Dullahan, Gan Ceann

A gan ceann is a lord amongst dullahan’s, a great and terrible master of death and the bane of mortal kind. He is called to do his work when a lesser dullahan is somehow unable to kill his quarry or when an entire populace or its leader has insulted the Unseelie Court.

The gan ceann appear much as a normal dullahan, though its grin is grimmer and its eyes more crazed if possible. They tend to be seen driving a coach pulled by six black horses raving mad with terror.

A gan ceann dullahan speaks sylvan. They weigh the same as a standard human, though tend to be a head shorter than average.

Dullahan, Gan Ceann
Medium fey (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice	19d6+76 (142 hp)
Initiative	+3
Speed	40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class	25 (+4 Dexterity, +11 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple	+9/+11
Attack	Whip +16 melee (1d4+4/19-20×2 plus 1 Constitution damage)
Full Attack	Whip +16/+ melee (1d4+4/19-20×2 plus 1 Constitution damage)
Space/Reach	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks	Evil eye, fear aura, headless, sneak attack +6d6, spell-like abilities, water into blood
Special Qualities	Damage reduction 10/gold or silver, dark of night, Darkvision 120 ft., death watch, know no barriers, immunity to fear, Low-Light Vision, true seeing
Saves	Fort +10, Ref +18, Will +14
Abilities	Strength 15, Dexterity 18, Constitution 19, Intelligence 18, Wisdom 14, Charisma 21
Skills	Balance +26, Bluff +27, Climb +24, Hide +26, Intimidate +27, Listen +24, Move Silently +26, Ride (Dexterity)+26, Search +26, Spot +24
Feats	Ability Focus (headless), Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Improved Critical (Whip)(B), Improved Feint, , Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Finesse(B), Weapon Focus (Whip)
Environment	Unseelie Court
Organization	Solitary
Challenge Rating	14
Treasure	Standard
Alignment	Neutral Evil
Advancement	By character class
Level Adjustment	–

Combat

A gan ceann dullahan’s weapon appears to be made from a human spine. It acts as a +2 wounding Whip that deals lethal damage and can deal damage even to those with armor. Those hit continue to bleed for 1d6 points of damage per round unless a DC 15 Heal check is made or are targeted by magical healing. Bleeding damage from multiple unhealed wounds stack.

Dark of Night (Su): A dullahan fades away upon exposure to the mortal’s sun, instantly returning to the Unseelie Court. It may transport back to the Material Plane anytime during the night and cannot transport again until the next night. If kept from transporting, such as by an anti-magic field, the sunlight renders it blind for as long as it is exposed and for 1d4 minutes after.

Deathwatch (Su): A gan ceann dullahan continuously senses how close a creature is to death as the Deathwatch spell. This ability extends out in a thousand foot cone plus 100 feet for ever round it concentrates with no set limit.

Evil Eye (Su): If it wishes, anyone who meets a gan ceann dullahan’s gaze within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 23 fortitude save or go permanently blind. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Fear Aura (Su): As a free action a gan ceann can cause all those within 20 feet to panic unless they succeed on a DC 23 will save. Those with 7 HD or less are shaken even if they make their save.

If it wishes, a gan ceann who successfully affects an animal with its aura can cause it to cower and become subservient out of sheer terror. This acts as the dominate animal spell except a gan ceann can command it to do suicidal or self-destructive acts. While dominated by the gan ceann the animal is immune to intimidation and fear-affects from other sources.

This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Headless (Su): A dullahan is immune to decapitation such as from a vorpal weapon. The head cannot be focused for a sunder attempt while held, and anyone who touches it, such as snatching away the head with a disarm attempt, must succeed on a DC 25 will save or be struck instantly dead. Those who survive initial contact are immune to the deathly repercussions for as long as they hold it. If it is set down and then touched again they must make another save. This is a death affect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

A gan ceann may attempt to snatch back the head with inhuman quickness if it is knocked out of its grasp with a weapon, making a free reflex save against the disarm attack. If the disarm attempt would have it end up in the opponent’s grasp the gan ceann may make a disarm attempt itself as if it had the Improved Disarm feat. It may use these abilities even if it is not it’s turn.

If the head is destroyed the dullahan is not killed, but it can only hear and see and use its death watch ability wherever the head is located. The head has 25 hit points and a hardness of 7.

The dullahan must always have one hand free to hold its head. When a dullahan fades back at sun up the head fades as well and reunites with the body.

Unless a dullahan’s head is destroyed after the main body is killed the creature rises back to life the next night.

Know No Barriers (Su): All non-magical doors and locks a dullahan wishes to pass through unlock and open automatically whenever he approaches within 20 feet. Magical doors and locks are also affected and effects such as Arcane Lock are dispelled if the caster level is less than the gan ceann’s HD.

Sneak Attack (Ex): 6d6 damage as Rogue’s ability.

Spell-like Abilities: Caster level 12th. Save DC’s are Charisma-based.

3/day – bestow curse (DC 19), deeper darkness, finger of death (DC 23)

True seeing (Su): Gan ceann have a continuous true seeing ability, as the spell (caster level 19th).

Water Into Blood (Ex): As a standard action a gan ceann dullahan can convert 10 cubic feet, or eighty gallons, of water into blood.

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Coach-A-Bower

The coach of the gan ceann is a thing of utter evil. It is made of some exquisite black wood whoes knots and whirls are a slightly lighter shade and to the imaginative mind appear much as screaming spirits. The inside is filled with mounds of chocking dust and rust. The door has a break DC of 35 and has an Arcane Lock enchantment upon it. It continuously produces complete silence out to 60 feet.

Any creature forced into the coach is affected as by the phantasmal killer spell if the gan ceann wishes. The remains and items of those who die within are reduced to dust within a day. The coach has room to seat any number of creatures despite its normal seeming size from without. Otherwise the enterior acts as an anti-magic field to mortal creature’s magic.

All spells are as cast by a 19th level caster. The save DC’s are Charisma-based with the coach having the equivalent of a Charisma of 18.

Beasts of burden can only be hitched to the coach-a-bower if they are mad with the terror produced by a gan ceann’s fear aura and must be Medium or Large sized. Such beasts can move at a base speed of 200 feet and do not take any negative affects from prolonged running as long as they pull the coach. They still take damage from spurring.

When a gan ceann spurs his mounts to greater speeds all creatures and objects within 10 feet of where it passes must succeed on a DC 20 reflex save or catch on fire. The flame burns for 1d4 rounds, dealing 1d6 fire damage per round. A burning creature can take a move action to put out the flame.