Doomguard

The undead forged in ages past by a legendary Lich King, stained by the sin of slaying a god

Base Racial Traits

Ability Score Modifiers: (+2 Strength, +2 Charisma): Doomguard are created with hardy bodies infused with necromantic power that grant them unnatural strength and force of personality.
Size: Doomguard are medium sized creatures, and gain no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Type: Doomguard are creatures of the Undead Type, and do not need to eat, sleep, or breathe. Additionally, as Undead Beings, they do not possess a CON score and cannot adjust it at character creation.
Speed: Doomguard have a base land speed of 30ft.
Vision: Doomguard have Darkvision out to 60ft thanks to their undead heritage.
Languages: Doomguard start play speaking Common and Necril. A Doomguard with High Intelligence can choose from any non-secret languages to represent the countless origins from which they came in life.
Lich King's Love: Doomguard automatically detect all spellcasting that occurs within 60ft of themselves and automatically learn the spell's name and effects if it is of the necromancy school. By concentrating for one full round on a creature or object, they can determine any and all curses or necromantic effects currently affecting the creature or object in question, or the name of a summoned undead creature's master(If they still live).
Horrifying Visage: Venau knights gain a racial +4 to Intimidate and a racial +2 to perception, and treat both as class skills. Additionally, when using the Intimidate skill to demoralize a single creature, Doomguard increase the duration of the shaken condition by 1 round. If the target is shaken for 4 or more rounds, they can instead choose to make them frightened for 1 round.
Icy Baptism: Born in the frigid depths of Lake Kolasi, Doomguard are imbued with a horrifying chill that grants them Immunity to Cold and Uttercold Resist 10. Additionally, when striking a creature with a non-magical melee or ranged attack, they can force the struck creature to treat all squares as difficult terrain for 1 round as hoarfrost clings to their bodies. Once affected, a creature is immune for 1 round.
Doomknight's Bulwark: Doomguard, saved from extinction at the hands of The Doomknight, train unceasingly to make their sworn liege proud - Doomguard gain DR 10/Bludgeoning and Magic and ignore Weapon/Armor training prerequisites on Weapon and Armor Mastery feats. Additionally, when they are reduced to 0HP or below and would normally perish, Doomguard remain alive for 1 round thereafter at full functionality - if they slay a creature during this round, they are returned to 1HP.
Fueled by Fear: Doomguard can, as an immediate action, consume a number of rounds of shaken being suffered by hostile creatures within 30ft equal to their HD OR remove the frightened condition from any hostile creature within 60ft to gain one of the following benefits:

• Take an immediate move action that does not provoke Attacks of Opportunity.
• Make a single melee attack against an adjacent creature.
• Create a 10ft area of icy terrain centered on a point within 30ft that functions as the grease spell, using their HD as the effect's Caster Level.

Godcrusher Corps: Doomguard, veterans of the endless wars preceding the Godsfall, are stained by the divine blood spilled in the war's final battles between the Doomknight, his Undead Legions, and the very Gods themselves - one of which the Doomguard aided him in destroying - thanks to this blasphemous deed, Doomguard are unavoidable stained by the sin of Godslaying and bypass the DR and Resistances of all divine or semi-divine beings and treat all weapons they wield as having the Bane Property against them.
Rise, Ye Damned: Doomguard, as a full-round action, can channel the blasphemous necromantic power contained within them on an intact or mostly intact corpse they can see within 60ft(GM Discretion) - when doing so, they can choose to either force the corpse to answer one question truthfully(As best as they knew in life, No Save) plus an additional question per 5HD they possess OR to raise the creature as an undead with the Skeletal Champion template that is under their command. They may only have one creature raised and under their command in this way at a time, but can release the creature, making them a free-willed nonsentient undead, to thus raise another creature to control. A Venau Knight can give a released undead a set of loose orders or "commands" to follow once released, but can otherwise no longer exert influence over them with this ability. In either case, once this ability has been used on a corpse, it cannot be used on them again. At GM's discretion, certain especially powerful creatures may not be able to be turned into Skeletal Champions with this ability.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Doomguard have two arms and two legs that are attached to a central torso, from the top of which sprouts a head. As they are undead, they lack any functional anatomy and many among them lack flesh at all and are simply skeletons...they are instead animated from roiling masses of negative energy which have been infused with a wholly intact soul pulled from The Great Beyond and returned to a rotting body for a new lease on life. Rather uniquely, they are not formed from fractured remnants of souls as is common for undead raised with intelligence, and the negative energy as well as the soul that animates them simulates many processes that would otherwise be done by their organic systems such as sight, smell, taste, hearing, and so on.

Biological Traits

As they are not "alive" in the traditional sense, Doomguard instead derive their variation and variety in the bodies they inhabit. Their bodies are their personal temples, and each is unique and completely original in its own way...particularly shapely or lifelike bodies, thin and skeleton bodies, or even heavyset and fat bodies...the variety is huge, and dependent on the tastes of the Fleshcrafter or Sculptor who carved their bodies for them.

Genetics and Reproduction

Due to their undead bodies, Doomguard have no genetics and cannot reproduce in the traditional sense. Instead, they are created and made in two parts:

• Step 1. First, a "body" is crafted for their souls to inhabit. While historically this process was invented, pioneered, and done first and greatest by the creator of the Doomguard Barkhan the Eternal, the process has been inherited by the bonesmiths in service of Van Hawk, who go to great lengths to assemble powerful and beautiful bodies out of flesh, bone, and a variety of other ingredients that will one day serve as powerful corporeal forms for a future Doomguard to inhabit. This process can vary, and can be simple skeletons to opulent bodies formed from an amalgam of high-quality corpses.

• Step 2. Though once, in the era before the Godsfall when the lands of the frozen north were united under the rule of the Lich King, the Doomguard were given bodies in grand rituals of summoning known by many, the process has been lost in the chaos of the Godsfall and the wars that proceded it - now, the only known method for imbuing necromantic unlife into a constructed body is by submerging the constructed body in the waters of Lake Kolasi, within the domain of the Kingdom of Crael Adra - domain of the Doomknight Van Hawk. The body, once submerged, will in time slowly develop a nascent intelligence from the millions of souls trapped within the lake and emerged a fully-formed Doomguard.

The secret to implanting a soul is one of the most jealously guarded secrets of the Venau Necrocracy, and though many aspire to earn their Lich King's trust enough to be trusted with that sacred knowledge, almost none make the cut. Often, the process of making a new Doomguard is one done by married or partnered Doomguard who wish to have a child of sorts, in a sort of ceremony that cements their relationship much like intercourse and childbirth is to Humans.

Growth Rate & Stages

As their bodies are dead, Doomguard are incapable of growing as other living races are...the body they inhabit is the one they must live with until they one day succumb to the Soulshivers and die another, final death. Instead, they grow mentally throughout their lives, and start their lives as confused children, living their first decade or two as a child might, reconnecting with their soul and their old life, learning of the world they have been thrust into, and learning until they become a full "adult" mentally around 20 or 30 years of age...though, for especially ancient souls coaxed back to corporeality this time frame can be much, much longer.

Ecology and Habitats

As they are undead, Doomguard have the endurance and longevity to survive in almost any environment. Their bodies, being immune to cold, are naturally suited to conquering and living within the frozen climates of the world though they are yet capable of living anywhere.
Generally, Doomguard are very gentle to their place of habitation, and mostly live off the land or within the cities they are born in as somewhat "retired" creatures, eager to relax and enjoy their new lease on life. They prefer to live quietly for the most part, living slowly and enjoying every minute of their new existences and savoring new experiences...and as a result, they often live in relative peace with their surroundings.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Doomguard do not need to eat, but can taste food and eat it if they so desire to do so...as they get no nutritional value out of it, the Negative Energy animating them can consume anything they eat but gives them no value in doing so.

Biological Cycle

Doomguard are completely unaffected by the passing of time from a biological perspective. Their bodies are already undead, and the Negative Energy animating them is the only biology they have or need.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Doomguard society is one that places heavy emphasis on discipline and law, and rigidity in both spirit and body. As they become more and more susceptible to the insidious Soulshivers with each passing decade and century, Doomguard societies are often disciplined and lean heavily towards Law and Order compared to other races, as they believe that maintaining an orderly lifestyle and a composed mind allows one to better stave off the onset of the Soulshivers and their inevitable slide into madness and slaughter. They often hold each other at a relatively equal level, but tend to follow a rigid military-esque hierarchy where older or more experienced Doomguard hold seniority over newer and more fresh ones...these older Doomguard teach the newly created or younger members of their kind of their new lives and of all its challenges and virtues. Respect is a thing to paid to one's elders no matter what, and Doomguard societies greatly value and revere those among them who have grown old and venerable, as the longer one lasts and stays sane the stronger they are, and the more respected and wise they are seen as.
Though they themselves are quick to embrace change and greatly treasure the idea of changing and adapting, generally, Doomguard societies are slow to put that change into reality and are slow to adapt in practice, as their long lifespans and Undead natures mean they prefer to come to a decision as a group or be assured of their path before they make a choice...they are patient and stable, but following in their creator's ways, once they have decided upon a path or once they have been slighted not even an apocalypse can dissuade them from carrying out what they have resolved themselves to do. In this way, they have a hard time dealing with or understanding the societies of more unstable races such as Humans, who they see as respectably willful but reckless and headstrong.
They also favor the arts and mental disciplines greatly, and all Doomguard, once created, are expected to take up a hobby or an art to keep themselves mentally busy.

Facial characteristics

Doomguard can have a variety of facial features and characteristics as a result of their varied appearances and origins, and they can have features that emulate a myriad of other races or take on a form all their own...generally, however, their faces are typified as gaunt and pallid, with many sporting rotting flesh and chunks missing from their faces and bodies. Others are simply skeletal and lack a face to begin with, while rare Doomguard are sometimes made to be as lifelike as possible and thus can have very realistic features.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Doomguard originate from the frozen lands of the north which once belonged to the Venau Necrocracy(For which they were once named Venau Knights, now named Doomguard to honor their new Liege), and could even be found all across the continent - however, with their numbers depleted by their march to war alongside Van Hawk and the godslaying that ended those horrific wars and then depleted again during the Godsfall as they marched alongside their original creator Barkhan the Eternal one final time as father and sons to destroy Vecna, The Arch-Lich once and for all, they can now be found almost exclusively within the northern lands of Corexus, even more specifically within the borders of the Kingdom of Crael Adra, domain of Van Hawk. A few have roamed outside and into the snow-covered lands of the north, and fewer still have passed down into the lands of central corexus.

Average Intelligence

Being created by the legendary Lich King Barkhan the Eternal and dwelling within the greatest magically-inclined nation on the Western Continent, Doomguard are highly intelligent and refined beings, full of culture and sophistication. Though initially they are the same in death as they were in life, Doomguard possess immense potential and can and often do grow in intelligence and wisdom as they live their unlives thanks to ample access to libraries, magic, and teachings of some of the greatest mages of the Era.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Thanks to the Negative Energy that animates them, Doomguard can see perfectly in darkness out to 60ft.

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

Though their bodies are Undead, Doomguard believe beauty can be found even in their often rotting forms. They believe that a well-crafted body is a thing of beauty, but 'well-crafted' is more nuanced than many know or expect...it does not simply mean 'intact', and can instead mean that a simple skeletal body can be beautiful beyond measure if it is put together well, with good solid bones and well-proportioned construction and even balance. In this way, Doomguard find beauty in the mathematical and architectural aspects of their bodies such as balance, symmetry, and durability and solidity of one's construction..."good bones" is a common turn of phrase or compliment for Doomguard, and is meant to hearken that the given individual has quality parts that make them up.

Gender Ideals

Doomguard have very little distinction between Male and Female gender ideals thanks to their rotting bodies that technically lack gender in most cases, and as such they have little distinction between them, unless a given Doomguard retains the ideals from the race they were in life.
The Ideal Doomguard is one who adheres to the ideals of discipline in both mind and body, embraces order, has one or more hobbies or studies, who engages in frequent physical labor or physical activity such as combat or war, and who doesn't dwell overmuch on their past lives or who they before.

Courtship Ideals

Doomguard courtships are odd things that can seem incredibly off-putting to others not of their kind who view such rituals from the outside. Often, when a Doomguard wishes to court another, they will present a piece of themselves to the subject of their affection as a symbol of their desire to romance or court them. This piece is generally a bone of some sort or some other piece of themselves that won't frighten or scare off living partners...and if their interest is another Undead, they will each exchange a part of themselves to the other to symbolize togetherness and wholesomeness. Once this gift-giving ritual has been performed, Doomguard prefer to court the objects of their affection with conversation and casual talk, often in a friendly and amicable setting where both parties discuss themselves, their lives, and their memories of when they were alive(If both are Undead). In this way, both parties learn of each other and build confidence in one another through a shared rapport.

Relationship Ideals

The Ideal Doomguard relationship is one where experiences are shared openly, activities and day-to-day tasks are done together, and absolute trust is established and held between the partners. They prefer long-lasting and invigorating relationships where both partners can get out and do various activities each day rather than fall into a stagnant routine...as to the Doomguard, stagnancy and routine are the two easiest ways to invite the terror-inducing Soulshivers to claim them and render them mindless and feral. If they are not being mentally invigorated by their partner, they are likely to cordially break it off and go find another.

Average Technological Level

Many Doomguard commonly use an amulet invented by one of their kind that gives them a lifelike appearance, and gives them the senses of a living creature so they can experience sleep, eating, and drinking.

Common Etiquette Rules

Doomguard are often cordial and welcoming to those they meet, unless they are given reason to dislike them...perhaps due to the natural tendency of other creatures to shun them and fear them for being Undead, Doomguard cannot stand those who blindly dislike Undead for their very nature and make no distinction between those who have intelligence and those who don't. To such creatures, they rarely care to be polite at all and simply ignore them or remove themselves or the creature in question from the area.
Otherwise, Doomguard can vary wildly in their etiquette for the simple fact that they were once creatures from any number of races and cultures, and often retain the habits from when they were alive. Though their nature drives them to try to be polite and accepting of others as they know the value of such things, they can embrace the bigotry they so often experience and become hateful and spiteful, or any other number of temperaments.

Common Dress Code

Doomguard often dress in attire that resembles what they once wore in life, meaning they can be found in a myriad of outfits from dozens of races and culture all over Ea. They rarely, however, feel the need to dress warmly or wear many layers thanks to their natural immunity to cold...and many of them, in the absence of a preferred style of attire, often prefer to wear armor of some sort out of both a desire to hide their forms away and a feeling of safety and protection. They often cover their face unless they reside in a land that is accepting of Sentient Undead.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

A very custom observed by Doomguard engaged in a relationship with another creature is to "build" another Doomguard together in an odd analogue to childbirth, where both partners go and find suitable parts and pieces to construct the "body" that all new Doomguard need to be "born"...building this body together, they then take it on a pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Crael Adra, where they submerge the constructed body into the waters of Lake Kolasi, and thus create a new Doomguard to symbolize their love for each other. Thus, they spread new life out into the world and leave something behind for when they are one day gone.
Another common custom observed by Doomguard is one that sees them gift a portion of their own bodies to another creature that they care deeply and immensely for...whether this is a partner or romantic interest, best friend, or trusted ally, the giving of this part symbolizes an absolute trust in the other creature, and a togetherness that cannot be aptly described by words alone.

Common Taboos

For Doomguard, inaction and stagnancy are large taboos for them, as is giving in to one's bestial instincts and becoming 'feral'...the latter is seen as embracing the onset of The Soulshivers and thus will lead to an early grave, while the former is seen as a waste of the new life granted to them by their creators and is said to similarly invite The Soulshivers to take their rotting and inactive minds...for Doomguard believe that if one does not use their minds and mentally stimulate themselves, they will rapidly slide into madness.

History

Formed long ago when the legendary Lich King Barkhan the Eternal formed the country of Venau from the iceblasted wastelands of the north, The Venau Knights, known in the modern day as Doomguard after the chaos of the Godsfall, were born from their liege's unquenchable thirst for power and knowledge that drove him to dabble in forbidden techniques of his own design that manipulated souls themselves. In time, as the Lich King experimented he soon perfected his soul-manipulation and, after crafting a mighty body from the finest corpses, gently coaxed a wholly intact soul from the River of Souls that flows within the Great Beyond and gave his crafted body new life as the first Venau Knight in a monumental display of his nigh-mythical power as a mage.
Once created, the Venau Knights became their lord's first and only truly successful creation...and as more and more of them were created they quickly became the first of his citizens in the newly established Venau Necrocracy, living their lives alongside their liege in the frozen north, carving out a realm where all Undead could live in peace, free from the hatreds and biases of the living. As souls reborn in new bodies, they came from almost every walk of life, every species, and every nationality when they were once alive...thus giving the fledgling Necrocracy dozens of different mindsets and beliefs to draw upon and giving it a beautiful variety. The Venau Knights were quick to embrace the ideals of their Lich King, and worked alongside him to unite the tribes of the frozen north into a truly mighty country that spanned from coast to coast.
In the modern day, however, they are a shadow of their former selves - as their creator has passed from this world into the Great Beyond, leaving his creations without aim or direction or leadership, they have rallied around the one being that saved them from extinction during the Godsfall, Van Hawk the Doomknight. Now, with their numbers depleted, they serve him as faithful squires and live their lives that they might make him proud(even if they do not strictly serve him).

Historical Figures

No figure is more important to the Doomguard than their one true king and creator, Barkhan the Eternal, Lich King of Venau and the father of their race. Said to have invented the techniques of fleshcrafting or fleshsculpting to build their bodies as well as the techniques to coax a soul into them, he is a figure revered by many of them as their one true master.
Similarly, Van Hawk is an equally important figure to them revered as an honored general and savior - as he saved the species from extinction during the chaos of the Godsfall and gave them a new home to thrive within after the chaos of those terrible times.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Doomguard often get along well with other races, so long as they can accept them for their true natures...as they themselves have been persecuted and hunted in times past, they understand and sympathize with races with similar experiences, and know the value of simply being appreciated and treated like an equal.

Alternate Racial Trait List:
No Longer Accurate to the base racial block. Undergoing Rework.
Venau Knight Alternate Racial Traits

Racial Feat List:
No Longer Accurate to the base racial block. Undergoing Rework.
Venau Knight Racial Feats

Origin/Ancestry

Barkhan the Eternal(Creator)

Lifespan

Biologically Immortal. After 350-400 years, their soul begins to detach from their Undead body to the Great Beyond, fracturing their minds and leaving them as monsters. See The Soulshivers for more info.

Conservation Status

Though they were once plentiful and populous across the lands of Corexus, the Doomguard(Formerly known as the Venau Knights) have become a rarity after their numbers were thinned in the cataclysmic wars preceding the Godsfall - where they went to war alongside Van Hawk against the entirety of Corexus and ended up slaying a god in a decades-long campaign of destruction that left nearly 80% of their population destroyed. In the modern day, they can be found mostly in the frozen north.

Average Height

1.4 - 2.0 Meters

Average Weight

40 - 120 kg (Depending on percentage of body left intact after death)

Average Physique

Doomguard have no set physique, as their bodies can vary so wildly in form, appearance, and function that it is difficult to truly define them as one thing. Their bodies can vary wildly, but their general characteristics are often not over 8 feet tall and not under 5 feet, can run the gamut from muscular and stocky to large and fat to even skeletal and bony...and they can even appear lifelike and almost living in appearance or as rotting, shambling corpses, all dependent on their creator and their wishes.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

If they have skin, Doomguard generally have pallid grey and black skin that is the color of rot and death...rarely, if their bodies are made with a particularly high quality or attention to detail, can sometimes have normal pinkish-pale skin or even sometimes green or the colors of other races. Doomguard have no tradition of marking their skin, but some paint themselves to appear more lifelike.

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• Kinslayer Steel

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