Buy me a coffeeBog Slain — The Fetid Wretch of the Marshes
“The Bog Slain: a waterlogged undead horror that spews disease and death with every fetid breath—pray you don’t hear its squelching approach!”
A Bog Slain appears as a bloated humanoid corpse, its pale green, water-swollen flesh stretched taut over rotting muscle and broken bone. Algae clings to its limbs like rotting cloth, while leeches and water insects nest in its crevices. Its eyes are heavy-lidded, brown, and utterly devoid of thought, and its slack jaw constantly drips fetid orange vapor—an omen of the sickness within. With every step, it releases a squelching plorp, its feet still soaked in the muck of the bog it died in.
Behavior
Bog Slain are entirely mindless, driven by necromantic instinct and the last command given by their creator. In the absence of orders, they relentlessly attack the living, seemingly drawn by sound and motion. They are incapable of fear, communication, or negotiation. They do not retreat. While tactically simplistic, they instinctively open combat with their putrid breath weapon, weakening prey before closing in with heavy, rotting fists.
Habitat
Bog Slain are found in marshes, peat bogs, and fetid swamplands, often lurking just below the waterline, concealed by moss and mist. They never stray far from a water source, as prolonged dryness causes their bodies to decay rapidly and lose their magical resistance. Ancient battlefields, drowned villages, or sunken graveyards are prime breeding grounds, where necromancers or corrupted nature spirits raise them for service.
Modus Operandi
The Bog Slain does not plan—it ambushes, vomits disease, and bludgeons. It rises silently from still waters or shallow graves, unleashing a 60-foot spray of infected bile, then lumbers toward the nearest foe. Victims often underestimate them until the disease sets in. Once combat begins, it will not stop unless destroyed or ordered to stand down by its master.
Motivation
The Bog Slain has no will of its own. It exists solely to serve—initially created as expendable guardians by a forgotten water mage. Their only driving force is the necromantic command embedded in their reanimated minds. That said, rumors speak of “awakened” Bog Slain, rogue variants touched by the bogs’ dark spirits, who wander alone in search of warmth they cannot remember and vengeance they cannot name.
Bog Slain 5e
Bog Slain 3.5
Bog Slain
Medium Undead, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 45 (6d8 + 18)
Speed 30 ft., swim 20 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 8 (−1) | 16 (+3) | 3 (−4) | 10 (+0) | 5 (−3) |
Saving Throws Wis +2
Damage Resistances fire; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10
Languages understands the languages of its creator but can’t speak
Challenge 2 (450 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +2
Amphibious Husk.
A Bog Slain can breathe both air and water (though it doesn’t need to breathe at all). If it fails to fully submerge in water for at least 1 hour each day, it takes 1d4 necrotic damage at the end of the day and loses its resistance to fire damage until it submerges again.
Fetid Breath (Recharge 5–6).
The Bog Slain exhales a line of brackish, disease-ridden water in a 30-foot line that is 5 feet wide. Each creature in the area must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, taking 13 (3d8) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
On a failed save, the creature must also succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute. A blinded creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success.
A creature that critically fails both saving throws becomes infected with Blinding Sickness (see below).
The Bog Slain can use Fetid Breath three times before needing to submerge in water for 1 minute to recharge the ability.
Undead Fortitude.
If damage reduces the Bog Slain to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or a critical hit. On a success, it drops to 1 hit point instead.
Actions
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) bludgeoning damage.
Blinding Sickness (Optional Disease Rule)
A creature infected with Blinding Sickness experiences the following effects:
- Incubation Time: 1d3 days
- Effect: Each day, the creature takes 1d4 Strength damage (or loses 1d4 Strength temporarily if your campaign doesn’t use ability score damage).
- Each time it takes 2 or more Strength damage in a single day, it must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or become permanently blinded. Magical healing, such as lesser restoration, can cure the disease and remove blindness.
Treasure
A Bog Slain may carry remnants of its past life or items that sank with its corpse. Roll 1d4:
- A masterwork sling and 20 lead bullets
- 2d6 × 10 silver pieces in a rusted pouch
- A tarnished locket holding a swamp-preserved miniature portrait
- A moldy scroll case containing a fragment of a regional map
Tactics and Behavior
Mindless but aggressive, the Bog Slain attacks any living creature it perceives. It begins combat by unleashing its Fetid Breath, then advances into melee with relentless slams. It never retreats and cannot be reasoned with unless under magical command.
When encountered in groups or in murky terrain, Bog Slain create an oppressive, disease-ridden threat that favors ambushes and attrition over tactics. They are ideal for horror-themed encounters where water, decay, and dread play a central role.
Lore
Born of dark water magic, Bog Slain are animated corpses dredged from swamps, bogs, and wetlands. Their creation began with a now-forgotten water mage who used drowned victims as raw material for servitude. After her death, her secrets were sold and spread among necromancers, giving rise to these grotesque undead wherever water and death intermingle.
Though they rot, Bog Slain are sustained by the very moisture that once drowned them. Their bloated forms reek of decay, and their breath spreads foulness and blindness. In some cursed wetlands, entire mobs of Bog Slain wander the mist, forever seeking to drag others down to join them beneath the surface.
Bog Slain
This bloated excuse for a humanoid bears a foul stench and squishy footfalls. It has pale green skin and heavy brown eyes devoid of intelligence. Its mouth opens as it spots you, releasing thin orange wisps from its insides.
The Dread Codex
Author Bret Boyd
Series Dread Codex
Publisher Adamant Entertainment
Publish date 2004
The bog slain is essentially a better version of a zombie. Created by a water mage of little repute (her name is not even remembered today), the only corpses the woman had to work with were ones found in the bog nearby her home. Harvesting the lost bog bodies proved difficult but did not expose her machinations to the authorities.
The bog slain served the mage for many years before her death at the hands of a rival sorcerer. This man took her notes, copied them, and sold them to all interested parties. This is how bog slain have come to be located in all parts of the world; as wizards similar in situation to the water mage worked to make their own undead servants.
| Bog Slain | |
| Medium undead | |
| Hit Dice | 1d12 (6 hp) |
| Initiative | +0 |
| Speed | 30 ft., Swim 20 ft. |
| AC | 16 (+6 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 16 |
| Base Attack/Grapple | +0/+1 |
| Attack | Slam +1 melee (1d6+1) |
| Full Attack | Slam +1 melee (1d6+1) |
| Space/Reach | 5 ft./5 ft. |
| Special Attacks | Breath weapon |
| Special Qualities | Darkvision 60 ft., damage reduction 3/, fire resistance 10, undead traits |
| Saves | Fort +0, Ref +0, Will +3 |
| Abilities | Strength 13, Dexterity 10, Constitution -, Intelligence -, Wisdom 12, Charisma 3 |
| Feats | Ability Focus (breath weapon) (B) |
| Environment | Any marsh |
| Organization | Solitary, gang (2-5), squad (6-10), or mob (11- 20) |
| Challenge Rating | 1 |
| Treasure | Standard |
| Alignment | Always chaotic evil |
| Advancement | 2-3 HD (Medium) |
| Level Adjustment | – |
Combat
Bog slain are unintelligent creatures that exist to slay others. They attack anything that moves unless ordered otherwise by their master. A blast from the bog slain’s breath weapon is a common first attack against a foe before closing in for melee slams. That is as tactical as a bog slain gets.
Breath Weapon (Su): Instead of attacking with a slam attack, a bog slain may instead spew a gout of foul water from its lungs and stomach out through its mouth as a standard action every 1d4 rounds. No attack roll is necessary; the line of water reaches 60 feet, and is 5 feet high and 5 feet wide. If fills the area and any creature who fails a Reflex save (DC 12) is caught in the area; he is checked for one round and must make a Fortitude save (DC 11) or become infected with Blinding Sickness (the save DC is Strength-based).
This disease has an incubation period of 1d3 days and inflicts 1d4 points of temporary Strength damage. Each time a victim takes 2 or more points of Strength damage from the disease, he must make another Fortitude save or be permanently blinded. Bog slain can use their breath weapon three times before needing to submerge in water again to replenish their water reserve. Replenishing the breath weapon takes two rounds for each time the bog slain has used the ability.
The poor souls who die in bogs are usually low-level commoners caught in a bad spot or who ran afoul of the local crime organization. What little in treasure they had upon death is still on them.
masterwork sling, 100 sp
In Your Campaign
As long as they are near to a water source, bog slain can indefinitely survive. Not only do their breath weapons need replenishing, but you might rule that their body does as well. For every day a bog slain does not submerge for at least an hour, its fire resistance rating decreases by 2 and they take 1 hit point of damage. Since water is part of their nature, it seems only natural to throw in this hindrance.