Breath Stealer

[Silverblade The Ench]

Breath Stealer

The Breath Stealer looks like a zombie or other such undead, though in some cases, they may be stained brown and shirvelled if they have been buried in a bog. Many have broken necks so their head dangles unnaturally, or have the garotte that killed them still around their necks.
When it uses it's Breath Theft aura, it's mouth enlarges unnaturally as it sucks in the life force from those around it., which can be seen as a faint glowing mist.

Breath Stealer Level 8 Controller
Medium Natural Animate (Undead) XP 350
Initiative +7 Senses Perception +16; Dark vision

Breath Theft, Aura (Necrotic, Healing): living creatures in 3squares take 5 necrotic damage at the start of their turn in the aura and are slowed, the Breath Stealer heals 5hp on the start of it's turn for each vicitm who is in the aura at the start of it's turn

HP 94; Bloodied 47
AC 22; Fortitude 23, Reflex 20, Will 20
Immune: disease, poison Resist 10 necrotic Vulnerable 5 radiant (see Corpse Candle destruction below)
Speed 6

Slam (standard; at-will)
+13 vs AC; 1d8 + 5 damage

Reaching Strangle (standard; recharge )
Reach 2; +12 vs Fortitude; 2d8 + 5 damage
The breath stealer's arms and fingers stretch out, and it grabs the target until escape, checks made to escape are at a -5 penalty. Medium or Smaller creatures are pulled 1 square on a hit.

Corpse Candle Destruction (standard; encounter)
Close burst 3; -
If the Breath Stealer is critically hit by a radiant attack, it explodes in a burning flare of radiant energy, reducing it to 0 hp. This damages all undead in the radius, but heals all other creatures, doing 15 hit points in either case

Suck the Last Breath (standard; recharge ) * Necrotic, Healing
+12 vs Fortitude; 3d8 + 5 damage
Targets a grabbed , living, humanoid foe only. The Breath Stealer wraps it's lips around the victim's mouth, and sucks their breath away. On a hit, the victim is dazed until the end of the Breath Stealer's next turn, and the Breath Stealer heals as much damage as it inflicted

Alignment: Evil Languages: Common
Skills: Stealth +16
Str 14 (+6) Dex 17 (+7) Wis 17 (+7)
Con 22 (+10) Int 14 (+6) Cha 14 (+6)


Breath Stealer Tactics
The Breath Stealer uses stealth to approach foes, often in the concert of other undead or hiding amongst them to avoid special notice, then turns on it's Breath Theft aura to catch enemies by surprise, who then are slowed and find escape difficult, as well as getting their life sucked from them and healing the Breath Stealer in the process.

It then uses Reaching Strangle to grab and bring one foe in close to kill, whom it concentrates on exclusively, commanding allies to help. When a vicitm is bloodied, it uses Suck the Last Breath to finish them off.
It normally fights to the death, but if bloodied and has been harmed by radiant attacks, it will flee.

Breath Stealer Lore
Religion DC: 15 Breath Stealers are created when a creature dies of strangulation or suffocation, and comes back from the dead, seeking to replace the life force and breath it has lost. They are supernaturally tough (+2 Constitution bonus)
They rarely speak, as they are consumed by hunger for life energy, but they have been known to recognize loved ones and relatives, and to spare them.
Some Breath Stealers are created by a poorly carried out hanging, but many are the result of not having a proper burial after murders, ritual sacrifices, or being trapped in a mining collapse and slowly suffocating.
DC: 20 Breath Stealers suck the very breath from any creature nearby, and their sinewy arms can reach out quite far to grab folk, whom it then tries to suck the air directly from their lungs with a horrible kiss.
Victims of their attacks often arise as zombies under their control, but they only arise as another Breath Stealer if the vicitm died from their deadly kiss, but such victims are not always under thier control on return from the grave.
DC: 25 a lucky hit by radiant damage can trigger a peculiar reaction, causing the energies it has stolen to be released, destroying the monster and damaging other undead around it, as well as healing living beings.

based on "Bog mummies", and as a fun idea
it's got a higher Constitution than normal, by +2 and uses that for it's attacks.

 

[DanmarLOK]

Nice!

For my own use and no criticism at all on your creation, just different playstyle, I'd probably make the Reaching Strangle an At-Will rather than a recharge and Suck The Last breath an encounter with a recharge on bloodied.

And as a last option have a Breathe Out - Encounter Blast 5 that heals undead, just to make it a PITA for players to encounter as part of an undead encounter.

 

[Mesh Hong]

I like it, it's got a definate character.

I really like the Corpse Candle Destruction weakness though the chances of ever seeing are slim. It is a good alternative to zombie weakness.

Personally I would make Reaching Strangle an at will power and reduce or remove the -5 to escape checks.

For the Suck the Last Breath power I might be tempted to change the amount the creatures heals to a straight 10 or 15 HPs to keep things nice and simple.

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

Thanks guys!

Hm, I see what you mean with Reaching Strangle, but wanted it to to use it just to grab folk to pull in, as a scary tactic and ability, rather than constant damage potential, ya know? -5 penalty is same zombies get so thought it'd be ok.

You can imagine a hero, carefully going in to attack or whatever you plan and suddenly it's arms elongate out, hands latch onto you and yank: suddenly face to face, eeeeeeek!

I thought the corpse candle destruction would be fun, fitting and well sort of "divine come uppance" as it were

These nasties I think would be good ways to make players think a bit, as their aura will hamper skirmishing tactics or simple door blocking, and are just plain creepy! Death by a zombie sucking yer face, eeeeeeew!!

 

[Mesh Hong]

If you wanted to expand on the grabbing and pulling theme for your encounter you could consider adding one of the following creatures (taken from my "Book of the Dead - undead monster manual":-

Pit Horror Level 9 Lurker
Large Shadow Beast (undead) XP 400

Initiative +13 Senses Perception +7, tremorsense 10
Leeching Aura (necrotic) aura 2; All creatures entering or starting their
turn inside aura take 5 necrotic damage, Pit Horror regains HP's equal to
the amount damage taken
HP 78; Bloodied 39
AC 23; Fortitude 21, Reflex 22, Will 21
Immune disease, poison;
Resist 10 necrotic; Vulnerable 5 radiant
Speed 2, spiderclimb 2

Tendril Lash (Standard; at-will) ♦ necrotic
Reach 2; attack +14 vs. AC; 1d8+5 necrotic damage

Tendril Grab (Standard; at-will)
1 creature inside Burst 10; attack +12 vs. Reflex; 1d8+5 necrotic damage;
on hit target is grabbed (escape ends)

Tendril Pull (Minor; at-will) ♦ necrotic, 1/round per target
Target must be grabbed at start of Pit Horror's turn; attack +12 vs.
Fortitude; 1d4+2 necrotic damage; on hit target is pulled 3 squares; on
miss target is pulled 1 square

Tendril Crush (Standard; recharge ) ♦ necrotic
Target must be grabbed at start of Pit Horror's turn; attack +12 vs.
Fortitude; 2d8+5 necrotic damage; on hit target is dazed (save ends)

Ripping Bite (Standard; at-will)
Attack +14 vs. AC; 2d6+5 damage; if the target is currently grabbed by
the Pit Horror it takes an additional 1d6 damage

Grounded
Any effect that would push, pull or slide Pit Horror is reduced by 6
squares; Pit Horror cannot be knocked prone

Alignment Unaligned Languages
Skills Athletics +12, Stealth +14
Str 16 (+7) Dex 20 (+9) Wis 16 (+7)
Con 18 (+8) Int 3 (+0) Cha 3 (+0)


Pit Horrors are patient opportunists that usually choose to hide in pits or alcoves waiting for targets to approach within range. Due to their slow movement and natural affinity for dark crevasses Pit Horrors are sometimes adopted by creatures making underground lairs, as long as they are kept fed the pit horrors can function as a living traps, dragging trespassers to their doom.