Ghedan

Ghedans are a species of "half-undead" from Dungeons & Dragons. A racial template introduced in 3rd edition, Ghedans represent mortals who are half-Walking Dead. Ghedens are spawned by melding mortal essence with zombies, skeletons, or other undead automatons. They rarely occur without the intervention of a necromancer or evil deity, although botched resurrections sometimes bring the unfortunate soul back as a gheden.

A gheden is a gray, corpse-like being with hollow, black eyes and a distant expression. It often smells of freshly dug earth. Ghedens range from extremely gaunt to thick and muscular. They are the least powerful of the half-undead, but their inability to feel pain gives them an edge in combat.

Special Qualities: A gheden has all the special qualities at the base creature and those common all half-undead (see Half-Undead Traits. It also the following special qualities.

Dead Nerves (Ex): A gheden has a weak sense of touch and is incapable of feeling pain. It is unaffected by nonlethal damage, stunning and death by massive damage. This lack of sensation also imposes a -8 penalty on any skill check that involves fine motor control or a sense of touch, such as Open Lock or Sleight of Hand checks, but grants a +4 bonus on Concentration checks provoked by damage.

Detect Mindless Undead (Sp): At will, a gheden can detect any form of mindless undead. This ability works like the detect undead spell (caster level equals gheden's total HD), but it only detects mindless undead.

Immunities (Ex): A gheden is immune to fear and confusion effects.

Abilities: Change from the base creature as follows: Str +4, Dex -2, Int -2, Cha -4.

Skills: Ghedens have a +4 racial bonus on Intimidate checks.

Feats: Ghedens gain Endurance, Diehard, and Toughness as bonus feats.

Organization: Solitary, gange (2-4 normal base creatures and 2-4 ghedens).

Alignment: Often neutral evil.

Level Adjustment: Same as the base creature +1.

A Ghedan has certain qualities it shares with all of its fellow "Half-Undead"; the Katane, Fetch and Ghul. These traits are listed as the Half-Undead Super Template, meaning these special qualities are common to all four racial templates.

Half-Undead Super-Template:

Call of Undeath (Ex): A half-undead has a 3% chance per Hit Dice that it will rise as a full undead of its progenitor type upon its death.

Darkvision (Ex): A half-undead gains Darkvision 60 feet, unless it already has a better range of darkvision.

Detection (Ex): A half-undead registers as an Undead creature of half its actual Hit Dice for spells/abilities that detect the undead.

Fortification (Ex): A half-undead has a 50% chance to negate critical hits and sneak attacks. If granted Fortification from a suit of magic armor, use the superior change.

Immunity to Energy Drain (Ex)

Necrotic Life: When attacked by a spell or effect that deals hit point damage with negative energy, a half-undead takes half-damage on a failed save and no damage on a successful save.

Slow Aging (Ex): Upon reaching maturity, a half-undead ages at one quarter (1/4th) the normal rate for its living race.

Turn Kind (Ex): A half-undead Cleric gains a +2 bonus on checks made to turn, rebuke, command or bolster undead of its progenitor type.

Vulnerability to Holy Water (Ex): A half-undead takes 1d4 damage per flask of holy water it is hit with.

Vulnerability to Turning (Ex): Clerics can attempt to turn or rebuke the half-undead as if it were truly undead. If the attempt would be powerful enough to affect an undead of equivalent Hit Dice, the half-undead suffers a -4 penalty to all attacks, saves, skill checks and ability checks for 10 rounds or until the cleric who turned/rebuked it attacks the half-undead. If the attempt would be powerful enough to command or destroy an undead of equivalent Hit Dice, the half-undead is Stunned for 2d4 rounds instead.

Saves: +2 racial bonus on all saves against fear, poison, disease, paralysis and necromancy spells.