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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Voadam" data-source="post: 6831668" data-attributes="member: 2209">Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume ThreeMonstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three2eAlhoon: Their bodies adapt only imperfectly to lich state; many magical steps of most lichdom processes used by others fail on a strongly-magic resistant mind flayer body. Banedead: Created from fanatical human worshipers.Banedead derive their power from the Negative Energy Plane and from the clerical power of the ritual that created them. Banedead are created by a special ritual that requires at least 12 worshipers (to be turned into Banedead), at least 24 living additional worshipers (to offer prayers), and a priest of Bane or Xvim of at least 12th level (to preside over the ritual). The ritual must be held in a place that is consecrated to either Bane or Xvim. People who are to become Banedead (also called the Promised Ones) must come forward voluntarily. Rumors of innocent folks captured by cultists and forcibly transformed into Banedead are patently false. At the end of the ritual, the new Banedead are placed under the control of their new master, the presiding priest. Some scholars are still trying to discern how a new breed of undead could be formed by a deity who is supposed to have been destroyed. A few sages believe that it is not Bane at all, but rather Xvim, who has introduced this new horror to the Realms. These sages speculate that the spirits of the Promised Ones are in fact shunted into Xvim somehow to nourish him, building his power so that he can eventually fill the void left by his father’s death. Banelich: Tired of his faithful becoming victims, every 50-60 years Bane chose the most powerful priest within the ranks of his clerics and revealed to him or her a foul rite that would transform the caster, through force of faith, strength of will, and Bane’s divine hand, into a powerful, immortal form – a lich of Bane, or Banelich. Baneliches were at least 17th-level clerics before they were transformed, and several were 20th level or higher. Bat Bonebat: Bonebats are not thought to occur naturally, but the secrets of their making have been known in the Realms for a very long time, and many have gone feral. Bonebats are usually constructed by evil priests and wizards working together. An intact giant bat skeleton, or a skeleton assembled from the bones of several bats, is required. A spell known as Nulathoe’s ninemen is cast on the skeleton. In the case of a bonebat, this spell links the skeletal wing bones with an invisible membrane of force to allow flight. Fly, detect invisibility, infravision, and animate dead spells complete the process. Further spells may be necessary to train the bonebat to serve as an obedient aide, but the spells listed here must be cast within two rounds of each other, and in the order given, or the process will fail. Bat Bonebat Battlebat: ?Coffer Corpse: The coffer corpse is an undead creature seeking its final rest. It is always encountered on the scene of an incomplete death ritual: a stranded funeral barge, unburnt pyre, or so on. Dragon Ghost Dragon: A ghost dragon is created when an ancient dragon is slain and its hoard looted. Only ancient dragons can become ghost dragons.Dread Warrior: Dread warriors are enhanced undead created by Szass Tam, Zulkir of Necromancy for the Red Wizards of Thay. Dread warriors are created immediately after a warrior’s death so that they retain at least minimal intelligence. They must be created from the bodies of fighters of at least 4th level who have been dead for less than a day. Zulkir Szass Tam created the dread warriors over 20 years ago, intending them for an invasion of Rashemen. Son of Kyuss: Sons of Kyuss are horrible undead beings that convert living humans and demihumans into cursed undead like themselves. In addition to flailing fists, one worm per round attempts to jump from a son’s head to a character the son is meleeing. The worm needs only to roll a successful attack roll (same THAC0 as the son) to land on the victim. The worm burrows into the victim on the next round unless killed by the touch of cold iron, holy water, or a blessed object. After penetrating the victim's skin, the worm burrows toward the victim’s brain, taking 1d4 rounds to reach it. During this time a remove curse or cure disease spell will kill the worm, and neutralize poison or dispel evil will delay the worm for 1d6 turns. If the worm reaches the brain, the victim dies immediately and becomes a son of Kyuss. Kyuss was an evil high priest who created the first of these creatures, via a special curse, under instruction from an evil deity. The worms are tied to the curse of the sons but exactly how remains a mystery. It is known that the worms cannot survive apart from a victim or on a son. Worms that fail to burrow into a victim die as soon as they touch the ground. Any worm removed from a son dies within one round of separation from the son who carried it. When a son is killed permanently, the worms die with him. Some sages have proposed that the worms might not be living creatures per se, but incarnations of the curse. Undead Dragon Slayer: An undead dragon slayer is a horrifying creature returned from death to destroy dragons. Most undead dragon slayers are called back from the grave by necromantic magic. Though it retains its own mind and agenda, it must obey the commands of the summoner – at least until its task is complete or it somehow wins its freedom. A small number af dragon slayers actually will themselves back from the dead. These individuals have the utmost faith in their cause, an undying hatred of dragons, and a supernatural strength of will. In the Council of Wyrms setting, undead dragon slayers were members of the vast army of human warriors who invaded the Io’s Blood isles in ages past. Any slayer of 9th level or greater who died before his holy task was finished can rise as an undead warrior. Zhentarim Spirit: A Zhentarim spirit is the essence of a Zhentarim wizard who met with a horrible death at the hands of his or her enemies or treacherous comrades. The spirit of the wizard is extremely vengeful, and by sheer force of will is remaining on the Prime Material Plane until a task is complete or until it takes revenge on those who slew it. Zhentarim spirits are extremely rare, and only the death of a wizard who is greater than 14th level can bring about the creation of one of these spiteful spirits.The determination of Zhentarim spirits to annihilate their killers is exceptional, and these creatures defy final judgment for indefinite and extended periods to exact their revenge. This is done through these spirits’ force of will (minimum Wisdom of 16), aided by their connection with the magical arts (minimum of 14th-level wizard).These spirits have so far only been linked with wizards of the Zhentarim, and many think the tendency of Zhentarim wizards to form these spirits is attributable to magical means that they use to extend their lives. A vengeful Zhentarim spirit is formed one to two days after the death of an appropriate Zhentarim wizard, and it immediately sets about planning its revenge.Zombie: A cure disease or remove curse spell will transform a son of Kyuss into a zombie, but both spells require that the priest touch the son.</blockquote>

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