Forlorn Child

Small undead (revnant), neutral evil

Armor Class 15
Hit Points 26 (4d6+12)
Speed 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
11 (+0) 18 (+4) 16 (+3) 3 (-4) 16 (+3) 18 (+4)

Saving Throws Dexterity+6
Skills Deception +6, Stealth +6
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhausted, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages none
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Special Traits

  • Disease. A forlorn child’s bite carries disease. On any successful bite attack, the target must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution save or become infected. On a successful save, the target is immune to the disease of that particular forlorn child for 24 hours. Every time an infected character finishes a long rest, the character’s hit point maximum is reduced by 1 hit point for each day of the disease. That is, 1 hit point after the first long rest, another 2 hit points after the second (for a total of 3), 3 hit points after the third (for a total of 6), and so forth. In addition, so long as the infection remains, the character suffers one level of exhaustion. This loss of maximum hit points, and this level of exhaustion, cannot be cured by any means while the character still has the disease. Once the disease is cured-through magic or successful saving throws-both the level of exhaustion and the reduction in maximum hit points can be removed with a long rest. Infected characters may make an additional saving throw each day, after the prior effects are applied, to shake off the disease and heal naturally. Pre-adolescent children suffer disadvantage on this saving throw.
  • Woeful. When a forlorn child causes damage to a living target with an attack, that target must also attempt a DC 13 Woe saving throw. The target takes 1d4 spiritual damage on a failed saving throw, or half as much (minimum 1) on a successful saving throw. Preadolescent children have disadvantage on this saving throw and take double spiritual damage from attacks by a forlorn child. Once a specific target has taken spiritual damage due to this trait, it is immune to further spiritual damage from this particular forlorn child for 24 hours.

Actions

  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) slashing damage, plus disease.

About

A sweet little child is weeping in the streets. Surely you can spare a moment to help? Only the corpses of the young can become forlorn children. Most were themselves killed by other forlorn children, but any child who rises as undead might spontaneously become one of these horrid creatures.

Beautiful and Sad. Forlorn children appear to be living creatures in most respects. Their bodies look healthy and supple, showing no sign of whatever illness or injury killed them. Only one thing reveals a forlorn child’s lack of life: Forlorn children are always found weeping, with their little hands over their closed, tear-streaked eyes. They wait until someone approaches, perhaps to comfort them, and once their kindly prey has touched them, they look up and open their eyes. The eyes of a forlorn child are dark pits into an unknown void; empty, gaping holes in a child’s tear-streaked face. As soon as those eyes are revealed, the forlorn child springs to attack.

Disease Vectors. A forlorn child carries illness of a type that hits hardest on little children. Most adolescents and adults can shake off the disease like a bad flu or a mild pox, but infected children usually die within a week of the bite, in terrible pain and often rising as forlorn children themselves within mere seconds of death. When a forlorn child ravages a community’s children, many parents fall victim a week later, when their own children rise.

Vicious. Forlorn children possess only an animal intelligence, responding not at all to language, nor to familiar faces and voices. When not luring in prey with their childlike weeping, they are savage and quick, wily and cruel. They use their small size to great advantage, ducking under obstacles and hiding to stalk victims, or squeezing through tight spaces to flee from threats. Despite a lifelike sense of self-preservation, however, forlorn children never wait more than a few hours before resuming their weeping “bait” demeanor in order to attack a new victim.

Undead Nature. A forlorn child doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

The Lost Citadel Ropleplaying, Copyright 2020, Green Ronin Publishing, LLC; Authors Keith Baker, Natania Barron, Jaym Gates, Jesse Heinig, Rhiannon Louve, Ari Marmell, Malcolm Sheppard, and C.A. Suleiman.