Why, that's a Wraithpunzel!

The final comments are in from last week's "Weekly What the Heck". The result is the wraithpunzel, a deceptive creature that grabs victims with its prehensile hair.

I'd like to thank greywulf, Ripper and Scott (with special thanks to greywulf for the name) for their ideas, all of which have been mashed together to create:

Wraithpunzel

Wraithpunzels are long-haired undead that lie in wait for unsuspecting passersby, then drag the victims to their doom.

Level 5 Lurker

Wraithpunzel

XP 200

Medium shadow humanoid (undead)

Initiative +10 Senses Perception +2; darkvision
HP 51; Bloodied 25
Immune disease, poison; Resist 10 necrotic; Vulnerable 5 radiant
AC 19; Fortitude 19, Reflex 19, Will 16
Speed 6

mHair Grab (standard; at-will)

Reach 2; +10 vs. AC; 1d8 + 4 damage, and the target is grabbed (until escape). A target trying to escape the grab takes a –4 penalty to the check.

MDrag and Claw (standard; at-will)

Grabbed target only; +9 vs. Fortitude; 1d10 + 4 damage and the target is pulled 1 square.

Change Shape (minor; at-will) * Polymorph

A wraithpunzel can alter its physical form to appear as a beautiful young female human (see Change Shape, MM page 280).

Alignment Evil Languages Common
Skills Stealth +11
Str 18 (+6) Dex 18 (+6) Wis 10 (+2)
Con 15 (+4) Int 8 (+1) Cha 13 (+3)

Wraithpunzel Tactics

This wraithpunzel strikes with surprise and uses its reach to full advantage. The wraithpunzel holds on to its victim as long as possible, clawing its grabbed prey.

Level 10 Lurker

Aquatic Wraithpunzel

XP 500

Medium shadow humanoid (aquatic, undead)

Initiative +14 Senses Perception +6; darkvision
HP 84; Bloodied 42
Immune disease, poison; Resist 10 necrotic; Vulnerable 5 radiant
AC 31; Fortitude 25, Reflex 29, Will 27
Speed 6, swim 6

mHair Grab (standard; at-will)

Reach 3; +15 vs. AC; 1d8 + 5 damage, and the target is grabbed (until escape). A target trying to escape the grab takes a –4 penalty to the check.

MDrag and Claw (standard; at-will)

Grabbed target only; +14 vs. Fortitude; 1d10 + 5 damage and the target is pulled 2 squares.

Change Shape (minor; at-will) * Polymorph

An aquatic wraithpunzel can alter its physical form to appear as a beautiful young mermaid (see Change Shape, MM page 280).

Alignment Evil Languages Common
Skills Stealth +15
Str 21 (+10) Dex 21 (+10) Wis 12 (+6)
Con 18 (+9) Int 8 (+4) Cha 16 (+8)

Aquatic Wraithpunzel Tactics

An aquatic wraithpunzel employs the same tactics as a wraithpunzel except that once it has one or two enemies grabbed it tries to swim down, dragging them with it.

Wraithpunzel Lore

A character knows the following information with a successful Religion check.
DC 15: Wraithpunzels are undead creatures that attack and entwine their victims in their prehensile hair.
DC 20: Aquatic wraithpunzels live in haunted underwater ruins or strange undersea ice towers.

Encounter Groups

Wraithpunzels are often found in the company of other undead, especially wraiths and skeletons. Aquatic wraithpunzels sometimes lurk opportunistically near vicious undersea creatures.
Level 5 Encounter (XP 950)
* 1 wraithpunzel (level 5 lurker)
* 1 mad wraith (level 6 controller)
* 1 boneshard skeleton (level 5 brute)
* 2 skeletons (level 3 soldier)
Level 10 Encounter (XP 2,500)
* 1 aquatic wraithpunzel (level 10 lurker)
* 1 bog hag (level 10 skirmisher)
* 3 chuuls (level 10 soldier)

I recall reading in the old Marvel Super Heroes Ultimate Powers Book, which had prehensile hair listed as a power (page 91), that "in the entire history of comic books, only three people had this Power—all women". That of course prompted me to create Dreadlock, a Jamaican superhuman with prehensile dreads. Sadly, I never got to play that character.