Undead Origins

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Death Dealer Shadows of Mirahan

Death Dealer Shadows of Mirahan
4e
Horde Foot Soldier: Exhumed from ancient battlefields and war-torn lands by foul magic, these skeletons wear rotting, makeshift armor collected from their foes and fallen comrades, and fight with crude spears.
Horde Heavy Infantry: In life, they were mercenary captains, knights, and valiant swordsmen.
Shadow Wolf: Dread hounds, composed of flayed flesh, rotting muscle, and bleached bones, shadow wolves travel on the heels of the Shadow Horde, picking off weakened survivors and wretches wounded in the conflict.
Horde Archer: ?
Shadow Knight of Mirahan: ?
Shadow Titan: Towering giants composed of dead corpses, blood meal, and rotting gore, shadow titans are fearsome foes, laying waste to enemies with a single swing of their great mauls.
Dragas: Unlike the rest of the faceless horde, each dragas is unique, called to un-life by a demonic patron.
Horde Warrior: ?
Skeletal Minions: These pits are where the demon lord created his first skeletal minions — the dread demon zombies that would spread their undead infection to corpses across Iparsia. The pits are filled with thousands of seething grubs atop rolling beds of bones. The worms give off a faint green luminescence, but taken together, the pulsing green light is sufficient to light the entire cavern.
However, woe to PC that should tumble into the pits: the larva swarm up around the hero, drawing him under the tide of devouring worms. Any creature that perishes in the pit emerges 5 rounds later, an undead, skeletal foot soldier, utterly subservient to Mirahan.
Mother Dragas: ?

 

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Devilmire Mountain

Devilmire Mountain
4e
Boneclaw: ?
Abyssal Ghoul: ?
Bodak Skulk: ?
Bodak Reaver: ?
Death Knight Human Fighter: ?
Abyssal Ghoul: ?

 

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Domains of Dread – Pellios The Raging Vale

Domains of Dread – Pellios The Raging Vale
4e
Lady Lauren: Rare as it is, Hallik was triumphant in breaking the bond he shared with the demon. In the process, his mind was wiped of all compassion, aside from the love of his dead wife. It was then that the defeated demon brought back Hallik’s true love. Her burned body rose, powered by the evil of the demon.

 

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Domains of Dread: The Howling Halls of Turmain

Domains of Dread: The Howling Halls of Turmain
4e
Deena: Deena was dead. She actually died within the first week of arriving in Pandemonium. She met her end at the hands of one of the rogue groups of insane wanderers that call the plane of madness home. The terrible part of it all is that she didn’t stay dead.
The day after her death, she awoke as something much worse than the rag-tag band that had killed her. She swore to find the man that had seduced her, made her lose her child, and damned her to her fate on Pandemonium.

 

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Dungeon Crawl Classics #54: Forges of the Mountain King
4e
Zombie Hulk: ?
Dwarf Ghoul: ?
Giant Skeletal Water Snake: Once the water snake fed off the rats drawn to the dwarves’ trash pits. In the ensuing years, the snake died, only to rise again with the corruption cast off by Azon-Zog and the polluted Forge of Kings.
Skeletal Dwarven Underking, Skeleton: ?
Skeletal Dwarf Honor Guard: ?
Naurorc the Sluagh, Sluagh, Skeletal Revenant, Charred Skeleton of a Dwarf, Corpse, Blackened Skeleton, Skeleton, Remains of Naurorc: ?
Zombie Hulk, Dead Ogre, Zombie Brute: ?
Dwarf Ghoul, Dwarf Corpse, Accursed Ghoul: ?
Giant Skeletal Water Snake, The Thing in the Pit, Skeleton of an Enormous Water Snake, Snake, Skeletal Snake, Undead Serpent: ?
Skeletal Dwarf Honor Guard, Skeletal Dwarf Warrior, Skeleton: ?
Terrible Undead Lich: ?
Zombie: By far, the most terrible aspect of the dread earwig is its ability to burrow into the brain through the ear canal of a sentient creature. There, it will devour the frontal lobe and, through the secretion of special enzymes, assume control of the victim’s body and lay hundreds of eggs within the brain cavity. Once these eggs hatch, the host provides both protection and a ready source of food for the larvae. These “dread earwig zombies” persist until the larvae have devoured the brain entirely, a process that takes roughly two weeks for a Medium-sized host. During this time, the zombie is dominated (the only command being to attack any visible living creature). Once the brain is gone, the host dies, and the larvae mature, exiting the corpse as adults.
Earwig disease.
Zombie, Dread Earwig Zombie: ?

Earwig
Level 6 Disease
Endurance Improve DC 23, maintain 19, worsen 18 or lower
The target is cured.
-2 to Intelligence checks and Intelligence-based skill checks.
Target loses one encounter power (determined randomly) at the beginning of each encounter. Target is dominated to attack any living creature and press its head against any corpse.
Final State
Target dies becoming a zombie.

 

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Dungeon Crawl Classics 55 Isle of the Sea Drake

Dungeon Crawl Classics 55 Isle of the Sea Drake
4e
Rotspitter Corpse: ?
Zombie: Corpses are planted feet-down in the earth next to the corn, beans, and squash, and after the old priest conducts a dreadful ritual, they also “grow,” rising again as undead.
Each of the bodies buried in the field have pulverized onyx in their mouth, eyes, and ears, and over their heart. A DC 20 Religion check would recognize this as part of an unholy reanimation ritual.
Amiquitli: ?
Zombie Composter: ?
Charnel Hound: ?
Skeletal Leopard: ?
Burning Ape: ?
Skeletal Brave: ?
Tough Zombie: ?

 

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Dungeon Crawl Classics 56 Scion of Punjar

Dungeon Crawl Classics 56 Scion of Punjar
4e
Undead: One of these magic items included an ebony cauldron capable of spawning undead under the control of whoever’s blood was spilled during the animation ritual.
Boneshard Skeleton: ?
Skeleton: Cauldron of Illserves magic item.
Decrepit Skeleton: ?
Zombie: Cauldron of Illserves magic item.
Dugesia Dev'Shir, Tormented Ghost: Cadavra is the one who despoiled her tomb, this action lead to Dugesia's creation as a ghost.
Cadavra plundered this tomb, wishing to confirm that her hated sibling was indeed dead. She tried to animate the body to gain a twisted ally, but the spell failed. [Perhaps Valdreth watched over Dugesia?] In a fit of rage, Cadavra threw the brick against the east wall, and soon followed suit with the body. Furious, she stormed out of the tomb and sealed the door in area 3–3. Cadavra did not realize her actions have awakened the spirit of her sister, who now seeks eternal rest. Dugesia is a ghost bound to an area within 50 feet of her niche.
Malek, Wight Cleric: The bandits had a cleric among their numbers until a few days ago. Malek was a human cleric dedicated to Crypticus. An associate of Haledon, he joined the bandits in hopes of gaining coin and a few followers. Although the bandits ignore his preaching, he has gained quite a bit of wealth, and contemplated leaving to set up a small house of worship in Punjar. But a few days ago, quite by accident, he discovered the secret door in the south wall, and as he crept down the steps, the secret door sealed behind him. Yet he explored further, and was ambushed by the undead monstrosity that lairs in area 4–11. His lantern was snuffed during the initial attack, and thus he never had the chance to rebuke the horror. Malek is now undead, and waits to lure others to their doom in the chamber beyond.
Malicia, Elite Deathlock Wight: Malicia gained favor with her demonic patron, but her bold, unspeakable actions led to her downfall, as cult members rose against her and slaughtered her on her own altar. Jezuel wanted her suffering to last an eternity, and thus granted her the gift of undeath, as a wight.
Salt Troll Zombie: While passing through the Salt Marsh one night, she encountered a stupid salt troll. He was easily overcome with her spells, and carefully finished off with acid. Not wanting to waste such a resource, she animated the body as a guardian.
Advanced Zombie: ?
Corruption Corpse: ?
Skeletal Claw Swarm: Created from failed necromantic experiments or arising spontaneously from ossuaries and bone yards, skeletal claw swarms are writhing masses of bony debris. For the most part, a skeletal claw swarm is composed of claws, fingers, toes, and other grasping digits, and it uses these to grab, pull down, and then pull apart any living creature that it encounters.
Skeletal claw swarms often arise spontaneously from bone yards, especially if strong necromantic energy is present.
The last five feet is a pile of skulls, skeletal arms, hands, and even talons from various creatures. These were failed experiments using the Cauldron of Illserves, so Cadavra placed the uncontrollable animated pieces in this pit. They have formed an undead swarm of biting and clawing bones that victims in the pit need to deal with.
Zombie Rotter: ?
Vampire Spawn Fleshripper: ?

Cauldron of Illserves
Named after the powerful necromancer that created this minor artifact, the cauldron of Illserves can be used to create an undead army. This cauldron is wrought of dull black iron, and stands four feet high on three short legs. Its outside surface is dimpled and covered with infernal runes and pictograms involving the animation of a myriad of creatures. A thin gnarled cudgel, often used to stir the malevolent contents of the giant pot, accompanies the cauldron.
The Cauldron of Illserves is a unique wondrous item.
Property: You gain resist 5 disease, 5 poison, and 5 necro.
Property: A gnarled club called the cudgel of command always accompanies the cauldron. This cudgel acts as a +2 club, but has additional properties when used with the cauldron (see The Dead Arise ritual below).
Property: You learn The Dead Arise ritual (see below), and can use its once per day.
Power (At-Will Arcane):
Standard Action: You can use eldritch blast (warlock 1).
Power (Encounter, Healing, Necro): Minor Action: All undead with 5 squares of you can spend a healing surge and regain an additional 1d8 hit points plus your Wisdom modifier.

The Dead Arise
You conjure forth an army of undead from the seething depths of the Cauldron of Illserves.
Level: 10
Component Cost: Special
Category: Creation
Market Price: N/A
Time: 4 hours
Key Skill: Arcana or Religion
Duration: Permanent
This ritual can only be used in conjunction with the Cauldron of Illserves. It takes four hours to activate the evil magic of the cauldron. The device must be filled with fresh grave dirt collected with a silver shovel at night. It is then mixed with unholy water in a 2 to 1 ratio. After boiling for four hours, powdered gems equaling at least 100 gp per level of undead created needs to be added. When complete, any dead body added to the cauldron is animated (as animate dead) in one turn. Skeletal remains are animated as skeletons, while decomposing bodies are animated as zombies. Only Large or smaller-sized creatures can be animated with this device, and thus, only Large or smaller undead can be created.
Although the device is powerful in its own right, Illserves added a powerful additional ability. If the user adds its own blood, freshly spilled, and mixes the concoction with the cudgel of command, all undead created are at the command of the user. There is no limit to the amount of undead the caster can control, and he merely needs to issue verbal commands while brandishing the cudgel of commandto control the undead.
Special: This ritual cannot be copied down onto a scroll or into a ritual book. Knowledge of the ritual is gained by owning the Cauldron of Illserves for 24 hours. If the cauldron is no longer possessed, then knowledge of The Dead Arise fades from the caster’s mind in 24 hours.

 

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Dungeon Crawl Classics 57 Wyvern Mountain

Dungeon Crawl Classics 57 Wyvern Mountain
4e
Wyvern Zombie: The wyvern zombies in this area are what remain of Skelya’s mighty wyvern legions. Even in death, some of the white dragon’s faithful servants continued to serve and fight for their mistress.
Dark Elf Lich, Lady Khetira: ?
Dark Elf Lich, Lord Braxux: ?
Dvalinna, Lesser Dragon-Lich: Two dark elf liches — Lady Khetira and Lord Braxus — imbued Dvalinna with undead essence, transforming the young white dragon into a dragon-lich.

 

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Dungeon Crawl Classics 58 The Forgotten Portal

Dungeon Crawl Classics 58 The Forgotten Portal
4e
Quahtlatoa, Human Mummy: The day was won, but the hero suffered grievous wounds and died less than a day later. The villagers were emotionally torn, as their hero had clearly saved the village, yet he was likely cursed with the evil taint and thus destined to stalk his people as a werejaguar himself. The elder commanded Quahtlatoa’s loyal followers to deposit his body in the mighty Tototl River near the Atotzin, even though they felt it was not an appropriate burial for such a beloved hero.
His followers set out to perform the grim task without ceremony. But when they discovered the cave system, they decided to honor their leader in a more appropriate fashion. They hastily constructed a tomb, with a burial pit and crude altar. Using salt deposits collected from area 1–5, they packed his body and weapons into the pit, and chanted many blessings to Ilhuicatl, his patron deity. After leaving offerings of gold and slain enemies, they sealed the tomb with a large rock, constructed a simple ceiling trap, and painted the walls of the corridor to honor their hero’s deeds.
As it turns out, Quahtlatoa was never tainted with the curse of lycanthropy. His spirit was at unrest, though, due to an improper burial and lack of respect for his corpse. For centuries, his body, preserved in packed salt, and spirit lingered and wallowed in the throes of evil, eventually animating as a mummy. (It’s likely that Ahpuchac, the Black Jaguar, at least had a small hand in the animation as revenge against his cult.)
Xochatateo: Xochatateo are filthy undead humanoids, created from the sacrificial victims of particularly vile and bloodthirsty cults. Each bears a similar wound upon its chest, where its still-beating heart was cut from its body just before the death of its corporal form. For some reason, the xochatateo lives on – a tormented creature cursed to exist between the realms of life and death, constantly seeking the hearts of the living to replace the one that once beat within its chest.
It is unclear as to exactly why the xochatateo are created. Some scholars argue that they are created when a sacrifice ritual is conducted incorrectly; others believe that they are created when the subject being sacrificed simply refuses to die. A few cynics even believe that xochatateo are nothing more than a cruel god’s joke. Regardless of the reasons behind their creation, there is no disputing how they come into existence: During a sacrificial ritual, when the still-beating heart is ripped from a humanoid creature’s chest, for some reason that creature does not die. Instead, it is reborn as a cruel, savage creature with a taste for mortal flesh.
When Tlacocelot began sacrificing victims, it took him many attempts to get the procedure right. The results of these failed attempts have generated the four undead creatures that lurk in the alcoves. The xochatateo are filthy ghoul-like undead creatures, forced to exist against their will.
Zombie: These chambers were the living quarters for several under-priests loyal to Tlacocelot. When the high priest embraced the new regime offered by the evil couatl, his first action was to slay these priests. He used his magic mask to assume the form of a jaguar, then slaughtered them while they slept. Thus, all the zombies bear horrific slash and bite wounds. (A DC 10 Heal check reveals death was inflicted by a powerful animal’s talons and teeth.) However, he found a use for their broken bodies as undead thralls, and he raised them as zombies in order to terrorize the villagers and assist him with menial tasks.
Zombie Rotter: ?
Greater Xochatateo: ?

 

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Dungeon Crawl Classics 59 Mists of Madness

Dungeon Crawl Classics 59 Mists of Madness
4e
Skoulos the Undying, Nascent Archlich: Skoulos summoned the last of his waning power, concentrating it into a single ritual that transferred his life force into a phylactery, transforming Skoulos’ withered form into the most powerful undead of all: the archlich.
Decrepit Skeleton: ?