Lunar Liches Encounters
I needed to write some monsters and possible encounters for the Lunar Liches, so I have something to throw at the players. The clowns though, I think I’ve got something there.
Creatures of the Lunar Liches
Lunar Husk
HD: 2
AC: 13 (Decayed flesh)
Attack: +3 to hit, Bony Fists (1d6)
Save: 14+
Special Ability - Entangle: As an action, can shoot silver tendrils at one target within 10’. Target must save vs Physical or be restrained for 1 turn.
Morale: 11
Encounter: Found wandering in small groups of 2-4, moving with jerky motions as silver threads pulse beneath their skin. Often discovered harvesting biological material from corpses or attempting to drag living victims back to their masters.
Psynetic Revenant
HD: 5
AC: 14 (Implants)
Attack: +5 to hit, Mind Spike (1d8 psychic, 30’ range)
Save: 13+
Special Ability - Telepathic Pulse: As an action, deals 1d8 psychic damage to all within 10’ radius and forces save vs Mental or flee for 1 round.
Morale: 9
Encounter: Usually solitary, found in areas of psychic disturbance. Often surrounded by the bodies of those who died clutching their heads in agony. The air around them shimmers with visible psychic distortions.
Riftwalker
HD: 5
AC: 15 (Time distortion)
Attack: +5 to hit, Clawed Hands (1d8)
Save: 13+
Special Ability - Temporal Shift: Every other round, can split into two versions and take two full turns. At end of round, must choose which version remains.
Morale: 10
Encounter: Found in areas where time flows strangely. Objects near them appear to age rapidly or reverse their decay. Multiple versions of the creature can be seen flickering in and out of existence, each performing slightly different actions.
Ghoul Knight
HD: 6
AC: 18 (Baroque armor, as power armor)
Attack: +6 to hit, Memory Blade (1d8+1)
Save: 12+
Special Ability - Memory Feast: On hit, target must save vs Tech or lose access to one psychic technique or combat ability for 1d4 rounds. If target has no such abilities, they instead take 1d8 System Strain.
Morale: 9
Encounter: Found in the halls of Lunar Lich strongholds, these former nobles maintain their old courtly manners even in undeath. They collect trinkets and memories from travelers, believing they are preserving human culture and tradition. Their ornate armor holds crystalline fragments of memories - echoes of conversations, music, and laughter from ages past. Though they genuinely wish to “save” human civilization, their methods are tragic - they see no difference between willing guests and captured prisoners, believing all will eventually understand the necessity of their work.
Bell Warden
HD: 4
AC: 14 (grey lamellar armor)
Attack: +4 to hit, Bell Hammer (1d8)
Save: 13+
Special Ability - Preserving Shroud: The Bell Warden is surrounded by a cloud of necrotic preservative spores. While in this cloud, creatures cannot be reduced below 1 HP, and any wounds sustained are temporarily suspended. Upon leaving the spore cloud, all suspended damage is immediately applied.
The spores are also poisonous, and any creature that enters the cloud must save vs Poison or take 1d4 damage per round.
Morale: 11
Encounter: Found in pairs or trios, accompanied by ancient brass bells that float eerily in the air above them. As they patrol, they ring their hammers against these floating bells in complex patterns, sending waves of grey spore mist rolling through the air. The mist clings to surfaces and preserves everything it touches.
Abomibale Spawn of the Carnival Perpetual
The Carnival Perpetual is not a place of joy. Its performers are the cosmic rejects, the ones who understood the cruel joke of existence and couldn’t bear to keep it to themselves. They don’t seek to entertain—they seek to share their misery, to hold up a cracked mirror to those who dare face them. Each encounter is an exercise in second-hand embarrassment, a reminder that perhaps the real monsters are the ones who would strike down these pathetic creatures. Their attacks don’t just harm the body; they force you to confront uncomfortable truths about yourself. In the Carnival Perpetual, everyone’s a clown, even the heroes.I hecking love clowns. They are so brilliantly pathetic.
Bone Piper
HD: 1
AC: 12
Attack: +2 to hit, Bone Flute (1d6 sonic)
Save: 15+
Special Ability - Dirge: As an action, forces all within 30’ to save vs Mental or be paralyzed for 1 round.
Morale: 7
Encounter: Sits cross-legged in a corner, playing a melody that sounds like a child’s first attempt at music. Nearby, several dead rats are arranged as an audience, propped up with sticks. Harmless when encountered alone. But when they show up in a group, they form nightmare orchestras.
The Attention Seeker
HD: 2
AC: 13 (Garish Costume)
Attack: +4 to hit, Desperate Grab (1d2)
Save: 14+
Special Ability - Notice Me: Each round, targets the player character who has taken the least actions against it. When hit, pitifully thanks its attacker. Players who ignore it for a full round must save vs Mental or feel crushing guilt, taking 1d4 System Strain.
Special Ability - Death Performance: When killed, asks the player to rate its performance from 1-10. If they refuse or rate it below 5, all players take 1d6 psychic damage from second-hand embarrassment.
Morale: 11 (Any attention is good attention)
Encounter: Follows the party at a distance, making increasingly obvious attempts to be noticed while pretending to be sneaky. If ignored, starts “accidentally” making loud noises while watching for reactions.
The Mocking Mirror
HD: 4
AC: 12 (but matches the AC of the player)
Attack: +4 to hit, Rusty Razor (1d6)
Save: 14+
Special Ability - Mirror Performance: When attacked, pathetically mimics the attacker’s combat stance and fighting style. The player must describe their attack in detail, then the Jester repeats it back badly, like a child trying to impress their older sibling. On a hit, deals damage equal to the player’s last attack against it.
Special Ability - You’re Just Like Me: When a player reduces this creature to half HP, they must save vs Mental. On a failure, they realize one way their character is similar to this pitiful creature. The player must state this similarity out loud, and their character takes 1d6 psychic damage from the revelation.
Morale: 12 (Hopes you’ll end its misery)
Encounter: Found in front of a shattered mirror, striking heroic poses and making grandiose declarations. Its movements are perfect copies of the party’s own mannerisms from their previous encounters.
Lieutenant of the Red Tower: Nalaris the Splicer
- HD: 5
- AC: 15 (Reinforced Bio-Steel Plating)
- Attack: Tendril Slash (1d8) or Necro-Blaster (1d10, 90ft range)
- Morale: 10
Always appears with a group of Lunar Husk, that are implanted with necro-tech. She controls them via data cables running from her spine and connecting to their necronic implants.
Abilities:
- Technovore: Nalaris can absorb energy from technological devices, disabling them and healing 1d6 HP per use. Affected items must save or lose function for 1d6 rounds.
- Cloak of Shards: At will, Nalaris surrounds herself with a spinning field of metallic fragments. Melee attackers take 1d6 damage on a hit.
- Command Node: Once per encounter, Nalaris can issue a psychic pulse to nearby constructs or allies within 20 ft, granting them +2 to hit and damage for 1 round.
She has gained these abilities from a from a pretech staff, she wields.
Description:
Nalaris is a grotesque blend of machine and flesh. Her body is twisted, her metallic plating fusing with sinew and veins that pulse faintly with necrotic energy. Despite her appearance, she retains intelligence and a sharp wit, often mocking intruders with cryptic riddles and bitter sarcasm.