Revenant

Revenants are vengeful spirits that have risen from the grave to destroy their killers. The revenant appears as a spectral, decayed version of its appearance at the time of its death. Its pallid skin is drawn tightly over its bones. The flesh is cold and clammy. The sunken eyes are dull and heavy-lidded but, when the revenant faces his intended victim, the eyes blaze with unnatural intensity. The revenant bears an aura of sadness, anger, and determination.

Combat: A revenant attacks by hooking its claw-like hands around its victim's throat. This strangulation causes 2d8 points of damage each round. It will not release its grip until either the revenant is destroyed or its victim is dead. It never uses weapons.

If the revenant stares into its victim's eyes, that person must roll a successful saving throw vs. spell or be paralyzed with terror for 2d4 rounds. This power affects only the revenant's killer.

If a revenant is dismembered, the severed parts act independently, as though guided by the revenant's mind. The revenant's willpower causes the parts to reunite. It can also regenerate 3 hit points of damage each round, except for fire damage. It is immune to acid and gas. Although a revenant's body can be cut apart by normal or magical weapons, the damage is temporary and does not destroy the revenant. Only burning destroys a revenant - the original body must be completely consumed and reduced to ash.

Although it is undead, the revenant is motivated entirely by self-will. Therefore, as it is not inherently evil, it is not affected by holy water, holy/unholy symbols, or other religious paraphernalia. It cannot be turned by priests nor can it be raised or resurrected.

Habitat/Society: Under exceptional circumstances, a character who has died a violent death may rise as a revenant from the grave to wreak vengeance on his killer(s). In order to make this transition, two requirements must be met. The dead character's Constitution must be 18 and either his Wisdom or Intelligence must be greater than 16. Also, the total of his six ability scores must be 90 or more. Even if these conditions are met, there is only a 5% chance that the dead character becomes a revenant. If both Intelligence and Wisdom are over 16, the chance increases to 10%. If Intelligence, Wisdom, and Constitution are all 18, the creature can shift at will into any freshly killed humanoid, if the revenant rolls a successful saving throw vs. death.

If the character died a particularly violent death, it may be unable to reoccupy its original body. In this case, the spirit occupies any available, freshly-dead corpse. However, the revenant's killer and associates always see the revenant as the person they killed.

The revenant retains all the abilities it possessed in its previous life and has at least the hit points and saving throws of an 8-Hit Die creature. Its alignment is neutral, regardless of its alignment in life. It can converse fluently in its original language, although the stiffness of its vocal cords deters it from speaking except under extreme circumstances, such as when casting a spell at its killer.

The sole purpose of the revenant's brief existence is to wreak vengeance on its killer, together with anyone who may have aided in the murder. It stops at nothing to achieve its purpose and can locate its intended victim wherever he may be. Accomplices are also tracked down if they are in the company of the killer, but if they are elsewhere they are ignored until the killer is dealt with. If the associates of the killer are with him in a party, they are dealt with after the killer is dead.

The revenant's body does decay, though at a slower rate than normal. Within three to six months, the corpse decomposes rapidly and the revenant's spirit returns to the plane from which it came. When the revenant has completed its mission, the body immediately disintegrates and its spirit finally rests in peace.

A revenant does not attack innocents except in self-defense. If necessary, the revenant can use cunning to get to its prey.

Ecology: Revenants give murder victims a chance to avenge their own murders. They pursue their goals alone without desire or need for allies. However, if the revenant faces a powerful foe able to destroy the revenant's new form, the revenant may decide to use adventurers as pawns in its quest.