Nightmare Fuel - Ghoul Head

Herein are gathered all the threads about those creatures that stalk our nightmares and against whom are characters must battle!
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Go0gleplex
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Nightmare Fuel - Ghoul Head

Post by Go0gleplex »

Based on a critter I came across in one of the translated Light Novels I've been reading. Thought it would make good nightmare fuel for PCs. The second set of XP is for its Mad Head form.

Ghoul Head

No. Appearing: 1 or 1-3
Size: Large (7’-9’ tall)
Hit Dice: 3d12
Move: 30’ / 10’ Climb
Armor Class: 16
Attack: Bite (2d4), 2x Claw (1d4+3)
Special: Command, Consume, Cursed Breath, Evolution, Fear, Paralysis, Weapon Immunity (full)
Saves: Physical
Int: Average
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Type: Undead (Uncommon)
Treasure: 4
XP: 140+3/780+6

Physical Description
Attributes (Str/Dex/Con/Int/Wis/Cha): 18/10/18/9/9/3
The Ghoul Head is an uncommon form of undead that is theorized to have been created by infernal means from the corpses of giants. This foul creature has the appearance of a very large version of a ghoul’s head approximately seven to nine feet tall sprouting long misshapen muscular arms with filth crusted claws from just between its jawbone and ears and sturdy stubby muscular legs with filth crusted feet from where the neck would normally meet the torso if the creature had a torso of giant-size. The eyes are those of a dead thing, the whites yellowed and withered and the irises a milky blue-white, the tip of its nose typically partially rotted away, and its teeth broken and decayed from all the filth and bits of rotting flesh stuck between them.
Environment Found
Ghoul Heads are typically found wandering through old forgotten burial grounds, tombs, and battlefields. They are rarely encountered in other locations but it does happen. Like most undead, they avoid holy and sanctified sites and are mostly nocturnal, being adverse to sunlight.

Combat Tactics
Ghoul Heads will almost always be in the company of 2-20 common undead, typically skeletons and zombies that they have raised. These undead minions are under the full command of the Ghoul Head, serving as both shock troops and means of healing. When entering battle, it will send its minions in first and follow up behind them, only entering into battle itself once the enemies have been weakened or if it is forced to.
Once in combat, it will use its claws to attack or pull paralyzed enemies into its mouth to bite them. It will use its Cursed Breath to raise any dead in the area of effect to bolster its ranks. Should it be damaged in combat but not killed, it will begin grabbing and consuming its undead minions.
Life Cycle
Ghoul Heads are created by greater daemons from the infernal planes and sent to the Prime to create havoc, fear, and destruction. They exist only to kill the living.
Diet Preferences
Ghoul Head’s are carnivorous and will consume any meat, living or dead that they can get their claws onto.
Treasure Habits
Ghoul Heads will collect the treasure of those they kill or those that they raise from death, storing it in a prominent location to lure fresh victims into their territory. While intelligent, they will not use any the items that are included in this pile of plunder.

ABILITIES:
Command – Ghoul Heads are able to completely command up to fifty lesser undead that they have created. Undead under this command have a +4 bonus to resist Turn Undead attempts made by the living.
Consume – Ghoul Heads are able to heal twice the hit dice value of any lesser undead they consume. It takes the Ghoul Head one round to eat one man-sized victim or two small-sized victims.
Cursed Breath – Ghoul Heads are able breath out a twenty foot wide, fifty foot long, and ten foot high cloud of blackish-green vapor once every hour. Any living being within this cloud must save vs poison of become incapacitated due to extreme nausea and weakness for 2-4 minutes after they escape the area of effect. If any corpses are buried within the area affected by the cloud or laying upon the ground itself, they will rise as either skeletons or zombies on the next turn under the full command of the Ghoul Head.
Evolution – Ghoul Heads that have been damaged will begin to consume their own minions. Once they have eaten ten hit dice worth of lesser undead this ability will be primed and ready to activate. Should the Ghoul Head be slain by any means that does not utterly destroy its physical body, the body will begin emitting a corrosive red mist one round later. On the following round (two rounds after defeat) the Ghoul Head will grow to twice its former size and turn a crimson red color as it rises once again at TWICE its former power (All MV, HD, hp, and Attack DMG values are doubled and its AC is increased to 20) in a berserker state. This evolved form is referred to as a Mad Head and it will rampage until destroyed.
This evolution may be prevented by either preventing it from eating enough minions to prime itself, burning the body to ashes by means of spells, or dousing the creature with two pints of holy water prior to its death. Once the evolution has began, it cannot be stopped.
Fear – Ghoul Heads are terrifying to look at and any creature with hit dice/levels less than the Ghoul Head is required to make a saving throw vs Fear or suffer the same effects as if under the spell by that name.
Paralysis – Ghoul Heads have the same paralyzing touch capabilities as Ghouls.
Weapon Immunity (full) – Due to the infernal nature of their creation, Ghoul Heads suffer no damage from weapons that are non-magical, not silver, or not blessed (holy) in nature. Blessed (holy) weapons will actually do double damage to the Ghoul Head.
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Lurker
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Re: Nightmare Fuel - Ghoul Head

Post by Lurker »

nice thanks for sharing
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

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