The Drow War Book Two. The Dying Of - RoseRed

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These dreadful creatures are the undead corpses of
those who have frozen to death in desolate places and
have never received a decent burial. They seek each
other out, thronging together as if in re-enactment of
some dim memory of human companionship. They
crave the heat of living creatures and can drain it from
their bodies. They cannot, however, venture out of a
cold environment, as the cold is all that keeps their
desiccated bodies together.
Some chattermen are the risen revenants of those who
were buried properly in cold regions and have then had
their burial mounds disturbed. Boskenland and Visk
both have strict customs regarding the taboos on burial
sites. Grave robbing is the worst of all crimes there,
because the chattermen do not distinguish between the
grave robber and the ordinary peasant when they come
looking for prey.
Chattermen resemble human skeletons encased in
tattered, dark, tight-fitting leather – the mummified,
snow-tanned remains of skin. They sometimes wear
the grave-goods they were buried with. Their lips are
drawn back from their teeth in horrible snarls and their
eye sockets are empty. Their name comes from the
chattering sound of their victims’ teeth. They move
with unnatural silence.
Chattermen are completely mute. They can only
communicate by hand signs or by scrawling messages
in the ground.
Fatigue (Su): Chattermen sap the vitality of their prey;
once they have begun the attack, the victim is soon too
weary to flee or defend himself. A creature struck for
damage in melee by a chatterman’s claw must make
a Charisma-based Fortitude saving throw (DC 22) or
become fatigued. If the creature is already fatigued, it
becomes exhausted.
Hurl Frost (Su): Chattermen have mystic ties to the
snow and ice in which they have lain for so long.
If it is in a square where there is snow or ice on the
ground, a chatterman can scoop up a claw full of frost
(a move action) and hurl it at a single target within 30
feet as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of
10 feet. This deals 4d6 points of cold damage to the
target, who must also make a Charisma-based Fortitude
saving throw (DC 22) or be dealt 1d3 points of Strength
ability drain. Chattermen pelt their victims with frost to
weaken them before closing in for the kill.
Improved Grab (Ex): A chatterman who successfully
hits with a claw attack may immediately attempt to start
a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack
of opportunity. If the chatterman successfully grapples
the target, it attempts a pin on its next turn, which may
bestow shivering blight (see below).
Steal the Heart’s Fire (Sp): A chatterman can drain
all of the life-giving heat from a creature, killing it
instantly. This ability is only effective upon creatures
that are vulnerable to critical hits and are not of the
Cold subtype. The chatterman must succeed in a melee
touch attack against the target, who is then entitled to
a Charisma-based Fortitude saving throw (DC 22). A
creature who fails its saving throw is slain instantly.
Creatures who succeed are dealt 3d6 points of damage
instead. Stealing the heart’s fire grants the chatterman
ten temporary hit points. Once it has used the ability, it
cannot attempt to use it again for 1d4 rounds.
Shivering Blight (Su): Any target the chatterman
successfully holds in a pin must immediately make a
Charisma-based Fortitude saving throw (DC 22) or be
stricken with shivering blight, a condition like having
ice water in the marrow of one’s bones. It must attempt
a new saving throw on each turn when it is pinned. The
shivering blight makes it impossible for the victim to
do anything other than stand on the spot and shiver
uncontrollably. The effect imposes a –4 penalty to
Armour Class and a –10 penalty on Reflex saving
throws; it also negates any Armour Class bonus granted
by a shield the target holds. The shivering subject
provokes attacks of opportunity each round on its turn.
Shivering blight lasts for 3d6 rounds.
Ibon Presno Gonzalez (order #73006) 8