Tombherd

Tombherd (Cryptkeeper, Gravelord)
Undead Priests Neutral or Neutral Evil Morale 12
AC +5
HD 3+
Mov 9
Att d6 Clawx2

Non-silver or non-magic weapons inflict only half damage fire does full damage
Undead resistances to poison and magic and liabilities like holy water and turning
Has a howl of fear 1 radius save or flee a d4 rounds vs under 4 HD living beings
Each round can raise a skeleton or a zombie ally within the area under its protection
-each undead raised increases the tomb herds HD by one as long as undead still active
-can sense body or a living being in 12 range, if there is no threat undead return to rest
-can start animating even completely hidden as soon as a living being is detected
-limited by time and number of corpses but can only have 12 undead at a time max

The Tomb Herder is the remains of a funerary priest interred in a crypt or graveyard as a defence. Often it is positioned to watch the graveyard so it can raise an undead if it sees any defilement of its domain. Sometimes they are sealed with an eye slot so enemies cannot get at them. They will prefer to let the undead fight for them and remain unseen if possible or lay still unmoving. Tomb herds keep away unwelcome animals, robbers, vandals and adventurers away from usually a graveyard or a tomb or mausoleum. Some huge necropolises have several. Most only protect their area and are satisfied driving away robbers and repairing damage to seals and doors and fences. More evil ones from evil cults are vindictive and might lead a small army to kill and eat local village for failing to protect them. Or might hunt defilers over several nights. Tombherds are why many living fear the dead and grave defilement.

Usually, a special grave of a funeral priest gets chosen to become a tomb herd in a forbidden ritual but It has been known for a long-established graveyard to just develop them naturally from someone who served the graves for life or somehow one just turns up and adopts the place. Some have distinctive personalities, some are slow and sleepy, some cunning unseen than others. Tombherds normally keep ghouls from feeding and will conflict with undead harming or influencing their domain. They will often cooperate with undead defending the domain. Tombherds can repair dead bodies and can "heal" an undead a d3 HP with a hours work patching them up with matter from their own body. Tombherds might even be left offerings or prayers in some places to watch over all.

1in6 will speak and verbally abuses intruders
1in6 actually levitates several inches off the ground, floats over water or ice
1in6 get an extra d6 bite attack
1in8 have a 3 radius fear effect and victims flee 2d4 rounds
1in8 can assume gaseous form
1in8 can animate two dead per round
1in 8 can cast curse three times per day with a gaze
1in8 can exhale a stinking cloud spell once per hour 1in8 wears armour equal to plate and shield +8 AC
1in8 can shoot a bolt of darkness as a magic missile one per round
1in12 can control up to 20 undead
1in12 regenerate 1 HP per round if not harmed by holy magic or fire or acid or silver
1in12 require +1 magic weapon to hit
1in12 have clairvoyance so can work in hiding and follow defilers home
1in12 can blink once per round and often use it to distract or scare or hide
1in12 can move through soil and attack from underground Burrow 6
1in20 can see through the eyes of all undead under control
1in20 animates undead as ghouls, is chaotic evil allowing ghouls to graze
1in20 once undead created can be called on again, tombherd has maximum amount already sleeping awaiting a call instead of them returning to being normal corpses

d12 Tombherd Adventures1 A relic in a tomb is required, get in and recover object don't hurt the tomb herd or the bodies too much (possibly bring a extra cleric)
2 Several houses on edge of the village near graveyard have been abandoned recently and it seems people left suddenly leaving goods behind (in sight of graveyard, had stolen from graves)
3 An evil lord was buried with souls of murdered children stored in gems and a descendant wants them removed and set free and needs hired help to enter family tomb
4 Recently several medical students staying in area vanished and their well off families want an investigation and have sent a crown investigator to fine everybody in the area. Sooner mystery sold the better for all. Lads were robbing graves for larks and got eaten
5 Recently an area was damned and now every night ancient dead arise from under the lake and attack workers and villagers some say a big 'orrible one leads them
6 A priest wants to speak to dead at a grave but local tombherd won't have any of it. Will pay you to convince undead to let lad chat with ancestor to answer lineage question
5 A dungeon tomb complex has a secret crypt opened. The tomb herd blocks the exits trapping everyone adventurer and orc inside to kill everyone. Cooperate with humanoids and dungeon dwellers to all get out past furious insane tomb herd with extraordinary abilities
6 A priest recently came by and told locals to not leave offerings for their pagan ancestor's graves and within a weak angry dead began to arise and besieged the chappel
7 A statue in a village contains a tomb herd who watches area and doesn't mind houses on top. It does dislike some nationality or race that has been frequenting area and now moving in. Grudge based on some ancient tragedy long ago. Members of that group have been found murdered and half-eaten. possibly some reconciliation ceremony might appease the dead
8 A camp of goblins living by a creek got butchered by rednecks and robbed. The goblins house was on graves of ancestors and the great ancestor tomb herd mad about end olf bloodline. Undead goblins have been attacking local backwoods trouble makers who are similar to the goblin killers. Goblin tombherd can be appeased with the guilty sacrificed or executed and possibly some distant relatives invited to return. Local sentiment on goblins splits community as some are cheap labour and harmless but others hate them
9 Sewer workers came across a tomb and now undead swarm the sewers and keep out workers from removing storm damage and a giant fat glob blocking a tunnel. Council hire adventurers to stop undead which really requires tomb to be sealed and tombherd appeased
10 An ancient order of evil templars had their tomb disturbed. Each night undead warrior priests from the dark crusades roam streets to kill and murder before returning to their grandmaster tombherd to perform black rites by day in hopes of summoning a demon
11 Tombherd sealed inside stone pillbox with eye slits watches all in graveyard and more. Has noticed criminals using graveyard at night and is displeased. Local gang found in clubhouse torn to shreds. Close inspection reveals some older teeth and finger bones in the mess. Bored tombherd is pleased and looks for more injustice against village hungry zombies can solve. Possibly disapproves of all kinds of modern ways and customs
12 A cult have been performing secret rites in graveyards including sex and drugs. Several important locals have been found murdered in embarrassing positions. Now they are happening outside the graveyard and remaining important locals rally to hire adventurers to stop the killer