Publication:Dread Codex/Monsters/Bloodwraith

''This humanoid figure has translucent skin encapsulating a reservoir of its bloody fluids. There is no obvious face or other features to the form except a slight black haze that plays across the creature’s hands.''

The bloodwraith rises from a site of much bloodshed to hunt the creatures that bled, yet did not die, there. Battlefields are, naturally, the most common areas of bloodwraith origin. But if the slain creatures are strong enough (i.e. high-level), then not much blood is required to birth a bloodwraith. These undead are persistent trackers who never deviate from their mission. The creature’s mind may have come from different entities, but the bloodwraith is nonetheless an individual. The bloodwraith cannot speak but it understands Common and one language native to the region where it was birthed (GM’s choice).

Combat
Bloodwraiths carefully stalk a victim and attack at the first sign of him. Without any ranged abilities, the bloodwraith simply uses its blood touch on its prey. If more than one opponent threatens the bloodwraith, it needs to first paralyze its prey before worrying about those threats (to insure that its chosen victim does not escape in the meantime). The bloodwraith is not foolish and flees if severely damaged. When slain, the bloodwraith explodes, sending out a fountain of blood in a 10-foot radius. While disgusting, the blood has no adverse affects on those it lands on.

 (Su): The bloodwraith attacks by touch and, if successful, floods the victim with waves of chilling negative energy. The touch attack does not inflict damage but unless the victim succeeds a Fortitude save (DC 16) it is paralyzed for 1d4 rounds and suffers 1d4 points of permanent Constitution damage each round the touch is maintained. Blood from the victim can be seen pouring into the bloodwraith through its grip. Every time the bloodwraith successfully drain Constitution, it heals 5 hit points of damage no matter how many points it drains. If the amount of healing is more than the damage the creature has suffered, those hit points are lost. Restoration can restore a character’s lost Constitution; a character with 0 Constitution is dead. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

 (Su): This ability allows the bloodwraith to find its victim by the scent of its blood. It functions much like the Scent ability, but the bloodwraith is so sensitive that it can begin to scent its victim within ten miles instead of 30 feet, making a Wisdom check DC 10 + 2 per hour that the trail is cold to track its victim. It then slowly homes in on the scent, getting a better and better idea of the current location of the target as it gets closer to him. If it is within 30 feet of its intended victim, the bloodwraith can pinpoint its location.

 (Ex): The bloody form of the bloodwraith attracts carnivores that depend on smell for their hunting in any degree. If a PC sees a pack of dogs sniffing around a cloaked figure while seeming to cringe at the same time, he might just be a bloodwraith.

Treasure
None -- The bloodwraith is concerned only in slaying its prey. The collecting of precious baubles is not part of that mission.

In Your Campaign
What if the bloodwraith only went after creatures with certain blood types? Perhaps the undead was created to hunt and destroy elves or maybe a vengeful necromancer fashioned the creature to wipe out a particular family’s bloodline. Giving the bloodwraith an angle like this adds depth to both the monster and the adventure it is used in.

Although the bloodwraith cannot speak, there is still the possibility of two-way communication through the creature’s blood touch ability. As a variant option, when you roll successfully for the bloodwraith to inflict Constitution damage, a victim that has sufficient "awareness" may be able to prevent the damage. If the victim has a Charisma score of 13 or higher, the intimate connection inherent in the blood touch allows telepathic communication. Give this situation form by having the bloodwraith and the character facing each other on an empty plain that ends in misty nothingness (perhaps a 60 ft. by 60 ft. field).

The two creatures then square off using the same abilities they possess when the blood touch is affected. Instead of its usual appearance, however, the bloodwraith shifts forms -- appearing as all of the creatures whose blood it is created from (use its stats as listed above; only the physical appearance changes). In this way, the victim can converse with the bloodwraith to find out why it is hunting him, for the undead has no choice but to respond truthfully to questions in this state of consciousness. This might be how sages learned of its true origins in the first place. The bloodwraith's voice and personality can change with its form as per the GM's wishes. During combat it cannot fly but has a land speed of 30 feet.

The inevitable combat between the bloodwraith and the victim determines whether or not the victim is paralyzed and loses Constitution points. A victory for the bloodwraith means its attack progresses as usual but a defeat for it means the victim is unaffected in all ways by the blood touch.