Agarat
by Jamie BatyAgarat
Lesser
X8 27, AC9
Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 4d12 (26 hp)
Initiative: +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armour Class: 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+6
Attack: 2 Claws +6 melee (1d4 +4)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +6 melee (1d4 +4) and bite +1 melee (1d6 +2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Scream
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron or magic, darkvision 60ft., undead traits
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +6
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 15, Con -, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 18
Skills: Balance +4, Concentration +4, Hide +4, Listen +8, Move Silently +6, Search +4, Spot +8
Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative
Environment: Any land
Organisation: Solitary, or Pack (2-5), and see below
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Advancement: 5-8 HD (Medium); 9-12 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: -
A hideous undead creature that resembles a ghoul -recognisably humanoid, but gaunt and disfigured into a creature of darkness. Its tongue is long and rough, and well adapted to scouring flesh and marrow from bones. Its teeth are long and sharp, and its nails have lengthened and strengthened into claws. The creature exudes a carrion stench like a ghast, though the ghast's odour is stronger.
Like ghouls, agarats haunt the dark places of death-graveyards, mausoleums, charnel houses, and more gruesome sites, such as the secret burial grounds of massacres. There they feed on rotting corpses. Agarats favour crude strategies to overcome their victims, or to search for carrion on which to feed. In wilderness areas or ruins, agarats are most often found amongst packs of ghouls (60% chance), with perhaps twice as many ghouls as agarats. Ghasts are sometimes in their company as well (20% chance for ld4 ghasts). In any pack, one agarat leads the others. The leader may be the oldest or the strongest-a creature that has cowed others into submission. Should this leader be slain or choose to flee, the others soon follow suit. Any ghouls in their company may not follow, however. Ghouls who stay behind occupy opponents who might otherwise pursue the agarats.
Agarats sometimes serve as the henchmen for a more powerful undead creature such as a lich or vampire, which rewards its minions with a steady supply of corpses. No one knows how these creatures came into being.
Fortunately, encounters with agarats are extremely rare now. Histories and chronicles speak of times when many more were seen-close behind wars, disease, and famine. At such times, the graveyards were packed with corpses, the agarat's food.
Combat
Agarats often lead packs of ghouls in combat with mortals. While ghoulish claws make direct attacks on tender, living flesh, the agarats hang back and scream. The baleful influence of the agarats prevents the ghouls from being turned unless the result is sufficient to turn the agarats also. The ghouls flee first.
Scream (Su): As a full action, an agarat may scream once every three rounds. All creatures within 20' of the agarat must make a Will save (DC 18, Cha based) or temporarily gain one negative level. This negative level persists for 1d4x10 rounds. Multiple scream effects are cumulative, and any creature temporarily drained of all life energy falls unconscious and cannot be awakened for 30 minutes to two hours.
Damage Reduction (Su): An agarat has Damage Reduction 5/ cold iron or
magic.
As an undead creature, the agarat possesses the following traits:
• No Constitution score.
• Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
• Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects.
• Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects.
• Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures.
• Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).
• Uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks.
• Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed.
• Not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect undead creatures. These spells turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead.
• Agarats do not breathe, eat, or sleep.
Greater
X8 27, AC9
Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 8d12 (52 hp)
Initiative: +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armour Class: 19 (+3 Dex, +6 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+9
Attack: 2 Claws +9 melee (1d6 +5)
Full Attack: 2 Claws +9 melee (1d6 +5) and bite +7 melee (1d8 +2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Paralysis, Scream, Stench
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/cold iron or magic, darkvision 60ft., turn resistance (+4), undead traits
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +8
Abilities: Str 20, Dex 17, Con -, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 20
Skills: Balance +7, Bluff +9, Climb +8, Concentration +6, Diplomacy +9, Hide +9, Intimidate +9, Jump +8, Listen +10, Move Silently +9, Search +8, Sense Motive +6, Spot +10
Feats: Dodge, Improved Initiative, Multiattack
Environment: Any land
Organisation: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Advancement: 9-16 HD (Medium); 17-24 HD (Large)
Level Adjustment: -
Very rarely encountered, the greater agarat is even more powerful than the common type. Otherwise it is very similar to its common cousin. Rumours hold that somewhere exists at least one greater agarat with the powers of a 5th-level wizard. Any group of 8 agarats is 10% likely to be led by a greater agarat. In this case, the pack also includes 2d12 ghouls and possibly 2d4 ghasts (50% likely).
Combat
A greater agarat fights in a similar manner to its common cousin. It will hang back, using its scream and stench attacks, while other ghouls, ghasts, and lesser agarats attack in melee. If the battle goes badly, a greater agarat will use the lesser undead to cover its escape.
Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by a greater agarat's bite or claw attack must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or be paralysed for 1d4+1 rounds. Even elves can be affected by this paralysis. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Scream (Su):As a full action, a greater agarat may scream once every three rounds. All creatures within 20' of the agarat must make a Will save (DC 23, Cha based) or temporarily gains two negative level. These negative levels persist for 1d4x10 rounds. Multiple scream effects are cumulative, and any creature temporarily drained of all life energy falls unconscious and cannot be awakened for 30 minutes to two hours.
Stench (Ex):The stink of death and corruption surrounding these creatures is overwhelming. Living creatures within 10 feet must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or be sickened for 1d6+4 minutes. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same agarat's stench for 24 hours. A delay poison or neutralise poison spell removes the effect from a sickened creature. Creatures with immunity to poison are unaffected, and creatures resistant to poison receive their normal bonus on their saving throws. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Damage Reduction (Su): A greater agarat has damage reduction of 10/cold iron or magic.
Turn Resistance (Ex): A greater agarat adds +4 to its hit dice total when resolving a turn, rebuke, command, or bolster attempt.
As an undead creature, the greater agarat possesses the following traits:
• No Constitution score.
• Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
• Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects.
• Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects.
• Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures.
• Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).
• Uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks.
• Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed.
• Not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect undead creatures. These spells turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead.
• Greater agarats do not breathe, eat, or sleep.