Thursday, January 7, 2021

Grognard's Grimoire: Blighter

Blighter (Old School Essentials)

A blighter by Zhu Bajiee
AC 5 [14], HD 4+3* (21hp), Att 1 × claw (1d8 + disease), 1 × bite (1d4 + disease) THAC0 15 [+4], MV 30' (10'), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14, ML 12, AL Chaotic, XP 200, NA 2d4 (2d4), TT None

A blighter is disease-ridden form of undead first seen in the catacombs beneath the monastery at St. Gaxyg-at-Urheim but subsequently reported in other nearby locales. Blighters shamble slowly and make no noise until they attack. They are immune to sleep, charm, and hold spells, as well as effects that affect living creatures (e.g. poison). Clerics have the same chance of turning blighters as they do of turning wights.

A blighter looks like a hulking, misshapen humanoid covered in bony protrusions and tumorous excrescences, surrounded by a miasmic cloud. In combat, a blighter attacks with a clawed hand and a bite. Any target within melee range must make a saving throw versus poison each round or suffer the effects of the cause disease spell. Any targets so afflicted are themselves contagious to other living creatures they touch or with whom they come into very close contact; such creatures must save versus poison at +2 or suffer the same effects. The disease can be cured through the application of the spells bless, cure disease, or neutralize poison. Any creature slain by the blighter's contagion rises as a blighter after the next sunset.

5 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Thanks. I am fortunate to have a good artist "on retainer." I only wish I could afford more of his work.

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  2. Agreed. Why not claw/claw/bite though?

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    Replies
    1. That was my original idea, but I changed my mind at the last minute. You think I should restore the original version?

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    2. I'd expect a monster like this to attack with claws and bite or have a "1 touch" attack, just based on comparison with existing monsters. If you want to keep the maximum damage the same you could reduce claw damage to d4.

      Nice monster, though.

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