Crypt Ghouls (2007 Edition)

Crypt Ghouls are ugly, stooping creatures with only a vestigial sense of reason. Their skin is dark and filthy, their eyes bestial and insane, and their snarling lips reveal sharp-pointed teeth in their slavering mouths. They dress only in the rags they pull from their victims and carry weapons they have picked up or have crudely fashioned from the remains of their unwholesome meals. They do not need such implements, however, as they have long claws sufficient for their needs. These natural weapons are encrusted with the filth of decay. Those that take even the lightest scratch from a Crypt Ghoul's swipe might die from their infected wounds.

Though not truly the living dead, Crypt Ghouls can unconsciously feel the Dark Magic that surrounds all of the most powerful Undead lords. They are drawn to Vampires like moths to a flame, and their newfound master quickly dominates their weak wills. Crypt Ghouls are cowardly, selfish creatures and will usually slink away from combat in small groups rather than retreat or rout en masse like a regiment. Though they cannot literally be raised like the living dead, Crypt Ghouls can be summoned through Dark Magic. Those who are fleeing are infused with the ire of their master and they unwillingly rejoin their packs. Crypt ghouls tend to follow the armies of the Undead, seeking to feast on the battlefield after the enemy has been defeated. These skulking onlookers can be gripped by the power of the Undead commander and dragged forth to bolster the numbers of their filthy kin.