This creature appears only somewhat solid, with a mostly shapeless body. Its only defi nite features include a pale, white, masklike face bearing a perpetual grin and a pair of particularly long and nasty claws.
The visage is a devious undead creature that steals the identity of its victims to further its chaotic and evil aims. The first visages were formed from the spirits of demons by Orcus, Demon Prince of Undead, while he had assumed the identity of Tenebrous. When he reassumed his true identity and mantle, however, Orcus discarded the visages from his service, and since that time, they have reproduced by spawning new visages from any evil outsiders.
Though a visage appears incorporeal, it does not actually possess that quality. A visage isn’t very dense, though, and only weighs about 75 pounds despite its size. In its normal form, it is sometimes mistaken for a wraith.
Visages speak Common and Abyssal.
Visages prefer subterfuge to overt combat, since their physical attacks aren’t very threatening. They use their dominate person and lucidity control abilities to influence weak-willed individuals, hoping to draw them to places where they can finish them off secretly and assume their identities. Then, the visage uses this new identity to sow chaos and discord as long as possible.
A visage’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as chaotic-aligned and evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Assume Identity (Su): A visage can, as a free action, take on the form of someone it has killed within the last round. A visage in an assumed identity gains a +20 bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks made to pass as the victim. It also gains proficiency in the skills of the victim; treat this as an enhancement bonus to the skill check equal to the number of ranks the victim had in life. The visage does not gain the victim’s extraordinary, supernatural, or spell-like abilities, nor does it gain any spellcasting powers of the victim. The visage retains its own ability scores, special attacks, and special qualities.
This effect lasts for 24 hours, though the visage can dismiss it at will. While a visage is in the form of its victim, that victim can’t be returned to life except by a true resurrection spell (which also immediately ends the effect on the visage). After 24 hours, or if the identity is dismissed, the soul is damaged, and the victim can be returned to life only by a miracle or wish spell followed by a true resurrection.
Create Spawn (Su): Any evil outsider slain by a visage becomes a visage 24 hours after death. Spawn are under the command of the visage that created them and remain enslaved until death. They do not possess any of the abilities they had in life.
Dominate Person (Sp): Once per day, a visage can use dominate person, as the spell cast at 12th level (Will DC 19 negates). The save DC is Charisma-based.
Lucidity Control (Su): A visage can create a major image, similar to the major image spell except that only one target, selected by the visage, can perceive the illusion (Will DC 21 disbelief). The save DC is Charisma-based.
Positive Immunity (Ex): A visage is immune to damage from positive energy effects, including holy water, cure wounds spells, and the like. It gains no immunity to turning.
Skills: A visage gets a +10 racial bonus on Escape Artist and Move Silently checks (already figured into the statistics above).
Source: Libris Mortis, page 130.