Monster Spotlight - Undead Finger

The Undead Finger

I won't lie, I love stupid monsters/creatures. And you don't get much more stupid than a single undead finger. It has 1 foot of movement speed, cannot attack, and cannot communicate. What is it thinking? Why is it there? What sort of f***ed up DM would give their party such a bizarre... thing?

I have an answer to the last question. Me! In every campaign I run, I make sure to include (in some weird, offshoot room the players aren't likely to explore) an undead finger. Of the two campaigns I am currently running, only one of them found it. I'm about to start running a third group (all complete beginners) and can't wait to see if they get it.

So. What does it do? Well, the only real answer I can give is "Very little". It makes the players laugh/smile when they find something as bizarre as a single severed finger that seems to be crawling about by its own accord, but it also makes them wonder what on earth it IS! It's really funny to see them try and work out what to do with/about it.

My current Sunday group (who have the finger) have been using it more than I expected.

Their main use? Interrogations. 

Yeah. Their bard (with charisma coming out of his ears) has been using it to aid in intimidation checks. He keeps it in his pocket until he needs it, in which point he takes it out, threatens an evil NPC with it, and if they don't believe him, he begins by shoving it up their noses. it, inevitably, begins to wiggle of its own accord, and tries to work its way further into the nose/head of whoever it has been placed inside.

There was also the time the bard asked about acquiring some sovereign glue... But that's a story for another time...