Ichor Ghoul (Dread Codex Monster)

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	Ichor Ghoul
Size/Type:	Medium Undead
Hit Dice:	6d12 (39 hp)
Initiative:	+2
Speed:	30 ft.
Armor Class:	17 (+2 Dex, +5 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple:	+3/+5
Attack:	Bite +5 melee (1d8+2 plus paralysis and poison) or spit +5 ranged touch (poison)
Full Attack:	Bite +5 melee (1d8+2 plus paralysis and poison) and 2 claws +0 melee (1d4+1 plus paralysis) or spit +5 ranged touch (poison)
Space/Reach:	5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks:	Death Spray, Ghoul Fever, Paralysis, Poison
Special Qualities:	Damage Reduction 5/silver, Darkvision 60 Ft, Turn Resistance +2, Undead Traits
Saves:	Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +7
Abilities:	Str 15, Dex 15, Con —, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 14
Skills:	Balance +8, Climb +11, Hide +11, Jump +9, Move Silently +11, Spot +9
Feats:	Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack
Environment:	Any land or underground
Organization:	Solitary, pair, gang (3-4), or pack (5-12)
Challenge Rating:	5
Treasure:	None
Alignment:	Always chaotic evil
Advancement:	7-12 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment:	—

A dirty white humanoid stares at you with oozing eye sockets pitted with a greenish glow. Rotting black teeth and stringy hair are its most handsome features when you compare it to the dozens of boils and pussy blisters across its form.

Created to spread disease and general revulsion, the ichor ghoul can be found in any environment where living creatures dwell. Ichor ghouls are found infrequently on their own. They are most often acting on the directives of their creator, a being of some power known as the Dripping Darkness.

Combat

In combat, an ichor ghoul often begins by spitting its poison at one or more targets and then charging in to attack with tooth and claw. Ichor ghouls are fearless in combat, fighting to the last—they are fanatical in their devotion to the Dripping Darkness, and willingly allow themselves to be destroyed in order to spread their horrid diseases.

Death Spray (Ex): The instant an ichor ghoul is killed or destroyed, the pustules on its skin all burst simultaneously, so that all creatures within 5 feet of it are exposed to its ghoul fever.

Ghoul Fever (Su): Disease — bite, Fortitude DC 15, incubation 1 day, damage 1d3 Dex and 1d3 Con. The save DC is Charisma-based.

An afflicted humanoid who dies of ghoul fever rises as a normal ghoul at the next midnight. A creature that becomes a ghoul in this way retains none of the abilities it possessed in life. It is not necessarily under the control of any other ghouls, but it hungers for the flesh of the living and behaves like other ghouls in all respects.

Paralysis (Ex): Those hit by an ichor ghoul's bite or claw attacks must succeed at a DC 15 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds. Elves are immune to this paralysis. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Poison (Ex): Spit (20 feet, once every 1d3 rounds) or bite, Fort DC 15, 1d4 Con/ghoul fever. If a spell or spell-like ability is used to delay, neutralize, or otherwise mitigate the effects of the poison, the caster must first make a caster level check as if trying to overcome spell resistance 19. If this check fails, the spell has no effect.

Treasure

None — While ichor ghouls have the intelligence to use treasure and equipment, such items do not fall into their diseasespreading purview.

In Your Campaign

Ichor ghouls make ideal guardians (at least thematically) for temples and clergy dedicated to any deity of disease (the Dripping Darkness is a placeholder for any campaign god with this portfolio). Temples where ichor ghouls are dwellers might feature areas where their skills can nicely complement. For example, the ichor ghoul's competent Balance and Climb skills are ideal for a room where a narrow beam stretches from one side to the other. Characters falling from the beam might find themselves in pools of filth that can cause ghoul fever or more perhaps more run of the mill pools such as acid. In these areas, ichor ghouls can move across the narrow walkway to attack with practiced ease or even attack while hanging from a low ceiling.

When sent on the offensive, ichor ghouls make great sewer dwellers within larger cities. Their diseased forms are more than appropriate for these subterranean waste tunnels. When challenged by a superior force inside a community, ichor ghouls flee toward the largest concentration of people. Thus, when they are inevitably slain by city defenders, their death spray infects as many people as possible.

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