Shreds of leathery flesh cling to this skeletal figure's body, while twin motes of fiery light glow deep in its eye sockets.
Crypt things are undead creatures found guarding tombs, graves, and crypts. Necromancers and other spellcasters create them to guard such areas, and the crypt things never leave their appointed lairs, even to pursue enemies. Their warded area may be a single room or passage, an entire grave complex, or even a city-sized necropolis. Though naturally solitary, multiple crypt things may guard a common area, often in conjunction with constructs or other undead. A crypt thing only initiates combat if it is attacked or if the object or crypt it is guarding is touched or entered. Until this condition is met, a crypt thing is content to remain motionless-it may even answer questions or otherwise interact with visitors if its master has directed it to do so. Rumors exist of variant crypt things that do not teleport their foes, but instead paralyze opponents and turn them invisible, leaving victims to helplessly watch their allies being torn apart by the angry guardian. CREATION A 15th-level spellcaster can create a crypt thing using create undead. The spell also requires the creator or an assistant to be able to cast teleport, greater teleport, or word of recall (or provide this magic from a scroll or other source).
Crypt things are undead creatures found guarding tombs, graves, crypts, and other such structures. They are created by spellcasters to guard such areas and they never leave their assigned area. A crypt thing never initiates combat. It is content to sit (or stand) in its assigned area so long as intruders do not disturb it or anything in the assigned area. At the first sign of disturbance however, a crypt thing springs to life. Its first order of business is to attempt to remove the interlopers from its assigned area by using its teleport other attack. Opponents that successfully resist are attacked by the crypt thing that uses its claws to rake and slash its foes. A crypt thing's natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Crypt Guardian There exists in some parts of the world (and perhaps only truly in legend; sages aren't sure) a variant of the crypt thing known as a crypt guardian. This variant has all the same abilities and powers as a normal crypt thing, with the following changes. The variant does not possess the teleport other ability. Instead, it possesses an ability known as cloak other. Cloak Other (Su) Once per day as a standard action, a crypt guardian can simultaneously paralyze and turn invisible all creatures within 50 feet. An affected creature can make a DC 20 Will save to negate the effects (only one save is required; if it succeeds, both effects are negated). The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus. Affected creatures remain paralyzed and invisible for 2d4 days. A new save is allowed each day until the effects are broken, dispelled, or the duration ends. Create Crypt Thing School necromancy [evil]; Level cleric 7, sorcerer/wizard 7 Casting Time 1 hour Components V, S, M (a clay pot filled with grave dirt and a black pearl worth at least 300 gp) Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) Target one corpse Duration instantaneous Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no This spell allows you to animate a single Medium or Large corpse of a creature 18 HD or less into a crypt thing. This spell must be cast in the area the creature is to guard or it fails. The corpse must be mostly intact and must be humanoid-shaped and have a skeletal system or structure. Only one crypt thing is created with this spell, and it remains in the area where it was created until destroyed. The black gem is placed inside the mouth of the corpse. When the corpse animates, the gem is destroyed.