Pelarch’s Unliving Legion

falling from the sky herald their arrival 1d4+2 rounds later. The eagles can find and carry rocks or trees that weigh between 200 and 300 pounds and drop them from a height of 100 feet, dealing up to 10d6 points of damage; see the aerial bombardment rules in Chapter 4. It takes a giant eagle 1d4 rounds to find another payload to drop, 1 round to pick it up, and 1 round to get into position again, so an eagle can only attempt an aerial bombardment every 1d4+2 rounds. Centaur Scout Squad (5): hp 26 each; Monster Manual page 32.

Giant Eagle Bombardiers (3):hp 26 each; Monster Manual page 93. Shock Troop

EL 7 or 8: When battle is joined, the attack is spearheaded by lizardfolk warriors, led by a lieutenant underling of the chieftain. They initiate the conflict with a volley or two of javelins before charging in with club and claw. In swampy terrain they might try to hide in a bog, emerging with surprise to attack the enemy. Some lizardfolk infantry are supported by shamblers, or can call for one if the situation is dire. In such cases, a shambling mound arrives in 1d6+1 rounds.

Lizardfolk Infantry (10): hp 11 each; Monster Manual page 169.

Lizardfolk Lieutenant: hp 49; page 150.

Shambling Mound: hp 60; Monster Manual page 222.

Reserve

EL 8: The unicorns are initially kept in reserve, as

Freuntin waits to see where they might best bolster the troops. Their speed allows them to join battle quickly, and if a particularly dangerous enemy or group of enemies makes their presence felt Freuntin will direct the unicorns to teleport into a position from which they can unleash a devastating charge. They might also be used to help injured troops as well, teleporting into the midst of the melee and using their healing magic on the wounded.

Unicorns (6): hp 42 each; Monster Manual page 249. Strike Team

EL 9:The werebears and their ursine allies form a powerful but mobile strike team. Those unfortunate enough to be the target of these troops are usually quickly overpowered by the sheer strength and ferocity of the lycanthropes. The werebears typically attack in hybrid form. Their tactics are straightforward: They head toward their objective, destroying any who get in their way. If the normal bears become significantly injured, with one-quarter or fewer hit points remaining, then the strike team will make a fighting withdrawal, with the werebears protecting the retreat.

Brown Bears (3): hp 51 each; Monster Manual page 269.

Werebears, Dwarf Warrior (2): hp 32 each; page 146.

Centuries ago, the cleric Pelarch made a pact with the powers of death and evil, transforming himself into a lich in exchange for bringing death and undeath into the world. In the intervening years, he has bided his time, plotting and planning the battles to come. Now he has determined that the time is right, and he has raised up his undead horde to wage war. Pelarch’s first victory was not on the battlefield but instead involved one man. Basarab Voivode was a noble paladin who lost his family while he was away at war.

Over the span of a decade, Pelarch slowly corrupted the paladin, eventually turning him to the path of the blackguard. Once his field general was secure, the lich began gathering his army by recruiting clerics of

Nerull to his cause. The legion’s first assault involved the capture of an onyx mine, where undead miners continue to produce onyx for the animation of more zombies and skeletons. Eventually Pelarch was able to coerce more free-willed undead under his banner; he especially coveted these creatures due to their ability to create additional spawn. Now a throng of undead marches to battle, supported by a small cult of Nerullites. Skeletons and zombies make the bulk of the army, with low-level clerics bolstering the ranks. Cleric lieutenants make use of animate legion spells (see page 124) to temporarily animate fallen enemies, or channel negative energy to repair the undead horde. Wights can turn the tide of battle quickly, as they create spawn from lesser troops to supplement their own numbers, and packs of ghasts and ghouls provide more subtle but just as deadly strike teams. With every battle, the numbers of Pelarch’s Unliving Legion swell, and if they are ever defeated and scattered to the winds, Pelarch will re-form the force and spend centuries planning his revenge. Command Retinue

EL 16: Pelarch is accompanied by his field general, blackguard Basarab Voivode, and two Nerullite cleric colonels. Pelarch is extremely patient, and content to let his undead horde do battle; after all, they are easily replaced. Basarab is more restless and will eventually charge off into the battle if he gets bored. If an enemy unit or foe seems particularly strong, Pelarch will send one of his colonels or Basarab to deal with them. The lich only enters combat himself if directly confronted or if he deems that Basarab cannot handle it. Once he begins to fight, however, Pelarch uses the most direct and damaging spells at his disposal, targeting good-aligned clerics or wizards first with multiple destruction spells and using harm on warriors or rogues. Pelarch knows his physical shape will reform if he is “killed,” so he has no fear of being destroyed. Basarab focuses his attacks on those attacking Pelarch, setting himself up for sneak attacks and using his smite ability when appropriate.

In the meantime, the clerics will employ their spells to increase their Armor Class and melee abilities, then

Illus. by W. England

throw themselves into combat. They might use inflict spells on the lich but won’t heal each other since even if they die, death is victorious.

Pelarch, 13th-Level Human Lich Cleric: hp 90; page 151.

Basarab Voivode, Blackguard: hp 98; page 151.

Cleric of Nerull Colonel (2): hp 57; page 151. Shock Troop

EL 7: Leading the charge of the Unliving Legion is a gang of wights. Sometimes they march in the midst of the skeletal horde, but they prefer to move out ahead of the troops, trying to stay hidden until they are upon the enemy. If they can catch a group of soldiers unaware, they might be able to slay many of them very quickly. Within minutes the slain foe rise again as wights, giving them a new force numbering in the dozens. The new, larger group then splits up into smaller gangs, to more quickly spread death and undeath among the enemy.

Wight Gang (4):hp 26 each; Monster Manual page 255. Strike Team

EL 8: Pelarch knows that a pack of ghouls can quickly demoralize a foe as they spread disease through their victims. In order to proliferate ghoul fever, the ghouls are ordered to injure as many enemies as possible without bothering to kill them all. Of course, most ghouls will stop for a snack if one presents itself, so the orders are sometimes unheeded, but the ghouls are still effective as a strike team. In combat, the ghouls mass toward the nearest foe, while the ghasts try to pick out wizards or others who might be more easily paralyzed. Due to their standing orders, a ghoul has a 50% chance of leaving fallen foes alone instead of feasting, while a ghast will ignore paralyzed or fallen creatures until the end of the combat. When their task is done, the ghasts will sometimes pick a tasty looking foe to carry back and devour later.

Ghouls (12): hp 13 each; Monster Manual page 119.

Ghasts (3): hp 29 each; Monster Manual page 119. Infantry

EL 7: The backbone of the Unliving Legion is the skeleton and zombie horde. Each unit of skeletons or zombies is tended by a Nerullite lieutenant, who orders the mindless mob about. The cleric usually bolsters the undead with a rebuke attempt as the troops approach battle, and then tries to keep the unit together as long as possible, using her spells when necessary to defeat her foes. While the skeletons and zombies of the horde are mindless and replaceable, the clerics do not have that same view of themselves, and might rout

A cleric of Nerull leads sketeton warriors of Pelarch’s Unliving Legion into battle