The Blind Dead
Years ago in a small castle town a group of samurai betrayed and murdered their young lord in an attempted coup of the clan. They were defeated and the vengeful clan elders blinded them and cast them into the abandoned mine shafts on the edge of town, sealing them in to starve and die a pififul, honor-less death. A shrine was erected at the sealed entrance to lock in their evil spirits should they attempt revenge on the clan and the town. Time passed and the clan was abolished by the shogunate, the castle torn down, and the town lost its prestige and prosperity.
An earthquake shook the town last night. Many were killed in the collapsing buildings and an old nearly forgotten shrine on edge of town fell down, its holy seal broken, and half buried in a long forgotten pit now cracked open. As the living help to rescue those trapped in the rubble evil awakens below and the blind dead will craw forth and take their revenge on the living!
The Blind Dead
Vengeful Undead
Number Appearing: 23 or as many as the DM wishes.
HD: 3
Hp: 15
AC: 6/13
Attacks: Claw or bite (1d4) or by weapon+1 due to strength
Save: F3/13
The blind dead are undead corpses reanimated for their desire for revenge on all of the living. They will attempt to kill any living thing in their path. They are withered and nearly mummified from their time locked in the tunnels below the town. Each is dressed in the rotting and ragged clothing of a samurai and their eyes are empty pits long ago burned out. They will fight with their clawing hands or biting mouths untill they obtain a weapon, preferably a katana or yari lance.
The blind dead are undead and have all of the normal traits of an undead. They are turned normally and are damaged by holy items or talismans. If they encounter a holy item or talisman they must make a Saving Throw with a 4 penalty or retreat from it. They do not have darkvision but can sense the living breath of creatures within 30' of their position. If a living creature holds his breath he is effectively invisible to the blind dead. If he does not the blind dead cannot be surprised and the living creature cannot hide from it while within the 30' radius. All missile attacks by the blind dead are made at a -4 penalty ontop of any other penalty.
Their state of death has diminished their samurai fighting abilities but it has also given them other advantages gained from crawling around in their charnal pit. They are stealthy and are skilled at skulking in the shadows. They can move silently at a 65 percent chance and can hide in shadow at a 55 percent chance. They are intelligent and will use these abilities to attempt to backstab a victim for x2 damage if they are out numbered. If the blind dead do have the numbers advantage they will likely charge in and attack, only retreating if losing a number of their horde or if repulsed by holy items and talismans.
The blind dead cannot abide the light of day. They must hide from the sun and direct sunlight will burn them for 1d8 hp damage per round. Any activity taken while the sun is up costs them a -4 penalty, even if they are hidden away deep underground.
The blind dead, once dropped to 0 hit points are destroyed. Their greatest advantage is in numbers.
They will emerge from their broken pit, crawling up through the half sunken shrine, and attack any living they discover. This is an opportunity for a survival horror scenario as they will hide among the rubble, picking off survivors until weeded out like roaches. Pick a mine map, drop a busted shrine on it, put it under a decent sized and half wrecked fishing village and viola.
Art by Dennis Darmody
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