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A '''hextomb bound''' creature is one that has gained longevity (and even nigh-immortality) through the profane forces at work in a hecatomb.

==Creating a Hextomb Bound==
'''Hextomb bound''' is an acquired template that can be applied to any sentient, evil, living creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).

'''Size and Type'''
:The creature’s type does not change, although it does acquire the (Evil) and (Augmented) subtypes. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. 

'''Hit Dice'''
:The base creature's hit dice alter up two steps, so that d4s become d8s, d6s become d10s, and d8s become d12s. If the base creature's hit dice were d10s or d12s, they become d20s.

'''Speed'''
:The base creature's speed in all forms of movement available to them before appliation increases by 10'.

'''Armor Class'''
:The base creature receives a profane bonus to their Armor Class equal to their hit dice. 

'''Attacks'''
:The base creature retains all natural weapons and weapon proficiencies. The hextomb bound's base attack bonus is as a cleric of the same hit dice.

'''Damage'''
:Weapons carried and used by the base creature are considered evil for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

'''Special Attacks'''
:The base creature retains all special attacks. In addition, six times per day the base creature can use ''negative energy burst'', as the spell cast by a cleric of equal hit dice.

'''Special Qualities'''
:The base creature retains all previous special qualities and gains the following:

:''Immunity to Cold (Ex)''
::Hextomb bound creatures are not affected by cold. 

:''Damage Reduction (Ex)''
::A hextomb bound creature has damage deduction 15/good. 

:''Spell Resistance (Ex)''
::A hextomb bound creature has spell resistance 30.

:''Fast Healing (Su)''
::A hextomb bound creature gains fast healing 20 and can reattach missing limbs by holding the severed limb to the wound.

:''Profane Immunity (Su)''
::A hextomb bound creature's profane bonuses apply under any and all conditions short of actual death. This includes in areas where profane bonuses are normally purged.

:''Disease and Poison Immunity (Ex)''
::The hextomb bound creature is immune to all forms of disease and poison.

:''Create Undead (Sp)''
::A hextomb bound creature can create undead through its spell-like abilities. Twelve times a day, a hecatomb bound can cast ''animate dead'', as the spell, as if cast by a 20th level cleric. Six times a day, a hextomb bound creature can cast ''create undead'', as the spell, as if cast by a 20th level cleric. Three times a day, a hextomb bound can cast ''create greater undead'', as the spell, as if cast by a 20th level cleric.

:''Command Undead (Su)''
::A hextomb bound creature can command undead as a cleric of equal hit dice. A hextomb bound always has command of undead it creates.

:''Profane Aura (Su)''
::A hextomb bound creature is the center of a constant ''desecrate'' effect, effective out to 20'. 

:''Eternal Unlife (Su)''
::A hextomb bound creature cannot be killed and is effectively immortal for as long as the other five creatures who performed the hextomb ritual are also alive. Slaying a hextomb bound will cause it to act as if it were dead, but it will only remain that way for 2d4+2 hours before reviving. Slaying all six hextomb bound creatures at the same time will kill all six, though the power of the hextomb itself remains.

:''Aversions (Su)''
::A hextomb bound creature's mind becomes twisted in the process of its transformation. All hextomb bound cannot stand the scent of mint or vanilla, though it does not harm them.

:''Electrical Weakness (Su)''
::A hextomb bound takes one and a half times the normal amount of damage from electrical damage and cannot use its fast healing ability to restore hit points lost to electrical damage.

'''Saves'''
:A hextomb bound creature retains saves it had prior to template application, though it receives a +4 profane bonus to all saving throws.

'''Abilities'''
:The base creature receives a +3 profane bonus to all its ability scores.

'''Skills'''
:The base creature receives a +2 profane bonus to each skill it already has ranks in.

'''Feats and Spells'''
:The base creature retains all feats and spellcasting ability. 

'''Alignment'''
:Always evil. 

'''Advancement'''
:As base creature. 

==Becoming a Hextomb Bound==
In order to become a hextomb bound, the base creature and five other creatures (the ritualists) wishing to become hextomb bound must build a hexagonal mausoleum (a hextomb), ten feet per wall, with six deep graves radiating from the central point.

The ritualists must then gather up 6 innocents a piece, for a total of 36. After casting ''unhallow'' and ''desecrate'' on the hextomb and ''bestow curse'' on each innocent, the ritualists must bury the innocents alive in the six graves. The ritualists must sleep on top of the graves--one per grave--and will acquire the hextomb bound template during the course of the night.

===Destroying a Hextomb Bound===
In order to fully destroy a hextomb bound creature, all six of the hextomb bound who performed the ritual must all be dead at the same time. Note that when slain a hextomb bound remains effectively "dead" for 2d4+2 hours before reviving itself. However, this only destroys their physical bodies. If the hextomb itself is not destroyed within 1d3-1 (0 meaning "immediately") days after the destruction of the ritualists, it raises each of the ritualists as ghosts. The ritualists acquire the effects of the ghost template as well as keep the hextomb bound template. Usually the first thing that the ritualists will do is seek revenge.

In order to destroy the hextomb itself, a ''consecrate'' and ''hallow'' spell must be cast within the hextomb, and ''raise dead'' must be cast on each of the graves inside. Finally, the mausoleum must be destroyed or otherwise taken apart. This can be accomplished while the ritualists are in ghost form, but is easier to accomplish while they are dead.

[[category:Templates]][[category:Undead]][[category:Marranarch]][[category:Red Under Blue]]
[[category:Fax Encyclopedicus]]