Undead Origins

[Voadam]

Monster Encyclopaedia 1 Ravagers of the Realms

Monster Encyclopaedia 1 Ravagers of the Realms
3.5
Batyuk: Batyuks arise from mass graves, where hundreds of butchered bodies were buried without due ceremony or care. Furious at this injustice, they rise up in the communal form of a stormcloud to hunt down those who slaughtered them.
Blood Scarecrow: The blood scarecrow is a free-willed corporeal undead creature which is created when an ordinary scarecrow is dressed in the clothing once worn by a murdered man. Sometimes, when conditions are correct, the spirit of the deceased returns and inhabits the scarecrow, looking for vengeance on those who killed him.
Cavewight: Should a wight linger in a particular cave or tomb for long enough – a century or so, depending on the amount of vegetation and other living things in the vicinity and the quality of any wards or holy blessings placed on the area – then its negative energy permeates its lair, turning the lair into an outcropping of the negative realm. The wight feeds on this negative energy, becoming even more powerful.
Devouring Zombie: the magic animating the devouring zombie can be passed onto others; one devouring zombie can produce a horde of other undead.
Devouring zombies can be created with the create undead spell and require a 12th level or higher caster.
Anyone who dies while under the effect of the devouring zombie’s Constitution drain becomes a devouring zombie within 2d6 minutes of dying.
Human Commoner Devouring Zombie: ?
Dissolute: The dissolute is the remains of a humanoid slain by an ooze while the humanoid was at least partially tainted by negative energy (such as having gained negative levels within a day of being killed).
Fingerfetch: Fingerfetches are a minor species of undead, said to be the spirits of dead thieves.
Grasping Hands: Grasping hands patches are usually spawned when a party of travellers goes off the path and die lost and wandering in the swamp, but they soon add to their numbers by killing other passers-by.
Headless Screamer: Headless screamers arise from the corpses of those who were buried beheaded, such as the victims of execution or vorpal weapons.
Mesmeric Spectre: Mesmeric spectres are said to be spawned when a soul condemned to eternal torment bargains with its jailors, arguing that if it were sent back for just a short time it could gather even more souls into the flames. Others believe that mesmerics are the spirits of those who had great potential in life but squandered it, the ghosts of those who might have been archwizards and famous adventurers, but instead spent their days in alehouses or indolence.
Mirror Ghost: It is created under fairly rare circumstances, when a distraught individual is driven to suicide while facing a mirror and whose final actions crack or damage the mirror in some say. Occasionally, when this combination of events occurs, the spirit of the deceased passes into the shards of the mirror, creating a mirror ghost.
Mirthless: Many necromancers have experimented in creating more mirthless; they stretch dead men on the wrack or pump poisoned growth potions into dying flesh, or sending dark summonses into the netherworld of wraiths and spectres. There come no answers, no mortuary transformations. All the mirthless in the world are said to dwell in one obscure temple, from which they can be called forth with the right offer and the right ritual.
Mummer: Mummers are the god-curse of a murdered deity. As the god died, a billion black flies rose out of his mouth and scattered to the infinite worlds.
Mummer Template: A mummer who bites a humanoid corpse at the moment of death possesses that corpse.
‘Mummer’ is a template that can be added to any humanoid.
Nightswimmer Nightshade: ?
Octospine: The octospine is a hideous creature, believed to be the creation of a demon lord.
Plundering Dead: Plundering dead are piratical undead, who remain tied to their bodies after death because of their lust for gold and treasure. They are also produced by certain terrible curses and ancient artefacts.
Ragged Wraith: Ragged Wraiths are the spirits of those whose bodies were desecrated or dismembered after death.
Scuttling Skeleton: Scuttling skeletons are a variety of normal skeleton made using the create undead spell.
‘Scuttling skeleton’ is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal creature (other than an undead) that has a skeletal system.
Wintersinger: Wintersingers are a species of undead associated with those who die from frostbite and exposure. In truth, they are not unquiet dead – a wintersinger is not the spirit of someone who died in the cold and does not resemble any human who ever lived or died. They are simply the spirits of death amongst the snow and frost, of lonely, frozen sorrow.
Withering Cadaver: Withering cadavers are produced when an attempt to create a wight fails. Enough negative energy is infused into the corpse to animate it but not enough to make a direct link with the negative plane. The process of animation awakens the latent survival instincts and animal drives of the corpse, giving it a sense of self-preservation and a hunger. Without a full channel to the negative plane to preserve its dead tissues, the body begins to rot.
Zombie Parched: Parched zombies arise from the remains those who die of thirst in the desert.

Ghost: The plundering dead who come to understand their true form become full-fledged spectres or ghosts.
Spectre: The plundering dead who come to understand their true form become full- fledged spectres or ghosts.
Wight: Any humanoid slain by a cavewight rises as a normal wight in 1d4 rounds.
Wraith: Any humanoid slain by a ragged wraith becomes a wraith in 1d4 rounds.
Zombie: Anyone killed by a batyuk’s thunderbolts is instantly animated as a zombie under the batyuk’s control.
While under the mud, the zombies of a patch of grasping hands are functionally a single entity; but if dragged up into the light, they revert to being normal zombies.

 

[Voadam]

Monster Encylopaedia 2 Dark Bestiary

Monster Encylopaedia 2 Dark Bestiary
3.5
Abiku: Any Small humanoid slain by the abiku’s energy damage ability becomes an abiku himself 1d6 hours after death.
Ankou: ?
Death Hunter: Death hunters are a special form of mighty undead created by evil druids via a secret ritual. They are former evil-aligned rangers who consecrate their immortal soul to vengeful spirits of nature, so they may return after death to stalk and murder the enemies of their land.
‘Death hunter’ is an acquired template that can be added to any non-monstrous, evil aligned humanoid creature with six or more levels of ranger.
All death hunters were evil rangers once.
Sample Death Hunter: ?
Dragonskin: In the extremely rare case a dragon is slain before its last shed skin is consumed, there is the possibility a faint portion of the dragon’s undead spirit remains attached to the skin, animating it as if it was the complete, living creature.
Dread Familiar: Dread familiars are the evil undead spirits of normal familiars that died in the service of their masters.
‘Dread familiar’ is an acquired template that can be added to any wizard’s or sorcerer’s familiar that died in the service of its master.
Sample Dread Familiar: ?
Hollow Host: A hollow host is a special form of undead that requires an artificial vessel to contain its essence. Through a secret ritual involving mysterious and dark magic, a metallic body is created to hold the soul of an evil humanoid; this must always be a perfect likeness, but its form is much stronger and tougher than the mortal essence ever was in life. Once this construct body is ready, the soul of the original creature is brought to inhabit it, to walk the world again in the guise of a living suit of armour.
‘Hollow Host’ is an acquired template that can be added to any evil, normal (non-monstrous) humanoid.
A hollow host must be crafted from iron or stone; the materials and procedures required cost a total of 5,000 gold pieces. The materials must be crafted in the likeness of an evil humanoid, which must have died already. Creating the body requires a Craft (armoursmithing), Craft (blacksmithing) or Craft (sculpting) check (DC 20). For the construct to animate, the undead spirit of the creature it represents must be summoned to inhabit it. Once the last spell is cast, the evil creature is reincarnated in its new artificial body, thus animating the construct.
CL 16th; Craft Construct, greater magic weapon, limited wish, magic jar, reincarnate, trap the soul; caster must be at least 16th level; Price 10,000 + (3,500 per base creature’s HD) gp; Cost 10,000 + (1,750 per base creature’s HD) gp + (200 + 140 per base creature’s HD) XP.
Sample Hollow Host: ?
Skullwearer: ?
Ululant: An Ululant is a semi-sentient (but thoroughly evil) undead tree, once a treant or some other similar creature, which, upon dying, became a dead stump whose roots slowly reached the lower planes and became firmly grafted on it. As a dead tooth’s root, the hollow tunnel of the rotted tree reaches the depths of the most dreadful lower realms, which channel all the anguish, pain, punishment and sin of their world through the ululating sound coming through the tree’s cavity. Some say ululants are in fact the reincarnated souls of great sinners, given the grisly and imaginative punishment of becoming a living conduct for Hell’s pain.
Whispering Presence: ?
Wispwraith: ?
Wraith Wolf: A wraith wolf is a specific form of undead, created from the spirits of hundreds of slain forest animals.

Ghost: If the death hunter used to have a familiar or animal companion, the animal gains the ghost template and an evil alignment.
A sculpt sound spell turns a whispering presence into a ghost of the creature it was in life.
Skeleton: As a standard action, an ankou can choose any creature it has slain via its death grip or death touch attacks and cause it to rise again as a skeleton.

 

[Voadam]

Octavirate Presents Lethal Lexicon 2

Octavirate Presents Lethal Lexicon 2
3.5
Poultrygeist: When a chicken is put to death by the axe there is a chance that its lingering spirit may seek vengeance against its uncooked brethren.
Every time a poultrygeist slays another chicken there is a cumulative 1% chance that the resulting spawn will be another poultrygeist independent of its creator’s control.
Rhythmic Dead: Sometimes, when a performer dies before his talents are recognized, the spirit of the slain performer will rise from the grave to take its revenge upon the world.
Any humanoid with 10 or more ranks in Perform (dance) slain by a rhythmic dead will rise as a rhythmic dead.

Zombie: Any avian creature slain by a poultrygeist’s Wisdom drain rises as a zombie in 1d4 rounds.
Any humanoid slain by a rhythmic dead becomes a zombie in 1d4 rounds.

 

[Voadam]

Strange Lands: Lost Tribes of the Scarred Lands

Strange Lands: Lost Tribes of the Scarred Lands
3.5
Fossil Ghoul: An afflicted humanoid of six Hit Dice or more who dies of ghoul fever from a fossil ghoul rises as a fossil ghoul at the next midnight.
Na'heem: The Na’heem are the result of the misapprehension of spiritual epiphany at the most delicate moment of the enlightenment process - instead of rising to the status of Exemplar, the monk undergoes a dark and hideous metamorphosis.
The Brotherhood of Na’heem embodied the highest levels of ascetic virtue for an eon. Disciplined and devoted to the arts of self-mortification, the brotherhood set off into the wastes to pursue
total mastery of their spiritual system. It was not long before the Ministers of Cruelty, an order of sadistic devils that “patronizes” the religiously ascetic, disturbed the deep desert meditation of these nomadic monks. Their souls stretched shreds upon the unresolved Paradox Of their Order” to mysteries, the first masters of the Na’heem brotherhood were cursed to walk the sands as undead warnings to the religiously zealous, thinking only of the yawning void coursing through their husks. Since then, other misguided spiritualists, drawn to the promise of unholy wisdom and immortality, have chosen to walk the maddening path of the Na’heem, swelling the brotherhood’s ranks with worthy new believers.
“Na’heem” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid monk of at least 11th level.
Sample Naheem: ?
Voracious Fang Swarm: Although the origin of these swarms is unknown, one thing is obvious: they almost certainly have some connection to Gaurak the Glutton. Some sages speculate that these swarms arise in areas where one of the ravenous titan's teeth tainted the land; others believe that they may have been created by Gaurak himself.
Unholy Chorus: ?
Nether Dragon: Some rare chromatic dragons continue to live on, long past the point where even other dragons have perished of old age. Nesting on treasure hoards they’ve no intention of using, their spirits are poisoned by their greed and by their loathing and distrust of every living thing. Such a dragon can become a twisted, corrupted thing indeed, its body bloated beyond all proportion and its soul rotten beyond the foulest evil. Dragons that reach this state of taint usually retire far below the earth; there, the utter lack of light, the dark arcane forces below the Scarred Lands, and the very weight of excess years finally turn the creature into a nether dragon.
Nether dragons are undead creatures, although they don’t need to physically die in the process - their souls are simply snuffed out and they turn into foul husks, empty of life and light.
“Nether dragon” is an acquired template that can be added to any true dragon of evil alignment that has reached great wyrm age.
Sample Nether Dragon: This nether dragon was originally a green dragon who finally killed or drove away all other living creatures from its forest. It then retreated to the core of the dead wood it used to call home and descended more and more deeply into its caves, until it reached the deepest underground lake it could find, where it now lies submerged, wallowing in its own hatred of everything.
Frost Maiden: Occasionally, a dryad’s resplendent oak succumbs to the frigid touch of winter. The tree’s destruction spells doom for the dryad, but death is not always the final result. The dryad may rise again as an undead monster filled with winter’s fury - a frost maiden.
Rekirrac: ?
Winter Wraith: In Fenrilik and other icy regions, young children who die from exposure to the elements sometimes return as winter wraiths, called “thirsty ghosts” by some.

Undead: Once per day with a successful touch attack, Otossal’s avatar can transform any living being into an undeadcreature. The creature touched must make a DC 36 Fortitude save or gain any undead template of Otossal’s choice.
Ghoul: An afflicted humanoid of four or fewer Hit Dice who dies of ghoul fever from a fossil ghoul rises as a fossil ghoul at the next midnight.
Any humanoid killed by the energy drain attack of a voracious fang swarm rises 2d6 hours later as a ghoul.
Ghast: An afflicted humanoid of 4-5 Hit Dice who dies of ghoul fever from a fossil ghoul rises as a fossil ghoul at the next midnight.
Ice Haunt: Victims killed by a rime witch’s spells or her ice haunts rise after 24 hours as ice haunts under her control.

 

[Voadam]

Echoes of Heaven Bestiary

Echoes of Heaven Bestiary
3.5
Elemental Wraith: Elemental Wraiths were all Mortals who subjected themselves to a conversion process while still alive. There are seven levels of Elemental Wraith and each requires a new ordeal of one-hundred-and-one days.
Earth Wraith: Agents of the Nopheratus create an Earth Wraith by taking an Ice Wraith and subjecting it to the Ordeal of Earth. The Wraith in question is placed in a special necromantic vault for one-hundred-and-one days, where it is tormented by a constant grinding of elemental Earth. This is absolute agony, grinding their bones into pieces. At any time, the subject can beg for death and receive it, but if it endures the entire one-hundred-and-one days, it emerges as an Earth Wraith.
Fire Wraith: Agents of the Nopheratus create a Fire Wraith by taking a Water Wraith and subjecting it to the Ordeal of Fire. The Wraith in question is placed in a special necromantic vault for one-hundred-and-one days, where it is tormented by a constant buffing of scorching fires. This is absolute agony. At any time, the subject can beg for death and receive it, but if it endures the entire one-hundred-and-one days, it emerges as a Fire Wraith.
Ice Wraith: Agents of the Nopheratus create an Ice Wraith by taking a Light Wraith and subjecting it to the Ordeal of Ice. The Wraith in question is placed in a special necromantic vault for one-hundred-and-one days, where it is tormented by a constant grinding of elemental ice. This is absolute agony, abrading away their remaining soft tissue. At any time, the subject can beg for death and receive it, but if it endures the entire one-hundred-and-one days, it emerges as an Ice Wraith.
Light Wraith: Agents of the Nopheratus create a Light Wraith by taking a Fire Wraith and subjecting it to the Ordeal of Light. The Wraith in question is placed in a special necromantic vault for one-hundred-and-one days, where it is tormented by a constant buffing of lightning. This is absolute agony, burning their remaining deep tissue with constant and penetrating current. At any time, the subject can beg for death and receive it, but if it endures the entire one-hundred-and-one days, it emerges as a Light Wraith.
Void Wraith: No one knows how they create the most powerful of all the Elemental Wraiths. Most people think that an Earth Wraith passes beyond the Mortal Realm, into the plane where the Nopheratus resides. There, the Earth Wraith experiences the raw force of death. It strips away the last vestiges of flesh, of emotion, of all humanity. What’s left is a creature almost as alien as the Nopheratus itself. It is the Void Wraith.
Water Wraith: A Water Wraith is created by taking a Wind Wraith and subjecting it to the Ordeal of Water. The Wraith in question is placed in a special necromantic vault for one-hundred-and-one days, where it is tormented by a constant buffing of violent waters. The Wind Wraith still has the habits of Mortality, so although it doesn’t need to breathe, it can still feel like it’s drowning. At any time, the subject can beg for death and receive it, but if it endures the entire one-hundred-and-one days, it emerges as a Water Wraith.
Wind Wraith: A Wind Wraith is created by the Ordeal of Air. A Mortal is placed in a special necromantic vault for one-hundred-and-one days, where they are killed by a constant buffing of high-velocity winds. The vault eliminates the need for food or water and many subjects survive for weeks or even months. Even after death, the agony continues. At any time, the subject can beg for death and receive it, but if they endure the entire one-hundred-and-one days, they emerge as the Undead Wind Wraith.

 

[Voadam]

Monster Manual II

Monster Manual II
3.0
Banshee: A banshee is the spirit of a strong-willed, selfish individual of a humanoid race.
Bone Naga: A bone naga was once a living dark naga. After its death, it was transformed into a skeletal undead creature by another dark naga through a horrific ritual.
Corpse Gatherer: These creatures are thought to spawn from the burial of a sentient undead creature (such as a vampire) in unconsecrated ground. The lingering taint of undeath somehow permeates the earth, causing the entire graveyard—corpses, tombstones, and all—to coalesce into a ravening undead monster.
Crimson Death: ?
Deathbringer: ?
Effigy: ?
Famine Spirit: A famine spirit rarely leaves corpses in its wake, but sometimes it is forced to flee and leave slain opponents behind. Each of these corpses rises in 1d3 days as a famine spirit, unless a protection from evil spell is cast upon it before that time.
Gravecaller: ?
Jahi: The jahi is an incorporeal undead made of unfulfilled desires.
Ragewind: Also called sword spirits, ragewinds are the embodied wrath of dead warriors who perished in useless battles.
Spawn of Kyuss: Spawn of Kyuss are disgusting undead creatures created by Kyuss, a powerful evil cleric turned demigod.
A cleric of 16th level or higher may use a create greater undead spell to create new spawn of Kyuss. This process requires maggots from the corpse of a diseased creature in addition to the normal material components.
Once per round as a free action, a spawn of Kyuss can transfer a worm from its own body to that of an opponent. It can do this whenever it hits with a slam attack, but it can also make the transfer by means of a successful melee touch attack or a ranged touch attack, hurling a worm at a foe from a distance of up to 10 feet.
Each worm is a Fine vermin with AC 10 and 1 hit point. It can be killed with normal damage or by the touch of silver. On the spawn’s next action, the worm burrows into its host’s flesh. (A creature with a natural armor bonus of +5 or higher is immune to this burrowing effect.) The worm makes its way toward the host’s brain, dealing 1 point of damage per round for 1d4+1 rounds. At the end of that period, it reaches the brain. While the worm is inside a victim, a remove curse or remove disease effect destroys it, and a dispel evil or neutralize poison effect delays its progress for 10d6 minutes. A successful Heal check (DC 20) extracts the worm and kills it.
Once the worm reaches the brain, it deals 1d2 points of Intelligence damage per round until it either is killed (by remove curse or remove disease) or slays its host (death occurs at 0 Intelligence). A Small, Medium-size, or Large creature slain by a worm rises as a new spawn of Kyuss 1d6+4 rounds later.
Death Knight: Gods of death create death knights.
“Death knight” is a template that can be added to any evil humanoid creature of 6th level or higher.
Sample Death Knight: ?
Spellstitched: Spellstitched creatures are undead creatures that have been powerfully enhanced and fortified by arcane means.
Spellstitched creatures can be created only by a wizard or sorcerer of sufficient level to cast the spells to be imbued in the undead’s body. The process for creating a spellstitched creature requires the expenditure of 1,000 gp for carving or tattooing materials as well as 500 XP for every point of Wisdom that the undead creature possesses. Undead that are spellcasters can spellstitch themselves.
“Spellstitched” is a template that can be added to any corporeal undead.
Spellstitched Ghast: ?

Ghast: Humanoid victims of a spellstitched ghast that are not devoured by the creature rise as ghasts (not spellstiched ghasts) in 1d4 days.
Zombie: Upon reaching 0 hit points, the corpse gatherer falls apart into its component corpses. The creature’s animating force remains among the corpses that formerly composed its body, converting them into zombies. Upon its death, a corpse gatherer generates as many zombies as it has Hit Dice (that is, a 30-HD corpse-gatherer becomes thirty zombies). Unless circumstances dictate otherwise, these are all Medium-size zombies.
Once per round as a free action, a spawn of Kyuss can transfer a worm from its own body to that of an opponent. It can do this whenever it hits with a slam attack, but it can also make the transfer by means of a successful melee touch attack or a ranged touch attack, hurling a worm at a foe from a distance of up to 10 feet.
Each worm is a Fine vermin with AC 10 and 1 hit point. It can be killed with normal damage or by the touch of silver. On the spawn’s next action, the worm burrows into its host’s flesh. (A creature with a natural armor bonus of +5 or higher is immune to this burrowing effect.) The worm makes its way toward the host’s brain, dealing 1 point of damage per round for 1d4+1 rounds. At the end of that period, it reaches the brain. While the worm is inside a victim, a remove curse or remove disease effect destroys it, and a dispel evil or neutralize poison effect delays its progress for 10d6 minutes. A successful Heal check (DC 20) extracts the worm and kills it.
Once the worm reaches the brain, it deals 1d2 points of Intelligence damage per round until it either is killed (by remove curse or remove disease) or slays its host (death occurs at 0 Intelligence). A Huge or larger creature becomes a normal zombie of the appropriate size.

 

[Voadam]

Fiend Folio

Fiend Folio
3.0
Abyssal Ghoul: ?
Bhut: A bhut comes into being when a humanoid dies a sudden, violent death in a remote region.
Crawling Head: The crawling head is a horrifying undead monstrosity spawned from the severed head of a giant.
An overconfident necromancer who was quickly slain by his own creation created the original crawling head ages ago. Since then, crawling heads have been slowly increasing in number in areas frequented by giants and their ilk.
Crypt Thing: A crypt thing is a kind of undead guardian that is built to watch over a particular site or object and deal with intruders in a nonlethal manner.
A cleric of 14th level or higher can use the create undead spell to create a crypt thing.
Blood Fiend: Blood fiends create more blood fiends from other demons in a manner similar to the way vampires create more vampires from humanoids.
An outsider of the evil subtype slain by a blood fiend’s energy drain attack (negative levels equal to current Hit Dice, or drained below 1st level) rises as a blood fiend 1d4 days after death.
Sample Huecuva Sample: ?
Huecuva: Huecuvas are undead creatures created from clerics, druids, paladins, or monks who have failed in their vows. As punishment for their heresies, they are doomed to undeath. Huecuvas are sometimes created when a good or neutral cleric changes his alignment to evil and dies without seeking atonement for his wrongs, or when an evil priest is subjected to a particularly powerful curse by her patron deity.
“Huecuva” is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid with at least one level in the cleric, druid, paladin, or monk class.
Hullathoin: ?
Quth-Maren: A quth-maren is a revolting undead creature created by clerics of Kiaransalee. These clerics are fond of flaying their enemies—removing every scrap of skin—and then animating them in this hideous form.
Sample Swordwraith: ?
Swordwraith: Some mercenaries are so dedicated to a life of war that they rise from death to continue the battle, prowling the site of their deaths or the places of their burial, looking for foes to put to the sword.
“Swordwraith” is a template that can be added to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature with levels in fighter.
Ulgurstasta: The first ulgurstasta was created ages ago by Kyuss, a powerful evil cleric turned demigod.
Vague notes surviving from Kyuss’s time indicate that the process of creating an ulgurstasta is long and dangerous.
Since they were created through powerful necromantic magic, these creatures cannot reproduce, nor do they need to breathe or eat.
Symbiont Ghostly Visage: ?


Skeleton: Someone swallowed by an ulgurstasta is in deep trouble—the creature feeds on raw life and transforms its victims into animated skeletons that the ulgurstasta can later regurgitate. A swallowed victim takes 1d8 points of Constitution drain each round from the necromantic acid inside the creature. Upon death, the victim’s remains are infused with the acid and transformed into an animated skeleton.
Vampire Spawn: A humanoid or monstrous humanoid killed by the energy drain attack of a bloodfiend locust swarm rises 2d6 hours later as a fiendish vampire spawn.

 

[Voadam]

Creature Collection II Dark Menagerie

Creature Collection II Dark Menagerie
3.0
Acid Shambler: The acid shambler is one of many horrors that spawned in the aftermath of the Divine War, wild energies released by the titans’ defeat and imprisonment warped living -and unliving -matter The shamblers are corpses brought back to horrific, agonizing life by a strange transformation of their blood. The thick reddish-black ichor that surges through their dead veins both animates and deteriorates them, eating them from the inside out due to its highly acidic properties. Since adventurers often encounter shamblers in the vicinity of a bane cloud (q.v.), some scholars believe that shamblers are the unfortunate victims of the deadly elemental’s poisonous vapors. No one can say for certain, however, if shamblers are animated intentionally or as a terrible side effect of the cloud’s powers.
Since scholars have begun recording instances of bane cloud sightings, a connection has been made to attacks by a new form of undead known as the acid shambler. It is now believed that the shamblers are victims of the bane cloud that are somehow brought back as undead monsters, though no one is certain how or why this occurs.
Blood Zombie: These are the undead spirits of sailors who died on the Blood Sea, especially those who died violently on a vessel overcome with blood barnacles.
Bonewing: Scholars speculate that they were once normal raptors or other predatory birds, changed by contact with a titan, or changed by the fearful magic unleashed during the Divine War or the Dead Tide of Agavir.
Burned Ones: Those who have used Vangal's priesthood as a means to power and then commit an act of betrayal against the Ravager find themselves stripped of their powers and hunted by their former brethren. If captured, these ex-priests are subjected to a ritual which leaves them nothing but a burned husk, destined to roam the earth tormented in an agony of eternal flames.
When burned ones attack, they often try to grab a cleric and Immolate her. If such an Immolation attack succeeds and reduces the cleric to -10 hp, the cleric bums up to a withered husk. Unless the remains are consecrated or a protectionfrom evil spell is cast on the remains, the cleric rises up in 24 hours to stalk the nights as a burned one herself.
Kadum's Leviathan: A creature that becomes one of Kedum's Leviathans might once have been a majestic whale, but the blood of the sunken titan transforms it into a vast undead colossus.
Many consider it to he a myth, or an extinct form of undead created when the corpse of an ordinary whale comes in contact with Kadum’s blood.
Mist Reaper: In one particular case, a councilor of Shelzar was kidnaped and held ransom. When his family refused to pay the asking price, the kidnapers drowned the man in the
sea and prayed to Enkili that his body be washed far out, never to be found again. Outraged, Belsameth cursed the killers and the corpse to suffer the exact opposite fate. The next night, when a thick fog rolled over the city, a vengeful spirit roiled in with it. To Belsameth's delight, the councilor's ghost visited himself upon each of his killers in turn, murdering them in various gruesome manners. To Belsameth's surprise, the spirit continued its rampage by killing the family members who refused to pay its ransom. It seemed the spirit's thirst for revenge exceeded even the goddess' expectations. Indeed, so fiery was the world's desire for revenge that she didn't create a single angry ghost, but inadvertently awoke the spirits of many people killed by drowning, people who never received proper burials or whose essence was never shepherded to the gods.
Night-Touched: The night-touched are one of the many varieties of creatures that were created by Hrinruuk to amuse himself on his hunts. The night-touched were an experiment that combined the essence of outsiders with that of the undead.
Hrinruuk created several breeds of night-touched, each of which was granted different powers to make the chase more interesting.
Night-Touched Controller: ?
Night-Touched Hound: Alternately called the Little Garabrud or even
Hrinruuk's Hounds, these canines are actually night-touched created ages ago by Hrinruuk. Stories still told by those titanspawn who still worship Hrinruuk, claim that the titan created these hounds as competition for himself.
Sand Mummy: Visitors to the desert who anger the Ubantu tribesmen are left to the mercies of the Onn wasteland. Those who survive are deemed to have been spared by the gods and usually earn the respect of the Ubantu, while others die a terrible death for want of water. Sometimes a spirit feels so strongly that it was wronged in its banishment that it rises from the sands and stalks the living, possessed of an eternal thirst it can never slake. Or so the Ubantu believe, and their understanding of the fearsome sand mummies may be correct for the Desert of Onn. But little do the tribesmen understand that the same mummies also appear in Ghelspad’s Ukrudan Desert, far from Ubantu territory and experience.
Deprived of life by relentless sun and unforgiving sand, these naturally mummified corpses crawl from the dunes, granted an eerie unity with the elements. Wasteland dwellers have yet to determine if sand mummies are granted unlife by one of the evil gods or by a vengeful titan.
Sand Mummy Unholy On: The Ubantu say truly old or ancient corpses still walk the desert, and that these spirits have developed further unholy powers, granted to them as they continue to seek revenge upon the living and serve whatever dark force has given them unlife.
Seeker's Bane: For every adventurous soul who finds his way into a ruined tower and returns laden with riches, there are an unknown number who suffer a terrible fate, slain by lurking monsters or caught in lethal traps. A seeker’s bane is the spirit of one of these lost adventurers, twisted and embittered by its lonely death.
Shadow Lord: The origins of shadow lords are uncertain. A variety ofexPlanations are suggested by sages, necromancers and others interested in such things - or who even know that these beings exist. Some claim they are the spirits of members of the infamous Cult of Ancients. These assassins made a pact with Belsameth in life to continue to serve her in death. Others suggest, though discreetly, that a terrible accident at Hollowfaust (or an intentional event at Glivid Autel) allowed the release of particularly malicious ghosts. Finally, it’s believed that once in the Scarred Lands’ two full moons, someone is born whose hatred is so great that he makes it his life’s work to snuff out the lives of others - and continues to do so from beyond the grave.
Siege Undead: “Siege undead” is a collective term for three different types of undead creatures that may be crafted from a single corpse. The formulae for creating these creatures was supposedly developed by Yrgdryth, a priest of Belsameth, during a particularly long and protracted siege.
In order to maximize the value of each dead soldier who was raised to fight again for the Divine Army, Yrgdryth devised this unique methodology for fashioning three undead soldiers from a single cadaver, all three of which are raised with a single casting.
Siege Undead Boneman: To create a boneman, a cadaver's entire skeleton must be very carefully removed from the body with the least possible damage to the skin and musculature. any cartilaginous or soft-tissue attachments must be strengthened or replaced, usually with wire or nails.
Siege Undead Meatman: The creation of a meatman requires a cadaver’s skin to be peeled off and then the entire skeleton to be very carefully removed from the body with the least damage to the musculature. The bones are then replaced, either with wooden rods or metal bars (the latter being the more common) and the muscles sewn back up. The whole body is then tightly bound up with wire or rope to keep the sutures from splitting as the thing exerts itself. To avoid the complications of trying to replace the delicate bone structure of the hands, they are instead replaced with rough iron blades, which are attached directly to the artificial skeletal structure to enhance their durability.
Siege Undead Sandman: To create a sandman, an entire skeleton must be very carefully removed from a cadaver with the least damage to the skin. The skin is then carefully sewn back up, including all orifices save for the mouth, and the seams are vigilantly sealed with tar or wax. The whole thing is then filled with a mixture of wet sand and small stones and the mouth is sewn shut and sealed. The small stones mixed in with the sand tend to jam up around lacerations, helping to seal the wound and preventing the escape of too much sand.
Skull Kings: Skull kings are believed to be the lingering remains of court executioners and assassins who, in life, performed their duties with either extreme remorse or extreme satisfaction. The debate continues as to which is more likely. The former are thought to remain in this world after death because they lost their souls long ago, regretting the murders they had to perform, yet still following orders. The latter brought such enthusiasm to the murders they committed that their fouled spirits kept their bodies animate after death.
Spectral Plant: Certain foul perversions of life and nature, such as the seed of a locust demon, can corrupt a plant with the negative energy of death. The result is a spectral plant.
While very small plants such as grasses wither and die when subjected to such negative energy, any kind of flora from small bushes to gargantuan trees might be infected with the blight that turns them into spectral plants.
Once per month, the locust demon may use its stinger to plant a seed of blight in the earth. Once planted, the seed spreads a supematural sickness to all plants within a radius of 100 feet per hit die of the locust demon. The sickness (called demon blight) alters the plant life growing in the region so that instead of being infused with positive life energy, it becomes infused with the negative energy of death. Within a day of being infected, a plant will begin to turn gray and brittle. Within three days, it will have turned entirely gray, and it will crumble to dust at the touch, leaving behind a black and white spectral image of itself as it was in life. The plant is now a spectral plant.
Tattooed Corpse: The sorceresses of Albadia are acknowledged as experts in the arcane practice of tattoo magic. What is less known is the darker side of this skill, in which the sorceresses combine forces with necromancers or tribal shamans to inscribe enchanted tattoos upon reanimated corpses.
Belsameth Spider: The process of becoming a Belsameth spider is gruesome. A victim bitten by a Belsameth spider has a chance of becoming one himself. If this happens, the poor victim’s head severs at the neck and sprouts its eight legs.
“Belsameth spider” is a template that can be applied to any living creature expect for oozes and plants.
Sample Belsameth Spider: He paid tribute to Belsameth that she might grant him power, and the goddess of nightmares and death answered his prayers.

Shadow: A humanoid reduced to zero strength by a shadow lord rises as a shadow in the next round.
A shadow lord can awaken another creature’s mundane shadow, turning it into an undead shadow under the lord’s control. This power has a range of 30 feet and can be used once per hour as a free action. The living target must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 13) to resist, whether he knows that his shadow is endangered or not.
Spectre: If the body of a victim who was slain by a spectral plant's energy drain is left in contact with spectral plants for the 24 hours immediately following their death, the woeful soul returns as a spectre.
Wight: Any humanoid slain by the Kadum leviathan’s Constitution drain becomes a wight in 1d4 rounds.
Zombie: As a standard action, a corpse whisperer can revive the recently dead by speaking directly into their ears, creating a new follower that immediately joins the creature’s minions against its former friends. The effect is similar to animate dead, except the undead are always zombies, the corpse must be no more than one hour old for the whisperer to animate it, and there is no limit to the number of undead the corpse whisperer may control.
Any non-humanoid living creature slain by the Kadum leviathan’s Constitution drain becomes a zombie in 1d4 rounds.
If a stone to flesh spell is cast on a stone zombie it reverts into a normal zombie, the necromantic construct ritual’s magic disrupted.

 

[Voadam]

Necromantic Lore

Necromantic Lore
3.0
Atrocity Wight: A collection of rotting corpses merged to form an enormous body, atrocity wights rise from mass graves and other sites where great atrocities have taken the lives of hundreds of innocent people.
Bloodpool: A bloodpool is created when innocents are killed en masse and their blood is allowed to collect and merge.
Bloodseeker: Originally created by druids who dabbled in necromancy, the formula for the creation of bloodseekers has since become more common.
Bonecast: Bonecast creatures are undead or constructcreatures that have been imbued with luck energy.
Some bonecast creatures are formed spontaneously from the bodies of those who dabbled in the arts of luck, such as risk takers, gamblers, and thieves. Indeed, a creature cannot partake in such activities without at least some luck rubbing off on them. If sufficient luck energy is pent up within a creature’s body, it continues to animate the creature long after death.
Some have learned how to harness this luck energy and instill it within their own creations. The process of creating a bonecast creature requires 1,000 gp, which includes 250 gp for items imbued with chaotic luck energies, such as used decks of cards, casino fixtures, or the remains of small-time risk takers. Completing
the process takes one day and drains 1d10 × 100 XP (an average of 500 XP per bonecast creature) from the creator, making the creation process itself a gambling proposition.
“Bonecast” is a template that can be added to any corporeal undead or construct.
Sample Bonecast: ?
Dancing Bones: Dancing bones are a type of animated skeleton created by a virulent plague that can affect both the living and the dead.
Some time ago, a small village was ravaged by a plague carried to the village by a pestilent demon. Most of the village died; the few survivors buried the corpses of their families and moved on. Decades later, a necromancer looking for raw materials animated the plague-slain bodies for use as his servants and inadvertantly created the dancing bones.
Anyone who takes damage from the claw attack of a dancing bones has a chance of contracting the plague that animates them. Each time a damaging hit is scored, the target must make a Fort save (DC 11) or become infected. This will not become apparent for 1d4 hours; if a cure disease is cast during that time, the curse is lifted. If the curse begins to take effect, only a heal, limited wish, miracle, or similar spell will cure it.
At the end of the onset time, the victim begins to sweat profusely and twitch oddly. This becomes progressively worse—every 10 minutes the character’s Dexterity drops by 1 and the character suffers a cumulative –1 on all rolls due to the increasing pain and difficulty of controlling their own movement. When the character’s Dexterity has dropped to 0, the character’s skeleton rips itself out of his or her body, leaving the rest of the character’s body behind to become a new dancing bones. The new undead attacks anyone nearby. If there is no one to attack, it begins wandering—looking for potential victims to infect or other dancing bones to accompany.
Anyone slain by a dancing bones whose body is not blessed will suffer the same fate, the skeleton of the corpse ripping itself out within 1d4 hours.
Dream Phantoms: Dream phantoms are the souls of creatures who died in their sleep.
Those unfamiliar with the nature of dreams often say that they wish to pass away in their sleep. However, the truth is that such deaths are quite traumatic to the dying souls. A soul that wanders from the body while dreaming suddenly finds itself lost and adrift when the body dies. Further, such deaths often result in words left unspoken or tasks left incomplete. Many poor spirits are driven insane while trying to navigate through dream images and nightmares. Others gain some sense of their new nature. Often they grow to despise the living whose dreams they are doomed to wander. These malignant souls become dream phantoms.
Any humanoid slain by a dream phantom becomes a dream phantom in 1d8 hours.
Eternal Confessor: An eternal confessor is an undead cleric kept in a state of undeath by its god to finish the holy work it began while alive.
“Eternal confessor” is a template that can be applied to 10th-level or higher cleric with the death, destruction, or war domains.
A cleric can become an eternal confessor as a reward from his or her god.
Sample Eternal Confessor: ?
Fade: Fades are the fragmented spirits of those who took their own lives out of despair or cowardice.
Famine Haunt: These creatures are created by the passing of those who have died of starvation, often due to another’s neglect or cruelty.
Any humanoid slain by a famine haunt becomes a famine haunt in 1d4 rounds.
Fever Gaunt: ?
Fever Gaunt Gaunt King: ?
Foreverjack: A foreverjack is a thief who has cheated Death.
“Foreverjack” is a template that can be applied to any non-undead, non-outsider, provided it meets the requirements.
Unlike the process by which a wizard or sorcerer becomes a lich, no one plans or plots to be a foreverjack. Many foreverjacks had never even heard of such beings until they became one. To become a foreverjack, a character must meet the following criteria:
Alignment: Any chaotic.
Abilities: Charisma 15+, Intelligence 15+.
Class: At least 1 rogue level.
Special: When a particularly clever and charismatic rogue dies, there is a very slim chance that he or she may return to life as a foreverjack. This is a two part process.
First of all, not all rogues are given this opportunity. To determine if a rogue is eligible to become a foreverjack, roll d% three times. If the result is equal to or less than the rogue’s class levels, then there is a chance that the rogue will return to life as a foreverjack.
The second part of the process requires the rogue to perform some task that allows the character to escape the afterlife. This task varies from rogue to rogue, but must involve confronting the god of the dead for the pantheon that the rogue worships. Worst yet, while in the afterlife, the rogue is stripped of any magical items that he or she possessed while alive. Fortunately for the character, most gods of the dead enjoy gambling, and most of them are scrupulously honest in their terms. The task presented to the character is always incredible difficult, but never impossible.
A rogue can become a foreverjack through luck and skill upon dying.
Sample Foreverjack: ?
Gravestone Guardian: A gravestone guardian is a statue animated by the will of the deceased, and it has only one purpose—to guard the tomb from desecration.
A gravestone guardian is the result of a strong-willed person being buried beneath an ornately decorated gravestone, one that prominently features one or more carved statues of winged creatures. The exact form does not matter—they can be gargoyles, demons, angels, or anything of a similar nature. Over time, the grave absorbs the will of the person and the stone responds. A small portion of the soul of the grave’s inhabitant gradually begins to animate the statues, using them as a weapon against those who would disturb its rest.
Grim Stalker: The exact origins of these creatures are unknown. Some claim that they are the souls of those whose prayers for curative magic went ignored by the gods and their followers. Others claim these creatures are a product of death itself, sent to claim the souls of those who have cheated it for too long.
Hecatombes: Hecatombes are undead creatures that were used as living sacrifices in rituals to gods that either never existed, or to deities that declared the offered soul to be unworthy of acceptance. Hecatombes were not willing sacrifices when they lived, and this uncooperative nature followed them in death, only to be amplified to majestic levels of hatred in undeath. Only one
goal drives the hecatombe: The complete death and destruction of all the clergy and any others responsible for its sacrifice as well as anything dedicated to the god that felt the hecatombe’s soul unworthy (holy symbols, clerics, temples), thus binding it to this undead state.
“Hecatombe” is a template that can be added to any humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature.
Sample Hecatombe: ?
Heirloom Wraith: In life, the heirloom wraith was usually an individual who committed an act of evil in order to keep or obtain some item. In death, the individual’s spirit was unable to leave that item behind and became trapped in it, growing even more bitter and hateful.
Horrid Murder: Horrid murders are formed from gatherings of crows dominated by a malevolent intelligence.
Beings that have been brutally slain, especially those killed in the isolation of the wilderness, develop an immense hatred for the living and reach out to those that will aid them in their schemes. Crows, black by nature, are particularly receptive to domination by these souls. The result is a horrid murder.
Necrocorn: The origin of the necrocorn is a tale out of myth. Centuries ago, it is said, there was a ranger whose deeds on behalf of the people and the land had earned her widespread acclaim, and attracted to her service Niathallis, a unicorn druid. Together, they traveled the world and the outer planes, and legends grew in their wake.
Then, something—each bard has his own version of the tale—happened. The ranger turned to darkness, and Niathallis, unwilling to abandon her longtime companion, did something no unicorn before had ever done—she joined her companion in evil. The two traveled on, giving birth now to nightmares, not legends.
Ultimately, they were confronted and slain, but evil of such intensity and passion is not easily killed. Niathallis rose as the first necrocorn.
It was only when Niathallis killed another unicorn that the true nature of the curse became apparent, for that unicorn arose as a necrocorn as well. Since then, the number of necrocorns has grown somewhat, but there have never been very many, as true unicorns and those allied with them devote tremendous effort to slaying them. This is another reason many necrocorns choose to associate themselves with powerful evil beings—protection.
At most, a few dozen necrocorns roam the world at any one time. During some eras, this number has been as low as three or four.
Any unicorn slain by a necrocorn will rise as a necrocorn within 24 hours.
Necromental: ?
Azure Phoenix: ?
Fiery Zombies: Fiery zombies are created when a humanoid is raised by an azure phoenix using its fiery animation ability.
The azure phoenix may reanimate humanoids and monstrous humanoids that it or its fiery zombies have slain as fiery zombies if using the animate dead spell.
Blackheart: ?
Stone Zombies: Stone zombies are created when a humanoid is raised by a blackheart using its stony animation ability.
The blackheart may reanimate humanoids and monstrous humanoids that it has slain as stone zombies as if using the animate dead spell.
Red Tide: ?
Watery Zombie: Watery zombies are created when a humanoid is raised by a red tide using its watery animation ability.
The red tide may reanimate humanoids and monstrous humanoids that it has slain as watery zombies as if using the animate dead spell.
Sunkiller: ?
Storm Zombie: Storm zombies are created when a humanoid is raised by a sunkiller using its stormy animation ability.
The sunkiller may reanimate humanoids and monstrous humanoids that it has slain as storm zombies as if using the animate dead spell.
Pale Masker: ?
Pestilent Bat: whenever an intruder draws near, pestilent queens immediately spawn a number of pestilent bats.
Whenever a pestilent queen senses another creature within the range of its blindsight, it quickly spawns tiny flying creatures composed of the same fleshy material as itself to dispatch the intruder and feed from it. Each spawn created drains 2 hp from the queen. A pestilent queen can form up to 6 pestilent bats each round.
Shadow Parasite: ?
Guiding Spirit: It is generally believed that guiding spirits are formed from beings that had a heightened sense of duty to family, friends, or lovers while alive. Likewise, those that were focused upon completing a particular task or achieving a certain goal may also become guiding spirits in order to ensure that the living are able to complete that which the guiding spirit was unable to do. It is this sense of dedication that drives guiding spirits to seek out living creatures and to offer them protection. Yet, there are some who believe that guiding spirits are instead manifestations sent by the gods or other powerful beings. They say the guiding spirits assume a form that is comforting to potential wards in order to convince the ward to accept their assistance. Followers of this theory see guiding spirits as creatures who seek to manipulate mortals through deception in order to convince the living to embark on a mission that they would not otherwise undertake.
Spirit Legion of the Dead: The spirits of fallen heroes are sometimes bound to the defense of a sacred charge.
“Legion member” is a template that can be applied to any good aligned humanoid who has died defending a sacred charge or sacrificed him or herself to become a legion member. The base creature must also have a Charisma of 10 or higher at the time of death.
Sample Legion Member:
Spirit Steed: Spirit steeds were once living horses with a bond to their riders so strong that even death couldn’t separate them.
A loyal riding horse may have become a spirit steed after its death in a number of ways: Its rider could have perished in battle and the will of the beast was so strong that it rose again to become the steed of its deceased rider’s family or companions; the animal itself could have died in a conflict and it awakened as a spirit steed to reunite with its rider; or a spirit steed might have found itself lost in the world, devoid of a rider and in search of a new master.
Warning Spirit: The foreboding, insubstantial remains of deceased heroes and relatives, warning spirits lay legendary tasks upon the shoulders of their chosen champions.
Tomb Guardians: Tomb guardians are corporeal undead that willingly chose undeath to watch over and safeguard the tombs of royal families, heroes, etc.
“Tomb guardian” is a template that can be added to any humanoid creature, provided that the create tomb guardian spell can be cast on it.
A fighter can become a tomb guardian by volunteering to watch over a holy tomb or locale.
Sample Tomb Guardian: ?
Unvanquished: Unvanquished are beings that have never been defeated in their chosen form of competition in life.
“Unvanquished” is a template that can be added to any living humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature with either the Skill Focus or Weapon Focus feat.
Sample Unvanquished: ?

Undead: Undead are once-living creatures animated by spiritual or supernatural forces.
Zombie: A humanoid or monstrous humanoid that a grave leech feeds upon becomes infected with negative energy and will rise as a zombie within 24 hours of its death.
By digging its hand into the earth, the grave master worms its fingers to the remains of all dead with five miles and brings their soulless bodies to life.
The most potent of all the grave master’s considerable powers is its ability to return the dead to life. But a grave master’s power does not end there. It may heal destroyed zombies and increase their strength in combat, and fill them with purpose and intelligence.
The grave master’s power to summon undead is different from the spell animate dead in many ways.
First, the grave master summons all corpses within 5 miles to become part of his army. There is no limit to the number of HD worth of undead that a grave master can summon in this manner and all of them serve the grave master loyally.
Second, skeletons under the earth are raised as well, but the grave master’s powers over rotting flesh allow them to grow back skin and tissue where it has decayed. Because of this, all undead summoned by the grave master are considered zombies.

Create Tomb Guardian
Necromancy
Level: Clr 8, Death 8
Components: V, S, DF, XP
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5ft./2 levels)
Target: One humanoid corpse
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell allows you to transform a willing humanoid into a tomb guardian to safeguard and protect a family grave, royal tomb, or other resting place of the dead.
Any humanoid creature that desires to become a tomb guardian must first gain the permission of its religious order. Once accepted, these petitioners peacefully ingest a painless poison that robs their body of life. Within 24 hours after their passing, the newly formed tomb guardians quickly rise and assume their eternal vigil.
XP Cost: 2,000 XP plus 100 XP per every HD above 10 of the tomb guardian to be created.

 

[Voadam]

Draconic Lore

Draconic Lore
3.0
Revenant Dragon: Sometimes a dragon is killed in cold blood while defending her eggs, or in some other unnecessary or unjust fashion. When this happens, the result is often the creation of a revenant dragon.
“Revenant” is a template that may be added to any dragon. The creature must have a Charisma score of at least 12.
Rot Dragon: According to draconic legend, the first of these undead monstrosities was created countless millennia ago, when an ancient dragon spellcaster attempted to transform itself into an undead creature not unlike a lich. The ritual failed. Rather than grant the dragon a measure of immortality, the magic called into being a mass of writhing, spectral parasites that burrowed into the old wyrm’s flesh and made his will their own. The plague has slowly spread from dragon to dragon since that day.
The corpse of any true dragon slain by a rot dragon’s breath weapon shrivels and warps as the spectral worms spread throughout their new host. The corpse rises as a new rot dragon after 1d4 days unless dispel evil is cast on the corpse before the transformation is complete.