Famish Geist

Grassland

Urban

Bite

Forked Tongue

Famish geists are the malevolent spirits of those who died of starvation or malnourishment, either directly or indirectly. These spirits manifest most often where the causes of their deaths were the results of greedy or negligent rulers or landowners. Conditions such as crushing taxes that make the cost of living prohibitively expensive, failing local defenses that leave fields to be pillaged by bandits, and neglected agricultural infrastructure that constrains supply all might produce famish geists. 

Consumed by rage and despair, famish geists exist to perpetuate the conditions that led to their death. They wither crop fields, harass farmers, and occupy infrastructure and businesses such as mills and bakeries so that others might suffer as they did. 

All food items in areas where the famish geist has passed through as well as within a 10-foot-radius of the famish geist wither and rot over the span of a few minutes.  Creatures within a mile of the famish geist feel strong, consistent hunger pangs, regardless of how much they have recently eaten. 

Those who have abstained from food and drink for a period of two days when they engage the famish geist will find that its attacks have reduced effectiveness against them.  Famish geists are repelled by refined sugar; they will have difficulty attacking any who surround themselves with it or carry a pouch of it on their person. 

Famish geists linger at sites that were significant to them in life. In rural areas, old farmhouses and grain mills are common lairs. Though famish geists are much rarer in urban environments, their presence has been documented at bakeries and butcher shops. These undead often take on appearances that reflect the lairs they inhabit — a geist occupying a mill, for example, might manifest with its arms shackled to millstones that it swings about in combat. 

The famish geists uses its Forked Tongue attack until it has grappled a target, and then follows up with Bite attacks against the target it has grappled. It tries to position itself to affect as many creatures as possible with its Ravenous Aura. 

If the correct corresponding rituals are carried out, the essence of a famish geist can be captured in gems that confer benefits to the user. Some produce gems that instantly confer the benefits of a full night’s rest. Other gems replicate the effects of spells such as 

.  A PC can spend one minute channeling the spiritual energy of the 

 Intelligence (Arcana) check, or Intelligence (Religion) check. On a successful check, the PC compresses the energy into a gem and the GM chooses one piece of loot, or has the PC roll a d4 to determine what they get. On a failed check, the PC gets a chipped quartz. A PC can choose to have another make their skill check if they so choose.

Famish Geist

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