Dai un'occhiata a questi non morti, dal Monster manual V:
HAUNT
Spoiler:
Haunts are spirits that left unfi nished business in life and
have returned to seek recompense. Victims of injustice,
haunts have no qualms about causing others to suffer as
they did. A haunt can’t be permanently defeated by normal
means, instead, someone must right the wrongs that led to
its grim state.
BRIDGE HAUNT
An old man leans against the railing of the bridge ahead, whittling
a piece of wood into the shape of a fi sh. He looks up from his work
to see you and smiles as he pockets both his knife and the piece of
woodwork. He begins to speak in a genial tone.
Bridge Haunt CR 7
Usually NE Medium undead (incorporeal)
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +13, Spot +8
Aura unnatural (30 ft.)
Languages Common
AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 14
(+3 Dex, +4 deflection)
Miss Chance 50% (incorporeal)
hp 90 (12 HD); rejuvenation
Immune incorporeal immunities, undead immunities
Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +9
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 30 ft. (perfect)
Melee 2 incorporeal touches +10 each (3d6 plus push)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +6; Grp —
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 12th):
3/day—mass suggestion (DC 20)
1/day—mirage arcana (DC 19)
Abilities Str —, Dex 16, Con —, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 19
SA push, spell-like abilities, unnatural aura
SQ bridge dependent, incorporeal traits, living visage,
undead traits
Feats Alertness, Improved Initiative, Improved Toughness,
Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Focus (incorporeal touch)
Skills Bluff +14, Diplomacy +13, Disguise +4 (+6 acting),
Hide +13, Intimidate +16, Listen +13, Sense Motive +11,
Spot +8
Advancement 13–18 HD (Medium); 19–24 HD (Large)
Unnatural Aura (Su) Animals, whether wild or domesticated,
can sense the unnatural presence of a bridge haunt at
a distance of 30 feet. They will not willingly approach
nearer than that and panic if forced to do so; they remain
panicked as long as they are within range.
Rejuvenation (Su) A bridge haunt cannot be permanently
destroyed through combat. The “destroyed” spirit
restores itself and returns to the bridge it haunts in
1d4 days. Taking a haunt more than 1,000 feet from its
bridge can destroy it, as can destroying a haunt’s bridge.
A bridge haunt is laid to rest by taking a piece of the
corporeal remains of its former body, or a possession
important to it in life, and delivering that item to the
place where the creature that became the haunt was
headed before its demise.
Push (Su) A creature damaged by a bridge haunt’s
incorporeal touch attack must succeed on a DC 20
Will save or be telekinetically pushed 10 feet away from
the creature. If a bridge haunt makes a full attack, it
can attack a single creature with both touch attacks,
resolving the push after it is determined if both attacks
deal damage. If both attacks deal damage, the creature
must succeed on a DC 22 Will save or be pushed 20 feet
away. Movement from a push does not provoke attacks of
opportunity.
Bridge Dependent (Ex) Each bridge haunt is mystically
bound to a single bridge and cannot stray more than
1,000 feet from it. If somehow forced to do so, a bridge
haunt is instantly destroyed.
Living Visage (Ex) A bridge haunt seems to be corporeal and
alive until it flies or attacks, when it becomes partially
transparent and appears as the rotting corpse of the
person it was in life.
A bridge haunt is a ghostly undead that lingers near the
bridge where it came into being after the death of the
living creature it once was. Embittered and vengeful,
bridge haunts come in many forms, but all have the same
irrational and murderous intent: They seek to lure others
to their deaths.
Strategies and Tactics
Bridge haunts lure their victims into vulnerable positions
in numerous ways. A haunt can use mirage arcana either to
make its bridge look more or less stable than it truly is, or
to make the terrain below appear more or less dangerous.
A bridge haunt uses mass suggestion only if it must, since
it prefers unwitting victims. It can use the spell to cause a
whole group to stumble into danger or to prevent the remainder
of the group from coming to a single member’s aid. In
combat, a bridge haunt attacks with its incorporeal touch
BRIDGE HAUNT LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (religion) can learn
more about bridge haunts. When a character makes a successful
skill check, the following lore is revealed, including
the information from lower DCs. If the bridge haunt has not
yet revealed that it is not alive and not corporeal, increase all
DCs by 10.
Knowledge (Religion)
DC Result
17 This is a bridge haunt, the incorporeal spirit of
someone who died at this bridge.
22 In combat, a bridge haunt can push its opponents
off the bridge. Its incorporeal touch also disrupts
fl esh.
27 Masters of deception through magical trickery,
bridge haunts can change the appearance of their
bridge or nearby terrain. They can make their
words seem true to all who hear them.
32 A bridge haunt can be destroyed only if it is
moved more than 1,000 feet from its bridge, if
its bridge is destroyed, or if a piece of its former
body is delivered to the location to which it was
traveling when it died. Otherwise, it returns in a
few days.
attacks, hoping to push foes off the bridge if doing so can
result in a deadly fall. It does the same to continually push
a foe deeper beneath the water near a bridge that crosses a
river or deep creek.
Sample Encounters
A bridge haunt seeks to cause deaths in the manner it was
killed and prevent others from reaching their destinations
across the bridge. Bridge haunts appear as they did in life,
so their shapes and the means by which they lure victims
vary greatly.
Because each bridge haunt is tied to a
bridge, and each has a different reason for
being there, fi nding more than one bridge
haunt at a location is extremely rare.
However, if two or more people were
emotionally bound to one another,
were traveling to the same place,
and died near a bridge in a similar
manner, this can cause more
than one bridge haunt to linger at
a single bridge.
The Bride (EL 7): Lanara, an elf
maiden in a beautiful dress, sings
a mournful song as she walks
along the riverbank. When
someone hails her, she seems
startled and scared, and she
runs under a nearby bridge
to hide. Suddenly, a terrifi ed
scream comes from beneath
the bridge, then is cut off
by a strangling sound.
Elves or females of any
race who investigate
find Lanara waiting
to push them
beneath the water
to drown.
Lanara was murdered
on her wedding day by thugs
sent by her husband-to-be so he
could marry another. She can be permanently
destroyed only by fi nding her wedding ring in the
mud beneath the bridge and bringing it to her once-fi ancé,
or by bringing him to her.
The Wrestler (EL 7): Thaven Firehammer, a dwarf paladin
of Kord, challenges warriors who wish to cross his bridge
across a mountain chasm. He awaits victims at the middle
of the bridge and offers a friendly challenge to one person
in the group: a wrestling match. If he wins, they cannot
cross. If he loses, he offers his full plate armor and weapon
in addition to passage. He seems to lack a weapon, but he
says he left his axe on the other side of the bridge. Anyone
who takes his offer or tries to pass him suffers his wrath
as he tries to push that person off the bridge. Once he has
succeeded, Thaven moves inside the bridge until someone
else comes along.
To free Thaven and end his deadly game, the PCs must
fi nd his bones in the rocky vale below the bridge and bring
them to the temple of Kord in the mountains. Alternatively,
they can seek his magic axe, taken from him by the man who
pushed him off the bridge during what was supposed to be
a friendly challenge, and return it to the side of the bridge
where Thaven left it when he wrestled his foe.
The Fisher and the Serpent (EL 8): Cedrik, a young
human boy with a fi shing pole and fi sh basket, used to
come to the river to fi sh all the time. He would balance
on the railing of the bridge to cross, rather
than walk the boards. One day he slipped, and
a giant constrictor snake (MM 280) living
under the bridge made short work of him.
When people approach the bridge, Cedrik
uses mirage arcana to make the
railings look solid and the bridge
itself shoddy. Then he encourages
travelers to balance along
the railing—they can even
follow him across if they
like. When someone has
reached the center, Cedrik
pushes that person off
the bridge into the waiting
coils of the snake.
Cedrik can be permanently
destroyed by
taking one of his fi shhooks
from inside
the snake’s belly and
bringing the hook to
the boy’s former home.
Ecology
Bridge haunts have little
effect on the nearby
ecology, but they do possess
an ecology of sorts in
their choice of prey and the frequency of their attacks. Many
bridge haunts seem content to set upon anyone who wanders
their way, while others show a preference for certain types of
victims. Some bridge haunts linger near their bridges continually,
while others rest inside the structure of the bridge,
emerging on certain nights or at particular times during the
day. Each bridge haunt has its own habits, so discovering its
patterns requires observation.
Environment: A bridge haunt can exist at a bridge in any
environment. Unless an appealing target is nearby, the haunt
doesn’t leave its bridge.
Typical Physical Characteristics: Bridge haunts have
the height and appearance they possessed in life. Being
incorporeal, they are weightless.
Alignment: Bridge haunts are usually neutral evil,
but some are chaotic or lawful if they possessed strong
tendencies toward one or the other of those alignments
in life. Good bridge haunts are unheard of, but neutral
haunts do exist.
Neutral bridge haunts attempt to keep people away
from their bridges, scaring them away or warning them
off. To those who show sympathy, such haunts relate how
they can be freed to go to their eternal rest. Still, even a
neutral bridge haunt is compelled to kill those who try
to cross its bridge.
Typical Treasure
Bridge haunts cannot manipulate treasure, nor do they typically
show any desire to possess it. Nevertheless, a bridge
haunt’s victims often bore items that become lost beneath the
bridge, awaiting discovery by any brave enough to confront
the structure’s undead inhabitant. The items beneath the
bridge are equivalent to standard treasure for a creature of
the bridge haunt’s Challenge Rating.
FOREST HAUNT
A shimmering form emerges from the woods, looking like a dead tree with purplish-green veins of sap winding across its surface. It crashes its way forward as if moving large obstacles from its path, but it glides through all such impediments as if they were mere illusions.
Forest Haunt CR 10
Usually NE Huge undead (incorporeal)
Init: +0; Senses: darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Listen +18, Spot +18
Languages: Common, Sylvan, Treant
AC: 11, touch 11, flat-footed 11 (–2 size, +3 deflection)
Miss Chance: 50% (incorporeal)
hp: 78 (12 HD); DR 10/slashing; rejuvenation
Immune incorporeal immunities, undead immunities
Resist +2 turn resistance
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +13
Weakness: vulnerability to fire
Speed fly: 30 ft. (perfect) (6 squares)
Attacks: Melee incorporeal touch +5 (1d4 Cha)
Space: 15 ft.; Reach: 15 ft.
Base Atk: +6; Grp: —
Special Actions: arboreal vengeance, Daunting Presence (DC 19)
Abilities: Str —, Dex 10, Con —, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 16
SA: arboreal vengeance
SQ: incorporeal traits, undead traits
Feats: Ability Focus (arboreal vengeance), Daunting Presence*, Iron Will, Track, Weapon Focus (incorporeal touch)* New feat; see sidebar.
Skills: Hide +7, Listen +18, Move Silently +15, Spot +18, Survival +18
Advancement: 13–30 HD (Huge)
Arboreal Vengeance (Su): A forest haunt can temporarily animate trees and undergrowth around it. When it activates this ability, each tree within 60 feet makes a melee attack against the nearest enemy. Trees have a reach of 20 feet. Each attack is made with a +9 bonus and deals 2d6+4 points of damage. In addition, undergrowth within 60 feet begins to writhe and grasp at creatures in the area. Any creature attempting to move out of a space containing undergrowth must succeed on a DC 21 Reflex save or be entangled for 1 round. The attack bonus, damage bonus, and save DC are Charisma-based.
Rejuvenation: A forest haunt is not destroyed if reduced to 0 hit points. It instead reappears in its grove 1d4 days later. Each forest haunt has a specific condition that must be fulfilled to lay it to rest. Forest haunts are the spirits of fey-touched trees that seek vengeance on intruders within their forest domain. When a dryad is killed, she can curse those who slew her with her dying breath. This curse fuels the spirit of the oak to which she is tied, causing it to stalk the forest until her killers are slain, and sometimes beyond.
Strategies and Tactics
A forest haunt silently approaches enemies, staying within the cover of trees to avoid being noticed. Even if it is seen, it is typically mistaken for a trick of the light or a play of shadow in the forest. Once it is in range, it uses arboreal vengeance to batter foes that stand near trees. If an opponent spots the forest haunt, the haunt tries to intimidate that foe with Daunting Presence, while staying close to other trees so that opponents must come into range of the trees’ attacks if they wish to fight the haunt directly. It uses its touch attack only if it is severely damaged. Since it knows it can rejuvenate, a forest haunt fights until destroyed.
NEW FEAT: DAUNTING PRESENCE
You are skilled at inducing fear in your opponents.
Prerequisites: Cha 13, base attack bonus +1.
Benefit: You can take a standard action to awe an opponent.
The opponent must be within 30 feet, have line of sight to you, and have an Intelligence score. If the opponent fails a Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 your character level + your Cha modifier), it is shaken for 10 minutes. This feat has no effect on a creature that is already shaken.
Special: A fighter can select Daunting Presence as one of his fighter bonus feats.
Sample Encounters
A forest haunt waits for opponents to venture into the forest before it unleashes its vengeance. Only rarely does more than one of these creatures appear in a given area, and groups larger than four are unheard of.
Orc Murderers
(EL 10): A group of trappers has been missing for several days, and the trail leads into a dark, forbidding part of a nearby wood. A forest haunt rampages in the deepest part of the wood, where trees are thick and the ground is covered in underbrush. The dryad that once lived in the wood was killed by a group of orc marauders, and the orc shaman now uses her bones for fortune-telling. The marauders consist of six orc berserkers (MM4 114) and a 4thlevel orc druid. This encounter is EL 10, but PCs can also attempt to negotiate for the dryad’s bones or steal them. Only by retrieving the bones and returning them to the dryad’s grove can the PCs put the forest haunt to rest. Of course, they have to deal with an irate forest haunt on the way to the grove.
Ecology
Forest haunts are subject to outbursts of rage as they try to cope with the loss of their dryad companions. Thus, although a forest haunt coexists with natural f lora, it tends to drive away or accidentally kill most wildlife. A recently awakened forest haunt causes a steady migration away from its grove, a clear indication that something is wrong. The area roamed by a forest haunt might eventually begin to change. As the unnatural aura of the haunt bleeds into the surrounding terrain, it turns the foliage a dark—almost black—green and causes trees to warp into unsettling shapes. A forest haunt can be destroyed only by meeting a particular condition. This condition can range from returning the body of its dryad to her grove, to defeating an evil power at work in the forest, to destroying the tree from which the forest haunt sprang.
Environment: Forest haunts are found exclusively in forests. A forest haunt roams throughout the forest as though on patrol, but returns to its dryad’s grove at least once every day. Some roam during the night and some during the daytime. Chaotic forest haunts vary this pattern, but neutral haunts are more predictable.
Typical Physical Characteristics: A forest haunt appears to be a deformed, translucent tree, with a trunk nearly 5 feet wide and a span of branches greater than 20 feet. It has veins of violet sap running along its trunk.
Alignment: A forest haunt is interested in nothing but the destruction of the living, and most are difficult to reason with. Forest haunts are usually neutral evil or chaotic evil, though some are neutral (especially those whose dryads were especially sympathetic toward humans and other civilized intruders). Non-evil forest haunts are likely to try to scare off invaders instead of killing them outright.
Typical Treasure
Though a forest haunt doesn’t care for wealth, the area it roams might be littered with the gear of those who did not escape its wrath. Such treasure is usually the arms, armor, or other equipment associated with would-be heroes. The scattered treasure can also serve as a warning to any who would enter the forest haunt’s domain. Such items add up to standard treasure for the forest haunt’s Challenge Rating.
FOREST HAUNT LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (nature) can learn more about forest haunts. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (Religion) DC Result
20 This is a forest haunt, the spirit of a tree touched by the fey. When a dryad is destroyed and speaks a curse with her dying breath, a forest haunt is born. It is incorporeal, but nonetheless it can be harmed more easily by slashing weapons.
25 A forest haunt can animate nearby trees to attack its enemies.
30 A forest haunt can be destroyed only if a specific condition is met. Otherwise, it returns to existence in a few days.
TAUNTING HAUNT
The spectral image of a short, rotund human wearing a tattered jester’s outfi t appears before you. It bursts into laughter and points at you. Its laughter grows so violent that it falls to the fl oor, still laughing and pointing.
Taunting Haunt CR 4
Usually CN Medium undead (incorporeal)
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +5, Spot +4
Languages: Common
AC: 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 deflection)
Miss Chance 50% (incorporeal)
hp: 39 (6 HD); encore
Immune incorporeal immunities, undead immunities
Resist +2 turn resistance
ST: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +5
Speed fly: 40 ft. (perfect)
Attacks: Melee incorporeal touch +5 (1 Cha)
Space: 5 ft.
Reach: 5 ft.
Base Atk: +3; Grp —
Special Actions: tripping tongue, vicious lampoon
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th):
At will—daze (DC 12), ghost sound, summon instrument
3/day—grease (DC 13), invisibility, Tasha’s hideous laughter (DC 13)
1/day—fear (DC 16), glibness
Abilities: Str —, Dex 14, Con —, Int 13, Wis 11, Cha 15
SA: spell-like abilities, tripping tongue, vicious lampoon
SQ: font of knowledge, incorporeal traits, undead traits
Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Perform [comedy])
Skills: Bluff +11, Diplomacy +13, Disguise +2 (+4 acting), Intimidate +13, Knowledge (all) +10, Listen +5, Perform (comedy) +14, Spot +4
Advancement: 7–12 HD (Medium)
Encore (Ex): Fueled by anger and bitterness, a taunting haunt is difficult to send to its final rest. A taunting haunt that is destroyed by any means returns to existence after 24 hours. These creatures can be driven away only when defeated in a battle of wits or put to rest only when their final wishes are met (see below).
Tripping Tongue (Su): A taunting haunt can force an opponent to speak the opposite of an intended statement. An entreaty for peace becomes a challenge to battle. A friendly greeting becomes an insulting threat. Three times per day, as an immediate action, a taunting haunt can attempt to reverse an opponent’s intended words. If that foe succeeds on a DC 15 Will save, this ability has no effect. Anyone listening to a creature affected by this ability can make a DC 15 Sense Motive check to notice that the affected creature has been compelled to speak unintended words. The save DC is Charisma-based. This is a mind-affecting ability.
Vicious Lampoon (Su): When an opponent within 30 feet misses with an attack, a taunting haunt can, as an immediate action, deliver a short, scathing commentary on that foe’s competence (or lack thereof). The subject must succeed on a DC 15 Will save or take a –2 penalty on attack rolls, ability checks, and skill checks for 1 round. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Font of Knowledge (Ex): A taunting haunt is considered to be trained in all Knowledge skills and to have maximum ranks in those skills. A taunting haunt is the twisted, jealous spirit of a deceased bard, jester, or other performer. Bitter and angry, and resentful of the living, a taunting haunt uses its sharp wit, cruel humor, and spiteful performances to create havoc and chaos wherever it goes. Taunting haunts pose a minimal physical threat, yet they are dreaded by almost anyone unfortunate enough to encounter them. With their biting sense of humor and relentless spirit, they can prove more diffi cult to handle than foes in a stand-up fight.
Strategies and Tactics
A taunting haunt exists to spread misery, anger, and confusion. In life, it used its talents to bring happiness and amusement to others. In death, this desire has warped into a compulsion to make others miserable. Taunting haunts use a variety of schemes to humiliate the foolish, trusting, or greedy. A typical taunting haunt picks out an important fi gure for continual harassment. The haunt introduces itself, insults its mark, and uses its Perform (comedy) skill to poke fun. It follows its target, offering running commentary on that person’s ineptitude. Not a murderous spirit, a taunting haunt takes care to avoid killing anyone. After all, a corpse can’t wince at a barbed comment or provide endless amusement as it tries to muddle through negotiations while its words are being twisted. A taunting haunt might even help particularly enjoyable victims of its torments stay alive.
TAUNTING HAUNT LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (religion) or who have the bardic knowledge class feature can learn more about taunting haunts. When a character makes a successful check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs. A bard gains a +4 bonus on this check.
Knowledge (Religion) or Bardic Knowledge
DC Result
14 This is a taunting haunt, the bitter spirit of a troubadour, jester, or bard. This result reveals all undead traits and incorporeal traits.
19 When a taunting haunt decides to shadow a victim, it can cause that person to speak the opposite of what is intended.
24 Taunting haunts are expert liars. Never believe what one says unless you defeat it in a battle of wits.
29 A taunting haunt can be defeated only if it loses a battle of wits or its fi nal wishes are met. Otherwise, it returns within a day.
Taunting haunts are roleplaying challenges. They can prove annoying, but they lack attacks or abilities to directly kill. Their immortal nature and access to Knowledge skills makes them useful sources of (perhaps unreliable) information. Each taunting haunt is an individual with a distinct—often warped or crazy—personality. A haunt might take a liking to a PC, egg on another one with taunts, and needle another with endless pranks. In the hands of a skilled DM, a haunt becomes a foil for the characters. With good roleplaying and quick thinking, PCs can turn a taunting haunt into a useful informant or even an ally. A taunting haunt can go to its final rest if someone resolves whatever caused it to become undead. A wandering bard killed by a cruel tyrant might pass on if a party overthrows the tyrant’s descendants.
Sample Encounter
Taunting haunts do not travel in groups. The only time a taunting haunt is seen with other creatures is when it is being a nuisance to them.
The Staff of the Sewers (EL 4): Bertrose Bignose was a jester who was killed for making one joke too many at the expense of a visiting archmage. He uses his abilities to make spellcasters look foolish, particularly in front of superiors or allies. If possible, he uses glibness to convince spellcasters he is a friendly spirit who knows the location of a lost magic staff. Invariably, this staff is supposedly hidden at the bottom f a garbage dump or outhouse pit. More than one greedy wizard has ended up knee deep in sewage before Bertrose revealed his lie.
Ecology
Taunting haunts add nothing to the local ecosystem except cruel humor, practical jokes, and humiliating schemes.
Environment: Taunting haunts can thrive anywhere, but they prefer civilized areas. Those that used to live in cities can usually fi nd easy targets there. They are seldom found in the wilderness.
Typical Physical Characteristics: Taunting haunts are humanoid in appearance. They wear outrageous or ostentatious clothes to draw attention to themselves. Though the taunting haunt in this entry is Medium, gnomes and other Small creatures can also become taunting haunts.
Alignment: More mischievous than malicious, most taunting haunts can’t be considered evil. However, exceptions exist, and some taunting haunts are even goodaligned. They are, without exception, chaotic.
Typical Treasure
A taunting haunt requires anyone it defeats in a battle of wits to bury all treasure wagered on the outcome in an isolated spot. These haunts have no use for treasure, but since mortals love gold and magic items, taunting haunts do what they can to remove such wealth from circulation.
A BATTLE OF WITS
The only way to defeat a taunting haunt is in a battle of wits. Usually, a victim gets rid of a haunt when it grows bored and moves on to a new audience. Adventurers who turn or destroy the spirit win the honor of a repeat performance soon thereafter. A battle of wits with a taunting haunt involves riddles, jokes, and other competitions. In game terms, the haunt and its opponent take turns choosing Knowledge and Perform skills, then make opposed checks involving the chosen skill. The first person to win three checks wins the competition. A haunt expects a magic item worth 500 gp from the PCs if it wins. If the characters win, the haunt leads them to a hidden treasure with a value appropriate to its CR and agrees to leave them alone. When resolving a battle of wits, you can replace the skill checks with riddles and questions for an interesting roleplaying encounter. Regardless of how you handle the battle, the PCs should gain experience points for defeating a taunting haunt whether they drive it off, send it against someone else, or otherwise remove it as an annoyance.
P.S.: perdonate, ma sono riuscito solo a sistemare l'estetica degli ultimi due dei tre tipi di non-morti, per motivi di tempo, sistemerò l'altro a breve.