MC10 Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix
2e
Bastellus: Any being reduced to below level 0 by the preying of a bastellus will die in its sleep, seemingly of a heart attack. If the body is not destroyed (via cremation, immersion in acid, or similar means), its spirit will rise in a number of days equal to the number of levels it lost to the bastellus. Thus, a 14th level wizard would rise up in two weeks. The new spirit is also a bastellus, but it has no connection with the monster that created it.
There are those who would argue that the bastellus is a creature from beyond the grave and, therefore, has no place in the biology of the natural world. In fact, there is a great deal of speculation that this is not the case. Numerous scholars have put forth the theory that the bastellus is actually a product of the unrecognized hopes and aspirations of living creatures. If this is true, then the bastellus is very much a by-product of the living world and at least nominally important to it. This debate has raged for countless centuries, however, and it seems that the scholars who put forth both arguments are no closer to a resolution of the issue than they were when the debate began.
Skeletal Bat: Skeletal bats are created by the use of an animate dead spell and are often associated with necromancers or evil priests. They are to bats what traditional skeletons are to humans — mindless animated remains.
Bowlyn, Sailor's Demise: Bowlyn are undead spirits who, like the poltergeist, do not rest easily in their graves. Without exception, they were sailors on ocean-going vessels who died due to an accident at sea. In life, they were cruel or selfish persons; in death they blame their shipmates for the mishap that took their lives. Thus, they return from their watery graves to force others beneath the icy waves.
Typical hauntings do not occur immediately after the death of the sailor fated to become a bowlyn. It takes the spirit of the seaman from 1-10 years to return from the grave. The first appearance of a bowlyn always takes place on the anniversary of its death and the haunting lasts for 1-6 weeks.
Bussengeist: A bussengeist is the spectral form of someone who died in a great calamity brought on by their own action or inaction.
As a rule, only those persons who feel remorse for their actions will become bussengeists. For example, a traitor who allowed an invading force to gain access to a walled city and was himself slain in the ensuing battle might become a bussengeist. If he was killed without warning and felt no pity for those his actions had brought misery to, he would not be transformed. If, on the other hand, he knew that he was about to die and had reason to feel that he had acted in error, he might well become a bussengeist. In his afterlife, he would visit cities in the process of being raided by barbarians, castles being overrun by monsters, and similar scenes.
Ghoul Lord: Ghoul lords are unique to the demiplane of Ravenloft. It is rumored that they were first created at the hands of an insane necromancer in some other dimension, but that they were so evil as to instantly draw the attention of the Dark Powers. The Mists of Ravenloft absorbed all of the existing ghoul lords and scattered them across the domains.
Azalin, Lich, Lord of Darkon: ?
Stahd Von Zarovich, Master Vampire, Lord of Barovia: ?
Mist Horror: Mist horrors are the spirits of evil beings who, while not foul enough to receive their own domain, attracted the attention of the Dark Powers with their diabolical acts during life. Upon their deaths, their spirits leave their bodies to enter the mists. Throughout Ravenloft, there is a superstition that anyone buried on a foggy day will become a mist horror. This may or may not be true, but the Vistani themselves seem to take this belief very seriously and that lends great credence to it in the eyes of many.
As mentioned above, mist horrors are the spirits of evil beings who did not merit a place as lord of their own domain.
In essence, a mist horror is the evil soul of a being foul enough to draw the attention of the Dark Powers, but not so evil as to be rewarded/cursed with their own domain.
Wandering Horror: Wandering horrors appear as dark shapes that can be seen as they move through the mists. Unlike mist horrors, they are locked into a single shape—one that is based on the evil deed they did in life. For example, a cruel baron who ordered those he considered disloyal beheaded might well appear as a wandering figure without a head while a woman who murdered her lover with a poisonous spider might appear as a giant black widow.
The wandering horror is an evolutionary step above the mist horror. In essence, a mist horror is the evil soul of a being foul enough to draw the attention of the Dark Powers, but not so evil as to be rewarded/cursed with their own domain. After a period of time as a mist horror, however, this spirit may have caused enough fear and suffering (in short, done enough evil) to be elevated to the status of wandering horror.
Greater Mummy, Anhktepot's Children: Also known as Anhktepot's Children, greater mummies are a powerful form of undead created when a high-level lawful evil priest of certain religions is mummified and charged with the guarding of a burial place.
Greater mummies look just like their more common cousins save that they are almost always adorned with (un)holy symbols and wear the vestments of their religious order. They give off an odor that is said to be reminiscent of a spice cupboard because of the herbs used in the embalming process that created them.
Greater mummies are powerful undead creatures that are usually created from the mummified remains of powerful, evil priests. This being the case, the greater mummy now draws its mystical abilities from evil powers and darkness. In rare cases, however, the mummified priests served non-evil god in life and are still granted the powers they had in life from those gods.
The first of these creatures is known to have been produced by Anhktepot, the Lord of Har'akir, in the years before he became undead himself.
The process by which a greater mummy is created remains a mystery to all but Anhktepot. It is rumored that this process involves a great sacrifice to gain the favor of the gods and an oath of eternal loyalty to the Lord of Har'akir.
Greater Mummy 99 Years Old or Less: ?
Greater Mummy 100-199 Years Old: Greater mummies, like vampires, become more powerful with the passing of time in Ravenloft.
Greater Mummy 200-299 Years Old: Greater mummies, like vampires, become more powerful with the passing of time in Ravenloft.
Greater Mummy 300-199 Years Old: Greater mummies, like vampires, become more powerful with the passing of time in Ravenloft.
Greater Mummy 400-199 Years Old: Greater mummies, like vampires, become more powerful with the passing of time in Ravenloft.
Greater Mummy 500 or More Years Old: Greater mummies, like vampires, become more powerful with the passing of time in Ravenloft.
Anhktepot, Lord of Har'akir: ?
Giant Skeleton: Giant skeletons are similar to the more common undead skeleton, but they have been created with a combination of spells and are, thus, far more deadly than their lesser counterparts.
In actuality, they are simply human skeletons that have been magically enlarged.
The first giant skeletons to appear in Ravenloft were created by the undead priestess Radaga in her lair within the domain of Kartakass. Others have since mastered the spells and techniques required to create these monsters; thus, giant skeletons are gradually beginning to appear in other realms where the dead and undead lurk.
They are created from the bones of those who have died and are abominations in the eyes of all who belief in the sanctity of life and goodness.
The process by which giant skeletons are created is dark and evil. Attempts to manufacture them outside of Ravenloft have failed, so it is clear that they are in some way linked to the Dark Powers themselves. In order to create a giant skeleton, a spell caster must have the intact skeleton of a normal human or demihuman.
On a night when the land is draped in fog, they must cast an animate dead, produce fire, enlarge, and a resist fire spell over the bones. When the last spell is cast, the bones lengthen and thicken and the creatures rises up. The the creator must make a Ravenloft Powers check for his part in this evil undertaking.
Undead Priestess, Radaga: ?
Strahd's Skeletal Steed: Strahd's skeletal steeds are magically animated undead horses, created as guardians and warriors by the master vampire Strahd Von Zarovich.
Completely stripped of flesh, skeletal steeds are held together by magic.
Only Strahd Von Zarovich knows the arcane ritual necessary to make them. He can make them only from horse skeletons where 90% of the bones and the skull are present. It is not know if other animals can be animated from the same spell, but given the power of the Lord of Barovia, and his ties to the evil forces of necromancy, this seems probable.
Undead Treant: When an evil treant sees that its many years are soon to come to an end, it seldom accepts this fate quietly. For most, this means a final, wild orgy of violence and death. For a few, however, it means death and resurrection as a thing so dark and evil that even the Vistani will not speak of it.
Undead treants seem to be a natural stage in the life cycle of some evil treants. No doubt this is given as a "reward" for their evil lives by the Dark Powers.
Valpurgeist, Hanged Man: The valpurgeist, or hanged man, is an undead creature that is sometimes manifested when an innocent man or woman is wrongly hanged for a crime. Unable to prove its innocence in life, the spirit returns after death to claim the lives of those who sent it to the gallows.
Valpurgeists are lonely souls who have felt the cold injustice of a world that would not believe their pleas of innocence. Because of this, they will have no kinship with any living thing in their afterlife.
They are simply products of evil and darkness.
Duke Gundar, Lord of Gundarak, Vampire Lord: ?
Vampire Companion: The process of vampiric bonding is as murky as the fog that often shrouds the vampire's movement. When the vampire decides to take a companion, it generally (although not always) seeks out an individual of the opposite sex that reminds them of someone they loved in life. The vampire repeatedly visits the victim, feeding on them until they are at the point of death. At the last, when all hope seems lost, the vampire draws away the last vestiges of the companion's life and infuses them with its own energies. The process is both traumatic and passionate, for this mingling of essences is far more intimate than any purely physical act of love.
When the bonding is completed, both the vampire and its victim are exhausted and all but helpless for upwards of an hour. At the end of that time, the victim has become a vampire.
Vampire Dwarf, Dwarven Vampire: Any character reduced to a Constitution score of 0 by a dwarven vampire's vitality drain is instantly slain and will rise again as a vampire (of the appropriate type) in 3 days.
Those dwarves that fall prey to the undead will often become themselves undead. Three days after any character dies from the vampire's vitality draining, they will rise again if certain conditions are met. First, and most importantly, the victim must have been a dwarf. Vampire dwarves who kill elves or humans will not create new vampires, for only their own kind can be brought back to unlife by them. Further, the body must be intact. Second, the body must be placed in a stone coffin or sarcophagus and then entombed in some subterranean place. A typical burial service will meet this requirement, while placement in a crypt on the surface will not. Finally, the dwarven vampire must visit the body of its victim on the third night after burial and sprinkle the body with powdered metals. As soon as this is done, the new vampire is born.
Dwarven Vampire 0-99 Years Old: ?
Dwarven Vampire 100-199 Years Old: ?
Dwarven Vampire 200-299 Years Old: ?
Dwarven Vampire 300-399 Years Old: ?
Dwarven Vampire 400-499 Years Old: ?
Dwarven Vampire 500+ Years Old: ?
Vampire Elf, Elvish Vampire: Any elf or half-elf who dies from the elvish vampire's essence draining attack will become a vampire.
Any elf or half-elf who falls to the essence draining attack of an elven vampire will rise again as an elven vampire so long as the body is intact after three days. If the body has been destroyed or mutilated, the transformation is averted, and the dead character may rest in peace. However, any attempt to revive the slain character (with a resurrection spell, for example) has a flat 50% chance of transforming the character into a vampire once the spell is cast.
Elvish Vampire 0-99 Years Old: ?
Elvish Vampire 100-199 Years Old: As time goes by, elvish vampires can become even more powerful than they are initially.
Elvish Vampire 200-299 Years Old: As time goes by, elvish vampires can become even more powerful than they are initially.
Elvish Vampire 300-399 Years Old: As time goes by, elvish vampires can become even more powerful than they are initially.
Elvish Vampire 400-499 Years Old: As time goes by, elvish vampires can become even more powerful than they are initially.
Elvish Vampire 500+ Years Old: As time goes by, elvish vampires can become even more powerful than they are initially.
Vampire Gnome, Gnomish Vampire: While the hand-to-hand blows of gnomish vampires are weak, however, they are not without a powerful debilitating affect. Those struck by such attacks will begin to feel the painful arthritic attack of the creature instantly, for each successful attack drains 2 points of Dexterity from the victim. The result is a painful stiffness in the joints and muscles that can, if the victim suffers several attacks, be crippling or even fatal. Those reduced to a Dexterity score of 0 will be slain as the creeping paralysis spreads through their lungs and heart, making it impossible for them to survive. Gnomes who die in this fashion may themselves become undead if steps are not taken to prevent this foul transformation.
Gnomish vampires seldom create others of their kind. When they opt to do so, however, the process is not without risk. The vampire must first slay a victim with its debilitating touch and then move the body to the sarcophagus in which the vampire itself sleeps. For the next three days, the body must lie in the coffin while the vampire rests atop it, allowing its essences to seep slowly into the evolving vampire. At the end of this time, the slain gnome rises as a fully functioning vampire, completely under the control of its creator. While the gnome vampire rests atop its coffin, it is unable to regenerate any lost hit points or employ any of its spell-like abilities. Thus, the creature is far more vulnerable to attack at this time than it normally might be. In addition, it cannot interrupt the creation process once it has begun or both the would-be vampire and its creator will die.
Gnomish Vampire 0-99 Years Old: ?
Gnomish Vampire 100-199 Years Old: As gnomish vampires age, they become more dangerous and more powerful.
Gnomish Vampire 200-299 Years Old: As gnomish vampires age, they become more dangerous and more powerful.
Gnomish Vampire 300-399 Years Old: As gnomish vampires age, they become more dangerous and more powerful.
Gnomish Vampire 400-499 Years Old: As gnomish vampires age, they become more dangerous and more powerful.
Gnomish Vampire 500+ Years Old: As gnomish vampires age, they become more dangerous and more powerful.
Vampire Halfling: Those halflings who die from a halfling vampire's life draining attack will become vampires themselves.
The vampire can make more of its kind only by slaying other halflings with its energy-sapping attack. In order to create a new vampire, the halfling need do nothing more than keep the body of its victim intact for 7 days after death and a new vampire will be created.
Halfling Vampire 0-99 Years Old: ?
Halfling Vampire 100-199 Years Old: As with other demihuman vampires, halfling vampires become more powerful with age.
Halfling Vampire 200-299 Years Old: As with other demihuman vampires, halfling vampires become more powerful with age.
Halfling Vampire 300-399 Years Old: As with other demihuman vampires, halfling vampires become more powerful with age.
Halfling Vampire 400-499 Years Old: As with other demihuman vampires, halfling vampires become more powerful with age.
Halfling Vampire 500+ Years Old: As with other demihuman vampires, halfling vampires become more powerful with age.
Vampire Kender: Those kender who die from the spirit-rending attack of the kender vampire are in no danger of becoming vampires themselves, however, for these foul creatures are the product of dark sciences and magical experimentation that can only be duplicated with the direct intervention of Lord Soth of Sithicus.
The kender vampire is a solitary creature that exists only to do the bidding of Lord Soth of Sithicus. He is the father of their race, and, although they despise him for what he has done to them, they are unable to turn against him or act in any way contrary to his interests.
Knowing the revulsion that the elves who live in his domain feel for all manner of unnatural things, Soth felt that he could find no better slaves than a band of undead. Aware that undead elves might pose a threat to his own power, Soth set about the creation of a new breed of undead. Drawing a small kender village through the misty veils of Ravenloft and into his domain, he had them killed one by one so that he could study their sufferings and invoke carefully designed magical rituals over their bodies in attempts to make them rise as undead. By the time he had finished with these sad kender, fully half of them had died horrible deaths and suffered unspeakable torment at the hand of the dreaded deathknight. The results of his experiments were, however, satisfactory to Soth, for he discovered a formula that would create a race of vampires utterly loyal to him. It is believed that Soth has created no fewer than 10 such monsters and no more than 30, although hard evidence to support any given estimate is hard to come by.
Kender vampires can exist only within the confines of Lord Soth's domain of Sithicus. They are tied to that dark land in some mystical way that, no doubt, relates to the evil magic used in their creation. It is possible that Lord Soth was required to invoke the favor of the Dark Powers in his creation of these dreaded monsters and, thus, that he has paid some horrible price for their loyalty to him.
Lord Soth, Lord of Sithicus, Death Knight: ?
Zombie Lord: The zombie lord is a living creature that has taken on the foul powers and abilities of the undead. They are formed on rare occasions as the result of a raise dead spell cast while in the demiplane of Ravenloft.
The zombie lord comes into being by chance, and only under certain conditions. First, an evil human being (the soon-to-be zombie lord) must die at the hands of an undead creature. Second, an attempt to raise the slain character must be made. Third, and last, the character must fail his resurrection survival roll. It is believed that the zombie lord can be created only in Ravenloft, but this is not proven absolutely for they have been encountered in other lands from time to time.
Ghost: ?
Ghoul: The death of a darkling usually (90%) draws the attention of the nearest Vistani group. Within a week, they arrive at the location of the demise, bury the body (if such is still available), and perform an ancient rite designed to soothe the spirit of their tortured brother and allow him to rest in eternal peace. If this ritual is not completed, there is a 90% chance that the darkling will return in 1-6 weeks as a ghast (if the body is intact) or as a wraith (if the body has been destroyed). This undead creature will then hunt down those men who served it in life and kill them, transforming them into ghouls (if the darkling returns as a ghast) or wights (if it is a wraith).
Ghoul Ghast: The death of a darkling usually (90%) draws the attention of the nearest Vistani group. Within a week, they arrive at the location of the demise, bury the body (if such is still available), and perform an ancient rite designed to soothe the spirit of their tortured brother and allow him to rest in eternal peace. If this ritual is not completed, there is a 90% chance that the darkling will return in 1-6 weeks as a ghast (if the body is intact) or as a wraith (if the body has been destroyed).
The bite of a ghoul lord causes the victim to contract a horrible rotting disease unless a saving throw vs. poison is made. Those afflicted with this illness will lose 1d10 hit points and 1 point from their Constitution and Charisma scores each day. If either ability score or their hit point totals reach 0, the person dies. If the body is not destroyed, they will rise as a ghast on the third night after their death. In such a state, they are wholly under the command of the creature that made them until such time as that horror is destroyed. At that point, they become free-willed creatures.
The rotting disease can be cured by nothing less than a heal spell. Once the progression of the disease is halted, the victim's Constitution score will return to its original value at the rate of 1 point per week. Their Charisma, however, will remain at its reduced level because of the horrible scars this ailment leaves on both body and soul.
Ghoul Lacedon: ?
Groaning Spirit, Banshee: ?
Haunt:
Heucuva:
Lich: ?
Lich Demilich: ?
Mummy: When a greater mummy wishes to create normal mummies as servants, it does so by mummifying persons infected with its rotting disease. This magical process requires 12-18 hours (10 + 2d4) and cannot be disturbed without ruining the enchantment. Persons to be mummified are normally held or charmed so that they cannot resist the mummification process. Once the process is completed, victims are helpless to escape the bandages that bind them. If nothing happens to free them, they will die of the mummy rot just as they would have elsewhere. Upon their death, however, a strange transformation takes place. Rather than crumbling away into dust, these poor souls rise again as normal mummies.
Poltergeist: ?
Shadow: ?
Skeleton: ?
Skeleton Animal: ?
Skeleton Monster: ?
Spectre: ?
Vampire: As described in the RAVENLOFT Boxed Set, there are three ways to become a vampire. Each of these paths to darkness has its own unique character, but the end result is always a creature of unsurpassed evil and power.
The first path, generally known as that of deadly desire, is perhaps the most awful. In this case, the individual who is destined to become a vampire actually wishes to cross over and become undead. While it has been said that they must sacrifice their lives to attain this goal, a greater cost is often paid. Those who desire to live eternally and feed on the life essences of their fellow men must give up a portion of their spirits to the Dark Powers themselves. In this way, they are granted the powers of the undead, but also stripped of the last vestiges of their humanity. In the centuries to come, many find this loss too great to bear and seek out their own destruction.
The second path, that of the curse, is often the most insidious of the three. In this case, the individual is often unaware that he or she is destined to become a thing of the night. The transformation into "unlife" might occur because of a potent curse laid down by someone who has been wronged by the victim. Occasionally, an individual might find that he or she has inherited (or found) a beautiful and alluring magical ring—only to find that it cannot be removed and that the character is slowly . . . changing. There are those who accept this curse and embrace their new existence as a vampire, while others despise the things they have become. In nearly every case, these are the most passionate and "alive" examples of this evil race.
The final, and surely most tragic, path to vampirism is that of the victim. This is the route most commonly taken to vampirism, for it is the way in which those slain by a vampire become vampires themselves.
When a vampire decides to create new slaves, it does so by taking their lives in some special way. For most, it is simply the draining of their life energies or the drinking of their blood. Whatever the end result, if the victim dies from the feeding of the beast, he or she rises again as a vampire.
Vampire Oriental: ?
Wight: The death of a darkling usually (90%) draws the attention of the nearest Vistani group. Within a week, they arrive at the location of the demise, bury the body (if such is still available), and perform an ancient rite designed to soothe the spirit of their tortured brother and allow him to rest in eternal peace. If this ritual is not completed, there is a 90% chance that the darkling will return in 1-6 weeks as a ghast (if the body is intact) or as a wraith (if the body has been destroyed). This undead creature will then hunt down those men who served it in life and kill them, transforming them into ghouls (if the darkling returns as a ghast) or wights (if it is a wraith).
Wraith: The death of a darkling usually (90%) draws the attention of the nearest Vistani group. Within a week, they arrive at the location of the demise, bury the body (if such is still available), and perform an ancient rite designed to soothe the spirit of their tortured brother and allow him to rest in eternal peace. If this ritual is not completed, there is a 90% chance that the darkling will return in 1-6 weeks as a ghast (if the body is intact) or as a wraith (if the body has been destroyed).
Zombie: The odor of death that surrounds the zombie lord is so potent that it can cause horrible effects in those who breath it. On the first round that a character comes within 30 yards of the monster, he must save vs. poison or be affected in some way. The following results are possible:
1d6 Roll Effect
1 Weakness (as the spell)
2 Cause disease (as the spell)
3 -1 point of Constitution
4 Contagion (as the spell)
5 Character unable to act for 1d4 rounds due to nausea and vomiting
6 Character dies instantly and becomes a zombie under control of the zombie lord
Zombie Monster: ?
Zombie Ju-ju: ?
Crawling Claw: ?
Revenant: ?
Undead Beast Stahnk: ?
Undead Beast Gholor: ?
Knight Haunt: ?
Death Knight: ?
Spectral Minion: ?
Skeleton Warrior: ?
Witchlin: ?
Crypt Thing: ?
Son of Kyuss: ?
Slow Shadow: ?
Wraith Swordwraith: ?
Wraith Soul Beckoner: ?
Sea Zombie: ?
Chu-U: ?
Con-Tinh:
Gaki Jiki-Tetsu-Gaki: ?
Gaki Jiki-Niku-Gaki:
Gaki Shikki-Gaki:
Gaki Shinen-Gaki:
Kuei: ?
Memedi: ?
Ancient Mariner: ?
Spirit Jam: ?
Firelich: ?
Spirit Warrior: ?
Stellar Undead: ?
