A quth-maren is a revolting undead creature created by clerics of Kiaransalee. These clerics are fond of flaying their enemies-removing every scrap of skin-and then animating them in this hideous form. A quth-maren appears in an overall form it had in life, but it has no skin or exposed fat-just muscles over its skeleton. Caustic blood constantly oozes from its body. Unlike zombies, to which they bear a certain resemblance, quth-marens are neither mindless nor prone to decomposition.

Combat

A quth-maren fights fiercely but cleverly, making the best use of its spit blood attack and horrifying gaze attack before closing with an opponent. In groups, quth-marens gang up on a single enemy at a time, rather than distributing their attacks among a group of opponents.

Caustic Blood (Ex): Any target hit by a quth-maren's slam attack takes 1d6 points of additional acid damage from the creature's caustic blood. Creatures that hit a quth-maren with natural weapons or unarmed strikes also take 1d6 points of acid damage.

Command Undead (Su): A quth-maren commands undead as a 5th- level evil cleric. It cannot rebuke undead, but it can dispel turning or bolster other undead.

Horrifying Gaze (Su): A living creature within 30 feet that meets a quth-maren's deathless gaze must succeed on a Will save (DC 17) or cower in fear. Cowering creatures lose their Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any) and can take no actions. Foes gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls to hit cowering characters.

Spit Blood (Ex): Once every 1d4 rounds, as a standard action, a quth-maren can spit a glob of its acidic blood as a grenadelike weapon attack. The quth-maren must make a ranged touch attack to hit its target. This attack has a range increment of 10 feet, with a maximum range of five range increments. The glob deals 2d6 points of acid damage on a direct hit, and 2 points of acid damage to all creatures within 5 feet of where it lands.

Fast Healing (Ex): A quth-maren regains lost hit points at a rate of 4 per round as long as it has 1 hit point. Fast healing does not restore hit points lost from starvation, thirst, or suffocation, and it does not allow a quth-maren to regrow or reattach lost body parts.

Turn Resistance (Ex): A quth-maren is treated as an undead with 2 more Hit Dice than it actually has for the purposes of turn, rebuke, command, or bolster attempts.

Undead Traits: A quth-maren is immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, necromantic effects (unless they specifically affect undead), and any effect that requires a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects. It is not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, or death from massive damage. A quth-maren cannot be raised, and resurrection works only if willing. A quth-maren has darkvision (60-foot range).

Skills: Quth-marens have a +4 racial bonus on Move Silently and Spot checks.