Spawn of Kyuss

(From Volo's Guide to Monsters - 2016):

Kyuss was a high priest of Orcus who plundered corpses from necropolises to create the first spawn of Kyuss. Even centuries after Kyuss's death, his mad disciples continue performing the horrific rites he perfected.

“Kyuss has a lot to answer for. Sometimes you eat the worm—and sometimes the worm eats you.”

— Volo

Plague of Worms. From a distance or in poor light, a spawn of Kyuss looks like an ordinary zombie. As it comes into clearer view, one can see scores of little green worms crawling in and out of it. These worms jump onto nearby humanoids and burrow into their flesh. A worm that penetrates a humanoid body makes its way to the creature's brain. Once inside the brain, the worm kills its host and animates the corpse, transforming it into a spawn of Kyuss that breeds more worms. The dead humanoid's soul remains trapped inside the corpse, preventing the individual from being raised or resurrected until the undead body is destroyed. The horror of being a soul imprisoned in an undead body drives a spawn of Kyuss insane.

Corruption Without End. Spawn of Kyuss are expressions of Orcus's intent to replace all life with undeath. Left to its own devices, a solitary spawn of Kyuss travels aimlessly. If it stumbles across a living creature, the spawn attacks with the sole intent of creating more spawn. Whether they are dispersed or clustered, spawn reproduce exponentially if nothing stops them.

“Some worms are good eating. Not these.”

— Elminster

Undead Nature. Spawn of Kyuss require no air, food, drink, or sleep.

(From 3rd Edition Monster Manual II -  2002): 

Spawn of Kyuss are disgusting undead creatures created by Kyuss, a powerful evil cleric turned demigod. Completely mad, the spawn of Kyuss wander caverns, crypts, and sometimes the open countryside searching for victims. 

A spawn of Kyuss looks like a well-rotted zombie. Only once the monster is within 20 feet do the writhing, green worms crawling in and out of its skull orifices become apparent. A spawn of Kyuss is usually clad in rotted clothing, though a rare few wear decaying pieces of armor. 

A cleric of 16th level or higher may use a create greater undead spell to create new spawn of Kyuss. This process requires maggots from the corpse of a diseased creature in addition to the normal material components. 

Spawn of Kyuss split into multiple smaller groups when creating their own spawn, and it is rare to encounter more than three of them together. Occasionally a larger creature falls under the curse of a spawn of Kyuss and follows it as a normal zombie (see below). 

Combat: Unlike zombies, spawn of Kyuss are not limited to partial actions, and they are intelligent enough to pretend that they have restricted movement until ready to attack. They normally use their fear auras to scatter victims, then gang up on individuals until they have caught all opponents. 

Create Spawn (Su): Once per round as a free action, a spawn of Kyuss can transfer a worm from its own body to that of an opponent. It can do this whenever it hits with a slam attack, but it can also make the transfer by means of a successful melee touch attack or a ranged touch attack, hurling a worm at a foe from a distance of up to 10 feet. 

Each worm is a Fine vermin with AC 10 and 1 hit point. It can be killed with normal damage or by the touch of silver. On the spawn’s next action, the worm burrows into its host’s flesh. (A creature with a natural armor bonus of +5 or higher is immune to this burrowing effect.) The worm makes its way toward the host’s brain, dealing 1 point of damage per round for 1d4+1 rounds. At the end of that period, it reaches the brain. While the worm is inside a victim, a remove curse or remove disease effect destroys it, and a dispel evil or neutralize poison effect delays its progress for 10d6 minutes. A successful Heal check (DC 20) extracts the worm and kills it. 

Once the worm reaches the brain, it deals 1d2 points of Intelligence damage per round until it either is killed (by remove curse orremove disease) or slays its host (death occurs at 0 Intelligence). A Small, Mediumsize, or Large creature slain by a worm rises as a new spawn of Kyuss 1d6+4 rounds later; a Tiny or smaller creature quickly putrefies; and a Huge or larger creature becomes a normal zombie of the appropriate size. Newly created spawn are not under the control of their parent, but they usually follow whatever spawn of Kyuss created them. 

Fear Aura (Su): A spawn of Kyuss continuously radiates a fear effect. This ability functions like a fear spell (caster level 7th; Will save DC 14), except that it affects all creatures within a 40-foot radius. Any creature that makes a successful saving throw against the effect cannot be affected again by the fear aura of that spawn of Kyuss for 24 hours. 

Kyuss’s Gift (Su): Any creature hit by a spawn of Kyuss’s slam attack must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 12) or contract this supernatural disease. The incubation period is 1 day, and the disease deals 1d6 points of Constitution damage and 1d4 points of Wisdom damage (see Disease in Chapter 3 of the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide). These effects manifest as rotting flesh and dementia. An affected creature gets only half the benefits of natural and magical healing, though a cure disease effect removes the affliction. 

Curative Transformation (Ex): Any remove curse or remove disease effect, or a more powerful version of either of these effects, transforms a spawn of Kyuss into a normal zombie. 

Fast Healing (Ex): A spawn of Kyuss regains lost hit points at the rate of 5 per round. Fast healing does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation, and it does not allow the spawn of Kyuss to regrow or reattach lost body parts. 

Turn Resistance (Ex): A spawn of Kyuss is treated as an undead with 6 Hit Dice for the purpose of turn, rebuke, command, and bolster attempts. 

Undead Traits: A spawn of Kyuss is immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necromantic effects, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects. It is not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, energy drain, or death from massive damage. A spawn of Kyuss cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if it is willing. The creature has darkvision (60-foot range).

(From Monstrous Compendium: Greyhawk Adventures Appendix - 1990): 

Sons of Kyuss are horrible undead beings that convert living humans and demihumans into cursed undead like themselves. Sons look similar to zombies and are often (75%) mistaken for them when seen from a distance. Putrid flesh hangs loosely from their bones. Their skulls are completely devoid of skin, with only a few strands of hair and fungus remaining. Most revolting of all, writhing green worms crawl in and out of every skull orifice. Their clothing is usually filthy, tattered rags, but recent converts occasionally have fine garments.

Combat: Sons of Kyuss are surrounded by a spherical zone of fear that is 30 feet in diameter. Those who fail saving throws vs. spell when entering this zone flee in terror for one turn. Fleeing characters are 60% likely to drop whatever they are carrying in hand.

Sons can be turned by priests. Treat them as mummies on the Turning Undead table.

Sons regenerate 2 hit points per round. Their limbs also regenerate, even if severed. Sons reduced to 0 or fewer hit points collapse as if dead but continue to regenerate normally; they stand up to fight when their hit points reach 1 or more. Fire, lightning, acid, and holy water cause permanent damage to sons of Kyuss. Pouring holy water or touching a holy symbol to the wounds of sons stop them from regenerating these procedures destroy them if undertaken while they are at 0 hit points or less.

Sons are exceptionally strong. They attack in melee with a double-handed flailing of fists, causing ld8 points of damage. Each hit has a 25% chance of inflicting a rotting disease on the victim. This disease is fatal in 1d6 months. Each month that the disease progresses, the victim loses 2 points of Charisma permanently. The rotting disease can be cured only by the priest spell cure disease. Victims suffering from the disease heal wounds at 10% of the normal rate. The disease also negates all cure wound spells cast upon the victim.

In addition to flailing fists, one worm per round attempts to jump from a son’s head to a character the son is meleeing. The worm needs only to roll a successful attack roll (same THAC0 as the son) to land on the victim. The worm burrows into the victim on the next round unless killed by the touch of cold iron, holy water, or a blessed object. After penetrating the victim's skin, the worm burrows toward the victim’s brain, taking 1d4 rounds to reach it. During this time a remove curse or cure disease spell will kill the worm, and neutralize poison or dispel evil will delay the worm for 1d6 turns. If the worm reaches the brain, the victim dies immediately and becomes a son of Kyuss. Decay and putrification set in without further delay.

A cure disease or remove curse spell will transform a son into a zombie, but both spells require that the priest touch the son. Any character voluntarily touching a son is attacked by 1d4 worms. These worms must roll a successful attacks to land on the character.

Sons travel in pairs or threes, stalking ruins or dungeons in search of victims. They attack unceasingly using their sphere of fear to scatter their victims and then hunt them down individually.

Habitat/Society: Kyuss was an evil high priest who created the first of these creatures, via a special curse, under instruction from an evil deity. Since then the number of sons has increased dramatically.

Sons are completely insane. There is no pattern to their wanderings. Some stalk the dungeon or ruin where they died, others conceal themselves within crypts, a few walk the land in broad daylight attacking settlements without hesitation.

Rumors persist that high-level evil clerics sometims use sons to spread terror, promising the sons eternal rest for their cooperation.

Ecology: The worms are tied to the curse of the sons but exactly how remains a mystery. It is known that the worms cannot survive apart from a victim or on a son. Worms that fail to burrow into a victim die as soon as they touch the ground. Any worm removed from a son dies within one round of separation from the son who carried it. When a son is killed permanently, the worms die with him. Some sages have proposed that the worms might not be living creatures per se, but incarnations of the curse. Sons keep no treasure hoard, but dungeons inhabited by sons often contain items dropped by fleeing and past victims. Some sons still wear precious items that they carried when they were transformed.