Special Conversion Thread: Moldvay's Undead

[Shade]

Excellent ideas. Updated.

Organization: Solitary or ravenous horde (Great Wendigo plus 30 Hit Dice worth of worth of elementals with the Air subtype and corporeal undead with ties to consuming flesh)?

The Great Wendigo is 15 feet tall and weighs x pounds.

The Great Wendigo speaks Common, Sylvan and Auran?

 

[freyar]

Agreed to all that. If he's 15 ft tall and Large, and he's always hungry, let's make him skinny. 800 lb?

 

[Shade]

Updated.

Work complete?

 

[demiurge1138]

Unearthly grace isn't listed in the SQs line. Other than that, looks solid.

 

[freyar]

Now he seems done.

 

[Shade]

A spirit-ghoul is a type of ghoul which is actually some poor unfortunate victim possessed by an evil entity. The entity warps the physical appearance of the person so that the individual looks like a ghoul. The possession attempt is a long drawn-out process and has no bearing in combat (i.e., the spirit cannot take over some other body during melee).

SPIRIT-GHOUL
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO. APPEARING: 1-6
ARMOR CLASS: 5
MOVE: 12”
HIT DICE: 3
% IN LAIR: 15%
TREASURE TYPE: B, Q, T
NO. OF ATTACKS: 3
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Paralyzation
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 20%
INTELLIGENCE: Average
ALIGNMENT Chaotic evil
SIZE: M
PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

A spirit-ghoul is the end result of a human victim's possession by unknown demonic entities. Once so possessed, the victim becomes immune to sleep and charm spells, and has paralyzation powers like normal ghouls. Such spirit-ghouls look just like normal ghouls, and the two can often be found together in a pack. Exorcism will work against a spirit-ghoul. A detailed examination by a high-level cleric will reveal the possession. Thus, unlike normal ghouls, a spirit-ghoul is not necessarily doomed to be a ghoul forever. In fact, if a spirit-ghoul is knocked unconscious but not killed, it can be bound so that the demon can later be exorcised. A character killed by a spirit-ghoul does not risk becoming a ghoul. Clerics can turn these spirit-ghouls as they can normal ghouls.

Originally appeared in Dragon Magazine #138 (1988).

 

[freyar]

Template? Work this in with the possession rules either from FF or FC1?

 

[Cleon]

Template? Work this in with the possession rules either from FF or FC1?

That was my second thought, my first thought being "what happens if a Cleric gets a 'destroy' result with a turn attempt - does it count as a successful exorcism?"

But, yes, a template looks like the way to go. I'd think it turns the possessed into a Monstrous Humanoid with pseudo-undead powers - some immunities, vulnerability to turning and a ghoul's paralysis. It probably wouldn't include ghoul fever, as there's no mention of the Spirit-Ghoul creating more of its own kind.

 

[Shade]

I can agree with all of that except the change to monstrous humanoid type.

 

[freyar]

Yeah, these seem to be outsiders that possess and grant abilities to their victims. Actually, could these be loumarae? Or whatever we might be allowed to call them?