Level Up (A5E) A Leveled-Up Bestiary: Volume Two

Faolyn said:

Aaand... back.

A while ago, @DarkRainbowFiend put in a request for the sheet phantom and ghoul. I thought that we’d have to wait until we hit the Fiend Folio MCA—but it turns out that there was an Ecology of the Sheet Phantom in #276. Hope you like it!

(Or rather, Creature Codex: The Ecology of the Sheet Phantom. Why they had to change the title, I don’t know.)

In the 1e Fiend Folio, the sheet phantom is a form of wraith that just happens to look like a sheet, and is likely an undead lurker because it crawls along walls and ceilings and then drops down and suffocates their victims. 2e’s FF drops the wraith idea but keeps the undead lurker theory, and also proposes a second theory: they’re actual sheets that have absorbed the evil essence of evil people who died in bed.

In a take that! to the Fiend Folios, The Ecology of the Sheet Phantom declares the “undead lurker” theory to be utter nonsense—lurkers are far bigger than sheet phantoms, plus lurkers are found in dungeons while sheet phantoms are found in people’s homes. Instead, it uses the evil-infused sheet theory. At this point, the Ecologies were still written in the form of a story with footnotes (I hated it when they went to simple lists of dry facts), so the story it starts with a Scrooge-type old man dying in bed of a fever because he doesn’t want to spend 3 gp for medicine or a copper or two for wood for the fireplace, then returning as a sheet phantom to protect his life’s savings from a couple of burglars, one of whom he ends up possessing.

The Fiend Folios both place the emphasis on the ghouls, presumably since they’re the more actively dangerous of the pair. This article emphasizes the phantom, which I agree is where the emphasis belongs, since they’re the original, and the creepier of the two.

Sheet phantoms become ghouls by merging with a corpse—I had only skimmed through the entries before and thought that they created ghouls. Having them become the ghouls is pretty cool, though, although I have no idea if they can revert to sheet form. I’m choosing the believe they can and have included that in this write-up.

Sheet Phantom and Sheet Ghoul
Creature Codex, Dragon Magazine #276
Creature by David Wormell and Johnathan M. Richards; art by Dennis Cramer

These strange undead come in two forms: the phantom and the ghoul. The phantom looks very much like a stereotypical bedsheet ghost costume, although translucent and without the eyeholes. They move slowly, hovering just off the ground. When they attack, a pair of glowing green eyespots appear on their form—although often not where their eyes should be, as they can move them to any part of their form at will.

A sheet ghoul appears as a withered and half-rotted walking corpse, draped in cobweb-like material the forms a burial shroud and veil. Perhaps strangely, “true” ghouls and ghasts seem to hate sheet ghouls for reasons they are generally unable to vocalize.

Soaked in Evil. Sheet phantoms are created when a thoroughly nasty, cruel, and petty person dies in bed—murder, sickness, old age, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that, at the moment of their death, their soul was trapped inside their bedsheets. As a result, nearly all sheet phantoms are found within homes. In time, most of these homes become abandoned, as even though the phantom remembers its former life, its evil nature both before and after it died ensures that, as an undead, it cares nothing for anyone else it once knew. Although they’re not bound to their homes, they rarely leave them.

Smotherers. Sheet phantoms attack by smothering their prey within their cloth bodies. Many kill for the sake of killing and to revel in watching the life drain out of their victim’s eyes; they gain no actual sustenance through this act. These phantoms will kill anything that moves, including mice and other harmless pests, leaving their homes utterly barren of life. Others do so out of jealous territoriality. They view their homes as their domains and everything within as theirs and theirs alone. Anyone, resident or intruder alike, who enters is seen as a potential thief to be slain.

Phantom to Ghoul. When a sheet phantom kills a humanoid, it may wrap itself around the corpse like a shroud. Twelve hours later, the corpse rises as a sheet ghoul, as the spectral fibers of its sheet break down into cobweb-like material. This action is instinctual on the phantom’s part—they rarely seem to care what form they take, although some appreciate regaining fingers. Like other ghouls, they hunger for carrion, although they also eat fresh meat. Should its ghoul form be killed, the fibers that hang from its body will slowly coalesce once again into a sheet until it once again finds a corpse to take over.

Climate/Terrain: any climate; ruin, settlement

Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or Religion check, the characters can learn the following:

DC 10. A sheet phantom is the angry spirit of an evil-minded mortal that died in bed.

DC 15. Sheet phantoms can’t be harmed by bludgeoning weapons, although they have no particular resistance against most other types of damage. They hate sunlight and are weakened by it.

DC 20. A sheet phantom can merge with the body of a humanoid it has killed, turning it into a sheet ghoul. In this form, it is more powerful and far harder to kill. However, if it is killed and the corpse not dealt with properly, the sheet with detach and return as a phantom again.

Sheet Phantom Encounters
Challenge Rating 1-2 sheet phantom or sheet ghoul; sheet phantom or sheet ghoul with 1-2 swarms of insects; sheet phantom or sheet ghoul with 1d4 swarms of rats

Treasure: 60 gp, copper and garnet ring (25 gp), silver candlestick (25 gp), sinner’s ashes

Signs
1. Spiderwebs everywhere
2. The smell of rotting flesh and the buzzing in flies
3. A distant sound of flapping cloth, as if on a clothesline
4. The sense of being watched

Behavior
1. Draped over furniture motionlessly, disguised as a normal drop cloth
2. Crawling along the ceiling; attacks on sight
3. Wrapped around a corpse
4. In ghoul form, devouring a dead animal or person

Sheet Phantom (or Ghoul)
Medium undead; Challenge 1 (200 XP)
AC 13
HP 27 (6d8; bloodied 13)
Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 20 ft. (hover; phantom form only)

STR 15 (+2) DEX 16 (+3) CON 10 (+0)
INT 10 (+0) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 10 (+0)

Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 13
Skills Perception +2, Stealth +5
Damage Immunities acid, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, fatigue, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages understands the languages it knew in life but can’t speak

Bludgeoning Immunity (Sheet Form Only). The sheet phantom is immune to bludgeoning damage.

False Appearance (Sheet Form Only). While motionless, the sheet phantom is indistinguishable from a normal sheet.

Renewed Unlife (Ghoul Form Only). When the sheet phantom is reduced to 0 hit points, then unless the body is completely destroyed, such as by fire, the sheet will detach itself from the corpse 2d4 days later and become a sheet phantom again.

Spider Climb. The sheet phantom can use its climb speed even on difficult surfaces and upside down on ceilings.

Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the sheet phantom has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Perception checks that rely on sight, and its speeds are reduced to 10 feet.

Actions
Multiattack (Ghoul Form Only). The sheet ghoul attacks twice: once with its bite or its acid spittle and once with its claws.

Bite (Ghoul Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) acid damage

Claw (Ghoul Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) slashing damage

Acid Spittle (Ghoul Form Only). The sheet phantom targets one creature within 15 feet of it. That creature must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take 5 (1d10) acid damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

Smother (Sheet Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Large or smaller creature. Hit: 5 (1d4+3) bludgeoning damage and the target is grappled (escape DC 13). Until this grapple ends, the target is blinded, restrained, and can’t breathe. When the phantom is dealt damage while it is grappling, it takes half the damage (rounded down) and the other half is dealt to the grappled target. If the phantom takes bludgeoning damage, the grappled target takes all the damage. The phantom can only have one creature grappled at once.

If the target is a humanoid and dies from this attack, the sheet phantom wraps itself around the corpse. If left undisturbed for 12 hours, the phantom and corpse merge and it arises as a sheet ghoul.

Bonus Actions
Claw (Ghoul Form Only). The sheet phantom makes a claw attack.

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DarkRainbowFiend said:

did not expect you to return to this with a request i made of all things.

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Faolyn said:

I hope it met your expectations, though!

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Faolyn said:

So, these next guys are evil. Like, dyed-in-the-wool, kill-on-sight, irredeemably evil. OK, if you can figure out a good way to have a non-evil undeath-worshiping worm-octopus aberration, please do so. But, well, they’re not really built even for neutrality.

This is the avolakia, a creature from the Wormcrawl Fissure in Greyhawk, eventually reprinted in 3e’s Monster Manual II. They’re former servitors of Kyuss, or any god of undead or gross wormy things in your setting of choice. They’re surprisingly weak—in 3e, they worked out to be CR 10, but in Level Up, they’re only CR 5, and I had to up their Hit Dice for that.

Once again, I took a spell from Gate Pass Gazette—enervating light, from issue #15. If you don’t have it, make a rare version of mass healing word that heals undead.

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Avolakia
The Bestiary, Dragon Magazine #276
Creature by James Jacobs; art by Brian Snōddy

These worm-like entities are so foul in appearance and smell that those who are unfortunate enough to encounter one are usually left nauseated. On one end of their slimy body is a mass of sucker-covered tentacles; on the other end, a toothy maw; and between them, four pairs of twitching, insectoid, limbs, each ending in a nearly human hand. Their bite is laden with a venom that saps the will from its victims.

Servitors of Death. Where the avolakia came from originally is unknown, but their legends say that long ago, they were hand-chosen by a foul god or powerful entity of death and undeath to be its chosen ones, and thus gave them the power to create undead nearly at will. Even today, long after that god’s name has faded from everyone else’s minds, the avolakia continue to worship it. Some of their other, lesser known legends say that god is not completely gone, but sleeping or imprisoned, and when enough of the world has been slain and risen again as undead, it will once again awaken.

Unusual Tastes. Avolakia are strictly carnivorous. While they can, and will, devour both living prey and dead meat, they favor carrion. Specifically, the carrion attached to the body of a corporeal undead. Avolakia use the zombies as bodyguards and servants, but they nearly always end up as snacks sooner than later.

Shapeshifting Charmers. Avolakia are intelligent enough to know multiple languages, but their alien anatomy makes it impossible for them to speak most of them. They’re shapeshifters, however, and spend much of their time in a humanoid form, in which they can speak clearly—and magically. Their speech is laden with enchanting magics; those who hear them are charmed. They use this power to convince humanoids to join them in worship of their dark god, or sometimes simply because they want assistants and servants. To make their job easier, they often bite their victims; with their will lowered due to the avolakia’s venom, it becomes far easier to enchant them.

Climate/Terrain: temperate, subtropical, tropical; cavern, dungeon, ruin

Legends and Lore
With an Arcana check, the characters can learn the following:

DC 15. Avolakia are disgusting worm-like aberrations with the power to create and control skeletons or zombies.

DC 20. The servitors of gods of undeath, avolakia are shapeshifters that can charm people by speaking to them. They frequently have hordes of mind-controlled cultists at their beck and call.

Avolakia Encounters
Challenge Rating 5-10 1-2 avolakias; avolakia and 2 ghouls; avolakia and skeleton hordes or zombie hordes; avolakia and lich’s blood (q.v.); avolakia, 8 cultists, and 2 ghouls
Treasure: 800 gp, silver urn (250 gp), death’s essence pendant, dust of dryness, elemental gem (fire)

Challenge Rating 11-16 2 or 3 avolakias with 4 cultists; avolakia and two skeleton hordes or zombie hordes; 2 avolakias with 3 ghasts; avolakia with 2 ghasts or cult fanatics and zombie horde; 2 avolakias with 1d4+2 ghouls; avolakia, 2 cult fanatics, with 2 mummies
Treasure: 600 pp, 1,300 gp, 3 jades (500 gp each), dragontooth necklace (250 gp), +1 greatsword made of black iron named Indigo that grants 4 exertion and proficiency in the Discerning Strike maneuver, philter of love, robe of eyes, spell scroll of simulacrum

Signs
1. A trail of slime
2. Chanting; with a DC 15 Religion check, it’s prayers to a god of death and the undead
3. A legless zombie, pulling itself along on the ground
4. The stench of mold and decay

Behavior
1. Engaging in a ritual to create undead
2. Engaging in a religious ritual; about to sacrifice someone
3. In humanoid form, leading a cult gathering
4. In humanoid form, zombies or cultists to exhume a grave

Names
Drimmglurl, Ggozersi, Jachix, Ludgelelzo, Mnagtugreun

Avolakia
Large aberration; Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)
AC 15 (natural armor)
HP 90 (12d8+36; bloodied 45)
Speed 20 ft.

STR 18 (+4) DEX 16 (+3) CON 16 (+3)
INT 16 (+3) WIS 18 (+4) CHA 18 (+4)

Proficiency +3; Maneuver DC 15
Saving Throws Int +6, Con +6, Cha +7
Skills Arcana +6, Deception +9, Insight +7, Perception +7, Persuasion +6
Damage Resistances fire
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic
Condition Immunities paralysis, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages Avolakia, Common, Undercommon, 2 more

Evil. The avolakia radiates an evil aura.

Gift of Undeath (3/day). The avolakia engages in a 1-minute-long ritual while within 10 feet of a Small or Medium humanoid corpse or pile of bones. The corpse then rises as either a skeleton or a zombie. The undead is charmed by the avolakia for 1 month or until the avolakia harms it, after which it wanders off on its own.

Once per week, it can expend two uses of this ability to create a ghoul, or all three uses to create a ghast. Once per month, it can expend all three uses to create a mummy.

Innate Spellcasting. The avolakia’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: detect magic, chill touch (at 5th-level), fear, ray of enfeeblement
3/day each: enervating light

Magic Resistance. The avolakia has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Regeneration. The avolakia regains 10 hit points at the start of each of its turns. If the avolakia takes acid, fire, or lightning damage, this trait doesn’t function on its next turn. The avolakia only dies if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and doesn’t regenerate.

Slimy. The avolakia has advantage on Dexterity checks made to escape being grappled or restrained

Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8+4) piercing damage and the target must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned, the creature has disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws, and at the start of each of its turns, it takes 3 (1d6) psychic damage.

Chill Touch (Cantrip; V, S). Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (2d8) necrotic damage, and until the start of the avolakia’s next turn, the creature can’t regain hit points. It the target is undead, it makes attack rolls against the avolakia with disadvantage until the end of the avolakia’s next turn.

Ray of Enfeeblement (2nd-level; V, S). Ranged Spell Attack: +7 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: the target deals only half damage with weapon attacks that use Strength.

Charming Talk (3/day, Humanoid Form Only). The avolakia targets a creature within 60 feet that can hear it. That creature must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the avolakia for 24 hours, regarding it as a trusted friend to be headed and protected. Although it isn’t under the avolakia’s control, it takes the avolakia’s requests or actions in the most favorable way it can. The creature repeats the saving throw whenever it takes damage and at the end of each hour, and makes this roll at advantage if the avolakia is in its true form. Damage caused by the avolakia’s bite doesn’t trigger a new saving throw. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, it is immune to any avolakia’s Charming Talk for 24 hours.

Bonus Actions
Shapechange. The avolakia magically changes its form to that of any Medium or Small humanoid or to its true form. While shapechanged, its statistics, other than its size, are unchanged.

Combat
Avolakia never engage in melee combat unless they have to, preferring to send their undead minions into battle for them. They flee if reduced to 70 hit points or fewer.

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Faolyn said:

While, like many D&D plants, these things can defend themselves through physical means, it’s most interesting feature is also the one with that’s hardest to handle in-game—they drain their victim’s youth. Neither Level Up nor D&D have rules for aging

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Faolyn said:

We’re still in Greyhawk, this time around for a strange plant, the ciruja plant. While, like many D&D plants, these things can defend themselves through physical means, it’s most interesting feature is also the one with that’s hardest to handle in-game—they drain their victim’s youth. Neither Level Up nor D&D have rules for aging, although D&D3e did:

Middle Age: -1 to Str, Dex, and Con, +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.
Old Age: -2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha.
Venerable Age: -3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha

These are cumulative, so by the time you’re venerable, you have -6 to all of your physical stats and +3 to your mental ones. You know, for all the horrors in a typical D&D-style setting, it’s nice to know that the elderly apparently never develop dementia.

If you got hit by a ghost or other form of magical aging, you took the physical penalty but not the mental boost.

Since there’s no stat alterations for aging, it means that the Level Up ghost’s aging attack has no actual mechanical effect. Should this be rectified? Should rules for aging be brought back? Should ghosts be changed instead? Perhaps, if you rolled a 4 on your 1d4 × 10 roll to see how many years you age, you take a level of fatigue that can’t be removed until you’re targeted by a greater restoration. It would certainly make ghosts a lot scarier.

I didn’t include anything like that for the ciruja plant, because I didn’t want them to be scarier than a ghost, but, well, think about it.

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Ciruja Plant
The Bestiary, Dragon Magazine #276
Creature by James Jacobs; art by Brian Snōddy

Ciruja plants are a magical form of air plant that normally grows on cliff faces. Their fibrous cluster of roots are used for very slow locomotion instead of gathering nutrients from the soil. The main body of the plant consists of a grouping of narrow, sharp-edged leaves, small blue-white flowers, and bright red-orange berries. When it senses prey, a central stalk unfurls, rising to a height of about four feet in total, and a brilliant and delicate-seeming orange and yellow flower quickly blooms.

Dangerous Beauties. These plants are lovely and their flowers emit an equally lovely scent. They would be in high demand by gardeners and plant-breeders, save for the fact that they are incredibly dangerous. Like many other mobile plants, they’re carnivorous. Or rather, they don’t feed on meat so much as life, and their victims are drained of life and youth until they fall into nothing more than a heap of gritty dust.

Climate/Terrain: temperate; mountains

Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or Nature check, the characters can learn the following:

DC 15. These small plants live on life force. Those attacked by one age rapidly.

DC 20. The ciruja attack by launching a berry. When the berry hits a solid surface, it explodes into a toxic gas that can paralyze a creature who is within the area.

Ciruja Encounters
Challenge Rating 1-2 ciruja plant
Treasure: 300 sp, silver bangle (25 gp)

Signs
1-2. A withered corpse; if touched, it collapses into dirt.
3. A thin yellow haze hanging close to the ground.
4. An elderly person, too weak to travel quickly on their own. If asked, they had been a young adult just a few days ago.

Ciruja Plant
Small plant; Challenge 1 (200 XP)
AC 12
HP 26 (4d6+12; bloodied 13)
Speed 5 ft., climb 5 ft.

STR 6 (-2) DEX 14 (+2) CON 16 (+3)
INT 1 (-5) WIS 6 (-2) CHA 1 (-5)

Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 12
Skills Perception +0
Damage Immunities poison, psychic
Condition Immunities charmed, blinded, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned, stunned, unconscious
Senses tremorsense 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages —

Rooted. The ciruja plant has advantage on saving throws to avoid being knocked prone.

Actions
Multiattack. The ciruja plant makes two frond attacks.

Frond. Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 (1d6-2) slashing damage

Spit Spheroid. The ciruja plant fires a spheroid at a point up to 20 feet away, which breaks on impact, releasing a poisonous gas. Each creature within 5 feet of the spheroid must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or fall prone and be paralyzed for one minute. A creature can make a new saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. The ciruja plant has eight spheroids, and regains all expended spheroids after 24 hours.

Burrow. The ciruja plant targets a creature within 5 feet of it that is paralyzed and buries its roots into the creature, causing no damage. Each round that the ciruja remains rooted to the creature, the creature takes 5 (1d10) force damage and ages that number of years. If the creature dies because of this damage, its body turns into dust. The aging effect can be reversed with a greater restoration spell.

Combat
Ciruja plants rely on their spheroids to attack and only uses their fronds as a last resort. They are too slow to run away during battle and because of that, rarely attack if they sense that more than one creature is nearby.

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