I hate to interrupt, but I absolutely agree.Jonathan Winters wrote:For the record, this is very cool John.
Patrick
I hope the Fraternity will convert this in a full document.
Monster Lore
-
Joël of the FoS
- Moderator
- Posts: 6664
- Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2003 1:24 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location: St-Damien, Québec
No, we wont.Jakob wrote:I hope the Fraternity will convert this in a full document.
For the record, John said these monster lore could be mixed into the Tiny Tales of Terror project document. So we'll see! If it's not, indeed, we will make it permanent on the site.
---
Meanwhile, John, would it help you if this was stickied?
Joël
"A full set of (game) rules is so massively complicated that the only time they were all bound together in a single volume, they underwent gravitational collapse and became a black hole" (Adams)
Ancient Dead Lore
Ravenloft Third Edition
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) can learn more about a creature’s ancient dead nature. Characters need to make a separate Knowledge check to learn about the base creature. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
18 This desiccated corpse, wrapped in moldering burial finery, is one of the ancient dead, called a mummy by some. This result reveals all deathless traits.
23 Ancient dead are not the undead creatures known as mummies, though some sages believe that the latter represent a necromantic attempt to mimic the former. The ancient dead are the deathless remains of those who have refused to move on to the afterlife, be it because they are bound by duty to serve as guards, because they cannot believe they are dead, or because they refuse to relinquish their grip on worldly power and pleasures. Ancient dead generally retain all the special attacks and qualities of the base creature.
28 The mere sight of an ancient dead invoked tremendous awe and despair, which can paralyze witnesses. An ancient dead’s flesh is unnaturally tough, but magic weapons can pierce its defenses. Each ancient dead is vulnerable to a specific form of energy — often fire. Ancient dead exist in a range of power, with higher-ranking ancient dead possessing more potent physical and supernatural powers.
33 The ancient dead carry supernaturally powerful disease-like curses with their touch. The most common of these ancient plagues is mummy rot, which can be cured only by casting break enchantment or remove curse. This plague is highly resistant, though not immune, to healing spells. Victims killed by mummy rot crumble away to dust. More powerful ancient dead may be immune to one or more forms of energy.
38 More powerful ancient dead can rejuvenate any damage dealt to their bodies. An ancient dead is helpless while rejuvenating, but more powerful ancient dead take less time to rejuvenate. The most powerful ancient dead can reform their bodies even after being reduced to ash, and can be permanently destroyed only through the use of ancient rites specific to individual ancient dead.
Ravenloft Third Edition
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) can learn more about a creature’s ancient dead nature. Characters need to make a separate Knowledge check to learn about the base creature. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
18 This desiccated corpse, wrapped in moldering burial finery, is one of the ancient dead, called a mummy by some. This result reveals all deathless traits.
23 Ancient dead are not the undead creatures known as mummies, though some sages believe that the latter represent a necromantic attempt to mimic the former. The ancient dead are the deathless remains of those who have refused to move on to the afterlife, be it because they are bound by duty to serve as guards, because they cannot believe they are dead, or because they refuse to relinquish their grip on worldly power and pleasures. Ancient dead generally retain all the special attacks and qualities of the base creature.
28 The mere sight of an ancient dead invoked tremendous awe and despair, which can paralyze witnesses. An ancient dead’s flesh is unnaturally tough, but magic weapons can pierce its defenses. Each ancient dead is vulnerable to a specific form of energy — often fire. Ancient dead exist in a range of power, with higher-ranking ancient dead possessing more potent physical and supernatural powers.
33 The ancient dead carry supernaturally powerful disease-like curses with their touch. The most common of these ancient plagues is mummy rot, which can be cured only by casting break enchantment or remove curse. This plague is highly resistant, though not immune, to healing spells. Victims killed by mummy rot crumble away to dust. More powerful ancient dead may be immune to one or more forms of energy.
38 More powerful ancient dead can rejuvenate any damage dealt to their bodies. An ancient dead is helpless while rejuvenating, but more powerful ancient dead take less time to rejuvenate. The most powerful ancient dead can reform their bodies even after being reduced to ash, and can be permanently destroyed only through the use of ancient rites specific to individual ancient dead.
Figurine Lore
Denizens of Dread
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) can learn more about figurines. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
13 This miniature, animalistic sculpture is a magically animated figurine. This result reveals all construct traits.
18 Figurines are mindless combatants that fight as commanded by their masters. Their hardened bodies can deflect glancing blows, but adamantine weapons can prove effective.
23 Several varieties of figurine have been created, each one identifiable by the material used to create it and the animal it is fashioned to resemble. Each variety of figurine possesses its own special abilities. This result reveals the special attacks and qualities of each figurine, and also reveals the method for creating figurines.
28 The dark magic animating a figurine is far too powerful to be properly contained by its miniature body. Eventually, the power awakens these constructs, granting them a malign cunning, free will, and a hatred for those who possess true life.
Denizens of Dread
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) can learn more about figurines. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
13 This miniature, animalistic sculpture is a magically animated figurine. This result reveals all construct traits.
18 Figurines are mindless combatants that fight as commanded by their masters. Their hardened bodies can deflect glancing blows, but adamantine weapons can prove effective.
23 Several varieties of figurine have been created, each one identifiable by the material used to create it and the animal it is fashioned to resemble. Each variety of figurine possesses its own special abilities. This result reveals the special attacks and qualities of each figurine, and also reveals the method for creating figurines.
28 The dark magic animating a figurine is far too powerful to be properly contained by its miniature body. Eventually, the power awakens these constructs, granting them a malign cunning, free will, and a hatred for those who possess true life.
Kizoku Lore
Denizens of Dread
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (local) can learn more about kizoku. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
17 This handsome and charming man is not the human he appears to be — he is a kizoku, a foul creature that feeds on the life energy of his lovers. This result reveals all monstrous humanoid traits. Kizoku are known to speak many languages.
22 All kizoku are male, and each one bears a beauty mark in the shape of a crescent moon somewhere on his body. For a kizoku, it is not enough to merely take a woman’s soul; first he must corrupt her, feeding as much on the loss of innocence as on the spirit itself. A kizoku who spends any extended time with a woman can seduce her into an euphoric state in which her life holds joy and meaning only with the kizoku at her side, similar to a powerful form of charm person.
27 After a kizoku has wooed a victim for a month, he entices her to perform a terrible act of betrayal against those who truly care for her. The deed done, the kizoku takes the damned woman’s soul and her body transforms into a weeping willow. A kizoku must consume the soul of at least one woman a year to sustain itself, so its home is often distinguished by a grove of these willows.
32 A kizoku can call upon a potent array of spell-like abilities, including alter self, calm emotions, charm person, color spray, command, confusion, crushing despair, daze, detect scrying, dimension door, disguise self, displacement, enthrall, gaseous form, hold person, hypnotism, mind fog, mislead, rage, slow, and suggestion, using each once a day. It can also fly and turn itself invisible at will.
37 A kizoku is legendarily difficult to kill, since it regenerates from all forms of damage. To slay a kizoku, someone who loved one of the kizoku’s victims must find her willow and craft a weapon from its heartwood, killing the tree. Only such a weapon can permanently destroy the kizoku. Once a kizoku is slain, the souls it consumed return to their willows. If the trees are still alive, victims can be then restored to normal with the appropriate magic.
Denizens of Dread
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (local) can learn more about kizoku. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
17 This handsome and charming man is not the human he appears to be — he is a kizoku, a foul creature that feeds on the life energy of his lovers. This result reveals all monstrous humanoid traits. Kizoku are known to speak many languages.
22 All kizoku are male, and each one bears a beauty mark in the shape of a crescent moon somewhere on his body. For a kizoku, it is not enough to merely take a woman’s soul; first he must corrupt her, feeding as much on the loss of innocence as on the spirit itself. A kizoku who spends any extended time with a woman can seduce her into an euphoric state in which her life holds joy and meaning only with the kizoku at her side, similar to a powerful form of charm person.
27 After a kizoku has wooed a victim for a month, he entices her to perform a terrible act of betrayal against those who truly care for her. The deed done, the kizoku takes the damned woman’s soul and her body transforms into a weeping willow. A kizoku must consume the soul of at least one woman a year to sustain itself, so its home is often distinguished by a grove of these willows.
32 A kizoku can call upon a potent array of spell-like abilities, including alter self, calm emotions, charm person, color spray, command, confusion, crushing despair, daze, detect scrying, dimension door, disguise self, displacement, enthrall, gaseous form, hold person, hypnotism, mind fog, mislead, rage, slow, and suggestion, using each once a day. It can also fly and turn itself invisible at will.
37 A kizoku is legendarily difficult to kill, since it regenerates from all forms of damage. To slay a kizoku, someone who loved one of the kizoku’s victims must find her willow and craft a weapon from its heartwood, killing the tree. Only such a weapon can permanently destroy the kizoku. Once a kizoku is slain, the souls it consumed return to their willows. If the trees are still alive, victims can be then restored to normal with the appropriate magic.
Lashweed Lore
Denizens of Dread
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (nature) can learn more about lashweeds. A character who recognizes a lashweed’s nature can make a bardic knowledge check to learn more. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (nature)
DC Result
14 This shuffling, veiny snarl of thorny vines and dark fibers is a lashweed, a monstrous plant that feeds on animals. This result reveals all plant traits.
19 Lashweeds sense their prey in large part by sensing the vibration of their footfalls. Lashweeds sometimes stand silently, listening to the earth as they blend in with surrounding flora. When on the prowl, however, they emit a deep thrumming, like a beating of a war drum. This makes them easy to detect, but greatly enhances their tremorsense.
24 Lashweeds always launch an attack by trying to spray a blinding poison into its victim’s eyes, then uses the razor-sharp thorns on its lashing tendrils to flay them as they stumble about. After a lashweed kills a victim, it feeds on the creature’s blood. Excess blood oozes out through pores on its central stalk.
29 Three times a day, a lashweed can entangle foes as a spell-like ability. Lashweeds move quickly through even dense undergrowth, but magically manipulated plant growth (such as entangle) affects them normally.
Bardic Knowledge
DC Result
19 Vistani legend claims that lashweeds were first created when a powerful necromancer defeated a band of druids and staked them out in a field to die of exposure. They used their dying breaths to chant druidic curses, and the first lashweeds sprouted from their corpses to seek revenge.
Denizens of Dread
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (nature) can learn more about lashweeds. A character who recognizes a lashweed’s nature can make a bardic knowledge check to learn more. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (nature)
DC Result
14 This shuffling, veiny snarl of thorny vines and dark fibers is a lashweed, a monstrous plant that feeds on animals. This result reveals all plant traits.
19 Lashweeds sense their prey in large part by sensing the vibration of their footfalls. Lashweeds sometimes stand silently, listening to the earth as they blend in with surrounding flora. When on the prowl, however, they emit a deep thrumming, like a beating of a war drum. This makes them easy to detect, but greatly enhances their tremorsense.
24 Lashweeds always launch an attack by trying to spray a blinding poison into its victim’s eyes, then uses the razor-sharp thorns on its lashing tendrils to flay them as they stumble about. After a lashweed kills a victim, it feeds on the creature’s blood. Excess blood oozes out through pores on its central stalk.
29 Three times a day, a lashweed can entangle foes as a spell-like ability. Lashweeds move quickly through even dense undergrowth, but magically manipulated plant growth (such as entangle) affects them normally.
Bardic Knowledge
DC Result
19 Vistani legend claims that lashweeds were first created when a powerful necromancer defeated a band of druids and staked them out in a field to die of exposure. They used their dying breaths to chant druidic curses, and the first lashweeds sprouted from their corpses to seek revenge.
Strahd Undead Lore
Ravenloft Gazetteer I
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Ravenloft) can learn more about the special traits of Strahd undead. Characters need to make a separate Knowledge (religion) check to learn about the base undead. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
18 These shambling undead have been animated by Count Strahd von Zarovich, the lord of Barovia. His undead creations are reputed to be unusually powerful.
23 Strahd undead are resistant to turning and to magic.
28 Strahd can command his undead to report back to him telepathically, informing him of whether they have succeeded in their assigned tasks. A Strahd undead must briefly break off its attack to issue these empathic messages.
33 Strahd are exceptionally difficult to slay — even when struck down and seemingly destroyed, they may simply rise to their feet again a few moments later and return to the battle. To permanently destroy one of Strahd’s undead, be sure to mutilate the corpse (a coup de grace) as soon as the creature falls.
Ravenloft Gazetteer I
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Ravenloft) can learn more about the special traits of Strahd undead. Characters need to make a separate Knowledge (religion) check to learn about the base undead. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
18 These shambling undead have been animated by Count Strahd von Zarovich, the lord of Barovia. His undead creations are reputed to be unusually powerful.
23 Strahd undead are resistant to turning and to magic.
28 Strahd can command his undead to report back to him telepathically, informing him of whether they have succeeded in their assigned tasks. A Strahd undead must briefly break off its attack to issue these empathic messages.
33 Strahd are exceptionally difficult to slay — even when struck down and seemingly destroyed, they may simply rise to their feet again a few moments later and return to the battle. To permanently destroy one of Strahd’s undead, be sure to mutilate the corpse (a coup de grace) as soon as the creature falls.
Wrethfetin Lore
Denizens of Dread (as Vampire, Halfling)
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) can learn more about a creature’s wrethfetin nature. Characters need to make a separate Knowledge check to learn about the base creature. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
17 This ashen halfling with blood-stained lips is a wrethfetin, a sinister undead creature that feeds on the blood of the living. Wrethfetins are victims of a strain of vampirism unique to halflings. This result reveals all undead traits. Wrethfetins speak the languages they knew in life.
22 Wrethfetins drain blood from victims they get in their clutches, and their physical attacks sap the physical vitality of the living, Victims whose blood they drain rise from the grave as new wrethfetins several days after burial. Wrethfetin habitually collect small “trophies” from the corpses of their victims. As a former victim themselves, wrethfetins are often missing a small body part, such as an ear or a finger. A wrethfetin is spiritually bound to the grave in which it was first buried, and must return to that coffin to replenish its unholy powers. A wrethfetin can purify or despoil food and drink by touch.
27 A wrethfetin can effortlessly move in total silence and its mere presence fatigues nearby living creatures. It can create food and drink three times a day as a spell-like quality. Wrethfetins are destroyed by exposure to sunlight or immersion in running water, and rainfall burns them like acid. They quickly recover from most wounds, but magic silver weapons can pierce their supernatural defenses. Wrethfetins cannot stand the presence of tobacco smoke, and they cannot approach a holy symbol presented with forceful conviction. To destroy a wrethfetin, one must hammer a stake through its heart, but this is nearly impossible in direct combat. In addition, the stake must have just been drawn from a hearth fire, so that its tip is still burning. Not all halflings slain by a wrethfetin rise as new vampires; most rise as wrethfetin spawn, a lesser horror that exists solely to serve its masters as a pathetic slave.
32 A wrethfetin cannot enter any room that has a fire burning in its hearth, nor can it cross running water under its own power or pass through any door or window adorned with a lucky horseshoe. A wrethfetin is resistant to cold and electricity, and can transform into a cloud of aromatic tobacco smoke at will. If slain, a wrethfetin automatically assumes gaseous form and must return to its grave to recover. A wrethfetin can also assume the form of a boar, dog, or owl, and can command packs of dogs. Staking a wrethfetin does not permanently destroy it — it merely renders the wrethfetin helpless. To permanently destroy a wrethfetin, one must sever its head and hands, then burn them in a hearth fire for at least three hours. Unlike other vampires, a wrethfetin can never move the earth from its grave, forever binding it to a single burial spot.
37 Many different strains of vampirism exist — this is simply the most notorious among halflings. Destroying a master wrethfetin usually has no direct effect on its spawn, other than to free them from their master’s control. In some cases, however, slaying the master instantly destroys all of its spawn.
Denizens of Dread (as Vampire, Halfling)
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) can learn more about a creature’s wrethfetin nature. Characters need to make a separate Knowledge check to learn about the base creature. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
17 This ashen halfling with blood-stained lips is a wrethfetin, a sinister undead creature that feeds on the blood of the living. Wrethfetins are victims of a strain of vampirism unique to halflings. This result reveals all undead traits. Wrethfetins speak the languages they knew in life.
22 Wrethfetins drain blood from victims they get in their clutches, and their physical attacks sap the physical vitality of the living, Victims whose blood they drain rise from the grave as new wrethfetins several days after burial. Wrethfetin habitually collect small “trophies” from the corpses of their victims. As a former victim themselves, wrethfetins are often missing a small body part, such as an ear or a finger. A wrethfetin is spiritually bound to the grave in which it was first buried, and must return to that coffin to replenish its unholy powers. A wrethfetin can purify or despoil food and drink by touch.
27 A wrethfetin can effortlessly move in total silence and its mere presence fatigues nearby living creatures. It can create food and drink three times a day as a spell-like quality. Wrethfetins are destroyed by exposure to sunlight or immersion in running water, and rainfall burns them like acid. They quickly recover from most wounds, but magic silver weapons can pierce their supernatural defenses. Wrethfetins cannot stand the presence of tobacco smoke, and they cannot approach a holy symbol presented with forceful conviction. To destroy a wrethfetin, one must hammer a stake through its heart, but this is nearly impossible in direct combat. In addition, the stake must have just been drawn from a hearth fire, so that its tip is still burning. Not all halflings slain by a wrethfetin rise as new vampires; most rise as wrethfetin spawn, a lesser horror that exists solely to serve its masters as a pathetic slave.
32 A wrethfetin cannot enter any room that has a fire burning in its hearth, nor can it cross running water under its own power or pass through any door or window adorned with a lucky horseshoe. A wrethfetin is resistant to cold and electricity, and can transform into a cloud of aromatic tobacco smoke at will. If slain, a wrethfetin automatically assumes gaseous form and must return to its grave to recover. A wrethfetin can also assume the form of a boar, dog, or owl, and can command packs of dogs. Staking a wrethfetin does not permanently destroy it — it merely renders the wrethfetin helpless. To permanently destroy a wrethfetin, one must sever its head and hands, then burn them in a hearth fire for at least three hours. Unlike other vampires, a wrethfetin can never move the earth from its grave, forever binding it to a single burial spot.
37 Many different strains of vampirism exist — this is simply the most notorious among halflings. Destroying a master wrethfetin usually has no direct effect on its spawn, other than to free them from their master’s control. In some cases, however, slaying the master instantly destroys all of its spawn.
-
Gonzoron of the FoS
- Evil Genius
- Posts: 7558
- Joined: Tue Dec 02, 2003 8:02 pm
- Gender: Male
- Location: New Jersey
- Contact:
Alchemical Child Lore
Van Richten’s Arsenal
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) can learn more about alchemical children. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
16 This creature is actually an alchemical child, a duplicate grown in a vat of alchemical fluids. This result reveals all construct traits and the living construct subtype.
21 An enhanced version of alchemical children, known as enlightened children, also exists. Enlightened children are created using more advanced alchemical formulas and have additional abilities. Although they are similar to magical clones in some ways, alchemical children do not possess any of the memories of the original creature, unless specifically given such in a separate procedure. Alchemical children are highly resistant to acid. Slain alchemical children dissolve into steaming ichor.
26 An alchemical child is telepathically linked to its creator. Through this bond, the child can relay everything it sees, and the creator can issue commands. This result also reveals the general process for creating alchemical and enlightened children.
31 The creator of an enlightened child can grant it several alchemical abilities, such as an acidic touch, poisonous blood, the ability to reshape its feature. The creator can even free its child from the aging process, making it ageless like a golem.
Van Richten’s Arsenal
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) can learn more about alchemical children. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
16 This creature is actually an alchemical child, a duplicate grown in a vat of alchemical fluids. This result reveals all construct traits and the living construct subtype.
21 An enhanced version of alchemical children, known as enlightened children, also exists. Enlightened children are created using more advanced alchemical formulas and have additional abilities. Although they are similar to magical clones in some ways, alchemical children do not possess any of the memories of the original creature, unless specifically given such in a separate procedure. Alchemical children are highly resistant to acid. Slain alchemical children dissolve into steaming ichor.
26 An alchemical child is telepathically linked to its creator. Through this bond, the child can relay everything it sees, and the creator can issue commands. This result also reveals the general process for creating alchemical and enlightened children.
31 The creator of an enlightened child can grant it several alchemical abilities, such as an acidic touch, poisonous blood, the ability to reshape its feature. The creator can even free its child from the aging process, making it ageless like a golem.
Fumewood Termite Lore
Book of Sacrifices
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (dungeoneering) or Knowledge (nature) can learn more about Fumewood termites. In Sithicus, a Knowledge (local) check reveals the same information, but the DC increases by +5. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
10 The termites native to the Fumewood of Sithicus are reputed to have dangerously ravenous appetites. This result reveals all vermin traits.
15 Fumewood termites hungrily consume both wood and flesh. They are usually encountered in swarms, but even a single termite can be dangerous. A Fumewood termite’s bite is venomous, capable of numbing or even paralyzing its victim.
20 A Fumewood termite that bites exposed flesh burrows into creature, infesting the flesh as other termites would infest a dead tree. It only burrows for a few moments a day before eating its fill, but continues to slowly bore a winding tunnel through the victim’s flesh until it is extracted or the victim is stripped of flesh. This result also reveals the procedure for removing infesting termites.
Book of Sacrifices
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (dungeoneering) or Knowledge (nature) can learn more about Fumewood termites. In Sithicus, a Knowledge (local) check reveals the same information, but the DC increases by +5. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
10 The termites native to the Fumewood of Sithicus are reputed to have dangerously ravenous appetites. This result reveals all vermin traits.
15 Fumewood termites hungrily consume both wood and flesh. They are usually encountered in swarms, but even a single termite can be dangerous. A Fumewood termite’s bite is venomous, capable of numbing or even paralyzing its victim.
20 A Fumewood termite that bites exposed flesh burrows into creature, infesting the flesh as other termites would infest a dead tree. It only burrows for a few moments a day before eating its fill, but continues to slowly bore a winding tunnel through the victim’s flesh until it is extracted or the victim is stripped of flesh. This result also reveals the procedure for removing infesting termites.
Goatsucker (Goblin Vampire) Lore
New
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) can learn more about goatsuckers. Characters need to make a separate Knowledge check to learn about the base creature. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
17 This particularly grotesque goblinoid with lamprey-like fangs and nearly transparent skin is a goblin vampire, a wretched undead creature that feeds on the blood of the living. They are better known among common folk as goatsuckers, since they are known to attack stay livestock. This result reveals all undead traits. Goatsuckers are victims of a strain of vampirism unique to goblinoids. Goatsuckers speak the languages they knew in life.
22 Goatsuckers drain blood from victims they get in their clutches,. They are so ravenous they can gulp down blood even with a moment’s bite. Goblinoid victims they drain rise from the grave as new goatsuckers several days after burial. A goatsucker does not cast a shadow and has no reflection in mirrors. A goatsucker is spiritually bound to the grave in which it was first placed, and must return to that dank pit to replenish its unholy powers.
27 A goatsucker can climb vertical surfaces as easily as a spider. Animals balk at the presence of goatsuckers and flee if they come within ten paces of one. Goatsuckers are destroyed by exposure to sunlight or immersion in running water. They quickly recover from most wounds, but magic weapons forged of cold iron can pierce their supernatural defenses. Goatsuckers cannot stand the presence of garlic, and they cannot approach a holy symbol presented with forceful conviction. To destroy a goatsucker, one must hammer six iron nails into its heart, but this is nearly impossible in direct combat. Few goblinoids slain by a goatsucker rise as new goatsuckers; most lack the power to survive the transition into undeath.
32 A goatsucker cannot enter any building with doors marked with the Goblin rune for the sun, nor can it cross running water under its own power. A goatsucker is resistant to cold and electricity, and can transform into a swarm of flies at will. If slain, a goatsucker automatically assumes swarm form and must return to its grave to recover. A goatsucker can also assume the form of a goblin bat or a goblin wolf, and can command like swarms of common bats, rats, or spiders. Nailing a goatsucker does not permanently destroy it — it merely renders the vampire helpless. To permanently destroy a goatsucker, one must cut out its nail-riddled heart and burn it to ash.
37 Many different strains of vampirism exist — this is simply one of the most notorious among goblinoids. Unlike almost all vampires, goatsuckers are so debased that they can subsist on animal blood. They hunt goblins and more civilized humanoids only when the opportunity presents itself.
New
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (religion) can learn more about goatsuckers. Characters need to make a separate Knowledge check to learn about the base creature. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
17 This particularly grotesque goblinoid with lamprey-like fangs and nearly transparent skin is a goblin vampire, a wretched undead creature that feeds on the blood of the living. They are better known among common folk as goatsuckers, since they are known to attack stay livestock. This result reveals all undead traits. Goatsuckers are victims of a strain of vampirism unique to goblinoids. Goatsuckers speak the languages they knew in life.
22 Goatsuckers drain blood from victims they get in their clutches,. They are so ravenous they can gulp down blood even with a moment’s bite. Goblinoid victims they drain rise from the grave as new goatsuckers several days after burial. A goatsucker does not cast a shadow and has no reflection in mirrors. A goatsucker is spiritually bound to the grave in which it was first placed, and must return to that dank pit to replenish its unholy powers.
27 A goatsucker can climb vertical surfaces as easily as a spider. Animals balk at the presence of goatsuckers and flee if they come within ten paces of one. Goatsuckers are destroyed by exposure to sunlight or immersion in running water. They quickly recover from most wounds, but magic weapons forged of cold iron can pierce their supernatural defenses. Goatsuckers cannot stand the presence of garlic, and they cannot approach a holy symbol presented with forceful conviction. To destroy a goatsucker, one must hammer six iron nails into its heart, but this is nearly impossible in direct combat. Few goblinoids slain by a goatsucker rise as new goatsuckers; most lack the power to survive the transition into undeath.
32 A goatsucker cannot enter any building with doors marked with the Goblin rune for the sun, nor can it cross running water under its own power. A goatsucker is resistant to cold and electricity, and can transform into a swarm of flies at will. If slain, a goatsucker automatically assumes swarm form and must return to its grave to recover. A goatsucker can also assume the form of a goblin bat or a goblin wolf, and can command like swarms of common bats, rats, or spiders. Nailing a goatsucker does not permanently destroy it — it merely renders the vampire helpless. To permanently destroy a goatsucker, one must cut out its nail-riddled heart and burn it to ash.
37 Many different strains of vampirism exist — this is simply one of the most notorious among goblinoids. Unlike almost all vampires, goatsuckers are so debased that they can subsist on animal blood. They hunt goblins and more civilized humanoids only when the opportunity presents itself.
Living Wall Lore
Denizens of Dread
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) can learn more about living walls. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
18 The groping mass of wailing corpses reaching for you from the wall are an unholy construct called a living wall, created by melding scores of bodies together. This result reveals all construct traits.
23 A living wall may rely on many different attack forms, depending on the corpses fused into their mass. Warriors still lash out with their weapons, spellcasters can utilize the spells they had prepared as spell-like abilities, and so on. If a living wall strikes a foe with claws, a bite, or another natural weapon it attempts to grab on tight. Like mundane walls, living walls are immobile, impassible obstacles.
28 If a living wall grabs hold of a living creature or a once-living corpse, it attempts to absorb the creature into its mass. The creature soon partially emerges as yet another doomed soul lashing out at anything that draws near. Although absorbed creatures may cry out to former allies, their individual identities are completely consumed by the wall’s gestalt. When at rest, a living wall hides behind a glamer that lets it blend into the mundane walls around it. This result also revels the process for creating a living wall.
33 A living wall is immune to flesh to stone spells and the like. Despite its appearance, a living wall is not made of stone, so magic used to bypass stone barriers fail against it. Any corpse abandoned within 100 paces of a living wall for a month animates just long enough to merge with the wall. Living walls exist in a state of constant, insane agony. They seek their own destruction, but not as much as that of all that lives. They hate their creators most of all. Only true resurrection can restore an absorbed creature.
Denizens of Dread
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) can learn more about living walls. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
DC Result
18 The groping mass of wailing corpses reaching for you from the wall are an unholy construct called a living wall, created by melding scores of bodies together. This result reveals all construct traits.
23 A living wall may rely on many different attack forms, depending on the corpses fused into their mass. Warriors still lash out with their weapons, spellcasters can utilize the spells they had prepared as spell-like abilities, and so on. If a living wall strikes a foe with claws, a bite, or another natural weapon it attempts to grab on tight. Like mundane walls, living walls are immobile, impassible obstacles.
28 If a living wall grabs hold of a living creature or a once-living corpse, it attempts to absorb the creature into its mass. The creature soon partially emerges as yet another doomed soul lashing out at anything that draws near. Although absorbed creatures may cry out to former allies, their individual identities are completely consumed by the wall’s gestalt. When at rest, a living wall hides behind a glamer that lets it blend into the mundane walls around it. This result also revels the process for creating a living wall.
33 A living wall is immune to flesh to stone spells and the like. Despite its appearance, a living wall is not made of stone, so magic used to bypass stone barriers fail against it. Any corpse abandoned within 100 paces of a living wall for a month animates just long enough to merge with the wall. Living walls exist in a state of constant, insane agony. They seek their own destruction, but not as much as that of all that lives. They hate their creators most of all. Only true resurrection can restore an absorbed creature.