Necrophage Slasher (Afflicted Peasant)

Family: Necrophage

Medium monstrosity, neutral evil

Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
Hit Points 18 (3d8+3)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
12 (+1)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)	1 (-5)	10 (+0)	6 (-2)

Saving Throws Wis +2
Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, slashing
Damage Immunities cold, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, poisoned, exhaustion
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages none
Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2

SPECIAL TRAITS

• From the Void. The necrophage is inured to the blackness of the void. Any necrophage creature does not need to eat, sleep, drink or breathe. Additionally, they are not subject to environmental hazards of being in the void with the exception of a lack of gravity.
• Limb Weakness. If the necrophage is subject to a critical hit, it loses a limb, the limb lost can be randomly determined or chosen by the GM. If it loses a leg, it could cause the creature to become prone or if an attacking limb is severed, it loses one of its attacks. An attacker can also make a targeted attack against a limb of the necrophage. This targeted attack has disadvantage and cannot be made if disadvantage is already imposed on the attack. If the necrophage is hit by a critical or a targeted attack, it bypasses their resistances.

ACTIONS

• Scythe Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) slashing damage.

ABOUT

The necrophage slasher is the most common of the necrophage abomination forms. It twists the form of the host creature, making it stronger and heartier than before and forms out of its back two scythe-like bone-blade appendages. The only purpose of these creatures is to kill.

The necrophage is not undead, the necrophage is not a disease. The necrophage is a living organism that infests corpses, reconstitutes the organic material into new forms that it uses to kill more host creatures to continue to grow and expand. The forms the necrophage-infested bodies take are visceral, twisted horrors of their former selves. It can also form small discreet creatures out of the biological material it has subsumed. The necrophage is controlled and originally created by a insidious, psychic artifact found deep in the void. No one yet has been able to discern where the artifact came from, why it was created, or by whom. Some say, especially the fanatic cults that have grown up around its influence, that it created itself as a manifestation of the universe’ s need to ascend to a higher, singular being. In either case, its goals and actions involve adding more biological material under its control and creating more unused biological material for it to take.

The artifact itself can infest the minds of living creatures nearby and slowly corrupt their minds and bodies, eventually turning them into a new necrophage creature. The artifact has little control over the exact form the necrophage takes, but it is usually efficient at its particular job.

The artifact is intelligent, it schemes, it corrupts, and it finds the most effective way to safely get more material.

Creating Necrophage Slashers

The necrophage will take over and manipulate the bodies of any corporeal creature. To make other necrophage slashers, remove all skill, weapon, and saving throw proficiencies, special abilities, resistances, weaknesses, immunities and languages. Then add the following:

• +2 natural armor AC
• +2d8 Hit Die and Hit Points.
• +2 Strength, +2 Constitution, -4 Charisma, set Intelligence to 1
• Wisdom saving throw proficiency
• The damage resistances, damage immunities, and condition immunities above
• Darkvision 60 ft. if the base creature did not have it already
• From the Void and Limb Weakness from above
• A Scythe Claw attack, 1d6 melee but increase the die for larger creatures (Proficient)
• Proficiency Bonus and Challenge stay the same (minimum 1/2), change type to monstrosity.