 (+3 class, +2 dex)

Fort +0; Refl +2; Will +4 (+2 vs Enchantment)

Immunity to magic sleep; Light blindness
Spell Resistance 9

OFFENCE

Speed 30ft

MELEE Rapier +0 (damage d6-1 piercing, Crit 18-20)

RANGE Crossbow +3 (damage d8 piercing, Crit 19-20)

Space 5ft; Reach 5ft;

Special: Drow SLA, Command Undead DC11 (4/day), Grave Touch (4/day), Bonded ring(1/day)

STATISTICS

Str 8 Dex 14 Con 9 Int 13 Wis 10 Cha 11

BAB+1; CMB+0, CMD 12

Feats: Craft Wonderous Item, Corpse Crafter, Scribe Scroll, Specialist Necromancer, Prohibited Conjuration and Illusion

Skills: Know Religion +7, Know Arcana +7, Spellcraft +7, Perception +2

Languages: Undercommon, Drow, Draconic

Gear: Spellbook, Light crossbow, 30 bolts (drow poison), rapier, bonded ring, Cloak of Protection +1, Piercing Spell minor metamagic rod (3/day), Oussath Mark of Loyalty, 2x Pearl of Fireball 2d6, 1st level Pearl of Power, 2x Augmented Zombie henchmen

SPELLS PREPARED

Base Save DC 12; Caster Level 3; Concentration +4

Cantrips: Touch of Fatigue, Jolt (d3), Mage Hand, Message, Prestidigitation

1st: Ray of Enfeeblement (d6+2), Cause Fear, Burning Hands, Shield

2nd: Animate Dead, Blindness

Bonded ring (Sp): The abiologist's ring can be used once per day to cast any one spell that the abiologist has in their spellbook and is capable of casting, even if the spell is not prepared. This spell cannot be modified by metamagic feats or other abilities. This ability cannot be used to cast spells from the abiologist's opposition schools (enchantment or illusion).

Augmented Zombie henchmen: The abiologist is assumed to already have at least 2 zombies (see below) as though they had animated them themselves using Animate Dead. The abiologist can control up to 12 HD of undead directly using Animate Dead and 3 more HD using Command Undead.

Corpse Crafter: Each undead you raise or create with any necromancy spell gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and +2 hit points per Hit Die.

Grave Touch (Sp): Standard action melee touch attack. Inflicts the Shaken condition on a living creature for 1 round.

Piercing Spell: Treats the Spell Resistance of the target as 5 lower than its actual SR

Augmented Zombie, CR 1/2

NE 2HD Medium Undead

Init +0; Perception +0, Darkvision 60ft

DEFENCE

HP 16

Armour Resistance 0; DR 5/slashing

AC 12 - Touch 10, Flatfooted 12 (+2 natural)

Fort +5; Refl +0; Will +3

Immunity undead traits

OFFENCE

Speed 30ft;

MELEE Slam +6 (1d6+6)

STATISTICS

Str 21 Dex 10 Con - Int - Wis 10 Cha 10

BAB +1; CMB +6; CMD 16;

Feats: Toughness (B)

Special Qualities: Staggered