Beneath a Righteous Temple - Bestiary Appendix

Last week, I started an adventure serial called Beneath a Righteous Temple.  Part 2 is scheduled for this week, and will find adventurers delving down into the crypts below the temple.  Before I get to that, I'm going to share the bestiary that I'd normally put at the back of the book for handy reference. Why?  Well, you'll need these monsters to run the adventure as it begins in part 2.

Dead Walker

Hit Dice: 4
Armor Class: 6 [13]
Attacks: 2 claws (1d8)
Saving Throw: 13
Special: Aura of despair, animate dead
Move: 12
Alignment: Chaos
Challenge Level/XP: 5/240

Dead walkers are undead creatures created by the demon lord Anothiel.  They appear much like a skeleton or zombie, depending on the level of decay of the corpse that was used to create them, but possess intelligence and move with a specific purpose and authority that sets them apart from the lesser undead.  Surrounding the dead walker is an aura of despair, which causes all living creatures within 20 feet to make a saving throw or deal half damage on all weapon and unarmed attacks.  The affect of this aura lasts for 1d4 rounds after exiting it, either by moving away or by the creature being destroyed.  If a creature enters the aura again after the effects have worn off, they may make a new saving throw.  A creature that succeeds on the saving throw against a dead walker’s aura is immune to that particular walkers aura for the remainder of the encounter with it.

Dead walkers posses the ability to animate dead by touch.  Any corpse a dead walker touches rises as a skeleton or zombie, depending on the amount of flesh remaining.  When animating an undead, there is a 5% chance of creating a more powerful undead suitable to the type of corpse being animated. For example, when animating a zombie, the dead walker has a 5% chance to create a ghoul instead.

Dead Walker: HD 4; AC 6 [13]; Atk 2 claws (1d8); Move 12; Save 13; AL C; CL/XP 5/240; Special: Aura of despair (20ft, save or half damage on weapon attacks), animate dead

Sahuagin, Undead

Hit Dice: 2
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Attacks: 1 strike (1d8)
Saving Throw: 16
Special: Blood frenzy
Move: 12/18 (swimming)
Alignment: Chaos
Challenge Level/XP: 2/30

The reanimated remains of sahuagin retain little of the intelligence they had in life.  Mostly, they remember banding together with other sahuagin in pursuit of the goals of their society, which they use to further their hunt for the flesh that they insatiably crave.  An undead sahuagin that inflicts hit point damage with an attack enters a blood frenzy until the creature has the opportunity to feast on living flesh.  This blood frenzy that grants it a +2 bonus on all attack rolls and damage rolls, but a -2 penalty on AC.  Like their living brethren, undead sahuagin are capable of fast swim speeds due to their fins that still remain attached to their animated bodies.

Undead Sahuagin: HD 2; AC 5 [14]; Atk 1 strike (1d8); Move 12 (Swim 18); Save 16; AL C; CL/XP 2/30; Special: blood frenzy (+2 to attack and damage, -2 to AC)

Section 15: Copyright Notice (OGL) Swords & Wizardry Core Rules, Copyright 2008, Matthew J. Finch Swords & Wizardry Complete Rules, Copyright 2010, Matthew J. Finch Dead Walker from sunderedera.blogspot.com, Copyright 2016, Steve Gilman Sahuagin, Undead from sunderedera.blogspot.com, Copyright 2016, Steve Gilman Both monster entries and their descriptions are declared as open content.