Monster Monday - Old Crawler!

(From Monstrosities): An "old crawler" is a withered human hand severed at the wrist, black and mummified in appearance.

I am still working on my "haunted house" module. And it is still Halloween season, so a creepy monster is mandatory.

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Old Crawler (Monstrosities pg 361) fits so well into the "haunted house," that I can't help use it. I intend to have them create an ambiance. "The party hears a scratching skitch-skitch-skitch sound." But they never see the crawlers following them in the walls. They are minions of whatever is "The Evil" of the house. They attack stragglers or loners, and retreat before the group arrives. They will ratchet up paranoia throughout the house.

I really like this creature. The remind me of Crawling Claws from 2e, with a bit more punch. Gangrenous rotting? Disgustingly fun. But, I think it can be more than that. . .

How about a mummy version? A hand jumps out of the darkness and contaminates an adventurer with Mummy Rot? Adventurers won't even suspect mummy rot for hours if they aren't in a pyramid.

Maybe there was a forgetful mage that programmed Old Crawlers to show him the way to his lab. These crawlers now show anyone that isn't aggressive the path. Would your players attack on sight and lose the guide? I know mine would.

There was once a lich who removed his own hands. He needed them separate from his body to complete a profane ritual. Adventurers destroyed his body, but not phylactery or crawlers. Now he has the ability to cast spells through his old hands and his new body.

A wight had his hands removed by a very skilled warrior, and died soon after. Now his old crawlers search for living beings to destroy without an intelligence behind them. So far, they have created three new wights, and the number will grow if adventurers can't find the source of the infestation.