Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Faolyn" data-source="post: 9240592" data-attributes="member: 6915329">Tom Moldvay is back with another article on undead! This time he chose wights, wraiths, and mummies to focus on. Honestly, most of the undead are fairly dull—they’re just more powerful versions of regular mummies, wraiths, and wights.The one I’m converting is the angreden, based on part of the Icelandic saga Grettissaga. They’re basically what would happen if the Hulk became undead (I’m sure Marvel has done that at least once). According to the saga—and yes, I’m skimming it now—there was a rich man, Thorhall, who had problems, because evil spirits kept killing or scaring off his shepherds. He ended up hiring a thug named Glam to shepherd for him. Glam was a jerk and blasphemer, but he wasn't scared off and did his job—at least until he didn’t come home one day. When the other villagers found his corpse, it was blackened and swollen to the size of an ox; the translation I’m reading describes it as “he was dead, and as blue as hell, and as great as a neat.” (Neat meant ox—I’d love to know the etymology here.) His body was too big for the villagers to drag home, so they buried him right then and there. Since as we all know, an improper burial is in the Top 10 Reasons To Become Undead (“Number 6 Will Surprise You”), Glam got up and started “riding the house-roofs”, breaking open doors, smashing horses, and scaring and/or murdering the heck out of everyone, both day and night.The saga’s hero, Grettir the Strong, heard about this and rode into town and fought Glam—apparently unarmed, since before he could draw his shortsword for the final strike, Glam cursed Grettir. The curse in the translation is long and poetic, so Moldvay sums it up as follows: “You shall possess only half the strength and firmness of heart that were decreed to you because of this night’s battle. Henceforward there shall fall upon you exile; your deeds will turn evil and your guardian spirit will forsake you. You shall be outlawed and your lot shall be to dwell ever alone.” Shaken, Grettir beheaded Glam (shortswords: not just piercing weapons!), and the body was burned to ash. But the curse came true. Grettir ended up becoming incredibly frightened of the dark and he accidentally burned down a house, killing the inhabitants. He was declared an outlaw and exiled by the Icelandic Althing, and lived alone, unhappily ever after. The saga says that this deed has become a proverb, “Glam lends eyes,” meaning that people will see things that aren’t there. Wiktionary says this is the origin of the word “glamor” meaning an illusion. Neat! (and I don’t mean like an ox.)The saga doesn’t actually say that Glam is an angreden; Moldvay chose that name because it’s based on the Middle English word meaning “filled with anger.”[ATTACH=full]343206[/ATTACH]AngredenBeyond The Grave, Dragon Magazine #198Creature by Tom Moldvay; art by Tom BaxaAngreden are the walking corpses of those who died while filled with such anger that they can’t lie still in their graves. They were people who, while alive, were known and feared for their irrational anger, such as abusive drunks and sadistic bullies, and who were cursed by the unspoken wishes of their desperate victims. After death, they bash their way out of their grave and continue to take out their wrath on those who don’t deserve it. They are the embodiment of violence for the sake of violence, but fortunately death has stripped them of much of their cunning.These undead look almost nothing like what they did in life; only a few hints of their living appearance remain. Their anger has caused them to grow by as much as several feet. Their bodies become swollen and terribly bloated, to the point it looks as though they might burst, and their skin is blackened, like they were suffering from severe frostbite on top of massive bruising. Their bulging eyes goggle in a sickeningly oversized head. Their hands become large, meaty fists, unable to do anything more delicate than hammering victims.The Urge To Destroy. Angreden do not seek out those whom they believed harmed them in life; in their minds, the entire world has wronged it and so they seek to inflict their wrath upon everything, without seeming rhyme or reason. An angreden will smash animals, plants, and even buildings—but will drop everything if given an opportunity to rip apart a person and will roar out vulgarities, threats, and hatred aimed at anyone who may be listening while doing so, including the gods.Death Curse. Anger caused the angreden to rise, and it’s a strong enough rage that even a second death isn’t enough to stop it. At the moment of its death, it regains a sense of clarity and channels its hatred in the form of a curse towards the one who killed it.Climate/Terrain: Any climate; any land.Legends and LoreWith an Arcana or Religion check, the characters can learn the following:DC 15. Angreden are undead made from bullies and petty tyrants who were filled with anger in life. They wander the world, destroying everything they can until slain.DC 20. When it is slain, the angreden will utter a terrible curse on its killer. Only a high-level remove curse or similar magic can end the curse.Angreden EncountersCR 3-4 1 angredenTreasure: 300 sp, simple gold chain (75 gp)Signs1-2 A trail of destroyed buildings and mauled livestock.3. Bloody, oversized bare footprints.4. The stench of charred meat.Behavior1. Trying to rip apart a tree or boulder.2. Ripping the limb off a living farm animal.3. Pounding on the door to a farmer’s hut and roaring in fury.4. Attacks on sight.AngredenMedium undead; Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)AC 14 (natural armor)HP 75 (10d8+30; bloodied 37)Speed 30 ft.STR 18 (+4) DEX 10 (+0) CON 16 (+3)INT 8 (-1) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 17 (+3)Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 14Skills Intimidation +5Damage Resistances damage from nonmagical weaponsDamage Immunities poisonCondition Immunities charmed, frightened, fatigue, paralyzed, poisoned, unconsciousSenses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10Languages The languages it knew in lifeBloodied Frenzy. While bloodied, the angreden makes all attacks with advantage and all attacks against it are made with advantage.Fearful Gaze. When a creature that can see the angreden’s eyes starts its turn within 30 feet of the angreden, the angreden can use a bonus action to force that creature to make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of the angreden for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.Siege Monster. The angreden deals double damage to objects and structures.Undead Nature. The angreden doesn’t require air, sustenance, or sleep.ActionsMultiattack. The angreden makes two enervating slam attacks.Enervating Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) bludgeoning damage, and the target must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, it falls prone and until the end of its next turn, deals only half damage with weapon attacks that use Strength.Bonus ActionsAggressive Charge. The angreden moves up to its Speed towards an enemy it can see or hear.ReactionsDeath Curse. When reduced to 0 hit points, the angreden curses the creature who gave the final blow. If that creature is within 100 feet of the angreden and the angreden can see it, the creature must make a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be cursed. While cursed, the creature suffers from the following effects:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The angreden chooses an attribute; skill checks the target makes with that attribute are made at disadvantage.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">The target has disadvantage on saving throws to avoid being frightened or to take levels of strife or fatigue.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">When the target makes Perception checks and fails the roll, the Narrator should always provide false information.</li> </ul>The curse is permanent, although it can be ended with a remove curse cast with a 4th-level or higher spell slot.CombatThe angreden starts off with its Fearful gaze, then uses its Aggressive Charge to move as quickly as possible to the toughest opponents and makes slam attacks against that creature.Variant: Greater AngredenThe rage that drives an angreden continually grows within its mind, and in turn, causes it to grow physically as well. An angreden that has been in existence for a score or more of years can become truly gigantic in stature.The greater angreden is an elite monster, equivalent to two CR 4 monsters (2,200 XP). It is Large and has and has 127 (15d10+45; bloodied 78) hit points. It has the following bonus actions, which it can only use while bloodied.Elite Recovery. The angreden ends one negative effect currently affecting it. It can use this action as long as it has at least 1 hit point, even while unconscious or incapacitated.Tantrum. The angreden stomps the ground, shaking the earth. Each creature within 15 feet of the angreden must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.Kick Them While They’re Down. The angreden makes a Slam attack against a prone target.It also gains the following reaction, which it can only use while bloodied, which inflicts an additional 7 (2d6) damage.Vengeful Strike. When the angreden is hit by a melee attack on any turn but its own, it makes a slam attack against the attacker.</blockquote>

Verification