Ritefury Creature (CR +2)

Cultural customs and taboos hold immense power in fantasy worlds. The ancient guest/host rights are one of the most dangerous of these traditions to violate. When you violate such a convention, you are violating an honored mystical ritual and your actions are likely to summon a ritefury creature. Ritefuries are a fury in the tradition of Greek tragedy, uncaring and unforgiving instruments of retribution. Adorning them is a singular kris-like horn and a tail with a jagged stinger; they often take on the appearance of natural predators and red coloration due to their association with the spirits of wrath.

Creating a Ritefury Creature

“Ritefury creature” is an acquired template that can be added to any creature. A ritefury creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

CR: +2

Alignment: any lawful.

Defenses/Qualities: DR 5/chaos (increase to 10 if the ritefury’s CR is 10 or higher, increase to 15 if the ritefury’s CR is 15 or Higher), darkvision 60ft., regeneration (equal to ritefury’s Constitution bonus, min 1), SR (11+ritefury’s CR)

Speed: A ritefury gains a fly speed (perfect maneuverability equal to its best speed)

Melee: A ritefury gains a new gore and tail sting attack, the new gore, and tail attack deals damage as appropriate for the ritefury's size (see Natural Attacks, Pathfinder Bestiary).

Special Abilities: A ritefury gains the following special abilities.

Baleful Mark (Ex): If on the same plane as its chosen violator, magical runes automatically appear on the forehead of the chosen violator (no save). The runes establish that the character is a violator of “guest-rite” or “host-rite.” The writing is always visible and slowly burns through anything attempting to conceal it (1 point of sacred/profane damage, ignoring hardness). The runes cannot be dispelled, but can be removed. An erase spell will remove them, though it requires a successful caster level check (DC 15 + CR). The Baleful Mark disappears upon the death of the ritefury creature. This is a curse-effect.

Favored Enemy (Ex): The ritefury gains the benefit of this ability as a ranger (level equal to the ritefury’s HD) against an opponent bearing a baleful mark. These abilities function in all other ways like the ranger ability of the same name.

Horn of Penance (Su): A ritefury’s horn functions as a speed weapon with an enhancement bonus equal to its HD divided by 3 (Minimum +1, Maximum +5). When damaged by the horn, an opponent must make a successful Will save (DC 10 + ½ the ritefury’s HD + its Charisma modifier) or have its mind flooded with all the violations of guest/host rites ever committed on this plane. This results in the character doing and saying whatever the character closest to the victim says or does (echopraxia and echolalia). Remove curse is effective, but it only grants a new saving throw, if the save is unsuccessful, the caster must also make a save or be affected by the curse. This effect is a mind-affecting curse effect.

Sighting the Mark (Su): 1/day, upon spotting the baleful mark, a ritefury makes a ranged touch attack causing its horn and the baleful mark to glow for one round. If successful, the marked opponent must make a successful Will save (DC 10 + ½ the ritefury’s HD + its Charisma modifier) or roll twice on all attacks, checks, and saves, taking the lesser of the two rolls each time. This effect remains as long as the baleful mark is present. Use of this ability is not an action.

Poison (Ex): Sting—injury; save DC (10 + ½ ritefury’s HD + its Constitution Modifier); frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d4 Wisdom damage and confused condition; cure 2 consecutive saves.

Backfire (Su): If a non-chaos descriptor spell fails to overcome the SR of a ritefury, the spell effect is reflected back at its original caster (as long as the caster is within range), even if that spell is an area effect or a touch spell. A ritefury loses the benefits of its SR against spells with the chaos descriptor.

Path of Vengeance (Su): A ritefury knows the exact direction to travel to reach a creature bearing its baleful mark.

Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Con +4 (+2 hp per HD, +2 to Fortitude saves, and any of the creature’s Constitution-based DCs), Cha +8 (+4 to Bluff, diplomacy, Disguise, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Perform, and Use Magic Device; attempts to influence others, and Channel Energy DCs, +4 to the DC of the creature’s Charisma-based DCs).