Wurmspawn Zombie

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Revision as of 02:37, 21 October 2006

A fetid, decayed humanoid shambles forward. Something eel-like writhes beneath it's taut, gray skin and occasionally shows through the creature's flesh.

Human Wurmspawn Zombie (CR 1)

• Always NE Medium undead
• Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +2, Spot +2
• Languages: none
• Weakness: misspeak(see below)

• AC 13, touch 11, flat-footed 12
  • (+1 Dex, +2 natural)
• hp 16 (2 HD); DR 5/slashing
• Immune: undead immuntities
• Fort +0, Ref +1, Will +3

• Speed 30 ft.
• Melee slam +3 (1d6+2, wurm infestation on critical hit)
• Space # ft.; Reach # ft.
• Base Atk +1; Grp +3
• Special Actions horrid screech (DC 11), wurm infestation

• Abilities Str 14, Dex 12, Con --, Int 1, Wis 10, Cha 1
• SQ undead traits
• Feats improved initiative, toughness
• Skills Listen +2, Spot +2

Misspeak (Ex): If a cleric strongly presents a holy symbol and cries out "Back, Heelspawn!" the wurmspawn zombie is affected as if by the confusion spell for 2d4 rounds.

Wurm Infestation (Ex): On a successful critical hit from the wurmspawn zombie's slam attack or on a successful grapple check against an opponent, the zombie can infest it's opponent with one of the undead wurms inside it. Each round, the wurm inflicts one point of Constitution damage against it's host as it burrows through flesh and replaces it with necrotized undead flesh. If the host dies while infested with a wurm, it will rise in a mere 1d4 rounds as a wurmspawn zombie. The wurm can be removed with a full-round action Heal check (DC 20) although any attempt that fails by 5 or more inflicts 1d3 points of damage to the host. Also, any magical healing will destroy the wurm, but also damage the host as part of it's flesh is now undead. For any spell cast, the first point of magical healing will destroy the wurm, the host then takes one point of damage for each point of constitution damge (up to the amount of the spell), then the remainder applies as normal healing. So for example: The Fighter has been infested and three rounds later has taken 3 points of Con damage. The Cleric casts cure light wounds and rolls 7 points of healing. The Fighter gains no hit points but the wurm is destroyed (1 point for wurm, -3 for Con damage, then +3 remaining).

Horrid Screech (Su): A wurmspawn zombie screeches as it engages in combat. All living beings within range (equal to a 10' radius per hit die of the zombie) must succeed at a Will save (DC = 10 + 1/2 HD) or be shaken. This is a mind-affecting, fear effect.

Wurmspawn zombies are created by burrowing, necromantic wurms. These wurms replace flesh (living or dead) with undead flesh, turning the creature it inhabits into a wurmspawn zombie. The wurms thrive and multiply inside the zombie body and are destroyed in about a day outside of it. Necromantic Wurm diminutive vermin (undead) AC 14, 1 hp, Spd 5 ft.

Wurmspawn zombie is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature (other than an undead) that has a skeletal system. The wurmspawn zombie above uses a normal human as the base creature. See "Creating a Wurmspawn Zombie" below for rules for applying the template to other creature types.

Strategies and Tactics

Wurmspawn zombies are only vaguely intelligent. They will instinctively seek out dead bodies to infest, or barring that will attack living creatures. They seldom think to initiate a grapple, but if an opponent grapples it, on it's next attack action it will attempt a grapple check to infest her. Once an opponent is down, they will coup de grace it on the first opportunity (if it is not yet infested) to create a new wurmspawn zombie.

Wurmspawn Zombie Lore

Knowledge (Religion)

DC 10: These undead creatures were created by the wurms living inside them. This result reveals all undead traits.

DC 15: They are vulnerable to slashing weapons.

DC 20: If a wurm gets under your skin it will try to turn you undead. Magical healing will destroy the wurm.

Sample Encounters

Individual (EL 1): An explorer found a preserved wurm in an old laboratory and accidentally became infested. It now wanders throughout the complex (or landscape) as a wurmspawn zombie searching for bodies.

Mob (EL 8): A lich sends a wurmspawn zombie badger to a graveyard outside of a village. It quickly burrows its way through the graves, infesting those bodies that still have enough flesh to animate. 12 wurmspawn zombies rise from the graves and march into town.

Ecology and Society

Wurmspawn zombies exist only to multiply and so will seek out new bodies. They are not intelligent enough to remember where they have been, so much of their time will be spent traveling through the same area over and over. They are intelligent enough, however, to understand safety in numbers. Wherever they form, they will group together with more of their kind and travel as a pack. Wurmspawn zombies resemble normal zombies except that they are faster, and the wurms moving under their flesh is noticeable to a Spot check (DC 10).

Creating a Wurmspawn Zombie

• Size and Type: The creature's type changes to undead.
• Hit Dice: Drop any hit dice from class levels (to a minimum of 1), double the number of hit dice left, and raise them to d12s.
• Armor Class: Natural armor bonus increases by a number based on the wurmspawn zombie's size.

Tiny        +0
Small       +1
Medium      +2
Large       +3
Huge        +4
Gargantuan  +7
Colossal   +11

• Base Atk: A wurmspawn zombie has a base attack bonus equal to 1/2 it's hit dice.
• Attacks: A wurmspawn zombie retains any natural attacks the base creature had or gains a slam attack.
• Damage: Natural weapons deal damage normally. A slam attack deals damage based on the wurmspawn zombie's size.

Tiny        1d3
Small       1d4
Medium      1d6
Large       1d8
Huge        2d6
Gargantuan  3d6
Colossal    4d6

• Special Attacks: A zombie retains none of the base creature's special attacks.
• Special Qualities: A zombie loses most special qualities of the base creature. It retains any extraordinary special qualities that improve its melee attacks.
• Saves: Wurmspawn zombies have good Will saves.
• Abilities: +4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, no Constitution, Wisdom changes to 10, and Intelligence and Charisma change to 1.
• Skills: A wurmspawn zombie gets HD+3 skill points divided between Listen and Spot.
• Feats: A wurmspawn zombie loses all feats of the base creature and gains Improved Initiative and Toughness.
• Challenge Rating: Depends on HD as follows:

Hit Dice        CR
1              1/4
2               1
4               2
6               3
8-10            4
12-14           5
16-18           6
20-24           7
26+             8

• Treasure: None.
• Alignment: Always neutral evil.