Huecuva
Huecuvas are undead creatures created from clerics, druids, paladins, or monks who have failed in their vows. As punishment for their heresies, they are doomed to undeath. Huecuvas are sometimes created when a good or neutral cleric changes his alignment to evil & dies without seeking atonement for his wrongs, or when an evil priest is subjected to a particularly powerful curse by her patron deity.
Huecuvas retain dim memories of their old lives & often dwell in desecrated shrines & broken temples that mock their former orders. They hate all living things, but they especially loathe good-aligned priests.
Huecuvas appear as humanoid skeletons wrapped in tarnished, corroded, or tattered vestments.
Failed Missionaries of Valachan
Many of the heucuvas that haunt the jungles of Valachan are former missionaries of the Church of Ezra. While some were former adventurers of a variety of faiths, during Baron Urik von Kharkov's reign many clerics came from neighboring domains of dread to "civilize" the native population. Most of the mission sites outside of the major settlements were abandoned to the jungle after Chakuna's uprising.
Some of these displaced acolytes & priests did not take kindly to these events. Some lost their faith & became apostates, while others were corrupted by the Dark Powers into bloodthirsty heresies.
Combat
A huecuva attacks with the savagery of a beast that has been consumed with loathing for the living.
Statblocks
Homebrew, DungeonDad, Fiend Folio (3e)
Heucuva Acolyte CR: 1
STR
12 +1
DEX
10 +0
CON
10 +0
INT
-4 -7
WIS
16 +3
CHA
13 +1
Spellcasting. The heucuva is a 2nd-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The heucuva has the following cleric spells prepared:
- Cantrips (at will): Chill Touch, Spare the Dying, Thaumaturgy, Toll the Dead
- 1st Level (3 slots): Bless, Healing Word, False Life, Protection from Evil & Good, Ray of Sickness
Channel Divinity: Touch of Death (1/Day). When the heucuva hits a creature with a melee attack, the cleric can use Channel Divinity to deal extra 9 necrotic damage to the target.
Heucuva Blight. When the heucuva hits a creature with a melee weapon attack, the target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution save. On a failure, the target is infected with heucuva blight & takes a -1 penalty to its Strength & Constitution score. An infected victim must repeat the saving throw each day thereafter or take another -1 penalty. The effects of heucuva blight is cumulative each day until the victim reaches 0 Strength or 0 Constitution (& dies).
Heucuva blight can be cured with 2 consecutive successful saves or a paladin's Lay on Hands feature, the spell Lesser Restoration, or any similar magic. After being cured of blight, the creature will loose their penalties after completing a long rest.
Reaper. When the heucuva casts a necromancy cantrip that normally targets only one creature, the spell can instead target two creatures within range & within 5' of each other.
Turn Resistance. The heucuva has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.
Actions
Club. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, 5' reach, one target. Hit: 4 (1d6 + 1) bludgeoning damage.
Suggested Environments
Any Climate; Any Terrain
Homebrew, DungeonDad, Fiend Folio (3e)
Heucuva CR: 4
STR
12 +1
DEX
10 +0
CON
12 +1
INT
7 -2
WIS
18 +4
CHA
15 +2
Spellcasting. The huecuva is a 5th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). The huecuva has the following cleric spells prepared:
- Cantrips (at will): Chill Touch, Spare the Dying, Thaumaturgy, Toll the Dead
- 1st Level (4 slots): Bless, Healing Word, False Life, Protection from Evil & Good, Ray of Sickness
- 2nd level (3 slots): Augury, Blindness/Deafness, Ray of Enfeeblement, Silence
- 3rd level (2 slots): Animate Dead, Dispel Magic, Vampiric Touch
Channel Divinity: Touch of Death (1/Day). When the heucuva hits a creature with a melee attack, the cleric can use Channel Divinity to deal extra 15 necrotic damage to the target.
Heucuva Blight. When the heucuva hits a creature with a melee weapon attack, the target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution save. On a failure, the target is infected with heucuva blight & takes a -1 penalty to its Strength & Constitution score. An infected victim must repeat the saving throw each day thereafter or take another -1 penalty. The effects of heucuva blight is cumulative each day until the victim reaches 0 Strength or 0 Constitution (& dies).
Heucuva blight can be cured with 2 consecutive successful saves or a paladin's Lay on Hands feature, the spell Lesser Restoration, or any similar magic. After being cured of blight, the creature will loose their penalties after completing a long rest.
Reaper. When the heucuva casts a necromancy cantrip that normally targets only one creature, the spell can instead target two creatures within range & within 5' of each other.
Turn Resistance. The heucuva has advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.
Actions
Morningstar. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, 5' reach, one target. Hit: 5 (1d8 + 1) piercing damage.
Suggested Environments
Any Climate or Terrain
Fiend Folio, 3e, p 34-35
Domains of Dread
Darkon. The lich king Azalin Rex had a reputation for turning any who dared oppose him into undead minions. It is not beyond belief that there are dozens of huecuva that haunt the countryside of this fractured domain.
G'henna. In the corrupt theocracy of this famished domain, many clerics of Zhakata become huecuvas either due to the inherent evil of gluttony or by being cursed for practicing the heresy of charity.
Tepest. In prior generations, there was a strong presence of inquisitors of Belenus in this domain. Their persecution of non-humans & fey creatures resulted in most of them being slain with a handful raising as huecuvas to continue their inquisition.
Valachan. The previous darklord tried to use missionaries to aid in colonizing this jungle domain. Many of these missions were claimed by the jungle, their clerics now blighted undead.
Dark Powers
Twisted Priest (V). Huecuva's often symbolize the danger of corruption, heresy, & zealotry that can drive religious leaders to destroy themselves & their followers.
Final Breath (XIII). As undead, huecuvas serve as reminders of the frailty of life & the inevitability of death.
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