As with the letter “Q”, there are only three creatures for
the letter “R”. Let’s just jump into it, shall we?
Retriever
Retriever (Type III Demon of Demogorgon): Init +4; Atk Cleaver +10 melee (3d6)
or eye ray +20 ranged (special); AC 17; HD 8d12; MV 50’; Act 2d20; SP Demon
traits, eye rays, fear aura; SV Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +7; AL C.
These twelve-foot tall demons are
spider-like, with their front four limbs ending in huge cleavers. Despite their
size, they are unnervingly fast and nimble. Each has six eyes, two for vision
and four which project rays (see below). Once a particular ray is used, it
cannot be used again for 1d10 rounds. A retriever either attacks with its
cleavers or eye rays; it cannot do both in the same round.
The four eye have a 60’ range,
and must successfully strike a target to be effective. They are: Fire, cold,
lightning, and transmutation. The first three do damage equal to the demon’s
current hit point, and each allows a DC 20 save for half damage – a Reflex save
for the fire and lightning ray, and a Fortitude save for the cold ray. If the
save for the fire ray fails by 5 or more, the target catches fire, taking an
automatic 1d6 damage each round until the fire is put out (Reflex DC 10). The
transmutation ray requires a DC 20 Will save, or the target is transformed
(roll 1d4): (1) mud, (2) stone, (3) gold, or (4) lead. A gold human weighs
about 4,000 lbs, a gold dwarf or elf 3,500 lbs., and a gold halfing about 2,000
lbs.
Retrievers radiate fear, so that
creatures with 5 Hit Dice/levels or fewer must succeed on a DC 20 Will save
when the demon comes within 30’ or flee in panic for 2d6 turns, dropping any
held items when doing so.
A retriever’s basic demon traits
include communication through speech and telepathy, infravision 60’, the
ability to cast darkness with a +12
bonus on the spell check, the ability to teleport back to its native plane or
any point on same plane (as long as not bound or otherwise summoned), a crit
range of 18-20, and immunity to weapons of less than +2 enchantment or natural
attacks from creatures of 5 Hit Dice or less. Retrievers take half damage from
fire, acid, cold, electricity, and gas.
These beings are seldom
encountered in the Lands We Know, although they are rarely sent to retrieve
some misfortunate who has offended Demogorgon or one of the more powerful
denizens of the Abyss. The condition of the prey seldom matters to either the
retriever or the demon lord it is serving. Sometimes smaller demons mount
howdahs on the back of a retriever and ride on the creature to the hunt.
Revenant
Revenant: Init
-2; Atk Choke +3 melee (2d8) or paralysis; AC 13; HD 5d12; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP
Un-dead, Turn resistance, immunities, regenerate 3/round, track victim, strangle,
paralysis (2d4 rounds, Will DC 15 negates), living skills; SV Fort +5, Ref +2,
Will +12; AL N.
Under exceptional circumstances, those who have died a
violent death may return from beyond the grave to wreak vengeance on their
killer – as a revenant. Usually, only extraordinary individuals may do so, as
determined by the judge. There are few
who can make this journey, and judges are cautioned to be selective.
Although un-dead, revenants are motivated by sheer will and
a need for revenge. They are treated as 10 Hit Dice creatures when a cleric
attempts to Turn the Unholy or banish
them. Revenants are further immune to holy water, weapons (normal and magical
alike), acid, gas, and mind-affecting spells. They regenerate 3 hp each round,
even after reduced to 0 hp, unless the body is burned to ash. Even if a
revenant is dismembered, its limbs continue to function independently, as
though guided by the same mind; dismemberment has no effect on the creature’s
statistics. Its limbs are capable of slithering together, re-uniting into a
single body.
The sole purpose of the revenant’s existence is to wreak
vengeance on its killer(s). It never attacks anyone else, except in self-defense,
and it will stop at nothing to achieve its purpose. Linked by the threads of
hatred, revenge, and fate, a revenant always knows where its primary killer is.
Secondary killers, and those who aided the primary target, are only sought if
they remain in the company of the primary target. Usually. The judge may
determine otherwise in particularly egregious cases.
If a revenant hits a target, it locks its claw-like hands
around its victim’s throat, doing automatic damage each round, A revenant will
not release its grip until the victim or the revenant is dead, or a Mighty Deed
of 6+ succeeds. A revenant can also stare into its killer’s eyes, paralyzing its
target for 2d4 rounds unless the target succeeds in a DC 15 Will save. It can
only use this power against its killer.
Although they never use weapons, revenants retain all the
powers they had in life, so that revenants may have the ability to cast spells,
use Deed Dice, use thief’s skills and so on. The stiffness of its vocal chords deters
revenants from using speech except under extreme circumstances, such as to cast
a spell on its killer.
Revenants are animated corpses, with all that implied – cold
flesh, pallid skin, sunken cheekbones – but they are still recognizable as
their living selves, especially by their chosen target. Their sunken eyes seem
dull and heavy-lidded, but blaze up with unnatural intensity near their
intended victims. An unnatural but unmistakable aura of tragic anger, sadness
and determination hangs around a revenant, which makes natural animals shy away
from it.
If the revenant died a particularly violent death, it may arise
from any available, freshly-dead corpse. Even if the new body is of a different
gender or species, its killer(s) always see it as though it were arisen in its
original body. Any not involved in the killing see the body as it truly is.
After 1d4+2 months, if a revenant has not succeeded in
wreaking its vengeance, the corpse decomposes rapidly and the spirit of the
revenant is forced into a personal hell of unsatisfied anger and despair. If a revenant
has completes its mission by killing all its intended victims, it immediately
disintegrates, and will never return again. Its spirit rests in peace.
Rothé
Rothé: Init +2; Atk Gore +3 melee (2d3) or
bite +0 melee (1d8); AC 13; HD 2d8+2; MV 20’; Act 1d20; SP infravision 60’; SV
Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +0; AL N.
Rothé are small creatures, similar to musk oxen, with long,
coarse black hair and a surprisingly powerful bite. They are shy creatures,
with an aversion to bright light, which generally make their lairs underground,
near a lake or river where there is a good supply of lichen and moss to eat. In
some places, rothé are herded by goblins or hill-dwelling fey, where they
are kept underground during the day and let out at night to feed. In nearby
places, such creatures may be known as
faerie
cattle or
goblin oxen. The
average rothé
is 4 feet tall at the shoulder.
Variations
in Rothé
There is a 1 in 6 chance that any given herd of rothé
has a special quality. If this is the case, roll 1d7 and consult the table
below.
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1d7
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These Rothé…
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1
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…glow with soft light, like foxfire. To determine the color, roll
1d3: (1) light green, (2) light orange, or (3) coruscating electric blue.
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2
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…are only 3’ at the shoulder. They have only 1d8+1 for Hit Dice.
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3
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…are 5’ at the shoulder. They have 3d8+3 for Hit Dice.
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4
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…are trained for the saddle, and are ridden by (roll 1d5): (1)
goblins, (2) kobolds, (3) halflings, (4) fey, or (5) spirits of the dead.
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5
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…have softer hair, which can be sheared and sold for 2d30 sp per
animal.
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6
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…have a 20’ climb speed and can climb walls like a spider.
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7
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…are so flatulent that it takes a DC 10 Will save to approach within
60’, and any open flame brought within 30’ causes a localized fireball (10’
radius, 2d6 damage, Reflex DC 15 for half) unless the bearer makes a
successful Luck check each round.
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