The gate from the 9th level of the HOS is a very old one even as gates go. It was constructed with the help of the Elves and is one of the few 2 way gates that survive in the HOS. There is a feeling of purification that occurs as one passes from the dungeon to the Castle of Skulls and a feeling of being soiled when it is used in the other direction. Other than this there is no feeling of transition as the gate is used.
The gate comes out in the depths of Llyrath Forest. It is 1/4 mile from the Castle of Skulls. It stands an a clearing of the forest with a wooded path marked with gravel made of ground human bone. The same gravel surrounds the circular gate clearing. Many fell creatures guard this place and a not inconsiderable number of undead as well (thanks to the efforts of the Lich). This gate was used by the Lich to gather materials needed for his experiments and to case mahem as is is true joy.
The history of the Castle of Skulls is known of from legends of the Ffolk. It is related briefly here:
"Here is a tale of Llyrath Forest.
It tells of an ancient fortress in the depths of Llyrath Forest that has
been long abandoned. It is a castle made of skulls, erected some time after
the reign of Cymrych Hugh to commemorate a great victory over the northmen.
In those days (and still, as evidenced by the episode with the firbolgs)
the Ffolk would take the heads of those who had fallen in war.
In time, enough enemy skulls had been gathered that the High King, Gwylloch,
had them raised into a mighty pile on the south coast of Corwell. So taken
was he with the proof of his enemies™ downfall that Gwylloch moved
his court into the castle of skulls. He led expeditions against the lands
of the northmen, or against the holdings of recalcitrant lords, in order
to add skulls to his collection.
But the place reeked so heavily of death that he slowly went mad, as did
all of the retainers and courtesans who attended him. At the last, gibbering
and drooling, they destroyed themselves in a suicidal orgy of combat within
the gruesome walls.
Lord Koart claims that the castle of skulls still stands somewhere along
the rugged southern coast of the island, guarded by the spirits of those
who died there (and perhaps by darker things as well). There has been a rumor
that some of these darker things include a Lich who has set up a kingdom
of the dead using the castle as his place of power."
|
Death tyrants
are rotting, mold-encrusted beholders. They may be shriveled, wounds exposing
their internal, spherical networks of circular ribs, among the remnants of
their exoskeletal plates. All sport wounds, some have eyestalks missing,
or a milky film covering their eyes. They move and turn more slowly than living
beholders, striking and bringing their eyes to bear last in any combat round.
An undead beholder can use all the powers of its surviving eyes, just as
it did in life. The powers of 2-5 eyes (select randomly, including the central
eye) are lost due to injuries or death, and the change to undeath. Although
a death tyrant "heals" its motive energies through time, it cannot regenerate
lost eyestalks or their powers. Charm powers are lost in undeath.
The two eyes that charmed either become useless (60%), or function as weak
hold monster effects (40%). A being failing to save against
such a hold remains held as long as the eye's gaze remains steadily
focused on them. If the eye is turned on another being, or the victim hooded,
or forcibly removed, the hold lasts another 1-3 rounds. Death tyrants
are immune to sleep, charm and hold spells. If not controlled
by another creature through magic, a death tyrant hangs motionless until
its creator's instructions are fulfilled (for example, "Attack all humans
who enter this chamber until they are destroyed or flee. Do not leave the
chamber."). If no instructions are given to a "new" death tyrant, it attacks
all living things it perceives. Death tyrants occur spontaneously in very
rare instances. In most cases, they are created through the magic of evil
beings -- from human mages to illithid villains. Some outcast, magic-using
beholders have even been known to create death tyrants from their own unfortunate
brethren. Death tyrants have no self-awareness or social interaction; they
are mindless servants of more powerful masters. "Mindless" is a relative
term; the once highly intelligent brains of death tyrants still use eyes
skillfully to perceive and attack nearby foes. When a death tyrant is controlled
by another being, consider it to have the intelligence of its controller.
Death tyrants are created from dying beholders. A spell, thought to have
been developed by human mages in the remote past, forces a beholder from
a living to an undead state, and imprints its brain with instructions. "Rogue"
death tyrants also exist: those whose instructions specifically enable them
to ignore all controlling attempts. These are immune to the control attempts
of all other beings. Beholders often leave them as traps against rivals.
Human spell researchers report that control of a death tyrant is very difficult.
A beholder's mind fluctuates wildly in the frequency and level of its mental
activity, scrambling normal charm monster and control undead
spells. A special spell must be devised to command a death tyrant. |
|
Description: Bone Golem The bone golem is built from
the previously animated bones of skeletal undead. These horrors stand roughly
6 feet tall and weight between 50 and 60 pounds. They are seldom armored
and can easily be mistaken for undead, much to the dismay of those who make
this error. Combat: Bone golems are no more intelligent than other forms
of golem, so they will not employ clever tactics or strategies in combat.
Their great power, however, makes them far deadlier than they initially appear
to be. There is a 95% chance that those not familiar with the true nature
of their opponent will mistake them for simple undead. Bone golems attack
with their surprisingly strong blows and sharp, claw-like fingers. Each successful
hit inflicts 3-24 (3d8) points of damage. They can never be made to use weapons
of any sort in melee. In addition to the common characteristics of all Ravenloft
golems (described previously), bone golems take only half damage from those
edged or piercing weapons that can harm them. Bone golems are immune to
almost all spells, but can be laid low with the aid of a shatter spell that
is focused on them and has the capacity to affect objects of their weight.
If such a spell is cast at a bone golem, the golem is entitled to a saving
throw vs. spells to negate it. Failure indicates that weapons able to harm
the golem will now inflict twice the damage they normally would. Thus, edged
weapons would do full damage while blunt ones would inflict double damage.
Once every three rounds, the bone golem may throw back its head and issue
a hideous laugh that causes all those who hear it to make fear and horror
checks. Those who fail either check are paralyzed and cannot move for 2-12
rounds. Those who fail both checks are instantly stricken dead with fear.
The body of a bone golem is assembled wholly from the bones of animated skeletons
who have been defeated in combat. Any type of skeletal undead will do, but
all must have been created and slain in the Demiplane of Dread. Only 10%
of the bones from any given skeleton can be used, so the final product is
the compilation of bones from many creatures. Often, there will be animal,
monster, and human bones in the same golem, giving the creature a nightmarish
appearance. The spells woven over the body must include animate dead, symbol
of fear, binding, and wish. Background: Golems predate any known literature
about their creation. The wizard who discovered the process, if indeed there
was only one, is unknown. Some of the rediscoverers have written their secrets
in various arcane manuals, enchanted to aid the reader in construction. It
is thought that the first golem created was a flesh golem, possibly an accident
of some great wizard experimenting with reanimating human bodies. Flesh golems
are easier to make than any other sort because they are made of organic material
that once lived. Later, the process was generalized to suit certain earthen
materials, which produce much stronger golems. Theory: Golems are all made
from elemental material. So far, the great wizards have only discovered how
to use various earthen materials, such as clay, stone, iron, and even glass,
to make golems. The exceptions, such as the flesh golem, use organic materials
as components. The animating force of the golem is an elemental spirit from
the elemental plane of Earth. Since the spirit is not a natural part of the
body, it is not affected by most spells or even by most weapons (see individual
descriptions). The process of creating the golem binds the unwilling spirit
to the artificial body, and enslaves it to the will of the golem's creator.
The nature of this spirit is unknown, and has so far eluded the grasp of
all researchers. What is known is that it is hostile to all Prime Material
plane life forms, especially toward the spell caster that bound it to the
golem. |
| Creature AC HD THAC0 Terrain Climate Att # Damage No App SA SD MR Size Move XP Activity Align Treasure INT Page Type Diet Morale Campaign Plane Source Remarks Notes Frequency Comments Organization Description Weighting |
Dracolich varies varies varies Special Any varies varies 1 Yes Yes 0 varies varies special Night E B, H, S, T varies MM 61 Undead Special special General Prime Material undead evil dragon, generally retains original appearance except eyes float in shadowy sockets, immune: charm, sleep, enfeeblement, polymorph, cold, electricity, hold, insanity, death & symbols cannot be turned, VR poisoned, or paralyzed, abilities based on former life adjusted per MM 61 Solitary 3 |
Necrophidus
Golem, Necrophidius and Scarecrow
|
The necrophidius
and scarecrow are constructs like all other golems, but they are less powerful
because of the magical shortcuts employed in their construction.
Necrophidius The necrophidius,
or "death worm," is built and animated for a single task, such as protection
or assassination. It has the bleached-white skeleton of a giant snake, a
fanged human skull, and constantly whirling, milk-white eyes. Its bones are
warm to the touch. The necrophidius is odorless and absolutely silent; the
skeleton makes no noise, even when slithering across a floor strewn with leaves.
A necrophidius is constantly moving with a macabre grace.
Combat:The necrophidius
prefers to surprise opponents, and its silence imposes a -2 penalty to their
surprise rolls. If the necrophidius is not surprised, it performs a macabre
maneuver called the Dance of Death, a hypnotic swaying backed by minor magic.
The Dance rivets the attention of anyone who observes it, unless a successful
saving throw vs. spell is rolled. Intelligent victims are immobilized, as
per the hypnotism spell. This allows the necrophidius to attack without
opposition. Besides taking damage as indicated, a bitten victim must make
a saving throw vs. spell or be paralyzed and unconscious for 1d4 turns. This
effect can be cancelled only by dispel magic; neutralize poison
is useless. This creature acts and reacts as if it had Intelligence 10.
However, its mind is artificial, so mind influencing spells have no effect.
The creature is immune to poison and requires no sleep or sustenance. It
is not undead and cannot be turned. |
|
Formerly powerful
fighters, skeleton warriors are undead lords forced into their nightmarish
states by powerful wizards or evil demigods who trapped their souls in golden
circlets. The sole reason that skeleton warriors remain on the Prime Material
plane is to search for and recover the circlets that contain their souls.
A skeletal warrior appears as a cracked and yellowing skeleton covered
with shards of decaying flesh. Its eyes are black holes containing pinpoints
of reddish light. It is clad in the blackened armor and rotted trappings
it wore in its former life.
Combat:Anyone possessing
a skeleton warrior's circlet can control its actions, so long as the controller
remains within 240 feet of the warrior. The controller is either in active
control of the warrior or in a passive mode. When in active control, the
controller can see whatever the skeleton sees, and he can mentally command
it to fight, search for treasure, or take any other actions; however, the
controller himself is unable to cast spells, move, or take any other actions
while in active control. When in the passive mode, the controller can take
any normal actions, but he is unable to see through the warrior's eyes; the
skeleton warrior remains inert while the controller is in passive mode. The
controller can change between the passive mode and active control at will.
The controller must have the warrior's circlet on his head in order to
control the warrior. If the circlet is removed from the controller's head,
he can no longer control the warrior; likewise, if the controller and the
warrior are separated by more than 240 feet, the controller can no longer
control the warrior. If the circlet remains in the controller's possession,
he can resume control at a later time. But if the controller loses the circlet,
either by accident or by a deliberate act, the warrior immediately proceeds
toward the controller at twice its normal movement rate (12) to attack and
destroy him. The warrior does not rest until it destroys its former controller
or until control is re-established. If the warrior holds the circlet to its
head, both the warrior and the circlet turn to dust, never to reappear.
When a character first comes into possession of a circlet, he is unlikely
to be aware that the skeleton warrior is tracking him, unless he recognizes
the circlet's significance. To establish control for the first time, the
character not only must hold the circlet to his head, he must be able to
see the warrior and concentrate on the establishment of control for one round
and then roll a successful Wisdom check; if he fails the Wisdom check, he
can try again in subsequent rounds. Meanwhile, the skeleton warrior continues
to approach, attempting to destroy the character and gain possession of the
circlet. If his concentration is broken before control is established --
for instance, if he has to defend himself against an attack -- he must concentrate
again for three rounds. Once control has been established for the first time,
it can only be broken as indicated above. To be effective, the circlet cannot
be worn with any other headgear; placing it in a helm, for instance, nullifies
its powers, though the skeleton warrior is still aware of the circlet's presence.
Skeleton warriors usually fight with two-handed swords, but they can use
other weapons as well. Skeleton warriors make all weapon attacks with a +3
bonus to their attack roll; this is an innate ability, the weapon itself
is not magical. Only magical weapons affect skeleton warriors. They have
a 90% magical resistance. The mere sight of a skeleton warrior causes any
creature with fewer than 5 Hit Dice to flee in panic. Skeleton warriors cannot
be turned by priests.
Habitat/Society:Skeleton
warriors are usually found near the areas where they died in their former
lives, or where they were buried. A skeleton warrior usually has a sizeable
collection of treasure, the remnants of a lifetime of adventure. Since a skeleton
warrior is preoccupied with recovering its circlet, protecting its treasure
is not a priority.
Ecology:Skeleton warriors
are used by their controllers as bodyguards, servants, or workers. Since
skeleton warriors are obsessed with their circlets and are therefore undependable,
evil creatures and other undead seldom associate with them. Skeleton warriors
do not eat, sleep, or perform any other physiological functions. |
Headless Skeletons
Headless Skeleton
|
It isn't hard
to determine where the heads of all these skeletons went. The castle is built
from them. These skeletons are not as powerful as other skeletons, but are
turned as a normal skeleton. They are AC 8 and THAC0 20, but they do the
normal amount of damage. All skeletons are magically animated undead monsters, created as guardians or warriors by powerful evil wizards and priests. Skeletons appear to have no ligaments or musculature which would allow movement. Instead, the bones are magically joined together during the casting of an animate dead spell. Skeletons have no eyes or internal organs. Skeletons can be made from the bones of humans and demihumans, animals of human size or smaller, or giant humanoids like bugbears and giants. Combat:Man-sized humanoid skeletons always fight with weapons, usually a rusty sword or spear. Because of their magical nature, they do not fight as well as living beings and inflict only 1-6 points of damage when they hit. Animal skeletons almost always bite for 1-4 points of damage, unless they would obviously inflict less (i.e., skeletal rats should inflict only 1-2 points, etc.). Monster skeletons, always constructed from humanoid creatures, use giant-sized weapons which inflict the same damage as their living counterparts but without any Strength bonuses. Skeletons are immune to all sleep, charm, and hold spells. Because they are assembled from bones, cold-based attacks also do skeletons no harm. The fact that they are mostly empty means that edged or piercing weapons (like swords, daggers, and spears) inflict only half damage when employed against skeletons. Blunt weapons, with larger heads designed to break and crush bones, cause normal damage against skeletons. Fire also does normal damage against skeletons. Holy water inflicts 2-8 points of damage per vial striking the skeleton. Skeletons are immune to fear spells and need never check morale, usually being magically commanded to fight to the death. When a skeleton dies, it falls to pieces with loud clunks and rattles. Habitat/Society:Skeletons have no social life or interesting habits. They can be found anywhere there is a wizard or priest powerful enough to make them. Note that some neutral priests of deities of the dead or dying often raise whole armies of animated followers in times of trouble. Good clerics can make skeletons only if the dead being has granted permission (either before or after death) and if the cleric's deity has given express permission to do so. Otherwise, violating the eternal rest of any being or animal is something most good deities disapprove of highly. Skeletons have almost no minds whatsoever, and can obey only the simplest one- or two-phrase orders from their creators. Skeletons fight in unorganized masses and tend to botch complex orders disastrously. It is not unheard of to find more than one type of skeleton (monsters with animals, animals with humans) working together to protect their master's dungeon or tower. Ecology: Unless the skeleton's remains are destroyed or scattered far apart, the skeleton can be created anew with the application of another animate dead spell. Rumors of high-level animate dead spells which create skeletons capable of reforming themselves to continue fighting after being destroyed have not been reliably comfirmed. |
Zombies
ZOMBIE (x100); AC 8; MV 6"; HD 2D8; HP 8(x24), 16(x16), 11(x23), 6(x23),
12(x14); #AT 1; DMG 1-8; SD IMMUNE TO SLEEP, CHARM, COLD; INT NON; AL N;
SIZE
M; THAC0:16
Metal Skeletons
| Copper Skeleton | Bronze Skeleton | Steel Skeleton | Mythral Skeleton | Krosnium Skeleton | Gold Skeleton | |
| CLIMATE/TERRAIN: | Any | Any | Any | Any | Any | Any |
| FREQUENCY: | Very Rare | Very rare | Very rare | Very rare | Very rare | Unique |
| ORGANIZATION: | Band | Band | Band | Team | Team | None |
| ACTIVITY CYCLE: | Any | Any | Any | Any | Any | Any |
| DIET: | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| INTELLIGENCE: | Non- (0) | Non- (0) | Non- (0) | Average | Average | High |
| TREASURE: | Nil | See below | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| ALIGNMENT: | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Evil |
| NO. APPEARING: | 3-12 (3d4) | 2-12 (2d6) | 1-6 | 1 | 1-3 | 1-4 |
| ARMOR CLASS: | 0 | -2 | -4 | -10 | -8 | 2 |
| MOVEMENT: | 12 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 16 | 12 |
| HIT DICE: | 5 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 6 |
| THAC0: | 15 | 14 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 14 |
| NO. OF ATTACKS: | 1 | 1 | 2 (L.Sword) | 4 (L.Sword) | 3 (L.Sword) | 1 |
| DAMAGE/ATTACK: | 1d8 +1 | 1d8 +2 | 1d8+3 | 1d8+5 | 1d8+4 | 1d8+1 |
| SPECIAL ATTACKS: | Electric Strike | Electric Strike | Electric Strike | |||
| SPECIAL DEFENSES: | See below | See below | See below | See below | See below | See below |
| MAGIC RESISTANCE: | See below | See below | See below | See below | See below | See below |
| SIZE: | M (6' tall) | M (6' tall) | M (6' tall) | M (6' tall) | M (6' tall) | M (6' tall) |
| MORALE: | Special | Special | Special | Special | Special | Special |
| XP VALUE: | 965 | 1065 | 1650 | 2100 | 3200 | 5000 |
Metal skeletons are the hideous creations of the Lich.They are made by
coating the prepared bones of a cursed victem and coating them weith metal.
This metal coating combined with spells gives the skeletons their special
properties. They also make them more difficult to turn. Some of them have
received the minds of living men making them able to act with some intellegence.
These creatures have no need for the Turning Protection amulets as the spell
has been cast on them.
In most ways, they are like normal skeletons, but they are more powerful
by far.
The gold version has the ability to direct other undead.
Those with electric strike do 2d6 of damage with each successful hit.
The Krosnium are the most feared as they are preternaturally fast.