The ABNORMAL CREATURES Archive
Zombies are classic monsters. They appear in practically every role-playing game in every genre. However, zombies often end up as nothing more than generic, bland enemies. That’s a shame as their appearance and accoutrements could provide clues as to their fate and inject more flavour and detail into an otherwise standard combat encounter.
Much feared for their ability to drain a foe’s vital life force, wights are dangerous opponents. However, wights rarely received much design space in an adventure’s text. They are just wights. Use these tables , to add some depth, flavour and—dare I say—life to the wights encountered by the characters.
Brutish, savage and feral cave dwellers, troglodytes are the degenerate ancestors of a once proud and powerful race. Living amongst the mouldering remains of their once powerful subterranean empire, they have regressed to a more primal, simple state. Use these tables, to add depth and flavour to the troglodytes encountered by the PCs.
It often seems skeletons end up as nothing more than generic, bland enemies. That’s a shame as their appearance and accoutrements could provide clues as to their fate and inject more flavour and detail into an otherwise standard combat encounter.
One of the most commonly encountered forms of undead, ghouls—and their more powerful brethren, ghasts—are rightly feared by adventurers for their paralysing touch and disease-ridden fangs.However, it often seems ghouls end up as nothing more than generic, bland enemies. That’s a shame as their appearance and accoutrements could provide clues as to their fate and inject more flavour and detail into an otherwise standard combat encounter.
Undead creatures raised to guard the ancient tombs of the honoured dead, mummies are ever-vigilant for interlopers into their domain of death and dust. Created through a lengthy embalming process mummies have all their vital organs removed and replaced with sacred herbs, flowers and the like. Thus, they resist time’s remorseless onslaught well.