Design Day: Anatia, the Witch Queen

Today, we’ll be taking a break from rebuilding the monk, and we’re going to move into the realm of the dark arts… In honor of Carrion Crown, I thought I’d try my hands at building a haunt. But just building a haunt wouldn’t be enough for you guys, would it? Nah, you deserve more than that. So…instead, I present…

Anatia, the Witch Queen!

Anatia was an ancient, powerful witch whose mastery over the dark arts struck fear into the hearts of all those she encountered. And as she traveled and conquered, she only grew more powerful. It was not until she entered the realms of the undead that someone dared challenge her. The White Hand, who had been keeping tabs on this powerful witch for a long time now, made their move when it appeared that she might be growing powerful enough to overcome them. The Hand himself sought her out and captured her. He brought her back to his palace, and before all of his Dread Lords, he burned the witch on a massive pyre.

Those present heard only howls of pain as her flesh bubbled and curled, but in fact she was casting a powerful and forbidden spell, that her spirit might survive the ordeal. And so as her body burned, she ascended beyond the pain and transformed into a haunting spirit, that she might wander the world and seek her revenge against the undead who sought to destroy her.

--

So Anatia herself is a haunt. She can either be found wandering the world at random, or she can be summoned by a ritual that requires 5 arcane spellcasters of at least caster level 5, 3 full days, and bloodletting from the participants that deals 3 constitution damage.

And here’s the haunt:

Anatia, the Witch Queen CR 8

XP 4,800

NE haunt (45 ft by 45 ft area, Persistent)

Caster Level 12th

Notice Perception DC 20 (to hear the sound of soft humming)

hp 36; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 day or special (see below)

Effect When this haunt is triggered, a ghostly woman manifests in the center of the haunt’s area, and she turns toward the creature with the highest CR within her area. The creature is then subject to a hold monster spell (DC 20). If the spell succeeds, the ghostly woman moves toward the creature at a speed of 10 feet per round.

Once she is standing beside the creature, it opens its mouth and she attempts to force herself into the creature’s body. The creature must then make a will save (DC 20) or becomes the target body of a reincarnate spell, reviving Anatia. This differs from the normal reincarnate in that the creature targeted is the new body and it takes only 1 round to cast (instead of 10 minutes). When she reincarnates, her familiar—a raven named Tallos—materializes on her new shoulder.

If she fails at casting hold monster or reincarnate on a creature, she lets loose an ear-piercing scream and the haunt disperses until its reset time is up. If she succeeds in reincarnating herself into a creature, the haunt does not reset until 1 hour after the new body is destroyed.

Destruction Only the death of The Hand, leader of the White Hand, can bring Anatia peace. If the remains of the lich’s destroyed phylactery are brought to Anatia, she will leave the material plane forever.

--

So she wanders the world, searching for a creature to possess, that she might seek her revenge on the White Hand for her death. But all that means nothing if you don’t have a witch to reincarnate, am I right? So here she is: Anatia in her true form.

Anatia, the Witch Queen

Female Human Witch 12

NE medium humanoid (human)

Init +4; Senses Perception +2

DEFENSE

AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10
HP 80 (12d6+36)
Fort +7, Ref +6, Will +10
Defensive Abilities ; Immune

OFFENSE

Spd 30 ft.

Melee touch spell +5

Ranged ranged spell +6

Special Attacks Hexes: Charm, Evil Eye, Flight, Slumber, Ward, Retribution, Hoarfrost*

Spells (CL 12^th, concentration +17, Plague Patron)

6^th – create undead, true seeing

5^th – baleful polymorph, cloudkill, dominate person, hold monster

4^th – animate dead, black tentacles, enervation, phantasmal killer

3^rd – contagion, bestow curse, ray of exhaustion, speak with dead, suggestion

2^nd – command undead, daze monster, enthrall, glitterdust, summon swarm

1^st – detect undead, cause fear, command, enlarge person, mage armor, ray of enfeeblement

0 – bleed, dancing lights, read magic, resistance

STATISTICS

Str 8, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 20, Wis 14, Cha 11

Base Atk +6; CMB +5; CMD 15

Feats Improved Initiative, Toughness, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Eschew Materials, Spell Focus (Conjuration), Spell Focus (Necromancy)

Skills Fly +15, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge (history) +20, Knowledge (Planes) +20, Spellcraft +20, Use Magic Device +15

Languages Common, Aklo, Draconic, Infernal, Abyssal, Celestial

SQ  Familiar (Raven)

--

I’m not statting out the raven because it’s pretty basic, suffice to say that its name is Tallos and its language is Aklo. It is a vile bird whom always urges Anatia to perform cruel acts in the name of vengeance.

You may note that I gave Anatia no gear. If you haven’t thought of why I’d do that already, here’s the explanation: her gear is dependent on the creature she inhabits. The haunt targets a creature and forces them to be her new reincarnated body, so there’s no telling what sorts of equipment she’ll have. In a warrior, she’ll gain armor and weapons, while a mage might provide exactly what she needs. It makes the concept interesting and makes her a very customizable NPC, based on your home game.

I hope you enjoy her, and maybe even use her in your games!

-Chris