Hoard-Bonded Creature (CR +2)

A hoard-bonded creature has grown so attached to the treasures it possesses that it gains powers from them as long as they are secure, even if they aren’t currently in the creature’s possession. While many hoard-bonded creatures are dragons, whose love of treasure and innate magic powers makes the leap to full hoard-bonding easier, other kinds of hoard-bonded creatures exist as well. Mummies who rest in their own tomb often become hoard-bonded to the things buried with them. Vampires and liches may bond to items that were of significance in their living existence. Giants often have a hoard-bonded chieftain who is treated as semi-divine for being able to call upon the clan’s greatest relics. Minotaurs who have vast wealth within a labyrinth, and sphinxes with strongholds guarded by trapped riddles are also classic hoard-bonded options.

Creating a Hoard-Bonded Creature

Any creature with treasure can be a hoard-bonded creature.

CR: +2

Hit Dice: The hoard-bonded creature’s hit dice do not change, but it does gain bonus hit points equal to its new CR total x2.

Saves: A hoard-bonded creature gains a luck bonus equal to 1/3 its CR before adding this template (minimum +1) to all saves. All objects in its hoard are considered attended and receive saving throws, and also gain the same luck bonuses to saves.

DR and SR: A hoard-bonded creature does not gain DR or SR, but if the base creature has them, they increase by 2.

Save DCs: The save DC of any spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability the hoard-bonded creature has increases by +2 as long as it is hoardlinked to at least one item from its hoard.

Special Abilities: The hoard-bonded creature gains the following special abilities.

Hoard (Ex): A hoard-bonded creature has a single, well-defined and secure hoard. This is normally kept in its lair and protected by being in a secret location, being behind vault doors and locked chests, being guarded by servants or traps, or a combination of all of these. As long as an item cannot be removed or damaged by a foe, it is considered secure and part of the hoard. If an item is removed from the secure location by anyone other than the hoard-bonded creature, or is damaged by anyone other than the hoard-bonded creature, it is no longer considered secure, and stops being part of the hoard. The hoard-bonded creature cannot use it with its hoardlink or implements ability until it is returned to the treasure trove and secure for 24 hours.

Hoardlink (Su): A hoard-bonded creature can benefit from magic items it has safely cached, even if they are not currently on the creature’s body. The total number of items a hoard-bonded creature can benefit from at once is equal to 1/3 its CR before adding this template (minimum 1 item). Each hoardlinked item takes up an item slot, but it need not be the same item slot that would be required if the item was actually worn. For example, a hoard-bonded giant with no magic rings could wear a magic helmet, and benefit from two more magic helmets from its treasure trove by assigning them to its unused ring slots. While it has an item hoardlinked to a magic item slot, it cannot can the benefit of any magic item it actually wears in the slot.

A psychic mirror of the item a hoard-bonded creature has been hoardlinked to the longest appears as a glowing image on its body, usually close to the body slot it is assigned to. It appears to be physically present, though its appearance may change to match its new location (a cloak hoardlinked to a head slot might appear as a veil or turban, a ring linked to the chest might appear as a very large loop of metal bolted to a breastplate). A knowledge (arcana) check at the same DC as needed to identify the creature, reveals the object as a psychic mirror of an item kept safely elsewhere.

To change what items are hoardlinked, the creature must spend at least 8 hours in the near presence of its treasure trove. It must be able to touch and manipulate the new item it wishes to bond to throughout this time. The hoard-bonded creature may change multiple items in one 8-hour period, if it has access to all of them.

Hoardsense (Su): A hoard-bonded creature is strongly attuned to its hoard. The entire hoard is always protected as if by an alarm spell with the silent alarm function, which reaches the hoard-bonded creature at any distance, even on other planes. The hoard-bonded creature gains scent, only to sniff out items that are or have been part of its hoard, and can find the path at will to find any item removed from its hoard within 1 day per HD.

Implements (Su): In addition to being able to use the properties of magic items in their treasure troves, hoard-bonded creatures gain powers from the history and latent psychic powers of various items in their hoard. These act as the implement schools class feature of the occultist. The hoard-bonded creature gains a number of implement schools equal to 1/3 its CR before adding this template (minimum 1). The creature gains the resonant power and base focus power of each of its implement schools. It treats its HD as its occultist level for all calculations and prerequisites regarding its focus powers. The hoard-bonded creature does not gain points of mental focus, but instead is able to use any ability that requires spending mental focus once per day. It is considered to have mental focus equal to 1/2 its HD (minimum 1) in each mental focus.

The hoard-bonded creature need not have implements with it, but can access them and their abilities as long as they are secure in its hoard.

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