Crawling claws are the severed hands of murderers, reanimated by dark magic to continue their killing. Dark wizards and warlocks often use these claws as extra hands in their vile work.

Magical Origins.

Through necromantic rituals, a murderer's life force is bound to its severed hand, animating it. This ritual fails if the murderer's spirit manifests as another undead, if they are resurrected, or if the spirit has moved to another plane.

The ritual is most effective with a recently severed hand. Ritualists frequent public executions to obtain suitable hands or make deals with assassins and torturers.

Creator's Control.

A crawling claw cannot be turned or controlled by typical undead-controlling spells. It is entirely bound to its creator's will, obeying mental commands. Without direct commands, it follows its last order to the best of its ability.

Commands must be simple. A claw cannot track specific individuals due to its limited senses and intelligence. However, it can be commanded to kill all creatures in a specific area, navigating keys and doorknobs to continue its killing spree.

Malign Intelligence.

A crawling claw retains little intellect or memory of its former self. However, the hate, jealousy, or greed that drove the person to murder is amplified in the claw's fragmented state. Left alone, it recreates its former murderous acts.

Living Claws.

If animated from the hand of a living murderer, the claw is bound to the murderer's soul. It can reattach to the body, acting as though it was never severed. If it separates again, the body falls into a coma. Destroying the claw while it is away from the body kills the murderer, but killing the murderer does not affect the claw.