Special Conversion Thread: Moldvay's Undead

[freyar]

I'll see if I can copy in the ToH phantom tonight.

 

[Cleon]

I'll see if I can copy in the ToH phantom tonight.

Thanks, It'll be a hand reference.

Since Moldvay says Galley Beggar's have the same stats as AD&D Phantoms, here's the 2E Phantom from the Monstrous Manual, just to make the comparison easier:

Phantom
Climate/Terrain: Any/Land
Frequency: Very rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Any
Diet: Nil
Intelligence: Nil
Treasure: Nil
Alignment: Neutral
No. Appearing: 1
Armor Class: Nil
Movement: 9
Hit Dice: Nil
THAC0: Nil
No. of Attacks: Nil
Damage/Attack: Nil
Special Attacks: Fear
Special Defenses: Nil
Magic Resistance: See below
Size: Varies, usually M
Morale: Nil
XP Value: Nil

Phantoms are images left behind by particularly strong death traumas. A phantom is like a three-dimensional movie image filmed at the time of death, in the place where it died.
The standard phantom may appear as almost anything. It often appears as the character who experienced the trauma-a transparent image re-enacting the death scene. Alternatively, it could represent whatever was foremost in the victim's mind at the time of death; an attacker, or some goal left unachieved. Phantoms are experienced in faded colors, by all senses.

Combat: It is difficult to fight phantoms, since they are merely images and have no power to directly cause harm. They cannot themselves be harmed. Swinging weapons or casting spells into the area of the image does not interfere with the projection, and they cannot be reasoned with. A phantom is not intelligent and does not exist for any real reason; tracking down its killer or completing its quest will not get rid of a phantom.
Phantoms are often mistaken for ghosts, haunts, or groaning spirits, but they can not be turned as undead. Only a priest spell remove curse, cast at 12th level, can dispel a phantom.
Although a phantom cannot directly do any actual harm, it is the very essence of magic and calls up a superstitious awe in anyone who sees one. The enchantment is such that the phantom affects both the mind and the senses of the observer. Creatures without minds (such as undead) are immune to the effects of phantoms, as are those rare beings who are somehow unable to experience them (since the phantom is present to all senses, blindness is not normally protection against one).
Characters witnessing a phantom must roll a successful saving throw vs. death magic, with a -2 penalty, or immediately panic and run away as per the effects of a fear spell. Particularly vivid phantoms may require those who fail their saving throw to make a system shock roll, with a +10 bonus to the roll. Failure results in death for the unfortunate victim. Such a character can be raised normally, however.
There are other difficulties with the fear effect; the cause of the phantom's death might still be around. Even after centuries, traps and undead monsters can be just as effective and deadly, and running away in panic is usually not the best defense.
Of course, a phantom may provide characters with important information, either forewarning careful characters of an upcoming danger, or finding a lost and treasured object.
There is a slight chance that a character's death may engender a phantom. This chance should be minuscule to nonexistent for 0-level or very low-level characters, or for those who were expecting to die-those dying of natural causes or in war. However, characters of 4th level or above, dying suddenly or by surprise might have a 1-2% chance of becoming phantoms. If those characters were on an important mission or were subject to geas or quest spells, this chance might rise to 5-6 percent. The percentage chance for generating a phantom should never be higher than the level of the character at the time of death. (Characters killed by energy-draining undead rarely produce phantoms.) It is up to the DM to decide what the precise image presents. A character who is murdered and generates a phantom may also return as a revenant.
There are nonstandard types of phantoms that affect only one of the senses. Often, these are purely visual images, but they can also manifest themselves as sounds (explosions, moaning, or quiet whispering) or smells. Most of these phantoms require saving throws, but the effects of failure may differ. A gloomy whispering of danger might produce despair (as per the symbol spells) effects. A foul stench might induce the retching effects of a ghast. Suffocating pressure, temperature extremes, the sounds of a swarm of bats, might all carry different consequences of failing the saving throw.
Of greater concern, however is that there are some phantoms that are actually evil, created when powerful evil creatures from other planes are "slain" (forced to return to their home planes) in the Prime material plane. These phantoms appear at the will of the evil creature 35% of the time, and can seriously misinform or endanger any character it meets. These phantoms can be detected with a detect evil spell; dispel evil can neutralize the phantom for a number of turns equal to the caster's level.

 

[freyar]

These seem like primitive versions of the "haunts" that Paizo developed for their Pathfinder APs. Anyway, here's the ToH version (it's a hazard! not sure I like that):

PHANTOM
Hazard (CR 3)
Phantoms are translucent spirits of creatures that died a particularly violent death. A phantom appears much as it did in life, though its form is clearly translucent and incorporeal. Phantoms have no attack form other than causing fear. A phantom causes fear (by gaze) to any living creature within 30 feet of it (DC 15 Will save negates). Affected creatures flee in terror for 1d6 rounds. If the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by that phantom’s fear for one day. A phantom is immune to all attack forms but can be destroyed through the casting of a dismissal or banishment spell.

 

[Cleon]

These seem like primitive versions of the "haunts" that Paizo developed for their Pathfinder APs. Anyway, here's the ToH version (it's a hazard! not sure I like that):

PHANTOM
Hazard (CR 3)
Phantoms are translucent spirits of creatures that died a particularly violent death. A phantom appears much as it did in life, though its form is clearly translucent and incorporeal. Phantoms have no attack form other than causing fear. A phantom causes fear (by gaze) to any living creature within 30 feet of it (DC 15 Will save negates). Affected creatures flee in terror for 1d6 rounds. If the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by that phantom’s fear for one day. A phantom is immune to all attack forms but can be destroyed through the casting of a dismissal or banishment spell.

That's pretty basic.

I think I'd rather make a regular monster inspired by the Phantom and the Moldvay write-up but not necessarily beholden to it.

Some kind of incorporeal undead with some ghost traits bolted on to it?

 

[freyar]

I agree, that seems like a better way to go.

 

[Shade]

I'm in.

 

[Cleon]

Good!

Medium Undead (Incorporeal) seems pretty obvious.

Don't think they should be very powerful since they are petty spooks. I'm thinking 4 Hit Dice.

They don't seem to fly like most incorporeals, but walk, run - or toboggan!

I'm thinking we should pinch some of a ghost's Special Abilities, namely Malevolence, Frightful Moan and Horrific Appearance.

We could just make it a sub-template of a ghost, but I'd rather make it a standard monster for simplicity's sake.

Apart from that, I'm thinking an "Eldritch Glow" power that functions like faerie fire, so they can become visible and terrify victims even if its pitch black.

I'd like to give them a cut-down Telekinesis equivalent to mage hand - maybe by touch only? - and the normal Rejuvenation.

Give them half a ghost's racial bonus (i.e. +4) on Hide, Listen, Search and Spot? Give them a hefty racial bonus on Intimidation? (+8? or +12?)

That should be a good start.

 

[Shade]

I agree with all that. Definitely a standard monster, and totally incorporeal (not ethereal like a ghost).

 

[GrayLinnorm]

And the alignment should be chaotic neutral.

 

[Cleon]

I agree with all that. Definitely a standard monster, and totally incorporeal (not ethereal like a ghost).

I was thinking incorporeal AND ethereal. Most of the time they're hanging about ethereally, but now and again the Manifest to become visible and scare the bejeesus out of a victim. I suspect they can not manifest in daylight, so only scare folk at night or underground.

Oh, and I would like to rework the ghost's Frightful Moan and Horrific Appearance.

Horrific Appearance might be too potent for a low level monster like this, so I was wondering about a HD-limited ability like a dragon's Frightful Presence.

Oh, and one description I saw of them says they have a "Deathly Shriek", so how about making their ability-damaging attack a sound-based one instead?

e.g.

Frightful Appearance (Su): A galley beggar can unsettle foes with its mere presence. The ability takes effect automatically whenever the beggar attacks, charges, or manifests. Creatures within a radius of 60 feet are subject to the effect unless they have more HD than the galley beggar. A potentially affected creature that succeeds on a DC X Will save remains immune to that dragon’s frightful presence for 24 hours. On a failure, creatures with up to half the beggar's HD become panicked for 4d6 rounds, while those with more HD become shaken for 4d6 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Deathly Shriek (Su): X times a day, a galley beggar can utter a horrifying scream. Any living creature within 60 feet that hears this deathly shriek must succeed on a DC Y Fortitude save or immediately take 1d4 points of Strength damage, 1d4 points of Dexterity damage, and 1d4 points of Constitution damage. A creature that successfully saves against this effect cannot be affected by the same galley beggar's deathly shriek for 24 hours. The save DC is Charisma-based.