Madborn Creature

Madborn creatures are poor souls that have come in contact with a Madstone and have been taken by its telepathic attack. Physically, madborn creatures look much as they do otherwise, except that the madborn creature is feral and uncaring of its appearance or the condition of its belongings. It's mind is now overridden by the Madstone and seeks to do only as it is directed. Madstones are a universal term for an immobile telepathic intelligence that generates a hive mind effect among those it takes. The first Madstone was rumored to be a cracked, but not destroyed, Khyber dragonshard somewhere in northern Karrnath that still holds the essence of a captured fiend. Rumors persist that similar entities are bound in the giant ruins of southern Xen'Drik or in the depths of the Demon Wastes.

Creating a Madborn Creature

"Madborn" is an acquired template that can be applied to any giant, humanoid or monstrous humanoid with an Intelligence of at least 3 (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A madborn creature uses all of the base creature's statistics and abilities except as noted here.

CR: Same as base creature +1.

Size and Type: Same as base creature.

Alignment: A madborn creature is always neutral, although the intelligence that is acting through it most certainly is not.

AC: Same as base creature with a -1 penalty from the Dexterity penalty and a -2 to AC for raging. If the base creature would normally use a shield that requires a hand to use, the madborn creature does not use it and thus would not get the shield bonus.

Hit Dice: Same as base creature, but +2 hp per Hit Dice for the bonus to Constitution for raging.

Defensive Abilities: Same as base creature, but a +2 to Will saves for raging.

Speed: Same as base creature.

Attacks: Same as base creature, modified for the adjustments to their attributes. If the base creature has the option to swing a weapon two-handed, it will always use that option. If it has the option to use Power Attack, it will always use it.

Damage: Same as base creature, modified for the adjustments to their attributes. If the base creature has the option to swing a weapon two-handed, it will always use that option. If it has the option to use Power Attack, it will always use it.

Space / Reach: Same as base creature.

Special Attacks: Same as base creature.

Abilities: A madborn creature is in a state of perpetual rage, giving it a +4 to Strength and Constitution, -2 to Dexterity (minimum of 1) and a -4 to Intelligence (minimum of 1).

Feats: Same as base creature, except a madborn creature gets Power Attack as a bonus feat, even if it does not qualify for it.

Skills: Same as base creature, modified by the difference in attribute modifiers for Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence. Do not recalculate the number of skill ranks a madborn creature has for the penalty to Intelligence.

Special Qualities: Same as the base creature, except as noted here.

Rage (Ex): Madborn creatures are under a perpetual state of rage, giving them their bonuses and penalties to their attributes. Effects that end rage affect the madborn creature as well, but as soon as the effect ends, the rage adjustments come back. Except as noted above, this is identical to the barbarian rage class feature.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): A madborn creature gains the following as spell-like abilities. The madborn creature uses its Hit Dice as its caster level. Saving throw DCs are Charisma based.

At Will - Cause Fear, Daze Monster, Expeditious Retreat, Lesser Confusion.

Tottering Blows (Ex): A madborn creature has poor coordination and does not adjust to changes in circumstances well. Any time a madborn creature misses on an melee attack, it becomes flat-footed until the beginning of its next turn.

Will of the Madstone (Ex): Madborn creatures are always linked with the parasitic hive mind that caused their change in the first place and thus is always in communication with every other madborn created by the same source. If any madborn creature is aware of a threat, all madborn creatures from the same source are also aware of the same threat, meaning that if one madborn is not surprised, then none of them are. Likewise, if any madborn is not being flanked itself and is aware of a threat that would cause another madborn of the same source to be flanked, then the other madborn creature is immune to being flanked. This effectively means that unless all madborn in a group are being flanked, then none of them are effected by being flanked. This telepathic link can reach anywhere on the same plane, but does not cross planar boundaries. Attempts to severe this telepathic link require a DC 35 caster level check, in addition to whatever methods the madborn creature has itself to resist.

Environment: Cold forests

Organization: Solitary, pair or packs (5-8). Madborn creatures naturally congregate and thus it is rare to encounter a single madborn creature.

Treasure: Same as base creature.

Source: FN, pg. 125