Creature Mummy

These are animals and monsters preserved after death and raised by their own restless spirits, fed by positive energy. Most are dried husks, though baking, freezing, tar, alchemical baths or curses preserve others. Each serves one fixed purpose: hating the living, revenge, or a geas to guard or complete a task.

Many are bandaged or stained bright hues by preserving tinctures; others look skeletal or nearly alive. Organs may rest in separate jars, and destroying the body may be impossible until those are destroyed too. Most carry a scent, from spice and myrrh to grave rot, or oddly of bread or wine. Animals have 30-foot infravision and monsters 60 feet. All are unnaturally strong, the mightiest a match for vampires, and only those of average or better intelligence with a mouth able to form words can speak, haltingly.

Onlookers save vs. spell or are paralyzed for 1d4 rounds; stronger mummies impose -1 to -4 and may also project a fear aura (like the spell) or one of dread that imposes -2 on every roll. Each six living creatures present add +1 to the save, and humans gain +2 more.

They use their natural weapons, and anyone wounded by one must save vs. poison or catch a disease, usually mummy rot, but possibly deadeye (blindness), heartsting (heart disease), palsy (spasms causing exhaustion and action penalties) or deathbite (a virulent poison). Wielded weapons spread nothing. Mummy rot costs 2 Charisma, then 1 Strength and 1 Constitution weekly until death, and other ailments worsen until fatal. Cure wounds fails on the sick, who recover only a single hit point for every ten days of rest; cure disease works. Powers from life may persist (venom, a sphinx's roar, flight, webs, a shaman's spells), and they are far craftier than most undead.

Only magical weapons, or special ones they are vulnerable to such as silver, cold iron, special woods or arcane metals, can hurt them, each for half damage; the strongest ignore special weapons. Cold, poison, paralysis, sleep, charm and hold fail, and some resist a second element. Healing magic repairs them. Fire hurts most: a torch deals 1d3, oil 1d8 then 2d8, magical fire +1 per die, and thrown holy water 2d4. Turning goes by Hit Dice, counting 4+ bonus hit points as an extra die; strong ones penalize the roll by -1 to -4 and reduce the 2d6 creatures turned by that amount. The weak can be destroyed outright, but the mightiest re-form even from total destruction.

They sleep in hidden tombs behind false chambers and traps until intruders threaten them or their charge, then hunt tirelessly until they can rest again. Grave goods taken without proper rites may curse the thief until death.

Violent death plus a fierce will to live can raise one, as can dark rites, necromancers or undead masters. Some need a particular elixir or energy to stay whole. Alchemists and sages prize their dust and wrappings for restorative salves and powders.

Animal mummy: life Hit Dice plus 1 HD + 3 hp, natural movement capped at 12 (24 flying) by its state of preservation, natural AC no worse than 6, and normal damage +1. Skeletal ones lose flight, swimming, hiding, scent and sight-based talents but gain unusual cunning; fleshed ones keep theirs.

Monster mummy: life Hit Dice plus 2 HD + 3 hp, movement at least 9, AC at least 3, and +2 damage with natural or melee weapon attacks. Intact ones keep their natural powers, though decay or missing parts can strip them, and they can curse defilers (blindness, madness, phobias, geases, weakness, hallucinations, bad luck and the like). Possible special powers: alter self; commanding undead as a priest whose level matches its Hit Dice; animating dead like a priest; command of one element (attack, control, resistance, even summoning an elemental); fascination that stuns creatures totaling up to twice its Hit Dice; illusions; passing through solid matter; 10%-40% magic resistance; summoning a harmful swarm of small creatures; hosting a slime, ooze, fungus, insects or rot grubs; and weight control to cross any surface, levitate or fly.