Tuyewera

Evil priests in isolated jungle villages build these horrors from the body of a man killed by death magic. The cleric cuts the legs off at the knee and removes the tongue, then binds the spirit of a long-dead wizard or priest into the corpse. The result drags itself about on its hands and the stumps of its legs, moving with a hideous, purposeful life.

A tuyewera thinks as well as a living man and serves its maker as thief, guard and murderer. It moves silently 50%, hides in shadows 90% and opens locks 50%. In melee it can only wield a one-handed weapon, because its other hand is busy keeping it upright and moving. Disarmed, it claws with its knotted hand for 1d4 damage, and each such hit has a 25% chance to pass on a deadly illness as the spell cause disease.

Its signature attack is breath drain, which only works on someone who is asleep, unconscious or otherwise helpless. The tuyewera spends a full round drawing the air from the victim's mouth, and then the target must save vs. death magic at -4. Failure means instant death. Success leaves the victim in a deathlike coma lasting 1d4 days.

It is immune to mental attacks, cold, sleep and fear. A full vial of holy water deals 2d4 damage per hit. It is turned as a spectre, yet no other evil cleric can wrest command of it from its creator. A special enchantment makes it immune to all weapons, though turning and damaging spells such as fireball still affect it. Dispel magic strips that weapon immunity for 1d4 rounds, and creators of these things keep the counterspell ready in case they cross a rival's tuyewera.

Only the gods of malevolent witch doctors in tropical regions grant the spells needed to make a tuyewera or to counter one. Player characters who never travel to such places normally cannot get them. The recommended approach is that PCs never gain the power to create these monsters, but may learn the counterspell that makes them vulnerable.

As crafted undead, tuyeweras have no ecological role; they are vile tools that need no food and leave no useful remains.