Knight of Glory

 CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any

FREQUENCY: Very rare
INTELLIGENCE: High to Supra (14-20)
TREASURE: none
ALIGNMENT: CG
NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 0 (full plate armor)
MOVEMENT: 12
HIT DICE: 9 (10-sided dice)
THAC0: 11
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: by weapon +3 (typically two-handed bastard sword +3)
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Sunray
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +1 weapons or better to hit
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil
SIZE: M (5’ tall)
MORALE: Unbreakable
XP VALUE: 7,000

The Knights of Glory are a never-deployed weapon of the imperial elven navy; these knights were once elves who excelled at swordsmanship and tactics when they were alive. In a ceremony devoted to Corellon Larethian and attended by a clave of high-level priests, fully five hundred of these elves gave their lives to infuse their spirits into chitinous armor grown from elvish subject-insects.

They are now the shining beacons of Corellon Larethian: unstoppable knights-errant who need no food, rest, or air and who can be brought out of time storage for important missions or to serve as a powerful spine of elite troops in any action. By now it is likely there are thousands of Knights of Glory.

Among the navy, the Knights are not widely known to be undead, but rather are thought of as part of a secretive knightly order that serves the navy directly. Those who have fought alongside them never know they are anything other than fully-clad elves unless a stray blow knocks off a helm, revealing the emptiness beneath, or a ballista bolt holes the armor and the Knight continues to fight.

Combat
Once per day, a Knight of Glory may produce a sunray as per the 7th level priest spell.

Monstrous Foes: Elvish Tomb Wraith

Wraith, Elvish Tomb

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Elvish Tombs

FREQUENCY: Very Rare

ORGANIZATION: Military Unit

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any

DIET: None

INTELLIGENCE: High (13-14)

TREASURE: Incidental

ALIGNMENT: True neutral

NO. APPEARING: 2-8

ARMOR CLASS: 2

MOVEMENT: 13

HIT DICE: 5

THAC0: 15

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8 (melee) or 1-6 (missile)

SPECIAL ATTACKS: constitution drain

SPECIAL DEFENSES: magical weapon required to hit

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil

SIZE: M (5’-6’ tall)

MORALE: Fearless (20)

XP VALUE: 975 (melee), 1,400 (missile)

Tomb wraiths, while bearing some relation to the other classifications of spirit that elves may leave behind, are generally created as a result of certain powerful necromantic spells being used on the living. In times past, since elves could not create corporeal undead, powerful elvish sorcerer-princes devised spells to call forth the spirits of the departed from the Gardens of Edellä to fight on the material plane. These warriors are summoned forth from their afterlives when the tombs of their monarchs are pierced, and they patrol those tombs fiercely.

Elvish tomb wraiths appear to be, in every way, the pinnacle of health and vigor. They are dressed in vibrantly colored arms and armor, streaming with banners and resplendent as they were in life. Only bright light will show them to be semi-translucent and wraithlike.

Combat: Like all ethereal undead, tomb wraiths are terrifying in battle. Unlike other wraiths and spirits, the tomb wraiths are not deterred by bright light nor are they weakened by the daytime, though pure sunlight threatens their link with Arunia. When in direct sunlight, they have a -2 penalty to-hit (THAC0 17) and a -2 penalty to all damage dealt. They are clearly transparent in daylight and cannot use their constitution draining attacks.

Tomb wraiths appear to use the arms they were skilled at in life, though they always deal 1d8 damage, regardless of the weapon. Being struck with a spectral weapon causes the target to lose 1 point of constitution; this loss persists for 24 hours. If, as a result of this, anyone ever drops to 0 constitution or below, they enter a cursed and dreamless sleep until their entire constitution score has been recovered. They must then make a system shock check, or permanently lose 1 point of constitution.

Encounter Tables and Time Management

I've been going over dungeon encounter tables again recently because I seem to have veered off in an insane random direction at some point in the 11th grade and begun my own hyper-aggressive encounter tables. It's only just recently that I've scaled them back again to be more in line with the guidelines suggested in every sourcebook. I didn't even realize I'd gone so off the reservation, but I think dwelling on what led me there might be a source of enlightenment.

Encounter checks are meant to be made, in a dungeon, once every "turn." That's an hour-long period. At some point in high school, my players were invading a monastery that was very much not a ruin. Instead of a 1 on a d10 every hour, I increased the encounter rate to 1-3 on a d10 every ten minutes. If they were spotted, that went up to 1-5 as the alarms were sounded. It also changed over most of the encounters from monks in twos or threes to whole squads armed with staves and pitchforks looking to do them in. What kind of monastery was it? I have no idea, but clearly not a very nice one.

Somehow, I forgot the division between wandering monsters and lairs after this. I made all my encounter checks 1-2 or 1-3 every ten minutes. I've been doing it, literally for years. It was only recently that I realized encounter checks weren't supposed to happen so damn frequently, particularly in ruins which are the standard "dungeon" setting. And you know what? Hour-long encounter checks suddenly make a whole lot of stuff more viable.

Searching (not using your brains, but rather using the thief rules) a large room for traps is suddenly possible (though still not desirable; it can take much longer than an hour and result in many encounters). The speed with which the party moves is also now a major factor. So is light, and so are long duration spells like bless (or blessings from altars which last 24 hours or longer). A whole new world of temporal possibilities has opened up to me again. I missed it. Don't make the same mistake I did and close yourself off to it. Not every dungeon site is packed to the brim with ravening monsters.

This, of course, also lends some more use to "empty" dungeon rooms. They eat away at time, players explore them, take up valuable minutes that lead to more encounter checks. When the difference between an encounter or not is 10 minutes, the number of checks they are going to make overall would change by a large amount but the difference wouldn't be felt as much as the difference between 1, 2, or 5 hour-long encounter checks.

And it makes moving loudly, fighting, or otherwise drawing attention to yourself much more (relatively) dangerous, since early encounter checks are now coming FIFTY MINUTES early, rather than 4 or 5.

More Monsters from Arunia: The Salt Lich

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: The East

FREQUENCY: Very Rare

ORGANIZATION: Solitary or Enclave

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night

DIET: Nil

INTELLIGENCE: Supra-genius (19-20)

TREASURE: A

ALIGNMENT: Any evil

NO. APPEARING: 1 (or 2-4)

ARMOR CLASS: 0

MOVEMENT: 5 walk, 15 (hover maneuverability A)

HIT DICE: 15+

THAC0: 6

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d10 or by weapon +3

SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below

SPECIAL DEFENSES: +1 or better magical weapon to hit

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil

SIZE: M (6' tall)

MORALE: Fanatic (17-18)

XP VALUE: 11,000

The so-called Salt Liches of the East are rarely found outside of the Plain of Sorrow and the isles of Aellonia. Legend has it that they were an ancient order of magicians that was founded during the Pillar Age and that they owe their origins to the city of Byblos when it was still an island and the Plain of Sorrow was still a shallow sea.

If myth can be believed, many of this order (who history has called the Aidic Magi, the Serpentine Order, or the Asocrians) gathered together on the island of Sintarra in the Sword Age and made of it a haven for wizards, where ultimate authority was portioned out according to mental acuity. Sintarra, itself perhaps only a myth, represents the ultimate end of all wizardly enclaves: it supposedly consumed itself in the petty struggles of vain mages and vanished from Arunia forever.

Those of the Aidic Order left behind became cruel and withdrawn, insistent upon controlling the city-states of Aellonia and the kingdoms of Llernea, Old Lllynder, and Byblos. Ancient Aellonian texts describe the fear of Aidics as so great that their symbols were stricken from the monuments they had once helped to raise and the Byblian Republic expelled all the Serpentine Magi in a great edict.

As their numbers dwindled, the Aidic Order sought ever to preserve itself so that they could one day recover the glory that had been theres before the vanishing of Sintarra. The final end of these Classical Era efforts was finally found in the golden breath of Khewed: the adoption of Lichdom.

Unlike the continental Liches of the north, the salt-liches of the Aidic Order have been preserved in brine and nitre and spent centuries in seaside caverns. They are an ancient brood, with access to spells not seen since the Classical Era in Arunia.

One side effect of the Aidic preservation process is that their slumber is longer and more difficult to penetrate that that of other liches. Every several decades they must enter a sleep of 1d10x10 years to replenish their life-energy. If an Aidic lich refuses to enter its slumber, it loses 1 hp for each month of activity until it drops to 0 and is forced into a catatonia. It must then spend 10 years for each lost hit point in sleep before it may awaken.

Aidic Liches all share a single type of phylactery, which is the legendary serpent-collar that they wear. These are powerfully enchanted magical items that appear as a double-headed serpent coiled around their necks made of bronze with chips of tourmaline as eyes. The collars can be hacked apart, but if they come into contact with anyone but an Aidic wizard, they will spring to life as fully formed and venomous double-headed snakes of bronze.

Though they are stick-thin and often twined with strips of red cloth, Aidic Liches may move with great speed. They are rated as having a hover movement, but they cannot rise more than a half inch from any surface. This does allow them, however, to surprise their foes with great bursts of speed.

All Aidic wrappings are magical in some way or another, and most of these liches are in possession of numerous powerful magical items. Staves from ancient Byblos and wands from the forgotten North are common.

Combat

In combat, Aidic Liches are fearsome foes indeed. They do not radiate a fear aura like Aquilian liches. Rather, when roused to anger they can cause the very air around them to become suckingly, parchingly dry. This affects an area of some 50' in diameter. Moisture is drawn out of all objects in that region, causing leather to crackle and become useless after 1d6 rounds, cloth to become brittle, and all living beings to suffer a -1 penalty on all combat related rolls.

Their very touch drains moisture from the living, dealing 1d10 points of damage. In addition, the victim must save vs. spell or find a limb or extremity touched in this way withered as though by a Staff of Withering.

The Aidic Liches retain all the former power of their living spellcasting might, and none were less than 12th level upon assuming their undying forms. Additionally, their command of Classical Era magic is augmented by the knowledge of a some Elder Magic (which cannot be dispelled or saved against) though the particulars of this knowledge are left to the DMs discretion.

The Valravne

My players: If you want to be surprised by things in the game, probably don't read this entry. I'm not saying these guys are coming, but just in case they ever DO.

Valravn

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Forests, Battlefields

FREQUENCY: Very Rare

ORGANIZATION: Solitary

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any

DIET: Carrion

INTELLIGENCE: Low (5-7) [lesser] or Genius (17-18) [greater]

TREASURE: None

ALIGNMENT: Any evil (usually chaotic)

NO. APPEARING: 1-12 (lesser) or 1 (lesser)

ARMOR CLASS: 4 raven, any (often plate or mail armor) for polymorphed form

MOVEMENT: Fl 36 (B), 1 [raven] or 12 polymorphed

HIT DICE: 3 or 8

THAC0: 18 or 13

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1 or polymorphed by weapon +1

SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below

SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below

MAGIC RESISTANCE: --

SIZE: S or M

MORALE: Steady (11-12)

XP VALUE: 420 or 3,000

Ravens that eat the flesh of men, elves, or other battle-slain sometimes acquire dark knowledge. Those who eat the heart of a sorcerer or a king may transform into the valravne, beings of immense malicious power. These creatures appear in the dwarven eddas were they are called by that name, but they are also known amongst the other races as well—in elvish, they are the roceylin and in Varan malcornix.

Flesh ravens (as they are sometimes called) come in two varieties: the greater and the lesser. Dwarves believe that they are sacred to Erith, and it may be so since there are records of valravne guarding the sanctums of Erithian temples. Lesser valravne are dangerous, but greater valravne are downright terrifying.

Sometimes these creatures are known as ravnwere by the Alurans.

Combat: Lesser valravne share a number of common powers with their greater kin. However, greater flesh ravens can transform into a knightly or wizardly form of any race which they have devoured. Lesser valravne cast use their spell-like abilities as though they were level 4, greater valravne as though they were level 9. All valravne may use the following powers once per day: animate dead and domination. They may use the following powers three times per day: darkness 60' radius, silence 15' radius, and gust of wind. They may use the following powers any number of times: dancing lights, audible glamor, and improved phantasmal force. They constantly have a low level passive ESP which allows them to pick up on fears and desires of targets.

Greater valravne may polymorph into the form of any of the races they have slain three times per day. When they do this, they instantly regain 2d12 hp (if they are injured). This ability is nothing like the actual wizard spell of the same name—the valravn transforms completely into the form of another, much as a therianthrope might. This transformation comes complete with arms and armor of the slain.

These greater valravne may masquerade as other races for centuries, though they mostly have a favorite form that they fall back to; this is almost without variance a hulking warrior wearing plate or mail armor and wielding a weapon of a devoured foe. The valravn fights as a specialized warrior with 2 attacks every round and the ability to draw upon his (or her) normal valravn powers.

There are legends that valravn of the greater variety who have devoured a wizard can read magic at will and myth suggests that some of these creatures have gone on to masquerade as sorcerers, picking up whatever magic they can and amassing mighty powers.

All valravne will use their powers to confuse and separate their prey, lure them to their deaths, and then feast upon them. Darkness, dancing lights, and phantasmal force are often shape to make the best use of their target's mental state. They will often prefer to terrify a foe first, in order to render them more helpless.

Monstrous Foes: Battle Wraith

Burning or burying the dead is a major issue in the 10th Age; bodies must be properly disposed of lest they result in things like the battle wraith below. The soul's journey to the afterlife can easily be interfered with. It's not immortal, and the weak ties that bind it together can come undone like a linen shirt unraveling. But this is not a metaphysical dissertation, this is a chance to be ware of the BATTLE WRAITH, the result of untended battle-dead:

Wraith, Battle

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Old battlefields

FREQUENCY: Very Rare

ORGANIZATION: Military Unit

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Any

DIET: None

INTELLIGENCE: Semi- (1-3)

TREASURE: Incidental

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil

NO. APPEARING: 2-8

ARMOR CLASS: 2

MOVEMENT: 9

HIT DICE: 3

THAC0: 17

NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8 (melee) or 1-6 (missile)

SPECIAL ATTACKS: strength drain, fear aura, con drain

SPECIAL DEFENSES: +1 or better to hit

MAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil

SIZE: M (5’-6’ tall)

MORALE: Fearless (20)

XP VALUE: 420 (melee), 650 (missile)

Battle wraiths are the spirits of those who have been slain on a battlefield and remain unshriven. Their remains tie them to this plane and the intense pain or sorrow in which they died ensures that their spirit does not loose coherence but rather forms a weak negative-energy bond. Only battles in which the most violent deaths were meted out or the most vigorous personalities were slain leave these wraiths behind. They are something like echoes of their former selves, ghostly shadows that desire nothing but to drag all thinking living things down into their own sorrow or else extinguish them forever.

Wraiths resemble the warriors they were in life, clad in the same armor and arms, whether or not these armaments are still present at the site of their demise. Their “flesh” is worn as though from constant exposure to the environment, and close at hand it is clear that it is in fact vaporous or wraithlike. Battle wraiths are normally invisible, only manifesting fully when their tombs are disturbed. 

Battle wraiths have no minds, having been driven insane by their imprisonment in Arunë. They will not parlay or talk, for they prefer to simply destroy. Unnervingly, they fight in whatever formation they used when still alive, though they clearly do not have the intelligence to do so. They will keen horribly as they draw near to their foes, generally completely silent until within 5’ of their targets.

It is possible that, upon discovering a site with battle wraiths haunting it, one may be witness to the last moments of that unit. These ghostly dramas do not end when the soldiers are slain, for the simulacra rise again as wraiths and immediately turn upon those who dared intrude upon their misery.

Combat: The spirits of the battle-dead are terrifying to fight in a stand-up battle. Merely approaching their grave site will, day or night, cause them to leap forth to defend their remains. Battle wraiths are substantially weakened during the day, taking a -2 penalty to-hit (THAC0 19) as well as a -1 penalty to all damage dealt. They are clearly transparent in daylight, and cannot use their constitution draining attacks or their keening song.

When encountered at night they are their most deadly. Every melee attack that lands from a battle wraith deals 1d8 points of damage, regardless of what spectral weapon lands the blow. Being struck by the weapon of a battle wraith causes immediate coldness and numbness to spread from the wound, resulting in a loss of 1 point of constitution. This constitu

Troubling the Dead: Dwarven Draugr

Today we have a discussion of the dwarven draugr, or tomb-spirits, that can sometimes be found guarding the treasures of their clans or even their personal wealth. It's important to note that dwarves of all stripes (but particularly iron dwarves) are buried with great stores of money. Their bodies are generally not interred into the earth but rather placed into sacred sarcophagi or otherwise bound up and preserved.