Undead Origins

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U1 Shadows of Halfling Hall

U1 Shadows of Halfling Hall
Castles & Crusades
Halfling Ghoul: ?
Halfling Zombie: ?
Zombie Dog: Unfortunately, after the attack there was no one to let them out and so the poor animals died of thirst and starvation. The Awakener subsequently animated them as zombies to provide a nasty surprise to anyone nosey enough to intrude in here.
Willec the Halfling Zombie: ?
Death Grip: These are the left hands of the zombies within the upper hall, now reanimated by the awakener into death grips.
The death grip is an unusual form of undead created by a high level necromancer or evil cleric. The hand of a corpse and one of the corpses eyeballs are used in the animation rite and it creates a scuttling clawlike hand that will follow simple commands as a skeleton or zombie.
Skeleton: Awakeners also have the ability to animate one of the following groups of undead per week: 6 skeletons or zombies or 2 ghouls or1 ghast or wraith or 1 mummy/month.
Bag O' Bones: Rather than animate all the skeletons here, the awakener decided it would be best to combine the material into a single (and dangerous) opponent.
It is a result of the blending of the necromantic arts of the undead with the alchemical lore of golem creation.
The creation of such a monster requires expensive ingredients (at least 10,000gp) and months of preparation equal to a stone golem and requires the assistance of both a high level cleric and a master wizard coordinating their powers.
Mummy Lesser: The awakener will animate these bodies within 1-3 rounds after the party enters.
These mummies are rather weaker than the usual mummy due to the relative weakness of the awakener and the condition of the bodies.
Awakener: The awakener is a special form of ghost/lich created by the minions of a lord of the undead. This being has its spirit form magic jarred into a piece of jewelry such as a circlet, bracelet, etc. of suitable size. This item is the creature’s focus and is usually of valuable and of exquisite manufacture.
Zombie: Awakeners also have the ability to animate one of the following groups of undead per week: 6 skeletons or zombies or 2 ghouls or1 ghast or wraith or 1 mummy/month.
Ghoul: Awakeners also have the ability to animate one of the following groups of undead per week: 6 skeletons or zombies or 2 ghouls or1 ghast or wraith or 1 mummy/month.
Ghast: Awakeners also have the ability to animate one of the following groups of undead per week: 6 skeletons or zombies or 2 ghouls or1 ghast or wraith or 1 mummy/month.
Mummy: Awakeners also have the ability to animate one of the following groups of undead per week: 6 skeletons or zombies or 2 ghouls or1 ghast or wraith or 1 mummy/month.

 

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U2 Verdant Rage

U2 Verdant Rage
Castles & Crusades
Ghoul: These figures are ghouls. The burners have been infected with the grave mold so long that the infection has transformed them into the undead: ghouls!
Banshee: The reason for its lack of a resident is that the former occupant was transformed by Argus into a banshee.
Any female wood folk slain as a gaunt has a 5% chance of rising yet again as a banshee in 1d4 days.
Wight: ?
Zombie: These zombies were part of Argus’ first experiments in necromancy with the Liber Mortis.
Skeleton: The bed is infested with rot grubs, and it was this area where the zombies above ground had been infected. Argus simply cast cleave flesh on these four to make them skeletons and thereby salvage something from the bodies.
However, he has a bowl of 24 Hydra’s Teeth that he’s enchanted to transform into undead skeletons (again via the Liber Mortis).
The Liber Mortis gives the alchemical recipe for the creation of Hydra’s Teeth. These items (made from the actual teeth of a hydra and other unguents) when properly created, allow the user to bring forth an equal number of skeletons (max HP) as teeth used to serve the caster.
Gaunt: Gaunts are the results of necromantic experimentations upon the corpses of elves and other woodland beings.
Grave Mold: It is an undead creature, formed by Argus from yellow mold with his residual druidic abilities and the Liber Mortis.
Spectre: Within its pages the liber mortis gives detailed information on the creation of specters and liches.
Lich: Within its pages the liber mortis gives detailed information on the creation of specters and liches.

The Liber Mortis
This book is a collection of some of the greatest spells and treatise on the black art of necromancy in the land. Its black leather cover seems to radiate evil and corruption, even while the book itself is spotless and neat. There is a silver pentagram upon the cover and a book latch along the side keeps the tome closed when not in use.
The book emits a mild aura of evil at a 15 foot radius. This is easily detectible by even beings not sensitive to magic and no attribute check is required. Any non-evil creatures in the vicinity of the work will feel a sense of disquiet and morale checks will suffer a –2 penalty.
The Liber is far more than just a spell book, however. It is actually imbued with negative planar energy to the point that it has a will of its own. It cannot dominate its wielder, though it will use dreams and other lures to encourage a caster to delve into its secrets and begin to cast its spells which will affect the caster as noted below.
Any spellcaster (wizard, cleric, druid, etc.) may use the spells in the book, even if their class normally precludes the use of arcane spells. Furthermore, the spells cannot be memorized from the book but can be cast from the book just like a scroll. However, the spell is re-castable and will not disappear as scrolls do. With each spell cast, the caster will lose one point of wisdom and be unaware of its loss. When the caster reaches –1 wisdom, the book will consume the caster’s soul (no save) and the body will crumble into dust.
Any wizard who reads the tome will gain +1 level in their class. Any other caster will not gain this level advancement but all perusers of the Liber must make a wisdom save or move one rank in alignment towards chaotic evil. For instance, a lawful good wizard who failed his save would become lawful neutral. A neutral evil druid who failed would become chaotic evil, a chaotic good cleric would become chaotic neutral, etc.
The Liber Mortis’s spell abilities are:
1. Allows the user to cast the below spells as noted:
Cleave Flesh @ (4/day)
Detect Undead (3/day)
Invisibility to Undead (3/day)
Speak with Dead (3/day)
Animate/Preserve Dead (2/day)
Magic Circle vs Undead (2/day)
Create Undead (1/day)
Create Greater Undead (1/week)
2. Allows the reader to attempt to control undead as a cleric of a level equal to the user’s level (regardless of class).
3. Gives the alchemical recipe for the creation of Hydra’s Teeth. These items (made from the actual teeth of a hydra and other unguents) when properly created, allow the user to bring forth an equal number of skeletons (max HP) as teeth used to serve the caster.
4. Within its pages gives detailed information on the creation of specters and liches.
Alignment
The alignment of the reader affects its capabilities as noted on the chart below. The damage column indicates how much damage the character with the alignment suffers when first handling the book. This happens only once per reader.
Alignment Damage Use Abilities
Lawful Good 4d4 1
Lawful Neutral 3d4 1, 2
Lawful Evil 1d4 1, 2, 3
Neutral Good 3d4 1
Neutral 2d4 1, 2
Neutral Evil 1d4 1, 2, 3
Chaotic Good 2d4 1
Chaotic Neutral 1d4 1, 2, 3
Chaotic Evil -- All
[MENTION=18269]CL[/MENTION]eave flesh is a 1st level spell that allows the caster to force the flesh of a corpse to drop away from the skeleton, leaving a clean set of bones behind. It will not do the same to living flesh, but will disrupt the flesh and cause 2d4 damage. Note that the use of this spell to create the gibbering mouther in the Great Oak cannot be employed by the player characters. Argus’ necromantic modifications are unique to his situation (as a fallen druid) and are not useable by player characters.

 

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U3 Fingers of the Forsaken Hand

U3 Fingers of the Forsaken Hand
Castles & Crusades
Ghast: ?
Mummy: ?
Wraith: ?
Ghoul: ?
Bodak: Sitting at the desk is the Guardian of the Key, a powerful warrior and mystic transformed into a bodak of unusual power.

 

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U4 Curse of the Khan

U4 Curse of the Khan
Castles & Crusades
Ghoul: They are creations of Falvorn and were once vicious murderers who crossed the Khan.
Ghast: He warns, however, that the place is cursed and anyone who is tainted with the curse who leaves the castle dies within twenty–four hours, only to rise again as a ghast or wight to return to the castle and serve as its guardian. The same is true for anyone slain within the fortress itself. He refers to this as the Curse of the Crawling Queen.
Wight: He warns, however, that the place is cursed and anyone who is tainted with the curse who leaves the castle dies within twenty–four hours, only to rise again as a ghast or wight to return to the castle and serve as its guardian. The same is true for anyone slain within the fortress itself. He refers to this as the Curse of the Crawling Queen.
Skeletal Undead Hunting Dogs: ?
Bulrigi, Mummy: ?
Oyugun, Lesser Lich: His initial oath to remain in service to the Khan for eternity held, for when the Ruby Diadem was placed upon his forehead he was transformed into a lich.
Shabekith, Mummy Lord: Shabekith was the first worshipper of the Khan as a deity after his transformation. She volunteered to guard his tomb and was indeed the first sacrifice given to the new war god. Due to her service, the Khan ordained her with eternal unlife as a mummy lord.
Prince Tamur, Bodak: Prince Tamur was imprisoned alive, the Helm of Strife bolted to his living skull. Once completed, the torture and ritual transformed Prince Tamur for all time into a bodak.
Jarisha, Vampire: ?
Skeleton Small Beast: These small skeletal creatures are typically raised from the skeletal remains of dogs, cats, wolves, coyotes and the like. Some necromancers prefer raising them up as they can get twice as many smaller minions from a single casting of Animate Dead as they would the larger humanoid skeleton stock.

 

[Voadam]

Amazing Adventures Manual of Monsters

Amazing Adventures Manual of Monsters
Castles & Crusades
Undead: Undead are once-living creatures animated by spiritual or supernatural forces.
Animal Skeleton: Animal carcasses that are the target of Animate Dead are risen as animal skeletons. Anyone casting the spell solely on dead animals can gain up to twice his level in HD, as opposed to his level in HD per the spell Animate Dead. In other words, a 5th level Cleric, while normally only able to raise 5HD worth of Undead, may raise 10HD worth of animal skeletons. Only small creatures can be raised as such, no bigger than a large dog.
Apparition: ?
Bhuta: When a person is murdered, the spirit sometimes clings to the world, refusing to accept its mortal death. This spirit possesses its original body and seeks out those responsible for its murder.
Bogeyman: Bogeymen are the stuff of legends: creatures created in the minds of parents who relayed stories about incorporeal ghosts coming to carry their children off if they didn’t go to bed when they were supposed to, didn’t do their chores when asked, and so on. The spectral bogeyman’s ties to the land of the living are a result of these stories. Often, these stories are based on the exploits of criminals, murderers, and madmen that live or have lived in the local area. By
the very nature of their creation, bogeymen are evil. They are creatures born of fear and lies, delighting in the torment their fear harbors.
Ghast: If a creature dies from wounds sustained by a ghast’s claw and bite damage, and is not eaten by the foul creature, it will rise again as a ghoul or ghast in 2d4-1 days unless the corpse is blessed before interment. The victim will rise as a ghoul if it has less than 4 levels or hit dice, and as a ghast if it has a 4 or more levels or hit dice.
Ghost: Ghosts are the restless undead spirits of the tragically or evil deceased. Generally, in life, these people committed some crime or act (or series of acts) that doomed them to forever walk the earth, never finding rest. Many were cruel, vindictive, and visited needless suffering upon others. Others were so consumed with anger, sorrow, or other emotions at the moment of death that their spirits were forced to remain bound to the physical world in perpetual torment.
Ghoul: If a creature dies from wounds sustained by a ghast’s claw and bite damage, and is not eaten by the foul creature, it will rise again as a ghoul or ghast in 2d4-1 days unless the corpse is blessed before interment. The victim will rise as a ghoul if it has less than 4 levels or hit dice, and as a ghast if it has a 4 or more levels or hit dice.
Haunt: In its living form, the haunt had some mission or task that needed to be completed. So great was the compulsion to finish this deed that, even in death, the creature seeks to fulfill its final task.
Huecuva: ?
Lich: A lich is a powerful undead creature, born from a hideous ritual performed by a wizard that lusts for everlasting life. Becoming a lich is an option for only the most powerful and reckless of magi, as it involves separating the spirit from the body and binding it in a specially prepared phylactery. This very powerful enchanted item can take any form, but it is usually an amulet of the finest quality.
Few know these arcane rituals, and of those few, even fewer dare test the sorcery. If it fails, the wizard’s soul is lost and forever irretrievable.
Mummy: A mummy is an undead creature usually wrapped in divine bandages and urged to existence through prayer and ceremony.
Poltergeist: The poltergeist is an invisible undead spirit that haunts a specific area. Sometimes this area is one that it was close to in life, but more often than not, the area is the place the poltergeist was killed when it was alive.
Revenant: Any human (and only humans) that have died an extremely ghastly death can arise as a revenant to exact revenge on its killer. The revenant, in life, must have had a minimum of 15 CON, INT and WIS to become a revenant. Even at that, the chances are very slim.
Shadow: They are either doomed souls who, in life, perpetrated great evil against innocents, or they are thralls, created and bound to darkness by another shadow.
A creature reduced to 0 strength by a shadow’s strength drain attack is slain. The deceased will rise again as a shadow within 1d4 rounds.
A creature reduced to 0 Strength by a shadow wolf’s Drain attack is slain. The deceased rises again as a normal shadow within 1d4 rounds.
Skeleton: Skeletons are the animated remains of dead creatures. Their bodies are little more than bone and sinew held together by vile sorcery.
Spectre: Spectres are spiritual echoes; fragments of a learned person that died in the pursuit of knowledge.
Any creature slain by a spectre will become a spectre in 1d4 rounds.
Vampire: If a Vampire is killed, all of its spawn immediately become full vampires.
Vampire Spawn: Vampire Spawn, or lesser vampires, are those mortals who are turned into a vampire by the kiss of a full vampire.
If a vampire chooses, it can drain the blood or energy of a human victim in such a way as to bring the deceased into unlife as a vampire spawn. This spawn is under the control of the slaying vampire. This ability is not automatic, but must be consciously used.
If a vampire wolf chooses, it can drain the blood or energy of a human victim in such a way as to bring the deceased into unlife as a vampire spawn.
This ability is not automatic, but must be consciously used.
Wight: ?
Wight Spawn: A human victim killed by the wight’s energy drain can be brought back to unlife, as a wight, under the control of the slaying wight. The slaying wight must want to use this ability; it is not automatic.
Wolf Ghoul: ?
Wolf Shadow: ?
Wolf Vampiric: ?
Wraith: Wraiths are powerful wights (q.v.) who have forged a more powerful bond with the negative material plane.
Wraith Spawn: A human victim killed by the wraith’s energy drain can be brought back to life as a wraith, under the control of the slaying wraith. The slaying wraith must want to use this ability; it is not automatic.
Zombie: Zombies are undead humanoids, reanimated corpses that stalk the earth with little purpose or reason.
In some campaigns, zombies may be able to infect others with their bite, slowly turning the infected into zombies. In such a case, the victim bitten must make a constitution save at -2 or be infected. Infected victims will lose 1d4 points of strength and constitution each day until one of the two abilities reaches 0, at which point the victim dies, rising within 1d4 minutes as a new zombie unless the body is destroyed (often through decapitation or other destruction of the head).
Civatateo: Civatateo are noble women who have died in childbirth and now roam as undead looking to punish the living.
Gashadokuro: Gashadokuro are created from gathering bones from people who have died of starvation.

 

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Abbernoth Campaign Setting

Abbernoth Campaign Setting
Castles & Crusades
Shadow Lesser Abbernothian: They are creatures born of darkness; some say they are the spirits of morgar who have returned from the grave to serve their Queen of Oblivion in death as they did in life. Others believe that shadows are the manifestations of those who perpetuated great evils in life. Perhaps both have a bit of truth to them, regardless lesser shadows come in two forms; they are either the aforementioned spirits, or they are thralls created and bound to darkness by another shadow.
A creature reduced to 0 strength by a shadow’s strength drain attack is slain. The deceased will raise again as a lesser shadow within 1d4 rounds, losing all class abilities, and forever functioning as an ordinary shadow.
A creature reduced to 0 strength by a greater shadow’s strength drain attack is slain. The deceased will raise again as a lesser shadow within 1d4 rounds, losing all class abilities, and forever functioning as an ordinary shadow.
A creature reduced to 0 strength by a shadow worg’s strength drain attack is slain. The deceased will raise again as a lesser shadow within 1d4 rounds, losing all class abilities, and forever functioning as an ordinary shadow.
Shadow Greater Abbernothian: Greater shadows are those shadows that have existed since the terrible years of the Long Twilight. These are ancient spirits of spite and malice who seek to extinguish the flame of life wherever they find it.
Worg Shadow: ?

 

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Critters Vol. 1

Critters Vol. 1
Castles & Crusades
Ash Crawler: The ash crawler is partially incorporeal being made of nothing more than the ashes of its former body animated by a terrible evil will that makes it difficult to damage by weapons.
Corpse Ray: The Corpse Ray is the animate amalgam of bones, sundered flesh, and detritus of drowned and devoured sailors that has somehow coalesced into a mass of cursed life with a hatred of all things living.
Dread Knight: The Dread Knight is a powerful undead created from the corpse of a fallen knight or paladin by necromancers.
Dust Wraith: Dust wraiths are formed when powerful corporeal undead such as mummies turn to dust due to time or when an intelligent creature is slain by a dust wraith.
Gossamer Haunt: It is unknown how Gossamer Haunts procreate or even by what process they come into existence, though theory thinks that they are the vengeful spirits of those abandoned by family and friends to die alone and forlorn in some equally forgotten place.
Husk: The Husk is the corporeal remains of a cleric whose faith and devotion to their evil deity was so strong that their deity would not let them truly die.
Zombie: Any creature whose strength has been completely drained away by the Husks withering touch will rise 2d4 rounds after death as a zombie under the full control of the Husk that created it.
Zombie Knight: The Zombie Knight is the unfortunate victim of a Dread Knight that has been reanimated to serve its slayer for eternity.
Any living creature killed by the Dread Knight has a 50% chance of rising as a Zombie Knight within 1d3 rounds after begin slain. The Zombie Knight is a thrall of the Knight and will obey only its creator or the necromancer that created the Knight itself. If those that are slain by the knight are beheaded immediately after death, then they will be unable to rise as undead spawn.

 

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Critters Vol. 2

Critters Vol. 2
Castles & Crusades
Ban Yeoja, Half Woman: ?
Crypt Creeper: A Crypt Creeper is the detritus and bones of small animals that have collected within a crypt, tomb, or lair of powerful undead. Over the decades or centuries exposed to the negative energy that permeates these places, this collection of remains gained a un-life of its own.

 

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Critters Vol. 3

Critters Vol. 3
Castles & Crusades
Devouring Soul: ?
Skeletal Dragon: Unlike the Dragon Skeleton or Dragon Lich, the Skeletal Dragon is an amalgamation of hundreds of skeletons of all types forced into draconic form by the necromantic magic used to bring it to life. This ritual is so foul that it has been hunted down to the point of non-existence upon the mortal plane. The only way a necromantic cult can obtain knowledge of the ritual is through infernal agents.

 

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Domesday Volume 1 Issue 3

Domesday Volume 1 Issue 3
Castles & Crusades
Hor Shaol: Hor Shaol are the undead knights of a usually demonic power.
Blldia: This creature is an undead spirit of rage in corporeal form seeking to destroy everything and everyone in its path. Scholars believe that these manifestations were once the souls of those who poisoned the minds of those around them through deeds and words because of envy and jealousy. These emotions for some became a rage that consumed them resulting in this abomination beyond death.

Undead: The Hor Shaol can create any type of undead except other Hor Shoal.
Wraith: When a victim is dying the Hor Shaol may steal it's soul and use it to create a special type of Wraith that serves only it's creator they may only have 3 wraiths of this type at any time.