Demons that spawn undead from their touch.

3.5 ready!

This horrific creature resembles a humanoid, with pale, gaunt skin covering its body. It's dressed in robes that are tattered with age and have elven script written on it. The creature's face appears human, with pointed ears of an elf and long fangs dripping with saliva. Its hair is long and thin, like that of an old man.

Crypt fiends appear to be gaunt humanoids approximately the same size as a ogre, around 9-9 1/2 feet tall. They are very slim, but are exremely powerful. They have long, pointed ears like those of the elves, and long, white whispy hair that hangs in clumps on their decaying scalp. Their skin usually hangs in fleshy clumps, with colors ranging from the sickly gray to a pale white, just like that of the undead they create.

Although they look like undead, crypt fiends are evil demons from the Abyss that serve Morgion and Chemosh and live to spread their disease of undead. They can create powerful undead with the touch of their skeletal hands.

Crypt fiends can speak numerous languages, but prefer to stay with abyssal or elven. It is rumored that these abominations of demons may have even been spawned from evil elves.

Combat
Crypt fiends, although powerful melee fighters, prefer to stay in the back and let their minions do their work for them. They hang in the back to let loose their spells of destruction and only enter melee combat when they are directly threatened by a powerful fighter. If this happens, they use their breath weapon as much as possible to weaken the fighters. A crypt fiend's weapons, whether natural or man-made, are treated as chaotic and evil for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

Ability Score Loss (Su): With each touch of their clawed hands or fanged mouthes, the crypt fiend drains 1d4 temporary strength points from intense cold. A fortitude save (DC 19) negates this effect. After the fiend has been slain, the effected creatures must make another fortitude save (DC 19) or one of the points drained from strength is permanent. This save is Constitution based.

Breath Weapon (Su): Two times per day, the crypt fiend can breath a cone (20 feet long) of noxious, decaying gas from their mouthes that weakens all living creatures in the area of effect and strengthens all undead. Living creatures must make a fortitude save (DC 18) or suffer 2d4 points of temporary strength damage. Undead in the area of the cone gain the effects of a Bull's Strength spell cast by a 4th level sorcerer. This is a spell like ability and can be dispelled with the correct spells. This save is Charisma based.

Spells (Sp): The crypt fiend casts spells as if it were a 6th level sorcerer. It prefers heavy hitting spells, such as Fireball and Lightning Bolt to weaken opponents, but also prefers Necromantic spells, such as Ray of Enfeeblement. Save DC is 12 + spell level.

Damage Reduction (Su): DR 10/law and magic.

Immunities (Ex): Crypt fiends are immune to all cold based attacks and acid attacks, whether magical or mundane.

Disease Aura (Su): Crypt fiends radiate a powerful, necromantic aura that bolsters all undead around them. Any undead within 10 feet of the fiend gain a +4 to turn resistance. All living creatures within 10 feet must make a Will save (DC 18) or suffer a -2 morale penalty to all attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws. This effect lasts until the crypt fiend is killed. This save is Wisdom based.

Regeneration (Ex): Crypt fiends use powerful, necromantic energies to heal their wounds with extreme haste. Crypt fiends regenerate 4 hit points of damage per round. If they are dropped below 0 hit points, the fiend will rise again when it reaches a positive number of hit points. Fire and lightning attacks are the only attacks that will deal permanent damage to a crypt fiend. Holy weapons will also deal permanent damage to a crypt fiend. A crypt fiend can regrow severed parts if they are attached again to the main body. They also take normal damage from weapons that are lawful and good (overcoming their damage reduction).

Create Spawn(Su): Crypt fiends create ghouls from the victims they drain all strength from. The ghouls become under the control of the crypt fiend when they rise.

Society
Crypt fiends are favored demons that serve Morgion and Chemosh, gods of disease and undead. The gods love to see their powerful minions spread disease all over the world of Krynn. Recently, the crypt fiends have been working together with the forces of the Masters of Shrouds, powerful necromancers.

Crypt fiends were once powerful elven sorcerers that took to the evil side of magic: necromancy. Morgion and Chemosh were so pleased with this corruption that they took in these cast off necromancers and made them powerful minions. Crypt fiends are still created.

This creature has not yet been play tested.
This is not a kender type creature.