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Message: <blockquote data-quote="wsclark" data-source="post: 101537" data-attributes="member: 97">Officially? The Thing in the Crypt!Here are the missing sentences to the description I provided in my log that are in the module: "While all other members of the family perished in the fire of 670 YND, Adool was the last to be given a proper burial. Of course, he was not dead but somehow had been transformed into a hideous monster."You see, there is also some background on the Hiereed's as well:Madness of the HiereedsThe Hiereeds came to Zoa in 640 YND (459 IR) from the north but refused to divulge from exactly whence. They were quite rich and built a huge manor of wood and stone twelve miles west of the city, nestling it deep in the forest away from the main road.Their patriarch was a wizard who practiced the blackest sort of magic, conducting strange rites and worshipping unknown gods in the manorhouse. Tales of nightmarish things sighted near the house and in the dark, twisted woods in which it lay began to fill the Zoan people with dread. Patrols from Zoa were sent several times into the woods to investigate the rumors and even went so far as to search the Hiereed manor, but nothing untoward was found.In 664 YND (483 IR) a captain returned from his patrol in possession of a ragged burlap bag. The suspicious bag was taken to one of the Council of Twelve; and the old man reportedly went mad when he gazed within. The bag was immediately weighed down and dropped into the sea east of the city.-----The above is background information for the DM in a side bar of the module. Here is some information the PCs could have found out if they decided to gather some intelligence (pun intended) before setting out:The strange activity in the Hiereed Woods (as the forest came to be known) continued until 670 YND (487 IR), at which time the Hiereeds held some kind of fabulous masque at the house. Though none of the nobles of Zoa attended, many ships from far away lands, some of them quite strange looking, docked in the bay. Highly decorated, elegant closed coaches went through the city on the way to Hiereed Woods all day. Disturbing looking and thoroughly unruly sailors frequented the taverns about the town. Very late on the evening of the masque, as the tales go, the manor was struck by lightning. Many Zoans whisper that it was not lightning that burned down the place but angry local people who had had enough of the madness and evil near their city. The place burned to the ground with all of the revelers within. Only the foundation survived.-----This information alone has lots of potential for further adventures. As for the thing in the crypt, I thought the PCs would have a tougher time with it. Here is the stat block:The Thing in the Crypt: CR 8; Size M, (6 ft. tall), HD 8d8+16; hp 62; Init +4 (Dex); Spd 30 ft.; AC 17 (+4 Dex, +3 natural); Atk +5 melee (1d6+5/1d6+5, 2 tentacles); SA improved grab, withering touch; AL CE; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +0; Str 20, Dex 18, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 10.Skills and Feats: Hide +6, Jump +6, Listen +4, Move Silently +6, Use Magic Device +6, Blind-Fight.SA - Improved Grab (Ex.): If the thing grasps anyone with both tentacles, it grapples as a free attack without provoking an attack of opportunity. Once it has its victim, it throws them across the room at the end of the round, dealing an additional 1d6+5 points of damage unless they make a Reflex saving throw (DC 20) for half damage.SA - Withering Touch (Su.): Once every 5 rounds, the touch of the things tentacles acts as a rod of withering (1d4 points of temporary Strength damage and 1d4 points of temporary Constitution damage). If it scores a critical hit, the damage is actually a permanently drained ability score. In either case, the victim negates the effect with a Fortitude check (DC 14).Development. The things fears fire intensely and retreats from open flames. Otherwise, it fights to the death. It can leave the tomb though it does not like sunlight. If left alive, it follows the PCs trail after dark, tracking them incessantly wherever they go. It has gone quite mad in the long years since it was laid to rest.------Both Pug and Daloren made their saving throws verse the Withering Touch. Daloren, on the other hand, did get the brunt of the Improved Grab. But it was the three critical hits, two by Shaedra and one by Pug that did the thing in. I was hoping to have the thing follow them around for a while <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f615.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":confused:" title="Confused    :confused:"  data-smilie="5"data-shortname=":confused:" /></blockquote>

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