Monster Encyclopaedia I: Ravagers of the Realms
| Author | August Hahn, Gareth Hanrahan, Lizard |
| Publisher | Mongoose Publishing |
| Publish date | 2004 |
| OGL Section 15 | me1 |
The material below is designated as Open Game Content
Headless Screamer
Medium Undead
Hit Dice: 4d12 (26 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armour Class: 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat- footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +2/+4
Attack: Claw +4 melee (1d6+2) or thrown head +5 ranged (1d8 plus special)
Full Attack: Claw +4 melee (1d6+2) or thrown head +5 ranged (1d8 plus special)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Screaming, thrown head
Special Qualities: Immunity to cold, retrieve head, undead traits
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +3, Will +5
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 15, Con —, Int 8, Wis 13, Cha 13
Skills: Listen +8, Move Silently +9, Spot +8
Feats: Point Blank Shot, Weapon Focus (head)
Environment: Any Organisation: Gang (4–9)
Challenge Rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually chaotic evil
Advancement: None
Level Adjustment: —
This creature looks like a ragged zombie, all pale skin and torn garments. It screams and gibbers as it approaches and you can see a livid red scar across the necrotic skin of its neck.
Headless screamers arise from the corpses of those who were buried beheaded, such as the victims of execution or vorpal weapons. As they are among the more intelligent and dangerous forms of lesser undead, many evil necromancers behead and desecrate the bodies of their foes before entombing them. Screamers are cruel and chaotic beings, preferring to torment and terrify their enemies instead of just clawing them to death. Some screamers have been encountered riding skeletal horses or even nightmares, although such horrors are thankfully rare.
The long claws of screamers are perfectly suited for digging into fl esh and prising vertebrae apart, allowing them to quickly and effi ciently separate head from neck when dealing with fallen enemies.
Combat
Headless screamers can throw their heads with alarming accuracy. The heads they throw do not have to be their own – the body holds a screamer’s intelligence and animating spirit, not the head, so many screamers carry four or five heads to use as spare ammunition. The head is imbued with unnatural life when thrown, screaming and snapping as it flies.
Retrieve Head (Su): As a free action, a screamer can telekinetically retrieve any fallen heads within 30 feet.
Scream (Su): A headless screamer may scream out of the air-hole at the top of its neck; anyone within 30 feet of the screamer must make a Will save (DC 13) or be shaken for ten rounds. This is a sonic fear effect. Anyone passing their Will save is immune to the effects of that screamer’s scream for the next 24 hours.
Thrown Head (Su): A thrown head has a range increment of 20 feet, behaves like a grenade-like missile and deals 1d8 points of damage to anyone struck by it. The head has the improved grab ability and immediately makes a grapple check (grapple bonus +1). If the grapple succeeds, the head latches on and bites for another 1d4 damage each round until removed (opposed grapple or Escape Artist checks).
