Starfinder: S.H.C. Victim
S.H.C. Victim Spellcaster CR 5 XP 1,600
Chaotic evil medium undead
Init +9; Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +15
Defense HP 60
EAC: 16; KAC: 17
Fort: +4; Ref: +4; Will: +10
Defensive abilities: Flame aura; Immunities: Fire, undead immunities, unliving
Weakness: Vulnerability to cold
Offense
Speed: 30 ft.
Melee: One fist +10 (1d4+8 F, Crit burn 1d6) or two fists +6 (1d4+8 F Crit burn 1d6)
Space: 5 ft., Reach: 5 ft.
Offensive Abilities: Fire wielder
Statistics
Str +2; Dex +5; Con -; Int +0; Wis +0; Cha +3
Skills: Athletics +15, intimidate +10
Feats: improved initiative
Languages: Common (cannot speak)
Ecology
Environment: Any except cold locations
Organization: Solitary
Special Abilities
Fire Wielder (Su): Once per round as a standard action (unless otherwise noted), the creature can use one of several types of fire-based attacks. It can choose to shoot a series of small, independently targeting balls of flame. They act like magic missiles and have a maximum range of 50 ft. The creature fires off 1d6 balls (randomly rolled each time), and they will automatically hit, inflicting 1d4 points of fire damage. Once every 4 rounds the creature can also use a single fireball. This is a full round action and it has a burst radius of 20 feet. The maximum range is 50 feet from the creature and it inflicts 4d6+5 points of damage. A reflex save (DC 15) halves the damage. Another attack he creature possesses is that it can also create a cone of fire once every two rounds. This has a 10 foot width, and a range of 30 feet. The damage inflicted is 2d6+5 and anything caught in the radius is allowed a reflex save (DC 15) for half damage. Finally it can choose to use the attacks against weapons or armor, or even attempt to start objects or locations on fire. If it is an item, the item is allowed a saving throw, and if it fails, the item takes 2d6+5 damage and is now burning, and will take the same damage every round. Each round it is allowed another save, and if it succeeds, then the fire is snuffed out. Locations with flammable material are automatically burning, and will continue to burn, spreading by 5 feet per round in a random direction.
Heat Aura (Su): There is an aura of intense head surrounding these creatures. Anything coming within 5 feet will automatically suffer 1d6 points of flame damage per round.
Vulnerable to cold (Ex): The creature takes double damage from all cold-based attacks, and also suffers a -4 to any saving throw involving cold-based saving throws.
SPONTANEOUS HUMANOID COMBUSTION
Type disease; Save Fort DC 12
Track Physical; Frequency 1/day
Effect When the victim is infected, nothing seems amiss. The disease will progress as normally through all the tracks, but the victim will not feel the actual effects of each stage of the disease. Once the track hits dead, the victim will feel warm for about 30 seconds, and then the heat will become excruciating. Flames will appear on the exterior of the victim, and in moments any clothing and other items will be burned to ash. For 1d4 rounds the victim will burn, screaming in unholy agony, until the disease has finished converting. It then becomes a S.H.C victim, which has only one purpose – to spread the flames. Only humanoids can contract this disease, and no one has been able to figure out the actual vector, although there are those who are certain it is actually a magical curse.
Cure 2 consecutive saves.
Victims of the SHC or Spontaneous humanoid combustion virus, these unfortunate souls are now undead flaming corpses.
They appear as badly burned humanoids, with the flesh blacked and burned away in many locations, showing off the scorched bones. The eyes are white orbs, expanded to nearly double the regular size. Flames constantly lick off the charred and ruined flesh, and just being in close proximity to the undead creature can cause objects to burst into flame.
Once the transformation has occurred, the mind is lost, and the soul is filled with pain and rage. They seek out to destroy anything they can, and seem to take great delight in attacking the living, setting them on fire, and causing as much chaos and damage as possible. Once they are ‘born’, the creatures seem to last only a short period of time. Fire-fighters and other groups tend to put them down quickly and in many locations the danger seems to have passed.
Such speculation has been caused the deaths of many additional souls.
The reason is that even when the creatures are destroyed, the soul remains where the creature was dispatched. In 24+2d6 hours after death, the creature will reappear where it was destroyed. More often than not this will be in the smouldering ruins of the location where it was originally found. It will begin its rampage all over once again.
The only way to permanently destroy one of these unfortunate creatures is to cast upon it either a mystic cure, or remove condition.
If located in a forest, or the wilderness, these creatures can cause untold damage, and have been responsible for the destruction of many wilderness regions.
Although not common, they can appear on starships. Thanks to many of the internal systems, destroying one of these creatures is relatively easy. One sure-fire method of dealing with these beings are to eject them into the vacuum of space. There is nothing for the flames to consume, so the flames they are covered in are snuffed out in a single round. The body remains, and goes into a state of hibernation. If it ever encounters any source of fuel for the flames, it will burst forth and attack, trying to set the world on fire.
Chris Van Deelen is the creator and contributor to over half of the Wisdom from the Wastelands series, contributor to the Swords of Kos: Hekaton anthology, and the recently released 'Swords of Kos: The Rite'. He also wrote Creatures of the Tropical Wastelands, and 100 Oddities found in a Car. As prolific as he is, Chris Van Deelen continues to write and produce material which will be in publication soon. Not only is he a prolific content creator, he also has a wide selection of fiction and stories! If you like his work, please follow his personal author page on Facebook and on Twitter to keep up with his latest news and game content.
