ACKS: Choker

These vicious, tentacle-handed, predators lurk underground, grabbing whatever prey happens by to feast upon its flesh and bones. Its hands and feet have spiny pads that help the choker grip almost any surface. The creature weighs about 35 pounds. A choker likes to perch near the ceiling, often at intersections, archways, wells, or staircases, and reach down to attack its prey. A choker attacks creatures of almost any size, but prefers lone prey of its size or larger. If one is very hungry, it may attack a group, but it waits to grab the last creature in line. Once a victim has been grabbed by the Choker, the creature chokes him, dealing an automatic 1d3+3 damage to the victim each round until the victim either escapes (requiring a proficiency throw of 18+; for each point of Strength adjustment, modify the result of the die roll by +/- 4; characters with the Contortionism proficiency gain an additional +4 to this throw), dies, or the Choker dies. Although not particularly dexterous, a choker is supernaturally quick. It can take an extra action (such as an attack) or move during its turn each round.

ACKS: Giant Cockroaches!

The Giant Cockroach is a giant - and particularly disgusting - version of the common cockroach, reaching up to 2 feet in length not including antennae (which add another foot!) and weighting about 40 pounds. While giant cockroaches feed on trash and other smelly substances found in sewers and not on flesh, and are cowardly insects to boot, they will fight to defend their nests and territories, and may stage an opportunistic attack on weak adventurers. Note that while a giant cockroach saves as a level 1 Fighter against most attacks, it saves as a level 10 Fighter vs. poison and is immune to most disease-based attacks. The Geckomen of Queddar consider these insects to be a delicacy and raise herds of them in fenced-off cave warrens, fattening them on refuse to be roasted over the campfire.

The Dreaded Balroach, on the other hand, is a horribly nauseating cockroach larger than a horse. While it is an omnivore and scavenger rather than a predator, it will fiercely defend its lair and may see weak adventurers as food. Its horrid appearance and unsightly behaviour make it a menace whenever it emerges from its sewerly warrens to scavenge in the dwellings of men! The Balroach is immune to poisons and diseases. Besides its powerful mandibulae, its disgusting appearance and horrible smell offer it protection; any adventurer who comes within sight of a Balroach must save vs. Poison or suffer from a severe nausea, causing a -4 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws and proficiency checks.

ACKS: Aranea

(d20 SRD monster converted to ACKS)

An Aranea is an intelligent, shapechanging spider with sorcerous power. It is not necessarily an evil creature, though its spidery nature, combined with the creature's longevity, yields itself to plotting. In its natural form, an Aranea resembles a giant spider, with a humpbacked body a little bigger than a human torso. It has fanged mandibles like a normal spider. Two small arms, each about 2 feet long, lie below the mandibles. Each arm has a hand with four many-jointed fingers and a double-jointed thumb. An Aranea weighs about 150 pounds. The hump on its back houses its well-developed brain.

An Aranea’s natural form is that of a monstrous spider. It may assume two other forms. The first is a unique human-sized humanoid; an Aranea in its humanoid form always assumes the same appearance and traits. In humanoid form, an Aranea cannot use its bite attack, webs, or poison, but may cast spells, wear armour and use any weapon useable by a human being. The second form is a man-sized spider-humanoid hybrid. In hybrid form, an Aranea looks like a humanoid at first glance, but a successful roll of 16+ reveals the creature’s fangs and spinnerets. The Aranea, in this form, retains its bite attack, webs, and, but may also wield weapons and wear armour. When in hybrid form, an Aranea’s speed is 90' (30').  An Aranea remains in one form until it chooses to assume a new one. A change in form cannot be dispelled, nor does an Aranea revert to its natural form when killed.

An Aranea avoids physical combat and uses its webs and spells when it can. In a battle, it tries to immobilize or distract the most aggressive opponents first. Araneas often subdue opponents and hold them for ransom rather than poisoning or killing them; alternatively, the creature may offer its captured victim "an offer it cannot refuse". Any opponent bitten by the Aranea, however, widow must make a saving throw versus Poison; failure indicates death after 1 turn. Aranea may cast Arcane spells as a level 3 Mage; they prefer illusions and enchantments and avoids direct damage spells. In spider or hybrid form, an Aranea may also throw a web up to six times per day, as in the Web spell.

ACKS: Allip

(d20 SRD monster converted to ACKS)

Sometimes, when a mortal, out of immense desperation and utter madness, commits suicide, his spirit lingers where he died, forever babbling in utmost insanity. An Allip is such a tormented spirit; it craves only revenge and unrelentingly pursues those who tormented it in life and pushed it over the brink. Alternatively, it haunts the place of its horrible death, a bane upon the living. This undead being appears as a distorted variant of its mortal form, swirling like mist in the air. Its touch is the touch of madness - when an Allip successfully hits an opponent, the victim suffers 1d4 points of damage, and 1 point of WIS is drained for 8 turns. Should a being be drained to WIS 2, it lapses into absolute madness, screaming and flailing at unseen visages. At 0, it permanently transforms into an Allip.

The creature also constantly mutters and whines to itself, creating a hypnotic effect. All sane creatures within 60 feet of the Allip must save vs. spells or be affected as though by a Hypnotic Pattern spell for 2d4 rounds. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected by the same Allip’s babble for 24 hours. Also, Anyone targeting an Allip with an ESP, mind control, or other telepathic ability or spell makes direct contact with its tortured mind and loses 1d4 points of WIS until the next sunrise.

Like other undead, Allips are immune to the effects of sleep, charm, and hold spells. Allips are turned as Mummies.

ACKS: Aboleth and Skum

(d20 SRD monster converted to ACKS)

The Aboleths are old, unfathomable creatures, the product of aeons past. They were old when the Serpentmen were young; they might have been old even when this world has formed from a stellar nebula. Where they came from remains a mystery, as the Aboleths themselves are tight-lipped about their ultimate origin. But as each of them is old, their knowledge is enormous. They spend ages in their underwater lairs, brooding, plotting… With endless patience. A single Aboleth, intelligent beyond the Human ability to understand, may be the centrepiece of a massive conspiracy, spun across the centuries towards an end known only to that alien mastermind.

The Aboleth itself is a revolting, green but pink-bellied, fishlike amphibian found primarily in subterranean lakes and rivers, or deep beneath the oceans. Four pulsating blue-black orifices line the bottom of its body and secrete gray slime smelling like rancid grease; it has four long tentacles used for grabbing, whipping and manipulating objects. It uses its tail for propulsion in the water and drags itself along with its tentacles on land. An Aboleth weighs about 6,500 pounds.

An Aboleth in combat utilizes its mind, as well as its watery lair, to its advantage. First, three times a day, it may Enslave a sentient creature; the victim must save vs. spells, or become the Aboleth's mental thrall, fully under the creature's command, as per the Enslave spell. An Enslaved creature obeys the Aboleth’s telepathic commands until freed by Remove Curse, and can attempt a new save vs. spells every 24 hours to break free. The control is also broken if the Aboleth dies or travels more than 1 mile from its slave. An Aboleth also possesses the following mental powers for use at will, as per the spells of these names: ESP, Hypnotic Pattern, Phantasmal Force, Hallucinatory Terrain.

A blow from an Aboleth’s tentacle might cause a terrible affliction. A creature hit by such a tentacle must save vs. polymorph or begin to transform over the next 1d4+1 minutes, the skin gradually becoming a clear, slimy membrane. An afflicted creature must remain moistened with cool, fresh water or take 1d12 points of damage every 10 minutes. The slime reduces the creature’s armour class by 1 (but never to less than 0). A Cure Disease spell cast before the transformation is complete will restore an afflicted creature to normal. Afterward, however, only Restore Life and Limb may cure the affliction.

An Aboleth underwater surrounds itself with a viscous cloud of mucus, roughly 1 foot thick. Any creature coming into contact with and inhaling this substance must save vs. polymorph or lose the ability to breathe air for the next 3 hours. An affected creature suffocates in 2d6 minutes if removed from the water. Renewed contact with the mucus cloud and failing another Fortitude save continues the effect for another 3 hours. This effect may be removed by Cure Disease.

 

Most Aboleths breed (from captured slaves), Skum - revolting fish-amphibian-men, to serve as their hand, ears and eyes outside their watery lair. These creatures possess a slimy skin, and may breath indefinitely both under and outside of water. While rarely armed with weapons, they possess a powerful bite, as well as sharp claws. Skum lack much organization  or willpower of their own, and care little for treasures. Their presence usually signifies the existence of an Aboleth lair in the vicinity.

ACKS: Blessed Undertaker

Prime Requisites: DEX, WIS

Requirements: Must be Neutral.

Hit Dice: 1d4

Maximum Level: 14

Mawat is neither a kind god nor a Lawful one; he cares little for civilization or for the affairs of the living. As Lord of the Underworld and Master of the Dead, his domain is a grim one - that of the eternal burial of flesh in the earth and the eternal containment of the soul in Sheol (the Underworld). Mawat is, however, greedy and patient at the same time - he covets the souls of all that lives for expanding his hoard of dead spirits in his deathly realm, but he can wait. And waiting always pays off for him - for everything dies. Well, almost everything. If there is one thing that enrages this God of Death, it is undeath - as he sees it, outright theft of what is rightfully his, done by lesser gods and impudent mortal sorcerers. The bodies and souls stolen from Mawat by means of necromancy must be returned to their rightly place - his underworld, where he reigns supreme.

Towards this end, of putting restless dead to rest and sending their spirits to Mawat's realm of Sheol, the Master of the Dead sends forth his mortal servants, his priests, as some would call them - the Blessed Undertakers. Their task is to slay undead, as well as those who dare rebel against Mawat and create them in the first place. Many of them, in more civilized places also take the role of guardians of graveyards, tombs and catacombs - vigilantly watching the dead lest they rise in defiance of their rightful Master.

Blessed Undertakers are skilled combatants, albeit not as good as fighters. At first level, they hit an unarmoured foe (AC 0) with an attack throw of 10+. They advance in attack throws and saving throws by two points every four levels of experience. Blessed Undertakers may only use Swords & Daggers (including sickles, which use the stats for a short sword), Bows and Crossbows and may only wear leather armour or lighter. They may not use shields but may either use one one-handed weapon, two weapons or a two-handed weapon. They gain one Cleave attack every two levels. They progress in saving throws and Proficiencies as a Cleric.

Blessed Undertakers Cast Divine Spells, using the following spell list, and Turn Undead as Clerics of their level, and may engage in magical research and item creation as Clerics. They are blessed with the ability to slay undead; in order to do so, they are blessed with the ability to Backstab undead, and only undead, as a Thief of their level. They may also Move Silently and Hide in Shadows as a thief of their level.

At Level 3, Blessed Undertakers are Concealed from Undead by Mawat's power; when they sneak, undead are considered to be passively watching rather than actively watching. At level 5, they gain the power of Righteous Turning - When turning undead, the character adds his Wisdom bonus to both the turning throw and to the number of HD turned on a successful throw. At level 9, they may Detect Undead at will, with a casting time of 1 turn, as per the spell (PC p.134).

When a Blessed Undertaker attains 9th level (Patriarch), he can establish a Sanctum, and 2d6 blessed Gravediggers of 1st level will come to work with the character. Sanctums follow similar rules to Thief Hideouts, though their operations are aimed at the undead enemy.

Blessed Undertaker Proficiency List: Alertness, Apostasy, Battle Magic, Blind Fighting, Combat Trickery (force back, overrun, sunder), Contemplation, Diplomacy, Divine Blessing, Divine Health, Fighting Style, Healing, Knowledge (history), Leadership, Loremastery, Magical Engineering, Martial Training, Precise Shooting, Prestidigitation, Profession (undertaker), Prophecy, Quiet Magic, Righteous Turning, Sensing Evil, Sensing Power, Skirmishing, Skulking, Sniping, Theology, Unflappable Casting, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus.

Blessed Undertaker Spell List:

First Level Divine Spells:
1. Cure Light Wounds*
2. Delay Disease
3. Detect Evil*
4. Detect Magic
5. Detect Undead
6. Light*
7. Protection from Evil
8. Remove Fear
9. Resist Cold
10. Sanctuary

Second Level Divine Spells:
1. Bless
2. Delay Poison
3. Hold Person
4. Resist Fire
5. Righteous Wrath
6. Silence 15' radius
7. Spiritual Weapon

Third Level Divine Spells:
1. Continual Light*
2. Cure Blindness*
3. Cure Disease*
4. Detect Curse*
5. Detect Invisible
6. Feign Death
7. Glyph of Warding
8. Inaudability
9. Invisibility
10. Invulnerability to Evil
11. Prayer
12. Remove Curse*
13. Speak with Dead
14. Striking

Fourth Level Divine Spells:
1. Cure Serious Wounds*
2. Death Ward
3. Dispel Magic
4. Neutralize Poison*
5. Protection from Evil, Sustained*
6. Smite Undead*
7. Tongues

Fifth Level Divine Spells:
1. Atonement
2. Commune
3. Dispel Evil
4. Flame Strike
5. Quest*
6. Strength of Mind*
7. Sword of Fire
8. True Seeing

Player's Companion Math:
HD 0, Fighter 1a, Thievery 1, Divine 2. level 2 XP 1,200.

Trade-offs: Armour selection from Unrestricted to Narrow (2 powers).
Power Trade-offs: 2 Powers to Powers at levels 3, 5 and 7.