I generally don't like to make changes to existing monsters however some time ago bot has a player and as a DM (can we say, 30 years????) we had too many run ins with level draining undead and as a total, both of the groups I had played in decided to offer a saving throw for a level drain BUT to increase the damage the undead do in exchange. Since then. I've kept that up and when the group ran into the first of 2 wights in the dungeon, it was under the revised level draining rule. It's still dangerously cool and risky as hell, but damn it you can save a dragon blast at 15' you should be able to save a wight/wraith/spectre touch.
Follows:
TWO HUNDRED SEVENTY SEVEN
(I/C)
“Ok... dis not a place for Wyn to be!” the elf exclaimed, trying to back up from the approaching undead hobgoblin and her cold reaching talons.
"Señor Wykins, get back in here. Let that thing come to us,” glancing at the last skeleton he turned to Brendon and asked, “You got this?”
“Piece of cake,” the Scout replied, spinning the quarter staff around his wrist and then throwing it at the bony undead, tripping it up briefly so he could draw his short sword and reengage it. “Go Doc.”
“Gracias,” He ran towards the door, tapping the dwarf as he picked his way across the field of scattered bones and gritty dust. “Get to the back and get your bow out. Tenemos un hombre malo. Everyone get listo, ahora."
“Hey, Lyra, what the heck was that before?!” Lannis asked, readying another spell “Did you replace Cochise with a ringer while I was gone? Because if we could have had a better breed this whole time then that's just not funny."
“Just do your job, Fruit of the Loom and we’ll do ours,” she smirked, bringing her flail around and stepping up towards the door to join Abraxas and Kovid.
“Fruit of the Loom?”
“Yeah, Jockey. Stop riding our ass.”
Finally setting up the proper blow, Wyn gave an upward swing, springing back as he did so (BX Baby <Dex -2, Orange 14) his bow firing straight up through the last defender’s guard (<+5 to hit, Orange 1 – Fumble – Heartswood Bow, Reroll, >Orange 17)and splitting the skeleton (1d6 Damage, Orange 4 and killed!) from stem to stern, sending bones everywhere. He continued his roll. Free hand slapping the floor. Springing his legs high, he somersaulted through the door and rolled right past Kovid to land on his feet, already getting his next arrow out. “Undead lady sucking all de warmth from de room... any idea what de Hel dis ting is, Priestess?”
Seeing the female undead stepping forward, rimes of ice coating the floor where she stepped, Lyra frowned, thinking hard. “That’s an eerie bitch right there.”
Meanwhile Brendon was making short work of the last skeleton, picking it off on both sides, favoring the area that Lannis had blasted earlier with the Dart spell (>+3 to hit -1 cold, Red 20 –Critical Max damage: 6-1 cold = 5 damage and killed!) before making a full pirouette and lobbing the head from the rest of the body, dropping it in a final blow.
As the undead drew closer, stepping through the door and facing the combined mass of Kovid, Abraxas, and Lyra with Wyn right behind them, the Cleric took in her appearance, her mannerism, her preternatural grace, and the other aspects and blanched (<Wis check Cleric, White 12). “Ah. Aine, Damn it. That’s a WIGHT guys!”
“Racist!” Lannis called out.
“No, dumb ass. A Wight! A self willed hating of everything living suck the life right out of you undead! Don’t let her hit you, she could suck your life away!”
“How do we fight it,” Kovid asked nervously, wringing the hammer in his hands.
“We kill her and do it quick. Silver OR Magic only, anything else will most like be like hitting a tree. And one more thing, if she kills you, you come back as a wight as well!”
“Well, shit on me. Magic you say?” Lannis rolled up his sleeve and called out, “IN BET GRAV!” and a pink bolt of darting chaos burst free and slammed out at the undead hobgoblin (1d4 Damage, Pink 3), striking her in the chest and raising a small hole in her flesh. But the wight was unfazed and tried to assault the party. “Ok, I did my part,” the Magic User backed up another 3 steps. “Your guys turn!”
“Aine damn you to hell! Die bitch!” Lyra swung her flail along with Kovid and Abraxas, the trio pouring on the attacks against the powerful wight. Her flail (>+1 to hit -1 cold, White 17) slammed out with a horrendous crunch (1d6+1+1-1-1 cold, White 5 – 5 Damage!) hitting the monster hard. The impact left a burning silver shaped mark on her chest and she screamed! “SHREEEEEYYYYYAAAAAAAYYYEEEEE!!!” The sound was like nails on a chalkboard steam escaping from a boiler diving cry of an eagle sort of tremulous sound that ran down your spine and through the flesh of your scalp, making the party rock back from her explosive cry of pain.
“Thor’s Balls! That was loud,” Kovid swore, arcing back to swing. “Let’s make you make that sounds again!” He plied into her, buffeting and slamming out as his Theystran Hammer tried to find the opening to land a solid hit. However when he misjudged a swing (<+5 to hit, Blue 1 – Fumble. D6 Yellow 3 – Lose weapon) he was stunned as the wight caught the swinging hammer head with her BARE HAND, stopped his swing, and the cold running up the weapon weakened his grip long enough for her to wrench it from the dwarf’s hand and then throw it in the hallway behind her. He stared at her incredulously as she hissed in his direction, her dead lips lifting slightly in a show of amusement.
“Nice going, Beardbreath!” Lannis called out. “You need that. Now go get it, ok!?”
“Stuff if Big Brain! She TOOK my hammer out of my Thor’s Damned hands!”
“Time to dance, Maricon!” Abraxas powered forward, his Scythe flashing around in wide circular arcs. (<+6 to hit, Blue 2) His main attacks though were blocked by her crossed arms and lowered shoulders, unable to fully commit to the strike. Just when he was about exhausted in trying to stop her attack, he redoubled his efforts and caught the wight with a skillful riposte and downward smash from the Morrigaan weapon (>+6 to hit, Blue 15), ripping into the necrotic flesh with a blow that would have killed a living entity and raising another earsplitting howling cacophonous shriek (1d8+3 Damage, Blue 7 – 10 Damage!!). “Take that!” He grinned at his handiwork, seeing the wight had already taken tremendous damage and hoping it wouldn’t need much more.
The wight though seemed to pivot and its icy talons pulled back and SLAMMED out at (1-2 Kovid, 3-4 Abraxas, 5-6 Lyra: Red/Black 5 – Lyra!) the Cleric (>+3 to hit, Black 17) impacting her with the force of a cannonball (1d10 Damage plus K/d K/b: Purple 6 – Take 6 Damage. Save vs Level Drain – Death Ray: >White 19 – success). Lyra flew backwards almost 10 feet to land with a crash on the ground, her armor covered with a layer of yellowy frost, a similar layer covering her neck, face, and arms. She shook her head, seeing stars as she tried to draw breath (knocked down and knocked back – can get up on your next turn), seeing spots before her eyes.
(Initiative: 4 vs 4 – reroll. Party Steel 1 vs Wight Red/Black 3)
(2nd round with the wight – signal)
She turned her black pits of a gaze to (1-3 Kovid, 4-6 Abraxas: Red/Black 1 – Kovid) the dwarf next and her arm curled back to swing. She also…spoke. “Blessed Corfard. I am engaging the infidels now. Send forces.”
And the party heard coming from the ruin of her mouth, words spoken in a deeper voice that seemed to originate elsewhere, “Excellent. Dispatching Alha and her Orcish Hunters now. Destroy whoever you can before they arrive.”
“Fuck,” Kovid whispered, seeing her blackened taloned cold radiating hand swinging at him.
(>+3 to hit, Green 18) And then he was hit.
The blow slammed into the dwarf’s helm (1d10 Damage plus K/d K/b: Red/Black 6 – Take 6 Damage. Save vs Level Drain – Death Ray: >Yellow 14 – success) so hard that Kovid spun end over end, hitting the ground a dozen feet away on his back before bouncing and slamming down a second time, a crusty layer of rime coating his face, eyes, neck, and chest, stealing his breath away and making the room spin as he struggled to draw breath (knocked down and knocked back – can get up on your next turn).
Giving only a flicking glance at the fallen dwarf and stunned cleric, the wight settled her gaze on the last opponent before her, and grinned at Abraxas. And then she took a deliberate step forward.
Time now is Day 7, 5:18 PM
(OOC)
Traditionally BX wights drain a level when they hit but as both a player and a DM, I always felt that was fucking overkill so some 30 years ago we changed the ruling where a saving throw is allowed, but upped the damage done from 1d4 to 1d10. IF you fail though, tough shit – lose a level (drops you to the mid point of the next level down). And Corfard cannot see through the wight, communicated only. But Alha and the Orcish hunters have been dispatched so however long it takes to come from Corfard’s Room on the second floor to where you guys are at the Butcher’s is how long you have to finish the fight and get the fuck out of here. Bottom of the round – you guys go. Lyra and Kovid – you guys can get up this round and run back in if you want, getting up from prone means you can stand and hit from where you are at no minuses, or you can stand and move but get a -2 on your to hit (plus you both still have the -1 from the cold effect from the pool). Good luck guys!
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