Converting Monsters from Polyhedron Magazine
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Shade
Monster Junkie
Scavenger Spirit
by Gary Watkins
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVE TIME: Any
DIET: None
INTELLIGENCE: Low
TREASURE: Z
ALIGNMENT: Any neutral or evil
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 0 or 5
MOVEMENT: 15
HIT DICE: 4
THAC0: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1-4
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6 per attack
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Paralyzation, suggestion
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Silver or magical weapons to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (5'-6')
MORALE: Average (10)
XP VALUE: 650
Scavenger spirits are similar to haunts. Their undead forms, are ghostlike, shimmering and insubstantial. In this state they have an armor class of 0. They can assume a semimaterial form at will, which gives them an armor class of 5. Scavenger spirits frequently take the form of what their living bodies looked like. However, they are able to assume any medium-sized form, such as human, demi-human or various plants or animals. These latter forms often are used to help them hide or to confuse their quarry.
In life, scavenger spirits were humans and demi-humans who profited from the dead. Most of them were grave robbers or camp followers who stripped those who fell in battle. A few were adventurers who ruthlessly and unthinkingly plundered tombs.
Now, in death, scavenger spirits are cursed to steal from the living. Scavenger spirits can pickpocket with a 70% chance of success. To do this, they must assume a semimaterial form. When the scavenger spirit has acquired an item of value, the spirit will flee to its lair and add the ill-gotten gains to its hoard. Characters who are successfully pickpocketed do not see the scavenger spirit.
The spirits are often, but not always, encountered in graveyards or ancient battlefields. Some take up residences near tombs filled with riches and over recent battlefields that have not yet been plundered. They long so desperately for the wealth carried by the dead that they will whisper a suggestion to passing humans and demi-humans to stop and take the objects left behind. Once a living person has acquired the wealth, the scavenger spirits are free to steal it. The spirits can use their suggestion ability once each turn.
When two or more scavenger spirits are together, they can combine their energies to cast a dig spell. This can be used up to three times a day. The spirits often unearth coffins or clear the way to buried tombs in the hopes passing adventurers will stop and loot the dead. The spirits will add a suggestion or two if necessary. Again, once the living have acquired the treasure, the spirits are free to steal it from them.
Combat: Scavenger spirits avoid fighting if at all possible; the sole purpose in their unlife is to steal. They attack only when they are in danger or if their hoard is threatened. In combat, scavenger spirits attack with their filthy claws -- up to four of them depending on the form chosen. Each claw attack causes 1-6 points of damage. In addition, victims must save vs. spells, at a -2 penalty, or be paralyzed with fear and disgust for 1d6 rounds. If the scavenger spirit is not involved in any other melees, it will loot the paralyzed body and return to its lair. Lawful good priests are immune to the paralysis touch.
Scavenger spirits must remain in their semi-material state during combat. The spirits can be harmed only by silver or magical weapons. They are immune to sleep, charm, hold, death magic, poisons and cold-based spells.
These spirits are turned as "special" on the priest undead turning table.
Habitat/Society: A scavenger spirit usually remains near the site of its death, though it is not constrained to do so especially if the location presents few opportunities to steal. Scavenger spritits are found singly or in small groups, each one of them driven by a compulsion to steal.
Ecology: Unlike most other forms of undead, scavenger spirits do not propagate their kind by slaying the living. A victim slain by a scavenger spirit simply dies. Scavenger spirits are only created when a living human or demihuman intentionally steals from burial places or battlefields. These thefts do not include simple acts like picking up a fallen soldier's sword. They usually entail repeated stealing of personal possessions and objects of wealth or importance that were purposefully placed with the dead.
Scavenger spirits hoard treasure and magic, though they have no use for the items. It is simply their curse to repeat the sins they committed in life.
Animals can sense scavenger spirits' unnatural origins and instinctively avoid them.
From Polyhedron Magazine #76 (1992).
by Gary Watkins
CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any
FREQUENCY: Very rare
ORGANIZATION: Solitary
ACTIVE TIME: Any
DIET: None
INTELLIGENCE: Low
TREASURE: Z
ALIGNMENT: Any neutral or evil
NO. APPEARING: 1-4
ARMOR CLASS: 0 or 5
MOVEMENT: 15
HIT DICE: 4
THAC0: 17
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1-4
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6 per attack
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Paralyzation, suggestion
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Silver or magical weapons to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (5'-6')
MORALE: Average (10)
XP VALUE: 650
Scavenger spirits are similar to haunts. Their undead forms, are ghostlike, shimmering and insubstantial. In this state they have an armor class of 0. They can assume a semimaterial form at will, which gives them an armor class of 5. Scavenger spirits frequently take the form of what their living bodies looked like. However, they are able to assume any medium-sized form, such as human, demi-human or various plants or animals. These latter forms often are used to help them hide or to confuse their quarry.
In life, scavenger spirits were humans and demi-humans who profited from the dead. Most of them were grave robbers or camp followers who stripped those who fell in battle. A few were adventurers who ruthlessly and unthinkingly plundered tombs.
Now, in death, scavenger spirits are cursed to steal from the living. Scavenger spirits can pickpocket with a 70% chance of success. To do this, they must assume a semimaterial form. When the scavenger spirit has acquired an item of value, the spirit will flee to its lair and add the ill-gotten gains to its hoard. Characters who are successfully pickpocketed do not see the scavenger spirit.
The spirits are often, but not always, encountered in graveyards or ancient battlefields. Some take up residences near tombs filled with riches and over recent battlefields that have not yet been plundered. They long so desperately for the wealth carried by the dead that they will whisper a suggestion to passing humans and demi-humans to stop and take the objects left behind. Once a living person has acquired the wealth, the scavenger spirits are free to steal it. The spirits can use their suggestion ability once each turn.
When two or more scavenger spirits are together, they can combine their energies to cast a dig spell. This can be used up to three times a day. The spirits often unearth coffins or clear the way to buried tombs in the hopes passing adventurers will stop and loot the dead. The spirits will add a suggestion or two if necessary. Again, once the living have acquired the treasure, the spirits are free to steal it from them.
Combat: Scavenger spirits avoid fighting if at all possible; the sole purpose in their unlife is to steal. They attack only when they are in danger or if their hoard is threatened. In combat, scavenger spirits attack with their filthy claws -- up to four of them depending on the form chosen. Each claw attack causes 1-6 points of damage. In addition, victims must save vs. spells, at a -2 penalty, or be paralyzed with fear and disgust for 1d6 rounds. If the scavenger spirit is not involved in any other melees, it will loot the paralyzed body and return to its lair. Lawful good priests are immune to the paralysis touch.
Scavenger spirits must remain in their semi-material state during combat. The spirits can be harmed only by silver or magical weapons. They are immune to sleep, charm, hold, death magic, poisons and cold-based spells.
These spirits are turned as "special" on the priest undead turning table.
Habitat/Society: A scavenger spirit usually remains near the site of its death, though it is not constrained to do so especially if the location presents few opportunities to steal. Scavenger spritits are found singly or in small groups, each one of them driven by a compulsion to steal.
Ecology: Unlike most other forms of undead, scavenger spirits do not propagate their kind by slaying the living. A victim slain by a scavenger spirit simply dies. Scavenger spirits are only created when a living human or demihuman intentionally steals from burial places or battlefields. These thefts do not include simple acts like picking up a fallen soldier's sword. They usually entail repeated stealing of personal possessions and objects of wealth or importance that were purposefully placed with the dead.
Scavenger spirits hoard treasure and magic, though they have no use for the items. It is simply their curse to repeat the sins they committed in life.
Animals can sense scavenger spirits' unnatural origins and instinctively avoid them.
From Polyhedron Magazine #76 (1992).
freyar
Extradimensional Explorer
Ok, we'll try this (modifying from the ghost)
Mutable Manifestation (Su): A scavenger spirit dwells on the Ethereal Plane and, as an ethereal creature, it cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When a scavenger spirit manifests, it partly enters the Material Plane and becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane. A manifested scavenger spirit can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, or spells, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source. A manifested scavenger spirit can pass through solid objects at will, and its own attacks pass through armor. A manifested scavenger spirit always moves silently. A manifested scavenger spirit can strike with its touch attack or with a ghost touch weapon. A manifested scavenger spirit remains partially on the Ethereal Plane, where is it not incorporeal. A manifested scavenger spirit can be attacked by opponents on either the Material Plane or the Ethereal Plane. Incorporeality helps protect it from foes on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Ethereal Plane. A scavenger spirit has two home planes, the Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane. It is not considered extraplanar when on either of these planes.
In addition, a scavenger spirit may take on many appearances. Usually, they appear as they did in life, but a manifested scavenger spirit may choose to take the form of any Medium creature. This grants them a +10 bonus to Disguise checks to appear as (an incorporeal version of) any particular creature.
I also thought about making them semi-corporeal, but I thought I should run that by you first. The claws sound like corporeal attacks, but we could do them as incorporeal touch attacks if you want.
Mutable Manifestation (Su): A scavenger spirit dwells on the Ethereal Plane and, as an ethereal creature, it cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When a scavenger spirit manifests, it partly enters the Material Plane and becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane. A manifested scavenger spirit can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, or spells, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source. A manifested scavenger spirit can pass through solid objects at will, and its own attacks pass through armor. A manifested scavenger spirit always moves silently. A manifested scavenger spirit can strike with its touch attack or with a ghost touch weapon. A manifested scavenger spirit remains partially on the Ethereal Plane, where is it not incorporeal. A manifested scavenger spirit can be attacked by opponents on either the Material Plane or the Ethereal Plane. Incorporeality helps protect it from foes on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Ethereal Plane. A scavenger spirit has two home planes, the Material Plane and the Ethereal Plane. It is not considered extraplanar when on either of these planes.
In addition, a scavenger spirit may take on many appearances. Usually, they appear as they did in life, but a manifested scavenger spirit may choose to take the form of any Medium creature. This grants them a +10 bonus to Disguise checks to appear as (an incorporeal version of) any particular creature.
I also thought about making them semi-corporeal, but I thought I should run that by you first. The claws sound like corporeal attacks, but we could do them as incorporeal touch attacks if you want.
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