Monstrous Compendium - Ravenloft Appendices I & II (2e)
2e
Bastellus, Nightmare, Dream Stalker, Dream-Stalking Bastellus: Any being reduced to below level 0 by the predation of a bastellus dies 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.
As mentioned earlier, those who die from the predation of a bastellus may well become one themselves.
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 byproduct 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.
Bowlyn, Sailor's Demise: Bowlyns are undead spirits who, like the poltergeist, do not rest easily in their graves. Without exception, they were sailors on oceangoing 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 1 to 10 years to return from the grave. The first appearance of a bowlyn always takes place on the anniversary of its death, and the initial haunting lasts 1 to 6 weeks. Subsequent hauntings occur every 6 months to 1 year later, and last for 2 to 4 weeks.
Bussengeist: Bussengeists are the spectral forms of those 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.
Ghoul Lord, Dreaded 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.
Mist Horror, Spirit of an Evil Being Who While Not Foul Enough to Receive Their Own Domain Attracted The Attention of the Dark Powers With Their Diabolical Acts During Life, Spirit of an Evil Being Who Did Not Merit a Place as Lord of Their Own Domain, Traditional Mist Horror, 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, True 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.
There are those who say that the destruction of a wandering horror weakens all of the evil things in Ravenloft slightly. Of course, as evil things are constantly dying and becoming mist horrors, this less- than-significant drop in power is quickly replenished.
Mist Horror Wandering Horror: 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.
Mummy Greater, Anhktepot's Child, Dreadful Greater Mummy: 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.
All greater mummies were priests in their past lives and now retain the spell casting abilities they had then.
The enchanting process that creates them, however, leaves them vulnerable to attacks in- volving electricity; all spells of that nature inflict half again their normal damage.
Greater mummies are powerful undead creatures that are usually created from the mummified remains of powerful, evil priests.
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.
The so-called Children of Anhktepot are a horrible and sinister lot. Most were created by the dread lord of Har'Akir himself and are wholly loyal to that vile creature.
Centuries later, long after Anhktepot's evil earned him a domain in Ravenloft, a young priestess named Isu Rehkotep discovered a magical scroll. She saw at once that it was the process by which Anhktepot created his dreadful greater mummies.
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 300-399 Years Old: Greater mummies, like vampires, become more powerful with the passing of time in Ravenloft.
Greater Mummy 400-499 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.
Skeleton Giant: 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.
Giant skeletons stand roughly 12 feet tall and look to be made from the bones of giants. In actuality, they are simply human skeletons that have been magically enlarged.
A small, magical fire burns in the chest of each giant skeleton, a byproduct of the magics that are used to make them.
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 belie[ve] 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 animate dead, produce fire, enlarge, and resist fire (in that order) over the bones. When the last spell is cast, the bones lengthen and thicken and the creatures rise up. The creator must make a Ravenloft powers check for his part in this evil undertaking.
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. They wear the tattered remains of whatever saddles or blankets may have been on them when they died. Thus, many will wear nothing at all while rare individuals might actually wear the remnants of barding (improving their armor class accordingly). Any horse shoes they may have had in life are still on their hooves; however, the enchantment that raised these creatures from the dead gives those shoes a magical aura that causes illusory flames to flicker around the steed's hooves when it breaks into a gallop.
Further, 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 known 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.
Treant Undead: 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.
The essence of darkness that has animated it has given it in- credible strength, so that each blow it lands inflicts Id6 points of damage.
They are simply products of evil and darkness.
Vampire Companion: As the years pass, vampires often find that their greatest enemies are not would-be heroes, but time and boredom. The immortality they may once have craved now looks like a bleak and endless chain of suffering that they must wear eternally. To ease their misery, many vampires seek out a special companion. The most commonly encountered form of this is regarded, by those unfamiliar with the depth of the bond to be established, in the same way that they might look upon any normal person taking a wife or husband. In truth, there is far more to this process.
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 him of someone he loved in life. The vampire repeatedly visits the victim, feeding on him until he is 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 him 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, Dwarvish Vampire: 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 dwarf 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. As with all vampires, it is now a slave to its creator.
In most cases, the free-willed dwarf vampires of Ravenloft were created by masters who were slain before they could destroy their minions, leaving their creations to suffer in their place.
Vampire Dwarf 0-99 Years Old: ?
Vampire Dwarf 100-199 Years Old: ?
Vampire Dwarf 200-299 Years Old: ?
Vampire Dwarf 300-399 Years Old: ?
Vampire Dwarf 400-499 Years Old: ?
Vampire Dwarf 500+ Years Old: ?
Vampire Elf: Any elf or half-elf who falls to the essence-draining attack of an elf vampire will rise again as an elf 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.
Vampire Elf 0-99 Years Old: ?
Vampire Elf 100-199 Years Old: As time goes by, elf vampires can become even more powerful than they are initially.
Vampire Elf 200-299 Years Old: As time goes by, elf vampires can become even more powerful than they are initially.
Vampire Elf 300-399 Years Old: As time goes by, elf vampires can become even more powerful than they are initially.
Vampire Elf 400-499 Years Old: As time goes by, elf vampires can become even more powerful than they are initially.
Vampire Elf 500+ Years Old: As time goes by, elf vampires can become even more powerful than they are initially.
Vampire Gnome: Those reduced to a Dexterity score of 0 [by a gnome vampire's hand-to-hand blow] 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 (see Ecology) if steps are not taken to prevent this foul transformation.
Gnome 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.
Vampire Gnome 0-99 Years Old: ?
Vampire Gnome 100-199 Years Old: As gnome vampires age, they become more dangerous and more powerful.
Vampire Gnome 200-299 Years Old: As gnome vampires age, they become more dangerous and more powerful.
Vampire Gnome 300-399 Years Old: As gnome vampires age, they become more dangerous and more powerful.
Vampire Gnome 400-499 Years Old: As gnome vampires age, they become more dangerous and more powerful.
Vampire Gnome 500+ Years Old: As gnome vampires age, they become more dangerous and more powerful.
Vampire Halfling: Halflings who die from this [halfling vampire's] life-draining attack become vampires themselves, as described in Ecology, below.
The vampire can make more of its kind only by slaying other halflings with its energy-sapping attack. The halfling vampire need do nothing more than keep the body of its victim intact for 7 days after death and a new vampire will arise.
Vampire Halfling 0-99 Years Old: ?
Vampire Halfling 100-199 Years Old: As with other demihuman vampires, halfling vampires become more powerful with age.
Vampire Halfling 200-299 Years Old: As with other demihuman vampires, halfling vampires become more powerful with age.
Vampire Halfling 300-399 Years Old: As with other demihuman vampires, halfling vampires become more powerful with age.
Vampire Halfling 400-499 Years Old: As with other demihuman vampires, halfling vampires become more powerful with age.
Vampire Halfling 500+ Years Old: As with other demihuman vampires, halfling vampires become more powerful with age.
Vampire Kender: Those kender who die from the spiritrending 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. Soth is believed to have 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.
Zombie Lord: Zombie lords are living creatures that have 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 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 individual must be made. Third, and last, the individual must fail his resurrection survival roll. It is believed that zombie lords can be created only in Ravenloft, but this is not proven absolutely for they have been encountered in other lands from time to time.
Jugo Hesketh, Ghoul Ghast, Undead Fiend, Foul Thing of the Night: Long ago, Hesketh was a senior priest in the cult of the false god Zhakata led by Yagno Petrovna, the lord of Q'henna. As Petrovna's chief Inquisitor, among his horrid duties were dreadful acts of torture and sacrifice; secretly, he practiced cannibalism on the corpses of his hapless victims. Over the years, these unholy practices warped his soul and, upon his death, transformed him into an undead fiend.
Once the cult was well established, Yagno installed his trusted lieutenant as its chief Inquisitor, responsible for seeking out unbelievers and doubters ("blasphemers"); many a visitor to G'Henna escaped Zhakata's altars only to wind up in the Inquisition's dungeon ("question chambers").
As the years passed, one of Hesketh's primary responsibilities was the conducting of secret and terrible rituals designed to gain the favor of the false god Zhakata. These obscene services frequently ended with gruesome acts of sacrifice and cannibalism. It is said that more than half of the pitiful mongrelmen who roamed the Outlands of G'Henna were captured and brought to a grisly death at Hesketh's hands.
Then, in 725, Hesketh met with an unfortunate mishap.
Hesketh, however, was not so lucky. The vengeful mongrelmen carried their prisoner deep into the heart of the G'hennan Outland, where he was slowly tortured to death. His body was then tied to a raft and set adrift upriver of Zhukar.
When Hesketh died, a terrible curse fell upon him. The origins of this curse may lie in his own taste for human flesh or in the dying oaths of his countless victims. Whatever the source, this curse saw him transformed into a foul thing of the night.
Andres Duvall, Lich Bardic Bard 9, Most Hated Enemy, Patron, Force For Good: Because of the unusual way in which Andres Duvall became undead, he does not have a phylactery or similar vessel containing his life force.
As he traveled, Duvall mastered his skills as a bard. He learned many things, most bright and happy, some dark and sinister. It was his unending search for new stories and songs that brought the terrible curse of undeath upon him.
As Duvall explored this terrible place, Azalin discovered his trespasses and confronted him. Enraged at this violation of his hospitality, the lich unleashed a stroke of magical lightning at the bard. Reacting quickly, Duvall attempted to shield himself with the great book he had been about to examine. The lightning struck the tome, which happened to be one of Azalin's most potent books of spells, and a terrible explosion shook the castle. Showers of blazing fragments ignited fires around the room and thick, acrid smoke boiled into the air.
Dazed, but amazed that he had survived at all, Duvall fled. Azalin, intent on saving his magical laboratory, did not pursue. Thus, Duvall escaped and went into hiding.
As the days passed, it became more and more clear to Duvall that the accident in the laboratory had made some great change in his body. To his horror, he found that his heart no longer beat and that he did not breathe. He had not survived the attack, after all. Gradually, Duvall's appearance began to change as well. His skin dried and stretched tight across his bones. He began to look more and more like the withered Azalin. Within a week, he was so horrible to look upon that most folk fled from him in terror at first sight.
Senmet, Mummy Greater, Desiccated Corpse, Terrible Enemy, Creature of Great Determination and Ambition, Undead Fiend, Harsh Cruel Creature: The so-called Children of Anhktepot are a horrible and sinister lot. Most were created by the dread lord of Har'Akir himself and are wholly loyal to that vile creature. Senmet, however, was given his power and undead stature by Isu Rehkotep, a priestess who stumbled upon a magical scroll.
Long before the domain of Har'Akir was drawn into Ravenloft, Senmet was a priest who served the powerful Anhktepot. An ambitious man, he was not content with his servitor's role and began to plan the downfall of his master. When Anhktepot discovered Senmet's treasonous plotting, he had him mummified and entombed alive. In order to provide the illusion that his reign was unchallenged, Anhktepot buried Senmet with full honors and cast him as a martyr who died to support his pharaoh.
Centuries later, long after Anhktepot's evil earned him a domain in Ravenloft, a young priestess named Isu Rehkotep discovered a magical scroll. She saw at once that it was the process by which Anhktepot created his dreadful greater mummies.
As a noble priestess of the god Osiris, Rehkotep attempted to destroy the scroll, recognizing that it had great power for evil. Her attempts failed, for the magic of the thing would not let it be so easily cast aside. Anxious to see that none should find and use so terrible a treasure, Isu hid it away, naively thinking that it would be lost forever.
Over the years, the power of this evil began to gnaw at her heart. She began to study the works and teachings of Set, the blackest of the dark gods. At first, she believed that she did this only to learn how to recognize evil and thwart it. Gradually, these sinister writings began to take their toll on her. In the end, she began to worship Set as devoutly as she had venerated Osiris.
Now a minon of evil, Rehkotep recovered the mysterious scroll that she had hidden away so long ago. She began to study it and to make plans for its use. What Rehkotep did not fully understand at the time was that her scroll fragments were incomplete. She was able to awaken Senmet, but not to exercise complete control over his actions as she had expected.
Jezra Wagner, The Ice Queen, Spectre, Terrible Aberration, Unliving Thing, Unusual Spirit, Spirit, Silver-Haired Phantom: Jezra's end came as the winter solstice drew near one year. She and several of her friends were climbing the slopes of Mount Baratok, hoping to reach its summit and look out across the grandeur of the Balinoks. It was their hope to see the distant spire of Mount Nyid, which was said to be visible from the highest reaches of Baratok.
Their expedition was ill-fated, however, and doom claimed it before they reached the mountain's crest. Jezra was the first to hear the rumbling. Indeed, this is probably what saved her from the sudden death that claimed her companions. Shouting a cry of alarm, she forced her body into a narrow fissure as the avalanche swept past her, ripping her companions from their ropes and sending them down to their deaths. Those who were not slain by the long fall were crushed to death by the weight of the snow that fell upon them.
Jezra, perched in a narrow cleft, was unhurt. She found that the crack she had taken shelter in was in fact a small cave that ran some 20 or 30 feet back into the cliff. The avalanche, however, had sealed the entrance behind her. With horror, she realized that she had been entombed alive.
Several time she tried to dig her way out of the dark cave. Each time, she gave up the futile effort as more snow fell to seal the entrance. It was not long before her small stock of provisions ran low. The candles she had stored in her pack were all used up, the air in the cave was becoming sour, and her food was gone. Soon, she knew, she would die. Cold fear began to grip her heart as she grew drowsy with the approach of death.
What happened next might be accredited to many things. Perhaps the air was growing thin and she was beginning to hallucinate as her brain slowly starved for oxygen. Perhaps the forces of evil saw their chance to claim this young innocent for their own and sent some dreadful agent to treat with her.
Whatever the truth, Jezra found herself bathed in a ghostly light. Her arms and legs had grown numb and frozen, the first victims of her frosty prison, and she sadly noted that this light brought no warmth with it. If anything, the temperature in the cave fell even lower.
Her interest aroused, she tried to draw herself back from the brink of death. Whatever this mysterious phenomenon was, she longed to know its cause before she died. Her eye focused on the source of the glow and delight welled up inside her. Giorggio, so long presumed dead, stood before her.
The vision moved forward. Short and stocky, with the same charismatic smile that she herself had, this was indeed the exact image of her brother. He wore the traveling clothes that she had last seen him in, but they were tattered and torn.
She reached out her hand to the shimmering vision, grimacing at the frigid fire in her lungs and hardly able to move her arm. The image of Giorggio knelt before her and looked at her with curious, almost unrecognizing eyes.
"Save me," was all she could manage to whisper.
"I cannot," came the reply.
Jezra began to cry, the tears freezing before they could fall from her face. The spirit faded away, leaving her alone and isolated in the darkness of her icy tomb. With her last breath, she cried out for someone, anyone, to save her from death, swearing that she would do anything to keep her existence from ending like this. Then she closed her eyes and felt the bitter cold around her steal the pitiful remains of her body's warmth.
Somewhere in the darkness of Ravenloft, her pleas were heard. A strange darkness, deeper than the blackness of the cave, seeped out of the soul of the mountain. It coiled around the young woman's body like an ebony snake. Two pinpoints of red light like eyes smoldered to life, yet drove away none of the darkness. Then, like a cobra striking, the blackness plunged into Jezra's body.
As the last traces of the shade vanished into the corporeal flesh of the woman, Jezra twitched and her face contorted in agony. Unseen in her tomb, her body thrashed about violently for several seconds and then was forever still.
Gradually, a cold glow filled the cave. Jezra blinked and opened her eyes. She could feel her hands and her feet again. The air no longer choked her. The cold, however, was redoubled. Her flesh seemed to tremble endlessly, and her bones pounded with an arthritic ache. She cried out in agony and rose to her feet.
Her only thought was to somehow escape from this icy darkness; had she looked down, she might have seen her own body, unmoving in death.
The story of the young girl's death and transformation is not unknown in the land of Barovia. Indeed, the Vistani sing a song called Regina d'Ghiaccio or The Ice Queen which retells the event almost exactly as it happened. This tragic story is often told as a folk story and is frequently taken to be apocryphal by the scholarly and uneducated alike.
Athaekeetha, Illithid Vampire, Flawed Creation: Athaekeetha, like all of the vampire illithids, was created in a foul experiment conducted by the vampire Lyssa Von Zarovich and the High Master of the mind flayers. The experiment was part of an ultimately successful attempt to transform the latter into a vampire. The "prototype" vampire illithids created by these experiments were believed to have been destroyed, but their regenerative powers enabled them to survive and escape into the wild, where they have flourished.
Because Athaekeetha is a product of magical experimentation and not a true undead, it cannot create more of its kind.
Athaekeetha was the last vampire illithid created by Lyssa Von Zarovich and the High Master before they gave up on the experiment; its higher intelligence is proof that at least some progress was being made in the project.
Mayonaka, Rittenuig, Eternal Warrior, Vampire Eastern, Expert Warrior, Deadly Opponent, Vampire Samurai, Wandering Creature, Obscene Aberration, Fine Opponent: Hours later, Mayonaka awoke on a ledge that protruded from the walls of the endless shaft. With much effort, he climbed the rough stone face and reached the vampire's lair. Much to his horror he found that the creature was fully recovered from its earlier wounds. Delighted to discover that it might still have a prisoner to torture, the vampire attacked. The battle was long and terrible. In the end, the samurai was triumphant. Sadly, he too was dying. The vampire had tasted his life essence and left his soul drained and tainted. With a final prayer to his ancestors, he died.
To his surprise, he awoke a day or so later. His wounds, it seemed, were completely healed. Indeed, he felt better than he ever had before. He left the vampire's lair and headed out of the cave. With luck, he hoped to rejoin his sisters before they left the island. As he reached the cave's mouth and stepped out into the sunlight, he found himself wracked with horrible pain. He turned and tossed himself back into the cool darkness of the cavern just in time. With horror, he realized that he himself had become undead.
Bastellus, Haunting Undead Creature, Hulking Humanoid Shadow, Dark Form, Horror, Spirit, Creature of Darkness, Foul Creature, Creature From Beyond the Grave: ?
Skeletal Bat, Mindless Animated Remains, Puppet: ?
Skeletal Bat, Guardian: ?
Bowlyn, Strange Dreadful Spirit, Gaunt Skeletal Seaman, Spirit Tied Directly to the Sea, Undead Spirit Who Does Not Rest Easily in its Grave, Dangerous Creature: ?
Bowlyn That Was Once a Navigator: ?
Bussengeist, Spirit, Harbinger of Doom, Ghostlike Creature, Solitary Wanderer, Tragic Spectral Figure, Unnatural Creature, Tragic Soul: ?
Bussengeist, Spectral Form of One Who Died in a Great Calamity Brought on by Their Own Action: ?
Bussengeist, Spectral Form of One Who Died in a Great Calamity Brought on by Their Own Inaction: ?
Ghoul Lord, Common Ghoul, Ghast, Ghoul, Horror, Foul Creature: ?
Mist Horror, Horrid Creature, Foul Spirit, Evil Spirit, Foul Spiteful Spirit, Lesser Cousin: ?
Wandering Horror, Dark Shape, Heat Mirage: ?
Wandering Horror, Wandering Figure Without a Head: ?
Wandering Horror, Giant Black Widow: ?
Mummy Greater, Powerful Form of Undead, Steadfast Protector, Foul Creature, Powerful Undead Creature, Mummified Priest: ?
Skeleton Giant, Animated Skeleton, Foul Automaton, Abomination: ?
Skeleton Giant, Guard: ?
Skeleton Giant, Sentinel: ?
Strahd's Skeletal Steed, Magically Animated Undead Horse, Mere Pile of Dusty Horse Bones, Mindless Undead Creature: ?
Strahd's Skeletal Steed, Guardian: ?
Strahd's Skeletal Steed, Warrior: ?
Strahd's Skeletal Steed, Sentry: ?
Strahd's Skeletal Steed, Courier: ?
Treant Undead, Thing So Dark And Evil That Even Vistani Will Not Speak of It, Deciduous Tree in Winter: ?
Valpurgeist, Spirit, Lonely Soul Who Has Felt the Cold Injustice of a World That Would Not Believe Their Pleas of Innocence: ?
Vampire Companion, Slave, Minion: ?
Vampire Dwarf, Most Awful of Things, Deadly Warrior, Dark Creature, Thing of Darkness and Evil, Foul Vampire: ?
Vampire Dwarf, Slave, Minion: ?
Vampire Dwarf, Creator, Master: ?
Vampire Dwarf Who Was a Warrior: ?
Free-Willed Vampire Dwarf: ?
Vampire Elf, Tragic Creature, Twisted Scarred Mockery, Dangerous Opponent, Master Archer, Foul Creature, Wild Eagle, Giant Eagle, Crafty Deadly Foe: ?
Vampire Gnome, Deadly Breed of Vampire, Terrible Foe, Sphere of Light, Glowing Shape: ?
Vampire Halfling, Small Woodland Mammal, Drifting Cloud of Smoke: ?
Vampire Halfling, Badger: ?
Vampire Halfling, Beaver: ?
Vampire Halfling, Skunk: ?
Vampire Kender, Foul Creature, Purely Spiritual Creature, Solitary Creature, Sad Creation, Vile Pollutant, Tragic Soul: ?
Zombie Lord, Living Creature That Has Taken on the Foul Powers and Abilities of the Undead, Foul Creature: ?
Undead, Undead Creature, Undead Thing, Undead Monster, Foul Undead, True Undead: ?
Powerful Undead: ?
Free-Willed Intelligent Undead: ?
Lesser Undead: ?
Simple Undead: ?
Radaga, Undead Priestess: ?
Undead Elf: ?
Evil Creature: ?
Fiend: ?
Horror: ?
Isu Rehkotep: If she survived the events of Touch of Death, Isu Rehkotep (P8, LE, 35 hp) will accompany him to his new domain; if she perished, she might still be encountered in undead form.
Giorggio Wagner, Spirit, Image: Their expedition was ill-fated, however, and doom claimed it before they reached the mountain's crest. Jezra was the first to hear the rumbling. Indeed, this is probably what saved her from the sudden death that claimed her companions. Shouting a cry of alarm, she forced her body into a narrow fissure as the avalanche swept past her, ripping her companions from their ropes and sending them down to their deaths. Those who were not slain by the long fall were crushed to death by the weight of the snow that fell upon them.
Crawling Claw: ?
Crypt Thing: ?
Death Knight: ?
Lord Soth of Sithicus, Dreaded Deathknight: ?
Ghast, Common 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 to 6 weeks as a ghast (if the body is intact) or as a wraith (if the body has been destroyed). This undead creature then hunts down those men who served it in life and kills them, transforming them into ghouls (if the darkling returns as a ghast) or wights (if it is a wraith). Thus, its evil band will again plague the lands.
The bite of a ghoul lord causes the victim to contract a horrible rotting disease unless a successful saving throw vs. poison is made. Those afflicted with this illness lose ldlO hit points and 1 point from their Constitution and Charisma scores each day. If either ability score or their hit point totals reach 0, they die. If the body is not destroyed, they will rise as a ghast on the third night after their death.
Ghast, Ghast Minion, Lesser Undead, Minion: ?
Ghost, Spectral Thing: ?
Ghoul, Common Ghoul, Ravening 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 to 6 weeks as a ghast (if the body is intact) or as a wraith (if the body has been destroyed). This undead creature then hunts down those men who served it in life and kills them, transforming them into ghouls (if the darkling returns as a ghast) or wights (if it is a wraith). Thus, its evil band will again plague the lands.
Over the years, [Jugo Hesketh] has created a band of dreadful undead who follow him loyally.
Any human or demihuman slain by Hesketh will become a ghoul; only if the body is blessed is this horrible fate averted. If the victim is raised or resurrected without being blessed, he or she will rise at once as a ravening ghoul. Of course, if the body is destroyed—for example, if Hesketh and his associates eat their victim—it cannot become a ghoul
Ghoul, Physical Monster, Loathsome Creature: ?
Ghoul, Ghoul Minion, Lesser Undead, Minion: ?
Lacedon: ?
Ghoul, Dreadful Undead, Sickening Acolyte, Minion: ?
Groaning Spirit, Banshee: ?
Haunt: ?
Heucuva: ?
Lich, True Lich: In most cases, these diabolical creatures sought out the means by which they attained undead status, willingly sacrificing their humanity in the quest for forbidden knowledge and unchecked power. In rare cases, the curse of eternal life has been thrust upon someone quite accidentally. Such tragedies are few and far between, but sadly they do occur.
Lich, Diabolical Creature: ?
Lord Azalin, Lich, Lord of Darkon, Lich Lord, Master, Dark Lord, Prisoner: While visiting the elves of Neblus, [Andres Duvall] came upon the fragments of an ancient tome. This mysterious document told the tale of a young wizard who sought greater and greater power. At first, he found the story distracting. As he read more, he found it engrossing, though horrifying. In the end, he knew that he had found an account detailing the process by which Azalin, the Lord of Darkon, had become a lich.
Demilich: ?
Mummy, Normal Mummy, Actual 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 to 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.
Anyone hit by Senmet will contract a terrible rotting disease that will prove fatal in 1d12 days. On the day after the disease is contracted, the victim begins to suffer uncontrollable shaking and tremors, making spellcasting and feats requiring fine Dexterity impossible. Further, the victim loses 1 point of Strength and Constitution from the debilitating effects of the disease and 2 points of Charisma as his or her skin begins to flake and wither away. Ridding oneself of this disease is only possible through use of a regeneration spell. A stricken character without access to regenerative magic can be kept alive with cure disease spells, one for each day that has passed since the disease was contracted. Note, however, that this merely halts the rot from progressing, and the disease remains in the victim's system until a permanent cure is effected.
In most cases, a diseased person crumbles into dust when he or she dies. If Senmet chooses, however, he can convert someone infected with his rotting disease into a unique breed of zombie or an actual mummy. In either case, the newly created horror is completely under Senmet's control.
In order to create a mummy, Senmet captures someone infected with his disease and takes his victim to his hidden temple. Here, he mummifies the person alive (a terrible and gruesome fate, to be certain). When the
process is completed, the victim dies and promptly rises again as a mummy.
Unlike other greater mummies, Senmet is unable to employ clerical spells, having sacrificed this ability for the power to make and control desert zombies. The means by which he made this exchange is unknown and may well tie into Isu Rehkotep's dark worship of the evil Set. If any have learned this secret, they did not live long enough to share it with the world.
Mummy, Horror: ?
Old Mummy: ?
Mummy, Servant: ?
Anhktepot, Lord of Har'akir, Dark Fiend, Dread Lord: ?
Poltergeist, Common Poltergeist: ?
Poltergeist, Restless Spirit, Undead Spirit Who Does Not Rest Easily in Their Grave, Purely Spiritual Creature: ?
Revenant: ?
Shadow: ?
Skeleton, Traditional Skeleton, Animated Skeleton, Undead Skeleton, Mundane Skeleton, Lesser Animated Skeleton: ?
Skeleton, Mindless Animated Remains, Lesser Undead: ?
Skeletal Creature, Skeletal Undead: ?
Skeletal Warrior, Skeleton Warrior: ?
Animal Skeleton: ?
Monster Skeleton: ?
Spectre, Normal Spectre: ?
Restless Spirit: ?
Vampire, Traditional Vampire, Normal Vampire, More Traditional Vampire, Western 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. At this point, the victim of the attack is enslaved by the vampire that created it.
Vampire, Physical Monster, Dark Evil Thing, Creature of Unsurpassed Evil and Power: ?
Strahd Von Zarovich, Vampire, Master Vampire, Master of Barovia, Vampire Lord, Lord of Barovia, Foul Master of Ravenloft: ?
Duke Gundar of Gundarak, Vampire Lord: ?
Vampire Lord: ?
Vampire Victim: ?
Vampire Master: ?
Vampire Slave: 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. At this point, the victim of the attack is enslaved by the vampire that created it.
Vampire Slave, Minion: ?
Human Vampire: ?
Jandar Sunstar, Blood-Sucking Elf: ?
Sinister Vampire: ?
Demihuman Vampire: ?
Nosferatu: ?
Vampire Oriental: Any human slain by Mayonaka's life-energy drain will become a vampire in turn. The transformation into unlife occurs one day after burial. Those who are not buried will not rise as vampires; thus, tradition dictates that all who die at the hands of these undead be cremated.
Lyssa Von Zarovich, Vampire: ?
Vampire Eastern, Hideous Vampire Spirit, Captor, Villain, Beast: ?
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 to 6 weeks as a ghast (if the body is intact) or as a wraith (if the body has been destroyed). This undead creature then hunts down those men who served it in life and kills them, transforming them into ghouls (if the darkling returns as a ghast) or wights (if it is a wraith). Thus, its evil band will again plague the lands.
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 to 6 weeks as a ghast (if the body is intact) or as a wraith (if the body has been destroyed). This undead creature then hunts down those men who served it in life and kills them, transforming them into ghouls (if the darkling returns as a ghast) or wights (if it is a wraith). Thus, its evil band will again plague the lands.
Wraith, Spectral Thing: ?
Zombie, Undead Zombie, Living Dead, Normal Zombie, Living Corpse, Common Zombie: The odor of death that surrounds the zombie lord is so potent that it can cause horrible effects in those who breath[e] it. On the first round that a character comes within 30 yards of the monster, he must successfully save vs. poison or be affected in some way. The following results are possible:
d6 Roll Effect
1 Weakness (as the spell)
2 Cause disease (as the spell)
3 -1 point of Constitution (permanent)
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
Once per day, the zombie lord can use an animate dead spell to transform dead creatures into zombies. This works just as described in the Piayer's Handbook, except that it can also be used on the living. Any single living creature with fewer Hit Dice than the zombie lord can be attacked in this manner in lieu of the casting of this spell in its normal fashion. A target who fails a saving throw vs. death magic is instantly slain. In 1d4 combat rounds, the slain creature rises again as a zombie under the foul zombie lord's command.
Zombie, Animated Corpse, Lesser Undead: ?
Zombie, Minion: ?
Animal Zombie, Animated Corpse: ?
Strahd Zombie, Animated Corpse: ?
Monster Zombie: ?
Ju-Ju Zombie: Those who failed to repay their debt to the old man [Chicken Bone] soon fell ill and died. No magical or natural healing seemed able to save them. Once dead, these sorry souls are said to have risen anew as ju-ju zombies who now wander the marshes around Lake Noir. They are now the minions of the Voodan, repaying their obligation with an eternity of servitude.
Ju-Ju Zombie, Minion: ?
Undead Beast Stahnk: ?
Knight Haunt: ?
Spectral Minion: ?
Undead Beast Gholor: ?
Witchlin: ?
Son of Kyuss: ?
Slow Shadow: ?
Skeleton Warrior: ?
Wraith Swordwraith: ?
Wraith Soul Beckoner: ?
Sea Zombie: ?
Chu-U: ?
Con-Tinh: ?
Gaki Jiki-Ketsu-Gaki: ?
Gaki Jiki-Niku-Gaki: ?
Gaki Shikki-Gaki: ?
Gaki Shinen-Gaki: ?
Kuei: ?
Memedi: ?
Harrla: ?
Inquisitor: ?
Lhiannon Shee: ?
Phantom: ?
Skuz: ?
Ancient Mariner: ?
Spiritjam: ?
Firelich: ?
Spirit Warrior: ?
Stellar Undead: ?
Banshee Dwarf: ?
Dune Runner: ?
Apparition: ?
Coffer Corpse: ?
Penanggalan: ?
Sheet Ghoul: ?
Sheet Phantom: ?
Strahd Skeleton: ?
Desert Zombie: Anyone hit by Senmet will contract a terrible rotting disease that will prove fatal in 1d12 days. On the day after the disease is contracted, the victim begins to suffer uncontrollable shaking and tremors, making spellcasting and feats requiring fine Dexterity impossible. Further, the victim loses 1 point of Strength and Constitution from the debilitating effects of the disease and 2 points of Charisma as his or her skin begins to flake and wither away. Ridding oneself of this disease is only possible through use of a regeneration spell. A stricken character without access to regenerative magic can be kept alive with cure disease spells, one for each day that has passed since the disease was contracted. Note, however, that this merely halts the rot from progressing, and the disease remains in the victim's system until a permanent cure is effected.
In most cases, a diseased person crumbles into dust when he or she dies. If Senmet chooses, however, he can convert someone infected with his rotting disease into a unique breed of zombie or an actual mummy. In either case, the newly created horror is completely under Senmet's control.
When he wishes to create a zombie, Senmet strangles his victim. Within 8 hours, the body rises from the dead as a desert zombie.
Unlike other greater mummies, Senmet is unable to employ clerical spells, having sacrificed this ability for the power to make and control desert zombies. The means by which he made this exchange is unknown and may well tie into Isu Rehkotep's dark worship of the evil Set. If any have learned this secret, they did not live long enough to share it with the world.
Desert Zombie, Horror, Desiccated Corpse: ?
Illithid Vampire: But there are creatures here that even the illithids fear, things made all the more terrible by the fact that the mind flayers themselves created them.
Athaekeetha, like all of the vampire illithids, was created in a foul experiment conducted by the vampire Lyssa Von Zarovich and the High Master of the mind flayers. The experiment was part of an ultimately successful attempt to transform the latter into a vampire. The "prototype" vampire illithids created by these experiments were believed to have been destroyed, but their regenerative powers enabled them to survive and escape into the wild, where they have flourished.
Illithid Vampire, Degenerate Undead Mind Flayer, Strange and Terrible Creature, Foul Creature, Most Horrible Beast: ?
High Master, Vampire: Athaekeetha, like all of the vampire illithids, was created in a foul experiment conducted by the vampire Lyssa Von Zarovich and the High Master of the mind flayers. The experiment was part of an ultimately successful attempt to transform the latter into a vampire.
