Perilous Gateways

The Trail of Tears

By Eric L. Boyd

Kethoth Uuthrakt of Delhumide

Kethoth Uuthrakt of Delhumide: Male human spectral mage Nec10/Red4; CR 16; Medium-size undead (incorporeal); HD 10d12 plus 4 d12; hp 91; Init +6; Spd 30 ft., fly 30 ft. (good); AC 14 (touch 14, flat-footed 12); Atk +9 melee touch (0 plus paralysis, incorporeal touch); SA Paralysis; SQ Corporeal manipulation, incorporeal subtype, item link, madness, specialist defense +2, spell power +2, turn resistance +2, unnatural aura; AL NE; SV Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +12; Str -, Dex 14, Con -, Int 20, Wis 10, Cha 14.

Skills and Feats: Craft (alchemy) +22, Concentration +19, Craft (calligraphy) +22, Hide +10, Intimidate +10, Knowledge (arcana) +22, Knowledge (religion) +19, Listen +2, Spellcraft +22, Spot +2; Alertness, Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, Discipline, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell, Scribe Scroll, Silent Spell, Spell Mastery (animate dead, finger of death, major creation, spectral hand, vampiric touch), Tattoo Focus.

Paralysis (Su): A creature touched by Kethoth must make a Fortitude save (DC 19) or be paralyzed for 14 rounds.

Corporeal Manipulation (Su): Kethoth can manipulate material objects as a standard action. His ability to manipulate objects is limited to what can be accomplished with a mage hand spell. This allows him to use material components for spells and turn pages in his spellbook (should he recover it) to prepare spells. Kethoth needs to be in contact with the item to use this ability, so he must be touching the components he wishes to use in order to cast spells requiring them. This also allows him to use magic items that do not need to be worn to function.

Incorporeal Subtype: Can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, +1 or better magic weapons, spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities; immune to all nonmagical attack forms; 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source (except for force effects, such as magic missiles, and attacks made with ghost touch weapons); can pass through solid objects (but not force effects) at will; attacks ignore natural armor, armor, and shields (though deflection bonuses and force effects work normally); moves silently (cannot be heard with Listen checks unless desired).

Item Link (Su): Kethoth has a magical link to the items he carried when he died. He can sense the exact location of these items as a standard action. He continues to search for these items, guarding any that he finds to a paranoid extent.

Madness (Ex): Every time Kethoth enters combat, he must attempt a Will saving throw (DC 15). If it fails, he goes mad 1d4 rounds later as the trauma of combat pushes him over the brink. This madness functions exactly like the confusion spell and lasts for 10 rounds.

Specialist Defense: Kethoth gains a +2 bonus on his saving throws against necromancy spells.

Spell Power: The save DCs for Kethoth's necromancy spells improve by +2 (already figured into the statistics below). He also gains a +2 bonus on caster level checks to overcome spell resistance.

Turn Resistance (Ex): Kethoth is less easily affected by clerics or paladins. When resolving a turn, rebuke, command, or bolster attempt, the creature receives a bonus of +16.

Unnatural Aura (Su): Both wild and domesticated animals can sense the unnatural presence of Kethoth at a distance of 30 feet. They do not willingly approach nearer than that and panic if forced to do so; they remain panicked as long as they are within that range.

Wizard Spells Prepared* (5/7/6/6/6/5/4/3; base DC = 15 + spell level, or 17 + spell level for necromancy spells): 0 -- N/A; 1st -- N/A; 2nd -- spectral hand (6); 3rd -- vampiric touch (6); 4th -- N/A; 5th -- animate dead (2), major creation (3); 6th -- N/A; 7th -- finger of death (3). *Kethoth's spellbook is currently not in his possession. As such, he has access only to spells he does not need to prepare (those taken with Spell Mastery). Prohibited schools: Enchantment, Conjuration (taken as a 1st-level Red Wizard).

Spellbook: 0 -- arcane mark, dancing lights, detect magic, detect poison, disrupt undead, flare, ghost sound, light, mage hand, mending, open/close, prestidigitation, ray of frost, read magic, resistance; 1st -- burning hands, cause fear, chill touch, detect undead, erase, identify, jump, know protections, magic missile, protection from good, ray of enfeeblement, shield, spirit worm; 2nd -- create magic tattoo, darkness, darkvision, death aura, disguise undead, ghoul touch, life bolt, scare, shroud of undeath, spectral hand; 3rd -- blacklight, gaseous form, gentle repose, halt undead, healing touch, magic circle against good, secret page, undead lieutenant, undead torch, vampiric touch; 4th -- contagion, enervation, fear, fire shield, iron bones, minor globe of invulnerability, phantasmal killer, scrying, shout, stoneskin; 5th -- animate dead, cone of cold, dismissal, kiss of the vampire, magic jar, major creation, nightmare, prying eyes; 6th -- analyze dweomer, circle of death, eyebite, repulsion, undeath to death, veil; 7th -- control undead, finger of death, Mordenkainen's sword, spell turning.

Kethoth Uuthrakt was one of the early Red Wizards who joined Ythazz Buvaar in overthrowing the rule of the Mulhorandi god-kings in Thay. He died during one of the first skirmishes of the Battle of Thazalhar in 922 DR and was transformed into a spectral mage by a priest of Kossuth so that he could further contribute to the conflict. After Thay's armies proved victorious, Kethoth remained amidst the ruins of Thazalhar, slowly losing what remained of his sanity.

Like most Mulan, Kethoth is tall and has a sallow complexion, although the latter is difficult to determine given his incorporeal state. He still retains the distinctive appearance of a Red Wizard, including a body devoid of hair and adorned with countless tattoos. Kethoth's all-consuming ambition is to recover the spellbook and magic items he carried at the time of his death.


The Trail of Tears