Monster Advice

[Lobo316]

Aside from a skeleton, what is a good, low level undead for a tomb/crypt guardian.

The party is 4 players at 1st level, 1 at 2nd.

I'm looking for something that I can use in a group of about 6 or so. The room is going to be relatively small (15x15) so the cleric may have some difficulty in turning (as far a maintaing a 10 foot spacing).

So far, I have armored skeletons in mind, but looking to see if someone can inspire me with something a little different.

I own the C&C M&T and M&ToA, as well as the 1st edition Fiend Folio (really need to pick up a 2nd edition MM). Anyhow, I'd prefer it the monster came from a book I own, but if you can post a link or stats to something original, that's fine to.

Thanks!!!

[Omote]

I'd suggest the Tome of Horrors complete for S&W if you need even more monsters. Sure, you'll have to convert the monsters from S&W, which is really easy, but there are a ton of non-standard undead that you could use in your games from that book.

~O

[clavis123]

I suggest a group of talking giant rats that are actually the souls of tomb robbers turned into Zoomorphic Revenants.

Perhaps the tomb robbers died while raiding the tomb, but are now bound to the location. Perhaps they were executed for their crimes and cursed to become tomb guardians after death.

[Omote]

Point taken. I also suggest the extensive library of Clavis's work. Not to be missed for inspiration in all things fantasy RPGs!

~O

[Lurker]

I suggest a group of talking giant rats that are actually the souls of tomb robbers turned into Zoomorphic Revenants.

Perhaps the tomb robbers died while raiding the tomb, but are now bound to the location. Perhaps they were executed for their crimes and cursed to become tomb guardians after death.

Nice! Man I HAVE to game with you some day!

For me I'd mix some skeletons and zombies (it's a cliche, but it would work) or maybe a modified Yellow Musk Creeper Zombie kind of thing caused by mold instead of a flower. I would be leery about anything much more powerful than that.

[Lobo316]

I suggest a group of talking giant rats that are actually the souls of tomb robbers turned into Zoomorphic Revenants.

Perhaps the tomb robbers died while raiding the tomb, but are now bound to the location. Perhaps they were executed for their crimes and cursed to become tomb guardians after death.

Good Gravy thats cool!! Dangit, I may just have to work that in somehow. Maybe a mix of skellys and zoomrophics...both the thieves, and the guardian undead that had slain them, still aying in death together.

Funny you should mention one of your creations btw, as I am already using the an Amorus Revenant in the adventure. She is going to be one of several concubines or consorts to this long dead ungern battlelord. Taken from her beloved long ago and forced into servitude under the battlelord, she was entomed with him, along with several other concubines. But her soul is the restless one, still pining for her beloved that she was taken from...only she has no idea how long ago that was. Should make for some interesting RP.

[CKDad]

You can always take higher-level undead such as ghouls and scale them back a bit, decreasing their hit dice and possibly their physical attacks, giving bonuses to saves against their special attacks, etc.

I've also combined undead powers with beasts - a recent battle involved werewolves accompanied by "ghoul wolves", which were undead wolves that retained their usual abilities but gained ghoul paralysis (but could be turned as a ghoul of the same hit dice).

I like the zombie rat idea though.

[Lobo316]

You can always take higher-level undead such as ghouls and scale them back a bit, decreasing their hit dice and possibly their physical attacks, giving bonuses to saves against their special attacks, etc.

I've also combined undead powers with beasts - a recent battle involved werewolves accompanied by "ghoul wolves", which were undead wolves that retained their usual abilities but gained ghoul paralysis (but could be turned as a ghoul of the same hit dice).

I like the zombie rat idea though.

That's a neat idea too man! I like that. Werewolves are scary enough...undead werewolves...cooool! And scary.

[CKDad]

Ah, the werewolves themselves weren't undead - they were just accompanied by undead wolves.

The party hasn't had a chance to investigate that yet - they were too busy running for their lives...

[serleran]

I would offer that you use some sort of powered-down will-o'-the-wisp. Perhaps it simply sucks Strength (like a shadow, though you might allow a save) and is outright destroyed by sunlight. I dunno. Just seems like something that would flicker about a haunted tomb.

[ShadowStalker]

What about low level mummies? Poorly wrapped guardians, maybe soldiers from the past when the tomb's owner was alive. They could have been buried with him.

To spice it up, maybe give them a fungus or other, and when destroyed, they explode like a puff ball mushroom in a cloud of spores (make the saving throw fairly easy since it is low level game, and failures would be a slight inconvenience.

[Relaxo]

That's a fun idea, the weak mummy.
you can just wing it like this: the skeleton is of an ogre, (an ogre skeleton) so it has 3HD instead of 1... Or maybe like the mummy the "zombie" is really a weakened flesh golem.
OOH! It's a gargoyle with an illusion on it so it only LOOKS like a skeleton!

[Lobo316]

Some great ideas here guys, really dig the low level mummy idea. exploding fungus cloud is just nasty.

Hmmmm....the Cerabrovor zombie in there....;o)y

[clavis123]

Funny you should mention one of your creations btw, as I am already using the an Amorus Revenant in the adventure. She is going to be one of several concubines or consorts to this long dead ungern battlelord. Taken from her beloved long ago and forced into servitude under the battlelord, she was entomed with him, along with several other concubines. But her soul is the restless one, still pining for her beloved that she was taken from...only she has no idea how long ago that was. Should make for some interesting RP.

Sounds cool!

[JediOre]

What about the coffer corpse from the Fiend Folio? A great undead monster that!

[Lobo316]

What about the coffer corpse from the Fiend Folio? A great undead monster that!

I will check that out!

[Lobo316]

Funny you should mention one of your creations btw, as I am already using the an Amorus Revenant in the adventure. She is going to be one of several concubines or consorts to this long dead ungern battlelord. Taken from her beloved long ago and forced into servitude under the battlelord, she was entomed with him, along with several other concubines. But her soul is the restless one, still pining for her beloved that she was taken from...only she has no idea how long ago that was. Should make for some interesting RP.

Sounds cool!

Thanks! I'll try and do your creation proud

[Lobo316]

I suggest a group of talking giant rats that are actually the souls of tomb robbers turned into Zoomorphic Revenants.

Perhaps the tomb robbers died while raiding the tomb, but are now bound to the location. Perhaps they were executed for their crimes and cursed to become tomb guardians after death.

Hey Clavis! Your creations went over great. The tomb-raider/zoomorphic rats were a riot. I had them on the far side of a force wall/pit trap and they were heckling the PCs, laughing at them, daring them to jump the pit, calling them names, bursting out in laughter when PCs fell into the pit, all the while picking on each other as well, blaming each other for thier predicament, hounding the players for carrying "their" equipment (stuff the party picked up from the rat thieves long dead bodies), it was greatness.

The party actually befriended one who was "sorry" for thier situation and looked for forgivness. So when the knight offered to find his body and give it a "proper" buriel, he held the knight to his word. The party had to kill his rat-companions as they did not want thier "amusement" to end, heh, heh. They one they befriended told them how to get past the force wall/pit trap (which already had two of the characters KO'd, laying at the bottom of the pit, including the parties rouge, lol) and in the end, was set free when the party burned his bones and "released" his soul from the rat body.

Actually thinking about saying the curse that held him bound to the tomb was lifted, but he still has other past debts to pay, and having his soul move into a new animal that will be a mount for the dwarf knight that free'd him.

Also, the Amorous Revenant was awsome as well. Literally has no idea she is dead, and only one of the party was able to see her in her true from (which I decided to make no terrible, but more creepy. Just a pale, beautiful brunette, who has long, vertical slashes down her forearm, where her blood was drain in a cerimonial sacrifice). Long story short, the party really didn't know what to do with her, so...heh, heh...she is tagging along until they can find a way to put her soul to rest (which honestly, I have NO IDEA what I am going to do with, heh, heh...working on possible storylines to that effect now).

Anyhow, your creations were awsome, thanks for the suggestions on the rats, all had a great time!

[clavis123]

Cool! I'm glad they worked out well for you. Plus, its great to hear how somebody else made the creatures their own. Made them "live", so to speak...

[Lurker]

Lobo

That sounds like a GREAT game!