I think I have enough Undead to choke a Balrog on my blog already – let’s change this up from the AD&D Monster Manual to something new, fresh, and DCC. Let's call it a 'fey spiritual projection' and not work like undead, exactly.
Now DCC does have a ghost entry in the Core Rulebook, and one of the special abilities is a ‘banshee scream’ … but it only does 1d4 sonic damage with a chance of deafness. That’s not very dramatic, dangerous, or stressful for what should be a rare and difficult encounter. So let’s change the monster’s attack from the DCC 1d4 damage, and also from the old AD&D ‘save or die’ to a prediction of death – a very open-ended prediction of death, but good chance a PC might fall down a well, or their Old Nan shouldn’t have walked under a ladder. And let’s make this elven specific, so if the PC’s Old Nan is named Elwendril, her odds just got a lot worse...
For the rest of the monster’s stats, let’s stick to the D&D conceit that a groaning spirit was the ghost of a female elf, but let’s file off the ‘evil’ and 'ghost' part, lean into the Elfland spirit projection part, and make it a Fey creature from beyond the veil of reality. We’ll keep the Groaning Spirit’s 7 HD, AC of 20, movement of 15” or in DCC terms 60’, immunity to non-magical weapons, a modest amount of magic resistance, a touch attack, but let’s base everything else on myth and legend.
Got any good elven funerary songs? Send them my way, to archadethered@gmail.com.
Keening Spirit
The
spirit of an elf maiden that has passed on to Elfland will sometimes return to
the mortal world, to foretell of a doom or death that will come to pass to
another elf or elf-friend. These spirits
are ethereal and insubstantial, and are often mistaken for ghosts or un-dead,
but are not exactly that, more of a projection of an elven spirit. The spirit maiden may appear in noble raiment,
or if they came to an untimely end, show the marks of their passing, whether it
be the mark of a fatal wound, the wet clothing of one who has drowned, or other
marks of their untimely crossing of the veil.
The song of
the keening spirit is haunting, beautiful, and speaks of death and loss, and
brings with it the doom that someone loved by those who hear it is marked for a
tragic end. Seeing a keening spirit is
rarely a good omen, and hearing one less so.
Keening
spirits often return to a site meaningful to them, whether it be the grave of a
loved one, a site of a fearsome battle, or the burial site of an elven artifact
– and they sing their song for whomever might be fated to hear it, and if
threatened, their touch can send any mortal into a deep slumber.
Keening
Spirit: Init +2, Atk elfland touch +3 melee (special); AC 20; HD 7d8 (32
hp); MV 60’; Act 1d20; SP elfland spirit, immune to non-magical weapon damage, incorporeal,
immune to charm sleep and paralysis, magic resistance (-2 to spell checks
directly targeting the spirit), otherworldly song; SV Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +7;
AL N.
While not strictly undead, a keening
spirit is incorporeal and can pass through solid objects, and Neutral aligned
clerics can use their Turn Unholy ability to send the spirit back to Elfland.
The touch of the keening spirit induces
drowsiness, and the victim suffers 1d3 points of Agility loss and must make a
DC 17 Will save or fall into an unnatural sleep for 1d6 hours (which can affect
elves, normally immune to such sleep effects).
Using an action, the keening spirit can
produce their otherworldly song, and all within 60’ must make a Will save –
non-elves must check against DC 12, while elves must check against DC 18. Any that fail suffer the Curse of the Keening
Spirit, suffering a -2 to Luck attributes, and while cursed all family members
of the victim suffer a further -4 to all saving throws, including roll the body
checks, until the dawn after the next full moon (1d30 days from now if unknown)
or an appropriate offering is left on an elf hill at night, or a death is
caused to the victim or their family member by the curse.
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