Ankou

In life the ankou was a miser of the fields, a farmer or peasant so vile that he murdered his own family for gain, or let them starve rather than share his stores. Such a soul sometimes rises after death to wander the countryside gathering new victims.

From afar it is just a poor farmer trudging home late from market, in cracked boots, dusty patched work clothes, and perhaps a wide hat pulled low. Up close it is a wasted old man with cracked lips and skin stretched drum-tight over bone.

Three things give it away. It carries a scythe (50%), a bare long sword with no scabbard (20%) or a heavy club (20%), and goes empty-handed only 10% of the time. As it plods forward with slow, rigid steps, its head swivels constantly from side to side, burning red eyes sweeping the land for prey. And behind it always comes a creaking of wood with no visible source: an invisible cart drawn by an invisible ox or horse even more starved-looking than its master. The cart, a gift from some evil god of the netherworld, carries off the ankou's dead. Its creak may be heard minutes before the ankou seems to step out of the gathering shadows or come walking up the dark road.

It will kill anyone, but it prefers lone travelers and is treated as only 'rare' when they are the ones meeting it. Its keen eyes and ears find anyone hiding and keep it from ever being surprised, though it still attacks only those it can reach. Rough terrain does not slow it or its cart, but it cannot cross open water or fire.

Armed, it deals double damage thanks to brutal strength and careful aim, 2-16 with scythe, sword or club. Moving with a zombie's sluggishness, it gets one attack per round and always acts last.

Unarmed, it lunges to wrap its bony arms around a victim's chest. One successful hit locks its fingers in a crushing embrace. Each round after that the victim takes damage equal to his Armor Class, counting armor and magic but not shield or Dexterity; AC 1 or better means no damage. The captive can fight back at -2 to hit, using only a one-handed melee weapon, or instead try a bend bars/lift gates roll to break free, once per round, as many rounds as needed.

As undead it ignores sleep, hold, charm and all cold, and its sharp senses give it +3 on saves against illusions. Good priests turn it as a spectre (evil ones can make it ignore them). Holy water instantly banishes it and its cart back to the prison plane, with no save. The cart and its beast cannot be hurt by weapons or magic, except that dispel evil or exorcise destroys them at once; they return the next night if the ankou still exists.

Slow, patient and tireless, an ankou follows anyone who escapes it at the same plodding walk all night, until it catches and coldly kills them or dawn sends it back to the prison plane until dusk. It has almost no memory, so it never resumes a hunt out of spite. Should it meet the same traveler on some later night, though, it attacks as if they had never met.

Few undead add less to the world. It eats nothing, mortals cannot safely eat it, and unlike other undead it does not even leave corpses for scavengers or looters. The only evidence is a trail of footprints that stops where the victim met a cart and its driver, and wheel ruts rolling on down the road until they fade.