Doppelganger Consul

Doppelganger Consul (Leader; CR 18)

Neutral Evil - Medium - Protean

Lore:	Know (Local)
38		53
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

34

Perception:
40	+30
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses

Movement Types:

Defense

AC

42

Man Def

42

Monster Health
1,494	747	34
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+16
Refl:	+15
Will:	+20

Strong Against:

• (Leader Role) Immunity (partial 1): Leaders are immune to the first condition applied to them during an encounter. If a second condition is applied to a leader, it is resolved normally. A 'condition' is defined as any non-instantaneous harmful effect applied to the monster, other than damage, but is most commonly one of the defined Status Conditions (but it doesn't have to be). Statuses related to damage (such as injured, bloodied, staggered, dying, or dead) are not 'conditions', and cannot be negated or avoided with this ability.

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+27

Man Off

+29

Action

2

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Daggered Bite +27 (4d10+28/x2)
  as undefined damage type
  plus Bull Rush (1x/round) and Skinship

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Daggered Bite +27 (4d10+28/x2)
  as undefined damage type
  plus Bull Rush (1x/round) and Skinship
• 2x Shifting Claws +27 (4d6+11/x2)
  as undefined damage type
  plus Skinship

Standard Attack (Ranged):

• 1x Liquescent Gaze +27 (4d10+28/x2)
  as undefined damage type
  (Increment: 50 ft.; Max Range: 50 ft.)
  as desiccation (exotic energy) damage

Full Attack (Ranged):

• 3x Liquescent Gaze +27 (4d10+28/x2)
  as undefined damage type
  (Increment: 50 ft.; Max Range: 50 ft.)
  as desiccation (exotic energy) damage

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

16

STR

19

DEX

20

CON

21

INT

25

WIS

24

CHA

Skills:

• Bluff: 30
• Intimidate: 28
• Knowledge (Local): 27
• Knowledge (Nobility): 27
• Perception: 30
• Sense Motive: 31
• All other skills: 25 (no ranks)

Languages: Kern, Common, Thanic, plus any from Stolen Form

Feats:

• Selective Spell (EFFECT: Selective Spell (Feat))

Special Abilities

Stolen Form (Ex)

As a standard action, or by using Skinship in combat (see below), a Doppelganger may assume the form of any other creature up to CR 2. 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 abiltiies, senses, movement, defenses, AC, and saves, with that of the assumed form (just not its hit points). If a Doppelganger using Stolen Form is engaged in combat, it will endeavor to flee as soon as possible. If the Doppelganger is reduced to half hit points while in a Stolen Form, it loses control and will revert to its own true form. When this occurs, the creeping unnatural appearance of this reversion induces paranoia in humanoids. All creatures who see it must make a Will save against a DC of or gain the Nervous condition until the end of the combat, as they wonder who among their allies and friends might be a doppelganger as well.

Skinship (Ex)

Once the Stolen Form is lost, the Doppelganger will usually attack in a terrible frenzy. While attacking in its true shape it uses the stats listed above. In addition, once per round as a swift action, the Doppelganger may make a touch attack against one adjacent foe (+). If this touch 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 Hit Dice ( hit points). If any creature touched by Skinship is reduced to negative 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 half the impersonated creature's maximum hit points.

Escort (Ex)

Doppelganger Consuls are always accompanied by two CR 4 Doppelgangers. These creatures reward XP and loot as normal for their level. The Escort always begins combat within three squares of the Consul, unless specifically prohibited.

Greater Awakening (Ex)

Once per round as a standard action, the Doppelganger Consul may use its Greater Awakening ability on any CR 4 Doppelganger it is adjacent to. This requires a move action, but does not end the Consul's turn. Once used, the CR 4 Doppelganger stays in its square until the beginning of its next turn, at which point it is removed from play and normal exp and loot is awarded to the players. At the beginning of its next turn, the CR 4 Doppelganger is replaced by a new Doppelganger, which may be either a Butcher or another Consul, with the same location and at full hit points. The Awakened doppelganger arrives with full tactical knowledge of the situation and attacks immediately to the best effect. This new Doppelganger has the full memories of the Doppelganger it replaced. Note that all new Consuls created this way DO have the Awaken ability themselves, but it is considered to be expended for this combat.

Mass Skinblister (Sp)

Concentration: 1d20 + 26 vs. a DC of 33 (7 needed on the die) Once per round as a standard action, the Overseer may target a 30 foot diameter area (9x9 squares) within 300 feet for its Mass Skinblister attack. This is an area of effect attack and all non-protean creatures must make a Fortitude save against a DC of . If the saving throw fails, an affected creature takes of desiccation (exotic energy) damage and a gigantic blister appears on its body, full of horrible murky fluid. If the Fort save succeeds, the creature takes only half damage, but is still afflicted with a gigantic blister full of horrible murky fluid. The round after it was struck by Mass Skinblister, all affected creatures must make a second Fort save against a DC of . If this save succeeds, the blister ruptures with no further harm to the creature. If this save is failed, the creature is Entangled until the end of the encounter by horrible organic debris. However, as terrible as these effects are, they are not the worst effect of the 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 4 Doppelganger under the control of the Consul. These Doppelgangers act on the same initiative as the Overseer does.

Voice of Reason (Su)

Once per round as a free action, a Doppelganger Consul may grant any allied creature it can sense (has line of effect to) and communicate with (within 50 feet, or connected via a divination or scrying) a single standard action. This standard action must be used immediately, and may be downgraded to a move or a swift action, as normal. In addition, all allied creatures that can see or hear the Consul gain a bonus to hit of +2 per five hit dice the allied creature possesses, as the Consul calms and focuses their efforts in battle.

Shouted Command (Ex; Leader Role) Free Action 1/Rnd

Once per round as a free action, a Leader may grant any one ally within the sound of their voice (30 feet) a free standard action to be used immediately. This ability can normally only be used once per round, but the leader may spend an action point to activate it a second time if they wish.

Inspirational Leadership (Ex; Leader Role) Always On

Leaders give all allies a +3 morale bonus to all of their attack, damage, skill rolls, combat maneuver checks, combat maneuver damage, and any Save DC's their allies have for special abilities that allow a saving throw. This buff ends immediately when the leader is killed. This buff does not affect the leader, though if another leader is present, the leader gains this buff from the other leader. Morale bonuses do not stack; instead only the highest available bonus may be used. Note that minions treat this as a buff, gaining their own benefit instead of the listed benefit.

Keep Your Friends Close (Ex; Leader Role) Immediate Action

Once per round as an immediate action, the leader may apply all of the damage of a single attack just made against them to a single ally within 30 feet of their space, instead. The leader takes no damage from the attack, and any secondary effects of the attack (such as status conditions) are resolved against the allied creature instead. This ability may never be used more than once per round. If the leader has no allies within 30 feet, they cannot use this ability.

Doppelganger Consul

This creature possesses the Leader role, and therefore counts as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.

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.

Among Doppelgangers, by far the smoothest, most suave, and most civilized are the Doppelganger Consuls. Consuls are well spoken and tremendously intelligent, as well as able to fake warmth and sincerity with perfect fidelity. No Consul has ever given itself away through clumsy mistakes or errors, for example. Consuls blend in perfectly, and may actually be slightly beneficial to the societies they infest, as they understand that a strong culture of lesser creatures makes for a strong race of Doppelgangers within them.

In the mysterious annals of Doppelganger 'society', the absolute and undisputed commanders of the War are the Consuls. Doppelganger Consuls are never encountered alone, as they always have an escort. They occasionally will have some lower level Awakened Doppelgangers with them, but they usually have Butchers as their companions. A Consul and a Butcher with a few lower level Doppelgangers as an escort is a serious threat indeed, and can be expected to prosecute their goals aggressively.

Consuls understand, if any creature does, the War. That said, Consuls will never, ever, explain such matters to non-Doppelgangers, and it is suspected that they simply cannot. In battle Consuls are capable foes,fully able to crowd into the front ranks and sway the tide of battle. Or, they can stand back and direct their allies to terrifying effect.

Combat Tactics

Doppelganger Consuls are Leader mobs, and are incredibly dangerous when they have allies. Their Escort, Mass Skinship, and Greater Awakening powers ensure that they are never, ever alone, either.

In battle, Consuls will strive to stay back from the front if they have strong allies. They will declare they are fighting defensively, then use Mass Skinship to damage and harrass their foes. The CR4 Doppelgangers they create are little threat, but they do a fine job of 'messing up the battlefield' and provide flanks, obstacles, and generally make everything horrible. Even worse, if the party ignores the CR4 Doppelgangers, they run the risk that the Consul will use Greater Awakening on one as soon as possible to 'upgrade' one to a Butcher, and that's a bad day. So, players are faced with many unpleasant and tense choices when fighting Consuls.

If they are forced into melee, Consuls are not slouches! They will use their free Bull Rush attacks to break up static formations and give more opportunities for the CR4 Doppelgangers to get among the players and be huge pests.

Far from last, their Voice of Reason makes every Doppelganger and ally on the board into a melee powerhouse, and if they have a Butcher or two (or six) they will give one of those behemoths an extra standard action, which is never a good thing. Alternatively, they will gift the standard action to a CR4 Doppelgenage to have it come close enough to use Greater Awakening, which is another bad day indeed.

Last but not least, they will use their Mass Skinship power on any clusters of enemies. A tight mass of enemies can be forced into a squeeze condition by the new Doppelgangers spawning among them, which is always a fun time indeed.

Fighting Consuls devolves into a messy, chaotic, and busy combat very quickly indeed, with lots of tactical decisions to be made by players as to how they wish to proceed.

Out of Combat

Consuls exist to prosecute their War, and they will do so relentlessly. That said, Consuls are much more 'in tune' with the rest of the world than other doppelgangers, and as such, they will often be useful (if extremely strange) sources of information or contacts. Out of Combat, Consuls tend to be extremely well-informed, especially on matters of Vampires and other enemies they might wish to 'farm out' to other races.

Rewards

XP: 307,200 (Leader role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 135,778 gp.

Weight: 360 lbs.     Volume: 14.4 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 - 8	Nothing Found
9 - 12	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
13 - 15	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
16 - 18	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
4 - 7	4 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
8 - 11	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
12 - 15	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
16 - 18	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
19 - 20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 3	4 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
4 - 5	4 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
6 - 8	4 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
9 - 11	4 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
12 - 15	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
16 - 18	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
19 - 20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)