Revenant Spiders

Revenant Spiders are created by powerful necromancers to punish or torment their foes. The creatures are created by a necromantic ritual, whose rites are a tightly held secret. Simply discovering the ritual exists is a Superb test of magical research unless one stumbles upon a source that outlines the rite. Once discovered, comprehending and learning the ritual is a Great test of necromancy and a Great test of ritual magic. Once learned performing the ritual is a Good test of ritual magic and necromancy and requires a Good expenditure of wealth for material components. Typical components include the remains of a dozen preserved spiders impaled upon pure silver pins and mounted upon the lid of a coffin from an ancient grave, which has been inscribed with the name of the caster's chosen victim. The entire construct is then sprinkled with the ground bones of someone slain by violence. If the ritual is successful it summons forth six to twelve Revenant Spiders which immediately begin pursuit of the caster's victim.

Revenant Spiders take the form of hideous and hairy undead spiders with a leg-span of about three inches. The creatures are partially insubstantial, and seem to blend into the shadows as they scuttle forth in their never-ending search for their prey. A faint aroma of decay surrounds the creatures and a chill hangs in the air when they pass by.

Revenant Spiders have the following characteristics:

• Immunity to mundane weapons - Only magical or silver weapons can harm these insubstantial magical creatures.
• Fair regeneration - Slain spiders regenerate fully one day after they are slain unless their remains are blessed (Great test of dispel evil/necromancy).
• Legendary tracking - The creatures have a near perfect ability to locate their victim.
• Fair movement - The creatures require no rest or food, being undead. They can travel five miles per day, and have an innate ability to find transportation over or around obstacles that stand between their victim and themselves.
• Superb stealth - The spider's small size and ability to blend into shadows, makes them difficult to spot.
• Necrotic bite - Once the spiders locate their victim, they attack with a Good bite and inject a potent magical venom (Superb resistance to avoid). Once their bite is delivered, the spider collapses to dust, its mission complete.
• The Revenant Spider's bite afflicts the victim with a necrotic poison that begins to slowly consume their flesh, leaving behind rotting, stinking wounds. Each week the poison inflicts the equivalent of Good damage upon the victim, and creates another rotting wound somewhere on their person. The poison can be completely removed only with a Legendary test of dispel evil/necromancy. A Great test of healing will temporarily halt the poison. Each wound left by the poison requires a Superb test of healing to cure once the poison has been removed.

Poison's Touch

This item is a very thin ring, formed from wire-thin strands of copper, silver and gold twisted together in a random and chaotic tangle. The copper and silver strands are verdigrised and tarnished, discolorations that cannot be removed. Only the gold strands shine with any sort of luster. If examined for magical properties the ring radiates Great alteration and protection magic, and Superb poison magic. A Great test of divination is required to reveal the ring's powers, which are:

• The ring magically re-sizes itself to fit whenever it is donned. Once worn it can only be removed by the wearer.
• The wearer can command the ring to become invisible while it is worn. This ability can be used at will.
• The wearer gains a Great resistance bonus versus all forms of poison.
• Poison Touch - Thrice per day the ring grants its owner a poisonous touch attack, inflicting a poison effect on their target. The owner must touch the desired target within four rounds of invoking the power or it fades away unspent. A successful touch attack inflicts the chosen poison on the target unless they make a Great resistance check versus poison. The poison effects can be removed by magical means. The poison types are:
• Coma - The target falls into a coma-like slumber for 20 minutes, resisting all attempts to wake them.
• Death - The target takes Superb poison damage each round for ten rounds.
• Slow - Paralytic poison reduces the target's ability to act. The victim is reduced to one-third their normal actions. Lasts 20 minutes.
• Degenerate - Slow acting, wasting poison that inflicts Fair damage on the victim once per day. Lasts 30 days.

Grim Monday: Poison!

I've already talked about diseases and parasites and curses so it's time for a bit on poisons.

There are many kinds of poison, differentiated by effect and method of delivery. They can be injected (needles, darts and other weapons), ingested or inhaled (there's a reason for poison tasters after all), or absorbed by touch (especially nasty for the treasure hungry). Depending on their toxicity they can be annoying, debilitating or painful. Some are faster to act, while others take days or weeks of accumulation to show their effects. Below are a few samples. Throughout these descriptions I've used the term resist to indicate a resistance check versus the potency of the poison described. Use whatever method suits your game system.

Laris - A contact poison distilled from the seeds of a tropical vine. Laris is a sticky white liquid that dries to a shiny film when exposed to air for any significant length of time. When it comes in contact with skin the film dissolves and enters the bloodstream, causing immediate paralysis (Great resist). Effects can last 3-6 days depending on the dose received. Washing a poisoned object with a mild acid (vinegar will do), destroys the poison. Wearing gloves eliminates the threat of contact. Because it is non-lethal, long lasting, and easily removed, Laris is commonly used to protect chests, vaults and strongboxes.

Matunus - A rare ingested poison made from the fleshy caps of a common temperate mushroom combined with the mild venom of a rare snake. Matunus is a dark red powder with a faint bitter taste. A single dose has no effect, but regular ingestion causes toxins to build up in the victim's system. Each day the poison is ingested requires a resist check, beginning at Poor and increasing one rank per week so long as the poison is included in the victim's diet. Once the victim succumbs they begin to suffer from general physical weakness and dizziness, suffering a Fair penalty to all actions. This penalty increases by one rank for each week the poisoning continues. If the poison is removed from the victim's diet the penalty is reduced one rank per month as the poison slowly leeches from their system.

Cyna - A dangerous injected poison harvested from the berries of an evergreen shrub found in cold climates. Cyna is a gelatinous green liquid with a with a sharp odor. When injected into the bloodstream it immediately affects the victim's nervous system, causing uncontrollable convulsion for 1d4 rounds (Great resist). The victim will be disoriented and confused for 1d4 rounds after the convulsions end. Convulsions reoccur every 30 to 40 minutes for six to eight hours after initial exposure. There are stories that certain native tribes use Cyna mixed with a sacred herbal compound as a hallucinogen.

Urtiva - A common injected and ingested poison made from easily available plants (though the proper recipe is difficult to follow). Urtiva is a thin yellow liquid with no taste or smell. It is often called Blackout, as its primary effects when injected or ingested is to cause unconsciousness, memory loss, and temporary blindness. Victims must resist (Great) to avoid the first two effects and make a second resist (Superb) to avoid the third. Memory loss is permanent and begins two to three hours before exposure and lasts until consciousness is regained. Blindness lasts eight to ten hours after exposure. The victim will remain unconscious for two to four hours. Urtiva is often used by thieves or muggers to neutralize their victims and remove any chance they will identify their assailants.

Hambrani - An uncommon contact and inhalation poison made from the distilled pollen of a rare cold climate flower. Hambrani is a black powder or solid at cooler temperatures, but vaporizes when warmed above 80 degrees (F). Even a tiny amount will create a poison cloud 10' in diameter. Direct contact with the powder or inhaling the vapor requires an immediate resist (Superb) or begin suffering searing pains beginning at the point of contact and quickly spreading to the victim's entire body. The victim suffers Good damage each round they are exposed to the poison plus four rounds. The Hambrani "poison bomb" consists of a solid piece of the poison molded into a ball of clay. When tossed into a fire or other heat source, the expanding Hambrani splits the clay shell and poisons anyone nearby.