Back in the day, White Dwarf magazine was the British answer to the Dragon, and its regular "Fiend Factory" column was a source of many monsters for early D&D games. In fact, the first edition Fiend Folio (1981) was largely a collection of monsters submitted to WD. This 3e conversion is part of an ongoing project to resurrect some interesting WD monsters that, for one reason or another, fell by the wayside.
The morghiss appeared in White Dwarf 24 (April/May 1981), as part of "The Lair of Maldred the Mighty," an adventure by Mark Byng that won WD's mini-module competition.
This vaguely humanoid, hissing creature has black, glistening skin and a horrid visage of red eyes over a bottomless maw.
Always NE Medium undead
Init +8; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Listen +11, Spot +11
Aura despair (DC 16)
Languages Common
AC 18, touch 14, flat-footed 14
(+4 Dex,
+4 natural)
hp 42 (6 HD)
Immune undead traits
Resist turn resistance +4
Fort +2, Ref +6, Will +7
Spd 40 ft. (8 squares)
Melee bite +6 (2d6+3) and
2 claws +4
(1d4+1 plus
paralysis)
Space 5 ft; Reach 5 ft
Base Atk +3; Grp +6
Atk Options paralysis (DC 16)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 6th)
3/day—clairvoyance, suggestion (DC 16)
Abilities Str 16, Dex 19, Con –, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 16
SQ gaseous form
Feats Improved Initiative, Multiattack, Toughness
Skills Hide +13, Listen +11, Move Silently +17, Search +11, Sense Motive +11, Spot +11
Environment any
Organization solitary
Treasure standard
Advancement 4–9 HD (Medium)
Despair (Su) At the end of each of a morghiss's turn, creatures within sight of it must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or be paralyzed with fear for 1 round and then slowed (as the spell) for 4 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based. Whether or not the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by the same morghiss’s despair ability for 24 hours.
Gaseous Form (Su) As a standard action, a morghiss can assume gaseous form at will as the spell (caster level 6th), but it can remain gaseous indefinitely and has a fly speed of 20 feet with perfect maneuverability.
Paralysis (Ex) Those hit by a morghiss’s claw attack must succeed on a DC 16 Fortitude save or be paralyzed for 1d4+1 rounds. Elves have immunity to this paralysis. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Skills A morghiss has a +4 racial bonus to Move Silently checks.
A morghiss is the personified spirit of an evil place which has been given physical form by a powerful evil creature, often a necromancer. It roams the world seeking to kill all living creatures, including its creator, but is always drawn back to its place of origin. In gaseous form a morghiss appears as a cloud of black smoke with two small red eyes. In its physical form, once the morghiss is discovered it hisses constantly.
A morghiss will use its clairvoyance spell-like ability to spy on potential prey; it will then use its suggestion ability to lure one or two characters to fall behind their companions.