A Heucuva is an undead creature that can be encountered in the Spelljammer campaign setting.[1]
Overview[]
Heucuva are malignant spirits who serve to remind priests of the fate that awaits those who stray from their devotion or use their religion as a mask to hide impious deeds.[1]
Description[]
Heucuva resemble normal humanoid skeletons except their bones are typically covered by a robe that is little more than tattered rags. Heucuva are incapable of speech; they can only moan or wail.[1]
Combat[]
A heucuva attacks opponents by slashing with one of its hands; its sharp finger bones are fully capable of tearing into wood. An opponent successfully struck by a heucuva may be afflicted with a disease, and a cure disease spell will need to be cast on them to prevent their death and restore their health.
Heucuva especially hate priests, and once a priest uses their spells or tries to turn the undead creature, they will concentrate all attacks on them. They may even ignore everyone else except for the priest and those defending them.
Heucuva are able to polymorph themselves up to three times a day. They may use this power to assume a non-threatening form in order to get close to an unsuspecting victim or avoid an undesired encounter when pursuing a specific prey. Heucuva may assume the form of people they have met in the recent past, such as a past victim or a member of the party that previously encountered the monster. If a heucuva is discovered within its lair, it may assume its old (living) appearances. Groups of heucuva often appear as pilgrims in procession. A heucuva's disguise will be fool most people, except for those who have the innate or magical ability to see in the dark.
Heucuva are as difficult to turn as wights and are resistant to all mind-influencing spells.[1]
Society[]
Heucuva prefer to roam the dark places of the world, and can be found in subterranean areas, as well as most temperate or tropical regions. For some reason cold weather doesn't appeal to heucuva and they won't be found on high, desolate mountains or in cold regions.
Heucuva retain dim memories of their old lives, and their lairs are typically decorated as grotesque mockeries of abbeys and temples. The corpses of past victims may even be used to represent parishioners. Such a mockery is a chilling sight to most and an abomination that few good-aligned priests can resist destroying.
Some heucuva are nomadic and constantly wander on a pilgrimage to nowhere. Even these are mockeries of real pilgrimages.[1]
Legends[]
Legends suggest that heucuva are the restless spirits of monastic priests who were less than faithful to their holy vows. In punishment for their heresies, they are forced to roam the dark. Their spirits, appearance, and holy powers have become perverted mockeries of their old selves. The tatters they wear are the unrecognizable remnants of their monks’ robes. Instead of healing, they can kill with a diseased touch. Instead of helping others, they seek to kill all who still live. Even their old power to turn undead is now used to help them resist the efforts of others to turn them.[1]
Uses[]
A heucuva bones crumble to dust once the monsters have been destroyed. Powdered heucuva bones may be used in the preparation of magical items intended to corrupt the spirits of living beings or to control undead.[1]
Appendix[]
External Links[]
- Heucuva article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Heucuva article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.