Elder Evils (3.5)
3.5
Atropus, The World Born Dead, Undead World, Moonlike Orb, Small Moonlet: [A]n undead world “born” at the moment of creation.
This moonlike orb is the stillborn afterbirth of the world’s creation, an undead entity that desires nothing less than the end of the entire multiverse.
Every sentient mortal race and culture has some explanation for its existence, some story or myth to describe the creation of the world and the birth of the ancestors. Since it is a rare case when two myths are identical, scholars of the subject sift through the rhetoric for commonalities believed to be present in all legends. Complications arise due to regional variations, translation errors, and the simple scarcity of reliable sources, all making the process of divining the roots of creation a daunting task.
Certain scholars have made breakthroughs by comparing dwarf creation myths, the oral tradition of the gray elves, and the collected writings of the lich Acererak, recovered from a strange tower deep in the Plane of Shadow. The findings have been disturbing, pointing to some primeval mishap—a horrible divine accident leading to the creation of something called the World Born Dead.
According to the writings, creation was the result of a “prime mover.” This being’s identity varies with the particular story. Most scholars agree this entity must be the force behind the gods springing forth into existence from the primeval void. This force, idea, or being is called Atropus.
Some theologians believe the appearance of these divine agencies came with a dreadful price. In order for them to take shape, there must have been a sacrifice: For life to exist, there must be death. Atropus must have caused its own death and in that sense became the afterbirth of creation, the wasted materials left over from the formation of the gods. Furthermore, since the gods are living beings, and since life relies upon energy gained from the Positive Energy Plane, Atropus must be their inversion: death incarnate, drawing its own power, such as it is, from the Negative Energy Plane.
Little remains of the prime mover that made the supreme sacrifice, nothing more than a decaying, disembodied head, leaving in its wake cast-off necromantic detritus that floats through the void.
Those few sages who even know of Atropus debate the origins of this elder evil. They agree that Atropus was spawned when Ao created the first gods, but where they differ is in how Atropus was formed. Some claim the elder evil gained awareness from the divine amniotic fluid surrounding the first god of death, while others claim Atropus was the last god Ao created, but it was stillborn.
Aspect of Atropus, Extension of Atropus's Will, The Focus, Headless Human-Shaped Creature, Enormous Headless Human-Shaped Monstrosity: The focus is a headless, human-shaped creature with flesh fossilized during Atropus’s endless roaming through the cosmos.
Gorguth, The Bleak General, Bodak Ranger 2/Fighter 1/Blackguard 9: ?
Young Adult Red Dragon Skeleton: A dread boneyard can summon undead creatures from its own body once per day. After 1d10 rounds, 3–6 troll skeletons or 2–4 young adult red dragon skeletons appear and serve for 1 hour before being reabsorbed into the dread boneyard’s body.
Dread Boneyard: ?
Evolved Atropal Scion: ?
Famine Spirit: A humanoid or monstrous humanoid of Medium or smaller size killed by a famine spirit rises after 1d3 days as a famine spirit under the famine spirit’s control.
Angel of Decay: ?
Lucather Majii, Quell Enchanter 8/Loremaster 10, Incorporeal Presence, Incorporeal Pawn, Wispy Gary-Whist Smoke Collected in a Vaguely Humanoid Form, Ghostly Form: Lucather Majii’s greatest desire was to know the truth behind the destruction of his ancestors. He explored ever more ancient and mysterious ruins in search of clues. He used his powers of persuasion to convince or to trick people into divulging secrets he desired. The culmination of that search was discovering the prison of Pandorym’s mind, but the experience stripped him of his life and free will. His mind was overwhelmed by the elder evil’s crushing power, which ripped his very soul from his body.
His encounter with the mind of Pandorym held unforeseen consequences for Lucather. In addition to stripping away his free will and instilling a hatred of divinity, constant contact with the crystalline prison also ripped his soul from his body.
Advanced Deathshrieker: ?
Dread Wraith: Spewing from 6-inch-diameter pits are streams of poisonous air. Characters who require air can breathe here, but each round they do, they must succeed on a DC 25 Fortitude save or take 2d6 points of Constitution damage. One minute later, they must succeed on a second save or take an additional 1d6 points of Constitution damage. Character slain by the poisonous air rise as dread wraiths (MM 258) after 1d6 rounds.
As a standard action, a mind shard of Pandorym can form a siphoning bond with a creature within 90 feet that can cast divine spells or has a divine caster level of at least 1st. The caster must make a DC 48 Will save to resist this ability. If the bond is established, the caster gains 1d4 negative levels per round. For each negative level the caster gains, the mind shard heals 20 hit points. The bond lasts for up to 10 rounds, or until the mind shard breaks it or the caster dies. A caster who receives as many negative levels as Hit Dice dies and rises as a dread wraith in the following round.
Blessed Spawn of Kyuss: ?
Gravecrawler: ?
Scion of Kyuss, Evolved Advanced Ulgustasta: ?
Forest Giant Skeleton: ?
Young Adult Red Dragon Skeleton, Form of a Serpentine Horror Capped With the Skull of a Terrifying Beast: ?
Evolved Atropal Scion, Clot of Rotten Flesh, Rotten Form: ?
Famine Spirit, Corpulent Humanoid: ?
Angel of Decay, Disgusting Figure, Vague Shape of an Angel: ?
Advanced Deathshrieker, Hidden Deathshrieker, Shrieking Apparition: ?
Dread Wraith, Dark Tattered Shade: ?
Blessed Spawn of Kyuss, Hidden Spawn, Massive Undead Horror: ?
Gravecrawler, Bloated Maggot With an Eyeless Humanlike Head: ?
Scion of Kyuss, Tremendous Wormlike Creature: ?
Undead, Undead Creature, Undead Entity, Undead Monster: ?
Mindless Undead: An aura of entropy fills the underground cavern complex and all the surrounding ruins. The deities established this aura to deter intruders and to strengthen existing defenders. It has the following effects.
Any living creature that dies within the area rises as an undead in 1d4 minutes. Nonsentient beings become zombies or other mindless undead of equivalent Hit Dice; creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher return as intelligent undead such as vampires or ghouls. There’s a 10% chance that an intelligent being’s mind and body separate. Its consciousness rises as an incorporeal undead, such as a quell (Libris Mortis 116) or wraith, and its body animates as a corporeal horror such as a bodak or a forsaken shell (Libris Mortis 100).
Twitching Undead: Atropus saps life from worlds it encounters, draining away energy as it draws ever closer to a planet. Once it comes near enough to a planet’s gravity, the celestial body that is the elder evil enters a descending orbit, sweeping closer and closer and looming larger and larger in the night skies. The effects are terrifying. As the moonlet nears a planet’s surface, the dead rise from their graves and, as Atropus fills the night sky, the twitching undead spread like a stain until nothing living remains.
Horror: ?
Undead Servitor: ?
Horrible Undead: He relentlessly hunts for anyone who has enough mental fortitude to withstand Pandorym’s consciousness long enough to free the entity’s psyche. More than a dozen unfortunate souls met their end in this way, many of them lingering as horrible undead.
Undead Guardian, Maddened Remnant, Defender: Over time, the influence of Pandorym’s mind has created undead guardians, the maddened remnants of those who failed to release it.
Every mortal being that dies in the frightful complex surrounding the crystalline prison later serves in some way as a defender of the site. And every mortal being foolish enough to enter the complex so far has breathed its last within.
An aura of entropy fills the underground cavern complex and all the surrounding ruins. The deities established this aura to deter intruders and to strengthen existing defenders. It has the following effects.
Any living creature that dies within the area rises as an undead in 1d4 minutes. Nonsentient beings become zombies or other mindless undead of equivalent Hit Dice; creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher return as intelligent undead such as vampires or ghouls. There’s a 10% chance that an intelligent being’s mind and body separate. Its consciousness rises as an incorporeal undead, such as a quell (Libris Mortis 116) or wraith, and its body animates as a corporeal horror such as a bodak or a forsaken shell (Libris Mortis 100).
Intelligent Undead: An aura of entropy fills the underground cavern complex and all the surrounding ruins. The deities established this aura to deter intruders and to strengthen existing defenders. It has the following effects.
Any living creature that dies within the area rises as an undead in 1d4 minutes. Nonsentient beings become zombies or other mindless undead of equivalent Hit Dice; creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher return as intelligent undead such as vampires or ghouls. There’s a 10% chance that an intelligent being’s mind and body separate. Its consciousness rises as an incorporeal undead, such as a quell (Libris Mortis 116) or wraith, and its body animates as a corporeal horror such as a bodak or a forsaken shell (Libris Mortis 100).
Incorporeal Undead: An aura of entropy fills the underground cavern complex and all the surrounding ruins. The deities established this aura to deter intruders and to strengthen existing defenders. It has the following effects.
Any living creature that dies within the area rises as an undead in 1d4 minutes. Nonsentient beings become zombies or other mindless undead of equivalent Hit Dice; creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher return as intelligent undead such as vampires or ghouls. There’s a 10% chance that an intelligent being’s mind and body separate. Its consciousness rises as an incorporeal undead, such as a quell (Libris Mortis 116) or wraith, and its body animates as a corporeal horror such as a bodak or a forsaken shell (Libris Mortis 100).
Corporeal Horror: An aura of entropy fills the underground cavern complex and all the surrounding ruins. The deities established this aura to deter intruders and to strengthen existing defenders. It has the following effects.
Any living creature that dies within the area rises as an undead in 1d4 minutes. Nonsentient beings become zombies or other mindless undead of equivalent Hit Dice; creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher return as intelligent undead such as vampires or ghouls. There’s a 10% chance that an intelligent being’s mind and body separate. Its consciousness rises as an incorporeal undead, such as a quell (Libris Mortis 116) or wraith, and its body animates as a corporeal horror such as a bodak or a forsaken shell (Libris Mortis 100).
Powerful Undead: ?
Grotesque Undead, Servant: ?
Undead Horror: ?
Allip: ?
Bodak: A humanoid who dies from [Gorguth's Death Gaze] attack is transformed into a bodak 24 hours later.
An aura of entropy fills the underground cavern complex and all the surrounding ruins. The deities established this aura to deter intruders and to strengthen existing defenders. It has the following effects.
Any living creature that dies within the area rises as an undead in 1d4 minutes. Nonsentient beings become zombies or other mindless undead of equivalent Hit Dice; creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher return as intelligent undead such as vampires or ghouls. There’s a 10% chance that an intelligent being’s mind and body separate. Its consciousness rises as an incorporeal undead, such as a quell (Libris Mortis 116) or wraith, and its body animates as a corporeal horror such as a bodak or a forsaken shell (Libris Mortis 100).
Bodak, Corporeal Horror: ?
Ghoul: An aura of entropy fills the underground cavern complex and all the surrounding ruins. The deities established this aura to deter intruders and to strengthen existing defenders. It has the following effects.
Any living creature that dies within the area rises as an undead in 1d4 minutes. Nonsentient beings become zombies or other mindless undead of equivalent Hit Dice; creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher return as intelligent undead such as vampires or ghouls. There’s a 10% chance that an intelligent being’s mind and body separate. Its consciousness rises as an incorporeal undead, such as a quell (Libris Mortis 116) or wraith, and its body animates as a corporeal horror such as a bodak or a forsaken shell (Libris Mortis 100).
Ghoul, Intelligent Undead: ?
Lich, Acererak: ?
Nightcrawler: ?
Nightwalker: ?
Nightwing: ?
Shadow: ?
Greater Shadow: In this room the ancient wizards first contacted and lured Pandorym to this reality. The chamber barely survived its arrival: The annihilating body of the ultraplanar being instantly blew a 30-foot-wide sphere out of existence, along with several of its summoners. In a last act of freedom as the survivors strove to divert it into its prison, Pandorym lashed out at its betrayers. It utterly destroyed the bodies of a handful of mages and their assistants, leaving their suddenly insatiable souls intact. Panic ensued. A few summoners managed to escape, sealing the chamber against dimensional travel. The ghostly remnants of the rest fed on their former allies and coconspirators, bolstering their numbers. Now a dozen angry greater shadows (MM 221) remain trapped within.
Greater Shadow, Angry Greater Shadow, Ghostly Remnant: ?
Skeleton: Restless Dead
“Too long have we reveled in our wickedness, too long have we sampled the forbidden—now the gods shun us, sealing the gates to heaven and leaving us lost among the dead.”
When this sign appears, the demarcation between life and death grows ever more blurry. After souls depart, their bodies stir in a wretched existence neither alive nor dead. The sign of the restless dead first makes itself known by isolated occurrences of zombies and skeletons in the community. As it strengthens, the undead plague increases. Corpses pull themselves free from graves, slaughtering former friends and lovers and swelling their ranks until only the shuffling dead remain.
Effect: In the early stages of this sign, only a few of the dead spontaneously animate. Necromancy magic becomes more efficacious, while healing magic is suppressed. As the sign intensifies, more and more corpses rise, growing stronger all the while.
Details: Atropus (Chapter 2) is associated with this sign.
SIGN: RESTLESS DEAD
Atropus’s presence in the sky causes the dead to rise from their graves.
Faint: Necromancy spells and spell-like abilities are cast at +2 caster level. Whenever a living creature dies, a 20% chance exists that it will spontaneously rise as a zombie (MM 265) in 1d4 rounds.
Moderate: As faint, but the chance of spontaneous animation increases to 40%. In addition, the entire campaign setting is affected as if by a desecrate spell (PH 218). Casting consecrate removes this effect in the spell’s area until its duration expires.
Strong: As moderate, but the chance of spontaneous animation increases to 80%. Even creatures that died before this sign manifested begin to rise as skeletons or zombies, depending on the condition of their corpses. In addition, the campaign setting is affected as if by an unhallow spell (PH 297). Casting hallow removes this effect in the spell’s area.
All conjuration (healing) spells and similar spell-like abilities are impeded, meaning that a caster must succeed on a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + the level of the spell) or lose the spell or spell slot without effect.
Overwhelming: As strong, but any creature that dies automatically rises as a zombie 1 round after death. Previously dead creatures automatically animate as skeletons or zombies. All undead creatures gain an extra 2 hit points per Hit Die. In addition, they gain turn resistance equal to one-quarter of their Hit Die total (1–7 HD grants +1 turn resistance, 8–15 HD grants +2, 16–23 HD grants +3, and so on). This bonus stacks with any turn resistance a creature already possesses.
A creature swallowed by the scion of Kyuss takes 1d8 points of Constitution drain each round. Upon death, the victim gains the skeleton template and remains dormant until the scion vomits it up.
Creatures killed by the scion[ of Kyuss]’s breath weapon gain the skeleton template and rise to fight on the following round.
Troll Skeleton: A dread boneyard can summon undead creatures from its own body once per day. After 1d10 rounds, 3–6 troll skeletons or 2–4 young adult red dragon skeletons appear and serve for 1 hour before being reabsorbed into the dread boneyard’s body.
Spectre: Aspect of Atropus Negative Energy Aura power.
Vampire: An aura of entropy fills the underground cavern complex and all the surrounding ruins. The deities established this aura to deter intruders and to strengthen existing defenders. It has the following effects.
Any living creature that dies within the area rises as an undead in 1d4 minutes. Nonsentient beings become zombies or other mindless undead of equivalent Hit Dice; creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher return as intelligent undead such as vampires or ghouls. There’s a 10% chance that an intelligent being’s mind and body separate. Its consciousness rises as an incorporeal undead, such as a quell (Libris Mortis 116) or wraith, and its body animates as a corporeal horror such as a bodak or a forsaken shell (Libris Mortis 100).
Vampire, Intelligent Undead: ?
Wight: A humanoid that dies from this [evolved atropal scion's death gaze] attack is transformed into a wight 24 hours later.
Scion of Atropus Negative Energy Aura power.
Wraith: An aura of entropy fills the underground cavern complex and all the surrounding ruins. The deities established this aura to deter intruders and to strengthen existing defenders. It has the following effects.
Any living creature that dies within the area rises as an undead in 1d4 minutes. Nonsentient beings become zombies or other mindless undead of equivalent Hit Dice; creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher return as intelligent undead such as vampires or ghouls. There’s a 10% chance that an intelligent being’s mind and body separate. Its consciousness rises as an incorporeal undead, such as a quell (Libris Mortis 116) or wraith, and its body animates as a corporeal horror such as a bodak or a forsaken shell (Libris Mortis 100).
Any humanoid slain by a dread wraith becomes a wraith in 1d4 rounds.
Wraith, Incorporeal Undead: ?
Zombie: Restless Dead
“Too long have we reveled in our wickedness, too long have we sampled the forbidden—now the gods shun us, sealing the gates to heaven and leaving us lost among the dead.”
When this sign appears, the demarcation between life and death grows ever more blurry. After souls depart, their bodies stir in a wretched existence neither alive nor dead. The sign of the restless dead first makes itself known by isolated occurrences of zombies and skeletons in the community. As it strengthens, the undead plague increases. Corpses pull themselves free from graves, slaughtering former friends and lovers and swelling their ranks until only the shuffling dead remain.
Effect: In the early stages of this sign, only a few of the dead spontaneously animate. Necromancy magic becomes more efficacious, while healing magic is suppressed. As the sign intensifies, more and more corpses rise, growing stronger all the while.
Details: Atropus (Chapter 2) is associated with this sign.
SIGN: RESTLESS DEAD
Atropus’s presence in the sky causes the dead to rise from their graves.
Faint: Necromancy spells and spell-like abilities are cast at +2 caster level. Whenever a living creature dies, a 20% chance exists that it will spontaneously rise as a zombie (MM 265) in 1d4 rounds.
Moderate: As faint, but the chance of spontaneous animation increases to 40%. In addition, the entire campaign setting is affected as if by a desecrate spell (PH 218). Casting consecrate removes this effect in the spell’s area until its duration expires.
Strong: As moderate, but the chance of spontaneous animation increases to 80%. Even creatures that died before this sign manifested begin to rise as skeletons or zombies, depending on the condition of their corpses. In addition, the campaign setting is affected as if by an unhallow spell (PH 297). Casting hallow removes this effect in the spell’s area.
All conjuration (healing) spells and similar spell-like abilities are impeded, meaning that a caster must succeed on a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + the level of the spell) or lose the spell or spell slot without effect.
Overwhelming: As strong, but any creature that dies automatically rises as a zombie 1 round after death. Previously dead creatures automatically animate as skeletons or zombies. All undead creatures gain an extra 2 hit points per Hit Die. In addition, they gain turn resistance equal to one-quarter of their Hit Die total (1–7 HD grants +1 turn resistance, 8–15 HD grants +2, 16–23 HD grants +3, and so on). This bonus stacks with any turn resistance a creature already possesses.
An aura of entropy fills the underground cavern complex and all the surrounding ruins. The deities established this aura to deter intruders and to strengthen existing defenders. It has the following effects.
Any living creature that dies within the area rises as an undead in 1d4 minutes. Nonsentient beings become zombies or other mindless undead of equivalent Hit Dice; creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher return as intelligent undead such as vampires or ghouls. There’s a 10% chance that an intelligent being’s mind and body separate. Its consciousness rises as an incorporeal undead, such as a quell (Libris Mortis 116) or wraith, and its body animates as a corporeal horror such as a bodak or a forsaken shell (Libris Mortis 100).
Worms: These spaces contain the worms of Kyuss. A character moving through one of these spaces becomes infested with a worm. The worm is a Fine vermin with AC 10 and 1 hit point. It can be killed with normal damage or by the touch of silver. At the end of the character’s next turn, the worm burrows into its host’s flesh (a creature with a +5 or greater natural armor bonus is immune to this effect). The worm makes its way to its victim’s brain, dealing 1 point of damage each round for 1d4+1 rounds. At the end of that period, it reaches the brain, where it deals 1d2 points of Intelligence damage each round until it’s killed or it slays its host, which occurs when the victim’s Intelligence is reduced to 0.
A remove curse or remove disease effect destroys the worm while it’s within the host. Dispel evil or neutralize poison delays the worm’s progress for 10d6 minutes. A successful DC 20 Heal check extracts the worm and kills it in the process.
A Small, Medium, or Large creature slain by the worm rises as a spawn of Kyuss (MM2 186) 1d6+4 rounds later. Smaller creatures rot away, while larger creatures gain the zombie template.
Blessed Spawn of Kyuss Bestow Worm power.
Zombie, Corpse, Shuffling Dead, Mindless Undead: ?
Minotaur Zombie: ?
Zombie Transformed From Blessed Spawn of Kyuss: A remove disease spell (or more powerful spell that achieves the same result) cast on a blessed spawn of Kyuss transforms it into a zombie. Use statistics for a minotaur zombie (MM 267).
Atropal, Stillborn God: Little remains of the prime mover that made the supreme sacrifice, nothing more than a decaying, disembodied head, leaving in its wake cast-off necromantic detritus that floats through the void. Perhaps atropals—the stillborn gods—take their shape from these cast-off bits.
Advanced Deathspeaker: ?
Corpse Gatherer: ?
Ragewind: ?
Angel of Decay: The Ichor Sea is treated as a major negative-dominant environment. Each round, a creature within the sludge must make a DC 25 Fortitude save or gain a negative level. (For the save required 24 hours later, use the same DC.) A creature whose negative levels equal its current levels or Hit Dice is slain, becoming an angel of decay (page 30) after 1d3 rounds.
Ethereal Ooze: ?
Quell: An aura of entropy fills the underground cavern complex and all the surrounding ruins. The deities established this aura to deter intruders and to strengthen existing defenders. It has the following effects.
Any living creature that dies within the area rises as an undead in 1d4 minutes. Nonsentient beings become zombies or other mindless undead of equivalent Hit Dice; creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher return as intelligent undead such as vampires or ghouls. There’s a 10% chance that an intelligent being’s mind and body separate. Its consciousness rises as an incorporeal undead, such as a quell (Libris Mortis 116) or wraith, and its body animates as a corporeal horror such as a bodak or a forsaken shell (Libris Mortis 100).
Quell, Incorporeal Undead: ?
Forsaken Shell: An aura of entropy fills the underground cavern complex and all the surrounding ruins. The deities established this aura to deter intruders and to strengthen existing defenders. It has the following effects.
Any living creature that dies within the area rises as an undead in 1d4 minutes. Nonsentient beings become zombies or other mindless undead of equivalent Hit Dice; creatures with an Intelligence score of 6 or higher return as intelligent undead such as vampires or ghouls. There’s a 10% chance that an intelligent being’s mind and body separate. Its consciousness rises as an incorporeal undead, such as a quell (Libris Mortis 116) or wraith, and its body animates as a corporeal horror such as a bodak or a forsaken shell (Libris Mortis 100).
Forsaken Shell, Corporeal Horror: ?
Spawn of Kyuss: If the PCs become involved, they track the missing citizens to a temple buried below the city. There, a mad avolakia (MM2 28) infects the captives with bright green worms to transform them into spawn of Kyuss.
A humanoid or monstrous humanoid of Medium or smaller size killed by the Worm that Walks rises after 1d4 rounds as a spawn of Kyuss (MM2 186) under the Worm’s control.
The marsh is a mess of mud, pools of brown water, and dead reeds. In its center is a still, black pool of stinking water. Just beneath the surface are the rotting remains of the villagers who lived here. The salts of the water preserve their bodies, keeping them ready for animation. As long as no one drinks the water, the pool and its contents are harmless. Consuming or touching the water exposes the characters to the tiny green worms crawling through the muck. The worms function as those bestowed by the blessed spawn of Kyuss’s bestow worm ability (see page 138).
Worms: These spaces contain the worms of Kyuss. A character moving through one of these spaces becomes infested with a worm. The worm is a Fine vermin with AC 10 and 1 hit point. It can be killed with normal damage or by the touch of silver. At the end of the character’s next turn, the worm burrows into its host’s flesh (a creature with a +5 or greater natural armor bonus is immune to this effect). The worm makes its way to its victim’s brain, dealing 1 point of damage each round for 1d4+1 rounds. At the end of that period, it reaches the brain, where it deals 1d2 points of Intelligence damage each round until it’s killed or it slays its host, which occurs when the victim’s Intelligence is reduced to 0.
A remove curse or remove disease effect destroys the worm while it’s within the host. Dispel evil or neutralize poison delays the worm’s progress for 10d6 minutes. A successful DC 20 Heal check extracts the worm and kills it in the process.
A Small, Medium, or Large creature slain by the worm rises as a spawn of Kyuss (MM2 186) 1d6+4 rounds later. Smaller creatures rot away, while larger creatures gain the zombie template.
Blessed Spawn of Kyuss Bestow Worm power.
Spawn of Kyuss, Lesser Creature: ?
Ulgurstasta, Lesser Creature: ?
Bestow Worm (Su) Once per round as a free action, a blessed spawn of Kyuss can bestow a worm onto its opponent. It can do this when it hits with a slam attack or by making a touch or ranged touch attack up to 10 feet away (+16 and +4 attack modifiers, respectively).
A worm is a Fine vermin with AC 10 and 1 hit point. It can be killed with normal damage or by the touch of silver. At the start of the spawn’s next turn, the worm burrows into its host’s flesh (a creature with a +5 or greater natural armor bonus is immune to this effect). The worm makes its way to its victim’s brain, dealing 1 point of damage each round for 1d4+1 rounds. At the end of that period, it reaches the brain, where it deals 1d2 points of Intelligence damage each round until it’s killed or it slays its host, which occurs when the victim’s Intelligence is reduced to 0.
A remove curse or remove disease spell destroys the worm while it’s within the host. Dispel evil or neutralize poison delays the worm’s progress for 10d6 minutes. A successful DC 20 Heal check extracts the worm and kills it in the process.
A Small, Medium, or Large creature slain by the worm rises as a new spawn of Kyuss (MM2 186) 1d6+4 rounds later. Smaller creatures rot away, and larger creatures gain the zombie template.
Negative Energy Aura (Su) All undead creatures within 30 feet gain +5 turn resistance and fast healing 5, while all living creatures gain fi ve negative levels for as long as they remain in the area unless they have some protection against negative energy effects. Living creatures that have 5 or fewer Hit Dice are slain and rise as spectres after 1d4 rounds.
Negative Energy Aura (Su) All undead in the aura including the atropal scion gain +4 turn resistance and fast healing 5. Living creatures within the aura count as having two negative levels. Living creatures that have 2 Hit Dice or fewer are slain and rise as wights (MM 255) under the atropal scion’s control 1 minute later.
