Nether Scarab: This ancient talisman, whose secret of manufacture has been thankfully lost to modem priests and necromancers, is a dark and twisted version of the more beneficial scarab of protection. It has the same ability to absorb life draining attacks of certain undead (and spells), but it does not confer a saving throw bonus, nor does it allow a saving throw against spells that do not normally permit one.

Instead, a nether scarab's most feared power is the ability to store the level-draining attacks it absorbs. The scarab's owner may then redirect these charges later as an attack. The scarab's owner need only touch a victim, and if the victim fails a saving throw vs. death magic, the scarab drains a level (or hit die) and bestows any drained hit points on the owner (these may increase the owner's hit points beyond the normal maximum, but these disappear after an hour as per vampiric touch). Only one level may be drained per round. According to Kazerabet's scholarship in the Art of Necromancy, these ancient devices usually have 10 charges, but a rare few (5%) have 20 charges. A nether scarab can never be recharged. (5,000 XP.)