I don't know if I've mentioned it, but undead are hands down my favorite type of monster. I think it's mostly just the change of something human/close-to-human into something else - it's why I like were-creatures and Pathfinder's evil outsiders. Get caught up in my first incorporeal undead, the bound soul!
Art by Dmitry Destayov
I found the art for this online and it fits the creature pretty well. As I mentioned, this was my first time creating an incorporeal creature, so I had some trouble figuring out how to best balance its challenge and its hit points. Beyond that, I wanted to make this creature distinct enough that it wasn't simply another ghost. In my initial vision of the creature, it didn't have the ability to control those trapped in its chains, but as I was working on the design, I ended up liking that idea - it traps its victims in their body just as it is trapped in its chains.
Pathfinder 1e Version:
The 2e version was largely straight forward as I decided to drops its spells from 1e since I couldn't find good equivalent spells. I worked in a slowing effects into its death rattle ability tom somewhat compensate for that. I also focused its skills somewhat though I could see certain bound souls having a decent Society or similar skill for flavor purposes.
Pathfinder 2e Version:
Blue's D&D 5e Version (https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/share/XSVlrnPq):
ENCOUNTER HOOKS
Dragged Below: On a wharf that has been populated by seedy sorts for decades, a man who reneged on too many debts was bound in chains and thrown into the cold depths. Although his body has rotted away, his spirit remains trapped beneath the waves and chains. Worse than most bound souls, he drags his victims down into the water with him, drowning their bodies and leaving them to pollute the wharf, attracting the attention of the authorities who need help in their investigation.
Chains of Command: The ruins of an ancient, abandoned prison are said to hold the map to a notorious pirate’s treasure. However, the foolhardy youths who have gone to investigate the prison haven’t returned, leading to some concerned elders of the village to hire the heroes. In the riot that led to the shutdown of the prison, the cruel warden was bound in chains and left to starve in a deep hole that he used to punish prisoners that earned his ire. He became a bound spirit and now inflicts his twisted will on those who wander into his domain, imprisoning them in their bodies that he ruthlessly controls.
Have a Monstrous Monday!
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