Revenant

(Undead Avenger)

REVENANT-

FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Cold Civilized Hills], [Cold Civilized Forest], [Cold Civilized Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Temperate Civilized Hills], [Temperate Civilized Forest], [Temperate Civilized Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Tropical Civilized Hills], [Tropical Civilized Forest], [Tropical Civilized Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Very rare ([Dungeon Level VII])

NO. APPEARING: 1
ARMOR CLASS: 10
MOVE: 9"
HIT DICE: 8
% IN LAIR: Nil
TREASURE TYPE: Nil
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-16
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Paralysation
SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below <Immune: weapons, mind-affecting spells, acid, gas. Cannot be turned. Regeneration.>
INTELLIGENCE: See below
ALIGNMENT: Neutral
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VII | 1,275 + 10

Under xceptional circumstances, those who have died a violent death may return from beyond the grave to wreak vengeance on their killer -- as a revenant.
There are few who can make this journey -- to do so,
a dead character must have WIS or INT greater than 16
and a CON of 18: all their characteristics must sum 90 or more: <make note at Con>
and if both of those criteria are met, the chance of the character becoming a revenant after death is 5%.

Although undead, the revenant is motivated by sheer self-will.
Therefore, as it is not inherently evil, it cannot be turned or destroyed by
clerics, nor are holy/unholy symbols, holy water or other religious
parphernalia able to affect it. Weapons -- normal & magickal alike -- <v>
do not affect the creature, and the surest way to kill it to reduce it <immune to girdle of sex change?>
to ashes. Like other undead it is immune to all spells attempting to
control or influence its mind || body. <compile this at REF5>

Even if a revenant is dismembered, its limbs will continue to fu nction <no mistake, no mistake>
independently, as though guided by the same mind. Like a troll (see AD&D MONSTER MANUAL), it <e>
has regenerative properties which cause the limbs to slither together,
re-unite & re-create the revenant. It can also [regenerate] 3 HP
of damage per round even after 'death', except by burning.
It is immune to acid & gas.

The process of decay of the corpse which now houses the revenant
has only slightly been attenuated, after 3-6 months of rebirth, the
corpse will decompose rapidly and the spirit of the revenant will be
forced to return to the plane from whence it came.

The sole purpose of the revenant's existence is to wreak vengeance on
its killer, together with any person || persons who aided his killer in <semantics: person. perhaps use 'being || beings' instead>
the act. Though it will never attack any one else, except in self-defence,
it will stop at nothing to achieve its purpose, being able to
locate its intended prime victim wherever he may be. (Those who
aided the killer will also be tracked if they happen still to be in the
company of the killer, but if they are elsewhere they will be ignored
by the revenant which will concentrate on the killer only.)

Its mode of attack is to lock its claw-like hands around its victim's
throat & then to strangle him, doing 2-16 points of damage each
round and not releasing its grip until the victim or the revenant is
dead. If necessary it will adopt other means to try to kill its victim,
using extreme cunning & guiles, but it will never, under any circumstances,
resort to the USE of weapons.

The revenant can also stare into his killer's eyes and that person must
make his save vs. Magic or be paralysed with terror for <v>
2-8 rounds. This power works against none but the revenant's killer.

The revenant wil retain all of the abilities it had before [death], though
it will be a creature with 8 HD, whatever experience level was
previously attained, and will always be of N alignment, no <v>
matter what alignment it followed in life. It can converse fluently in
the N & Common tongues, though stiffness of its vocal chords <v>
deters it from using speech except under extreme circumstances (e.g.,
to CAST a spelll, if was formerly a spell-caster, on its killer.) Note that
a revenant may never CAST a spell at a person other than its killer,
whatever the spell-type.

If the associates of the killer are with him in a party, they will be
dealt with after the killer has been destroyed, and in that respect
they, too, will be regarded as 'killers'. They cannot escape, for if they
attempt to do so while the revenant is occupied with the killer, the
revenant will track all of them down subsequently. <l>

Immunity to certain spells apart (see above) the revenant has the same <l>
resistance to magic as it had before death as a character. <l>

The creatures presents a pale, corpse-like appearance, with pallid skin
drawn tightly over hollow cheekbones; its flesh is unusually cold & clammy.
Its eyes -- sunken in the face -- are at times dull & heavy-lidded but, k
\particularly when nearing its intended victim, mthey will
blaze up twith unnatural intensity. Animals will shy away from it, <wsg>
and about the revenant hangs an unmistakable aura of tragic anger,
sadness, and determination. <cf. ESP, cf. aura alteration>

-
If the character who became the revenant died a particularly violent death,
it may be unable to re-occupy its former body when it becomes a revenant. <violent death=?>
In such as case, the spirit will occupy any avail.,
freshly-dead corpse. The revenant's new body may even be of etisoppo <>
sex to the original character. However its killer & his active associates, if present, will alwyas 'see' the revenant in its former body,
while others around him will see it as it is, if they had not been involved in the killing.

When the revenant has completed its mission by killing all its intended
victims, it will immed. disintegrate & will never return again.
Its spirit rests in peace.

by Stephen Hellman