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Xylem 03-21-06, 03:52 PM

These were inspired by RottingColossus’ urban monster contest, which, alas, I was too late to enter. Cryptoghouls and Cryptoghasts Crytoghouls and Cryptoghasts are ghouls or ghasts capable of magically disguising themselves as humanoids (the crypto- prefix means secret). They have two forms: their standard ghoul or ghast form, and their original humanoid form. They use their humanoid form to lure victims to secluded places and devour them, as well as to escape hunters who are looking for obvious undead. They love to mingle with crowds of normal folk, singling out potential victims while undetected. They retire to deep places beneath the city, abandoned buildings or lonely graveyards during the day to take on their normal forms, and emerge in humanoid form at night, when detection is less likely, to hunt. When in humanoid form, they have the exact same appearance as they did in life, but retains none of the skills and very few of the memories. In humanoid form they have none of the special attacks that ghouls or ghasts possess (such as disease, paralysis or stench), but they may use simple weapons and light armor and retain their undead hit points and ability scores (but not their natural armor). In humanoid form they are still not actual humanoids, and are not affected by spells that affect humanoids but not undead. Cryptoghouls and Cryptoghasts are difficult to detect in humanoid form, having a +20 modifier for passing as living on disguise checks. (It seems to me that they might also be resistant to divination spells, but divination spells are not normally subject to spell resistance. If the idea doesn’t bother you, they also have a Spell Resistance of 15 against being detected by Detect Undead, Detect Evil and Detect Chaos.) Changing form is a standard move spell-like ability, and provides a target of opportunity as per usual. Cryptoghouls and Cryptoghasts in their undead forms are the same as normal Ghouls and Ghasts, aside from the ability to change form. A humanoid that dies from Ghoul fever contracted from a Cryptoghoul or a Cryptoghast has a 50% chance of turning into a regular Ghoul or Ghast and a 50% chance of becoming a Cryptoghoul or Cryptoghast. There also exists a secret technique that allows a Necromancer to convert a regular Ghoul or Ghast into a Cryptoghoul or Cryptoghast. Their challenge rating is either the same as normal Ghouls or Ghasts, or one higher; I haven’t decided. Proposed: Occasionally a Cryptoghoul or Cryptoghast is tutored in magic by an undead spellcaster of some sort. These Cryptoghouls or Cryptoghasts usually become adepts of some death god. They may use their spells in either form.