Doppelganger Dictator

Doppelganger Dictator (CR 12)

Pure Evil - Medium - Protean

Lore:	Know (Local)
26		42
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

19

Perception:
29	+19
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Darkvision 60 ft.
• SPECIAL: Doppelgangers also get all senses possessed by their current Stolen Form

Movement Types:

• Walk 30 ft.
• SPECIAL: Doppelgangers also have all movement types possessed by their current Stolen Form

Defense

AC

32

Man Def

33

Monster Health
289	144	22
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+14
Refl:	+9
Will:	+9

Strong Against:

• as Stolen Form, see below
• as Stolen Form, see below

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+19

Man Off

+19

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Touch of Infinite Pain +19 (3d8+9/19-20 x2)
  as squamous (physical, rare)
  plus: Dazed (Fort save DC 22 to reduce to Unsteady), plus: Skinship

Full Attack (Melee):

• 3x Touch of Infinite Pain +19 (3d8+9/19-20 x2)
  as squamous (physical, rare)
  plus: Dazed (Fort save DC 22 to reduce to Unsteady), plus: Skinship

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

14

STR

16

DEX

16

CON

20

INT

18

WIS

22

CHA

Skills:

• Bluff: 20
• Intimidate: 19
• Knowledge (Local): 22
• Perception: 19
• Sense Motive: 22
• All other skills: 14 (no ranks)

Languages: Kern, up to three others from Stolen Form

Feats:

Special Abilities

Stolen Form (Ex) Standard Action, or, after Skinship

As a standard action, or by using Skinship in combat (see below), a Doppelganger Dictator may assume the form of any other creature up to CR 14. While using Stolen Form, the Doppelganger effectively becomes the creature being imitated, except that the Doppelganger's hit points never change and it always retains the use of its Stolen Form and Skinship abilities. While mimicking another form, the doppelganger replaces its own abilities, senses, movement, defenses, AC, and saves, with that of the assumed form (just not its hit points). If a Doppelganger Dictator using Stolen Form is engaged in combat, it will use a free action to drop Stolen Form and unnerve its enemies at the most opportune moment. If the Doppelganger Overseer is reduced to half hit points while in a Stolen Form, it loses control and will revert to its own true form regardless as a free action. When Stolen Form drops, the creeping unnatural appearance of this reversion induces unquiet and paranoia in humanoids. All creatures who see it must make a Will save against a DC of 22 or gain the Nervous condition until the end of the encounter, as they wonder who among their allies and friends might be a doppelganger as well.

Skinship (Ex) Swift Action

While attacking with melee in its true shape the Doppelganger uses the stats listed above. In addition, once per round as a swift action, the Doppelganger may make a melee touch attack against one adjacent foe at 1d20 + 23 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die), regardless of the form it is using. If this attack is successful, the Doppelganger's shape will begin to shift toward that creature's appearance, it gains a +2 bonus to to-hit rolls against the touched creature until the beginning of the creature's next turn, and the doppelganger will heal hit points equal to its current CR (12 hit points). If any creature touched by Skinship is reduced to zero or fewer hit points by any Doppelganger, any Doppelgangers who have touched it with Skinship may reactivate Stolen Form as a free action, instantly assuming the form of the fallen creature, and instantly healing the doppelganger an amount of hit points equal to double the impersonated creature's CR or level.

Skinblister (Sp) Standard Action

Concentration: 1d20 + 14 vs. a DC of 27 (13 needed on the die) As a standard action, the Dictator may target one creature within 300 feet for its Skinblister attack. This made as a ray attack at 1d20 + 23 vs. AC (always hits on a 17+ on the die). If the attack succeeds, Skinblister inflicts 3d8+9 points of squamous (physical, rare) damage, and causes a gigantic blister to appear on the target's body, full of horrible murky fluid. The following round (at the start of the Doppelganger Dictator's next turn), the blister ruptures, dealing an additional 3d6+5 points of squamous (physical, rare) damage and entangling the victim in the horrible organic debris until the end of the encounter. Victims may make a Fort save during this second round, against a DC of 22, to avoid all of the secondary damage and the Entangled condition. However, as awful as these effects are, they are not the worst result of the terrible Skinblister attack. When the blister bursts, regardless of whether the save is made or not, the fluid from the blister splatters to the ground and immediately forms into a CR 3 Doppelganger under the control of the Dictator. These Doppelgangers act on the same initiative as the Dictator.

Dominator's Glare (Sp) Standard Action

Concentration: 1d20 + 19 vs. a DC of 27 (8 needed on the die) As a standard action, the Dictator may use Dominator's Glare on any target within 80 feet. They will frequently use this against other Doppelgangers out of combat, to take control of a situation. Non-Doppelganger victims are allowed to make a Will save versus a DC of 24. Creatures that fail this save become Dominated and are placed under the Dictator's supernatural control, forced to follow an order the Dictator gives them (a free action as part of Dominator's Glare), to the best of their ability. If the creature makes its save, it is not dominated and instead receives the Disoriented condition until the end of its next turn. After each round of such control the victim is allowed another Will save with a +1 cumulative bonus. A Dictator may have a number of simultaneously dominated victims equal to its CR (up to 12 victims) and issue orders to all of them as a single free action. Succeeding on any saving throw against Dominating Glare ends the effect, renders that victim immune to Dominator's Glare from any source for 24 hours, and inflicts the Disoriented condition until the end of the creature's next turn. Doppelganger victims of the Dominator's Glare do not receive a saving throw to resist until they have been dominated for a full 24 hours, at which time the effects automatically end, unless the Dictator renews it. While under the effects of Dominator's Glare, Doppelganger victims gain a +4 arcane bonus to to-hit rolls, damage, armor class, saving throws, and skill rolls. This simulates the Dictator's ability to take over other Doppelgangers and make them MUCH more competent. Note that these bonuses persist even if the inflicting Dictator is slain.

Doppelganger Dictator

Doppelgangers are a strange race of shape shifters that act as parasites of entire civilizations. Their mindset is alien compared to most humanoid races, and their ability to steal the identity of others triggers nearly universal revulsion. Doppelgangers may exactly and perfectly mimic anyone they have had a chance to touch for a few seconds.

What is not widely known about Doppelgangers, is that they come in many castes. They all have the ability to perfectly mimic other creatures, and they are all parasites that subsist upon the civilizations of others, but the Doppelgangers do not care very much about that at all.

The reason that Doppelgangers are so little engaged with the other societies is two-fold:

First, Doppelgangers are really, truly alien, both in their natural appearance and in their mental and spiritual processes. They have no souls, nor do they have spirits. They aren't even really alive in the same way as other races, and it is unclear if they even eat food or breathe air. They have very little in common with other races.

Second, Doppelgangers are utterly and completely consumed by their war. Plain Doppelgangers (CR 3) are little more than mindless drones, pawns that exist to breed and infiltrate the world. The higher level Doppelgangers are the ones who are aware of their secret war and they are responsible for prosecuting it, to the exclusion of all other tasks. Everything is devoted to the War, every waking moment consumed with prosecuting the War or building up to make another attack.

On the very rare occasions when a Doppelganger has been captured and interrogated, their answers, made in Kern, make no sense at all. The Doppelgangers seem to be at war with themselves, absolutely and implacably. No outsider has ever figured out what factions or divisions exist in Doppelganger 'society', if such a thing can even be said to exist.

Most Doppelgangers placidly subsist on the largess of the societies they infest. But other Doppelgangers are much more sinister and menacing, and are ruthlessly driven to seek out and destroy other Doppelgangers. Whether a Doppelganger will see another as foe or ally seems completely random.

It should be noted that Doppelgangers and Vampires, where they co-exist, are unrelenting enemies as well. Doppelgangers and Vampires both infest and feed off of larger societies, and so they see each other as competitors. Both factions will seek to destroy the other whenever they come into contact.

Doppelganger Dictators seem to be a higher ranking caste, if such things apply at all in the murky world of Doppelganger 'society'. They are certainly more powerful than rank-and-file Doppelgangers and some sages speculate that Dictators are a more advanced type of Overseer. However, unlike Overseers, Dictators are not heavily involved in organizing and prosecuting the War using other Doppelgangers. Dictators seem to prefer working alone.

That said, there have also been many times when a Dictator has been observed working with other Doppelgangers, so perhaps the situation is more complex than believed.

Doppelganger Dictators are often accompanied by one or more Feeders or Harvesters, and seem to act to aid the Feeders and Harvesters in their grim missions against other Doppelgangers. Dictators have terrible abilities indeed, and when they work with higher ranking Doppelgangers, such as the terrible Consuls, the situation gets very confusing, very quickly.

Combat Tactics

Doppelganger Dictators will hang back and attempt to use Skinblister and Dominator's Glare on their enemies. Any low-level Doppelgangers in the fight will receive the Dominator's Glare in order to buff up their to-hits and damage.

Dangerous, high-damage foes such as spell casters and high damage characters will be targeted with Dominator's Glare as early as possible. Turning the party's spell caster or rogue around on the party is a win-win in the Dictator's mind. Skinblister will be used to create new Doppelgangers to provide flanks, gum up the battlefield, and serve as buffable proxy fighters within the enemy's ranks.

If they are forced into melee combat, they will immediately attack all-out with Touch of Infinite Pain, as often as possible, mixed in with Skinship swift attacks, for the healing. They will not remain in melee combat, and as soon as they land a Daze, they will withdraw out of melee or even flee entirely.

Dictators are prudent and cautious fighters. If a party is shrugging off the effects of their Dominating Glare and not succumbing, they will flee the battle early and rapidly, breaking line of sight, changing shape, and leaving.

Note: Dictators do NOT have a leadership role! If referees wish to create a Dictator with a Leadership role, use caution! Such a foe can challenge even extremely strong parties!

Out of Combat

Doppelganger Dictators make even less sense than most Doppelgangers, which is saying something. One or several of them sometimes show up in a settlement, take over all the lower-level Doppelgangers, and then puppet them around for a few days, weeks, or even longer.

Lower level Doppelgangers being puppeted by a Dictator are MUCH more competent than usual, and communities with Dictators running things are generally more prosperous and better off for it... until the Dictators accomplish whatever the heck they were there for. They then typically cover their tracks with ruthless thoroughness, often staging an orc raid or something worse to cover as they withdraw, taking their horde of dominated doppelgangers with them, leaving the community devastated in their wake.

Lower level adventurers can spend plenty of time fighting regular Doppelgangers, then a Dictator nest shows up and the regular doppelgangers are suddenly much more of a challenge. Eventually, you will find heroes tackling the Dictators directly, and at even higher levels, Dictators are very common in large Doppelganger infestations, running the myriads of lower level Doppelgangers as drones, labor, disposable assets, etc.

Wise heroes seek out and expunge Dictators as soon as they can.

Rewards

XP: 19,200

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 12,875 gp.

Weight: 120 lbs.     Volume: 4.8 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)