Needing enemy help

[Kid Socrates]

Hey, all. I'm running a d20 campaign, solidly not D&D, but I'm about to throw my players into a big undead city, with its formerly innocent citizens being slowly consumed into unlife by the former prophet who gave in to dark forces and damned them all... but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I don't want them to run into any undead yet -- I haven't used any through 20 sessions, and I want them to take about four or five more sessions before getting to the city itself. I want to start dropping hints, and I did so with the first battle -- two Cadaver Collectors from Monster Manual III. Seeing as my players also are not D&D players, the sight of two giant mechanized golem-type things that were collecting dead bodies and storing them on their backs freaked the heroes out quite a bit.

The area they're in is allegedly deserted, but they've already seen human bodies, so they know something doesn't add up.

I'm pretty much looking for cool monster ideas and appearances and actions -- definitely not gearing anything to negate all of their strengths. Does anyone know of good, cool monsters that aren't undead but would be working with them, somewhat like the Cadaver Collectors? Or does anyone have any ideas for such a creature?

Thanks!

 

[diaglo]

rat swarms

crows/vultures

jackals

anything else that would feed on the dead.

large numbers of corpses hanging around could be very attractive to large numbers of scavengers.

maybe the water source is polluted with dead bodies or bacteria.

also refugees... hidden pockets of survivors... possilby diseased themselves... carriers..

 

[NCSUCodeMonkey]

Depending on how you're working the plot, perhaps the prophet still has followers that are loyal to him? They could be zealots, assasians, etc. They could also have abilities in tune with the prophets message, perhaps a corrupting touch or something else.

NCSUCodeMonkey

 

[Dremmen]

if you want to freak your players out have them walk out over a ledge and look at a virtual sea of writhing oozes gobbling up corpses. I can't think of many things more unnerving than having to pick my way through a field of feeding oozes, corpse upon corpse upon corpse floating in their jelly bodies, slowly dissolving. Most likely they would be too busy feeding to notice the players. Maybe