More Ravenloft monsters:
Hebi-No-Onna
Hebi-no-onna. also known as snake women, are powerful spellcasters who can control snakes of all sorts. They often dupe normal men and women into forming cults dedicated to themselves in order to further their selfish and evil aims.
Hebi-no-onna have the bodies of exceptionally beautiful women with writhing serpents instead of arms. They have the skin tones, dark hair, elegant eyes, and delicate bone structure characteristic of oriental regions. Hebi-no-onna most often wear finely made kimonos, so that they may easily hide their arms within the voluminous sleeves. They adorn themselves with jewelry, especially that which features valuable gemstones.
Both of the snake woman’s arms can strike in a single round of combat. These arms may appear to be any of several varieties of poisonous snakes.
Marikith
Although marikith are common enough in the domain of Timor, they are only rarely seen, for they slide through the shadows, exposing themselves only when their victim has no chance of escaping. By the time the city guard arrives, summoned by the shrieking of the marikith target, there is nothing left.
The marikith are hulking, musclebound humanoids covered with a tough, black, leathery skin. This skin does not impede their movement in any way, but seems to aid them in their motion through the slippery sewers and catacombs. Their glowing red eyes allow others to see them, but the marikith can veil these eyes at will, unveiling them only when it is the best moment to strike.
They fight with their sharp claws and incisors, tearing their victims to pieces. They prefer to snatch their unfortunate prey from the streets and drag them into the underworld where they may devour them at will. Even if their quarry fights back, the marikith’s skin protects them from the brunt of attacks from blunt weapons.
Grave Scarabs
These flesh-eating beetles line the walls of tombs and underground passageways. They attack in horrifying swarms and leave very little in their wake.
There are three types of scarab beetles. The most common, and in many ways the deadliest, is the swarming grave scarab. The larger giant scarab is somewhat less insidious than its smaller cousin but carries a terrible disease. The monstrous scarab is a solitary nightmare that dwells in remote caverns and tunnels.
Scarab beetles are often passive, feeding primarily on decomposing flesh and detritus. However, there is a 50% chance that a person will be bitten as he passes through an infested area, setting off a feeding frenzy among the beetles who will swarm over the victim.
The giant scarab is a slightly larger member of the scarab family and grows to lengths of up to 6 inches.
Monstrous scarabs are solitary creatures are enormous monsters of tremendous proportions. They are up to 11 feet long.
Living Web
Living webs, also known as carnivorous webs or duleep, are omnivores that roam subterranean caverns and deserted ruins.
These small, amorphous creatures resemble thick gray sheets, strands, and filaments of dusty cobwebbing. They lack visible sensory organs and specialized body parts. They appear to consist of colonies of microscopic, identical cells.
The touch of a living web delivers an electrical shock. Living webs can fire a miniature lightning bolt up to twice per turn. All web fragments have this power, thus a living web cut in two can fire four such bolts per turn. Living webs absorb all electrical energy, whether natural or magical. Such energy causes the web to visibly grow.
Blows from edged weapons inflict full damage upon these creatures; such blows divide them into two smaller wisps.
Dread Treant
The peaceful race of treants, found on many worlds and in many lands, is also represented in Ravenloft. Sadly, the dark waters and corrupting evil of the land has twisted them into evil and foul things. The treants of Ravenloft despise good and innocent things as much as their counterparts hate evil; they go to great lengths to torment and terrorize travellers in their domains. The only trait they seem to share with the true treant is a hatred of unchecked or unrestricted use of fire.
Evil treants look much like normal trees; so much so, in fact, that when standing in a grove or forest they have a 90% chance of being mistaken for common flora. Their bark is thick and gnarled, providing them with protection from physical damage. While they have a face that looks unsettling human when they are speaking, it vanishes into patterns of grooves and knots when the creature wishes to remain stationary. Evil treants come in three age groups: young (13 to 14 feet tall), mature (15 to 16 feet tall), and elder (17 to 18 feet tall). In combat, the amount of damage inflicted by a treant is determined by its age and size.
Unlike good treants, who feed wholly by photosynthesis, evil treants are carnivorous. In fact, they favor the flesh of intelligent creatures (usually humans and demihumans) over all other prey. Their chosen delicacy, when they can obtain it, is the flesh of innocents, who they torment and horrify before devouring. Evil treants rarely kill their prey before consuming it, for they believe that this makes it unfit for digestion. Thus, victims who are accidentally slain during the tortures inflicted upon them by hungry treants are discarded and left to feed the scavengers of the forest.
Giant Starfish
The giant starfish is a cousin of the normal, ocean-dwelling starfish. It has a central body of ten or 12 rays radiating from the center, the undersides of which are covered with sticky suckers. Giant starfish have been reported in a wide variety of colors but seem to be limited to tan, orange, yellow, pink and red, ranging from pale pastel hues to vibrant, almost glowing colors.
Giant starfish have been sighted in all the large oceans of Oerth, Krynn, Toril and Ravenloft, as well as in many other worlds. A freshwater variety of giant starfish is rumored to inhabit large inland lakes on many worlds.
These gargantuan creatures are 20 to 75 feet across.
Upon sighting a ship, a giant starfish maneuvers itself to approach the ship from the bottom. The typically streamlined bottom surfaces of ships allow the starfish an acceptable surface to grapple and a relatively concealed approach. If necessary, a starfish will follow a ship for miles or maneuver hundreds of yards out of the path of the ship in orderto gain a satisfactory trajectory approach. As it closes, it assumes attack position and attempts to hit the ship. If the attack is successful, the starfish has grappled the ship.
Once a starfish has grappled a ship, it attempts to pry open the hull in search of food (any creatures) inside. The starfish begins to tear at the hull with all its rays.
Master Sea Spawn
The master sea spawn is one of the most horrid creatures to lurk beneath the oceans of the Demiplane of Dread. They infiltrate coastal villages with their disgusting spawn and then use them to take control of the minds they come into contact with.
The master is a large humanoid with great black claws that match its dark, pupilless eyes. A series of thick fins runs down the length of its head and spine. These are almost always covered with wafting fungus, weeds, or scraps of torn flesh. The rest of the body is covered with sickly green scales and sheathed in a toxic mucus. The webbed hands and feet are oversized to help with swimming. The creature’s viciousness is evident from the double rows of sharp, jagged teeth that jut from the master’s tremendous jaws.
Sea spawn masters speak no known language, but are able to telepathically communicate with their sluglike spawn and the creatures they control without regard for such things.
Sea spawn masters cannot leave the water. If forced to do so, they will asphyxiate in 10+1d6 rounds. In the meantime, of course, the creature will try to escape or kill whatever is keeping it from the sea. This means characters who want to deal with the thing will have to travel beneath the murky sea, incurring all the usual penalties and problems thereof.
When confronted. the master usually uses its telepathic abilities to summon help from fishes and other creatures of the depths. Though the spawn prefers to let others fight its battles. it is not completely helpless. Its jagged claws cause 1d6 points of damage per hit, and its frightening maw of jagged teeth inflicts 1d10 points. Those bitten by the creature may also contract a rotting disease that infects a wound and keeps it from healing.
The skin and scales of sea spawn masters are notoriously slimy and covered with bits of rotting flesh.
Sea Spawn Minion
The minions of the sea spawn are tiny creatures that seek to inhabit the skull of a coastal villager and control his will and body. Their sole purpose is to provide living flesh for their horrid master.
The minions look like disgusting, slimy, six-inch-long slugs. Unlike their landborn cousins, the minions have a circular mouth, much like that of a lamprey, which they use to bore into their victim’s flesh. Their skin is much thicker than that of normal slugs as well, probably as a means of keeping out the salt of the water that would kill regular slugs.
Sea spawn slugs do not speak, but are in constant telepathic contact with their masters.
The only physical attack that sea spawn minions possess is their bite. By itself, this inflicts an insignificant wound and causes only 1 point of damage. However, the bite of the minion injects a powerful poison that renders a victim paralyzed for 1d4 turns unless a saving throw is made. Long before the paralysis has worn off, the spawn will bore a tunnel for itself through the soft flesh behind and below the skull of the victim. The gruesome thing then coils around the brain stem and takes control of the host’s higher functions.
Shadow Demon
This foul creature of dark evil from the Lower Planes is the essence of a demon imprisoned in the form of a shadow, which it exactly resembles. Like the shadow, the creature cannot be detected 90% of the time, since it appears as a vague shape and can easily be confused, in the guttering light conditions of a dungeon, with the shadows of dungeon features or of adventurers themselves. It is not, however, from the Negative Energy Plane and so its attacks do not drain the strength of a victim, as do those of a shadow. Instead, it attacks normally with two claws and a vicious bite.
The body structure of the creature is most peculiar and leads to the creature being more powerful in darkness and more vulnerable in conditions of bright light.
Though in normal circumstances they will not be discerned, the creature has small wings -- too small to give it flying abilities, but large enough to boost the creature's leap in its initial attack to a distance of up to 30 feet. Following this initial leap, it will attack with all of its claws, though not with its bite. It will always leap attack if it has not been detected by its potential victims. The wings also give it the ability to half-fly, half-run -- it will usually use this maneuver as a prelude to escape if necessary.
Shadow Asp
In all of Ravenloft, no place reveres the tombs of its dead more highly than Har’Akir. Recently, the priests of this desert realm have found deadly wardens for the tombs of their pharaohs: shadow asps.
Shadow asps appear to be slender cobras composed of pure darkness. They seem to have no physical form, but look as if they are nothing more than an extension of the shadows that give them their name. Although these creatures are barely intelligent, they instinctively lash out at those who intrude upon the tombs they live in.
Shadow asps make no sound, not even a hiss or slithering, as they move. Because they make no sound and are utterly black, they often surprise their victims when they strike. In combat, a shadow asp strikes with its needlelike fangs, just as normal cobras do.
Shadow asps are magical creatures summoned by the priests of certain gods worshiped in Har’Akir (Osiris, Set, or Nephythys). The ceremony by which these creatures are called into existence is a tightly guarded secret.
Giant Assassin Bug
The normal assassin bug hunts small rodents and never grows larger than a gold piece. The giant assassin bug, on the other hand, can grow to the size of a horse...and its preferred prey is humanoid. The assassin bug's most prominent feature is its 4-foot long proboscis. With this nasty appendage, it can pierce, anesthetize, and drain its victims of all their precious fluids.
The insect's second prominent feature is its translucent carapace. An assassin bug is nearly invisible before it feeds. As it gorges itself on its victim's blood, the fluid fills and colors the insect's body. A fully fed giant assassin bug has a deep, opaque red coloring.
Assassin bugs are used as guardian creatures for those with the stomach to handle such hideous beasts. Their natural camouflage, insatiable appetite, and poisonous stinger make them ideal minions. Furthermore, masters with their own appetite for blood may use the bug as a blood reserve of sorts.
Dread Siren
A Ravenloft siren is a hideous, undead creature with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a fish. Her hair is tangled and entwined with rotting seaweed, and her body is gray and bloated, resembling a corpse that has been in the water for some time. The flesh has rotted back from the finger tips, exposing the bone. The siren sharpens this bone on the rocks on which she reclines, turning each finger into a deadly weapon.
By means of their innate ability to cast advanced illusion spells, Ravenloft sirens present a very different face to the world. They appear to be beautiful mermaids with voluptuous bodies and sleek sea-green hair.
Ravenloft sirens lure their victims into striking range by means of a song that acts as a mass charm. This song can be heard at great distances over open water: those aboard ships passing within a mile of an islet on which Ravenloft sirens are sunning themselves have been known to fall victim to it. Once their prey is within reach, the sirens attack with their sharpened, bony fingers. Due to the advanced illusion, which includes tactile elements, this attack at first seems to be a gentle caress.
During each round that a siren succeeds in inflicting damage, the victim gets to make an additional saving throw. A successful roll means that both the illusion and the charm suddenly vanish. The victim sees the siren for what she really is and can begin fighting back. At the DM’s discretion, a fear check may be called for due to the sudden revelation of the creature’s true form.
Blood Rose
The bloodrose is a foul plant that feeds upon the blood of the living. Its keen thorns easily cut unprotected flesh, spilling precious blood into the soil where its roots can absorb it.
Bloodroses have dark green stems ending in flowers of purest white. Thin tendrils covered with sharp thorns hang limply from the base of the flower, looking much like the branches of a weeping willow. After feeding, the flowers begin to turn crimson with traces of blood etching their alabaster petals.
To someone not familiar with the bloodrose, the plant looks much like any other wild flower. Indeed, this illusion is the key to the plant’s feeding habits and is maintained until a wandering animal reaches the center of the patch. At that point, the plant suddenly springs to life. Without warning, the thorny tendrils lash out like whips, tearing into unprotected flesh and spilling life-giving blood on the earth below.
Quickwood
This great hardwood tree appears to be an oak, although close inspection reveals that it has a visage and sensory organs that resemble a distorted human face. It is 90% unlikely that the “face†is noticed unless the observer is within ten feet of the quickwood (spy tree).
As it is very difficult for a quickwood to move its massive trunk, the creature usually remains still if at all possible. It can, however, send out thick roots that move 30 feet per round through the loose top soil (90-foot range). These roots can seize and hold immobile any creature under 1,000 pounds of weight (the creature is then drawn to the maw in one round to be chewed upon). The roots are too strong to be broken, and blunt weapons do not damage them, but an edged weapon may be used to sever one. The creature allows only six of its roots to be severed before it withdraws the others to safety.
The limbs of the creature are too stiff to serve as offensive members, but a quickwood has a mouth-like opening that can clamp shut for damage. The victim must be touching the trunk or forced into position by a nearby grasping root where the maw can inflict damage before this is an actual danger, however.
Ravenkin
The ravenkin are an avian race that have been trapped within the misty confines of Ravenloft. They are one of the few forces for good in this otherwise dark land of evil.
Ravenkin look much like huge versions of the common raven or crow with a wingspan that averages five feet in width. They are shrouded in black feathers and have long, straight beaks. To set themselves apart from normal ravens, they often wear small items of sparkling jewelry.
The ravenkin speak their own language, which sounds like a collection of squawks and shrieks to those who do not know it. Most (fully 80%) of these creatures will also speak the common language in use by the human or demihuman inhabitants of their lands.
The ravenkin will always try to flutter around a victim’s head in combat, waiting for a chance to strike at his eyes. They will often land briefly on a would-be target before striking, using their talons to stay in place while they peck with their beaks. But, as the small talons inflict no damage, the creatures have only one pecking attack that inflicts minimal damage. A critical hit means one of the victim's eyes was pecked, blinding the character. All ravenkin have a limited spell casting ability.
Paka
Paka are an ancient and sinister race of shapechanging feline humanoids who prey upon the settlements of humankind. Able to pass easily for human, they can spend years sowing evil before their true nature is discovered.
The appearance of a paka is that of a slender and fit but otherwise normal human. They are lithe, supple, and capable of amazing feats of agility, though they will never let non-paka who see these displays live. Female paka almost always have orange hair that turns dark gray as they age. Male paka may have any color hair except dark brown. The eyes of a paka shine red if caught in the light.
Paka can change their shape to more resemble their feline origins, but they are not lycanthropes and cannot transmit their powers in any way. When transformed, the paka’s face becomes much more catlike, developing a smaller blackish nose, whiskers, and sharp teeth.
In either form, paka have sharp claws on their hands. These are retractable, however, and only a careful examination of the creature will reveal them when they are not extended.
Paka are skilled linguists who will almost always be able to speak half a dozen human languages in addition to their own tongue. Many of these creatures can also converse with lycanthropes such as wereleopards and weretigers.
Paka, or cat people as the Vistani call them, are supple and malicious fighters who love to torment their prey before finally killing it.
Paka can leap great distances, up to 40’ in a horizontal direction with a running start, 15’ without, or 15’ straight up. They often use this ability to spring at their opponents and catch them by surprise.
Most paka like to use their natural claws to slice their victim’s flesh, but many have acquired powerful weapons from past victims and have learned to use them effectively.
Living Wall
Living walls appear to be normal walls of stone or brick, although they radiate both evil and magic if detected. Infravision will not detect any peculiar patterns. However, a character who casts a true seeing spell or who peers through a gem of seeing will see past the illusion: the wall actually consists of greying and sinewy flesh – of faces, hands, broken bones, feet, and toes jutting from the surface. Characters within 5 yards of the wall can hear low moans of horror, pain, and sorrow issuing from it. Even if a silence spell is cast, the moans still rise.
A living wall contains the melded bodies of humanoids and monsters who died within 100 yards of the wall since its creation. Those who die fighting a living wall are absorbed into it and actually strengthen it.
Characters and monsters captured by the wall retain all the abilities they had in life; as part of the wall, they become chaotic evil and fight any creature that approaches it to the best of their abilities. If a wizard becomes melded with a living wall, his spellcasting abilities are retained and can immediately be used for attacks. The wizard retains any spells that were memorized at the time he was absorbed into the wall; these are renewed each day. If a warrior loses his life in combat with a living wall, his fighting abilities and his weapons come under control of the beast: the weapons are hidden within the wall until the wall attacks, then are pushed through the mass of graying flesh to the surface. A hand attaches itself to the weapon, and eyes jutting from the wall guide the attack of the weapon. If the wall absorbs characters with ranged weapons, the weapons become useless once arrows, quarrels, or other necessary projectiles are expended. All creatures in the wall fight according to their normal attack modes. These attacks can be magical, physical, or mental in origin. The type of attack and its damage often depend upon who or what is melded into the wall.
Chaotic evil mages occasionally create these monoliths. The exact method is unknown, but several years of preparation and spellcasting are required. A minimum of three corpses are necessary for the spells.
A fact known only to one or two inhabitants of Ravenloft, is that living walls also arise as rare manifestations of Ravenloft’s power, as responses to despair and dread. These walls are born in curses, midwived by death, and nursed on massacre.
Grave Ooze
The grave ooze is not an undead abomination as its appearance might suggest. While its oily surface bubbles with rotting flesh and broken bones protrude from its membranes, this horror is all too alive. This amorphous mass of flesh roils and seeps through loose earth to feed on the flesh of the dead -- and occasionally the living. Although nonintelligent, the grave ooze is naturally drawn to places of death, carnage or mass burials by the scent of abundant rotting flesh beneath the surface. Burrowing its way through the earth, the ooze consumes the flesh of the dead and buried, growing in size until there is nothing left to consume. Few grave robbers have encountered a grave ooze and survived to tell the tale. Breaking into a mausoleum or unearthing a casket only to find a voracious inhabitant spells certain doom for the unwary.
Grave oozes remain hidden beneath the surface, preferring dead flesh to that of the living. If disturbed, however, a grave ooze will attack any creature it encounters. It seeks to engulf its opponent, crushing it and allowing its poisons to take effect. Once the victim is subdued, the ooze consumes its victim over time, adding the new flesh to its mass.
Tentacle Rat
Originally found only on the tropical island of Markovia, the tentacle rat has spread to the Core, hiding in caves and dark places. The body of the creature resembles a huge, bipedal rat (about the same size as a dire rat). Instead of front claws and arms, however, this rat has long spiny tentacles at least as long as its body. Survivors of visits to Markovia have said that these creatures are quite numerous on this island and very protective of their territory. Now that these vermin have begun to spread to the Core, they have begun to multiply and are becoming less tolerant of humans in their midst.
Whether the tentacle rat is some aberration created by exposure to the Mists or is some foul offspring of the inhabitants of Markovia is unclear. Regardless of its origins, when found in large enough numbers, this little beast can prove to be quite dangerous. They attack as one large wave of snapping teeth and whipping arms, using their poisoned spines to subdue their opponents before feeding off their paralyzed bodies.
