The Sleeping Knight
For Swords & Wizardry:
Sleeping Knight
Hit Dice: 9+9
Armor Class: 2 [17] (platemail & shield)
Attacks: longsword (1d8+2)
Saving Throw: 6+
Special: 17 Strength, multiple attacks, parry enemy attacks, sleep eternally
Move: 12
Alignment: Lawful or Chaotic
Challenge Level/XP: 10/1,400
A sleeping knight is an enchanted warrior who rests in eternal slumber as a guardian over some place, be it a kingdom, a mountain pass, a tomb, et cetera. While the nature of guarded site varies, it is always home to dozens if not scores of ravens. When the sleeping knight’s site is threatened, the ravens die, and the knight awakens to confront the menace. A sleeping knight is treated as a 9th-level fighter with a 17 Strength. He gains multiple attacks against creatures of 1 HD or less, and he can parry enemy attacks. A sleeping knight does not age, breathe, or require food or water while he slumbers, and there seems to be no limit to how long his sleep may last. Sleeping knights are not undead creatures.
Very nice, Mark! A wonderful alternative to “undead warriors” guarding Lawful (or Good) tombs and the like. I was (even at the age of 14 or so) puzzled by the fact that the eternal guardians of the Elven Royal tomb in “Dragons of Autumn Twilight” (was that Pax Tharkas?) were undead.