In 1981, TSR published the Fiend Folio, a collection of
monsters from across the pond – many of these creations were from the “Fiend
Factory” column of White Dwarf. In that tome,
many creatures that have grown to be iconic parts of D&D and OSR games. We’re going to look at the Sons of Kyuss,
created by Michael MacDonald.
In the Fiend Folio, the Sons of Kyuss were maggoty zombies,
that inflicted disease and regenerated.
Subsequent editions made them creepier and creepier, and more and more
dangerous. Dungeon Magazine towards the
end of it’s run under Paizo had an Adventure Path that heavily featured the
necromancer Kyuss and his creations, and some OSR creations rebranded the
shambling undead as the less copyright-beholden Sons of Gaxx.
I wanted these creatures for my campaign’s Barrowmaze
dungeon, but I loathe the Baskin-Robbins approach to monsters (“here are 386
flavours of undead!”). I hardly need an
4-page ecology article for each of my monsters, but I do wonder where these
might fit in, or relate to other existing monsters in my world. My thought is, since I have ghouls that are
corpses animated by ghoul serpents, and ghasts who are fully symbiotic
corpse/serpents, maybe these could be birthing creches for larval ghoul worms,
that act in unison in service to the Chaos Lord Nimuul the Unclean and the
great ghoul king Gaxx …
So, let’s make their HD 3d12, give them an AC of 12, make
them a bit swarm like with resistance to non-area attacks, a claw attack, and some
burrowing worms that do a variant of an un-dead critical hit chart result that
best mimics the original Fiend Folio disease effect. I didn’t add the zone of fear effect, I think
these creatures are plenty scary without needing a further mechanic.
I present, for your entertainment, complete with running and
screaming, the Spawn of Gaxx! Comments,
horror stories, or suggestions to change anything can be sent to archadethered@gmail.com
Spawn of Gaxx
When a ghoul serpent inhabits a corpse, it
becomes a ghoul, but sometimes that serpent gives birth to hundreds of ghoul larvae,
that consume their mother and nest within the cadaver. In large numbers, these larvae can animate a
corpse and create a hive within, growing and birthing further larvae, and
consuming each other, but also acting with a collective will, taking their host
corpse to seek out warm living creatures to further infect, feed upon, and
breed even more. These unholy creatures
are referred to as the Spawn of Gaxx.
These creatures appear as zombies, but with fleshy
white larvae with human-like features extending from eye sockets, nostrils, mouths,
and gashes in the skin, and their flesh can be seen to undulate as countless
creatures writhe beneath the surface.
Spawn of Gaxx can be found individually or
in clutches of 3d4, or in the company of ghouls or ghasts which they seem to be
able to communicate with.
Spawn of Gaxx: Init
+0; Atk claw +2 melee (1d3+1 plus necrotic larvae); AC 12; HD 3d12 (20 hp); MV 25’;
Act 1d20; SP un-dead, half damage from non-area attacks, necrotic larvae, regeneration;
SV Fort +4, Ref +0, Will +2; AL C.
Spawn of Gaxx take half damage from non-area attacks (axes and swords do
little to destroy the ghoulish larvae, but a fireball or thrown holy water flask
is far more effective.
They are un-dead, and thus can be turned by clerics. They do not eat, drink, or breathe, and are
immune to critical hits, disease, and poison. As un-dead, they are immune to sleep, charm, and hold spells, as well as other mental effects and cold
damage.
If the un-dead can strike or touch a living creature, their infesting
larvae feed on flesh and blood, and the host body gains the ability to regenerate 1 hp
per round and the end of each round for the next minute, unless they are
reduced to 0 hp. Damage from holy water
or fire cannot be regenerated.
When struck by a Spawn of Gaxx, it is possible that some of the larvae
within the creature end up on their foe, greedily burrowing and seeking living
flesh that rots under their touch. Any claw
attack that strikes requires the victim to make a DC 8 Fortitude save or take 1d3
additional hp damage and 1d3 temporary Stamina loss as their flesh decays, and the
victim must make further Fortitude saves every morning until magical healing is
received to cure this affliction. Victims
who are reduced to 0 Stamina become a breeding ground for larvae, and rise as newly
created Spawn of Gaxx.
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