Grim Monday: Mudmen

These degenerate elemental creatures inhabit swamps, mud flats, marshes and sewers, anywhere there are large areas of mud and a steady source of water to maintain their elemental form. They are vaguely humanoid in form though capable of changing shape when in their native element. They move with easy through muddy terrain, passing through wet earth as if it were air.

Though elemental in nature Mudmen require regular infusions of life energy from living creatures to survive. Those that do not feed regularly eventually revert to the water and soil that gives them form. Mudmen can manipulate earth and water and use this ability to create solid seeming causeways leading to quicksand pools or open water channels that vanish behind travelers, leaving them stranded in a gooey pools. They also possess the ability to use Fair illusion magic, which allows them to create obscuring mists and phantasmal lights, luring the unwary to their demise. Indeed many reports of willow-wisps may be nothing more than lures created by Mudmen seeking new victims.

Mudmen avoid direct physical combat, preferring to snare their victims without hope of escape and feed upon their fading life force. If forced to do battle they can attack with Fair bludgeoning attacks, but their favorite tactic is to lure their foe into a muddy area, then alter the earth beneath them to quicksand and drag them beneath the surface.

Mudmen characteristics:

• Fair toughness and bludgeoning attack.
• Fair illusion magic used to lure victims and obscure traps.
• Good elemental magic, able to control earth and water.
• Good snaring / trapping skills using earth and water based traps.
• Superb immunity to earth and water based attacks.
• Poor resistance to fire based attacks.

And yes, I do know there are Mud-men in the AD&D Monster Manual II.