CarrionstormBits of feather and flesh buzz around this swarm of rotting
ravens like flies, countless lifeless eyes staring out from the chaos.
Carrionstorm CR 1Source Rise of the Runelords Anniversary Edition pg. 408, Pathfinder #2: The Skinsaw Murders pg. 83
XP 400
NE Tiny undead (swarm)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +6
DefenseAC 12, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 size)
hp 11 (2d8+2)
Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +5
Defensive Abilities swarm traits; Immune undead traits
Weaknesses vulnerable to channeled energy
OffenseSpeed 10 ft., fly 40 ft. (good)
Melee swarm (1d6 plus distraction)
Space 10 ft., Reach 0 ft.
StatisticsStr 1, Dex 11, Con —, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 13
Base Atk +1; CMB –1; CMD 4 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Improved Initiative
Skills Fly +12, Perception +6
Languages Necril
SQ pallid bond
EcologyEnvironment any near ghouls
Organization solitary, flock (2–4 swarms), or murder
(5–12 swarms)
Treasure none
Special AbilitiesPallid Bond (Ex) A carrionstorm never initiates an attack on
a creature that openly wears a symbol of Urgathoa or that
is itself undead. If attacked first by such a creature, the
carrionstorm’s swarm attack deals only 1d3 points of damage
to that creature rather than the usual 1d6 points.
Vulnerable to Channeled Energy (Ex) A carrionstorm takes 150%
as much damage as normal from channeled positive energy.
DescriptionWhere the dead walk, the carrion birds follow. In most
cases, the unfortunate birds that feast on the remains
of fallen undead creatures simply grow diseased and
die. Yet the flesh of some ghouls has an altogether
different effect upon such scavengers, and when they
die of the poisoned repast, they do not stay dead for
long. Alone, an undead crow or vulture is little more
than a hideous mockery, but in rare cases where
ghoulish activity is thick, entire colonies of carrion
birds can succumb to undeath, retaining their flock
mentality yet no longer seeking the flesh of the freshly
dead to sate their hunger. Carrionstorms, as these
flocks of undead birds are called, find brief respite
from their morbid hunger only when their meals are
warm and screaming.
Carrionstorms are typically found near graveyards,
haunted structures, or abandoned villages where ghouls
have been active. Many necromancers and cultists of
Urgathoa have a particular fondness for carrionstorms,
and since the birds have a strange respect for the
symbol of the Pallid Princess, rookeries of them are
often found roosting in the nooks of the goddess of
undeath’s macabre cathedrals.
Although the individual undead birds that make
up a carrionstorm are little more intelligent than
they were in life, as a whole, a carrionstorm forms a
rudimentary hive mind that grants its members a
slight bit more intellect than the typical bird. This not
only allows the undead birds to utilize basic tactics, but
allows rudimentary speech as well. Most carrionstorms
understand a few dozen words in Necril, the language
of the dead, and the sound of thousands of these undead
carrion birds croaking out strange words can be truly
unsettling to those who aren’t prepared for the horror.
This same hive mind allows necromancers to treat an
entire carrionstorm as a single undead creature with
regard to the effects of spells like command undead and
control undead, or feats like Command Undead. The
swarms make excellent scouts, and even better threats
against small towns and superstitious communities.
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