I am old, and the night of sepulcher was long, and I have forgotten much. Yet, groping backward across the void of death, it may be that I shall retrieve something of my former wisdom...  - Clark Ashton Smith "The Empire of Necromancers" Salient Powers Fear and tremble, you. interlopers, unbelievers, and despoilers, for the king will come. . . . The eyes of the gods light his face, the might of the gods sustains his limbs. He shall eat your magic for his morning meal, his breath shall wither your flesh, his voice shall stop your hearts, he shall gulp down your spirits. — Translation from a Har'Akiri tomb Having dealt with the paranormal abilities common to most ancient dead, I turn now to powers I have encountered only in specific mummies. On the pages that follow, I present my notes regarding sixteen paranormal abilities that mark those mummies possessing them as extraordinary. Mummy hunters who encounter mummies with these powers should take them as a warning that their foes are beyond the typical mold. The reader can take some heart in the knowledge that even the most powerful mummies seldom have more than two or three such abilities, but be wary. Among mummies of the third and higher ranks, individuals that wield three or four of these abilities are not unheard of. The most terrible ancient dead foe I have confronted displayed seven salient abilities, and it might very well have possessed one or two additional powers that I did not observe! Alter Form A mummy with this ability has command over its own shape. In the example with which 1 am most familiar, the mummy could affect a true and lasting change over its body. Its preference for the guises of a wolf and a bat led my companions and me to mistake it for a vampire. In the end, only the extreme sense of caution I had developed in my years of undead hunting saved me, then only because I was prepared to deal with an unusual vampire. Other mummies are not limited to the forms of animals, and they can assume the forms of living people; sometimes this is the form that was theirs in life, other times it is any form the mummy finds convenient or necessary in a fight. Animate Objects A mummy with this power can imbue inanimate objects with mobility. Unlike a ghost's ability to inhabit objects, the mummy's spirit does not enter an animated object. Instead, the mummy transfers some of its own positive energy into the objects, temporarily giving them the semblance of life. Mummies with this power can be extremely formidable. Not only can they be misidentified as ghosts or poltergeists, but their tombs are often filled with a wide variety of statuary and other items that can pose a deadly threat when they gain the semblance of life and move to the attack. Charm Being creatures with worldly minds, the ancient dead can exert great power over animals, beasts, and sometimes humans. Feeble willpower (low Wisdom) is an unlatched gate through which foes can enter and usurp control of their victims. Curse Among all the denizens of our many realms, only the Vistani are more greatly feared for their power to curse than are the ancient dead. Fortunately for mummy hunters, the ancient dead are much more likely to dwell in places that are protected by curses than the mummies are to lay their own curses on intruders and foes. Nevertheless, mummies are strong-willed and covetous beings, and their potential for vengeance is high. My collection of documents contains several accounts of adventurers who have succumbed to mysterious ailments, strange bouts of ill luck, and similar misfortunes soon after encounters with mummies. I have no doubt that several of these incidents can be attributed to the ability some of the ancient dead have to delay the worst effects of their powers. Still, I have several accounts where the victims actually witnessed a mummy speak a curse against its attackers. I also have an account of a mummy who committed a curse in writing. Our foray into the ancient tomb was not without reward or penalty. Of the former, we had recovered many baubles and the collection of clay tablets that Pikering had deemed so vital to the final conclusion of our quest; we also had sent nearly a score of our foe's undead servants irrevocably into the hereafter. Of the latter, we were burdened with many festering wounds, which we soon put right. When at last we gathered our supplies, we found a notice written on modern parchment, but recorded in ancient script. It was addressed to "the foes of Ananka-Siphir" (which we knew to mean ourselves), and it read thus: "Those who have raised their hands against me, who have dispatched my slaves, and taken what is mine; let them restore was has been stolen and trouble me no more. Woe to thee if thou heed not this warning, for the snake shall be against thee on land, the crocodile shall be against thee in the water, the hawk shall be against thee in the air, and flame shall be against thee wherever thou goest." After reading the notice, we resolved to show Pikering the tablets without delay and set out for his home, which was some twenty miles distant. When we made camp that night, the broth we set to warm on the fire boiled over in a scalding spray. The fire, we noted, had not seemed particularly large or hot. By the time we entered the next town, the incident with the broth was all but forgotten. Forgotten that is, until we spotted the second notice, worded just like the first. The people on the streets seemed to sense our connection with the notice, and they shied away from us. Later that evening, as we sat poring over the tablets in Pikering's parlor, an eagle of monstrous size boldly flew though the open window and attacked us with all the ferocity of a mother defending its nest. When we had slain the bird, and barred the window, Pikering surveyed the wreckage of his parlor and warned us to disguise our true mission and to remove any more notices we might find. The curse, he surmised, drew power from every spirit who learned of it. —From the memoirs of Edmond Penn Among the undead, there will always be a few individuals that have the power to bind other members of the walking dead to their service. The ancient dead are no exception, and mummy hunters should be prepared to face a cadre of lesser horrors before facing their true adversaries. This ability is not widespread among the ancient dead, and it seems to be limited to those mummies, such as rulers, that possessed power over others in life. However, I would not stake my reputation on this idea, and the reader should not stake his life on it, either. Create Undead Many of the ancient dead possess the ability to create their own undead minions. Unlike vampires, ghosts, and lesser undead such as ghouls and wights, all of which create undead automatically, a mummy must take deliberate steps to create undead minions. It seems likely that mummies are empowered to create only other mummies. (Like begets like, even among the ancient dead.) Spellcasting mummies, however, might easily have acquired enough dark knowledge to create many different types of undead, and they probably have access to necromantic spells that can create minor undead such as skeletons and zombies for use as guards, minor laborers, and so forth. Delay Some mummies can withhold -for a time -the worst effects of whatever destructive powers they have. Mummies with this power might choose to delay the onset of their scabrous touch, for example; when victims suddenly develop the symptoms of mummy rot hours or even days later, it might be impossible to determine whence the infection came. This is particularly true if mummies can alter their shape into innocuous forms. (A mummy in one written account assumed the form of a brightly colored songbird.) Intact or pristine mummies could also use this power to great effect. Elemental Command The ancient dead have an all but unbreakable tie to the mortal world that can give them power over the earth itself, or the air above it. It might be possible for mummies to have control over water or fire as well, but I do not know of such beings. Grapple Some mummies grapple their victims rather than strike with their fists. It is nearly impossible for mortals to extract themselves from the grasp of mummies, as these creatures are frequently as strong as any golem or vampire. I have heard tales of mummies whose wrappings were covered with sticky resin, literally gluing opponents to their bodies, but these reports do not come from what I consider a credible source. Still .... Illusion Deception is a common weapon in the arsenal of the ancient dead. During my forays against mummies, I have encountered many false magical images. Some are harmless, simple recreations of the life the mummy once knew. Others distract or misdirect foes. Whatever their intention, illusions conceal the truth about mummies, their plans, and their tombs. Astute hunters can sometimes tell a great deal about ancient undead creatures by the illusions they create and maintain. Some mummy illusions are mere tricks, shallow images that any careful adventurer can sweep aside. Very powerful mummies, however, can produce intense visions that seem to have mass, texture, and even scent. Only careful research or a spellcaster with an ample stock of divination spells can keep a party safe from these counterfeit sensations. Passage Many parties of undead hunters have been dumbfounded by certain mummies' abilities to seemingly pass through solid objects as though the obstacles were composed of thin air. Most horrors that possess this ability are non- or semicorporeal ghosts. It is possible, however, for the ancient dead to exercise a similar power. In one case, a mummy was able to create openings in the solid rock walls of its tomb. In another, the mummy could literally vanish in one place and almost instantaneously reappear in another. A successful expedition into a tomb containing a mummy with this power requires careful planning and strong defensive tactics, as well as pure luck. Resist Magic As I explained earlier in this chapter, a mummy's peculiar state of existence makes it immune to certain types of spells. The mummy might, however, have an even broader resistance to magic. This resistance is not absolute. There is a fair chance that any spell cast upon a low-rank mummy will take effect, though the group opposing the mummy would do well to have a contingency plan in mind should its spells fail. Nevertheless, a powerful mummy might be as impervious to most spells as it is to mundane weapons. If a spellcaster is fortunate, one or two spells might take effect, but most will not. In situations like these, it is best not to rely on one's spellcasters in combat. Of course, spells i that have no direct effect upon the mummy are generally as efficient as ever, so wizards and priests remain valuable to their parties regardless of a given creature's magic resistance. Many spells can enhance or revivify the caster's companions, and these are generally more reliable than spells that are directed against one's undead foes. Retained Abilities Because most ancient dead rise only after an elaborate burial rite, it should not be surprising that a significant portion of mummies are imbued with or have retained the abilities of priests. In some cases, I believe that mummified priests actually become more powerful than they were in life. It appears that deities whose portfolios include death, disease, or decay regard the act of mummification as a supreme act of devotion, and they "reward" their priests accordingly. A mummy that was formally interred and granted unlife usually retains some or all of its skills. Priest skills, as I mentioned above, are fully retained or even enhanced. If the mummy's power rank is high enough, its memories and mundane professional skills often remain undiminished. Racial abilities are likely to be fully retained unless the mummy's power rank is very low. Nonpriest adventurer's skills are rare. A mummy acting as a fighter or thief is not common. I have only rarely encountered a mummy wizard. A wizard who seeks to live beyond death shuns mummification and pursues lichdom instead. Summon Horde This power is similar to the ability to charm animals, except the mummy can compel large numbers of smaller creatures such as bats, insects, or spiders, to swarm and assail intruders. One of my earliest forays into a mummy's tomb ended ignominiously when my companions and I were engulfed in a rustling wave of tiny scorpions. Coherent thought was impossible while submerged in that glittering mass, and the thousands of pinpricks from grasping claws and needle-sharp stings nearly drove us mad. Symbiosis Whether by design or by inscrutable fate, a mummy's preserved body sometimes is home to more than one creature. Usually the mummy's skin or wrapping is infested with a species of deadly mold, which makes physical combat with the creature even more hazardous than it would otherwise be. In one bizarre case, my companions and I encountered a trio of skeletal mummies whose bones were crawling with strange, spectral worms. These loathsome creatures were hungry for living flesh, and did their best to leap from their hosts onto our exposed faces. Finally, when our strength was all but exhausted, our fiery assault broke the mummies! Never had I seen undead creatures flee from a battle unless banished by a priest. As the bandaged-wrapped horrors writhed in the flames, we gave chase to the fugitives. Tracking proved to be effortless, as one of the fleeing mummies obliged us by leaning a trail of emerald green splotches that appeared to eat away the turf. We made good time in our pursuit, and soon overtook our quarry, but our exultation was to be short-lived. Sensing our nearness, the mummies disappeared into a ravine, where they regrouped and turned on us, forming a wedge. Once again we hurled our pots of flaming oil to great effect, and the wedge broke apart. A mummy swathed in smoking green wrappings sallied forth from the flickering mass. Before we could launch another volley of flaming oil, the creature was among us, roaring like an autumn wind and swatting everyone it could reach. I saw Ashlocke crumple under a blow, screaming, yet it wasn't the force of the blow that made him cry, though that must have been considerable. An ominous green stain spread over the woodsman's breast. His leather jerkin disappeared in an instant, converted to the same emerald slime we had seen on the trail. As the woodsman clawed at his chest, his gloved hand collapsed into slime as well. With a shudder and a scream of my own, I struck the monster with my sword, and the weapon too collapsed into slime. —From the personal letters of Caulay the One-Armed Weightlessness My studies have revealed an account of a mummy with a unique and baffling power. This creature had command over its own body weight and could render itself literally as light as a feather. This supernatural weightlessness allowed it to tread on water, run straight up vertical walls, and perform other astounding feats of mobility. I have heard additional accounts of mummies that could levitate, and another of a mummy that could fly through the air while locked in a stiff, upright posture. If these accounts are accurate, I suspect that the mummies they describe had this power. Alter Form Table 12: Alter Form Rank    Uses*     Duration** First 1 30 minutes Second 2 60 minutes Third 3 90 minutes Fourth 4 Unlimited Fifth N/A Variable * Uses: The typical number of times each day a mummy with the listed rank can use the power. In most cases, a mummy can make only one alteration to its form during each power use. ** Duration: The maximum interval each power use lasts. At the first rank, this power allows a mummy to make an illusory change to its form. Except for duration, this is similar to the 1st-level wizard spell change self. Second-rank alter form allows a mummy to make a real, though limited, change to its form. Except for duration, this power is similar to the 2nd-level wizard spell alter self. At the third rank, this power allows a mummy to make a real and extensive change to its form. Except for duration, this power is similar to the 4th-level wizard spell polymorph self. At the fourth rank, this power functions as it does at the third rank, except that a mummy actually gains all the assumed form's powers. Except for duration, this power is similar to the 9th-level wizard spell shape change. At the Fifth rank, a mummy can freely make extensive changes to its form during each power use. Except for duration, this power is exactly like the 9th-level wizard spell shape change. Typically, a mummy can use this power one, two, or three times per day; the typical duration for each use is one hour plus 10 minutes for each Hit Die the mummy has. A mummy might have a fixed inventory of forms it can use. For example, a mummy with the alter form power of the third rank might be able to assume the form of a monkey, a cat, or an eagle, each once per day. Typically, a mummy with such a limit to its alter form power gains the duration and extent of change appropriate to the next higher rank; thus, the mummy in the previous example would gain the full abilities of each form and could maintain its assumed form for an unlimited time. A mummy with a limited repertoire of forms usually has limited power over the normal animals whose forms it can assume. This is similar to the 1st-level priest spell animal friendship and lasts as long as the mummy retains that shape. Animate Objects Table 13: Animate Objects Rank    Size*     Damage** First Tiny 1d8 Second Small 2d8 Third Man 3d10 Fourth Large 4d8 Fifth Huge 5d10 * Size: This indicates how large an object a mummy with the listed rank of the animate object power can animate, using the size categories in the Monstrous Manual tome and its annual volumes. A mummy can animate a single object of the size listed, two objects of the next smaller size, four of the next size smaller than that, and so on. For example, a fifth-rank mummy could animate one huge object, two large ones, four man-sized objects, eight small ones or sixteen tiny objects. A mummy generally can animate objects for 2 hours per day per power rank. If multiple objects are put in motion, their time is cumulative. For example, a third-rank mummy with this power can animate one object for a total of 6 hours or two objects for 3 hours each. A minimum duration of 1 minute is used each time an object is animated. Charm A mummy with this ability can exert control over animals, persons, monsters, or any combination of the three. A mummy can charm a number of Hit Dice or levels of persons equal to three times its own Hit Dice. A mummy can charm as many Hit Dice of animals or monsters as it itself has Hit Dice. Command Undead A mummy with this ability can lead undead creatures as if it were an evil cleric of a level equal to its Hit Dice. If a mummy has retained any priest abilities, it commands undead at its priest level plus two, or at a level equal to its Hit Dice, whichever is greater. The number of undead that can be commanded at any one time is usually three times the mummy's Hit Dice, but it can be higher or lower. If the mummy also has the create undead power, any undead it creates do not count toward this limit. Create Undead In addition to spells such as animate dead, some mummies understand the process of embalming and the funerary rituals required to create new mummies. Usually the victim must have died while afflicted with mummy rot, but death from mummy rot isn't a requirement. Creating a mummy of the third rank or less requires 12-18 hours of effort to prepare the body, and a further 12-24 hours before the spirit becomes permanently fixed into the preserved body. A mummy of the fourth or fifth rank requires very careful embalming and funerary rituals on a massive scale; see Chapter Six for more details. It is also possible for a spellcasting mummy to know some of the necromantic spells described in Van Richten's Guide to the Lich (Section Two of this volume). Curse Most mummies of at least average (8-10) Intelligence are capable of speaking a curse of vengeance against those who deface their tombs through theft or vandalism, whether offenders are directly present or not. Mummies' tombs and the goods stored within them represent those creature's ties to our world and to life itself. To mummies, any threat or damage to these ties is an ultimately profane act deserving the most grievous penalty. Delay This power allows a mummy to postpone the effects of one or more of its other powers. A mummy's disease-causing power is the one most commonly delayed. Table 14: Delay Rank    Delay* First 30 minutes Second 1 hour Third 2 hous Fourth 1 day Fifth 1 week * Delay: The maximum interval a power can be delayed. A mummy can opt for a shorter delay if it wishes. Elemental Command A mummy with this power has control of one of the four classical elements: air, earth, fire, and water. At the first rank, a mummy can produce minor effects involving its element once per day, as a spellcaster of a level equal to its Hit Dice: dust devil (Air), burning hands (Fire), wall of fog (Water), or grease (Earth - in this case the "grease" is a slippery material similar to graphite). At the second rank, a mummy can produce the appropriate minor effect from the list above twice per day, and it gains a +1 saving throw bonus against any attack based on the element it can control. At the third rank, a mummy can produce effects from the list above three times per day, and it can create the following effect (related to its element) once per day: control winds (Air), quench fire (Fire), transmute water to dust (Water), or rock to mud (Earth). The mummy gains a +2 saving throw bonus against attacks based on the element it can control, and suffers -1 from each die of damage inflicted by such attacks, even if the save wasn't successful. At the fourth power rank, a mummy can create all the appropriate effects listed above, and it is immune to attacks based on the element it controls. Once per day the mummy can create 2 cubic feet of its element for each of its Hit Dice. This ability has a range of 100 yards. Air: The created material appears as a wall of wind that knocks down any creature of huge (H) size or smaller. unless the victim successfully saves vs. breath weapon. The "wall" is 2 feet thick and as long and wide as necessary to accommodate its volume. The "wall" otherwise acts like a wind wall spell. Water: The created material appears as a geyser that snuffs out any normal fire it contacts and knocks down any huge size or smaller target, unless the victim successfully saves vs. breath weapon with a -1 penalty. The stream is 1 foot in diameter and as long as necessary to accommodate its volume. (The volume of a cylinder is about equal to its radius squared, times its height, times 3.14.) Fire: The created material appears as a sphere of searing flame large enough to accommodate its volume. (The volume of a sphere is about equal to its radius cubed, times 4.19.) Creatures within the sphere suffer 12d4+12 points of damage, though they can each attempt a save vs. breath weapon for half damage. Flammable objects within the sphere burst into flame, but flammable equipment held by a hero remains intact if the hero makes the noted successful saving throw vs. breath weapon. Earth: The created material appears in any solid shape the mummy desires and otherwise functions like a wall of stone spell, except that it is permanent and cannot be dispelled. The stone weighs 150-170 pounds per cubic foot. If dropped on a victim, the earth does 3dl0 points of damage (save vs. breath weapon for half damage). At the fifth power rank, a mummy can conjure a 16-Hit Die elemental of the appropriate type once per month. A cloud of billowing mists usually accompanies the elemental's appearance. The resulting elemental is a twisted, insane creature; it is mostly composed of a pure element, but the remainder of the creature is formed of corrupted matter and evil. The elemental is chaotic evil and consumed by an insane rage that causes it to fearlessly attack the nearest creature before it moves on to its next victim. No force of less than divine power can control the elemental, but the summoning mummy can attempt a save vs. breath weapon each turn to banish the creature. The corrupted material in the elemental imbues it with additional powers. Fire: Everything the elemental touches burns for 2d6 rounds (nonliving matter burns away at the rate of 1 cubic foot per round). Air turns to smoke, creating a cloud 50 feet in diameter that obscures vision (vision is reduced to one quarter within the cloud). Living creatures suffer 1d4 points of damage for each round they burn. Water: All water and liquids containing water. (including holy water and magical potions) within 30 feet of the elemental become foul and putrefied. Living creatures touched by this dreadful elemental must each successfully save vs. spell or suffer a debilitating disease per the cause disease spell. Air: The air becomes turbulent within 50 feet of the elemental. Vision is reduced to zero within this cloud. Random electrical discharges require any creature in the area to successfully save vs. death magic each round or suffer 2d4 points of damage (the elemental being immune to lightning). Living creatures touched must successfully save vs. spell or they become unable to breathe for 1d4 rounds (-2 or -10% penalty to all die rolls for duration). Earth: Everything this elemental touches turns to stone. The air within 20 feet fills with graveyard dust, obscuring vision. Living creatures within the area must hold their breaths, or choke and suffer 1d4 points of damage each round. Stone, crystal, and metal touched must successfully save vs. crushing blow or crumble to dust (5 cubic feet of material can be affected at one time). Living creatures must successfully save vs. petrification or be turned to stone. Grapple Mummies with this power make two normal melee attacks, inflicting melee damage according to the mummy Strength table following. If both melee attacks hit, the victim is enfolded in the mummy's arms, then crushed or strangled. A victim can win free of a mummy's grapple by scoring a throw or gouge on the wrestling table (Player's Handbook, Table 58), by inflicting damage on the mummy with a weapon (the mummy's iron grip imposes a -4 attack penalty), or by other methods determined by the Dungeon Master. Table 15: Grapple Rank    Score*     Damage** First 21 2d8 Second 22 2d10 Third 23 3d8 Fourth 24 3d10 Fifth 25 4d8 * Score: A mummy's effective Strength ability score when making wrestling or grappling attacks. * * Damage: The amount of damage a mummy inflicts each round it grapples a victim. Illusion Table 16: Illusion Rank    Senses*     Area** First 1 20 Second 2 40 Third 3 60 Fourth 4 80 Fifth 5 100 * Senses: The number of senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell) that the mummy's illusion can affect. ** Area: The number of 10-foot cubes in area that a single illusion of the listed rank can fill. A mummy can opt to create smaller illusions. Note that mobile illusions, such as creatures, cannot leave their given areas of effect. A mummy's illusion generally lasts as long as the mummy concentrates on the effect, plus one turn (10 rounds) per power rank once its concentration stops. A mummy usually can create an illusion in any area it can see, regardless of range. A mummy with an illusion rank of third or higher can "program" its illusions as if it were using the 5th-level wizard spell advanced illusion. The mummy can create one such illusion each day. A mummy with an illusion rank of fourth or higher can create illusions with quasi-real components, as if using the 4th-level wizard spell shadow monsters or the 5th-level wizard spell shadow magic. The mummy can create three special illusions each day, either quasi-real or programmed. A mummy with an illusion rank of fifth can create quasi-real illusions as if using the 5th-level wizard spell demishadow monsters or the 6th-Ievel wizard spell demishadow magic. The mummy can create four special illusions each day, either quasi-real or programmed. Passage This ability allows a mummy to pass through solid rock, earth, wood, or other common materials as though it were casting the 7th-level wizard spell phase door, which creates a passage usable only by the caster. The mummy can move directly though the passage or it can linger in it for one turn per power rank. A mummy typically can create one passage per power rank per hour. The length of the magical passage a mummy creates depends on its power rank. Table 17: Passage Rank    Length*     Uses** First 1 foot 1 Second 10 feet 1 Third 25 feet 1 Fourth 50 feet 2 Fifth 75 feet 3 * Length: The maximum length a passage can have. The passage need not be open at both ends, and the mummy can use it to create a hiding place for itself in objects that are too large to allow passage. If a mummy's passage rank is high enough, it can use this power multiple times to extend the length of a passage. ** Uses: The number of times a mummy can use a passage before the passage is dispelled. Only the mummy or creatures closely accompanied by the mummy can use the passage. Resist Magic Table 18: Resist Magic Rank    Magic Resistance     Class Bonus* First 10% +5% Second 20% +10% Third 30% +15% Fourth 40% +20% Fifth 50% +25% * Class Bonus: If a mummy could cast spells of any type during life, its magic resistance is increased by the listed amount. A mummy does not receive the bonus if it belonged to a spellcasting class, but had not achieved a level sufficient to actually cast spells. For example, a 1st-level bard or a 7th-level ranger would not qualify for the bonus. Retained Abilities The transition between life and unlife often wipes clean the subject's memory - this usually is true for mummies of the third rank or lower. Fourth- and fifth-rank mummies retain their previous skills. All mummies retain their racial abilities. Once created, a mummy cannot gain new experience levels under any conditions. Racial Abilities: Elves: Mummies from any elf stock, including drow and half-elves, gain enhanced infravision (an extra 30 feet in range). The unusually long elf life span often produces mummies with high invulnerability and rejuvenation powers. Mummies of elf stock retain special weapon skills only if they also retain relevant class abilities. The elf resistance to sleep and charm spells becomes irrelevant to the ancient dead. Drow mummies retain their magic resistance or gain magic resistance commensurate with their power rank, whichever is higher. Dwarves: Mummies of dwarf stock receive enhanced infravision (an extra 30 feet in range) and retain whatever saving throw bonuses they had in life. Dwarf mummies retaining any class abilities also retain their abilities regarding stonework and mining. Dwarf mummies often possess superior forms of the passage ability and might have some form of earth elemental control power. Gnomes: Mummies from gnome stock receive enhanced infravision (an extra 30 feet in range) and retain whatever saving throw bonuses they had in life. Gnome mummies that have retained any class abilities also retain their abilities regarding stonework and mining. Gnome mummies often possess superior forms of illusion-creating abilities. Halflings: Mummies from any halfling stock possess infravision to 60 feet and retain whatever saving throw bonuses they had in life. Halflings that retained any class abilities also retain their abilities with slings and thrown weapons. Mummies from stout halfling stock retain their direction sense and ability to detect slopes, if they have class abilities. Humanoids Most humanoid races do not practice funerary customs elaborate enough to create mummies. When encountered at all, humanoid mummies are created servitors or naturally preserved creatures of the third rank or less. These frequently have infravision of variable range. Class Abilities: Priests: Priest abilities of all kinds appear to survive the transformation from living being to mummy very well. Not only do most priests become fairly powerful mummies (usually third rank or higher), but priests of evil deities often increase in level when they become mummies, as their respective deities are likely to find such a transformation an attractive one. Priests of deities whose portfolios include death, disease, curses, forbidden or evil knowledge, or deceit often gain several (1-3) levels when becoming mummies. However, priest mummies cannot thereafter gain experience. Specialty priests of evil retain all their spells and granted abilities. Specialty priests of good and neutral deities generally retain most of their spells and granted abilities upon transformation to mummies. A priest's transformation into an evil monster will sever contact with a good deity, but evil deities or dark powers step in to fill the gap. Note that a usurped mummy might retain contact with a good deity so long as it seeks to further that deity's interests or seeks its own final rest. Such a mummy probably would not have an evil alignment. Evil mummies who were once good priests receive spells in keeping with their new roles. (Healing spells usually can be cast only in their reversed forms, for example.) The ability to turn other undead is always lost. Granted abilities involving divination, combat, and warding usually are retained. Granted healing powers might disappear or become reversed. Rogues: Thieves tend to die ignominious deaths and receive burials not aimed at preserving their bodies, so thief mummies are rare. However, infamous figures or the heads of guilds might find themselves the subject of veneration, which could lead to mummification and, later, ancient dead status. If such a rogue becomes a mummy, its abilities are largely unaffected. The ability to move silently increases to 95%. Climb Walls, Pick Pockets, and Open Locks abilities are reduced by 50% (0% minimum score). Bards retain most of their abilities; however the ability to influence reactions and inspire allies is lost, even if bard mummies are in preserved or pristine states of preservation. The vital spark that makes these abilities possible in bards is absent from mummies. The mummies might, however, gain the charm ability. Warriors: Warriors generally retain all their skills after becoming mummies, including multiple attacks and weapon specialization. A paladin who becomes an evil mummy loses all special paladin powers and becomes a standard fighter. If the paladin had a war horse, the mount does its best to destroy the mummy - a task probably beyond its means. Retaining paladin status in the case of becoming a good mummy is unlikely, as most paladins are likely to consider themselves compromised by the transformation; the faith of the paladin in himself is at least as important as his faith in his patron deity. A ranger who becomes an evil mummy retains all stealth, combat, and spellcasting abilities. The ranger's followers, if any, shun the mummy and might try to destroy it. The ranger's animal empathy ability is lost, though the mummy might gain the charm animals ability. Wizards: The effects of mummification on wizard abilities are unpredictable. Often the ability to cast spells is lost altogether. The transformation to undeath, with its flood of positive and divine energy, disrupts the complex mental patterns that make the casting of wizard spells possible. Equally often, mummies are physically unable to speak or perform somatic components. Unless the mummy forms are intact or pristine, wizards lose one or more levels. Most mummies cannot learn new spells, though they can replace lost spell books. Mummies who were necromancers in life usually can learn new spells, to the limit of their Intelligence scores. Wizard mummies might possibly be wild mages, as detailed in the Tome of Magic. Psionicists: Usually only an invoked mummy will retain psionic abilities through the shock of becoming undead. Powers that affect or rely on a living body no longer operate, but other powers may still work. No new powers are even gained. A number of PSPs are regained every hour equal to the mummy's rank, regardless of the mummy's actions. If the mummy rejuuenates, it regains ten times its rank in PSPs per hour. Summon Horde A mummy does not have complete control over the creatures that make up the horde of vermin, but it can direct the horde to swarm in any area within sight; the effect is similar to a summon insects spell. A typical horde lasts 1d4 rounds and has a movement rate of 18. A swarm obscures vision in its area of effect. Table 19: Summon Horde Rank    Volume*     Damage** First 5 cu.ft. 0/2 Second 10 cu.ft. 2/1d4+2 Third 20 cu.ft. 3/1d6+3 Fourth 40 cu.ft. 4/1d8+4 Fifth 60 cu.ft. 5/1d10+5 * Volume: The maximum cubic volume a horde can occupy without effectively dispersing. Generally, a horde can attack one man-sized creature per 5 cubic feet of volume. * * Damage; The amount that victims typically suffer when attacked by a horde. The number before the slash is the damage suffered each round if a victim does nothing except try to fight off the horde. The number after the slash is the damage suffered if a victim ignores the horde. Other possible effects include: Poison: The creatures in the horde are venomous; such creatures might inflict less damage than indicated, but they carry deadly or debilitative poison. Victims can attempt a saving throw vs. poison each round to avoid the cumulative effect of many small bites or stings. Incapacitation: The stings and bites inflicted by the vermin horde are so distracting and painful that a victim is rendered helpless until the horde departs, unable to attack or defend in any way. Victims can attempt a saving throw vs. spell each round to avoid the effect. This type of horde might or might not inflict actual damage. Disease: The creatures are infected with some malady that they can pass on to their victims unless the victim successfully saves vs. poison each round. The Dungeon Master can assign a specific disease or treat the horde's attack as a cause disease spell. Specific diseases typically take 3d12 hours to develop; effects include: Blindness: The victim's eyes and eyelids become swollen and useless. A cure blindness spell restores sight for 1d4 days, but the condition persists until the disease is cured. Coma: The victim falls into a deep coma for 2dl2 hours. During the coma, the victim's Constitution score decreases 1 point per hour. If the score drops to 0, the victim dies. Once the victim wakens, 1 point of lost Constitution returns for each hour of complete rest. If the disease is not cured, the coma recurs every 1d4+l months for the rest of the victim's life. Fever: The victim becomes incapacitated when a bout of alternating fever and chills strikes. The bout lasts 1d3 days, and the victim must make a System Shock roll each day or perish. If the disease is not cured, the bouts of fever and chills recur every 1d4+l months for the rest of the victim's life. Inflammation: One of the victim's limbs (determined randomly) swells two to four times its normal size and becomes useless. The victim loses 1 point each of Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma. Further, if the afflicted limb is a leg, the victim's movement is reduced by half. The swelling persists until the victim is cured. A cured victim recovers lost ability scores after one day of complete rest or a heal spell is cast. Insanity: The victim falls into a maniacal fit that persists for 1d4 hours. During this time, the victim attacks any creature within reach, biting and scratching like an animal. At the end of the fit, the victim falls into a coma for 1dl2 hours, and at the end of this interval the victim must make a System Shock roll. If the roll is successful, the victim wakes up and appears to be normal. If the roll is unsuccessful, the victim dies. If not cured, the fits recur every 1d4+l months for the rest of the victim's life. Symbiosis The body of a mummy with this "power" is home to another monster. Typical symbionts include the various deadly molds (yellow, brown, and russet), green slime, oozes and puddings, venomous arachnids, rot grubs, brain moles, and any other creature small enough to make a home in a mummy's body. The mummy itself always is immune to any special attacks that involve physical contact with the symbiont. Weightlessness At the first rank, a mummy with this power can move at a rate of 18. It can climb smooth surfaces whose slopes do not exceed 45 degrees and vertical surfaces that are rough; the mummy moves at a rate of 9 while climbing. The mummy also can pass over soft surfaces such as mud, snow, or loose sand without becoming mired or leaving tracks. At the second rank, a mummy can move at a rate of 24. It can climb as described above, but the movement rate is 12. The mummy can pass over very soft surfaces such as bogs and quicksand without becoming mired. At the third rank, a mummy can move at a rate of 24. It can climb as described above at its normal movement rate, and can climb smooth, sheer surfaces at a rate of 12. The mummy can walk across any surface without leaving tracks; the mummy can even walk across water and other liquids with ease. At the fourth rank, a mummy has all the movement and climbing abilities listed above, and it can levitate each day for a number of turns equal to its Hit Dice. At the fifth rank, a mummy has all the abilities listed above, and it can fly at a rate of 9 (D).

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