Barrow of King Winterwolf the Cold

Barrow of King Winterwolf the Cold

Inspired somewhat by the numerous barrows featured in Skyrim, the anteroom has curved stone walls and weather-worn stone steps. Dried offerings in urns line the walls. The central room is locked and barred to prevent looting, but the north wall has crumbled somewhat where a log support has rotted through and collapsed. Stairs inside lead down to a tunnel.

South of the anteroom is where his loyal banner-men of Clan Umbra are interred and, perhaps, to guard the entrance to the rest of the barrow.

The north tunnel leads into a very large dining hall, though none no longer feast there. Below the balcony is a study table covered in fine earthenware and the dusty remains of the food that had been laid out when the barrow was sealed. Corridors on either side of the table lead to additional tombs.

To the North West, the corridors lead to trapped rooms and a hidden entrance into the barrow. It’s also the method by which the builders had left the barrow after it was sealed shut. To the East of the hall is where the King’s family and most trust guards are interred. Hidden there is a magic token that opens the hidden door into a temple of The Rivermaster, and where King Winterwolf and his second born son are interred.

Even after finding this chamber, the room is not very richly appointed. There is a final hidden door that leads to the treasure room where his enchanted armor Rimecoat and greatsword Frostblade are kept safe.

“The fat innkeeper had asked for a lot of gold for the location of Winterwolf’s Barrow; too much. He won’t be telling anyone else where we’ve gone, either. Now that we’ve found it, it doesn’t look like much, but it’s where he described. They were atop a tall, wind-swept hill of jagged rock that jutted out of the ground towards to the south, so they’d had to climb up from the north. Above the entrance was a stone wolf’s head with snarling jaws and a spiked collar and carved writing in the barbarian’s scratches was too faded to read. Snowdrifts piled against the arched entrance, but once they cleared it away, wide, icy steps went down on other side into the barrow. They split up to see if they’d meet up in the middle, but Rorge found a cave-in at the bottom and came back. Worthless offerings lined the plain walls, only a few coppers and silvers glittered in the whipping torchlight, but the handle-less door proclaimed in Runic, ‘Disturb not the resting Place of King Winterwolf the Cold and his Sons or be Cursed by the Gods.’ Rorge offered to break it down and threw his shoulder into it, but some magic thundered and threw him back to slam into the wall, crushing some old pottery. This would be a tough nut to crack, I figured, but at least we were in the right place.”

Elemental Binding Collar – Random Binding Form Table

As a variant on the Elemental Binding Collar, every time it’s used, the elemental takes on a new form. The Standard column can be used if the elemental isn’t one of the other types or just want a simple table. The others are creatures that are, more or less, part of an elemental theme. 

As a reminder, the bound elemental retains its HD, knowledge, personality, alignment, and known languages. It loses any elemental powers it once had and gains all the abilities of the new form. It gains the size, shape and coloration of an ordinary creature of its type. It has the AC, movement modes, special sight types, attack forms, and special abilities of its new form. The exception is that magical powers are not gained.

 

d%	Standard	Fire	Air	Water	Earth
1 – 10	Ordinary Cat	Ordinary Cat	Ordinary Cat	Ordinary dog	Giant Spitting Beetle
11 – 20	Toad	Camel	Robin (bird)	Cow	Ordinary Dog
21 – 30	Ordinary Dog	Giant Fire Beetle	Ordinary Bat	Ordinary cat	Giant Badger
31 – 40	Raven	Hawk	Giant Bat	Pig	Giant Centipede
41 – 50	Hawk	Lizard	Giant Bee	Toad	Giant Ferret
51 – 60	Pony	Spitting Cobra	Giant Fly	Salamander	Giant Rat
61 – 70	Lynx	War dog	Hawk	Seagull	Giant Shrew
71 – 75	Spitting Cobra	Wolf	Horse	Horse	Baboon
76 – 80	Baboon	Giant Spider	Strige	Giant Crab	Boar
81 – 85	Wolf	Giant Scorpion	Giant Wasp	Giant Crayfish	Camel
86 – 90	Chimpanzee	Wolverine	Crystal Statue	Giant Frog	Horse
91 – 92	Lizardfolk	Hyena	Cheetah	Spitting Cobra	Spitting Cobra
93	Dwarf	Homunculus	Goblin	Crocodile	Homunculus
94	Homunculus	Half Orc	Halfling	Homunculus	Kobold
95	Wood Golem	Orc	Homunculus	Human (pirate)	Gnome
96	Pixie	Wood Golem	Pixie	Elf	Duergar Dwarf
97	Imp	Imp	Sprite	Nixie	Neanderthal
98	Quasit	Quasit	Brownie	Sahaugin	Crystal Statue
99	Pesudo-dragon	Hell Hound	Imp	Dryad	Satyr
100	Small Dragon (any)	Small Dragon (Red)	Small Dragon (Blue)	Small Dragon (White)	Small Dragon (Black)

Fort Blackcove and the Forgotten Chambers – Part 2

The Forgotten Chambers

Behind Fort Blackcove, built into a huge stony hill on the shore of a salty sea, there is a tunnel that is hidden when the tide is high and protected by treacherous rocks. During low-tide, though, the narrow opening can be found and the tunnel traversed. The current can be swift, however, so if one isn’t careful, one’s boat will be dashed on the rocks further downstream. If one is sharp, one will notice the stone ladder built into a ledge (once there was a rope ladder as well, but it has since rotted away). At the top of the dank ledge is a heavy door, perfectly sealed and rusted shut.

The old lords of Fort Blackcove learned not to open that door too often, for it may let the sea in, but they used the chambers to build a secret prison. In this prison the lords kept the captives they never wanted their allies to know about, where they could torture whomever they please and let them waste away in the damp darkness. The goalers never cared that it was originally built by Naga, only that none ever escaped. The serpentine artwork and frescos are painted over or washed away.

Over the years, the salt water and underground streams have worn away the walls around some of the rooms, causing floors to collapse and flooding during high tide. One cave has been worn away so far it’s nearly washed some of the cells away.

No one can say what might be found in the dark torture chambers that have been forgotten by all living men. Perhaps what remains are only anguished souls, a monstrous goaler who never left the defunct prison, or perhaps the Naga have returned to restore their outpost.

“You’ve hit yet another impasse. Ahead of you and to your left are thick iron bars, though rusted at their base. Behind you is the hidden passages you passed through to enter this gods-forsaken dungeon. To your right you can see the other side of the thick door that keeps out the seawater at high tide. The air here is moist and smells of salt and seaweed. In fact, everything below a handspan’s height on the wall is encrusted with salt and tiny sea-creature’s shells. As you’re looking around the walls for a way to raise one or the other portcullis, you hear a high-pitched screech that echoes from all directions. You hope that whatever did that is still on the other side of those bars and doesn’t know another way around…”

Elemental Binding Collar – Inspired by the Abhorsen Trilogy

Inspired by the collar that bound Mogget, a Free Magic Elemental into the service of the Abhorsen in the form of an adorable white cat (at least when Sabriel met him), this could definitely be an alternative way for a Magic-User (or any character) to adopt a Familiar of sorts.

Before being applied to an Elemental, the collar appears as a fairly plain steel ring. On closer inspection, etched runes of binding, service, and holding, can be read around its circumference. The ring can be worn on one’s finger and doesn’t count against the number of magical rings one can wear since it doesn’t provide any inherent bonuses to the wearer.

When the wearer holds the ring and speaks the command word, the ring quickly expands into a steel hoop with bright runes spinning around its circumference. The hoop can be expanded to any reasonable size required by the user. The hoop will also retract back into a ring with another use of the command word or after a few hours, if not used. The hoop will not expand against a solid object or fast enough to cause harm.

Once placed around or under an elemental, the hoop will quickly retract around the elemental’s form. As a general rule, elementals with 8 HD or less can be bound in 1 round, 9 to 12 HD in two rounds, 13 to 16 HD in three rounds, and 16+ HD in four rounds. On the first round, the elemental receives a Save vs Death at a -4 penalty to resist the effect and remove the hoop. On the second round, it receives another Save vs Death, but at a -8 penalty. If that fails, the process cannot be stopped. The elemental is likely to panic and attempt to flee or to spend its last few round attacking the one who placed the collar on it.

As the hoop constricts, it forces the elemental into a new, benign form, often an animal. When the process is completed, the new form appears as an ordinary creature of its type, though it is capable of speech and of a random gender, and wearing a leather collar around its neck (the collar could be a particular color depending on the type of elemental). Hanging from the collar is a small steel bell, enchanted, that helps keep the elemental bound whenever it rings. A round after the transformation is complete the creature coughs up another Elemental Binding Collar in its ring form. Both the leather collar and the ring bear the same magical rune to indicate that the two are connected.

It’s worth noting that the leather collar is merely an illusion. The collar cannot be broken with a weapon, it will not degrade over time, and it cannot be removed by the transformed elemental alone. Someone must choose to undo it and take it off. If the leather collar is ever removed it dissolves into smoke immediately and the elemental will be released over the course of 1 round.

The collar reverts back into the original ring form and one of these things will happen:

• The ring will return to the hand of the person who had bound the elemental, unless they are dead or not on this plane.
• The ring will return to the hand of the person who unbound the elemental, unless they are dead or not on this plane (extraordinary bad timing).
• The ring will appear within 2′ of the elemental and clatter on the floor; it may be lost!

How the ring gets there is up to the DM

At this point, the runed ring can be turned into the hoop and used to rebind the elemental. The ring will not respond to the command word before then.

The bound elemental in its creature form will be helpful to the owner of the ring, if not friendly, and will not willingly harm its master. Though it lacks any of its previous offensive capabilities but it retains its knowledge, personality, and ability to speak all languages it might know. When asked questions or asked to perform tasks, it will answer truthfully and act properly (if begrudgingly). The bound elemental retains its HD and Saves, but its AC, forms of attack, and special abilities are that of the new creature. Any magical powers the new form would normally have are not available. (For example, an elemental bound into the form of a Small Dragon (HD 3) would have a breath weapon. Turned into an Imp, it would lack any of the spell-like abilities, but keeps the poison tail attack)

The form the elemental takes could depend on the type of elemental, a particular collar may always turn an elemental into a particular creature, or each binding transforms an elemental into a random creature; it’s up to the DM. Needless to say, the type of creature will be appropriate to its environment (that is, its new form can swim and breathe water if it’s underwater and so on).

Next week, I’ll post a random table to determine what form a bound elemental might take.

Fort Blackcove and the Forgotten Chambers – Part 1

Fort Blackcove

The fort has been built into the side of a large rocky hill next to a salty sea and protected the nearby fishing village of Wainsgreen when both were still occupied by loyal subjects. Now the fort’s been restored and occupied by an organized and hostile force (perhaps hobgoblins or an outlaw militia) who know how to make the best of the arrow slits and murderholes at the front entrance.

There are several rumors that can be heard in some of the nearest villages:

• Fort Blackcove has a secret back entrance.
• Fort Blackcove once had a secret prison where prisoners the Lord despised could never see the light of day.
• Naga once lived in the sea and built a hidden outpost that is now Fort Blackcove, though the old construction had been torn down.
• During low-tide, an elderly, drunk fisherman who’d risked approaching the Fort was nearly sucked into a tunnel behind the hill.

The fort’s entrance features two 30’ tall square archer towers and several arrow slits above the reinforced door. In the hall on the other side are several murderholes for those same archers to pour boiling oil or crossbow bolts. Troops in the next room can try to keep invaders in the line of fire or trap them behind a portcullis.

The central chamber has a tall 40’ dome with a badly faded fresco of writhing serpents. The door to the north leads to the towers, the guardrooms, and a small jail. The door to the south leads to a small temple and library. The doors to the east lead to the lord’s chambers and other bedrooms, kitchens, and storage rooms.

One disused storage room, damp and moldy, has a secret door that opens into a cave of dark, still water. Flat stepping stones go across the water to a natural tunnel. From the other side, the secret door can be opened with a lever. The tunnel leads into a winding tunnel that leads to the Forgotten Chambers. (which will be posted next week)

“Your party seems to have found the old lord’s library, though you don’t expect to find much of interest here. Bookshelves line the sides of raised platforms upon which are chairs, desks, and more shelves. Most of them, however, have been smashed and their contents strewn on the floor. Most appear to be about military history and volumes on tactics. The lord’s interest in combat is further evidenced by several torn coat of arms hanging from the walls between shelves, though the crossed swords one would normally expect are missing. Your clever Thief remarks that a path through the fallen books has been cleared, so the room is almost certainly patrolled. Hopefully you can find the fort’s commander (and kill him) before being detected.”

Demonologist Class

Demonolgist by Luigi Castellani

This class was recently featured in Issue #3 of Brave the Labyrinth, a fan-written magazine by Small Niche Games. I’m glad to have been a part of it. Go buy a copy! Available in pdf.

Demonologist

Requirements: INT 12, WIS 9, CHA 15
Prime Requisite: INT and CHA
Hit Dice: 1d4
Maximum Level: 20

The Demonologist is a specialized variation of the magic-user class that offers up the stillwarm hearts of his victims to receive favor from his dark master, including taking on the Infernal or Demonic aspects of his master. In some places they are called Summoners of Orcus. In others, Ritualists of Bael. They are the foremost experts on the Lower Planes, masters of summoning beings from across the world and beyond to do their murderous bidding.

Demonologists share the same restrictions on armor and weapons as a magic-user and use the same tables for attack rolls. They must be of evil alignment and must worship a Demon Lord or other evil god. The prime requisite score requirements for both INT and CHA must be met in order to get an experience bonus.

Demonologists learn and prepare spells as a magic-user. They may also learn a new spell (up to the spell level they can cast) upon gaining a new level. Spells may also be learned from scrolls and other spellbooks that contain spells from the Demonologist spell-list (see below).

A Demonologist can cast spells from magic-user scrolls so long as they are on his spell list. He can also use other items such as wands, rods, and staves, as long as the spells they replicate are on his spell list.

Demonologists are often found working as spiritual advisers behind the throne and are valued for their ability to consult with supernatural beings. Due to the dangerous beings they summon, they might also be found in isolated towers far from civilization. When adventuring, they often have a specific goal in mind such as acquiring a demonic weapon, finding a tome of lost and forbidden magic, a quest for their patron, or simply the pursuit of personal power.

The Granite Bank

The Granite Bank

The Granite Bank is a powerful guild of Mountain Dwarf financiers. The bank is known to be in the Cliffs of Shirdroppe, but its exact location is obscured by a series of winding caves filled with traps, cunningly hidden Dwarf-doors, and patrols of the Silent Axes, well-disciplined troops of tongueless eunuchs who cannot be coerced into revealing the location of the Granite Bank.

The entrance of the Bank is inside a huge cave and the perfectly balance granite door is set into a wall of silver-tipped spikes. The hall is well-guarded and leads to a spacious waiting area of polished granite, marble, and molten quicksilver. Several offices, manned by the Mountain Dwarves known as the Stonefaced, flank the waiting area to discuss, refuse, or fulfill the requests of the Bank’s customers.

To the south is a hall that leads to another well-appointed waiting room, though there are no guards here, as only trusted customers make it this far. When a customer wishes to make a deposit, make a large withdrawal, or to inspect his holdings, they are brought here to verify their identity. From there, they are brought to the Vault where hundreds of private storage containers hold vast fortunes. At the rear, behind an heavily fortified enchanted door, is the famed Vault of Infinite Locks, which requires two enchanted keys and brings the owner’s belongings from a pocket dimension. Time in this vault does not pass, so some have paid vast sums to lock away dragons, demons, unearthly beauty, or terrible weapons.

“Once inside, the first thing you notice are the dozens of Dwarven guards that stand at mute attention against the walls. Each carries a triangular-bladed poleaxe and tower shield bearing a gold coin on a marble-speckled field. They wear pointed helmets, ringmail coats, and tightly braided beards. The well-lit hall, nearly as bright as daylight, has a highly polished floor, seemingly rippled in silver, that reflects the light of the hanging crystal lamps hanging from the slender, sharp-edged stone pillars. The walls are rough granite, but embossed grids of polished silver plates both reflect the internal light further, but depict some of the history of the Granite Bank.”

Free-Magic Elemental – Inspired by the Abhorsen Trilogy

Mogget, a Free-magic Elemental

Free-magic Elemental

Elemental, CN, 40’ Flying, 8 / 12 / 16 HD, AC 2 / 0 / -2, 1d8 / 2d6 / 3d8 + 1d6 to Magic Users, F8 / F12 / F16, Mo 10, xp 2560 / 3600 / 5100

A Free-magic Elemental is an agent of pure chaos and possess a mind of burning raw magic. They don’t care about concepts like good or evil; they delight mainly in the havoc caused by possessing a magic item and using its powers in interesting ways and the frustration instilled in magic-users when their magic goes haywire.

They hunger for magic items to feed upon and may ally with a mortal for a time if it’s promised a choice magic item in payment, though it may decide, when the job is done, that it was not enough (or that his other magic items look tasty too).

They hate sentient magic items and those who ally with them. Oddly enough, the reason for its enmity is that the elemental sees the wielder as a slave-master of its kind, though it sees the sentient item as a rival to be consumed, rather than released.

Free-magic elementals are capable of speech and they know Common, Auran, Ignan, and the Chaotic alignment language.

Elemental Resistances:

An Elemental is immune to Sleep effects, paralyzation, and critical hits (if your game uses them).

A Free-magic Elemental appears as a very bright, energetic fire or smoke with a thin, spindly, vaguely humanoid form. Its color is usually white, electric blue, or neon green. It is 1’ tall and 3” in diameter per HD it has.

Magic-bane:

Free-magic’s chaotic nature causes feedback when a magic-using character is struck. They take an extra 1d6 damage as a result. Generally, only those who use arcane magic are affected; divine magic-users like clerics and druids are not affected.

Free-magic Aura:

A Free-magic Elemental has a 40’ aura surrounding it that causes all magic to go awry. Whenever any spell is cast within this aura, the spellcaster must make a Save vs Spells or roll a d% as if a Rod of Wonder had been used to determine the spell’s effect. Those who Save against this effect are still subject to this effect on future spells.

The aura can be dispelled with a successful Dispel Magic, but the Free-magic Elemental can reassert this aura as a free-action on its next turn.

In general, this aura affects both arcane and divine spells, spells cast from scrolls, wands, and rods (though the Save is that of the item’s wielder), but not the personal or inherent effects of permanent magic items. For example, a Dancing Sword‘s dancing ability or a Rod’s transformation abilities would still function normally.

Possess Magic Item:

A Free-magic Elemental can enter any magic item (like an enchanted ring, suit of armor, a wand, or a sword, but not single-use items like scrolls or potions) and may animate it in a limited fashion if it has moving parts, depending on its form. A possessed item cannot move any unmoving parts, so a cloak could billow or crawl, a suit of armor could walk, or a sword swing if held by an appendage, but a ring or amulet would be immobile. Possessing an item takes an entire round.

Items held or worn by a creature receive a Saving Throw vs Spells to resist being possessed. This Save is based on the creature’s Save plus the item’s + bonus, if any (so a Longsword +2 would receive a +2 bonus to the Save). A loose magic item receives no Saving throw (unless it’s a sentient item).

When possessing an item, the Free-magic Elemental has an Ego score like a sentient magic item does and can influence (or hide from) anyone who picks up or wears the possessed item. Generally, the possessed item has an Ego score of 11 + half the elemental’s HD (or 15 / 17 / 19). The Free-magic Elemental cannot use its Free-magic aura or cause any direct damage to the wielder (setting off a Wand of Fireball’s effect at close range, for example, works fine).

A possessed item will, as a general rule, glow the same color as the Free-magic Elemental. This glow cannot be turned off by the Elemental. The smaller the item is, the brighter the glow. For example, the glow of a Maul of Titans would be barely noticeable in the dark, a suit of armor would be as bright as a candle, a ring would be almost too bright to look at (and likely quite hot). An Identify spell will determine that the glow is not a natural property of the item.

The Free-magic Elemental can leave the item any time, though it takes a full-round to do so, during which the Free-magic Elemental is vulnerable. It can also be forced out via an Exorcism or a targeted Dispel Magic. Forcing it out of an item stuns it for 1d4 rounds (cannot move or attack). Once a Free-magic Elemental has left an item, it cannot repossess it for 1 week; the item’s “magical matrix” is under too much flux to allow it.

A Free-magic Elemental feeds on the magic items it possesses. For every week the item is possessed, it loses 5 charges (also lowering its maximum number of charges), one ‘per day’ use of an ability, a + bonus or similar power. The previous list is also the order of preference for which power the Elemental drains first. If the Elemental was damaged when it possessed the item, it heals 5 hp per magical power drained. Drained powers cannot be restored except through a Wish spell.

Once drained of all magical power, the Free-magic Elemental will leave the item immediately, as the item can no longer support it. The Elemental has the option to leave the item intact as a mundane item or destroy it (by melting, burning, shattering, etc). Only drained items can be destroyed in this way.

Dalnation Pass

Dalnation Pass

I had asked a co-worker of mine for an idea for a map (as I sometimes do) and she suggested a village with a lookout tower. When I asked her for a name, we agreed on Dalnation Pass.

Dalnation Pass was somewhat inspired by some of the small towns in Skyrim. It features a Meeting Hall where the Jarl (or mayor) lives with a few retainers as part of his household. The meeting hall is well-appointed with brass, gold, and silver fixtures and Jarl Fredry Garthur wears a heavy chain of white gold and black diamonds. The There is a small inn, called The Fat Tuna Inn, with a quaint front porch and run by a man named Hurd Lidspittle, a loud and rotund man, but and happy to feed kind travelers. Across from the inn is a small stable. Next to the inn is a general store called The Riverman’s Net and is run by a gnome woman named Jailene Tangleweed, a shrewd haggler. Next to the Net is a barracks where men-at-arms and militia would stay during times of conflict. During times of peace, it’s manned only by the Thane (or Sheriff) and perhaps half a dozen militiamen who serve on a rotating schedule. Next to the barracks is a small church devoted to the local pantheon and houses an aging cleric and his naive apprentice. The last two buildings, across from the church, are a meat and produce seller (with a pen for animals behind it) and a small brewery (the tanks are behind the building). Lastly, there’s a wooden lookout tower, about 25’ tall, atop a grassy hill and accessed by a ladder that can be dropped down from inside the loft.

Dalnation Pass is located at the base of the Dalnation Foothills, near the Trickling River (though another village, Stiltwood, works the river-ways) and is the last settlement until one crosses through the Horation Mountains. The local rumor, whispered by those who aren’t in the militia, is that the Jarl and the Thane have some sort of secret arrangement with the wildmen that live in the foothills to prevent attacks on the town and have made the Jarl rich.

“As the party approaches Dalnation pass, you can see that the grassy hills the village is nestled in quickly turn into rocky bluffs that fall under the shadow of snow-topped Mount Horation. Except for the little guard tower, none of the buildings are very tall, but are largely flat and squat. The largest of them has a steeply peaked black roof and a half-dome. From the wooden guard tower atop a steep grassy hill comes a loud voice, ‘What brings you to the Pass?’ You consider your answer carefully when you notice a several arrows poking from the windows of the tower. ‘To speak to the Jarl!’ you call back. The arrowheads retreat back inside, ‘Go in peace, traveler.’”

Abhorsen Trilogy – Mordicant

Mordicant

Undead, CE, 50’, Size Large, AC 0, HD 10+5, 1 claw and 1 bite, 2d6 (claw) + (Energy Drain or 1d4 STR dmg) / 2d4+1d4 fire (bite), F10, Mo 11, xp 6600

Mordicants are one of the most powerful undead that can be created by a Necromancer of the Old Kingdom. About the size of an ogre, a Mordicant’s body is molded from bog-clay or grave-dirt that has been infused with vast quantities of human blood. This vessel is filled with a malevolent Dead spirit that burns with a bottomless rage for the living.

A Mordicant’s eyes, mouth, feet, and claws drip with green fire and its presence is often enough to make mortals collapse from terror.

Aura of Death: A Mordicant has a persistent aura surrounding it that reeks of death and decay. The aura surrounds it at a radius of 20′ and might appear as a smoky miasma. Those who encounter it must Save vs Poison or be nauseated (can only make Move actions) and may only move at half speed (even while running) for as long as they remain in the aura and 1 round afterwards. Those who have recovered must still Save when exposed to the aura again, but those who make a successful Save are immune to the effects for 24 hrs.

The aura can be negated by a successful Dispel Magic (caster level 10), but the Mordicant can reestablish the aura as a free action on its next turn. Effects that improve the quality of the air and negate the effects of harmful gasses also work against this aura.

Weakening Touch: Those hit by a Mordicant’s claw must Save vs Death or suffer an additional 1d4 Strength damage. Whenever a Mordicant successfully drains Strength, it gains +1 to Hit and Damage on all its attacks and heals 1d8 damage. The bonus is cumulative and the bonus lasts for 1 Turn from the last time it was applied.

If you play with Energy Draining Undead, the Mordicant drains 1 Level of experience instead of Strength Damage, but gains the same benefits.

Night Affinity: A Mordicant naturally absorbs shadow-stuff from the darkness around them. They regenerate at 3 hp / round under two conditions: in complete darkness or once night has fallen (generally, between astronomical dusk and dawn).

Greater Dead: As a powerful undead spirit, a Mordicant can only be harmed by magical sources and by weapons with an enchantment of +2 or better.

Create Spawn: Those slain by the Mordicant rise as Dead Hands under the control of the Mordicant 1d4 rounds afterwards. A body that has been Blessed or doused in Holy Water will not rise as a Dead Hand.

Undead traits: Beyond the usual traits granted the undead, this type of undead cannot cross (above or below) deep or fast-moving water. An uncontrolled Mordicant will not attempt a crossing under most circumstances, but if it’s pushed to do so by a Necromancer, it must make a Save vs Death or be swept away into the River of Death, body and spirit. Very shallow and/or very still water may grant a bonus to this Save and vice versa (crossing a large waterfall would be a -4 penalty on a Save made every round, a sluggish brook would be a +4 bonus).

“There, between gusts of snow, she saw a figure leaping from step to step; impossible leaps that ate up the distance between them with horrible appetite. It was man-like, more than man-high, and flames ran like burning oil on water where it trod… It was a Mordicant that hunted her – a thing that could pass at will through Life and Death, it’s body bog-clay and human blood molded and infused with Free Magic by a Necromancer, and a Dead spirit placed inside it as its guiding force.”

– Sabriel by Garth Nix