Cadaver

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Medium undead, chaotic evil

Armor Class 12
Hit Points 22 (4d8 + 4)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
13 (+1) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 2 (–4) 10 (+0) 10 (+0)

Damage Immunities cold, poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands the languages it knew if life but can’t speak
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Special Traits

  • Reanimation. When reduced to 0 hit points, the cadaver falls inert and begins the process of reanimating. While in this state, the cadaver regenerates 1 hit point at the start of its turn. Hit points lost to magical weapons or radiant damage are not regained. When the creature reaches its full hit point total, less any magical weapon or radiant damage suffered, it rises, ready to fight again. A fallen cadaver can be prevented from reanimating by salting and burning the bones, casting gentle repose on it, or bathing the bones in cleansing sacred flame.

Actions

  • Multiattack. The cadaver makes one bite attack and two claw attacks.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw against disease or become poisoned until the disease is cured. Every 24 hours that elapse, the target must repeat the saving throw, reducing its hit point maximum by 5 (1d10) on a failure. The disease is cured on a success. The target dies if the disease reduces its hit point maximum to 0. This reduction to the target’s hit point maximum lasts until the disease is cured.
  • Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) slashing damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw against disease or become poisoned until the disease is cured. Every 24 hours that elapse, the target must repeat the saving throw, reducing its hit point maximum by 5 (1d10) on a failure. The disease is cured on a success. The target dies if the disease reduces its hit point maximum to 0. This reduction to the target’s hit point maximum lasts until the disease is cured.

About

This monster resembles a humanoid dressed in tattered rags. Rotted flesh reveals corded muscles and sinew stretched tightly over its skeleton.

Hollow eye sockets flicker with a hellish glow. Broken and rotted teeth line its mouth, and its hands end in wicked claws.

Cadavers are the undead skeletal remains of people who have been buried alive or given an improper burial (an unmarked grave or mass grave for example). They can be found haunting graveyards and cemeteries.

Cadavers are infused with a hatred that rivals many other undead creatures. This hatred includes its own existence as well as the existence of all living creatures. Thus, the cadaver attacks all creatures it encounters. They have a distinct hatred for light, but it does not damage them. All encounters with cadavers are at night or places cloaked in darkness. Encounters are most often with a solitary creature. Multiple cadavers do not work in concert with each other; being mindless they simply charge into combat, killing all creatures they can. Cadavers are sometimes found in the employ of greater undead (such as wights or ghasts).

A cadaver attacks by raking with its filthy claws or biting with its sharp, disease-infested teeth. They often lie in shallow graves waiting for potential victims to wander too close, when they immediately spring to the attack, raking and biting until destroyed or until all foes are dead.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Horrors © 2018, Frog God Games, LLC; Authors: Kevin Baase, Erica Balsley, John “Pexx” Barnhouse, Christopher Bishop, Casey Christofferson, Jim Collura, Andrea Costantini, Jayson ‘Rocky’ Gardner, Zach Glazar, Meghan Greene, Scott Greene, Lance Hawvermale, Travis Hawvermale, Ian S. Johnston, Bill Kenower, Patrick Lawinger, Rhiannon Louve, Ian McGarty, Edwin Nagy, James Patterson, Nathan Paul, Patrick N. Pilgrim, Clark Peterson, Anthony Pryor, Greg Ragland, Robert Schwalb, G. Scott Swift, Greg A. Vaughan, and Bill Webb

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