Mummy Variants for your D&D Game

The mummy can be found on pages 227-229 of the fifth edition Monster manual and with the exception of the mummy Lord, we don’t really get any variety in these creatures. But that wasn’t always the case so presented herein for your gaming pleasure are three variations of the mummy that you can use for your game.

Use the mummy that you find in the Monster manual as a template for these new varieties of mummy and make the following modifications that are outlined for you.

PREPARATION OF THE TYPE OF MUMMY WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH:

Preparation of those Egyptian style mummies are pretty similar from mummy to mummy. First the brain is removed through the nose, they just reach up there and scramble up the brain and begin to pull it out the nostrils. Once that’s done, the skull is then rinsed with palm wine. The body is then dehydrated and the skin is rubbed with frankincense and myrrh. All the internal organs are removed with the exception of the heart. The chest and abdominal cavity are stuffed with bags of herbs and incense. The internal organs that have been removed are placed in what is called a canopic jar. These have no magical properties at all. The body is then wrapped. The wrappings will have spells inscribed on them, much like a scroll.

An individual may have no say at all about whether or not they are turned into the undead version of a mummy. The reasons for this type of mummification, this curse, can vary. Perhaps the individual in life offended a powerful priest, king, or even a God. Whatever the reason, their curse dooms them to an eternity of un-death and servitude.

Mummies will often be used to guard tombs, special places, and sometimes can be a repository of information, for some, but not all mummies can speak.

BOG MUMMY

The bog mummy is irredeemably evil, it is a terrible creature created through wicked means.

The bog mummy appears as a leathery corpse clad in tattered rags, peat bogs are mildly acidic and it is this mild acidity that causes the skin of the bog mummy to be tanned and become almost leather like, it also preserves the body. Should anyone stick around long enough to have a good look at it they will know that there appears to be the remains of the thongs that bound the creature’s hands and neck in life. The thong around the neck was used to strangle the unfortunate individual.

The bog mummy may use weapons and may have magical items on its person. Any weapons they use cause an additional +3 damage, this is due to the creature’s immense strength. The bog mummy can wield any weapon that it did in life but the preferred method of killing is to use a garrote and strangle its victims much in the same way that it itself was strangled in its own life. This also affords the additional benefit of not attracting unwanted attention. Dragon magazine number 238 gives the following rules for strangulation:

“Death by strangulation takes two rounds. To escape the garotte, a victim or his rescuer must make a successful Bend Bars/Lift Gates roll in either of the two rounds.”

How does this translate to fifth edition, one can use opposing strength checks or perhaps the best method is to use the grappling rules.

The bog mummy has no eyes, it is however capable of sensing intelligent life and many individuals believe that this can be done as far as a mile away. As stated before, the creature is irredeemably evil, it hates all living beings but hates none more than priests, particularly druids. You see, the bog mummy is created by druids, they are the product of a ritual killing. The victim, while still living, is strangled. It is said that this is done to avoid spilling blood and causing offense to the gods. The body is cast into the bog while still alive, slowly suffocating as the leather thong cuts off its breath. The exact nature of this ritual killing is not known, perhaps the victim was a criminal or an individual captured in a raid, an enemy of some sort. Maybe, there is a more sinister reason.

Not all sacrifices in a peat bog create a bog mummy. Perhaps it is the will of the individual sacrificed, maybe it is some natural magical properties of the bog itself, or maybe it is a result of the extreme negative energy from such a terrible killing that creates a bog mummy. Whatever the reason, as life leaves the body of the victim, undeath slowly creeps in. Once the transformation is complete the creature lies in the bog waiting for the day when he could be freed, where it can exact its revenge upon all sentient beings.

Once freed from its prison, the bog mummy will set about hunting intelligent prey. It does so with no intelligence of its own, but rather some sort of instinctive cunning perhaps brought about as a result of the malice it feels for sentient beings. The bog mummy is known for its great stealth, it is perhaps the quintessential ambush predator, quiet, and terrifically deadly.

The body of the creature is pliable, almost rubber like and as a result it suffers no damage from blunt objects and only half damage from thrusting and edged weapons. It suffers no adverse effect from water and will often lurk in murky pools or shallow streams, waiting for the unwary to happen by. It makes no noise, even when walking it is as quiet as death itself. Due to the high-water content that the mummy has in its body, it suffers no damage from normal fire and only half from magical fire. Cold does not have an adverse effect on it but cold based magic may immobilize the creature, freezing the water in its body.

The creature has the following abilities:

“Anyone seeing the mummy, must save vs. spells or be affected as by the fear effect of a normal mummy.”

For the purposes of fifth edition, use the mummy’s dreadful glare ability as outlined in the monster manual.

“A single blow from the fist of a bog mummy causes 1-10 hp damage.”

“If both hands strike, the mummy has grabbed its opponent and causes an additional 2-8 hp damage for each round the victim remains in its grasp.”

For the purposes of fifth edition, we suggest using the grappling rules.

“The opponent must also save vs. poison or be suffocated to death in 1d4 rounds.”

For the purposes of fifth edition, we suggest that the victim must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be suffocated to death in one D4 rounds. Death saves should apply.

ICE MUMMY

Ice mummies are the remains of travelers, lost in cold climates atop towering mountains or even in inhospitable tundra. They have been freeze-dried and preserved. These individuals died alone, with no one to come to the rescue. It is this unspeakable fear, this hatred for those who never found a rescued them and perhaps some supernatural energy or entity that animates these corpses.

They, like the bog mummies hate the living will take every opportunity they can to kill any living humanoid they come in contact with but unlike the bog mummies, the ice mummy is intelligent.

An ice mummy will have leathery skin that is drawn tight over its bones, they will look gaunt and emaciated. The hair and clothing will be intact but will show signs of being centuries old. Any weapons or equipment carried with them will appear ancient. Their eyes are sunk deep within their head and are opaque in color. No pupil or Iris is easily identifiable. Their mouth is forever agape in a silent scream.

These creatures are bound to walk the lands that killed them, forever traversing the inhospitable lands that took their life. The ice mummy is cunning and will lead travelers onto false trails, into blizzards, or atop fragile ice or snow bridges. Sometimes, the creature will appear to be a lone traveler, adventurers may even see the creature stumble and fall, they may come to its aid, inadvertently falling into an ambush.

Most ice mummies can function as a level 9 wizard except that they can only employ spells of third level or lower. They can never use spells that involve fire as a weapon. The creature can strike with its bare hands for 1D 12 points of damage and will also cause damage as a staff of withering. Three times a day an ice mummy can use a breath weapon not unlike that of a Dragon’s, a blast of cold that inflicts 4d6 points of damage to all within its area of effect. This area of effect is a 20-foot-long cone that is 10-foot-wide at its base. The mummy exudes cold, it radiates a numbing aura of chill and any creature that come within 25 feet of the mummy has a numbing effect causing 1d3 hit points of damage per round from a severe case of frostbite. Any non-magical weapons used against the creature must make a saving throw or be shattered.

For 5th ed conversion, assign hit points to the weapon as outlined in the DMG under “Object Hit Points”. Have the weapon take the 1d3 hit points of damage, or half, or some other number you assign. When it is out of HP it shatters.

Finally, an ice mummy causes fear as does a standard mummy.

An ice mummy will only resort to melee attacks if it has no other choice.

Any weapon used by an ice mummy comes with a +1 bonus to hit and damaged due to its incredible strength. It is not unheard of for an ice mummy to use missile weapons, particularly a wicked barbed arrow which causes to have points of damage for each round that they remain in their victim. This additional damage is caused by the supernatural cold that the arrows imbued with. Removal of the arrow, by anyone who is not successful with the healing proficiency check inflicts an additional one D6 have points of damage on the victim. Dispel magic, limited wish or a wish spell negates these chill effects completely.

CLAY MUMMY

Clay mummies are created in the same way that your standard mummy from the monster manual is created but the preparation is different. Historically, Clay mummies predate wrapped mummies by many many years. To prepare a body to become a Clay mummy the skin is removed. It is removed very carefully because it’s going to go back on the body when it is completely prepared. Any and internal organs, fat, and muscle are removed and discarded. The skeleton is then cleaned and reassembled. Reassembly of the skeleton is done by using supports, these are most often wooden supports, small sticks that are tied to the bones to hold them together.

Once the skeleton is put back together and appropriately reinforced, the skin can be reapplied. Prior to the skin being reapplied, Clay and vegetable matter are wrapped around the bones to replace the muscle and other tissues that were removed. In many cases, a Clay mummy will also be packed in Clay or will be wearing a Clay facemask.

Stats wise, Clay mummies should be the same or similar to the standard mummy found in the monster manual, however they will not have the fire vulnerability that mummies do instead they have a vulnerability to bludgeoning. A Clay mummy will take normal damage from bludgeoning weapons.