spelljammer

A Crypt servant is an undead creature.[1]

Overview

Crypt servants are special undead created to serve their masters for all eternity, guarding and maintaining their places of burial, including crypts, tombs and burial ships. They are created using the create crypt servant spell.[1]

Description

A crypt servant appears as a dessicated corpse, usually that of a human, though elves, dwarves, and other races are not unknown. They are usually dressed in the livery of their master, the person in whose place of burial they currently reside.

Crypt servants speak the language of their master in a dry, slithery voice.[1]

Personality

At first, crypt servants are fervent in their desire to serve, but as years – and centuries – pass, they take longer breaks between activity, sometimes standing motionless for days or even years before becoming active again.[1]

Combat

Crypt servants are created to serve their master in all things after death, and as such are usually encountered while defending their master's tomb and possessions. A crypt servant appointed as a guard will challenge intruders, and will require a verbal counter sign to their watch word, or some visible sign of the intruder's allegiance to their master. Intruders who do not respond appropriately are attacked.

Intruders who make it past a guardian crypt servant will not be challenged by other crypt servants unless they disturb their master's possessions. Anyone who disturbs the body of the master is attacked regardless of any commands or signs they offer to deter the crypt servants.

Crypt servants who are engaged in combat will call out to other crypt servants in the tomb. Despite the quiet nature of the creature's voice, all crypt servants within a tomb will respond within 6 minutes. Many crypt servants have been provided with weapons of some sort; those who are not armed will attack with their fists. Crypt servant attack in a mindless fury, concentrating on the last person to cause a disturbance or touch their master's possessions.

As with all undead, crypt servants are immune to charm, hold and sleep spells.[1]

Society

Although any corpse can be animated as a crypt servant, in many cultures crypt servants are created from volunteers who wish to serve their master in death as in life. Crypt servants care for their deceased master, the various chambers of their place of burial, as well as all their possessions. Smaller crypts or tombs may only have one crypt servant, while grand tombs of the rich and powerful may have several. Crypt servants clean and maintain the tomb, polish valuables, light candles, and guard the tomb from intruders.[1]

Crypt thing

Because of the similarity in purpose and method of creation, crypt servants are sometimes associated with the crypt thing. The spells to create the separate types of undead are similar and probably have the same roots. Sometimes a crypt thing will be found leading a group of crypt servants.[1]

Signature Spelljammers

Crypt servants are created specifically to guard and maintain their deceased master's place of burial. As such they may be encountered onboard ships that are commonly used as burial vessels, including drakkar,[2] barges of ptah[3][4] and pyramid ships.[5][6]

Appendix

External Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Tim Beach, Tom Prusa and Steve Kurtz, City of Delights Box Set, Monstrous Compendium, 1993, (TSR, Inc). ISBN: 1-56076-589-5, Crypt Servant entry
  2. ↑ Ed Greenwood, SJR1 Lost Ships, 1990, (TSR Inc.), To Hunt The Moveable Feast section, Amid The Stars chapter, page 24
  3. ↑ Jeff Grubb, AD&D Adventures in Space, Lorebook of the Void, 1989, (TSR Inc.), Undead section, chapter 3 Spacefarers, page 63
  4. ↑ Ed Greenwood, SJR1 Lost Ships, 1990, (TSR Inc.), Ship Catalog chapter, page 42
  5. ↑ Jeff Grubb, AD&D Adventures in Space, Lorebook of the Void, 1989, (TSR Inc.), Undead section, chapter 3 Spacefarers, page 64
  6. ↑ Ed Greenwood, SJR1 Lost Ships, 1990, (TSR Inc.), Ship Catalog chapter, pages 49 and 50-51