Carrion Caregiver

A shredded Stahl Medical Korps jacket is draped clumsily over the towering, bloated form of this once-Human Undead. Its legs have fused together into a rotten mass that undulates underneath it as it walks, like the movement of a snake or worm. The creature mutters angrily to itself in distorted Niedisch about its dwindling supplies, swinging the rusty, blood-covered combat syringe in its hand recklessly about, causing the sickly green liquid inside its barrel to slosh about.
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Carrion Caregiver	CR 8
*LE Large Undead
*Init +0; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.
===Defense===
*AC 20; touch 9; flat-footed 20; (+1 armor, -1 size, +10 natural armor)
*HP 90 (12 HD; 12d8[54] + 24 Cha, + 12 Toughness); Fast Healing 1
*Fort +6; Will +8; Reflex +4
*DR 3/piercing or slashing; Immune Undead Traits
===Offense===
*Speed 30 ft.
*Melee combat syringe +15/+10 (1d6+4 plus Bad Medicine, 19-20/x2) plus slam +8 (1d6+2)
*Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
*Special Attacks Bad Medicine, Final Aid
===Statistics===
*Str 18 (+4); Con -; Dex 10 (+0); Int 15 (+2); Wis 11 (+0) Cha 15 (+2)
*Base Atk +9/+4; CMB +12; CMD 22 (cannot be tripped)
*Feats Ability Focus (Bad Medicine), Improved Critical (Combat Syringe), Skill Focus (Heal), Toughness, Vital Strike, Weapon Focus (Combat Syringe)
*Skills 72 ranks
**Climb +13 (6 ranks + 4 Str + 3 class)
**Heal +23 (12 ranks + 2 Int + 3 class + 6 Skill Focus)
**Intimidate +19 (12 ranks + 4 Str + 3 class)
**Knowledge (Engineering) +11 (6 ranks + 2 Int + 3 class)
**Perception +15 (12 ranks + 0 Wis + 3 class)
**Sense Motive +15 (12 ranks + 0 Wis + 3 class)
**Stealth +11 (12 ranks + 0 Dex + 3 class - 4 size)
*Languages Arcadian, Niedisch
*SQ Deathly Physician
===Special Abilities===
====Bad Medicine (Su)====
As a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity, the carrion caregiver can stick itself with its own empty syringe, dealing 1d6+4 damage to itself, and withdrawing three dosages of bad medicine. A living creature injected with bad medicine takes 2d8+12 negative energy damage, although a successful Fortitude save (DC 20) halves this damage, although the victim takes a -2 penalty to the save due to it being directly injected. A carrion caregiver typically begins combat with a full syringe. If separated from the carrion caregiver, bad medicine retains its potency for 1 hour, after which it becomes useless, disgusting sludge.
As a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, the carrion caregiver can administer a dosage of bad medicine to a fleshy Undead creature within its reach, dealing no damage and instead healing the creature. The caregiver can also use this ability on a fleshy Undead creature that was destroyed within the past round, reviving it if this healing would bring its HP total above 0. The caregiver can gain no benefit from its own bad medicine.
====Deathly Physician (Ex)====
A carrion caregiver retains its scientific medical training even in death. Heal and Knowledge (Engineering) are class skills for the caregiver, and it adds its Intelligence modifier to Heal skill checks instead of its Wisdom modifier.
====Final Aid (Ex)====
When a carrion caregiver is destroyed, it explodes in a burst of its bad medicine, damaging living creatures and healing Undead creatures for 1d8+6 within a 20 ft. radius burst. A Reflex save (DC 18) halves this damage.
==Additional Information==
===Ecology===
*Environment Any
*Organization Practice (1 plus 5-8 Undead patients), hospice (2-3 plus 10-24 Undead patients)
*Treasure Combat syringe, plus 2d4 pharmaceuticals
The carrion caregiver is a grotesque Undead physician, arising sometimes when a medic dies attempting to save their charges. The caregiver's warped, rotten brain still perceives itself to be a healer, and it obsessively keeps a cadre of Zombies or other fleshy Undead as its "patients", fighting a never-ending battle to "save" them. These Undead tend to be in far better condition than others, since the caregiver's body produces a disgusting green pus suffused with negative energy, which it can use to repair its patients. Carrion caregivers bear only disdain for the living, feeling no obligation to protect or heal them, and often seeing them as threats to the well-being of those in their care. Despite their deathborne madness, caregivers are very clever, patient, and retain a good working knowledge of the medical sciences. This makes them deadly enemies when they have been wronged, and a caregiver never forgives those who destroy their charges.
Carrion caregivers are most often found in Nied, due to the high number of combat mortalities of physicians in the Reclamation effort. However, anywhere where doctors can be found can occasionally result in a carrion caregiver, in which case the caregiver would speak the language of its home.
===Tactics===
A carrion caregiver fights to protect its 'patients', avoiding melee combat and healing them with its bad medicine. If it begins to lose patients, or fears that it will do so, it enters combat alongside them, staying out of reach and attempting to fight with the deadly contents of its syringe. If faced with a situation it cannot win, the carrion caregiver will attempt to flee, remembering the enemies who killed its patients with fervent hatred.
Category:CR 8 Creatures
Category:Undead Creatures