Monster Geographica - Marsh & Aquatic.pdf - The Secrets of the ...

8
Lost Sailors
Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 8d12 (52 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), swim 40 ft. (8
squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural), touch
12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+12
Attack: Scimitar +8 melee (1d6+4/18-20) or
slam +8 melee (1d4+4)
Full Attack: Scimitar +8 melee (ld6+4/l8-20)
or slam +8 melee (1d4+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft
Special Attacks: Drag, drown
This being is dressed like a sailor, but its
clothes are worn and tattered. Its eyes are lifeless
and his skin is pallid. It smells of saltwater and fresh
earth and wields a weathered scimitar.
Lost sailors are a rare form of undead created
from seafarers who died far from their beloved ocean.
These seafarers could not rest in death and crawl out
of their graves to reach the sea. They usually only rise
when buried within a handful of miles of the ocean,
as they still feel robbed of it in death.
Once they reach the sea, lost sailors remain
near the coast. Armed with whatever weapons they
were buried with, they lurk in the water just off shore
and attack small groups that come near, attempting
to drag off one victim to drown in the surf. These
undead mariners are nocturnal and spend their days
underwater, hidden beneath rocks or in kelp beds.
They attack those who stumble upon their daytime
hiding places.
The bones of this undead creature are sometimes
used to make bone compasses. Doing so reduces the
cost of making the bone compass by 500 gp.
Combat
The lost sailors’ goal in combat is to drown
their foes, preferably while they are still conscious
enough to struggle. They lie in wait in the water, and
then surge forth to attack an unfortunate victim who
has wandered by. If possible, the lost sailor merely
grapples a victim and drags it into the sea, holding
it underwater until it drowns. If the target cannot
be grappled, the lost sailor beats the victim into
submission and then drowns the person. If more than
one target is present, the undead mariner tries to drag
them off one at a time, ignoring the others unless
someone does significant damage to it in an attack.
Another favored tactic is to ambush people
sleeping near the beach and drag them silently
into the surf. When setting the ambush the lost
152
Special Qualities: +4 turn resistance, damage
reduction 10/slashing, darkvision 60 ft., final
burial, undead traits
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +7
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 14, Con - , Int 6, Wis
12, Cha 3
Skills: Hide +9, Move Silently +9, Listen +7,
Spot +7, Swim +12 (2 at 11)
Feats: Improved Grapple, Improved Trip B ,
Improved Unarmed Strike, Stealthy
Environment: Any aquatic
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Advancement: –
Level Adjustment: –
sailor ventures up to 1,000 yards from the sea, but
moves no farther. A lost sailor seeking victims in
this manner enters settlements and buildings to find
them, avoiding lighted areas and striking at remote
structures. The creature tries to obtain as many
victims as possible when attacking like this, only
stopping when the sun rises.
Drag (Ex): A lost sailor can move at its full
speed by winning an opposed grapple check.
Drown (Ex): Once a lost sailor drags a victim
to the water, it submerges. A victim who remains
grappled is unable to breathe and begins drowning.
Final Burial (Su): If a lost sailor is reduced
to 0 hp it turns into a pile of bones and rotted flesh.
Unless these remains are buried at sea, the lost sailor
reanimates on the next full moon.
Skills: A lost sailor has a +8 racial bonus on
any Swim check to perform some special action or
avoid a hazard. It can always can choose to take 10
on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered.
It can use the run action while swimming, provided
it swims in a straight line.
Bone Compass: Created from the bones of a
sentient being that died at sea, a bone compass warns
sailors of approaching deadly peril by pointing
away from danger. These look much like ordinary
compasses, but the needle is made of a fragment
of bone. The bone compass only detects dangers
caused by weather, terrain, or sea-dwelling creatures
and only detects threats to the ship as a whole. This
occurs one minute before the source of danger is
encountered (if a creature) or one hour (if the hazard
is terrain or weather). The bone compass may not
actually help its bearer avoid danger, but at least it
provides warning. Despite the obvious value of bone
compasses, sailors consider them bad luck because
of the grisly nature of their creation.
Faint divination; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous
Item, augury; Market Price: 5,000 gp; Weight: 1lb.