Need some help with a Monster

[Aod43254]

I was reading The Last Wish and was thinking the concept short story from it "The Witcher," would be interesting as an adventure (for those who don't know the story check the spoiler). I need some suggestions on what I might be able to use as the Striga. I have considered trying to create one if nothing close can be found.

Striga info

Spoiler:

The story begins with Geralt entering Vizima. Shortly afterwards, he kills three men in a bar fight. He is escorted to Velerad, the elderly castellan of Vizima. Near the beginning of King Foltest's reign, he got his sister, Adda, pregnant. She and the baby died giving birth, both being buried in a double coffin. Seven years later, the daughter awoke and slaughtered the inhabitants of the palace. She had become a striga. Geralt meets with Foltest, who warns him not to harm the striga, for a wizard had told him that if someone prevented the striga from returning to her coffin by the third crowing of the rooster, then she would be cured, turning into an ordinary little girl. Geralt asks to see a miller (a survivor of one of the striga's earlier attacks). The soldier that brings him to Geralt is Foltest, disguised. He gives Geralt leave to kill his daughter if he found that she was an incurable case. Geralt spends the night at the old palace (Foltest having moved to a new palace, unplagued by the striga's attacks). During the early night, Lord Ostrit, a magnate, tries to bribe Geralt into running away, as he wishes the striga to survive. This would eventually horrify the inabitants of Vizima, who would more easily support Vizimir of Novigrad's rule. Geralt refuses, knocks Lord Ostrit out and ties him up. At midnight, he cuts Ostrit loose, using him as bait. He is soon found and killed by the striga. Geralt fights with the striga, reluctant to use his silver sword. He ties the striga with a silver chain, which she breaks free off, despite silver being an antithesis to monsters of magic. She is eventually scared off when Geralt uses his sorcery to project the hate and malice in her own mind back at her. Geralt settles down in the double coffin to wait for morning. In the morning, he sees an ordinary little girl who is lying on the floor. Leaning over her, he sees too late that her eyes are open. Using the last remainents of her talons, the striga slashes Geralt's throat. As he subdues the girl/striga, Geralt hears the third crowing of the rooster. Finally, he binds his neck, knowing he will faint. The witcher wakes up, his neck bandaged, with Velerad (who was part of the group that had planned to just have the striga killed) admitting he was in the wrong. He assures Geralt that his silver sword, his three thousand oren reward and his possessions are safe. Geralt, soothed, falls asleep.

[Drejk]

Simplest solution is to start with Vampire template. Turn it from Undead to Monstrous Humanoid, add +4 (or maybe +6) racial bonus to Constitutions, remove Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma adjustments. Give it HD based upon CR you want it to have and calculate BAB and saves from it (with Fortitude and Reflex being good saves instad of the regular Reflex and Will).
Remove special attacks, gaseous form, channel resistance and weaknesses. The striga falls to sleep at dawn but it is not harmed by it. (actually it could be entirelly possible that the curse was removed not by spending night in her sarcophagus but by her being caught outside of it by dawn).
Also, replace slam with two claw attacks (at least 1d6) and bite (1d8), increase speed to 40 or even 50 feet.

Optionaly you might want to increase her critical threats, bleed damage on claw critical strikes as well as increased critical hit damage multiplier with bite.
I would think about changing fast healing to regeneration (silver or fire).

[Orville Flibblegribble]

That would work well. Also the Striga is awesome, something I would love to see in the next Bestiary. Aod, have you played The Witcher PC Game? The intro is the scene you described. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVAHVaqcpyc Done very well IMHO

[Aod43254]

Thanks Drejk, that looks like it will work perfectly. I will use your suggestion to design a prototype of the Striga sometime soon, and make adjustments when I GM for my party again to better match the levels of the party.

And Orville, I would love to see the Striga in the next Bestiary but I doubt it will happen since apparently in the actual folklore about it there are many forms and some believe the Stirge is based off of it. And I have played the game, in fact it is what led me to read the book. I had thought about using the video you posted instead of the the story summery. I am even planning on buying The Witcher 2 collectors edition.

[Drejk]

The primary problem is that there are at leats two completly different mythic creatures with similar name.

One is strix (latin for owl) - shapeshifting witch or female demon of Roman legends that steals breath or blood or curses sleeping people, depending upon variations. That myth spread with Roman Empire and reached various areas of Europe, mostly western and southern as well as Balkans. It was the inspiration behind the D&D stirge.

Second is slavic strzyga (most close English pronounciation would be stshiga or stshyga) which borrowed Roman name of the creature above to describe completly different creature which is undead that is more or less (depending heavily upon local variation) resemble premodern vampire. Some variants of strzyga are stillborn children that rise as undead, others are more along the lines of person cursed into undeath. Common variant is person born with two souls, two hearts and two rows of teeth. After death one soul passess away while the second one remains and animates the body which requires susteance drawn from flesh and blood (usually human but can sustain itself on animals).

Actually I would say that strzyga in bestiary won't appear any time soon... But bestiaries in Carrion Crown AP is another matter... Hmm, maybe I should write it down and send as a submission?