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Dungeons. Dragons. Graph paper. Funny dice.

Strigoi

Hit Dice: 4+1
Armor Class: 6
Move: 90’
Treasure: 2d4 x 100 gp in assorted coins & 15% chance of one non-weapon magic item
Alignment: See below
XP: 417

Like a lich, a strigoi (f. strigoaică) is a normal man transformed by magic. Unlike a lich, men can become strigoi either in death or while still living. Strigoi haunt the place they lived as men. They often try to maintain relationships they had while human — particularly romantic relationships — but their twisted efforts frighten those who knew them as men.

Lawful men transform into Neutral strigoi, while Neutral men become Chaotic strigoi.

Scholars differ regarding what causes a man to become a strigoi. These are some of the theories:

  1. A bad love affair
  2. A non-fatal bite from a strigoi
  3. Breathing bad air from graveyards or crypts
  4. Birth defect of the head or face
  5. Corpse walked-over by a cat
  6. Cursed by a witch
  7. Died unmarried
  8. Frequent (perhaps intimate) contact with goblins
  9. Infectious disease
  10. Left to sleep alone beneath the moon as an infant
  11. Met a squinting man at dawn
  12. One parent was a strigoi
  13. Possession by an evil spirit
  14. Saw a crone on New Year’s morning

Any given strigoi possesses three of the following powers:

  1. Can remotely possess one person between dusk and dawn
  2. Invisibility
  3. Never ages
  4. Only harmed by fire
  5. Only killed by beheading
  6. Only killed by stake through the heart
  7. Shape-changes into a cat
  8. Shape-changes into an owl
  9. Shape-changes into a snake
  10. Shape-changes into a wolf

A strigoi suffers three of the following weaknesses:

  1. Become trapped by confusion if lured to a crossroad
  2. Can not abide the smell of burning hemp
  3. Can not abide presence of garlic
  4. Die if it holds a candle
  5. Discomfort in daylight (-2 to hit and save)
  6. Drinking alcohol causes complete amnesia
  7. May not approach within 10’ of a straw broom
  8. Must drink blood from a living human weekly
  9. Paralyzed if pierced by a sowing needle
  10. Paralyzed by the cries of an infant

I, Paul Gorman, created this text about the folkloric strigoi based on material in the public domain, and in turn release this strigoi text and its presentation into the public domain. Use it as you wish.

This bugs me too.

8 comments:

scottsz, July 7, 2011 at 1:07 PM

Well done!

Trey, July 7, 2011 at 1:13 PM

Nice. I particularly like the ways a man may become a strigoi.

Tim Brannan, July 7, 2011 at 2:40 PM

Good post.

Not to be a rabble rouser, but maybe everyone can do their own PI-free Strigoi post?

Paul, July 7, 2011 at 2:54 PM

Rabble, rabble, rabble…

Tim Brannan, July 7, 2011 at 4:27 PM

And…here is mine. http://timbrannan.blogspot.com/2011/07/strigoi-new-witch-monster-for-basic-era.html

Jim, July 7, 2011 at 5:01 PM

Consider me duly roused… :) Kudos to you sir!

ze bulette, July 7, 2011 at 5:28 PM

Ha! Nice.

David, July 7, 2011 at 8:51 PM

Very nice!

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