What do uncontrolled mindless undead do?

[Aesmael]

Title pretty much says it. Looking at the old idea of a society where the people are willingly animated to to perform menial labour after death. But of course even if there is an unusually high proportion of clerics & wizards (which there probably isn't) eventually they will reach the limit of their control, so what then?

Options springing to mind:
Stop doing anything until controlled again, maybe not even finish their last task (most likely)
Keep following last orders (no such luck, I think)
Start craving brains ( )
Something else

Oh, here's another question: Is there a way to pass control of mindless undead to a non cleric/wizard type person? (i.e. some way that Farmer #84 can control their labours without needing the local priest to come running every time a row of beans has been planted)

Insights, answers and whatever else turns up appreciated.

 

[Voldrath]

Beat me too it.

I had pretty mutch the same idea pop up yesterday.

I'd imagine one could order an undead to follow another persons orders, except where they conflict with your own of course. Though that dosen't solve the problem of control limit.
Perhaps a magic item, say an amulet, that allows a caster to transfer controll to the wearer of said amulet.

 

[Aesmael]

Ok, here's an idea: some kind of wondrous item (probably a headband) that places the undead wearing it under the restrictions of Asimov's Three Laws (What can I say - I like those laws. The Wheel of Time would be more interesting if Aes Sedai followed them). Off to the srd to see how that would work. Shame it is a new item, guess I will post it in House Rules and link it here.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

They'll start playing cards. If they find no cards, they go on a rampage.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

They'll start playing cards. If they find no cards, they go on a rampage.

Chain them up in the shed with a playstation.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Chain them up in the shed with a playstation.

You need a power outlet to plug that playstation in, and that won't be invented in your average D&D world for several centuries.

But it would have been a good solution. Those necroes would run resident evil all the time, cheering for the bad guys and letting the hero gleefully run into every ambush.

 

[Nifft]

You need a power outlet to plug that playstation in, and that won't be invented in your average D&D world for several centuries.

Obviously, you plug the PS2 into a Will o' the Wisp.

-- N

 

[azmodean]

By RAW, I would think they'd act as mindless, agressive, creature-hating monsters (braaaaiiins....).
I could envsion some kind of magic item that allows control of a limited number of undead (as per the evil cleric's command ability or the Animate Undead spell) There are several ways to do this, one would be to give farmer bob a headband of some sort that let him control the undead, another would be to implant an item in the undead that let designated people control them, and a third would be to have a banner or something in the area that renders the undead docile.
I can't really see "handing off" control of undead, as they still need to be under the control of a magical effect of some sort
Another possibility is to create an alternate version of the Animate Undead spell that allows anyonwe to control the undead created (perhaps adding a small xp cost to the casting for balance?)

 

[Nifft]

Start craving brains ( )

In all seriousness, that is the correct answer. Their mindless* hate** for all things living*** drives them to kill.

-- N

1/ Mindless. See?

2/ Don't think about how something 'mindless' can 'hate'. The mindless don't think about it!

3/ If you're curious how a mindless critter can distinguish between 'living' and 'unliving', see #2.

 

[Goolpsy]

Well, it would make the most sense if they just stop doing anything, as they are created for something, yet still they could be 'free' terrorising the lands..
The last would be the funniest though..

Well You could rule that the weakest ones just stop.. while the ones created from stronger bodies, would do their task, uncontrolable... or just go rampage