Day Eight -- Verdant Spectres

Day Eight of 30 Monsters in 30 Days brings us a result of "undead".

Verdant Spectres
# encountered: 1
% in Lair: 100%
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: 120' (40')
Armor Class: 0
Hit Dice: 8+4**
Attacks: Touch, spells
Damage: 3d6, as spells
Save: F8
Morale: 9
Hoard Class: XVIII
XP: 1820

When a druid rejects her vows and way of life, spurning nature for another goal -- power, prestige, the decadence of civilization -- there exists the chance that, upon her death, she will rise again as a verdant spectre, cursed to undeath for betraying nature itself.

Verdant spectres retain the semblence they possessed in life, but with rotted, decayed bodies covered in greenish lichen and moss. Their very presence is inimicable to to vegetative life; the land surrounding their lair will be devoid of plant or animal life in a radius equal to 2d6x100 yards. Their very touch drains life essence, inflicting 3d6 points of damage per hit, and the spectre retains its ability to cast druidic spells as if they were a druid of levels 6+1d4, although where possible spells are cast in their reversed form: Purify Water becomes Spoil Water, etc.

Verdant spectres are semi-corporeal and require +1 weapons to hit. They retain the intelligence and memories they had in life, but rather than feel remorse for the betrayal of their vows they have grown to hate the living with burning fury.

Lair Encounter

Many years ago the druid Cenroy Hol forsook his vows and his grove, leaving the forest he was sworn to protect for the life of the decadent city. Upon his death from alcohol poisoning he rose from the dead as a verdant spectre, returning to the grove he had rejected in life, his presence slowly killing the surround woods, where he sits and broods, hating all life. The grove is in a remote part of the world, with few if any traveling nearby, and as such he has not had a chance to amass any treasures from his victims. Cenroy has 47 hp and casts spells as a 10th level druid.