Kurge (CR 6)
Medium Undead
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Initiative: +4 (Dex)
AC: 17 (+4 Dex, +3 natural), touch 14, flat-footed 13
Hit Dice: 6d12 (39 hp)
Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +6
Speed: 30 ft.
Space: 5 ft./5 ft.
Base Attack +3; Grapple +2
Attack: 2 claws +7 melee or 6 slams +5 melee
Full Attack: 2 claws +7 melee or 6 slams +5 melee
Damage: Claw 1d6+3; slam 1d4
Special Attacks/Actions: Constitution damage, disease, anatomic separation
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 18, Con -, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 14
Special Qualities: Particle cloud, feather fall, fast healing 1, undead immunities
Feats: Multiattack; Combat Reflexes
Skills: Climb +9, Escape Artist +4*, Hide +10, Move Silently +10, and Search +6
Advancement: 7-12 HD (Medium-size)
Climate/Terrain: Any
Organization: Solitary or gang (2-5)
Treasure/Possessions: Half standard goods or items
Source:
Dragon Annual 5
Constitution Damage (Su): Kurge seethe with an unholy cold fire that damages the life-force of those they touch. Anyone struck by a kurge must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or take 1d4 points of temporary Constitution damage.
Disease (Ex): Kurge are filthy creatures that swarm with parasites and filth. Anyone who is damaged by a kurge in melee combat must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or catch a particularly virulent disease known as skinripple from the creature. If the Fortitude save is not successful, the damaged character takes 1d4 points of permanent Constitution damage after an incubation time of is 1d4 days. Once per day afterward, the infected character must make a successful Fortitude saving throw to avoid repeated damage. Two successful saves in a row indicate that the character has fought off the infection.
Initial symptoms include numbness, chills, dizziness, and shortness of breath. As the disease progresses, large watery blisters form on the victim's body and the skin becomes loose and baggy.
Anatomic Separation (Su): Whenever a kurge is struck for damage, the monster's body splits apart into six components: a head, two arms, two legs, and the torso. Each body part remains animated and can continue to attack by slamming into targets with great force. These attacks cause temporary Constitution damage as detailed in the kurge stats. A kurge's face and reach remain the same once it anatomically separates; the body parts must remain fairly close together. Each body part can attack different targets in melee range, or they can all concentrate on a single target. The body parts continue to fight until the kurge's hit points are reduced to 0, at which time the body parts drop to the ground and rapidly rot away. Magical forces prevent the body parts from being disassociated and taken from the square the kurge occupies. Grapple attempts against separated kurge parts are treated as though made against a huge creature.
Particle Cloud (Su): When a kurge's anatomic separation power activates, hundreds of tiny bits of bone and leathery flesh explode off of the kurge's body, surrounding each body part with a stinging swarm of whirling decay. Anyone in melee combat with a separated kurge automatically takes 1d3 points of damage per round from this cloud.
Feather Fall (Sp): Although their means of locomotion might resemble flight, it is actually a form of levitation that allows horizontal motion. A kurge always remains no more than a foot off the ground. A falling kurge is protected by a continual feather fall effect.
Fast Healing (Ex): A kurge heals damage very quickly at the rate of 1 hit point per round. If this returns the kurge to full hit points, its body parts instantly reattach. This healing ceases once the kurge is brought to 0 hit points.
Undead: The kurge is immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and disease. It is not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, energy drain, or death from massive damage.
Skills: A kurge gains a +10 bonus to Escape Artist checks when its anatomic separation power is active.
Kurge generally lie motionless on the ground, waiting for victims to come near. When someone does, they spring up and attack, surprising the victim. A successful Spot check versus a kurge's Hide check defeats such an ambush. Kurge attack with two claws until they are struck for damage.
A kurge is a disgusting undead creature that appears as an animated humanoid in an advanced state of decay. Various body parts and limbs are often hanging together only by a few rancid strips of flesh. The unholy symbol of Tharizdun is burned into its forehead, torso, and both arms and legs. Faint white flame that radiates intense cold washes over the thing's body, but perhaps the strangest aspect of a kurge is the fact that it floats about a foot off the ground when moving.
Kurge were created by the Cult of Tharizdun as temple guardians. While their creator lives (either alive or undead) the kurge are bound to strictly and literally follow orders. Once their creator dies, however, the kurge become uncontrolled. Such kurge actively search for living mortals to destroy out of hatred for life.
Although all but forgotten, the process by which a kurge is created is relatively simple and can be undertaken by any wizard with access to the school of Necromancy -- once the appropriate spells are known and available to be cast. The wizard must first slay a living person (human or nonhuman) by injecting the victim with a rare and lethal poison known as haramere. Haramere is difficult to find and brew, and often costs in excess of 1,500 gp per dose. It is an injected DC 18 poison that does 2d6 initial Constitution damage and 2d6 secondary Constitution damage. Those slain by haramere begin to putrefy very rapidly, and within 6 hours are nothing but a skeleton in a pool of liquefied filth. This decay can be stalled by soaking the body in brine; this must be done for an entire night if a wizard wishes to create a kurge from the remains. Once these requirements are met, the wizard must cast the following spells on the body while it is still submerged in brine: animate dead, levitate, geas, telekinesis, vampiric touch, and gentle repose. With the last spell, the body rises from the brine as a kurge, ready to obey its creator's every whim.