Monster Manual V

SKULL LORD160SPECTRAL RIDERThe figure approaching you appears as an aged knight clad inornamental full plate, but the images and crests on his armor aretwisted and malformed. A prancing lion is misshapen and sproutsfiendish bat’s wings, and a floral coat of arms has become a twistedmass of rotting black vines. In a skull-like face, the knight’s eyesburn with a cold, unholy light.Spectral Rider CR 6Usually LE Medium undeadInit +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +2, Spot +10Aura desecration (30 ft.), magic circle against good (10 ft.)Languages Common, InfernalAC 19, touch 11, flat-footed 18; 23, touch 15, flat-footed 22using ghost shift(+1 Dex, +8 armor, +4 deflection using ghost shift)hp 45 (7 HD); DR 10/bludgeoningImmune cold, undead immunitiesFort +2, Ref +4, Will +7Speed 20 ft. (4 squares) in full plate, base speed 30 ft.Melee longsword +8 (1d8+6/19–20) orMelee defiling touch +7 (1d6+4)Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.Base Atk +3; Grp +7Atk Options Mounted Combat, Power Attack, smite good1/day (+4 attack, +7 damage), unholy strikeSpecial Actions phantom steed, shroud of living daysAbilities Str 18, Dex 14, Con —, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 19SA defiling touch, phantom steed, smite good, shroud ofliving days, unholy strikeSQ undead traitsFeats Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Weapon Focus(longsword)Skills Bluff +12, Diplomacy +14, Disguise +12 (+14 acting),Intimidate +16, Listen +2, Ride +10, Spot +10Advancement 8–20 HD (Medium)Possessions full plate, longswordDesecration Aura (Su) As the desecrate spell; continuous;caster level 7th. This aura also causes holy symbols ofgood-aligned deities to dissolve into an acidic spray ofnoxious gas. Attended holy symbols are allowed a DC 17Will save against this effect. Anyone within 5 feet of anaffected holy symbol takes 1d6 points of acid damage.Magic Circle Against Good (Su) As the magic circle againstgood spell; continuous; caster level 7th. A spectral rider’smagic circle is continuously active but can be suppressedby dispel magic. The spectral rider can activate it again asa free action on its next turn.Ghost Shift (Su) A spectral rider and its equipment canbecome incorporeal as an immediate action when itmoves. It becomes corporeal at the end of its move.When incorporeal, a spectral rider gains a +4 deflectionbonus to AC due to its Charisma bonus, but it doesn’tlose its armor bonus to AC.Defiling Touch (Su) A spectral rider that hits a target with amelee touch attack deals damage equal to 1d6 points +its Cha bonus.Unholy Strike (Su) A spectral rider’s touch and any weapon itwields deals an extra 2d6 points of damage against goodcreatures.Phantom Steed (Su) As the phantom steed spell; at will;caster level 7th. A spectral rider can use this ability as aswift action. Its steed also becomes incorporeal when aspectral rider uses its ghost shift ability.Shroud of Living Days (Su) At will, a spectral rider can appearas it did in life. This is an illusion, but only true seeingreveals the spectral rider’s hideous undead form.Spectral riders act as elite bodyguards and retainers to theirskull lord masters.Strategies and TacticsIn combat, spectral riders prefer to let lesser undead minionsgo before them. They then often summon their phantomsteeds and charge while incorporeal into the back ranks of theenemy to attack spellcasters. However, spectral riders targetpaladins and divine spellcasters who are obviously goodalignedfirst in any fray. Their contempt for such opponentsis extreme, as is their fear of the power these foes bring tobear against evil creatures and undead.Whether engaging single foes or small groups, spectralriders delight in deceit and betrayal. They use their shroudof living days ability to approach, then offer a hand in friendship,subsequently attacking with their defiling touch. Oncemelee is joined, spectral riders lay into opponents—they savesmite attacks for the most powerful good characters.Sample EncounterEach spectral rider is born of particular circumstances, andencounters with a rider can play into an extensive back story.Due to the method of a rider’s creation, instances when morethan one appears are rare.Fallen Champion (EL 6): Sir Drevamor Tain was oneof the most famed knights of his day. A vision of youth,strength, and beauty, Tain was cut down in the early days ofhis adventuring career. But his example inspired his sons tobecome the finest knights of the realm.Now, three hundred years later, a skull lord has defiledSir Drevamor’s tomb and raised the long-dead knight as aspectral rider. Tain patrols the region his family protectedfor generations, his true nature concealed by his shroud ofliving days. The common folk believe Tain to be a hero cometo fight the evil sweeping across their land. Sadly for them,the spectral rider plans to deliver as many innocent victimsas possible to the skull lord.EcologySpectral riders are knights of the skull lords. Blackguardsand evil knights are the individuals who most commonlybecome spectral riders after death. However, even the holiestof paladins can be polluted by foul necromantic magicand twisted into these dark warriors. The rituals that createa spectral rider involve unspeakable desecrations of thecorpse. In the case of paladins or holy knights, deception isused to lure the spirit back to its body, binding a pure soulto tainted dead flesh.Environment: Spectral riders serve at their master’s pleasure,and they go where they are sent. If freed from service,spectral riders haunt their ancestral lands or the place wherethey were slain, spreading evil and death wherever they go.