31 Horrific Additions to Ruination Pilgrimage! #1: Eel of Myriad Eyes

31 Horrific Additions to Ruination Pilgrimage

A couple days ago I had an idea. In 2020 I did a ghostly Advent calendar blogging thing. It was kind of meant to channel that Victorian Christmas ghost story tradition. Each ghost had OSE stats probably because I had just come off writing Plangent Mage.

The next year I bundled it up and it became the zine, 25 Apparitions, Spirits, and Hauntings, and was stated out for OSE and DCC. I have a TON of love for Dungeon Crawl Classics since being introduced to the system. It also got me into writing more and publishing stuff.

I still have some physical copies of that zine because I printed a shit ton. I've been wanting to add to the Bestiary of Ruination or a demon book for Ruination Pilgrimage for some time.

I started thinking I should do it in December. A couple days ago I thought, that's dumb and doesn't make sense. There's no tradition of demons and monsters during Christmas except of course rampant commercialism, etc. Then I was like, duh. Do it for Halloween. and here it is the 3rd already.

Anyway, I'm doing it. That's all. 31 new monsters for Ruination Pilgrimage. New animals, people, monsters, and demons. We'll see what happens. 

#1: Eel of Myriad Eyes

Type: Monstrous Animal

A slimy, grotesque, freshwater creature attaining lengths up to 25 ft. Thick black-brown skin blends perfectly with turbulent, muddy waters. The head is bulbus and semi-translucent showing a human-like skull underneath sporting deep, empty eye sockets, and a mouth filled with multiple rows of large human teeth. It is covered with many blinking eyes along both laterally flattened sides; eyes that look as if they've been stolen from all the other animals from land and water. 

C:65 Bite 1d10 + Size DMG AP:4 I:80 W:3(20)

All Seeing: Eels of Myriad Eyes are never surprised and will attack first. (An Agility Test for Initiative is still rolled)

Horrific: A Sanity Save is needed when the party members realize the eyes aren't just a pattern or coloration. Those who fail the save miss their next combat turn. 

Slimy: Any attempt to grapple or seize an eel is rolled with (D). 

Size: Steward rolls a 1d5 to determine size. A result of 1=a 5ft long eel and a DMG bonus of +1, a 2=10ft long eel and DMG bonus of +2 and so on. (Steward may overrule the die result if it doesn't make sense to have a 25ft long eel in a small pond or creek)

Advent Ghost #19: The Searching Shade

Searching Shade 

Some say these ghosts are just silly stories shared around a roaring fire to scare children, but there are others who swear they are real entities.

Searching Shades think they are missing some part of their body and are trying to locate it. Those haunted by these ghosts hear a phantom voice echoing around them asking, "have you seen my _____? Where is my ________?" This haunting will cause growing stress and lack of sleep which interrupts healing and spell learning/requests each morning but will only persist until the the victims move out of range (level of shade x 30 miles). Successfully defeating the shade will end the haunting as well. Eventually a defeated Searching Shade will reform and return to the area where they died to resume this haunting with new targets.  

Missing body part?

1. Eye(s)
2. Hand(s)
3. Foot
4. Head
5. Finger(s)
6. Toe(s)
7. Nose
8. Ear(s)
9. Heart
10. Teeth
11. Arm(s)
    
12. Leg(s)

AC 6 [13]/4[15]/2[17] HD 3*/5*/7* (13/22/31hp), Att 1 × fist (1d6/1d8/2d6), THAC0 16 [+3]/14 [+5]/12 [+7], MV 120' (40’), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (As Fighter of same level), ML 7, AL Chaotic, XP 50/300/850, NA 1 (1), TT NA

• Undead: Make no noise until attacking. Immune to effects that affect living creatures (e.g. poison). Immune to mind-affecting or mind-reading.
• Mundane weapon immunity: Can only be damaged with silver or magical weapons.

  

Advent Ghost #18: Famished Apparitions

 Famished Apparition

As drought and famine beset an area, those who die of starvation may return as Famished Apparitions. Impossibly thin with swollen bellies, and moaning for sustenance, these starving ghosts are one of the few non corporeal undead with a physical hunger. 

AC 2 [17] HD 4* (18hp), Att 1 × bite (1d6 + 2), THAC0 16 [+3], MV 120' (40’), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (4), ML 9, AL Neutral, XP 75, NA 1d4 (1d6), TT NA

• Undead: Make no noise until attacking. Immune to effects that affect living creatures (e.g. poison). Immune to mind-affecting or mind-reading.
• Mundane weapon immunity: Can only be damaged with silver or magical weapons.

Advent Ghost #17: Spirit of Contagion

 Spirit of Contagion

Whenever a disease ravages a location there's a good chance Spirits of Contagion will be created. As much a psychic collection of pain and suffering as an individual spirit, these minor ghosts manifest as an person afflicted with various diseases. During combat, they will start to lose form and begin turning into a sickly green blob covered in sores, scabs, and oozing wounds. 

AC 4 [15] HD 3* (14hp), Att 1 × fist (1d6 + disease), THAC0 17 [+2], MV 90' (30’), SV D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (3), ML 11, AL Neutral, XP 50, NA 1d6 (1d8), TT NA

• Undead: Make no noise until attacking. Immune to effects that affect living creatures (e.g. poison). Immune to mind-affecting or mind-reading.
• Disease: A Spirit of Contagion can spread diseases on a 1-in-6 with a successful attack.

Advent Ghost #16: Ghost-ridden Scroll/Ghost in the Spell

A Ghost-ridden Scroll

Sometimes a ghost is accidentally (or purposefully) transcribed into the very text of a spell. This traps the spirit until the spell is cast. If a wizard copies the spell into their spell book, the ghost is copied along with it.*

When cast for the first time, the ghost is released along with the spell. A Monster Reaction Roll is made to determine the ghost's behavior. If the PCs are in combat, the ghost could aid them on a positive roll, drift away on a neutral, or join the fight against them on a negative result of that roll.

The Ghost in the Spell

These ghosts appear as a semi-transparent human covered in magical sigils, runes, and text.

AC 2 [17] HD 6* (27 hp), Att 2 × touch (1d6) or Cast Spell, THAC0 14 [+5], MV 120' (40’), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (6), ML 9, AL Chaotic, XP 500, NA 0, TT NA 

• Undead: Make no noise until attacking. Immune to effects that affect living creatures (e.g. poison). Immune to mind-affecting or mind-reading.
• Mundane weapon immunity: only harmed by silver or magical weapons.
• Cast Spell: every other turn may cast the spell they were transcribed with. If the spell used is not one able to be used in combat, ignore.

If the spell was copied into a spell book*, what happens to the written spell when the ghosts escapes? Roll 1d8 to find out.
1-4 Ghost transcription is erased leaving just the spell.
5. Ghost transcription is erased and ruins the spell. It will have to be researched and relearned.
6. Ghost transcription is erased and the spell changes into another spell. (Randomly determined)
7. Ghost transcription is erased along with the rest of the spell.
8. Ghost transcription remains and summons a copy or the ghost every time the spell is cast.

*This might be more of a house rule thing and not RAW OSE.

Advent Ghost #15: Weapon Wraith

Weapon Wraith

Often a great warrior, dying with their favorite weapon in hand, becomes a Weapon Wraith. These spirits manifest as an independent, floating weapon. During combat the rest of the disembodied wraith will start to appear as a wispy, black funeral shroud if the area around the weapon is specifically attacked by a character (stated by the player) or area effect damage. With each hit landed in this manner, more of the body appears and the AC is adjusted as it grows easier to hit. If the just the weapon is attacked, the wraith doesn’t appear and the AC doesn’t change.

The weapon clatters to the ground when the wraith is defeated. It functions as a +1 magic weapon against the living for the next 1d6 weeks. After the allotted time, the next time the weapon is used in combat it turns into a black tendril of smoke and dissipates. 

Body part reappearing/adjusted AC
1st hit:     Right arm    +1  [-1]
2nd hit:    Torso           +2 [-2]
3rd hit:     Head           +3 [-3]     
4th hit:     Left arm      +4 [-4]

What weapon?

1-2 Short Sword

3-4 Hand Axe

5-6 Spear

7-8 Mace

9-10 Halberd

11-12 Battle Axe

13-20 Long Sword

AC 3 [16] HD 4+1* (22hp), Att 1 × weapon (1d6 or by weapon), THAC0 15 [+4], MV 120' (40’), SV D10 W11 P12 B13 S14 (Fighter 4), ML 9, AL Chaotic, XP 200, NA 1 (1), TT NA

• Undead: Make no noise until attacking. Immune to effects that affect living creatures (e.g. poison). Immune to mind-affecting or mind-reading.
• Mundane weapon immunity: Can only be damaged with silver or magical weapons.
• Damage Reduction: Takes half damage from silver weapons.

Advent Ghost #14: Mago Morto

Pat (@mountain_foot) has been taking my OSE statted ghosts and doing AD&D versions of them here on his Patreon over here: Foot of the Mountain Adventures AD&D stats of my Advent Ghost project. He offered a little assistance since I was dragging a little, and I said "sure" and was sent this entry. I'll come back around and just add some official OSE (and DCC) stats at a later point. Pat also did some awesome maps for the two adventures in the Forgotten Rites of the Moldering Dead by the way.

Mago Morto

(turned as Type 3)

Frequency: Rare 

No. Encountered: 1 

Size: M

Move: 120’

Armour Class: 9 

Hit Dice:  3-5

Attacks: 1

Damage: 1d4

Special Attacks: spell casting

Special Defences: Can only be hit by magical weapons, immune to mind-affecting spells like Charm, Sleep, etc.

Magic Resistance: Nil 

Lair Probability: 40%

Intelligence: High-Genius

Alignment: Neutral

Level/XP: varies

Name: AC 9; MV 120”; HD 3-5; hp 3-40; THAC0 17-15; #AT 1; D 1d4; SA spell casting as a 4-6 level Magic-user or Illusionist; SD Can only be hit by magical weapons, immune to mind-affecting spells like Charm, Sleep, etc.; SZ M;  Int High-Genius; AL Neutral; XP varies

Occasionally a magic-using adventurer will survive the rest of their party, only to die alone (and often in hiding) in a dungeon. (Roll a d10, on a 1-7 the mago morto will be a magic-user, on an 8-10 an illusionist.)

Their spirits remain, able to cast spells, paranoid, and defending their remains. They appear as a translucent image of themselves as they died. Their isolation and undeath leave them perceiving anyone encountered as monsters and they will attack calling for the “monsters” to die, or surrender. If the PCs attempt to parley, they may break through the mago morto’s misperception.

The ghost wants to have their remains (and treasure) taken to their heirs.  There is a 25% chance that those heirs are long dead.  If the party is able to fulfill the mago morto’s desire, it will inscribe a spell onto a scroll. This act will consume the last of its lifeforce and it will fade into the afterlife when the scroll is complete.