Khamûl The Ringwraith

ResRef

creature007

Tag

Khamul

Race

Human

Appearance

Wraith, Hooded 1*

Class(es)

Ranger 30/Wizard 20/Blackguard 20

HP

11,301

CR

1112.0

Faction

Evil (id 6)

Conversation

—

Where to find

Placed directly

Abilities

Classes

The nine Nazgûl arose as Sauron's most powerful servants in the Second Age of Middle-earth. It is said that three of the Nine were originally "great lords" of Númenor. All were powerful mortal Men to each of whom Sauron gave one of the nine Rings of Power. Other, similar rings were given to Elves[citation needed] and Dwarves by Sauron. It was Sauron's design to control the Nine Rings through the power of his One Ring, forged in secret for this purpose. This proved to be their undoing: "Those who used the Nine Rings became mighty in their day, kings, sorcerers, and warriors of old. They obtained glory and great wealth, yet it turned to their undoing. They had, as it seemed, unending life, yet life became unendurable to them. They could walk, if they would, unseen by all eyes in this world beneath the sun, and they could see things in worlds invisible to mortal men; but too often they beheld only the phantoms and delusions of Sauron. And one by one, sooner or later, according to their native strength and to the good or evil of their wills in the beginning, they fell under the thraldom of the ring that they bore and of the domination of the One which was Sauron's. And they became forever invisible save to him that wore the Ruling Ring, and they entered into the realm of shadows. The Nazgûl were they, the Ringwraiths, the Enemy's most terrible servants; darkness went with them, and they cried with the voices of death" (The Silmarillion: "Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age", 346). The corrupting effect of the Rings extended their earthly lives far beyond their mortal lifespans, while their bodily forms faded over time until they had become entirely invisible to mortal eyes. They assumed visible form only under their outward black attire. The red reflection in their eyes could be plainly distinguished even in daylight, and in a rage they appeared in a hellish fire. They had many weapons; in The Fellowship of the Ring they were armed with steel swords while their leader, the Witch-king of Angmar, wielded a knife with insidious magical properties. Later, during the Battle of Pelennor Fields, he bore a "long pale sword" that struck fear into the hearts of Minas Tirith's defenders, and after the arrival of the Rohirrim he wielded a mace in a duel against Éowyn. Their arsenal of deadly armaments was not confined to physical weapons: they were perpetually surrounded by an aura of terror, which affected all but the most powerful living creatures. Their breath (called the Black Breath) was poisonous. The effects of the Black Breath, also known as the Black Shadow, were contracted by exposure to them. Victims could suffer deep despair, unconsciousness, nightmares and even death. However, the herb athelas could be used to counter the effects. The most well-known victims to the Black Breath were Faramir, Éowyn, and Merry, who were healed by Aragorn during the War of the Ring. In addition, their terrible cries caused terror and despair; and the Lord of the Nazgûl was notorious for practising black sorcery. According to Tolkien, though, it was the fear they inspired that was the chief danger: "They have no great physical power against the fearless," he wrote, "but what they have, and the fear that they inspire, is enormously increased in darkness".[1] The Nazgûl first appeared around S.A. 2251 and were soon established as Sauron's principal servants, less than three centuries after the rings were forged. The Nazgûl were dispersed after the first overthrow of Sauron in 3434 at the hands of the Last Alliance of Elves and Men, but their survival was nonetheless assured since the One Ring survived. They re-emerged around T.A. 1300, when the Lord of the Nazgûl, also known as the Witch-king of Angmar, the Black Captain and the Morgul-lord, led Sauron's forces against the successor kingdoms of Arnor; Rhudaur, Cardolan and Arthedain. He was eventually defeated in battle in 1975 and returned to Mordor, gathering the other Nazgûl in preparation for the return of Sauron to that realm, having achieved his goal of destroying all of Arnor's successor kingdoms. In 2000, the Nazgûl besieged Minas Ithil and captured it after two years. The city thereafter became Minas Morgul, the stronghold of the Nazgûl, from where they directed the rebuilding of Sauron's armies, also acquiring a palantír for the Dark Lord. In 2942, Sauron returned to Mordor and declared himself openly in 2951. Two or three of the Nazgûl (The Second of the Nine was put in charge) were sent to his fortress in Mirkwood, named Dol Guldur, to garrison it. In 3017, near the beginning of the story told in The Lord of the Rings, after hearing news of the One Ring, Sauron commanded the Ringwraiths to recover the One Ring from "Baggins of the Shire". Disguised as riders clad in black, they sought out Bilbo Baggins who, as Gollum had revealed, had the One Ring in his possession. It was around 3018 that the "Nine Walkers" of the Fellowship of the Ring were chosen to mirror the Nazgûl, "Nine Riders". The Nazgûl rode specially bred black horses that were trained in Mordor to endure the terror. By now, they had learned that the Ring was in the possession of Bilbo's heir, Frodo. They found Frodo and his company at Weathertop, where the Witch-king stabbed Frodo in the arm with a Morgul blade, breaking off a piece of the blade in the hobbit's flesh. When they were swept away by the waters of the river Bruinen, their horses were drowned. The Ringwraiths were forced to return to Mordor to regroup. They reappeared later mounted on fell beasts, at which point they were referred to as Winged Nazgûl. The Witch-king of Angmar himself was slain by Éowyn and Merry (known as the Magnificent thereafter), during the Battle of the Pelennor Fields: Merry's stab with a powerfully enchanted barrow blade drove the Witch-king to his knees, allowing Éowyn, the niece of Théoden, to deliver a strike between his crown and mantle. Which blow actually destroyed him is a matter of debate, since the text specifically mentions that Merry's blade was enchanted and covered with runes meant for the Witch-King, while Éowyn fulfilled a prophecy that he would not be killed by "Man." In both cases, the weapons that struck him were destroyed -- a standard fate for weapons that touched his undead flesh. Whether all Nazgûl had this power is unknown. The remaining eight Ringwraiths attacked the Army of the West on their fell beasts during the last battle at the Black Gate. However, when Frodo put on the Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, Sauron ordered the eight remaining Nazgûl to fly there to intercept him. They arrived too late, with the Ring falling into the fire. At the moment of the One Ring's destruction, the remaining Nazgûl were destroyed.

Combat

Saves shown = stored bonus + ability mod + item bonuses (Saving Throw Bonus: Specific); class-table progression and feat bonuses (Great Fortitude, etc.) are applied at runtime.

Retaliation. When struck, this creature will deal 3d20 Negative damage to its attacker. (OnDamaged: negaura)

Abilities & combat properties

Dodge AC and save bonuses are factored into the main combat stats above. Dodge AC stacks (cap +20); haste adds +4 more (separate). All other same-type bonuses do not stack — only the highest is shown. Regeneration stacks without limit. Immunities marked (racial) are granted by the creature's racial type by the engine, not by its equipment.

Weapons

Spells

Wizard

Special abilities

Equipment

Inventory (6)

Feats (47)

• Armor Proficiency (heavy)
• Armor Proficiency (light)
• Armor Proficiency (medium)
• Barbarian Fast Movement
• Blind-Fight
• Brew Potion
• Called Shot
• Cleave
• Craft Wand
• Damage Reduction 4
• Devastating Critical (throwing axe)
• Dodge
• Epic Prowess
• Epic Weapon Focus (throwing axe)
• Epic Weapon Specialization (throwing axe)
• Great Cleave
• Great Intelligence I
• Great Intelligence II
• Greater Rage
• Improved Critical (greatsword)
• Improved Critical (longsword)
• Improved Critical (throwing axe)
• Improved Power Attack
• Knockdown
• Mighty Rage
• Mobility
• Monster Uncanny Reflex
• Overwhelming Critical (throwing axe)
• Point Blank Shot
• Power Attack
• Quick To Master
• Rapid Shot
• Self-Concealment I
• Self-Concealment II
• Self-Concealment III
• Shield Proficiency
• Sneak Attack, Blackguard (+15d6)
• Spring Attack
• Summon Familiar
• Two-Weapon Fighting
• Uncanny Dodge VI+
• Weapon Focus (greatsword)
• Weapon Focus (longsword)
• Weapon Focus (throwing axe)
• Weapon Proficiency (creature)
• Weapon Proficiency (martial)
• Weapon Specialization (throwing axe)

Skills

Scripts