Monster Monday: Mirror Demon

Just in time for Halloween...

Mirror Demon

No. Enc.: 1
Size: Medium
HD: 5 (d12)
Move: 30 ft
AC: 18
Attacks: Grapple (1d6)
Special: Reduced Demon Abilities,
     Mirror Travel, Energy Drain,
     Change Shape, Class Abilities,
     Reflection Weakness
Saves: P, M
INT: High
Align: Chaotic Evil
Type: Extraplanar
TR: Nil (but see below)
XP: 700+5/hp

A mirror demon is a lesser form of True Demon that can travel from the Abyss into the mortal plane via any mirror large enough for to allow their bodies to pass through.  They may take the form of those they kill, and they greatly enjoy creating havoc and discord among the family and friends of their victims.  They prefer to target the vain and beautiful (the types of people prone to stare at themselves in a mirror extensively).  In their true form, their skin is pale (almost corpse-like), with jet-black eyes that cry tears of blood.

A mirror that a Mirror Demon has recently used to travel through, or observe their potential victims, will glow faintly of demonic magic if subjected to a Detect Magic or Detect Evil spell.

Although the demons have no treasure themselves, their victims are often wealthy (the poor being highly unlikely to own a mirror large enough that the demon could pass through).

Combat: A mirror demon will usually wait until their victim is alone in whatever room the mirror is in, with their guard down, before traveling through the mirror to attack.  They will grapple (literally trying to to choke the life out of their victim), with successful attacks also leading to the victim being Energy Drained (see below).

Reduced Demon Abilities: Mirror Demons have the following standard demonic abilities: Darkvision 90', immunity to electricity & poison, and taking only half damage from acid, cold, & fire.  They also have a spell Resistance of 20, and the standard demonic empathy/telepathy which allows them to learn the thoughts, and speak any language known, of their victim, although they must observe their victim at least three times within a week's span through a mirror before this last ability is granted.

Mirror Demons are not immune to non-magical weapons, nor do they possess the standard demonic ability to Teleport or Gate.

Mirror Travel: Mirror Demons can travel between the mortal plane and the Abyss via any mirror large enough for them to fit through.  Even if a mirror is too small for them to pass through, they can still see and hear through them, observing their potential victims and learning about them via the above-mentioned empathy/telepathy ability.  Note that mirrors in areas that have been Consecrated or Hallowed are barred to the Mirror Demon.

Energy Drain: In addition to suffering the above normal damage, living creatures successfully hit by a Mirror Demon’s attack lose one level. These losses are permanent, and can only be regained by the use of a Restoration or a Wish spell.  If the victim is slain, this also allows the Mirror Demon to use their Change Shape ability, and to use the Class Abilities that they have drained (see below).

Change Shape: Any victim slain who was also the subject of a Energy Drain can then be mimicked by the Mirror Demon, in a manned similar to a Doppleganger.  The Mirror Demon can maintain the victim's form indefinitely, until they take the form of another victim, or they travel back to the Abyss via Mirror Travel.

Class Abilities: Any character levels drained via Energy Drain may be used by the Mirror Demon to further the pretense of taking the role of their victim (up to 6th level).  These extra levels do not alter the Mirror Demon's hit points, and are subject to the same duration limitations as their Change Shape ability.

Reflection Weakness: Although their Shape Change ability is otherwise nearly flawless, their true form can always be seen if they are observed through a mirror, or anything else that will cast a reflection (such as the still waters of a pond).

Note: AD&D-style demons have not (as far as I know) been officially covered in the C&C rules - I based my write-up on the unofficial Creatures Features fan-supplement, which can be downloaded here (my XP value is higher than many of the equivalently-dangerous demons, as it appears to me that many XP values for monsters - official and otherwise - don't fully account for all of a monster's abilities)    

Monster Monday: Swordwraith

Swordwraith

No. Enc.: 1
Size: Medium
HD: 8 (d12)
Move: 30 ft
AC: 18
Attacks: Incorporeal Weapon (1d12)
Special: Energy Drain, Incorporeal, Darkvision
     60', Daylight Powerlessness, Unnatural Aura
Saves: M
INT: High
Align: Lawful Neutral
Type: Undead (Extraordinary)
TR: Nil
XP: 900+8


A swordwraith is an extremely rare form of undead, the result of a Lawful Neutral warrior of great skill (8th level or higher) who dies due to the betrayal of a comrade-in-arms.  Three days after the warrior's death, his or her spirit may return as a swordwraith, to seek vengeance against those who betrayed their shared cause.  Upon finding and slaying the traitor, most swordwraiths then pass on to whatever afterlife awaits them, but a few continue to stalk the earth, striking down those who draw the swordwraith's ire.

The swordwraith appears as a spectral warrior, bearing the wounds and injuries they did at the moment of death, up to and including lost limbs and decapitations (of course, the loss of a head or limb does not hinder the swordwraith in any fashion).  Despite the name, a sword-wraith might use any weapon, not just a sword, depending on what weapon they specialized in during their living years; a few even use missile weapons (standard range for the missile weapon in question, with the swordwraith never running out of arrows, bolts, sling bullets, etc).  They can travel tirelessly by night, remaining relatively dormant in the shadows during the daylight hours.

Combat: A swordwraith is normally insubstantial, like a more standard wraith, and thus only magical weapons of +1 or better can affect their ectoplasmic form. A swordwraith attacks by passing through objects to attack their foes unawares. They strike, disappear back through an object, and return again, harrying their opponents unto death.

Incorporeal Weapon: The swordwraith's weapon of choice does 1d12 damage (no matter what a normal version of said weapon does).  Due to the swordwraith's great skill with their chosen weapon, that are +3 to hit with it.

Energy Drain: In addition to suffering the above normal damage, living creatures hit by a swordwraith’s attack lose one level. For each such level lost, the swordwraith heals five hit points. These losses are permanent, and can only be regained by the use of a Restoration or a Wish spell.

Unnatural Aura: Animals, whether wild or domesticated, can sense the unnatural presence of a swordwraith 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 that range.

Sunlight Powerlessness: Swordwraiths are powerless in natural sunlight and flee from it. A swordwraith exposed to direct sunlight cannot attack, and must retreat.

Inspiration: Warren Zevon's "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner",  NOT based on the 'undead template' of the same name as created by WOTC (honest!)

Monster Monday: Serpent Men

Serpent Men

No. Enc.: 1-20
Size: Medium
HD: 2 (d8)
Move: 30 ft, 15 ft swim
AC: 14
Attacks: Weapon or Bite (1d3)
Special: Darkvision 60', Spellcasting
Saves: M
INT: Superior
Align: Neutral Evil
Type: Humanoid
TR: 2
XP: 20+2

Serpent Men are among the eldest of mortal races.  They are humanoid in shape, ranging from 5 to 6 feet tall, with scaly skin and snake-like heads.  They once ruled over mankind and other such races, but were eventually overthrown and almost exterminated as humanity fought back against their oppressors.  These days, their numbers are relatively few, and they usually live among humans, thanks to their gift for illusion, often attempting to slay those who rule over others, and taking their place afterwards.  They worship snake gods such as Yig and Set. Wise men know that, due to the construction of their throats, serpent men can not utter the phrase "ka nama kaa lajerama", and will utter this if they suspect the presence of mankind's ancient foes among their midst.   Serpent men also can not bear the image of a dragon (their ancient enemies) upon their person, and this can also be used to identify one or more of their number. Serpent men are a very long-lived race, with a few of their number over a thousand years old, although most are much younger.

Spellcasting: All serpent men are spellcasters, their magicks deriving from an era when the division between arcane and divine magic was not so sharply defined.  Most serpent men can cast spells as a wizard from 1st to 5th level, although a few of their number are more skilled (higher level serpent men spellcasters will have HD equal to half their wizard level, round down, although this will never exceed 5 HD).  Their magics tend toward illusion and subtlety, and they generally do not know the more potent battle magicks used by mankind (human and elven wizards will usually force any apprentice to utter the above-mentioned shibboleth to ensure that they are not unknowingly teaching new magicks to these degenerate beings. Serpent men will usually cast from the following spell list:

0-LEVEL SPELLS

1. Arcane Mark
2. Change Self (see notes below)
3. Detect Illusion
4. Detect Magic
5. Ghost Sound
6. Influence
7. Know Direction
8. Message

1st-LEVEL SPELLS

1. Animal Friendship**
2. Bless*
3. Calm Animals**
4. Charm Person
5. Command
6. Comprehend Languages
7. Darkness
8. Daze
9. Hypnotism
10. Identify
11. Obscuring Mist
12. Read Magic

2nd-LEVEL SPELLS

1. Animal Messenger**
2. Fog Cloud
3. Hypnotic Pattern
4. Minor Image
5. Speak With Animals**
6. Speak With Dead

3rd-LEVEL SPELLS

1. Dispel Magic 
2. Explosive Runes
3. Glyph of Warding
4. Hallucinatory Terrain
5. Major Image
6. Remove Curse
7. Suggestion 
8. Tongues

4th-LEVEL SPELLS

1. Charm Monster
2. Confusion
3. Dismissal
4. Fear
5. Illusory Wall
6. Mirage Arcana
7. Scrying
8. Sending

5th-LEVEL SPELLS

1. Bind Spirit (see notes below)
2. Guards & Wards
3. Mass Suggestion
4. Persistent Image
5. Permanency
6. Project Image
7. Summon Monster
8. True Seeing

6th-LEVEL SPELLS

1. Banishment
2. Geas
3. Legend Lore
4. Programmed Image

7th-LEVEL SPELLS

1. Greater Scrying
2. Sequester
3. Shadowwalk
4. Summon Greater Monster

8th-LEVEL SPELLS

1. Binding
2. Mass Charm
3. Summon Planar Ally
4. Symbol

9th-LEVEL SPELLS

1. Disjunction
2. Weird

*reversible spell (and in fact serpent men wil often only know the reversed versions of said spells)
**'Animals', in this instance, is limited to snake and snake-like beings 

Serpent Men cast the spell Change Self as a cantrip, not a 1st level spell, with the advantage that they can, in fact, create the illusion of becoming another race.  Serpent Men can use higher spell slots to cast this spell, and are often required to do so (due to the limited duration of the spell) to maintain their guises for extended periods (as a result, serpent men pretending to be humans or other races will often have few, if any, other spells prepared).  They can also cast a spell known as Bind Spirit:

BIND SPIRIT, Level 5
CT 1 minute                     R 50 ft                       D permanent
SV none                           SR n/a                       Comp V,S

Any mortal man slain by a serpent man can have his spirit bound into service by his slayer through the use of this spell.  It must be cast within 10 minutes of the victim's demise.  The spirit can not cause harm to the living (and can be turned as a 3 HD undead), although mortals not used to seeing such a spectral sight may have to make a CHR save to avoid fleeing.  These spirits can be used as spies and informants, and their servitude may be passed from one serpent man to another, if desired.

Source: "The Shadow Kingdom" by Robert E. Howard

Monster Monday: Broo

Something I'm going to try every now and then, posting C&C stats for various monsters, either adapted from various games or media, or original creatures.

Broo

No. Enc.: 2-6, 6-36
Size: Variable, usually Medium
HD: 2 (d8) + 2 HP (but see below)
Move: 30 ft (but see below)
AC: 13 (see below)
Attacks: Weapon (usually 1d6) or Head Butt (1d4)
Special: Chaos Features, Disease, Mixed Heritage, Poison Immunity, Track
Saves: P
INT: Average
Align: Chaotic Evil
Type: Humanoid
TR: 2
XP: 25 + 2 per HP (+5 per beneficial chaos ability)

Broo are chaos-spawned humanoid creatures that usually look somewhat similar to humans or other humanoid creatures, but with a goat-like head (or occasionally some other horned creature, such as deer or antelope).  They are vile creatures, given to depraved practices, and even other evil humanoids will usually shun them, in large part because they are also virulent disease spreaders.  They worship gods of chaos and disease.  9 in 10 broo are male, and they kidnap other humanoids and animals to mate with.  They are most common in wastelands, wilderness, swamps, and mountain areas, and will usually make their home in either caves or ruins.

Their skin is naturally tough (AC 13), but they often wear scavenged leather and/or piecemeal armor (AC 14), and about half of them will have shields, as well (AC 15).  Of those not carrying shields, 1 in 6 will have some sort of missile weapon.  They will carry a variety of weapons, with spears being common.  When a smaller group/patrol (2d3 in number) of broo is encountered, if there are 5+ in the group there will also be a sub-leader (3HD+3) present. There is also a chance (roll d8 equal to or less than the number present) that there will be a shaman with them (treat as 2nd level cleric).  In a broo nest, there will be 6d6 'normal' broo, along with 1d3+1 sub-leaders and a 4HD+4 chieftain (who will be +1 to hit and damage in melee combat due to higher STR), as well as 1d4+1 shamans, one of which can cast and fight as a 3rd level cleric.  There will also be 1d10 slaves and/or breeding creatures held captive, as well.

In areas where broo are not uncommon, farmers will shun having goats as livestock.

Combat: Broo are raiders, stealing both wealth and captives, the latter for their degraded rites as well as to impregnate to create new broo.  They enjoy the fact that their attacks will also spread disease among their victims.  They usually do not fight to the end (unless defending their nest), and will usually flee after losing half their number during a given combat.

Chaos Feature: Any given broo will have a 2-in-6 chance of having some unusual chaos feature (sub-leaders, chieftains, and shamans have a 3-in-6 chance).  Roll a d30 on the table below for each individual broo:

1 - Has two heads, gets two saving throws verses any magical effects that are mental in nature (i.e. charm, illusions, etc.), and only half normal chance of surprise
2 - Has only one eye (like a cyclops), -2 to any missile attacks
3 - Four arms, gets to make two melee attacks per round
4 - 1d3+1 tentacles instead of arms, can weild weapons or attack for 1d4 damage, gives extended melee range for attacks
5 - +1d4 to all magical saving throws
6 - +1d3 modifier to STR, probably has a larger (1d8) melee weapon
7 - +1d3 modifier to DEX, will also carry missile weapons
8 - +1d3 modifier to CON, +1 HP per HD
9 - Spits acid, 1d8 damage 1d3 times per day, 15 feet range, DEX save to avoid, armor and gear will be damaged if not quickly removed
10 - Regenerates 1 HP per round until dead
11 - +1d4 to natural AC
12 - +10" to move
13 - Immune to magical scrying/detection
14 - Electrical touch, 1d6 damage 1d3 times per day, can be conducted through metal weapons
15 - Claws, 1d4 damage, can also secrete type III poison 1d3 times per day
16 - Can cast spells as per a 1st level Wizard
17 - Wisdom Drain, as per Lamia abilty, 1d6 times per day
18 - Prehensile tail that can fire 1d3 spikes per round, doing 1d6 damage per spike, as per the Manticore ability, maximum 2d6 spikes per day, 40 ft range
19 - Innate sense of direction, as per the Minotaur Natural Cunning ability
20 - Rust metal items 1d3 times per day, as per a Rust Monster
21 - Immune to all fire-based attacks
22 - Create vile stench that nauseates non-broo, 1d4 times per day, as per the Troglodyte ability
23 - Can adhere to and climb any wall or surface, like a spider
24 - Can detect magic, 30' range, automatically
25 - Create silence, 15' radius around self, 1d3 times per day
26 - Upon death, explodes in 3d6 fireball, 10' range, DEX save for half damage
27 - Can become invisible for 1d4 rounds, 1d3 times per day
28 - Read thoughts, 50' range, last 1d10 minutes, 1d3 times per day
29 - Speaks and understands all languages
30 - Chaos loves you, roll twice on this chart

Disease: Broo are not only completely immune to disease, but are virulent transmitters of disease, as well.  Any successful attack by a broo has a 3-in-6 chance of forcing a CON save vs disease.  Failing this save reduces the victim's movement range by 1/2, inflicts a -2 penalty to attacks, AC, and saving throws, and does 1d6 damage (that will not heal from non-magical means until the disease has run its course).  Each week after the initial infection, another CON save is required; failure means another 1d6 damage, and the penalties to movement and other actions still applies for yet another week, after which the victim must save again.  Once a saving throw is made, damage suffered will start to heal normally, and penalties will end after 1d3 days.

Mixed Heritage: Broo are a race of mongrels, and their individual heritage can vary wildly. Roll 1d100 for each individual broo on the table below:

01-04 antelope (move 40', head butt 1d6)
05-08 bugbear (darkvision 30')
09-12 cattle (+1d3 STR modifier, +1 HD)
13-14 centaur (darkvision 30', move 50', 2 hoof attacks 1d6 damage, +2 to track)
15-18 deer (move 40')
19-22 dog (d6 HD, +4 to track)
23      dryad (charm person once per day)
24-31 dwarf (deepvision 60', +2 save vs arcane magic, +1 save vs fear, move 20')
32-39 elf (+1 to hearing checks, twilight vision, +1 move silently, +5 save vs sleep/charm)
40-44 gnoll (darkvision 30')
45-47 gnome (darkvision 30', +2 to hearing checks, move 20')
48-54 goblin (d6 HD, darkvision 30', move 20')
55-63 halfling (d6 HD, duskvision, move 20', +1 to hide and move silently)
64-68 hobgoblin (darkvision 30')
69-72 horse (move 40', kick atack for 1d4 damage)
73-83 human
84-88 kobold (d6 HD, darkvision 30')
89-90 ogre (+1d3 STR modifier, +1 HD, darkvision 30')
91-96 orc (darkvision 30', detect smell withing 30', +1 to track)
97-00 sheep

Poison Immunity:  Broo are immune to all non-magical poisons.

Track: Broo are excellent trackers, and can do so as per the Ranger ability.

Source: Runequest (original Chaosium version, Mongoose version), Hero Wars 

Monster Monday: Kalidahs

Kalidahs (C&C stats)

No. Enc.: 1-3, 6-36
Size: Large
HD: 6 (d8) + 6 HP
Move: 40 ft
AC: 15
Attacks: 2 Claw (1d10), Bite (1d10)
Special: Rake
Saves: P
INT: Low
Align: Neutral Evil (Neutral tendencies)
Type: Magical Beast
TR: 5
XP: 240+6

Kalidahs are forest-dwelling creatures that possess the bodies of bears combined with the heads of tigers, with long, deadly claws on their paws.  They are intelligent creatures, and speak the Common tongue as well as their own language.  Ornery and aggressive creatures, they will often attack travelers in their forests simply for the sake of being combative; they will sometimes fight among themselves if they lack opponents that can satisfy their battlelust.  Practical creatures, they are dismissive of beauty for its own sake.

Kalidahs will sometimes climb trees in pursuit of their prey, assuming the branches are strong enough to support their weight, and spaced out enough that they would have room to maneuver through the branches.  They are also good swimmers, and will pursue their victims into rivers or streams if necessary.

Combat: Aggressive and combative creatures, Kalidahs rarely bother with ambushes, usually charging directly toward their opponents.  They are well-aware of their fearsome reputation, and may be surprised if opponents do not flee in fear, but will usually charge into melee against said foes anyways.

Rake: If a Kalidah successfully bites an opponent, it can make two rake attacks with its hind legs.  Each such attack has a +3 bonus to hit, and inflicts 1d10 damage.

Weakness to Magic: Kalidahs don't deal very well with magic, and suffer a -1 penalty to any saving throws against magic attacks.

Kalidah King: If a Kalidah nest has two dozen or more Kalidahs, there will be a Kalidah 'King' present as leader of the pack.  Such a 'king' will have 7d8+7 HD, an Intelligence of Average, does not suffer the above-listed weakness to magic, and may possess some minor druidical magic (treat as a 3rd level Druid).

Source: "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and "The Magic of Oz" by L. Frank Baum 

This monster entry is part of the Monstrous Monday bloghop, courtesy of The Other Side blog.