The Cave of Serrod

In the hills north of Blythe, sits an old cave, home now to Serrod, a half dead necromancer fueled only by fury and hatred against Lord Enyertur, the Baron of Blythe and the surrounding regions.

Lord Enyertur in his youth went on a boar hunt with one of his friends, a fellow noble’s son by the name of Serrod. In that hunt, his friend fell off his horse and got mauled by a boar. Lord Enyertur was young and inexperienced, so when his horse got spooked by the sound of the boar rushing out of the underbrush, he lost control of it. In that moment, Lord Enyertur’s horse bolted and the back of his spear hit Serrod in the head. Serrod got knocked off his horse with the boar charging right into him before he even hit the ground. Serrod didn’t stand a chance. By the time Lord Enyertur regained control of his horse and their servants arrived, Serrod was beyond healing. His soul was already traveling to Lycretia, or so everyone believed. Instead Serrod died with a glaring hatred of his former friend. That hatred kept his soul from being carried to its proper home by Gurri and was lost in limbo for years before finally being found by a servant of Alemanuk. Raised from the dead, his soul was reattached, but that hatred was all that was left of who he was. In rage, he killed the priest who raised him. Serrod then used the tomes and knowledge left by this priest to sustain himself and gain some control over life and unlife.

Serrod eventually learned that Lord Enyertur was assigned to a fiefdom on the edges of Tempore and found an ancient bear cave north of Blythe to make a home and plot his revenge. It took years, but he finally mastered some of the tomes he had stolen from the dead priest. He learned to summon skeletons from villagers and bandits that he killed. These skeletons at first couldn’t do much more than act like puppets, but then he gained greater and greater control and skill. Now he could give them a brief portion of his soul which allows them to act as perfect servants. They follow only the commands of their creator and are incapable of revolt. Now that he can give them the semblance of intelligence, he has expanded it by fueling them with hatred which manifests as a black flame in their ribcage. These skeletons can use this flame as an attack that drains energy from a victim.

A few days ago, he finally got an opportunity for revenge. Lord Enyertur’s son was out hunting. Serrod had his skeletons attack and drag him from his horse to the cave where he was then tortured by having his arms ripped off. Shortly afterwards, some meddling adventurers found his cave and his skeletons were out matched. Maybe his improved versions will fare better.

Fury Skeletons (GURPS)

These skeletons were designed as the next adversaries for my PCs to fight (whenever we resume our campaign). They are meant to be a minor challenge to 150 point characters and to teach the players about Fatigue loss. They are also Serrod’s first generation of Fury Skeletons. He will only create more powerful ones if these fail. For Dungeon Fantasy level characters, I would remove the restriction on Acc and increase the damage for the Black Flame Attack. Would need to increase skill levels as well.

ST: 11	HP: 11	Speed: 6.75
DX: 11	Will: 8	Move: 6
IQ: 6	Per: 8	Weight: 23 lbs.
HT: 12	FP: N/A	SM: 0
Dodge: 9	Parry: 9	DR: 2

Attacks: Claws 1d6-1 cr, Shortsword 1d+1 imp, Black Flame Attack 1d6 fat

Skills: Brawling 12, Shortsword 10, Innate Attack (Breath) 12

Traits: Skeletal Undead (H p.27), Blunt Claws, Fatigue Attack 1d (Area Effect, 2 yards; Inaccurate, -3 to Acc) [14]

Fury Skeletons (Pathfinder)

A fury skeleton is surrounded by an aura of black flames that deals fatigue damage to those it strikes. In addition to the changes for the skeleton template found in Bestiary 1, make the following adjustments to the base creature. This variant is best for lower level encounters, if used against higher level characters, the ability damage should be higher. I used the Fiery Skeleton variant as inspiration and changed up the abilities.

Challenge Rating: As a normal skeleton + 1.

Aura: Fury skeletons possess a fiery aura of pure fury and hatred.

Fury Aura (Ex): Creatures adjacent to a fury skeleton take 1d2 points of Con damage at the start of their turn. Anyone striking a burning skeleton with an unarmed strike or natural attack takes 1d2 points of Con damage. A Fortitude save negates either. The save DC against the fury is 10 + 1/2 fury skeleton’s HD + fury skeleton’s Con modifier (see below).

Breath Weapon: Fury skeletons can spew black flame from their mouths which causes ability damage.

Breath Weapon (Su): Using the breath weapon is considered a standard action. A fury skeleton can use its breath weapon once every 1d6 rounds. The breath weapon always starts at an intersection adjacent to the fury skeleton and extends in a direction of the fury skeleton’s choice. The breath weapon always comes in a line and is 20’ long. Those caught in the line can attempt Fortitude saves to take no damage. The save DC against the breath weapon is 10 + 1/2 fury skeleton’s HD + fury skeleton’s Con modifier (see below). A fury skeleton can use its breath weapon when it is grappling or being grappled.

Abilities: A fury skeleton’s Constitution is considered a 12 for the purposes of determining DCs.