Dustmen Scalable Templates

You’re already dead; you just don’t know it yet. At least, that’s what the Dustmen would have you believe. Everything on this side exists because of fear. Fear of what lies beyond the veil. Emotions are the fetters that keep the multiverse from going to its true resting grounds. True transcendence cannot take place until everything gives over to the True Death. Only then will the veil be lifted.

Problem is, trying to speed up the process only serves to fetter one more firmly to this false life. If nothing else, the Dustmen could claim they are more patient than anyone. But that would be bragging – an emotional response to a truth the Dustmen believe: eventually everyone joins their faction. You could try to get a rise out of them by calling them “Dusties,” but it usually elicits no reaction. To the rest of the multiverse, they’re as much fun as the dead.

The state of content indifference disturbs most people. The Dustmen may sigh and shake their heads, but most don’t see the need. The point isn’t to ignore or pity those who don’t believe, but not to give in to the fear of the multiverse itself.

The Dustmen are also quick to point out that any attempt to speed up the process only makes it unattainable. True Death can only come to those who don’t actively pursue anything. One must simply exist to gain True Death, as it comes at a time of its choosing. After all, it is only a natural part of existence, unfitting for it to be met with emotions.

The Dustmen enjoy a weird state of satisfaction for a group so emotionally detached. Their stoicism and dispassionate state keep the Dustmen from somehow going mad. The faction has no real enemies, which keeps them out of many of the turf wars of Sigil. Unless, of course, you count groups who go around resurrecting the dead.

If anything, the Dusties don’t take it kindly when you bring back the dead. They claim you rob the poor sod of his chance to move closer to the True Death. Most often, they don’t care what you do because it’s only delaying the inevitable. However, should you attempt such an act in their faction’s headquarters, you’ll quickly learn how the Dustmen handle violations of their philosophy.

Dusties templates use all the base creature's statistics and special abilities unless noted otherwise.

Belief Point Cost: 1

Special Attacks: None.

Special Qualities: As a result of their views, Dusties gain the extraordinary ability Dead Truce.

Dead Truce (Ex): Undead view Dustmen as fellow undead. So long as the Dustie leaves the undead alone, they won’t attack the character.

Saves: Same as the base creature.

Abilities: Same as the base creature.

Skills: Same as the base creature.

Feats: Same as the base creature.

Drawbacks: Namers only have a 50% chance of being successfully resurrected or any other method that brings a dead character back to life. Namers also have a 50% chance every level of gaining 1d4 Apathy Points.

Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature.

Organization: Same as the base creature.

Challenge Rating: Up to 3 HD, same as the base creature.

3 HD to 7 HD, same as the base creature +1.

8+ HD, same as the base creature +2.

Treasure: Same as the base creature.

Alignment: Same as the base creature.

Advancement: Same as the base creature.

Initiate (Factotum)

Belief Point Cost: 10

Special Attacks: None.

Special Qualities: Same Factotums of the Dustmen may command undead.

Command Undead (Ex): The Initiate may command undead as a cleric equal to four levels lower than his character level. Dustmen who have levels as a cleric command as if they were one level higher than their character level. The undead commanded thusly serve the Dustman until he relinquishes control. This ability does not require the Dustman to possess the cleric’s ability to turn/rebuke undead.

Saves: Same as the base creature.

Abilities: Same as the base creature.

Skills: Same as the base creature.

Feats: Same as the base creature.

Drawbacks: Initiates only have a 25% chance of being successfully resurrected or any other method that brings a dead character back to life. Initiates also have a 50% chance every level of gaining 1d4 Apathy Points and a 25% chance of gaining 2d4 Apathy Points.

Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature.

Organization: Same as the base creature.

Challenge Rating: Up to 3 HD, same as the base creature +1.

3 HD to 7 HD, same as the base creature +2.

8+ HD, same as the base creature +3.

Treasure: Same as the base creature.

Alignment: Same as the base creature.

Advancement: Any Neutral. If the character’s alignment doesn’t have a neutral aspect, choose either the good-evil or law-chaos axis to be shifted.

Initiate of the First Circle (Factor)

Belief Point Cost: 20

Special Attacks: None.

Special Qualities: Initiates of the First Circle may command undead.

Improved Command Undead (Sp): Initiates of the First Circle command undead as a cleric equal to two levels lower than their character level. Those with levels as a cleric command as if they were two levels higher than their character level. The undead commanded thusly serve the Dustman until he relinquishes control. This ability does not require the Dustman to possess the cleric’s ability to turn/rebuke undead.

Saves: Same as the base creature.

Abilities: Same as the base creature.

Skills: Same as the base creature.

Feats: Same as the base creature.

Drawbacks: Initiates only have a 10% chance of being successfully resurrected or any other method that brings a dead character back to life. Initiates of the Forst Circle also have a 25% chance every level of gaining 1d4 Apathy Points, a 25% chance of gaining 2d4 Apathy Points, or a 25% chance of gaining 3d4 Apathy Points.

Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature.

Organization: Same as the base creature.

Challenge Rating: Up to 3 HD, same as the base creature +3.

3 HD to 7 HD, same as the base creature +4.

8+ HD, same as the base creature +5.

Treasure: Same as the base creature.

Alignment: Same as the base creature.

Advancement: Any Neutral.

Factol

Belief Point Cost: 20

Special Attacks: None.

Special Qualities: Same as the base creature.

Undead Cadre (Su): The factol of the Dustmen gains the ability to lead undead in a manner not unlike the Leadership feat. The cadre of undead is comprised of free-willed undead who gain a +4 turn resistance (which stacks with any turn resistance they already possess but not with the +4 turn resistance of summoned undead). The factol may command up to five times his leadership score of undead lacking free will as a result of this ability. Other abilities for controlling undead stack with this one.

Saves: Same as the base creature.

Abilities: Same as the base creature.

Skills: Same as the base creature.

Feats: Same as the base creature.

Drawbacks: The Dustman factol cannot be brought back to life if slain. Factols also have a 25% chance every level of gaining 1d4 Apathy Points, a 25% chance of gaining 2d4 Apathy Points, or a 25% chance of gaining 3d4 Apathy Points.

Climate/Terrain: Same as the base creature.

Organization: Same as the base creature.

Challenge Rating: Up to 3 HD, same as the base creature +4.

3 HD to 7 HD, same as the base creature +5.

8+ HD, same as the base creature +6.

Treasure: Same as the base creature.

Alignment: Same as the base creature.

Advancement: Any Neutral.

The Hopeful

Of all the divisions within the Dustmen, this one must be the most humorous, for non-faction members, that is. It would seem that a there’s a group of Dusties who believe that on the other side of the True Death is a new life. So, they appear to have a hope that once everyone gives themselves over to the True Death, life will begin anew. Of course, most of the Dustmen don’t believe this tripe and chalk it up to wishful thinking.

Interestingly enough, the hopeful can be found throughout the ranks of the Dusties. There’s no telling if a member of the faction, be they members of a prestige class or not, ascribes to this rather strange view. Perhaps most annoying to the rest of the faction (if they could ever be said to be annoyed), is that these berks are the ones who non-faction members are most likely to warm up to. In this way, as wild as their belief may be askew from the traditional view of the faction, they’re the ones most likely to attract new members to the faction.

The Morticians Union

Comprised solely of Dustmen with the pall bearer prestige class, this group of Dusties are the members of the faction who oversee the animation or disposal of corpses. The union tasks itself with the daily operations of the faction’s Sigil headquarters. While any faction member may enter the Mortuary and assist with the disposal of the dead, it is at the tolerance of the union. As such, many faction members assigned or volunteering to help the Mortuary staff find themselves employed in odd jobs from bookkeeping to stacking bodies for a shipment to the Elemental Plane of Fire.

The Morticians Union isn’t an official group or designation within the faction. Nobody really cares about how this group came to dominate the disposal process or why it is that they are the ones who repair the undead staffing the faction’s bases of operation. Additionally, a small staff within the union deals primarily with the repairing of faction members from both physical and mental wounds, such as Apathy.

Keepers of the Dead Book

Nobody truly knows where this group got their start or what it is that they do. The keepers of the Dead Book have a secret library somewhere where they have vast tomes filled with names. It’s believed that this library is also where such monstrous tomes are created and kept in reserve for the specific task of this group. What isn’t a secret is that the chroniclers of the dead are all considered a part of this group and that they go about the multiverse collecting names of the dead.

The chroniclers of the dead aren’t too keen about discussing these tomes with anyone. This is in spite of the fact that one of the chroniclers sits within the Mortuary behind a massive tome and records the names of the dead within the walls of the building as well as those brought to the chronicler manning the book by lower-level chroniclers. Since they’re supposed to be without emotions, few Dustmen are curious or eager enough to peer at the books contents and draw the eye of the inscriber of the moment. Since the book is always manned by one chronicler or another, there aren’t any opportunities for people to spy through its pages.Why: As part of the templates I'm using to run a pre-FW campaign and to provide interesting characters post-FW with "relic" feats and PrCs.Pro: It allows for the play of the Dustmen pre- and post- Faction War.

Con: Not unless they have a problem with the Dustmen in general.