Publication:Dread Codex/Monsters/Fear Guard

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This incorporeal entity appears as a hooded humanoid figure donned in flowing robes of translucent gray over a suit of incorporeal armor. Its facial features are a swirl of maddening images, fluctuating between a serene and calm countenance to a face twisted in horror and fear.

Fear guards embody evil in its blackest incarnation. They are summoned from some unknown place by evil wizards and clerics to guard prized possessions or a valued location. Fear guards do not speak, but unleash a frightful moan when they encounter living creatures.

Combat

Shrouding themselves in a preternatural darkness, fear guards fight using spell-like abilities and their incorporeal touch. If guarding a particular location, a fear guard fights until either it is slain or driven away, or its opponents are slain or flee.

Fear Aura (Su): A fear guard can radiate a 20-foot radius fear aura as a free action. A creature in the area must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or be affected as though by a fear spell (caster level 8th). A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same fear guard's aura for one day. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Create Spawn (Su): Any living creature reduced to Wisdom 0 by a fear guard becomes a fear guard under the control of its killer within 2d6 hours. If a bless spell is cast on the corpse before this time, it prevents the transformation.

Daylight Weakness (Ex): A fear guard exposed to natural sunlight (not merely a daylight spell) suffers 2d6 points of damage and immediately flees from the source of light. A fear guard caught in sunlight cannot attack and can only take a single move or attack action in a round.

See in Darkness (Su): A fear guard can see perfectly in a darkness of any kind, even that created by deeper darkness spells.

Skills: A fear guard has a +8 racial bonus on Hide checks in areas of darkness.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will — ray of enfeeblement, darkness; 2/day — deeper darkness. Caster level 8th.

Wisdom Damage (Su): The touch of a fear guard deals 1d4 points of Wisdom damage to a living foe if it fails a DC 16 Fortitude save. A creature reduced to Wisdom 0 dies. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Treasure

Standard — As incorporeal creatures, fear guards do not have treasure, per se; but they are almost guarding some and that is where treasure is gained by victorious PCs. The list below details the possible treasure a single fear guard might be guarding.

• Old masterpiece painting (depicts a graveyard with a single mausoleum; the moonlight is striking the structure's first eastern window—a clue to a treasure that the owner is currently deciphering) [1,100 gp]
• Silver holy symbol (of evil deity) [25 gp]
• Flask of unholy water (x3) [25 gp each]
• 4,000 sp

In Your Campaign

Fear guards should be handled in battle with the intelligence they were given. Incorporeal creatures can hide on the surface of objects and should give PCs quite a shock after the party struts past them unknowingly. As a rogue picks at the treasure vault's lock, a watching fear guard can attack the rear PC and then retreat into the ceiling to attack another PC next round. This works especially well if the PCs are trapped within a thin corridor, where they cannot attack as effectively at the same time.

As for where fear guards truly come from, it could be as simple as guards who take a blood oath to a necromancer to serve them in exchange for eternal life. But in this case, it may not be the existence the guards planned.

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