The Wretched
The Starving Dead
“They leapt from the shadows, hitting us like starving beasts. Their ferocity wasn’t
human—ithuman. It was primal, desperate.I watched as one tackled a companion to the ground, jaws snapping wildly. Avoid letting them close the distance at all costs; they’ll drag you down, and you won’t get up again.”
The Wretched are notfast, likeferal theBlightborn others.most Theyoften doassociated notwith huntstarvation, theisolation, livingand forplaces sustenance,where norsurvivors doturned theyon seekone to spread the Blight. They were something different, something terrible, evenanother before the infection took them.
They were the starving.end.
Appearance
The Wretched are what remains of those who lasted too long in isolation, in quarantined villages where no food remained, where men and women turned upon one another in desperation. Their bodies are emaciated almost beyond recognition. Ribs and joints stand sharply beneath the skin, while the abdomen may remain swollen or distended. Hands are worn raw, fingers curl into permanent hooks, and the jaw is frequently damaged by frantic biting.
They rarely remain upright for long. A Wretched drops onto all fours when it runs, throwing its weight through shoulders and hips in a gait closer to a hunting animal than a human being. The space one occupies in a fight can be deceptive because its limbs spread wide and its rush carries it across ground with startling speed.
Pack Behavior
Wretched are most dangerous in groups. They rush the same target, crowd around fallen prey, and exploit openings created by one another. What looks like coordination may simply be competition, but the distinction matters little to someone on the ground beneath them.
Their preferred attack is a violent charge that knocks prey down before the pack closes. Once momentum is lost, a fight against Wretched can become a struggle simply to stand again.
Hunger
Old accounts describe Wretched abandoning a chase for exposed meat or becoming absorbed in an existing carcass. That behavior is common enough that travelers still throw food as a desperate distraction, but it is not considered dependable.
The name is often linked to the pointstarving people from whom many early examples arose. Whether hunger caused this particular form or merely shaped the behavior of breaking, their bellies grotesquely swollen from their last, terrible feast. Their mouths hang open, filled with jagged, broken teeth, their skeletal fingers twitching with a hunger that can never be sated.
Unlike other Blighted, the Wretchedfirst do not immediately attack the living—they attack anything they believe is food. This is their greatest weakness, and it can be exploited. If you are carrying fresh rations, you have already become their target—drop food and they may fixate on it instead of you. If no food is available, loud noises can cause them to panic, breaking their coordination and making them easier to dispatch. Do not let them latch onto you—once they grab hold, they do not release easily, and their frenzied hunger makes them faster than they appear. Most importantly, if arecognized Wretched is already feeding, do not engage. They will not stop until their hunger is momentarily sated—use this time to escape.unknown.
Field Knowledge
TheOpen onlyground mercyoffers little safety because Wretched can cross it quickly. Travelers instead value barriers, height, narrow approaches, and anything that prevents several of the Wretchedcreatures isfrom that they cannot resist food. If flesh—be it human or animal—is already available, they will abandon their chase. But beware, for once a Wretched has started eating, it does not stop—not until there is nothing left to consume.
Stat Block
Medium Undead, unaligned
Damage Immunities: PoisonCondition Immunities: Poisoned, Exhaustion, FrightenedSenses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 8Languages: —Challenge: 1/2 (100 XP)
Traits
Ravenous Frenzy:If another undead ally is within 5 ft. of its target, the Wretched makes attack rolls with advantage, driven into a frenzy by competition for prey.
Pounce:If The Wretched moves at least 15 ft. straight toward a creature and hits it with a claw attack onreaching the same turn,person thatat targetonce.
A succeedfeeding onWretched may ignore nearby movement for a DCtime, 12but Strengthapproaching saving throw or be knocked prone. If the targetone is prone,widely considered foolish.