Mortic, LifeleecherThe pallid flesh of this ferocious, orc-like creature is covered in
scars and burns. Its muscles are thick and corded, and its hatefilled
eyes seem to reflect death wherever they stare.Lifeleecher CR 8Source Pathfinder #141: Last Watch pg. 80
XP 4,800
CE Medium humanoid (mortic, orc)
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +13DefenseAC 22, touch 12, flat-footed 20 (+6 armor, +2 Dex, +4 natural)
hp 90 (12d8+36)
Fort +11, Ref +6, Will +6; +4 vs. mind–affecting effects
Defensive Abilities death gasp, mortic ferocity, negative
energy affinity
Weaknesses light sensitivity, vulnerable to consecration,
vulnerable to resurrectionOffenseSpeed 20 ft.
Melee bite +14 (1d6+5), 2 claws +14 (1d8+5) or
mwk falchion +16/+11 (2d4+5/18–20)
Ranged javelin +11/+6 (1d6+5)
Special Attacks leech life (1 level, DC 17)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 8th; concentration +9)
Constant—deathwatch
3/day—death knell (DC 17)StatisticsStr 20, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 11, Cha 13
Base Atk +9; CMB +14; CMD 26
Feats Combat Reflexes, Grudge Fighter, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lunge, Weapon Focus (falchion)
Skills Intimidate +13, Perception +13, Stealth +11, Survival +9
Languages Common, Orc
SQ create spawn, unliving natureEcologyEnvironment temperate hills, mountains, or underground
Organization solitary or gang (2–4)
Treasure standard (breastplate, javelins [4], mwk falchion,
other treasure)Special AbilitiesCreate Spawn (Su) Any humanoid creature slain by a mortic’s
leech life special ability becomes a wight in 1d4 rounds.
Wights spawned by a lifeleecher mortic have penalties like
true wight spawn, and they are under the command of the
mortic who created them for a period of 24 hours, after
which they collapse to the ground, devoid of any animating
power, and become mundane corpses. These spawn do not
have any of the abilities they had in life.
Leech Life (Su) Three times per day as an immediate
action after a successful bite attack, a lifeleecher mortic
can siphon a portion of its target’s life energy into itself.
This functions as the energy drain universal monster rule.
If the mortic drains a level in this way, the mortic gains the
benefits of a haste spell (CL 8th).
Mortic Ferocity (Su) A lifeleecher mortic has ferocity, as the
universal monster rule. However, when the lifeleecher
mortic falls below 0 hit points, it does not lose any hit points
per round and it is not staggered. A lifeleecher mortic still
dies when it reaches a negative number of hit points equal
to its Constitution score. Lifeleecher mortics fighting in this
state are driven by instinct and default to attacking with
their natural weapons, bolstered by their leech life and
death knell abilities. Using manufactured weapons or using
any other tactics or abilities requires the lifeleecher mortic to
succeed at a DC 17 Will saving throw to suppress its instincts.
Resurrection Vulnerability (Su) A raise dead or similar spell
cast on a lifeleecher mortic staggers it for 1d4 rounds unless
the mortic succeeds at a Will save against the caster’s saving
throw DC for that spell. Using the spell in this way does not
require a material component. When staggered due to such
an effect, a lifeleecher mortic cannot use its leech life special
ability and its mortic ferocity ability is suppressed. If the
lifeleecher mortic is reduced to fewer than 0 hit points while
affected by a raise dead effect, it immediately gains the
staggered condition and loses 1 hit point per round.DescriptionMuch like some of their orc kin, lifeleecher mortics
often cover themselves in ritual scarring, brands, and
auspicious tattoos. However, a lifeleecher mortic’s skin
is an ashen gray color, signaling their flirtation with
death. Of all their markings, lifeleecher mortics most
celebrate their death scar: the site of a mortal wound that
would have felled creatures far more resilient than an
orc, yet that failed to slay the lifeleecher mortic, instead
unleashing their mortic heritage.
Lifeleecher mortics are roughly 6 feet tall and weigh
about 230 pounds.EcologyA lifeleecher mortic’s elongated nails resemble a raptor’s
talons, with razor tusks jutting upward from their lower
lip, ending just below their lifeless eyes. Lifeleecher
mortics are not born with their mortic abilities; rather,
these powers manifest upon a mortic’s initial brush with
death. As the lifeleecher mortic receives what should be
a fatal blow, their orc ferocity triggers something deep
within that releases their mortic powers.
Upon receiving any killing blow, the lifeleecher’s mortic
ferocity activates. The mortic enters a feral, furious state
that drives them on, allowing them to continue fighting
where other humanoids, even orcs, would fall. As they
enters this trance, they forgo weapons and other tools,
instead ravaging their opponents with natural attacks,
especially their savage, life-leeching maw. The fact that
lifeleechers consume their foes’ life energy with their maws
leads many of them to gravitate toward cannibalism in
general, and even those who do not partake of cannibalism
tend to prefer their meat fresh and raw.Habitat and SocietyLifeleecher mortics enjoy an almost celebrity status in
orc settlements, both feared and revered for their strange
ability to shrug off death blows. In a society where might
makes right, death-defying lifeleecher mortics quickly
climb their tribal hierarchies as their ability to defeat their
orc cousins proves their strength and worthiness to rule. In
other cases, powerful mortics find themselves quickly sold
off to large gladiatorial stables in Belkzen and the Lands of
the Linnorm Kings or the savage, tusk-lined fighting pits
within the Realm of the Mammoth Lords. Many managers
enjoy having a lifeleecher mortic champion in these
blood-soaked arenas, as the mortics’ prolonged fights
and supernatural displays both wow and terrify
crowds in a gruesome spectacle often talked about
for several seasons after the bout itself.
Unfortunately, lifeleechers’ penchant for
animating those they defeat into wights, even
temporarily, stirs many orc superstitions
regarding death and magic. Tribes whisper
insults depicting the lifeleechers as
undead creatures themselves or suggest
that they are possessed by fiends. Of
course, most orcs would never say such
things to a lifeleecher mortic’s face;
they are far more likely to grovel at the
lifeleecher’s feet to garner favor from their
much stronger kin.
Many soothsayers, shamans, oracles, and
witches believe lifeleecher mortics hold the
spirits of fallen orc heroes killed before they
fulfilled their destiny, and it is this power that
drives these nigh-indestructible warriors. When a
lifeleecher mortic takes a mate, it prefers others of its
kind; however, due to their orc heritage, these mortics can
also breed with orcs and humans, and their often-high
status gives them plenty of opportunity to do so. A mortic’s
offspring, whether orc or half-orc, all have potential to
manifest as lifeleecher mortics when their racial ferocity
triggers. Unfortunately, tribes all too often attempt to
hasten this phenomenon, risking the lives of young
orcs to spark this heritage, and it is more likely for a
young orc with a lifeleecher mortic parent to die than for
the child’s mortic abilities to be unleashed.
Lifeleecher mortics who live apart from orc
settlements fare far worse than their half-orc cousins
in similar communities. Something about their
mannerisms, especially their dead eyes, is off-putting
to non-orcs. Add to that their proclivity for cannibalism,
and lifeleecher mortics find they do not assimilate well
outside of gladiatorial pens or spectacle sideshows, and
the public quickly drives them out into the wild when
they discover the lifeleecher mortic’s questionable heritage
and unsavory diet. This suits most lifeleecher mortics just
fine, as outside of orc lands they gravitate towards loner
lifestyles as explorers, big-game hunters, and practitioners
of guerrilla warfare.Creatures in "Mortic" CategorySource Pathfinder #139: The Dead Road pg. 86
Mortics are humanoids afflicted with the physiology and appetites of undead. All mortics are pulled between two worlds: as living humanoids, they crave community and friendship, but their necromantic nature forces them to indulge in inhuman hungers and commit violence against the living. As a result, most mortics lurk at the edge of civilization or isolate themselves with others of their own kind. Although living creatures, mortics can suspend their living processes temporarily, becoming more like undead.
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