Creature Collection - A Compendium of 4th Edition Monstrous Foes
Creature Collection - A Compendium of 4th Edition Monstrous Foes
4e
Acid Shambler Ghoul: The acid shambler is one of many horrors spawned in the aftermath of the Divine War. The shamblers are corpses brought back to horrific, agonizing life by a strange transformation of their blood. The thick reddish-black ichors that surge through their dead veins both animate and deteriorate them, eating them from the inside out due to the highly acidic properties.
Ghoul Hound: ?
Ghoul bloodhound : ?
Ice Ghoul: Legends say that a man who dies in the snow cursing the goddess of the bitter arctic winds will rise again on the night of the full moon, hungry for warm, raw flesh to fill his shrunken belly.
Ice ghouls are the frost-rimed remains of travelers who starved to death in the blizzards of the north, undead creatures with pale white skin and withered flesh.
Ice Ghoul Reaver: ?
Poisonbearer Ghoul: The poisonbearer is yet another undead creation of the Ghoul King, lord of the Isle of the Dead.
Overghast Ghoul: Theories about overghasts’ origins abound. Most scholars believe that they were created spontaneously by explosions of necromantic energy near the end of the Divine War — the same energies that are thought to have created the fearsome Isle of the Dead. While these notions have not been confirmed, it is known that on occasion an ordinary ghast can be transformed into one of these creatures, and that they are most common in southern Termana, near the Ghoul King’s island realm.
Undead Ooze: The undead ooze is created when an ooze of any other sort violates the grave of a restless and evil soul: A malevolent spirit, still tied to the rotting flesh consumed by the ooze, occasionally enters it. This is the last meal the ooze takes as a living creature, as it is changed into a thing of undeath and filled with a hatred of the living, as well as a fiendish low cunning.
Bone Horror: A bone horror is not technically a skeleton. Its "body" is a mix of humanoid and sometimes animal skeletons. No one knows what dark magic created these monsters. They are thought to arise from the grisly remains of scattered battlefields where large amounts of necromantic energy have been used. Yet some rumors claim that they were made when a wizard's experiment went catastrophically wrong; others suggest that they are the remains of mortals cursed by a vengeful power for wrongs committed against the gods.
Bone Lord: ?
Burned One: The faithful of Vangal are granted power and strength, but woe to the servant who turns his back upon his dark god or who commits sacrilege in his quest for power. If captured, these unfaithful ex-priests are subjected to a ritual which leaves them nothing but a burned husk, destined to roam the earth tormented in an agony of eternal flames.
Shackledeath: ?
Thunderbones: These intimidating creatures appear in many of the homes and workshops of accomplished necromancers, particularly those of Hollowfaust. Although the ritual involved in their creation is complex, the concept itself is simple: cover a large animated skeleton with rune-covered iron, and bestow magical abilities upon its bladed claws.
Slarecian Ghast: Some say that when the Slarecians were set upon by both gods and titans, the only way that ancient race could survive was to kill themselves rather than suffer eternal torment. Stories diverge from there: Some say that Slarecian ghasts and shadows are all that remain of a great civilization, while others attest that such creatures are but a sampling of undead Slarecians that thrives beneath the ground.
Regardless, there is little dispute that the ghasts were once Slarecians.
Slarecian Shadow: Some say that when the Slarecians were set upon by both gods and titans, the only way that ancient race could survive was to kill themselves rather than suffer eternal torment. Stories diverge from there: Some say that Slarecian ghasts and shadows are all that remain of a great civilization, while others attest that such creatures are but a sampling of undead Slarecians that thrives beneath the ground.
Slarecian shadows are thought to have been spies or assassins for their people, but this role cannot explain why they are still encountered and, evidently, still spy on others.
Slarecian Shadow Lord: ?
Slon Gravekeeper: ?
Alley Reaper Specter: An alley reaper is the spirit of an assassin or cutthroat who died with blood on his hands. Belsameth, considering that person particularly ruthless, cunning, and deceitful, gave him an extended lease not on the world, but on life.
Dread Reaper Specter: ?
Specter Swarm: ?
Unhallowed: Sometimes, perhaps once in a hundred years, a child is born bearing signs that he or she is beloved of the gods. She may be stronger, smarter, swifter, or more beautiful than any other child. Above all, she is gifted with abundant blessings and is clearly destined for greatness in the fullness of time. These souls go on to become mighty warriors, legendary paramours, golden-hearted scoundrels, or righteous holy men, meant to share their talents with those in need. It is a fundamental truth of the universe that the gods expect much of those to whom they give the greatest gifts.
Sometimes that trust is betrayed. With a single act, a blessed individual turns her back on sacred pacts and heeds instead the call of self-interest. Usually, once this hero loses her way, using her mighty skills to indulge her dark desires, there is no turning back: Such a violation of sacred trust earns the eternal enmity of the gods. When such a fallen soul reaches the end of her life, nothing but an eternity of torment awaits her.
Faithless Knight: The faithless knight was once a bold and noble warrior who, in a moment of rashness or passion, committed an act of terrible cowardice or dishonor so great that it violated the most essential tenets of his deity’s faith. Now the deathless blackguard travels the world spreading terror and pain, drowning innocent kingdoms in blood and leading young knights to their doom.
Unhallowed Knight: ?
Unhallowed Champion: ?
Forsaken Priest: There is no greater crime in the eyes of the gods than that committed when a servant of some holy sect forsakes her vows and uses her influence to lead innocent members of the faith down paths of corruption and iniquity. The forsaken priest is a creature who has betrayed the highest offices of her god and, since that time, has been a force for evil and temptation.
Treacherous Thief: The treacherous thief was cursed by the gods for betraying those who trusted him, all for the sake of nothing more than petty greed: He used his skills to steal from those who had almost nothing to call their own, simply for the joy of taking what did not belong to him. He murdered people for nothing more than a handful of coins. And now, in death, there is no treasure in the world great enough to buy his way out of damnation.
Wraith: Unquestionably the most frightening aspect of any wraith is its ability to create new wraiths from its slain victims.
Mist Walker: ?
Mist Haunter: ?
Blood Zombie: Blood zombies are the undead remains of sailors who died on the Blood Sea.
Carcass: Gathered and created from the fallen ranks of the Ghoul King's most stalwart enemies, these undead atrocities have been denied any hope of a dignified death, instead corrupted into some of the most grotesque of the Ghoul King’s slaves.
Bloated to an obscene size by the fell magics of the Ghoul King, carcasses are grossly obese. Jagged horizontal incisions, through which all their internal organs are removed, split their distended abdomens into gaping maws, leaving the creatures nothing more than gigantic rotting husks. Once the bodies are magically and surgically altered, they are then reanimated and sent out against the Ghoul King’s foes.
Carcass Spawn: ?
Chrdun-Slain: The god Chardun, the Great General, awards distinguished soldiers and units the gift to carry on their wars after death; Chardun-slain normally rise one full year after their mortal deaths, though, apparently at the behest of the Great General, to resume whatever assignment cost them their lives, be it laying siege to a town, guarding a bridge, or winning a battle.
Chardun-Slain Warrior: ?
Chardon-Slain Captain: ?
Tattooed Corpse: The sorceresses of Albadia are said to have perfected the arcane practice of tattoo magic. What is less known is the darker side of this skill, now widespread, in which tattoos are drawn by necromancers or tribal shamans to inscribe enchanted patterns upon reanimated corpses. These enhanced zombies are often sold to wealthy clients for use as guards.
Tattooed Corpse Mage: ?
Soulless Creature: Prerequisite: Humanoid or magical beast.
