Need a new Shadowdark Monster? Want PC death to be more of a setback? Like to send characters off with a bang?
We got you.
Unmourned Statblock
Corpses robbed by their friends and left to rot rise again in terrible vengeance.
AC 13, HP 20, ATK 2 claws +3 (1d8 + latch), MV near,
S +3, D +3, C+2, I -3, W -1, Ch +0, AL C, LV 4
Undead. Immune to morale checks.
Latch. Claws attach to hit targets, automatically hitting the next round (DC 12 STR on turn to remove 1 claw). If both remain latched onto the same humanoid target for 1 round, the target drops all items and equipment and is paralyzed for 1d6 turns.
Familiar Horror. Those who knew the Unmourned in life must make a DC 15 CHA at the beginning of each round or have DISADV on all checks.
Why Unmourned?
Picture this:
The party is dungeon crawling through the Shadowdark, fighting monsters and setting off traps. The treasure is flowing and the torch timers are high. Suddenly, the party Fighter catches a rolling boulder trap with his face.
Oh well! That’s life (and death) in Shadowdark, eh? Nothing left to do but divvy up the deceased’s possessions and move forward. Perhaps the next room might hold a prisoner interested in joining the party in exchange for some of your dead friend’s belongings?
There’s nothing wrong with this, of course. There’s ancient precedent, and it keeps the game flowing. But if you’d like a little more dignity in the death of your PCs, consider this house rule.
Mechanics
Funeral Rites are not just a sign of respect and a chance for community healing. They serve the very real and necessary purpose of forstalling revenge from beyond the grave.
When a Player Character dies, the party must fund a funeral for them within the next week. This funeral must cost 50gp per level; this pays for drumming, chanting, incense, and other offerings for the dead. If the body is relatively intact and is brought back to town for burial, this cost goes down to 25gp per level.
Corpses without a proper burial may become Unmourned.
If the funeral wasn’t lavish enough, the base chance is 2-in-6.
– If party looted the body, add 2.
– If the party didn’t return the corpse to civilization, add 1.
The Unmourned crawl from their graves (or the dungeons they were abandoned in) to seek revenge on those who cheated them of their due. They typically slither behind the parties, waiting for a moment of either sleep, weakness, or total darkness to strike. In combat, they prefer to target someone holding one of their former possessions; valuable items like magic swords, jewellery, or something they died right after attaining can all provoke rage.
Did you enjoy this monster? Check out these five magic swords for Shadowdark. If you like what you see there, consider one of our Shadowdark modules: Tower of the Spectral Sorceress, Cave of the Slumbering Crawlers, and Barrow of the Raging Storm!