Spirit, Druj
by Jamie BatyCO, RC 207
Diminutive Undead
Hit Dice: 14d12 (91 hp)
Initiative: +8 (+4 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)
Speed: fly 30 ft. (perfect)
Armour Class: 24 (+4 Dex, +6 natural, +4 size), touch 18, flat-footed 20
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/-5
Attack: Hand +11 melee (1d4 + poison)/Eye +11 melee (0 + poison)/Skull +11 melee (2d4 +poison)
Full Attack: Hand +11 melee (1d4 + poison) / Eye +11 melee (0 + poison) / Skull +11 melee (2d4 +poison)
Space/Reach: 1 ft. /0 ft.
Special Attacks: death's grasp, spirit's gaze, skull fright, poisonous aura, poison touch, split essence
Special Qualities: Blindsight 60 ft, spell-like abilities, spell immunity, undead traits, daylight powerlessness, DR 15/magic
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +13
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 19, Con -, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 22
Skills: Hide +28*, Intimidate +28, Listen +14, Move Silently +16, Search +8, Spot +14
Feats: Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Spell Focus (necromancy), Quicken spell-like ability (animate dead)
Environment: Any Land
Organisation: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 11
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: 15-28 HD (Diminutive); 29-43 HD (Tiny)
Level Adjustment: -
A pale eye floats near a flying skull, below it a hand floats. They appear decayed but somehow seem filled with malevolent intelligence.
Druj appear as body parts-a hand, an eye, or a skull -floating or crawling around in a horrible way. They have a pale, decayed appearance and often emit a sickly green, blue, or purple glow.
Druj are solitary wanderers, though they may be found in the company of ld6 of its victims. They usually carry no treasure but occasionally serve as guardians for special items or hoards. Also, a druj's previous victims, if present might carry treasure. Druj are always encountered singly unless commanded by powerful lich, evil priest, or similar evil power. In such case, two druj eyes might rest within a druj skull, accompanied by two druj hands. No more than these five druj can ever be found in one place, and smaller groups (a druj skull with one druj eye, for example) are much more likely.
Like most undead, these spirits hate life and ruthlessly seek to destroy it whenever possible. It may be that druj gain sustenance from the life forces of the creatures they slay, but hunger clearly is not their only motivation. As destructive as they are, spirits usually move on before they can cause any great local impact. Should one decide to settle down, however, the effects are disastrous, as a druj tends to kill everything in its vicinity.
Combat
Unless noted otherwise, the druj's caster level for special abilities and attacks is 16. Druj frequently use their animate dead ability to turn victims they have slain into zombies, which the spirit uses to defend itself and to harass enemies. The zombies under its control can be turned by clerics and paladins, but they have a +4 bonus to resist turning. When the druj splits, its spellcasting form will often hang back to use its abilities, while its other parts attack in melee.
Daylight Powerlessness (Su): The druj is almost totally powerless during the daylight hours. It cannot use any spell like ability, attack or animate dead. It usually moves without rest during the day, covering up to 24 miles. The druj does not have an aura while affected by daylight powerlessness.
Spirit's Gaze (Su): Once each round as a free action, an eye druj may gaze at an opponent. The victim must make a successful Fortitude saving throw (DC 28, Cha based) or be paralysed for 1d4 rounds. This attack has a range of 30 feet, and the victim need not meet the druj's gaze to be affected.
Death's Grasp (Su): When a hand druj successfully attacks a target, it inflicts normal damage and latches onto the target. Each subsequent round the hand druj automatically inflicts 1d4 + (10- the targets armour bonus) in damage to the target.
Skull Fright (Su): When a target is first attacked by a skull druj, the victim must make a successful Will saving throw (DC 28, Cha based) or be frozen with fright for one round. The skull druj can automatically bite a frozen victim.
Poisonous Aura (Su): The druj's aura is extremely destructive to its environment. It emanates to a range of 30' around the creature. All food and water (even holy water, oils, salves and potions) immediately spoil and become useless. Living plants and normal insects within the poison radius become immediately paralysed and die if the druj remains in the area for more than an hour. This aura negates all forms of plant control (including the entangle spell) and all insect plagues (summoned or natural).
Poison Touch (Ex): the druj's touch is poisonous to the living. Primary and secondary 2d6 con, save DC 17 (based on HD only).
Split Essence (Ex): Once a night, a druj can split its essence, creating four identical forms. Each of these forms is poisonous, and each can attack separately; however, only one retains the druj's spell-like powers. Should the spell-casting form be destroyed, one of the surviving forms immediately gains all the druj's spell-like abilities. Only destroying all four forms will defeat the creature. The first time a druj is successfully turned by a cleric or paladin, the druj's forms are forced to reunite into one creature and remain that way for ld4+1 rounds, after which it may split again. If turned before the split, the druj must wait 1d4+1 rounds before splitting. Additional turn attempts resolve normally.
Blindsight (Ex): Druj have blindsight out to 60 ft.
Spell Immunity (Ex): Druj are unaffected by spells lower than 4th level.
Spell Like Abilities (Sp): (at will) darkness, silence, contagion, animate dead, slay living. The druj can animate undead once per round as a free action, in addition to all other actions. Save DC is 10+ spell level+ cha modifiers, +6 DC for contagion and slay living.
As an undead creature, the druj 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.
• Druj do not breathe, eat, or sleep.
Skills: The druj has a +12 bonus to all hide skill checks (this is included above).