A mighty river of fog streams forward like an evil waterfall, swollen with storm and spray. Accompanying the shape is a susurrus of dreamlike voices that murmur, cry, and rail against some terrible fate. Slender tendrils of mist extend from the mass, patting and feeling for sustenance.
The original dream vestige was born from the nightmares of an entire city, as all of its citizens died in cursed sleep (a curse that some attribute to Orcus). Since then, that creature has spawned itself many times over.
A dream vestige is a hunter; it hunts for other creatures to incorporate into itself—mind and body, living or undead. Thus, even the undying have cause to fear a dream vestige, which preys on its own. It stalks prey on rooftops, behind walls, or under floors, unseen by its victims. A sudden visceral dread (its frightful presence ability) heralds the creature’s arrival, at which time the whispers, moans, and lamenting of its subsumed victims becomes audibly apparent.
A dream vestige understands the languages of all those who have been integrated into it, which essentially means it knows all the most prevalent languages.
A dream vestige uses its incorporeal tendrils to disrupt and crumble the minds and bodies of the living, seeking to draw ever more creatures into itself.
Desecrating Aura (Su): A dream vestige gives off a 20-footradius emanation of utter desecration, imbuing its surroundings with negative energy. This ability works much like a desecrate spell, except the vestige itself is treated as the shrine of an evil power. All undead within 20 feet of the dream vestige (including the creature itself) gain a +2 profane bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws, and +2 hit points per HD. (The dream vestige’s Hit Dice, attack, and save entries given here already include these profane bonuses.) Charisma checks made to turn undead within this area take a −6 penalty.
A dream vestige’s desecrating aura cannot be dispelled except by a dispel evil spell or similar effect. If the effect is dispelled, the dream vestige can resume it as a free action on its next turn. Its desecrating aura is suppressed if a dream vestige enters a consecrated or hallowed area, but the dream vestige’s presence also suppresses the consecrated or hallowed effect for as long as it remains in the area.
Form Consumption (Su): Each touch by a dream vestige’s tendril drains a portion of the victim’s mind (though nonintelligent or mindless creatures are immune to a dream vestige’s lascivious caresses). Each touch deals 1d4 points of Intelligence drain to the victim. When a dream vestige drains a victim’s Intelligence, it gains 5 temporary hit points, no matter how many points it drains. Temporary hit points gained in this way last for up to 1 hour. Should a dream vestige ever acquire a number of temporary hit points equal to its full normal hit points, it self spawns (see below).
At the beginning of a dream vestige’s subsequent action after a creature has been drained to 0 Intelligence, the victim’s body is automatically engulfed and dissolved by the dream vestige, leaving nothing behind, not even dust.
Frightful Presence (Su): A dream vestige can inspire terror by charging or attacking. Affected creatures must succeed on a DC 23 Will save or become shaken, remaining in that condition as long as they remain with 60 feet of the dream vestige. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected by that dream vestige’s frightful presence for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Deflective Aura (Su): A dream vestige is protected by a powerful aura of dream energy. This special aura increases its AC deflection bonus by 13 (in addition to its incorporeal deflection bonus of +5), which is already factored into the statistics above.
Dream Travel (Su): A dream vestige can pull itself fully into the world of dreams, leaving behind the waking world, as a standard action. For every minute the vestige moves through the dream region, it travels 5 miles in the waking world. A dream vestige can also use this ability to travel across planar borders, should it desire. A dream vestige always knows where it will come out in the waking world.
Inescapable Craving: A dream vestige has an inescapable craving (see the Undead Metabolism) for bodies, which it satisfies by using its form consumption ability.
Self Spawn (Ex): When a dream vestige gains a number of temporary hit points equal to its full normal hit point total, it self spawns, splitting into two identical dream vestiges, each with a number of hit points equal to the original dream vestige’s full normal total.
Source: Libris Mortis, page 96.