Living Spells (Collection)

Living spells are remnants of spells that did not dissipate after they were cast. Instead, they took a life of their own. As ooze-like creatures, they hunt for prey to engulf and consume. Living spells can be found in the Mournland, as remnants of the Last War.

 

Combatants

Living Mirror Image

This nasty creature is not a terribly strong combatant on its own, as a single blow is often enough slice it into pieces. The nature of the illusion that gave birth to it allows the spell to mirror the appearance of its enemies. In the thick of the fight, it's easy to mistake the real thing for its copy and accidently hit an ally. Living Mirror Images are seldomly found alone. Typically, half a dozen or more stick together as a puddle and separate when potential prey is near.

Medium 3rd level mook, ooze

Initiative: +5

Mirror Image: As a quick action, the ooze takes the appearance of a nearby creature. Treat all oozes who mirror one specific PC as a group. When that group is attacked, roll a die with a number higher than the number of oozes in the group. (For example, roll a d6 for 5 oozes.) On a natural one, the attack accidently hits the mirrored PC. On a result up to the number of oozes +1, the oozes are hit. On a higher number, reroll. The mirrored PC can attack the group without accidently hitting himself.

Shadow Evocation: +7 vs. PD (1 nearby enemy)—6 damage.

Screaming Selfdoubt: +5 vs. MD (the mirrored PC)—3 psychic damage and dazed until the end of the target's next turn.

AC 16 PD 16 MD 16 HP 12

Nastier Special: The Mirror Images can use Shadow Evocation to mirror attacks, class features and talents on their next action after a PC uses them. MIrrored attacks and spells deal half damage.

 

Living Web

This oozing mass of sticky strands catches its prey, sucks it in and dissolves it with the help of hundreds of little spiders that live within it.

Large 3rd level spoiler, Ooze

Initiative: +2

Shooting Strands: +6 vs. PD (1 nearby or far away enemy)—15 damage and the target is grabbed (save ends) and dragged towards the Living Web. Grabbed targets can't move away, take a -5 penalty to disengage, can't make opportunity attacks or ranged attacks. The Web gets a +4 bonus to attacks against grabbed targets.

Natural even attack roll: The grabbed target also takes 5 ongoing damage from choking.

Spin Cocoon: +4 vs. PD (1 grabbed enemy)—Target is hampered and stuck and takes 10 ongoing acid damage (hard save ends). The Web heals hit points equal to half of the acid damage. The cocoon can be cut from inside or outside. It has 20 hit points. Attacks from outside the cocoon deal half damage to the target inside on a natural odd attack roll.

AC 19 PD 17 MD 13 HP 90

Nastier Special: The strands of the Web resonate spells and absorb their essence. If the Web is attacked with a spell with a natural odd attack roll, it heals the damage dealt to it instead and makes a saving throw. If the save is a success, it can use the same spell on its next turn as a quick action.

 

Puzzle Monsters

Living Animate Dead

These oozes stink of death and decay. They can often be detected from miles away, not just by their stench, but by the army of undead that shambles along around them. The ooze itself is not a strong combatant, but its ability to animate and collect the undecaying bodies that scatter the Mournland makes it a plague that only the foolish or desperate would approach anywhere near.

Huge 5th level caster, Ooze

Initiative: +5

Submerged skeletal appendage: +10 vs. AC (3 nearby enemies)—18 damage

Animate Dead: The ooze raises 2d6 Decrepit Skeletons, 2d4 Zombie Shufflers or any one undead creature of its choice (see 13th Age core book) as a standard action. The Living Animate Dead takes damage equal to half of the hit points of the undead it created. All undead it controls act at the end of each turn, after every other combatant.

Absorb negative energy: When the Living Animate Dead is dealt negative energy damage, it heals that amount instead. This ability does not work with undead it controls.

AC 21 PD 19 MD 15 HP 220

Nastier Special: The nastiness of this creature depends on how many undead it already controls when the party encounters it, especially if these are Wraiths and other undead with flight, resistance and other special abilities. By creating a few undead each day and healing the hit point loss, the ooze can slowly build a vast army.

 

Living Lightning Bolt

The Living Lightning Bolt zips across the land, shocking everything that does not step out of its path. This living spell isn't so much a combat enemy as an environment effect. It just moves much too fast to be engaged in melee. Metal weapons don't harm it, they just act as a conductor.

Living Lightning Bolts are easy to detect in the mournlands, they announce themselves through bright flashes of light and shocks of thunder. The best defense against them is to quickly stick swords into the ground in a circle around the party.

Metal armor protects against them (known as Faraday cage to Earth scientists), but only if the metal is connected to the ground.

If the bolts catch the party unprepared, each bolt will shock a random party member for 2d6 by tier and zig-zag away.