Dripping undead horrors that can be encountered in ASCII's 1993 Uiza-dorii Gaiden III: Yami no Seiten (Wizardry Side Story III: Scripture of the Dark) Nintendo Gameboy roleplaying video game. Said title was one of the many Wizardry spinoffs published exclusively in Japan.
Callers are the reanimated corpses of unfortunate souls that died in swamps, bogs, and other stagnant bodies of water. While they may appear to be solidly built, in reality, the bulk of a Caller's body is not flesh, but tangled muck and slime from its watery grave, which continuously drips from the creatures's rubbery bones and puddles around its feet (all that gunk slows it down, but it also serves to protect the monster, resulting in a natural AC of 5.) If the trail of vile fluid that a Caller leaves behind doesn't alert you to its presence, the terrible, dank stench that emanates from its waterlogged frame will.
As far as the undead are concerned, Callers rank near the bottom of the charnel heap in terms of overall power. They seldom pose much of a threat to anyone but commonfolk and the greenest of adventurers. A Caller's only means of attack are its slimy fists, which deal a mere 2 points of damage each; more often than not, these soggy blows prompt disgust, rather than fear, in their intended victims. Nearly mindless, these creatures exhibit little tactical imagination in battle, beyond the tendency to call (pun intended) out for additional Callers to join the fight, in the vain hope of overwhelming their prey with sheer numbers (in practice, reinforcements generally result in little more than a bigger pile of slain Callers.) While these dripping abominations usually stick with their own kind, they have been known to associate with other undead monster species, typically Banshees, Skeletons, or Wights.
Caller
Japanese: Ka-ra
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Unidentified:
Gaunt Figure
Japanese: Yatsureta Sugata
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Classification:
Undead
Japanese: Fushi
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Caller
Gaunt Figure |
Experience Level:
2
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Experience Points:
300
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Hit Points:
4-12 (2d5+2)
Average: 8
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Armor Class:
5
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Number Appearing:
2-3 (1d2+1)
Average: 2.5
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Physical Attacks:
2-2 (2d1) damage. Average: 2
2-2 (2d1) damage. Average: 2
Maximum damage range: 4-4. Average: 4
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Special Properties:
May call for reinforcements (35% chance.)
Vulnerable to silence and confusion.
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Encounters:
Sometimes friendly.
Can be found in Temple 1F, 2F, and 3F; Shopping District 2F and B1.
Often accompanied by Skeletons (35% chance.)
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Materials:
Newsprint, tissue paper, white glue, acrylic paint, and gloss nail polish.
Dimensions:
4.8 cm / 1.9 in. x 4.4 cm / 1.7 in. (widest point x highest point)
Time:
Two days: October 18 and 20, 2012.
The figure was modeled on the eighteenth, and I made a few small modifications before painting it on the twentieth.
While investigating the Temple, our party of adventurers followed a suspicious trail of fetid water which soon led to an unfortunate misunderstanding with a pair of wandering Callers.
The adventurers are confronted by the shadowy forms of three Gaunt Figures, but what kind of undead abominations are they? Ghosts? Banshees? Zombies? Or just another band of slimy Callers? In the Wizardry franchise, randomly encountered monsters aren't always immediately recognizable (which makes battles more exciting/dangerous), unless you cast the Level 3 Priest spell, Latumapic.
REFERENCES:
Japanese Wizardry: Scripture of the Dark bestiary.
My colored Wizardry: Scripture of the Dark bestiary.
Wizardry: Scripture of the Dark Gameboy video game.
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This is a nonprofit web site.
Any and all copyrighted imagery, terminology, etc., depicted here belongs to its respective holders/owners, namely ASCII/Sir-Tech Software.
The repeating background graphic is a cutscene from the game.
The midi music playing is the "Gilgamesh's Tavern" theme from Wizardry I: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord.
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