by d1sarmon1a
The Cost of War:
Killing takes a toll on a man. Even the most innocent and virtuous souls will find themselves stained by the filth of war and bloodshed, even if done for the most noble and enlightened of reason. Those who fight for freedom and justice must still split men like wood. This is why all noble warriors advocate for abstaining for violence except when necessary, for hurting others always has a price.
There is another problem though, one rarely discussed. Hurting people can feel good. Very good. The thrill of battle, the glory of testing yourself in competition against another warrior, the testing of men through the insanity of war can elevate a man to superhuman heights of bravery and virtue, but it can also poison him with hatred and give him first sip of the black wine of cruelty. The latter type of man can very easily find that he develops a taste for the latter.
Violence is addictive and when pursued for it's own sake, it will drag you down and destroy you. The beast of war will then spit you out, either as a corpse, a martyr, a hero, or a killer. And the killers, they keep coming back for more.
Walking the Red Road:
There is a method of immortality, one poorly understood but often rumored called the Red Road. It is based on the principle of acquisition. It is known that as warriors test themselves in battle, they grow stronger. Similarly, their weapons and armor grow more potent the more they are wielded, especially if they are used in important battles or to slay important foes. Many of these great warriors perish eventually, whether in their beds as old men or on the mud of countless battlefields, but their arms and armor usually remain long after they pass, growing in strength. The next generation then picks up these heirloom blades and wields them again. Eventually, this will imbue a weapon with a spirit of it's own and make it a magical instrument of death.
The Red Road is that same principle, but taken to it's next logical step. Why not simply transfer this accumulated glory directly into one's self, so that it might strengthen you today? And why, instead of slowly accumulating power over time, instead why not take it from those sources that possess it? The Walkers of the Red Road do not see any reason why they should not do this, so they do.
How do they do it?
1d4
1- Slaughter people and then while their blood is hot, drink it to gain their strength.
2- Chop people open and eat their hearts raw. Cannibalism may or may not be required after that, though why waste perfectly good meat?
3- Devour the person's soul and consume his essence.
4- Split open the skull and eat the person's brain. This will grant you his knowledge as well as his powers.
Eventually, you will stop being just a brutal warrior. You will become something less, and more than, human. You have become a Red Lord, Bloodmaster, War-Father, Butcher King. You are a Walker of the Red Road.
by BrightStar40k
Base Walker Statblock:
SHP, Atk and Saves determined below. A Walker's Morale is always 16 or higher.
All Walkers also possess the following abilities:
Damage Threshold: All Walkers possess a Damage Threshold. Unless a source of damage equals or exceeds it's Damage Threshold, treat that source as if it did no damage.
Conditional Immortality: Walkers do not age and cannot be aged magically. They will live forever unless killed. They automatically pass any save vs death and ignore any effects that would instantly slay them (barring Referee's Discretion).
Specific Death Condition: Walkers have Conditional Immortality. Unless slain in a very specific way, killing them does not destroy them, only kills them for a certain amount of time. After a set time period relative to their strength (see below) they will return to life and continue their bloody work.
Aura of Slaughter: Walkers are surrounded by an aura of violent intent. All creatures within 50' of them must save. On a failed save, creatures take 1d6 COG damage per round they are within range of the Walker's aura. If reduced to 0 COG by this aura, affected creature will begin randomly attacking anything in sight besides the Walker. They will temporarily become Blood-Crazed Fanatics. Remaining in a Walker's aura for 24 hours or more will destroy your mind and transform you into a Blood-Crazed Fanatic permanently.
Soul Harvest: After killing a creature, a Walker can take an action to harvest that creature's soul. This gives the Walker back X SHP, where X is the number of HD/Levels the slain creature had.
Journey to the Plane of Blood: By committing an act of mass slaughter, a Walker can open a portal to the Plane of Blood. They cannot easily open portals from the other side however, and must either be invited in by someone opening a portal to that Plane or by the veil between that Plane and our world growing thin enough for one of them to slip through. The only time the latter occurs though is during monstrous acts of brutality, mass slaughter or truly hellish battles.
by AlexBoca
Generate your own Walker:
How strong is the Walker?
1d4
1- Strong. The Walker is strong, but not to an insane extent. He has a Damage Threshold and SHP equal to 7, an Atk of 1d6+5 and Saves of 14 or less. A well-armed group of specialists, prepared for his arrival could probably defeat him. The signs of his presence extend only over a small town to the surrounding farms, his host is small and he possesses 1d4 Massacre Arts. If killed in a way that does not fulfill his Specific Death Condition, he returns to life in a year and a day.
2- Terrible. The Walker is the greatest warrior anyone in the region has ever seen. He has a Damage Threshold and SHP equal to 8, an Atk of 1d6+6 and Saves of 15 or less. He could still be killed, but not in anything resembling a fair fight. The signs of his presence extend out of a whole community, his host is large, but not massive, and he possesses 1d6 Massacre Arts. If killed in a way that does not fulfill his Specific Death Condition, he returns to life in 1d6+1 months.
3- Great. The Walker is a figure straight of myth, unparalleled in skill and power. He has a Damage Threshold and SHP equal to 9, an Atk of 1d6+6 and Saves of 16 or less. No warrior you know could stand up to him for more than a few moments. The signs of his presence sweep over the whole region, his host is great and he possesses 1d8 Massacre Arts. If killed in a way that does not fulfill his Specific Death Condition, he returns to life in 1d3+1 weeks.
4- Devastating. The Walker is a walking apocalypse. He has a Damage Threshold and SHP equal to 10, an Atk of 1d6+7 and Saves of 17 or less. He comes to bring doom to entire kingdoms and civilizations. Signs of his coming sweep over the whole land, his host is massive, seemingly beyond count and he mastered 1d10 Massacre Arts. If killed in a way that does not fulfill his Specific Death Condition, he returns to life in 1d6+1 days.
What signs herald his arrival?
1d10
1- Disturbing dreams filled with violence.
2- Water sources turning to blood.
3- Clouds heavy with unnaturally colored lightning.
4- Unnatural weather such as 1d4 [1= A rain of fire; 2= Fog clouds full of hot smoke and cinders; 3= Foul-smelling fog that reeks of corpses; 4= A rain of blood.]
5- The dead are disturbed. 1d3 [1= Corpses rest uneasily in their graves, some are seen attempting to crawl their way out and escape "something"; 2= The Undead begin appearing in greater numbers than normal; 3= Ghosts wander the streets at night.]
6- Those more sensitive or already unbalanced start to go insane. Random acts of violence, public nudity, general madness become common.
7- Animals fleeing in vast numbers. You haven't seen a rat in a few days. That's very odd.
8- Natural disorder. 1d3 [1= A new plague strikes suddenly, without warning; 2= The crops begin to fail, either from a strange blight or sudden shift in the weather such as a drought; 3= Natural disasters begin to occur more often and are more destructive when they do.]
9- An eclipse of the sun or a bloody moon.
10- A bright star falling from the heavens
What Massacre Arts does the Walker know?
They may also know...
1d20
1- Body of Water, Heart of Light. The Walker possesses the ability to change his form into anything he desires, as long as it is within 1 size category of himself. His attributes and abilities remain the same, barring things he could not do in certain forms, such as fly in a form without wings.
2- Fortress Mind. The Walker possesses Magic Resistance equal to 1/2*Xd10%, where X is Damage Threshold. So if he has a Damage Threshold of 8, he has 40% Magic Resistance.
3- Wings of the Red Angel. The Walker can fly, with a fly speed equal to double his walking speed.
4- The Illusion of Safety. The Walker can 1/round, as a free action, teleport up to 100'.
5- The Sword that Slays Hope. The Walker can, 1/Day, strike at a creature with a blow. On a hit, that creature must save vs death. The creature gets advantage on his save if he has equal or greater HD/Level to the Walker. If he has less than half the Walker's HD/Level, he has disadvantage. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage as if from a normal attack.
6- So He may not Sully His Boots. The Walker can walk on clouds, smoke and clouds of dust as if they were solid. He can treat them as gaseous as he wishes too.
7- Spring of Wildcat. The Walker can jump up to 100' horizontally or 50' straight up.
8- Mirror of Lady Death. 1/Round, the Walker can deflect an attack directed against himself. That attack is then directed back at the attacker, who must make a defense roll as if he was the one initially attacked.
9- Blade that Parts the Rain. 1/Day, the Walker can make an attack against all creatures within melee range.
10- Call forth the Greatest Ally. 1/Day, The Walker creates multiple clones, each one possessing a portion of his strength. If he creates 1 clone, the clone has all of his abilities but is only 50% as strong as him. For example, if the Walker has a Damage Threshold of 8, the Clone has a Damage Threshold of 4. If he creates 2 clones, the clones have all his abilities but are only 25% as strong as he. If he creatures more clones, reduce their strength appropriately.
11- Awaken the Butcher Gods. 1/Day, The Walker summons X spiritual limbs, where X is his Damage Threshold. Each limb has 3 HD, AR 3 and has resistance to non-magical weapons. They have half his Atk modifier and attack one creature he does not target.
12- Master of the Killing Floor. The Walker has heightened senses and can see 360 degrees around himself. All attempts to sneak up on him are made with disadvantage. He cannot see invisible creatures, but he can smell them, hear their heart-beat and feel the vibrations caused by their footsteps.
13- Scourge the Brave. 1/Day, those who are not affected by the Walker's Aura of Slaughter take 1 damage a round they are within melee range of him. This effect lasts for 10 minutes or until it kills a creature.
14- Call to Duel. The Walker can 1/round force a creature to save. On a failed save, that creature must attempt to make a melee attack against the Walker.
15- Inescapable Vortex. If you attempt to move away from the Walker, he can make a free attack against you.
16- Clear the Threshing Floor. 1/Day, the Walker may increase the amount of attacks he makes in a round, in exchange for a -1 penalty to damage for each additional attack made.
17- The Commandment of Cruelty. If the Walker damages a creature, he can force that creature to save. On a failed save, the creature must make an attack against a creature of the Walker's choice. On a successful save, the creature is immune to the Walker's Commandment for the rest of the day.
18- The Commandment of Hatred. If the Walker is damaged by a creature, the Walker may immediately make an attack against that creature.
19- The Commandment of Wrath. If the Walker is reduced to half his HP or below, his Damage Threshold increases by 1/2 for the next (1/2*X) rounds, where X is his Damage Threshold. He can only invoke this Commandment 1/Day.
20- The Commandment of Pride. If the Walker kills someone who has personally offended, irritated or angered him, absorbing that creature's soul will restore it to full HP.
by Diana-Martinez
What forms his host?
All Walkers are accompanied by a Slaughter-Host of Warriors. These Hosts are guaranteed to contain Evil Humanoids and Blood-Crazed Fanatics.
Evil Humanoids are humanoids that are evil. They follow the Walker because 1d6 [1= They follow strength and the Walker is the strongest thing they've ever seen; 2= They are trying to manipulate him into destroying their enemies; 3= He brings them battle and victory, which is all they want; 4= His destructive rampages are good opportunities to loot and plunder; 5= They're on a crusade and the Walker was clearly sent by their Gods to aid them, or so their Priests claim; 6= The Walker is forcing them to follow him, they would abandon him in a second if they didn't think it would be suicidal to do so.]
Blood-Crazed Fanatics are intelligent creatures that have been driven mad by the Walker's Aura of Slaughter. They will follow him and kill for him, but their minds are mostly gone. Only by separating them from the Walker and purifying their minds of his malign energy could they recover. They can't really follow any sort of commands and are only barely aware of the Walker and the other Fanatics- they will fight alongside them, but do not truly recognize them. When not fighting, they will stumble around, trying to remember how to do basic things like talk. They are basically incapable of taking care of themselves and usually die of thirst or infected wounds if not cared for by others.
1d12
1- Ghouls. They follow because the Walker is basically leaving a buffet wherever he goes. They care only that this feast never ends.
2- Undead. These Undead are 1d3 [1= The mad ghosts of the slain, unable to rest; 2= The unquiet dead who were not buried; 3= The slaves of a group of necromancers, who follow the Walker for their own reasons.]
3- Evil Outsiders. These are beings from beyond our realm that most would call Demons. They are here to kill and spread misery for their own amusement or reasons beyond our comprehension.
4- War-Smith Constructs. The Walker's hosts contains constructs and autonomous war-machines. These are maintained by a group of Rune-Smiths and artificers who seek to profit from this campaign of blood.
5- Corrupted Beasts. Beasts that violated Natural Law and have been cursed with greater intelligence, they now turn their powers towards wickedness.
6- Giants. The Giants are here for their own reasons, whether to conquer, experiment or simply to feast on the spoils.
7- Doppelgangers. Among the humanoids, there is a Cell of Doppelgangers. They mainly act as spies and informants for the leaders of the Host. The Walker is much more a figurehead, he does not lead, the Slaughter-Host merely follows.
8- A Beholder. It is the companion of the Walker and seeks to help him craft the perfect killing art.
9- A Mind-Flayer and it's Puppets. The Mind-Flayer is pursuing for it's own ineffable reason. It's mind-slaves pursue because they have no choice.
10- A Durama and his freaks. The Durama is following because 1d4 [1= He likes fighting and violence; 2= The destruction and ruin left behind by the Walker's advance is just so "in", you know; 3= Because he is shopping for disgusting freaks to add to it's collection; 4= He really wants a suitably disturbing, tragic or melancholic place to read his excessively erotic, disturbing or deranged poetry.]
11- A Hag. Whatever her reason for being here, it probably involves accumulating power or screwing someone else over and it will definitely not benefit anyone but her. She won't actually fight though, she's just going to creep around the edges of the battlefield to look for opportunities to exploit or people to mess with.
12- A Dragon. The Dragon is here to 1d6 [1= Expand his hoard; 2= Take vengeance on a thief; 3= Expand his territory; 4= Punish some interlopers; 5= Add to his own glory; 6= Look for some interesting people to add to his Drakencult.]
How does the Walker treat his Host?
1d4
1- He is barely aware of their existence and only acknowledges them if they are standing in the way of his current objective.
2- He holds them in contempt and is perfectly willing to explain to them how pathetic they are, to their faces.
3- He cruelly lords over them, letting them serve him while tormenting them for his own sadistic pleasure.
4- He uses them as an army of conquest and gives them orders.
What is his Specific Death Condition?
1d10
1- He can only be killed by a hero, a genuine paragon of virtue.
2- He can only be killed by wicked, wicked villain.
3- He can only be killed by a member of his own bloodline or one of his descendants.
4- He can only be killed if a child strikes the death-blow against him.
5- He can only be killed by one particular weapon, which is, of course, lost, stolen, missing or long forgotten.
6- He can only be killed by a traitor.
7- He can only be killed in a specific place or environment.
8- He can only be killed at a specific time each day, or on specific days, or in certain months.
9- He can only be killed during certain celestial events.
10- He can only be killed by a person who fits a certain highly unlikely set of circumstances, such as "No man of woman born can kill MacBeth."
What is the Walker's goal?
1d6
1- Take revenge on a particular mortal who killed them the last time they were in the world of flesh. If that person is dead, their civilization, descendants or someone who looks like them will do.
2- They have received a prophecy that one particular creature will kill them. They want to prevent this prophecy from coming true by destroying this creature.
3- As above, except the creature that will kill the Walker hasn't been born yet and the Walker is trying to wipe out his soon-to-be parents.
4- To recover a treasure they lost on a previous campaign.
5- To clash with an opponent worthy of their skills.
6- To cause destruction and spill blood. They will pick the most interesting looking direction and walk that way, destroying anything in their path. The reason why has long ago eluded them.
by Joazzz2
