Mari Lwyd - the Rhyming Skeletal Horse of the Christmas Season

Mari Lwyd

CR: 1     Large Fey     HD: 3d6+6     Hp: 18
Init: +6     Spd: 60'
AC: 13 (-1 size, +2 Dex, +2 Natural), ff: 11, t: 11
Attack: (BAB +1; Grap +7); +2 Bite: 2d6+2
SA: - -
SQ: DR5/Cold Iron, Immunity to Cold; Inviolate Sanctuary,  Low-Light Vision
Align: CN      Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +4
Str: 14, Dex: 15, Con: 14, Int : 10, Wis: 12, Cha: 14
Skills: Read/Write and Speak Sylvan and the dominant language of the region they live in; Appraise +6 (additional +2 w/ food and drink); Craft (Brewing) +6; Craft (Cooking) +6; Intimidate +8; Knowledge (Local) +6; Perform (Singing) +8
Feats: Great Fortitude; Run
Environment: Always in a settlement
Organization: Solitary

A white-cloaked figure with the face of a skeletal horse standing outside the front door. It sings insulting rhymes, demanding to be let inside. The lady of the house sings back, also in rhyme, refusing entry. 

Despite their appearance, the Mari Lwyd are not undead. They most commonly appear as a cloaked figure with the skeletal head of a horse, going door to door where they request entry through song. Those within are able to keep them at bay with a song of their own. This contest goes back and forth until one side or the other relents. The Mari Lwyd always seem to know which homes have the best libations and will target those houses first. They are known to be masterful chefs and brewers and mortals may seek them out to learn special recipes. The beast is not particularly sturdy, being defeated fairly easily in combat but killing one can draw the ire of other faeries, resulting in greater problems later on.

• Inviolate Sanctuary (Su): A Mari Lwyd may not enter a home unless it bests an occupying resident in an Opposed Perform check. If the resident loses, the Mari Lwyd may enter where it will eat and drink until content. If the Mari Lwyd loses three consecutive checks, it leaves and moves on to the next house. 


AD&D stats 

Climate/Terrain: Any urban
Frequency: Very Rare
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Night, especially between Christmas and Twelveth Day
Diet: Omnivore, prefers alcohol and sweets
Intelligence: Average (10)
No. Appearing: 1
Movement: 24
Hit Dice: 2
THAC0: 19
No. of Attacks: 1
Dmg/Att: 1d8 (bite)
SA: Nil
SD: Immune to Cold, Cold Iron or better weapons to hit
MR: Nil
SZ: L (7' tall)
Morale: Average
Xp Value: 65

The Mari Lwyd should be treated as if it has the Brewing, Cooking, and Singing Nonweapon Proficiencies (with a score of 10 in each).



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mur-Deer

Image
I was driving home along Minnesota's North Shore today when "Murder... Mur-Deer" popped into my head today. While you could use the Dire Elk or Legendary Animal template to achieve the same results, I thought I would take a crack at putting stats to the pun. Mur-Deer CR: 6     Large Magical Beast HD: 12d10+72     Hp: 137 Init: +1     Spd: 60'     AC: 16 (-2 size, +1 Dex, +7 Natural); t: 9, ff: 15 Attacks: (BAB +12; Grap +30) ; +20 Gore: 3d6+10 (18-20/×3) or +20 Kick: 3d8+10 (20/×2) SA: Augmented Critical SQ: Darkvision 60', DR5/Mistletoe, Low-Light Vision, Scent Align: N     Saves: Fort +14, Ref +9, Will +6 Str: 31, Dex: 13, Con: 23, Int 2, Wis 11, Cha: 5 Languages: None Skills: Listen +10, Spot +9 Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Iron Will, Mobility, Run, Spirited Charge (b) • Augmented Critical (Ex): The Mur-deer's Gore attack threatens a Critical Hit on natural 18-20 and deals triple damage on a successful Critical Hit. The Mur-Deer may
Read more

The Unstoppable Mr.Darcy

Image
I t started out as an idea for a quick, hopefully humorous one-shot. Over the course of the last year as other, similar material became available, it has grown into a short, but full-blown campaign. Based on the one-page RPGs " Pride and Extreme Prejudice " and " Trapped in a Cabin with Lord Byron " combined with " Sentai & Sensibility " and a smattering of the " d20 Anime " by Guardians of Order and d20 Paragon , I find myself continuing to expand on what was supposed to be a bit of a spoof set during the Napoleonic War. The party, based on the quartet of sisters from P&EP, hail from the Campbell family. Borrowing from Sentai, I think I have settled on the Mecha to be magically powered, summoned by magical combs the girls have, each linked to an iconic British animal - Bull, Raven, Boar, and Stag. By activating their magical focus, they first transform into superhuman warriors, armed with powerful melee weapons and armored in distincti
Read more

Beldam (Other Mother from Coraline)

Image
I watched the movie “ Coraline ” for the first time this weekend.   Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen snippets of the film here and there over the years and I recognized the character when the movie started but I have never sat down and Watched the movie (or read the book).   By the time the show was over, I have to admit that I was fascinated by the entire thing.   The animation and pacing were incredibly well done and the main antagonist was delightfully wicked.   This is who I want to focus on today – Beldam, a.k.a. the Other Mother.   Some viewers may think that she was some sort of demon, offering children their heart’s desire in exchange for their souls, much like a crossroads demon but I feel like she more closely resembles a faerie, a member of the Unseelie Court who is allowed a great deal of independence in her operations.   I also think that since the protagonist, Coraline, was just a child that Beldam wouldn’t necessarily have been overly powerful, holding a relatively low
Read more

The Turducken

Image
There are several "monstrous" versions of the Turducken out there. This is a more grounded version of the bird as if it were a real-world animal. The Turducken is a medium bird weighing 15 to 25 pounds. It has a large, round body with stubby wings and a fan-shaped tail. Their feet are webbed. Most notably, they have three heads. The center head is that of a turkey, flanked by those of a duck and a chicken. Their diet is varied, consisting of aquatic plants, grasses, small vertebrates like frogs and salamanders, mollusks, and insects. Turducken CR: 3     Small Magical Beast      HD: 5d8+10    Hp: 34 Init: +0    Spd: 10', fly 40' (clumsy), swim 20' AC: 13 (+1 size, +2 Natural), t: 11, ff: 12 Attacks: (BAB +5; Grap-3); +6 Claws: 1d4-4 and +1 Bite: 1d2-4 and +1 2 Bites: 1-4 SA: - - SQ: Darkvision 60', Low-Light Vision, Multiple Heads Align: N     Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +1 Str: 3, Dex; 11, Con: 14, Int: 2, Wis: 10, Cha: 11 Skills: Li
Read more

Osse - The Forgotten Continent of the Forgotten Realms

Image
Osse is one least detailed continents of the Forgotten Realms.   There is almost no canon information regarding it or its inhabitants.   Even the Forgotten Realms wiki has little to say about this Australian-analog. So, of course, my players will be going there eventually .   I sat down with what little information I had and began fleshing out ideas for what I feel should be there.   It isn’t far from Kara-Tur and that got me to thinking about Monster Island from the old Godzilla movies so I decided that Osse must be the spawning ground for Kaiju.   There is also no equivalent (at last not really) for the myths of Atlantis so I made the interior of the continent home to my own version of that as well.   This is what I came up with. Capital: None Population: 711,813 (68% Ossean Human, 22% Poseidian Human, 4% Lizardfolk, 3% Aarakocra, 1% Mountain Dwarf, 1% Shoal Halfling) Government: City-States, Tribes Religion: Jazirian (also known as the Rainbow Serpent), Bahloo (Sel
Read more

Max Headroom

Image
On this day in 1987, two Chicago-based television stations had their signals hijacked by person or persons unknown.  The first  event was stopped quickly but the second lasted a bit longer.  More than 30 years later, no suspects have ever been identified. For those of you who have been reading my stuff for awhile, you know that I am planning on having my party eventually reach Earth .  I have plotted out some unusual adventures and some strange NPCs that I think it would be cool to have them encounter (plus I just like making weird characters) and was thinking that crossing paths with Max and his "IRL" counterpart Edison could make for an interesting story. Incorporating Max into a D&D campaign... This does present a bit of a conundrum since Max is undeniably based on futuristic technology.  Then again, Dungeons & Dragons has a long history of sci-fi crossovers so perhaps the next time you find yourself running " Expedition to the Barrier Peaks "
Read more