Drowned (4e Creature)

From Ghosts of Saltmarsh

Sometimes the dark forces of the Shadowfell are drawn to an area of great suffering. Some swamps, rivers, lakes, or patches of ocean can become such areas when they are used as a site of murder, sacrifice to some dark god or demon, or even if they unintentionally become the place of a horrible tragedy. At those times the powers of the Shadowfell can feed and nurture the evil created by the suffering a creature endures when life is choked out of them by the waters of these locales. When this happens the victims of such suffering can rise as a form of undead that remembers just enough of it's life, and death, that it is driven to seek out elements from those times trying to end the ceaseless agony it endures. These are forlorn creatures, but pitiless in their quest to make others share their pain and perhaps end their own.

Bog Drowned

Bog Drowned appear as emaciated corpses whose skin clothes and hair have turned a deep shade of brown or tan from the muck that has embalmed their bodies. Their faces are frozen in a contorted look of pain and suffering.

Bog Drowned Level 8 Lurker
Medium Natural Humanoid (Undead) XP 350
Initiative +7	Senses Perception +6; darkvision, tremorsense 10
Noxious Vapors (Poison) aura 5; living creatures within the aura are Weakened.
HP 64; Bloodied 32
AC 22; Fortitude 25, Reflex 22, Will 22
Immune disease, poison; Resist 5 fire, 10 necrotic; Vunerable 5 radiant
Speed 4 (swamp walk), burrow 2
Claws ♦ at-will
Effect: +13 vs. AC; 2d8 + 5 necrotic damage.
Drag Under ♦ at-will
Effect: +11 vs. Fortitude; the target is grabbed (until escape). The Bog Drowned may shift one square after the attack and pull the target prone.
Inundation ♦ at-will
Effect: The Bog Drowned holds it's victim under the murky waters as muck and silt force their way into the target's lungs. The target takes ongoing 5 damage (until escapes). Aftereffect: Target is Dazed (save ends).
Skills Stealth +11
Str 20 (+9)	Dex 14 (+6)	Wis 14 (+6)
Con 10 (+4)	Int 6 (+2)	Cha 3 (+0)
Alignment Chaotic Evil	Languages Common
Equipment —

Bog Drowned Tactics

The Bog Drowned tend to lay in the waters their bodies fell. They lie partially buried in the muck under the swampy waters, and as creatures enter the area they begin to exude their Noxious Vapors, and then stealthily move into a position to surprise and sieze their prey. If there are more targets then Bog Drowned they will first attempt to immobilize as many targets as they can, and then attempt to grab and inundate those that remain. Bog Drowned will also use the surrounding terrain to their advantage, trapping some victims in quicksand, or burrowing away under the murky waters to escape.

Bog Drowned Lore

A character knows the following information with a successful Arcana/Religion check.

DC 15: Bog Drowned are the victims of murder or sacrifice, and they rise in the swampy waters their bodies were tossed into. Bog Drowned are forever locked in the throes of their death, and living creatures torment them. In their pain wracked state they seek to drown the life out of any that wander to near to their graves.

DC 20: Other foul creatures that dwell in swamps, or bogs, will often lair near an area infested with Bog Drowned. Although the Drowned do not willingly cooperate with these beings, they will avoid attacking non-mammalian creatures, other undead, or those that worship the entities a particular Bog Drowned may have been sacrificed to. In this way these monsters can use the Bog Drowned to guard their homes.

DC 25: The Bog Drowned have some form of supernatural effect of the waters that become their graves. The waters will become more stagnant and fouled, as well the soft earth beneath the waters become softer turning large sections into quicksand. Bog Drowned themselves use this soft earth to burrow through, sneaking up on prey or fleeing from encounters that prove too perilous for them.

Encounter Groups

Bog Drowned appear in groups as few as 2 or 3, or as many as a dozen. If another creature lairs near the Bog Drowned, they may have added to the number of bodies risen in the swamp, therefore encounter groups that include non-Bog Drowned creatures will always have larger numbers of Bog Drowned then encounters with only Bog Drowned. Sacrifical areas may have even more Bog Drowned depending on how powerful the cult has become, and how long they have been in place.

Level 12 Encounter (XP 3600)

• 6 Bog Drowned (level 8 lurker)
• 1 Bog Hag (level 10 skirmisher)
• 1 Feymire Crocodile (level 10 elite soldier)

Lake (or River) Drowned

Lake Drowned appear much as they did in life, although they clearly bear the signs of any wounds that may have caused their deaths. As well Lake Drowned are always soaked completely and rivlets of water constantly run down their bodies as though they are being repeatedly drenched. Their eyes are milky white, as is their cold, and clamy skin.

Lake/River Drowned Level 12 Elite Controller
Medium Natural Humanoid (Undead) XP 1400
Initiative +8	Senses Perception +7; darkvision
Despair (Fear) aura 5; living creatures within the aura take a -2 penalty to attack rolls against the Lake Drowned.
HP 238; Bloodied 119; see also Weeping Despair
AC 28; Fortitude 29, Reflex 28, Will 27
Immune disease, poison; Resist 5 fire, 10 necrotic; Vunerable 5 radiant
Saving Throws +2
Speed 8 (swamp walk)
Action Points 1
Corpse Touch ♦ at-will
Effect: +17 vs. AC; 2d6 + 5 necrotic damage, this damage is caused by the life energy being drained out of the target. The area touched becomes cold, and clamy.
Stilling Waters ♦ recharge ,
Effect: Ranged 5, +15 vs. Will; the target is Stunned, and his/her lungs begin to fill with water causing the target to take ongoing 10 damage as well (save ends both). Aftereffect: Target is Dazed (save ends).
Weeping Despair ♦ recharges when first bloodied
Effect: Close burst 2; +17 vs. Will; waves of depression and hopelessness pour forth from the Lake Drowned, causing those effected by it to be overcome with mournful sadness. Those effected are Dazed (save ends), and any damage they take heals the Lake Drowned by the same amount. First Failed Save: Target becomes Stunned (save ends).
Skills Stealth +13
Str 16 (+9)	Dex 14 (+8)	Wis 14 (+8)
Con 15 (+8)	Int 10 (+6)	Cha 12 (+7)
Alignment Chaotic Evil	Languages Common
Equipment —

Lake/River Drowned Tactics

The sorrowful Lake/River Drowned tend to remain hidden until the anniversary of their deaths or on nights when thick mist rolls across the waters they dwell in. The Lake/River Drowned most often seek out living people who in some way reminds them of a loved one, or relative, they cared for in life. They often try to sneak up on sleeping victims, but will attack those who are awake if need be. If dealing with a single target they often start with their Stilling Waters attack, backing it up with Weeping Despair and Corpse Touch attacks as needed. When facing multiple targets Lake/River Drowned begin their attacks with Weeping Despair and then turn their Stilling Waters attack on any not effected or their initial target if they can.

Lake/River Drowned Lore

A character knows the following information with a successful Arcana/Religion check.

DC 15: Lake/River Drowned are most often the victims of murder, or suicide. They spend eternity mourning for the loss of whatever drove them to this death. Betrayal, tragedy, and rage are the hallmarks of these Drowned.

DC 20: Lake/River Drowned are known to appear on or near the night they died when the air is filled with fog or mist.. They seek out prey, in nearby camps, towns, or villages, that remind them of someone they lost in life. While they are most often spawned in the freshwaters of Lakes and/or Rivers, a few have come into being along the cliffs that border some seas.

DC 25: Often Lake/River Drowned are accompanied, by Ghosts, Spectres and/or Wraiths. These spectral spirits are the restless remains of the Drowned's former victims, often wailing and moaning in torment as they follow the Drowned towards it's next victim.

Encounter Groups

When a Lake/River Drowned rises it normally has 2 to 4 Ghosts, Spectres, or Wraiths with it. Although in some cases they will have a a group comprised of several types of spectral undead, in larger groups.

Level 10 Encounter (XP 2450)

• 1 Lake/River Drowned (level 12 elite controller)
• 2 Specters (level 4 lurker)
• 1 Wailing Ghost (level 12 controller)

Sea Drowned

Sea Drowned are hideous creatures. All show various signs of decay, some to the extent that many bones will be visable. Aside from ragged strips of flesh that cling to them, many will have various forms of crustaceans, or other sea life living on (or in) them. Others appear much as they did in life except bloated and discolored from the ocean's water.

Sea Drowned Level 5 Skirmisher
Medium Natural Humanoid (Undead) XP 200
Initiative +6	Senses Perception +4; darkvision
Obscuring Fog (Illusion) aura 2; a thick sea fog boils and rolls about the Sea Drowned. All ranged attacks made against Sea Drowned suffer a -5 penalty to hit, and all melee attacks suffer a -2 penalty to hit. The Sea Drowned ignore the effects of this fog, and they can use it to gain a +2 bonus to all Stealth checks.
HP 63; Bloodied 31
AC 19; Fortitude 20, Reflex 19, Will 18
Immune disease, poison; Resist 5 fire, 10 necrotic; Vunerable 5 radiant
Speed 6 (swamp walk), swim 4
Scimitar ♦ at-will
Effect: +10 vs. AC; 1d8 + 3 damage, and the target is marked until the end of Sea Drowned's next turn.
Claws ♦ at-will
Effect: +10 vs. AC; 1d6 +4 necrotic damage.
Hideous Visage ♦ recharge , ,
Effect: Close blast 3; blind creatures are immune; +8 vs. Will; Sea Drowned can cause one of two effects. The first paralyzes the target in place causing them to be Stunned (save ends). The second causes the target to flee, pushing them 3 squares.
Skills Athletics +10, stealth +9
Str 16 (+5)	Dex 14 (+4)	Wis 10 (+2)
Con 10 (+2)	Int 10 (+2)	Cha 3 (-2)
Alignment Chaotic Evil	Languages Common
Equipment Scimitar

Sea Drowned Tactics

Sea Drowned will often crawl around on reefs or rocky sea coasts, awaiting opportunities to strike against passing ships, or those too near their beaches when the sun goes down. Others still will pilot decrepit vessels as a damned crew prowling the waters near where they died attacking vessels in the night. Regardless of how the hunt their prey Sea Drowned love to hack living creatures to death with their rusting weapons. Sneaking up on them in the night and paralyzing some in fear, or perhaps driving those on the decks of ships to flee into a watery grave. While retaining much of their knowledge from their former lives, it has been twisted into an evil and corrupt vision, serving only to help drive them on in a murderous lust. Since many served on vessels while alive they still seek that same hierarchy in undeath, groups of Sea Drowned often function as well heeled crews mocking the way of life in a sick unnatural parody.

Sea Drowned Lore

A character knows the following information with a successful Arcana/Religion check.

DC 15: The ranks of the Sea Drowned mostly come from the crews of vessels that have sunk in storms, been bashed against reefs or sea coasts, or from crews slain by pirates. And of course from pirate crews themselves that have met a demise at sea (either natural or not). Many of these undead crews sail about in old, rotting, ships seeking victims to swell their ranks, or just to watch die. A thick fog enshrouds the Sea Drowned and they often use this along with natural fog to help them steal up on their targets.

DC 20: Many times groups (or crews) of Sea Drowned serve a more powerful undead leader. In these cases Zombies and Skeletons will also work alongside the Sea Drowned, helping them to carry out their master's wants.

DC 25: Stories abound about villages that have been cursed or were built near a ship wreck site. At certain times the Sea Drowned will rise from the water and terroize the locals and the surrounding region.

Encounter Groups

Sea Drowned normally appear in large groups. If 10 or more are encountered they most likely will be commanding a vessel that appears to not be seaworthy, but still functions as though it were new and complete. Even the lack of sails does not stop them from using wind currents to steer their ship. These rotting ships are often shrouded by the fog created by it's crew. Sea Drowned tend to behave as though they are still part of a normal pirate crew, following the same command structure, and going through tasks they once did in life (although with much less care about how effective they are). Because of this false view of their world Sea Drowned will easily serve more powerful undead (or other evil beings), treating them like admirals or commodores.

Level 10 Encounter (XP 3150)

• 10 Sea Drowned (level 5 skirmisher)
• 5 Skeletons (level 3 soldier)
• 1 Deathpriest of Orcus (level 9 controller)

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