I knew that I had at last pried out one of Earth's supreme horrors...
- H.P. Lovecraft
"The Lurking Fear"
Anyone with even a casual knowledge of folklore is well aware of the powers traditionally attributed to various sorts of undead. This body of knowledge poses its own difficulties for the mummy hunter. The homespun chatter of the fireside, however vivid and compelling, is notoriously undependable in its details. Still, as 1 have mentioned in my other works, folk wisdom frequently contains hidden truths about the supernatural. For more than three decades I have made it my task to separate these grains of truth from the chaff of speculation, distortion, and ignorance.
Nowhere in the whole spectrum of the lore of undeath is the truth so heavily veiled as it is in the case of the ancient dead. Many self-described "experts" are wholly unaware that the ancient dead exist at all. Such unenlightened individuals either dismiss the ancient dead as minor creatures, akin to mindless skeletons and zombies, or they mistake them for corporeal ghosts. Still others confidently state that mummies are desert dwellers and cannot abide wetter climes.
Do not be fooled. The ancient dead are slightly less rare in arid places than they are elsewhere, but they can rise wherever mortals are foolish enough to scorn the inevitability of death.
Other common suppositions about mummies contain potentially lethal snares for those who would hunt them. Of these, perhaps two are the most dangerous.
Fire destroys mummies: Mummies of the first or second rank that are found in deserts can be burned, as can some mummies found in other places. I have long considered fire to be a most useful tool, and I have indeed trusted it to stop several otherwise inexorable assaults by ancient dead creatures. Still, I must give this emphatic warning: Never depend on fire as protection against a mummy. Fire is dangerous to wield - burns from even one fumbled flask of flaming oil sap a party's strength. Further, I have encountered tombs and crypts whose air is polluted with explosive gases or dust that cause torches to burst into balls of crimson destruction. Finally, there is no guarantee that fire will affect a mummy in the least.
We entered a chamber fragrant with cedar and jasmine. I wondered how many centuries these scents had lingered.
A cry from Alannthir cut short my ruminations; a trio of skeletal horrors clad in the faded plumage of jungle birds were advancing from the chamber's dusty comers. We gave way and retreated up the stairs as the three mummies converged at our front. Claudia quickly lit and passed along flasks of oil to Alannthir and Geddar, who lost no time in hurling fiery destruction at our assailants. The charnel smell of burning feathers as flame engulfed the mummies quickly displaced the suddenly cloying scent of jasmine and cedar, but to our horror the creatures were not discomfrted in the least. The nearest mummy merely reached out to enfold Alannthir in its flaming embrace.
- From the private journal of Dr. Van Richten
A mummy's treasure is cursed: Frequently this is true. In many accounts I have collected, what is identified as "the mummy's curse" is actually mummy rot rather than a mysterious malady. Anyone who engages a mummy in hand-to-hand combat is subject to this scourge, and the only sure way to defeat it is to have an experienced priest at hand.
Grave robbing is not an activity I condone. Simply entering a mummy's tomb, however, or failing to perform specific actions while inside a tomb, can unleash a curse (more about this in Chapter Seven: Houses of the Dead). And one cannot avoid the baneful aftereffects of a mummy encounter merely by ignoring its treasure. The ancient dead, as I have said before, are possessive in the extreme. It is not uncommon for one to take offense at the hunters' mere presence in its lair. Finally, in many cases one must handle, remove, or even destroy tomb objects to have any hope of returning the mummy's spirit to rest. Only careful investigation and research can reveal if these actions are required; if they are, suffering a curse might be unavoidable.
As I noted in Chapter Two: Types of Mummies, all mummies share certain powers, even if the tales told by common folk don't take those powers into account. This does not mean that all mummies are alike, or even that all mummies are similar. The reader would do well to dismiss such a notion without delay. Though one might expect to encounter whole legions of lesser mummies that are more or less alike, the high-rank individuals are unique. Many lesser mummies, too, can possess quirks that one might expect to find only in more powerful creatures. These might take the form of more potent versions of the four typical abilities: invulnerability, rejuvenation, disease, and fear, or they might be salient abilities that usually are reserved for mummies of higher rank.
But I am getting ahead of myself. First, let me discuss the four typical abilities in more detail.
The ancient dead are resistant to normal weapons; ordinary steel is simply not up to the task of cleaving or battering through a mummy's embalmed and enchanted flesh. In my own direct experience, the most reliable weapons are made from enchanted steel. I have accounts, however, of mummies that have been laid low by silver weapons or by weaponry crafted from other unusual materials such as cold-forged iron, flint, copper, or bronze. In any case, the weapon must be fashioned completely from the metal in question, though weapons such as hammers or axes can have wooden hafts in the normal manner. A mere coating of silver over an iron weapon, for example, is not sufficient to affect the ancient dead, as it is in the case of lycanthropes.
I can only speculate about why these materials, which are softer and weaker than steel, can damage a mummy's impenetrable flesh when steel cannot. I suspect that some form of supernatural symbolism might be a factor, as is the case with other creatures of the night. The elemental purity of these materials, along with their rarity and extra cost, apparently help them overcome a mummy's defenses.
For example, silver is widely considered a magical metal. Folklore associates silver with the moon. One particularly intriguing theory I have encountered holds that, just as the moon's light illuminates the night and banishes darkness, silver - the lunar metal - proves baneful to the wicked spirits of evil creatures. As 1 have said, folk wisdom often sprouts from a grain of truth.
Some element of symbolism may play upon the monster's personal history as well. For example, a mummy that was a goldsmith in life might well be vulnerable to clubbing weapons forged from this soft and valuable substance. (Gold will not hold a point or edge, so gold arrows, swords, and spears are of little help.)
The unnatural hardiness of mummy flesh not only foils weapons, but also resists certain elemental powers. I have encountered or documented mummies that were impervious to fire, electricity, cold, or even earth and rock.
Finally, the ancient dead share with other undead creatures an immunity to enchantments that produce sleep, charm, or hold effects. As mummies are unliving, death magic, poisons, and paralysis of all kinds do not affect the ancient dead in the least.
Mummies are constantly supplied with a flow of positive energy, which accounts for most (or all) of their typical powers. The most obvious manifestation of this energy is a mummy's uncanny ability to maintain and rebuild its lifeless body. As I mentioned in the previous chapter, this ability should not be confused with the very similar regeneration ability possessed by the vampire. To rejuvenate itself, a mummy generally must be at rest for an hour or so while it draws in energy and rebuilds its strength. While rejuvenating, the mummy is powerless. Be warned, however, that a mummy may be able to end the process whenever it wishes, leave its resting state, and attack. My documents contain several accounts of overeager hunters who have come to grief when a mummy they thought was helpless suddenly lashed out at them.
Attacking a rejuvenating mummy can give satisfactory results because destroying its body can break the power link and free the mummy's spirit. A mummy of the first, second, or third rank is often laid permanently to rest if its body is destroyed; the weaker the mummy, the more likely this is to be true.
At other times, however, attacking the mummy's body merely delays the inevitable counterassault, because the mummy can rejuvenate even after it has been reduced to dust. However, such a pause is useful for investigating and discovering the true key to laying the creature to rest, or even for making a hasty retreat from the creature's lair.
Though I never have seen the phenomenon myself, I have several accounts that a "destroyed" mummy's spirit actually took visible form. The exact form varied, but the spirit usually assumed the shape of an animal or a semblance of the mummy's once-living self. In each case, the ghastly image was insubstantial and impervious to harm by spells or weapons, but it could be seen clearly.
My companions and I recovered quickly from the mummy's surprise assault. Grey and I swung energetically at the shrunken corpse. We were heartened when we saw how deeply our weapons bit into the dried flesh. Undaunted by wounds that would have crippled a lesser creature, the mummy continued to lash out. The creature's limbs did not fall still until we had reduced it to a dirty heap.
Our first hint of the horrors that lay ahead came when we detected a flutter within the crumbling torso. The leathery chest quivered and burst into a thousand moldy shards as a winged creature no larger than a sparrow leapt skyward, feathery wings beating the air.
Grey dealt it a blow, but the sword passed through the apparition, biting only empty air. As for myself, I recoiled, for I looked directly into the creature's eyes and saw not an avian head, but a human face - a face with features twisted in a sneer of rage. It was a face thirsty for revenge.
- From the private journal of Thaddius Salis
Mummy rot, the curse of the pharaohs, the lingering death - this dreadful weapon of the ancient dead goes by many names. I shall use the rather crude vernacular mummy rot in this section, though I have more medically apt terms at my disposal. The exact meaning of mummy rot is clear to the layman and produces a not undesirably vivid image in the mind of the prospective mummy hunter.
The symptoms of classic mummy rot are fairly easy to recognize: The victim generally feels no particular discomfort; in fact, the infected area often seems to be immune to minor aches, pains, and injuries. This might seem to be beneficial, but it is highly dangerous. Speaking as a physician, 1 can assure the reader that the body's sensitivity to heat, cold, and even pain provides a vital link to the outside world. A victim numbed by mummy rot is deprived of this link and is prone to ignore minor injuries that would best be attended. This untreated damage frequently leads to serious infection. The lack of feeling in the skin, combined with the insidious power of the mummy's touch, greatly slows the body's natural healing powers. A scratch that might disappear in a day or two instead lingers for 10 days or more.
Even worse, the victim's capacity for self-healing is so disrupted that curative magic from priests and paladins, a great boon to adventurers, is no longer effective. The victim's tissues simply lose their ability to benefit from such restorative magic. In many victims, this inability to heal is the first sign that the dreadful disease has set in. A sensible reader might ask how this could be, as surely anyone struck by a mummy would immediately realize the consequences? Alas, things seldom are so simple.
A few mummies of the first rank possess a weak disease-causing power that a healthy victim can resist; this has fooled more than one mummy hunter into thinking he is immune to the touch. In other cases, it might not be clear at all that one's opponent is a mummy, Especially if one has the misfortune to encounter a well-preserved specimen, or a specimen that can alter its appearance. Furthermore, a few mummies (usually those of the third, fourth and fifth ranks) can cause the effects of their disease to be delayed, so so the disease seems to erupt spontaneously and its source is difficult tp identify.
An advanced case of mummy rot is not at all difficult to identify. The victim breaks out in scabrous sores. In very advanced cases, the victim's ears, nose, and digits shrivel or even fall off. Once the malady reaches this stage, the victim will be scarred for life even if cured.
Locating a cure can be problematic. Even after more than 30 years of experience as a physician, surgeon, and herbalist, I have yet to discover a strictly medical cure for this scourge. It is so insidious that outright amputation of an afflicted limb fails to halt the disease. I am forced to conclude that because the malady has a supernatural origin, only magic halts its effects.
The rate at which the malady progresses varies greatly from mummy to mummy. I have seen cases that took months to fully develop—this was the situation at the Falkovnian mining camp, which 1 recounted earlier. I have witnessed other cases where the disease reached a fatal stage in a single day. The rate at which the disease spreads appears to be a function of the mummy's power. Presumably, the weaker the mummy, the longer the disease takes to scar or kill the victim. I do not, however recommend that anyone use this assumption as a measure of an opposing mummy's potency. Once the affliction is discovered, you must see that it is cured without delay.
No company of mummy hunters is complete without a priest or paladin with healing powers. A warning: I have encountered mentalists and psychics in my travels who could heal wounds and normal maladies as well as any priest. The supernatural diseases inflicted by the ancient dead, however, have always defeated these mental powers.
To further complicate the mummy hunter's task, and especially the task of correctly identifying the quarry, not every mummy's touch causes a rotting disease. I personally have encountered three variations: intense pain and internal bleeding, blindness, or convulsions and insanity. I have documented further cases where a mummy's touch has caused immediate death due to heart failure, the conversion of tissue into acidic green slime, instantaneous dehydration, or even caustic burns.
In most cases, a magical cure disease spell can halt the malevolent affects of the touch, but sometimes other spells such as neutralize poison are necessary. The exact spell depends on the mummy's power and the type of malady. In each case, the effect resists all nonmagical cures.
The final power that all mummies share in one form or another is the ability to inspire supernatural fear. Our world contains many creatures that cause the stoutest heart to skip a beat; such fear is a natural reaction every mortal has when confronting a powerful and potentially deadly foe. However, a party can overcome this natural dread if its members are confident that they match or exceed their foe's strength. Such is not the case when a party faces the ancient dead.
The fear a mummy inspires is not a simple manifestation of the victim's own instinct for self-preservation, but a supernatural assault on the victim's will. If the victim cannot summon sufficient force of will to resist the attack, he flees in terror. Even the most hardened adventurers are vulnerable to this attack. We all have our moments of weakness - even I. As mentioned briefly in the previous chapter, very powerful mummies can cause a victim to become literally paralyzed with fright, and thus helpless for a time.
This interval of paralysis tends to be short - usually no longer than three or four minutes - but it is often sufficient for the mummy to infect the victim with its disease power, if not slay the victim altogether. I am not sure which fate is worse. I have been forced into humiliating retreat more than once when abandoned by fear-struck comrades. As strength and safety often lie in numbers, a party split by fear faces a fate worse than a hasty retreat.
Paralytic fear by its very nature cannot scatter a party, but it can deal a devastating blow to the party's unity by disabling its members. Also, a comrade fleeing in fear is at least temporarily secure from the immediate danger an approaching mummy may pose. If one is fortunate, one's fleeing companion might halt in a fairly safe location. A victim rooted in place has no such hope of safety. On more than one occasion, I have spent breathless minutes (which seemed like whole eternities) attempting to shield a stricken companion from a mummy's lethal grasp. I have not always been successful in these endeavors.
The fear power of the ancient dead comes in many forms. Most often it is a continuous aura that takes effect at the mere sight of a mummy. In the previous chapter, I related a case where a mummy could direct its fear power according to its own will. I have documentation of another mummy whose gaze inspired terror. Victims who met this powerful creature's gaze were extremely susceptible to the mummy's magical fear, and even those who avoided looking in its eyes were not immune.
Of the several other powers that most of the ancient dead possess, 1 have reason to believe two of them, night vision and enhanced strength, are common to all ancient dead in one form or another. As yet, I have no truly credible proof, either through my own experience or collected tales, that these two powers are universal.
Night vision: It seems that ancient dead can function in complete darkness with as much ease as a man can in daylight. They appear to have the same sort of "heat vision" that elves, dwarves, and other demihumans have. Not being blessed with such vision myself, I have been loath to test my theory while actually face to face with a mummy.
Enhanced strength: Not being a fighting man, I cannot attest that every mummy I have faced was imbued with supernatural vigor. Nevertheless, 1 urge the reader to beware of a mummy's physical prowess. My collection of notes includes many accounts of mummies tossing burly warriors about as though the latter were rag dolls. Some of these tales I can dismiss as exaggerations born of fear and awe; others are more credible. I myself have witnessed mummies performing stupendous feats of strength.
Our investigations led us to an immense cavern, sealed at one end by a cyclopean wall. We studied the massive stone blocks carefully, as we suspected the wall might hold a secret portal that gave access to the space beyond. That there was a space beyond I was certain; all my research pointed to this cauern ss the mouth of the mummy's lair.
After some minutes of searching, Geddar Ironheart announced that one of the smaller blocks (a mere eight feet wide and six feet high) was in fact loose. I gave silent thanks for the dwarf's knowledge of stonework as we set about trying to shift the block. Geddar, Belinderissa, and two burly lads from the local constabulary pushed hard against the massive block. Though they made no visible progress, the quartet believed the task could be done. Shauten, our wizard, assisted by casting a lengthy spell (to enhance strength) upon one of the lads, and all fell to pushing once again.
We heard a raspy hiss as the block nudged back. The stone had retreated no more than a foot, however, when our progress not only stopped, but reversed! Looks of consternation spread across the lads' faces as the block slid inexorably toward us; Geddar and Belinderissa lost no time in stepping aside, weapons at the ready. The lads vainly kept pushing, but the stone burst from the wall like a cork from a bottle, nearly crushing the constables.
From behind the block stepped a pale figure clad in a bronze cuirass, scaly with verdigris, and a flowing white robe. The mummy wore a sword at its hip, but left it there, attacking with its shriveled, clawlike hands instead. One hand shot forth as quickly as any asp might and grasped Belinderissa by the throat, lifting her from her feet. Stepping forward, the mummy aimed a blow at me that I could not avoid in spite of my knowledge that it was coming, striking me with a force equal to a kick from an angry mule.
—From the private journal of Dr. Van Richten
Rank Hit Dice* Movement** First 1-3 6-9 Second 4-6 6-9 Third 7-9 9-12 Fourth 10-12 9-12 Fifth 13+ 12-15 * Hit Dice: The range of Hit Dice a mummy of the listed rank usually has. Exceptions to these ranges are not uncommon.
** Movement: The range of movement rates a humanoid mummy of the listed rank usually has. An animal mummy's movement rate varies with its rank and species.
Table 3: Mummy Invulnerability
Rank Armor Class Bonus To Hit* First 7 to 5 Special** Second 5 to 3 +1 or special** Third 3 to 0 +1 Fourth 0 to -2 +2 Fifth -2 to -4 +3 * Bonus To Hit: The typical minimum magical bonus a weapon must have to harm a mummy that has an invulnerability power of the listed rank. The creature's invulnerability rank usually, but not always, equals the mummy's power rank.
** Special: Special weapons are not enchanted, but made from solid silver or some other unusual material.
Mummies with first-rank invulnerability suffer full damage from enchanted and special (including silver) weapons.
Mummies with second-rank invulnerability suffer half damage from special (including silver) weapons and full damage from enchanted weapons.
Mummies with third-rank invulnerability sustain no damage from nonmagical weapons, even special ones. Magical weapons inflict one-half their base damage (round down), plus their full magical bonus. For this purpose, "base damage" includes damage from the weapon and all nonmagical bonuses from Strength and specialization.
Mummies with fourth-rank invulnerability suffer half damage from any weapon that can harm them. Roll damage, add all bonuses, then divide by two; round fractions up.
Mummies with fifth-rank invulnerability suffer damage equal to only half the weapon's magical bonus, rounded up. For example, a dagger +3 and a two-handed sword +4 inflict a mere 2 points of damage on a fifth-rank mummy. Bonus damage for Strength and specialization is completely negated.
Energy and Elemental Attacks
A mummy is immune to at least one form of energy attack, usually to cold. Any mummy immune to an element or energy form sustains no damage from any attack based on that form, including nonmagical attacks, spells, magic from devices, and attacks by elementals. The Dungeon Master is free to select an immunity in keeping with a mummy's physical origins. For example, the waterlogged tissues of a mummy preserved in a salt marsh might be impervious to fire.
If a mummy is resistant to an element or energy form, nonmagical attacks inflict no damage and magic attacks have normal affect. A mummy of at least third-rank immunity is resistant to one form of energy other than the type of energy to which it is immune. A mummy of at least fourth- rank immunity is immune to two forms of energy. A mummy with fifth- rank immunity could be immune to two forms of energy and resistant to third form of energy.
All forgoing resistances and immunities are in addition to any immunity the mummy has as a result of its elemental command power (see Chapter Four).
Table 4: Spells Useless Against Mummies
Wizard Spells Abi-Dalzim's
horrid wilting*Blindness Charm monster Charm person Cloudkill Contagion Death spell Emotion Enervation Energy drain Eyebite Fear Finger of death Fire charm Haste Hold animal Hold monster Hold person Hypnotic pattern Hypnotism Insatiable thirst* Irritation Magic jar Mass charm Mass suggestion Otto's irresistable dance Phantasmal killer Power word, blind Power word, kill Power word, stun Scare Sepia snake sigil Sleep Slow Suggestion Suffocate* Symbol Vampiric touch* Wail of the banshee* * Spell described in Tome of Magic.
Priest Spells Accelerate healing* Age creature* ** Animal growth Antianimal shell Breath of life* ** Chaotic sleep* Cloak of bravery** Command Creeping doom Cure blindness** Cure deafness** Cure disease** Cure critical wounds** Cure light wounds** Cure serious wounds** Charm person or mammal Heal** Hold animal Hold person Legal thoughts* Mindshatter* Modify memory* Nap* Raise dead** Regenerate** Restoration** Ressurection** Rigid thinking* * Spell described in Tome of Magic.
** Both the standard form of the spell and its reversed form are ineffective.
Table 5: Psionic Powers Useless Against Mummies
Aging Attraction Aversion Awe Control body Daydream Death field Detonate Domination Double pain False sensory input Id insinuation Inflict pain Invincible foes Life draining domination Mass Mind thrust Mind wipe Phobia amplification Posthypnotic suggestion Phychic crush Phychic drain Phychic surgery Repugnance Switch personality Telempathic projection All undead are immune to aura sight.
These powers are described in PHBR5 The Complete Psionics Handbook.Table 6: Special Weapons Used Against Mummies
Origin* Weapon** Aboriginal Flint, copper Central/South American Obsidian, flint, gold Chinese Bronze, iron Egyptian/Mediterranean Copper, bronze European Iron * Origin: The mummy's original cultural type. See Chapter Two for detailed descriptions regarding a mummy's origins and the various types of clothing one might expect it to wear.
** Weapon: The mummy is potentially vulnerable to silver weapons, and also to weapons made from one of the listed materials.
Rank* Rate** Rest*** First 5/day 1 week/1 day Second 6/hour 1 day/1 day Third 12/hour 1 day/1 hour Fourth 1/minute 1 hour/1 hour Fifth 2 minute 1 hour/none * Rank: A mummy with first- or second-rank rejuvenation usually cannot recover if its hit points have been reduced to zero or less; this mummy is destroyed if defeated in combat. A mummy with third-rank rejuvenation, usually cannot recover if its hit points are reduced to -10 or less. A mummy with fourth- or fifth-rank rejuvenation usually can recover even if its body is completely destroyed.
** Rate: The number before the slash shows the hit points a mummy of the listed rank usually regains during each time period. The entry after the slash shows the minimum interval a mummy of the listed rank usually requires to regain any hit points through rejuuenation. Both numbers vary at the Dungeon Master's discretion.
*** Rest: This shows the interval a mummy of the listed rank must spend completely at rest when rejuvenating. The number before the slash shows the interval of rest required before the mummy begins to regain hit points. The number after the slash shows the interval of time the mummy must rest after it stops rejuuenating. During this restive stage, the mummy is effectively helpless, unable to move, attack, or defend. Rest times are added to any time actually spent regaining hit points. These numbers vary according to the Dungeon Master's designs.
Disease
Diseases inflicted by the ancient dead come in a variety of unpleasant forms. The most common of these is mummy rot, the effects of which are summarized below.
Rank Fatality* First 1d6 months Second 1d12 weeks Third 1d8 days Fourth 1d6 days Fifth 1d3 days * Fatality: The usual interval that passes before the victim dies from the disease. This number varies at the Dungeon Master's option. Nonmagical and psionic cures are ineffective against mummy rot. Only a cure disease spell or similar magic is effective.
Other effects: As Van Richten has noted, untreated mummy rot has several catastrophic effects on the victim.
First-rank mummy rot permanently reduces the victim's Charisma score by 2 points for each month the disease goes untreated. While afflicted, the victim gains no benefits from the various cure wounds spells, although a regenerate spell can restore lost hit points (it has no effect on the disease). The victim can recover hit points through rest, but at 10% of the normal rate: 1 hit point per 10 days of light activity or 3 hit points per 10 days of complete rest. Nonmagical interventions, such as care from a person with the healing and herbalism proficiencies, are ineffective.
Mummy rot of the second rank permanently reduces the victim's Charisma score by 2 points for each week the disease goes untreated; magical healing and natural hit-point recovery are affected as above.
Third-rank or higher mummy rot permanently reduces the victim's Strength and Constitution scores by 1 point each day and permanently reduces Charisma by 2 points each day. While afflicted, the victim cannot recover lost hit points by any means except a wish. After 1d6 hours, the victim is racked by convulsions, which impose a -2 penalty upon all ability checks and make spellcasting or spell memorization impossible. This type of mummy rot can be cured only by a combination of cure disease and regeneration spells; a cure disease spell cast on its own relieves all symptoms, but the victim suffers a relapse 24 hours later if a regeneration spell is not also administered.
A victim who dies while afflicted with mummy rot decays rapidly unless quickly embalmed; the victim cannot be raised from death unless both a cure disease spell and a raise dead or resurrection spell are cast within one hour of death. If either of the latter two spells are unsuccessful (the character fails the resurrection survival roll), the victim becomes an undead creature.
Alternate Forms of Disease: As Van Richten points out, the ancient dead's disease-causing powers encompass several types of effects, though mummy rot is the most common. When a disease-causing power takes a different form, it should reflect the mummy's origins and motivations. A mummy that was once a notorious thief or spy, for example, might blind its victims (as it once depended on avoiding sight). A mummy that once kept a guilty secret might affect its opponent's heartbeat (as it was once false-hearted). The Dungeon Master should feel free to assign an appropriate game effect.
Blindness: A victim might suffer blurred or limited vision, lose the sense of sight altogether, or develop sensitivity to bright light. Game penalties for blindness or reduced vision can include attack roll penalties, the inability to read, and similar impediments. Advanced cases can lead to a reduction of the victim's Dexterity, Intelligence, or Wisdom score (due to the infection spreading to tie brain). Mummy-induced blindness might be removed by cure blindness, cure disease, or heal spells.
Cardiac arrest: A victim might suffer shortness of breath, the inability to fight or run, the loss of hit points, or death. Game penalties can include penalties to attack and damage rolls, penalties to ability checks, and reductions of a hero's Strength or Constitution score. The cardiac arrest might be cured by a slow spell (to quiet the wildly beating heart) or by cure disease, heal, or restoration spells.
Poison: The mummy's touch might be toxic, and the effects deadly, paralytic, or debilitative. Untreated poisons can reduce the victim's ability scores, cause blindness or deafness, or cause portions of the victim's body to wither. The victim might be cured by neutralize poison, cure disease, remove curse, or heal spells.
Spasms: The portion of the victim's body touched by a mummy becomes shaky. There is a noncumulative 10% chance each hour that the afflicted area suffers random jerks and fits, affecting the victim as follows (generally, 1d4 plus the value of the power rank in rounds).
Head: No spellcasting or attacks are possible during the round when the spasm occurs. Movement is reduced by one third.
Arm: No spellcasting is possible during the round the spasm occurs. If the shield arm is afflicted, any shield bonus is lost. If the weapon arm is afflicted, no attacks are possible.
Leg: Dexterity bonuses to Armor Class and saving throws are lost during the round in which the spasm occurs. Movement rate is reduced by half, and any movement or fighting requires the victim to make a successful Dexterity check or stumble and fall.
Torso: No movement, spellcasting, or combat is possible during the round in which the spasm occurs. If the victim is on horseback or in an unstable position (such as climbing a wall), the fit prompts an appropriate ability check with a -5 (or a -25%) penalty to determine if the victim falls.
A mummy might evoke a spasm in a victim each round, if it has an unobstructed view of that victim. The victim can attempt a saving throw vs. spell to avoid the evoked spasm.
Multiple effects: A very powerful mummy might have disease powers that create multiple effects: for example, rot and spasms, or blindness and poisoning.
Fear
A mummy's fear aura usually takes effect on sight; it applies only at the beginning of each encounter with the mummy. Unlike normal fear checks, mummy-inspired fear is a direct assault on the victim's will. Each victim viewing the mummy must successfully save vs. spell (Wisdom bonuses are applicable) or become paralyzed with fright for a variable number of rounds, as shown in the following table. If a hero views a mummy under circumstances that normally would cause a fear check, there is a -1 penalty to the saving throw vs. spell. Mummies with powerful fear auras impose additional penalties upon the save. Numbers, however, bolster a victim's courage; for every six people in a group, the saving throw vs. spell for each improves by +1. All humans enjoy an additional +2 to the saving throw. As always, the Dungeon Master may apply bonuses and penalties as befit the situation.
Rank Modifier* Duration** First 0 1d4 rounds Second -1 1d6 rounds Third -2 1d8 rounds Fourth -3 1d10 rounds Fifth -4 1d12 rounds * Modifier: This is the penalty to the saving throw vs. spell. This number can vary by one or two points in either direction.
* * Duration: This is the interval during which victims who fail their saving throws remain paralyzed with fright.
Alternate Forms of Fear: A mummy's fear aura need not take effect on sight. The mummy might have the ability to create fear in a cone-shaped area before it, like a fear spell, or to create fear by gaze, affecting one creature each round. Targets need not meet the mummy's gaze to be affected, but victims who meet the gaze suffer an additional -2 saving throw penalty.
If a mummy's aura of paralyzing fear does not take effect on sight, its opponents might be subject to normal fear checks when they see the mummy. All the rules governing fear checks apply (Domains of Dread, Chapter Six).
Other effects of a failed fear check can also be used for those confronting the ancient dead. For example, a mummy's fear aura might induce panic, or flight. See Domains of Dread, pages 142-143, for a variety of effects; the Dungeon Master can invent additional effects. An example would be an aura of dread: The mummy's aura causes opponents to lose all hope, as they believe the mummy is invincible. All attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks suffer a negative modifier equal to the fear power's rank. This magical dread persists for as long as the victims can see the creature.
Infravision
All mummies can see in the dark, usually having infravision with a 30-foot range. Those that retain demihuman abilities have even better infravision (former range plus 30 feet).
Enchanced Strength
Mummies are supernaturally strong. Those that have retained warrior abilities or high racial Strength scores might be even stronger.
Table 10: Mummy Strengths and Attacks
Rank Score* Damage** First 18/76 1d8 Second 18/91 1d12 Third 18/00 2d8 Fourth 19 3d6 Fifth 20 3d8 * Score: The mummy's effective Strength ability score is given here.
* * Damage: This is the amount of damage a humanoid mummy can inflict with one unarmed physical (melee) attack.
Animal Mummies
An animal mummy's Armor Class and Hit Dice are determined by its power rank, as in the following table.
Table 11: Types of Animal Mummies
Type* Number of Attacks Base Damage** Base Move*** Baboon 1 1d6 12 Bull 1 3d6 12 Cat, Domestic 2 1d4/1d2 9 Cat, Great 3 1d6/1d6/3d4 15 Crocodile 2 2d6/4d4 6, Sw 12 Dog 1 3d4 12 Eagle/Hawk 2 1d4/1d4 1, Fl 30 (C) Elephant 5 2d10/2d10/2d8/2d8/2d8 15 Horse/Camel 2 1d8/1d8 18 Snake, Constrictor 2 1d4/1d8 9 Snake, Venomous 1 1d3 12 * Type: The general type of animal that has been mummified. The sampling here is intended only as an example, and the Dungeon Master should feel free to create more types as needed.
** Base Damage: The amount of damage an animal mummy of the first rank inflicts. Add +1 damage per attack for each rank beyond the first. For example, an animal mummy of the fifth rank has a +4 damage bonus.
*** Base Move: An animal mummy of the first or second rank moves at two-thirds its base rate. An animal mummy of the third or fourth rank moves at its base rate. An animal mummy of the fifth rank moves at four-thirds its base rate. Thus, a baboon (MV 12) mummy of the first rank has MV 8, and a baboon mummy of the fifth rank has MV 16.
Additional attacks, attributed to the natural animals' abilities, should be added to the mummies' skills as well, as shown in the following examples.
Bull: A bull mummy charging at least 40 feet inflicts an extra 1d6 damage from its horns, plus an extra 1d8 trampling damage.
Cat, domestic: This mummy imposes a -3 penalty upon opponents' surprise rolls. If a cat mummy is successful with both melee attacks, it can rake its opponent with its rear claws for an additional 1d4 damage.
Cat, great: This mummy can leap up to 30 feet. If both forepaw attacks are successful, it can rake with its rear claws for an additional 2d6 damage.
Crocodile: This mummy imposes a -2 penalty upon opponents' surprise rolls.
Elephant: This mummy cannot direct more than two attacks at a single opponent.
Snake, venomous: Living creatures bitten by this mummy must successfully save vs. poison with a -1 penalty per power rank of the mummy or die immediately. The recommended strength of the poison is B-F (see the Dungeon Master Guide), determined by the creature's power rank and the relative strength of the adventuring party.
Monster and Composite Mummies
A monster mummy uses its normal Hit Dice, plus 1 or 2 additional Hit Dice per power rank. The monster mummy gains a +2 bonus to all damage rolls per power rank, and it uses its normal Armor Class or one commensurate with its power rank, whichever is better. A monster mummy's movement rate is determined in the same manner as that of an animal mummy, as noted earlier.
A composite mummy almost always has a human head or torso, with various monster or animal parts attached. Generally, the Hit Dice and Armor Class are determined by power rank. Movement rate, number of attacks, and damage are figured by the body parts. A specimen of the third rank with a great cat's head, a human torso, a griffin's claws, and a great cat's legs would have 7-9 Hit Dice, three attacks per round (3d4+4/1d4+6/1d4+6), and a movement rate of 15.
