Paperwight

A paperwight is a hellish ambulatory waspnest given sentience by necromantic magic and powered by a burning hatred for the living.

ac 14 // atk: (+4)x2 // damage: d8+2 // life total: 5d8+15 or 77777

• Paperwights cause life drain on successful attacks: the wounded player loses xp equal to 100 x the damage caused. When a paperwight successfully drains life, its life total increases by 7. The target’s flesh desiccates and becomes papery beneath its skin; creatures that die this way become lifeless husks.
• At the cost of one of its attacks each round, the paperwight can animate and control all husks within 50′.

Husk

ac 8 // atk: (+0) // damage: d8 // life total: d8+3 or 7

• Husks are dormant unless a nearby paperwight animates them.
• Husks have a withering strike on successful attacks: the wounded player loses 100xp. The target’s flesh desiccates and becomes papery beneath its skin; creatures that die this way become additional husks.

And now, a dungeon

Hook: Mercenaries that have been guarding araback caravans have reported there has been a complete halting of gobling attacks at Hanover Pass.

Truth: The goblings attempted to fumigate a hornet’s nest by blasting it with necrotic energy; the resultant paperwight destroyed the entire colony.

• Anyone with clerical sensitivity will immediately note an aura of undeath at the site.
• The PC with the highest WIS will notice the silence of no birdsong.

(Obscure information within this dungeon might be uncovered by successful checks, obvious expertise, or investment of time and resources.)

1: Canyontop

The gobling caves exist at the top of a cliff: there are small handholds that create a tiny ladder to ascend.

• (Obscure: The paperwight within hates the sun and will not pursue PCs beyond this point so long as it is daytime.)
• A gobling corpse (husk) lies at the edge of the cave
• (Obscure: The flesh on the corpse is desiccated and papery. The PC with the highest INT will recognise signs of a paperwight.)

2: Shaman’s Room

This untidy room is decorated as though a ritual has recently taken place here.

• (Obscure: The remnants of spell components are here, including a clay tablet, that point to a necrotic ritual.)
• (Obscure: There are the edges of a hornet nest in the corner and their papery corpses on the floor.)

3: Common Chamber

A large space dedicated to sundry aspects of gobling life: food preparation, bedding, relaxation.  The room is entirely edged with gobling corpses (as many husks as ten times the number of PCs).

• (Obscure: The placement of the husks is especially firm at natural openings to the light outside. If they are moved, light will stream into this area. If the paperwight fights in direct sunlight, it loses one of its attacks each round {the other could be used as an attack or to animate these husks}.)

4: Labyrinthine Armoury

A fairly small room is made more cramped still by a network of shelves, replete with bows, spears, shields, javelins, spears, &c.

• Obvious: The stench of undeath is unmistakable.  Players will not be surprised by the paperwight. (If the players were particularly noisy in the common chamber, the paperwight is likely to have moved to find them there.)
• The corridors between the weapon racks are thin, placed for the slighter goblings. Moving unimpeded between them will require DEX checks.
• (Obscure: A gobling husk crawls beneath the racks. The paperwight will use it to try and surprise the player with the highest CHA.)

5: Clifftop Chimney

A tight stairwell leads to an otherwise inaccessible plateau at the top of the canyon.

• The conditions here are perfect for growing rare herbs which will be worth many shells.
• (Obscure: There are a network of gobling tunnels leading from other parts of this plateau.)