monster creation advice

[Steff]

'ello.

I have a new monster that I am trying to create and am a little lost.

The party has come across the scene of a large ancient battle.. the combatants are still tangled up like when they died - swords still stuck in their craw, still clutching arrows protruding from their ribs, etc. etc. I want the mass of dead combatants to animate as a creature I call undead spawn. Each round it attacks with a random number of claws, bites, and melee weapons. It's special ability is that every round there is a 40% chance that some of the bits and pieces will combine to spawn a random undead. skeletons or zomebies or.. you get the picture.

The problem I am having is trying to figure out some of the other "attributes".. should I just ignore them (I doubt the party will try to grapple it) or...

also.. how would i CR something like this? The party is fairly low level (5) so I may have to save this for another time but I like the concept enough that I either want to develop it in a smaller size they can handle or make it larger and save it for when they won't get wiped out *quite* so easily.

Have never actually tried to create a monster before. It is proving to be a bigger pain in the patukas than I had anticipated. Any advice is, as always, appreciated.

Thanks.

[Demiurge 1138]

How I would model it would be as a swarm, actually. Make it a swarm of tiny creatures with a SQ that allows it to occupy more than 4 squares, but maybe it can only deal swarm damage in four squares at a time, or there's a save for the swarm damage because it's not quite as concentrated. Give it the ability to spawn skeletons and zombies. Maybe it can do this as an action, or maybe it's an automatic reaction like the split ability of some oozes.

[Steff]

I came up with this... comments? suggestions?

Undead Spawn CR 6
XP 2,400

L Undead
Init +3

DEFENSE
AC 21, touch 10, flat-footed 19 (+7 natural, +4 armor)
hp 72 (9d8+36)
Fort +5, Ref +0, Will +2
DR 5/bludgeoning; Undead Traits

OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft
Melee d4 claws +6 (d4+1), d3 bite +4 (d6+2), d2 melee weapon (use statistics from scimitar) +4 (d8+2)

STATISTICS
Str 18, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 0, Wis 0, Cha 0
Base Atk +4; CMB +10; CMD 20 (22 vs. trip)
Feats Cleave (melee weapon only), Power Attack (melee weapon only), Toughness
Skills: None
Languages: None

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Spawn

Each round there is a 40% chance that the undead spawn will generate at least one lesser undead from the bits and pieces of flesh that make up the pile. D10: 1-4 (d4 skeletons), 5-7 (d3 zombies), 8-9 (d2 ghouls), 10 (1 ghast)

Vile Aura

The undead spawn is so revolting that all within 10’ must make a DC 13 Fortitude save each round or be nauseated for d4 rounds. If they fail the save, and after they are no longer nauseated, they are immune to further effect unless they leave the area while sick and then returning to rejoin the combat at which point they must start attempting to make saving throws again and the cycle repeats.

Regenerate

Upon reaching 0 hit points, an undead spawn “dies” when its bits and pieces are essentially broken apart. After 6 hours, however, it will start to reform, achieving full strength after another 24 hours. Only by being broken apart and subjected to a bless or consecrate spell can the undead spawn be truly and completely destroyed.

[redcelt32]

There is already a couple of these listed in the Bestiaries. I think one is a battlefield colossus or something like that. Bestiary 4 I think.

[lemeres]

There is already a monster that fills this niche called the Warsworn

Of course, that creature is CR 16. It does discuss in its descriptions that holy warriors would try to get to them quick after they first form in order to stop them from 'maturing'.

Using that idea, you could take the warsworn and scale it down, and then task the PCs with killing it before it becomes something totally out of their league.

[redcelt32]

Yep thats the one I was thinking of, you would just have to weaken it and downsize its stats/damage,abilities some.

[Deaths Adorable Apprentice]

CR13 corpse orgy, CR11 bone collective, CR1 Carrionstorm for background, CR8 bonestorm, CR14 zombie horde, and you could use the Multiplication ability from the http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/undead/skeleton-medium/sk eleton-multiplying-t-rex