Why don't spawning undead take over the world?

[JacktheRabbit]

I posted the same question earlier about Bodak's. They are even more dangerous since they have a death gaze whose victims rise as Bodaks in 24 hours.

My solution for my campaign world for the bodak was simple. If the dead body is exposed to any sunlight in the 24 hours before rising as a Bodak then the process is cancelled. This kept the Bodak's from destroying entire towns adn turning everyone into undead.

I am sure with a little thought you could do the same for Shadows. If there is a time period before the creature becomes a shadow then make it not work if the body is hit my any sunlight at all.

 

[Henry]

You also have the response that would be generated by the powers of good - the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" response. After all, such creatures typically do not travel by night. The forces of good would likely drag them out of their hidey-holes and eradicate them. Simply put, you don't want to draw too much attention to yourself, because those opposed to you will unite and attempt to bring about your extinction. Therefore, you steal a few at a time rather than steal them all.

Also, remember that beings who are chaotic in temperament will not likely work together for any extended length of time. The infighting will buy the good forces enough time to retaliate.

 

[Vanye]

As for why it doesn't happen...I believe the greater good deities would have some "divine intervention" in the matter. It's just a matter of the delicate balance of good/evil in the world.

Yup. It's called Clerics with a Quest.

 

[clockworkjoe]

One guy with a ring of 3 wishes could stop any given invasion, destroy all undead of that kind on his world, or change them so that they couldn't spawn new ones.

 

[Galfridus]

I consider this a flaw in the 3E rules -- it's technically possible but doesn't seem appropriate. My Rule Zero answer is to create extra conditions for the spawning (for example, new shadows might only created by people killed at the strike of midnight, or might drain 1HD from the creating shadow).

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Also, remember that beings who are chaotic in temperament will not likely work together for any extended length of time. The infighting will buy the good forces enough time to retaliate.

In fact, it would be against the interests of most evil gods to have the world overrun with undead.

Except for those specific gods with ties to undead, the unliving are just tools. Having only unliving citizens is not the proper way to run an evil empire. No not at all.

 

[Zaruthustran]

Good question

I was watching Alien: Resurrection the other night and thought the concept would make a good D&D adventure. So I came up with this scenario:

An evil warlord wants to exploit the combat abilities of wights. Through an intermediary, he hires adventurers to scour tombs for undead. An evil cleric "Observer" travels with the parties; if a wight is found, the Cleric rebukes it and brings it back to the baron. The baron intends to use the wight in battle, where the thing's energy drain and spawn-creation (spawn rise in 6-24 seconds) will be very effective.

Of course, just like in the Aliens movies, things go horribly wrong, and soon there are dozens or hundreds of wights running amok.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Spawning undead eh? Man, reminds me of those old Day of the Dead films where the zombies just bit you and you turned into one of them.

In all honesty, there probably is no reason why spawning undead don't take over the world. If small villages and coastal towns run by the standard numbers in the DMG, then a single spawning undead like a wraith, wight, or specter should be able to just do what it pleases.

There are the options for wandering adventuers. Then there is holy ground. There there is a deity intervention. All good ideas but all relying heavily on things just keeping the status quo.

Might indeed be a good way to kick off some type of huge campaign where say a liche or vampire lord wants to take over a barony or something and then one of the smarter spawning undead brings his children home and kills poppa and then starts the invasion.

 

[hong]

Spawning undead eh? Man, reminds me of those old Day of the Dead films where the zombies just bit you and you turned into one of them.

Admit it. Now you really are trolling, aren't you?

 

[Quasqueton]

I "solved" this situation years ago. I use a house rule that is, to me, so simple and logical that I don't really even consider it a house rule.

"Naturally occuring" undead are limited to the area where they were created -- they haunt a place. They are not free roaming.

For example, say a cleric creates a shadow, and sends it into a quiet fishing village in the middle of the night. Wouldn't it be likely to expect that within a few hours, there would be a few hundred shadows milling about? What if they head down-river to the big city, where say 10,000 people are living. Wouldn't this create a domino effect of sorts?

Even if the original shadow, created by the cleric, were allowed to move with the cleric, all the shadows created in the fishing village would be limited to their haunts. Some would haunt the wharf, some would haunt their homes, some would haunt specific streets, some may even haunt the whole town. But none of them could/would leave the village.

This explains why wights and wraiths and shadows and all don't wander the world creating spawn. I mean, whoever heard of "ghosts" and "spirits" wondering the world? Such apparitions have always been restricted to their place of death.

Quasqueton