 Croaker
An ominous figure, hands bound before him and his head lolling obscenely to one side on a broken neck, hovers forward. His face is obscured by a rotten death shroud, a milky eye peering through one worn hole, half its black-tooth-filled mouth visible through another rent in the fabric. A horrid rasp of air croaking out pain and misery issues from the thing’s crushed throat.Croaker CR 5Source Hangman's Noose pg. 29
Always LE Medium undead (incorporeal)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +15, Spot +15DefenseAC 19, touch 19, flat-footed 15 (+5 deflection, +4 Dex)
hp 58 (9d12)
Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +8
Immune undead traitsOffenseSpeed fly 30 ft. (perfect)
Melee maddening touch +9
Space 5 ft., Reach 5 ft.
Special Attacks hangman's noose, maddening touchStatisticsStr 18, Dex 10, Con —, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 12
Base Atk +3; Grapple +7
Feats Improved Initiative, Stealthy, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (touch)
Skills Hide +16, Intimidate +17, Listen +15, Move Silently +16, Spot +15, Use Rope +16
Languages Common and any it spoke in life
SQ gallows bound, rejuvenation, turn resistance +2EcologyEnvironment any land (usually urban)
Organization solitary
Treasure none
Advancement 6-14 HD (Medium)Special AbilitiesGallows Bound (Su) A croaker is confined to the area surrounding the gallows where it met death. The undead may not travel farther than 1 mile from the site of its hanging and prefers to haunt the building or immediate area in which it met its demise.
Hangman’s Noose (Su) A croaker may use animate rope at will and may also cause any rope or rope-like object to animate and strangle an opponent with supernatural strength. The rope gains a Strength of 25 and uses the croaker’s base attack bonus to grapple a foe. Any foe grappled takes 1d6+7 points of damage per round as her throat is crushed. Escaping the grapple or severing the rope frees the victim. croakers often hang dead foes from rafters or tree limbs, leaving them on display for others to find.
Maddening Touch (Su) This touch attack deals 1d6 points of Charisma drain and dazes the target for 1 round (DC 15 Will save negates the daze effect only). Any creature reduced to 0 Charisma by the croaker goes completely insane and often kills herself or her former companions.
Rejuvenation (Su) A slain croaker returns to unlife at full hit points at the next sundown. On the anniversary of its wrongful death, a croaker reforms 1 hour after it is reduced to 0 hit points. The only way to destroy a croaker is to bring to light the true offenders responsible for the crime the croaker swung for and expose any malefactors who assisted in framing the croaker or bringing about its wrongful hanging.DescriptionThere is no more horrid offense to the gods than the hanging of an innocent person. The soul of a man hung for a crime he did not commit cannot go on. It clings to the world with a burning hate. The stink of its own body’s corruption is all it ever knows. This pitiable soul returns as a croaker, an abomination who seeks to put others through the hell inflicted upon it—to strangle by their necks until dead. It persists for eternity unless the true culprits of the crimes for which it swung are brought to justice and punished.
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