Strahd's Malefic Meld

This spell enables the necromancer to create an undead, golem like monster composed of up to three dead bodies. These parts can be from any selection of dead animals, humanoids, or monsters, as long as they span no more than two size categories. For example, a dog and an elf could be melded since one is size S and the other size

M. However, a house cat and an elf could not be melded since the cat is size T, more than one size category different from the elf. Similarly, a dog, an elf and an ogre could not be melded since they are sizes S, M, and L, respectively. None of the creatures melded together can have more than 5 Hit Dice.

The advantage of the meld is that the caster can use various attributes from whichever of the original creatures used them best, though the monster will always have animal Intelligence. Most attributes are associated with a particular piece of the creature's body, which must be used in the meld. At least one attribute must be taken from each creature in the meld. The created monster will always loyally serve its creator. The created monster inherits four attributes from the original creatures: Hit Dice, Armor Class, movement rate, and attacks. The monster's Hit Dice determines its THAC0 saving throws, and resistance to turning undead attempts. The caster can derive the monster's movement rates from multiple creatures, so long as only one movement rate per creature per medium is selected: running, swimming, flying, burrowing, etc.

The caster must choose the number of attacks per round from a single creature, but can give the creation attack forms from any or all of the creatures in the meld. The creature can have more attack forms that it has attacks per round. Of course, the appropriate body part for the attack form must exist in the meld. Most physical attacks can be retained, including poison, paralysis, web spinning, and breath weapons.

Magical or mental powers do not survive the transition into undeath. This includes gaze attacks, spellcasting, magic resistance, immunity to non-magical weapons, spell-like abilities, a lycanthrope's cursed bite, etc. However, for each creature in the meld that has a magical or mental power, the undead creation gets one special undead power. These powers are cumulative and granted in order.

+1 or better magical weapon needed to hit;

Life energy drain (I level) by touch; and

10% magic resistance.

The caster must assign the level drain to a single attack form, such as the claws of a claw/claw/bite sequence. Notice that only a meld of three creatures that all had magical or mental powers creates a monster with magic resistance. Among player character classes, only spellcasters and psionicists qualify as having special powers for this purpose. Other classes that can cast spells at higher levels, such as ranger or bard, do not qualify.

One of Strahd's favorite melds is a werewolf, a large spider, and a gargoyle. This foul creature uses the gargoyle's flying movement and the spider's ground movement. (Although a werewolf is faster than the spider, he can only pick the legs of one of them, and therefore cannot have web movement if he uses the lycanthrope's legs.) The Hit Dice are drawn from the werewolf, which has 4+3 Hit Dice. The Armor Class of 5 is taken from the gargoyle, as is the number of attacks (4). The creature gets the werewolf's bite and the spider's poison and web-spinning ability.

Because both the gargoyle and the werewolf had magical abilities, the melded creature has the first two undead abilities: +1 or better magical weapon needed to hit and a life-level-draining horn attack. Visually, the abomination has a spider's legs, a werewolf's body and head, and a gargoyle's wings and arms. In the summary below, its attacks are claw/claw/bite/horn.

The material component for this spell is a pinch powdered doppelganger bone. Casting this spell is cause for a Ravenloft powers check.