Calaca

Sometimes, due to freak accidents of magic or fate, the dead refuse to stay dead. In these cases the soul of the living is bound to a skeleton (though it need not necessarily be the skeleton of their former body), causing it to animate through necromantic magic. These creatures are called Calaca (ka-LA-ka), and appear as animate skeletons with dimly glowing orbs of energy floating in their empty eye sockets. Despite the necromantic magic that binds Calaca together, they are not necessarily evil, and due to having their own free will, tend to pursue unfinished business from their former lives. However, their memories of their former lives are often hazy or incomplete.  

Standard Racial Traits

Base Race(s): When creating a Calaca, choose a race for the skeleton, within GM discretion. This determines some other traits. Any physical properties of the base race that would affect the skeleton such as natural attacks or extra limbs also apply to the Calaca. If the Calaca is inhabiting a different skeleton than the one from its former body, choose a race for the soul of the Calaca. Any purely mental traits from that race (such as skill bonuses) apply to the Calaca. Any magical abilities are not inherited. All inherited traits are subject to GM discretion. Bonuses or penalties to mental stats from age of the soul and bonuses or penalties to physical stats from age of the skeleton are up to GM discretion.   Ability Score Modifiers: Calaca have a unique outsider's perspective on life and the world that mortals do not have, however their visage is frightening to many mortals. They gain +2 bonus to Intelligence and Wisdom and a -2 penalty to Charisma.   Type: Calaca are Undead with the Calaca subtype.   Size: Calaca are the same size as their skeleton's base race.   Speed: Medium Calaca have a movement speed of 30ft and Small Calaca have a movement speed of 20ft.   Languages: The Calaca knows any languages it knew in life, determined by the base race of its soul.

Senses Racial Traits

• Lifeless Senses: Calaca have no senses of smell, taste, or touch, and automatically fail any Perception checks related to these senses. Calaca can still see and hear normally. Calaca have Darkvision 60ft and Low-Light Vision.

Other Racial Traits

• Undead Traits: Calaca are undead and possess all undead traits, except they have no racial hit dice, are not mindless and are not immune to mind-affecting effects, are not immune to paralysis or stunning, and have souls. Like other undead, they do not have a Constitution score and instead use their Wisdom (instead of Charisma) in place of their Constitution when calculating hit points, fortitude saves, etc. If using Point Buy or similar ability score purchasing system, consider the Calaca's Constitution score to be 10. Calaca are also not destroyed when their Hit Points reach 0 (see below). Calaca may be ineligible for certain classes or class features that depend on having a living body.
• Soul Tenacity: Calaca are not destroyed when their Hit Points reach 0 like other undead. Instead, they are destroyed when their Hit Points are less than or equal to their negative Wisdom score. Each time a Calaca's Hit Points are reduced to 0 or below, it gains one permanent negative level as per the Fragile Form ability.
• Fragile Form: Every year that the Calaca spends without using Soul Transfer imparts one negative level on it. This negative level bypasses its normal immunity to such effects, and does not affect the Calaca's current Hit Points. These negative levels represent the wear on the Calaca's skeleton and underlying necromantic magic that can only decay over time. These negative levels are removed when the Calaca uses the Soul Transfer ability. Any time that the Calaca spends under the effects of a gentle repose spell delays the natural decay, and these levels can be removed via a restoration or greater restoration spell, or by using the Soul Transfer ability.
• Soul Transfer: A Calaca can choose to transfer its soul to a new vessel. A new vessel must be a complete cleaned skeleton (such as from a decompose corpse spell) of a creature within one size category of the Calaca's current form (within GM discretion). This process involves a ritual that takes 1 hour of concentration to perform, after which time the Calaca's soul inhabits the new skeleton, and any negative levels that were accrued via Fragile Form are removed. Additionally, the Calaca loses any physical benefits or detriments from its previous skeleton and gains them from its new skeleton. However this process causes them to lose something of their former self. Each time a Calaca undergoes Soul Transfer, they lose a memory of their former life.
• Detect Undead: Calaca can detect the presence of undead creatures (other than themselves) within 10ft, as if under the effects of a constant detect undead spell. Three times per day, a Calaca can cast detect undead as a spell-like ability using their character level as their caster level.
• Rescue Healing: Calaca are fragile and are damaged by positive energy, so it is more difficult to heal them with magic than living creatures. To offset this, Calaca build up reserves of negative energy that can save them in a pinch. A Calaca can cast inflict light wounds as a spell-like ability on themselves only, using their character level as their caster level. If a Calaca would take damage such that it would reduce their HP to 0 or below, they can use this ability as an immediate action. This ability can be used once per day, plus an additional time per day for every three character levels the Calaca possesses.
• Undead Resistances: Calaca are not damaged as easily by bladed weapons, as they have no flesh. Calaca gain DR 1/bludgeoning or good. This damage reduction increases by 1 for every three character levels the Calaca possesses. Calaca also have cold resistance 5. This resistance increases to 10 at 10th level and becomes immunity to cold at 15th level.

Alternate Racial Traits

• Illusory Flesh: Some Calaca are able to produce an illusion of flesh, as per disguise self. This ability always takes the same form, usually the appearance of the Calaca's body when it was alive, though the Calaca can make minor changes, such as to hair, eye color, facial hair, etc. This illusion is suppressed while the Calaca is in direct moonlight, and on the day of a full moon this ability cannot be used at all. This ability replaces Detect Undead.

Favored Class Bonuses

• Barbarian, Bloodrager: Increase class Damage reduction by 1/2.
• Cleric, Oracle: Increase the DCs of necromancy spells cast by 1/4.
• Fighter: Increase the Fighter's Bravery bonus by 1/3.
• Rogue: Increase the Rogue's Danger Sense by 1/2.
• Sorcerer, Bard, Skald: Increase the effective Charisma score for the purposes of spellcasting or class abilities by 1/2.
• Wizard, Magus: Add a spell from the class's spell list to the character's spellbook. It must be one level or more below the highest level spell the character can cast.
• Alchemist: Add 1/2 of an additional bomb per day.
• Gunslinger: Add 1/2 of an additional grit point to the Gunslinger's grit pool.
• Witch, Shaman: Add 1/4 of a bonus hex.
• Brawler: Increase the Brawler's AC bonus by 1/3.
• Investigator: Add 1/3 of an additional use of Inspiration.
• Swashbuckler: Add 1/2 of an additional panache point to the Swashbuckler's panache pool.
• Spiritualist: Increase the Spiritualist's phantom's damage reduction by 1/2.