Dr. Frankenstein, I presume? [3.5]

[Nepenthe]

If you're playing in a campaign that began in Wroat during the Pan Eberron Exposition, read no further.

Greetings, playground! My players are about to investigate a medical practice to look for clues to cold-case murder. All of the doctors in this practice lean towards highly experimental and highly unethical treatments. I'd like to turn the basement laboratories of this place into a mini-dungeon, and I'm looking for obscure, low CR baddies to fill it out. The party is level 3 and consists of a meleeficer, buffificer, warblade, and swordsage. Sometimes a mounted charging focused fighter/cleric and a crusader show up, but I wouldn't count on them.

What are your favorite low-level undead/failed experiment style monsters (or other monsters that can easily be fluffed as such)?

[XionUnborn01]

Necrosis Carnex, MM4

It's creepy even for undead, being made of like just arms and legs and random appendages stuffed together, then bound by cold iron.

They have a pretty cool evil aura thing IIRC and explode in negative energy when killed. The fact that the actual fluff says they're made from basically extra parts is just gravy for experimenting scientists.

Edit: They're CR 3 by the way.

[gurgleflep]

For a Frankenstein feel, I've always been fond of flesh golems.

[Gildedragon]

Spell stitched zombies
A couple living spells
+1 to the NC
Undead with grafts (lullsier if they are undead grafts)
Critters with the npc special qualities (DMG2) the individuals used had these properties and they got stitched onto the new critter
If the flesh golems are too high CR: origami golems made of stitched and folded skin
Oozes that are used to clean after experiments
A PF alchemist

[Nepenthe]

The Necrosis Carnex looks amazing, thanks! I also love the idea of a Dungeonbred Gelatinous Cube to clean the OR. Do you have a source on the Origami Golem? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

[Gildedragon]

Dragon Magazine... The issue with the lesser golems and new vestiges.
341 Iirc

Note the existence of a half golem template
Ridiculously templated monstrosities would also be fitting
Half flesh golem house cats

[drack]

MMV, right after skull lord are two skeletal things that you might like.

[Nepenthe]

Dragon Magazine... The issue with the lesser golems and new vestiges.
341 Iirc

Note the existence of a half golem template
Ridiculously templated monstrosities would also be fitting
Half flesh golem house cats
Thanks, I think I have that issue somewhere.


MMV, right after skull lord are two skeletal things that you might like. Nice :smallbiggrin:. I think I'll use those later though. Ultimately, these guys are doctors, not necromancers. In their own twisted way they are at least trying to make their patients' lives better. It's just that things keep going horribly wrong. :smallwink:

[drack]

Were it higher level I might be able to give you more, but I guess the stuff I gave you so far could fit under "preliminary experimentation" There's also plenty of great homebrew out there. For instance this might fit:
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45815 (a bit high on CR end though...)

[XionUnborn01]

Ooh, this could easily be fluffed to be some kind of experiment gone wrong; THE BLOODHULK!!
MM4 also, and there's even three different kinds at three different CRs.
All bloated and full of blood it could be fluffed as some kind of early blood transfusion failure.


Also, plague walker from the same book. It's claws have disease and the fluff says it's full of putrid flesh and disease, so you could say that it's reanimated remains of past failed experiments that they were analyzing.

If you want some oozes, there's the graveyard sludge from MM5. It's like a blob of undead energy that can raise zombies. It's pretty cool, but it might be kinda harsh for CR4. That's up to you.

[mattie_p]

No love for the Calzone Golem (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20010413a) at CR 3?

[Humble Master]

Odopi from Monster Manual 3 could work as a sort of failed experiment. After all they are literally a rolling ball of arms.

Quth-Maren from Fiend Folio, basically people sans skin, work very well with your whole psycho doctors theme.

On he subject of Fiend Folio it has rules for grafting body parts on to people. The extra parts act as sort of magical items providing bonuses. You might want to look into that.

[Nepenthe]

Thanks for the tips, everyone!

[Waker]

Well, it's a bit more Reanimator than Frankenstein, but Wight's work just fine. An Undead that looks like a very feral, predatory human who attack people on sight. Since you are trying to get away from the necromancy feel, perhaps replace the Energy Drain ability with something like DR or enhanced damage with their natural attacks. Make sure when you describe them that they just seem like crazy people, but after being "killed" the party notes that the body is already cold and the blood has coagulated. Perhaps include a symbol or series of numbers indicating that this was a test subject?