up dated Zombie and ghost player characters
Zombie
A female Zombie, with a less mangled body than most.
"You think just because I'm undead, I want to eat your brains? Why the hell would I do that? There's no calories in the brain of an idiot!"
-Muffy Peterson, zombie ex-life coach and personal trainer, to a racist human.
Physical Description
Zombies are the reanimated bodies of fallen humanoids, appearing like their race in life, however their skin is either white, grey, a sickly green, or possibly even showing bone. Their bodies may appear either exactly like a living one of their race but with the differing skin, or may be almost unrecognizable from how mangled it is. It is possible to try and pass for humans or the race you were but you have to be careful to maintain the condition you're in. This may involve obtaining body parts of having body work done by a back alley voodoo priest or a under the table embalmer or mortician.
History
As long as there has been humanoids, there has been those dying. The dead sometimes rise, however, either from a necromancer bringing them back, magical energies left in the area, or some other effect bringing the bodies of what was once-dead back to life. Be it from magic like most a necromantic spell gone wrong or a ritual that was interrupted. But also science has done this as well as the stories of Frankenstein do not go unfounded as they had to be based on something, not just fiction. And again the will of self has even been known to bring those back with a purpose to kill or finish a task. And of course let's not forget all manner of diseases, be manmade, arcane or otherwise.
Society & Relationships
The undead do not have their own societies, and typically try to live in whatever society they had previously been in. However, some zombies have been known to travel together in groups, either as a hunting pack to consume the minds of intelligent humanoids, or just to defend themselves from those who would deem them as monsters. Most are treated as out casts and are heavily discriminated against by the living. Even the ghouls and vampires will not deal with them as if they are beneath them or just too stupid. There are support groups for most and zombie out reaches to help guide and care for those in the transition stages. But still many go without help and turn to brains causing the down ward spiral that few can pull out of without help. Drying out can take a while but once the taste has taken hold of you it is always there to tempt you.
Zombie Personality
You can use the Zombie Quirks table to determine a personality quirk for a zombie character or to inspire how your character might act.
Zombie Quirks
d8 Quirks
1- I call people 'so cute I could eat them up', and sometimes really mean it.
2 - I have a shallow appreciation for life, just assuming people can be undead easily.
3 - I have forgotten what pain is, and don't care for those suffering it.
4 - Sometimes, I still indulge in life's daily pleasures, even though I do not need to anymore.
5 - I wish all of my friends were undead, like me, so we can live forever together.
6 - My eyes don't work as well in death, so I use my other senses, like smell, to see.
7 - I shower 10 times a day because I hate how my flesh smells.
8 - I constantly am wearing very covering clothing, so people will not see I am undead.
Zombie Names
Zombies either create names from themselves, in their native tongue "I am the Devourer of the living and I want your brains", or they may use the name they had in life " Hello I am Todd Harries and I am a zombie this is my first day off the human brains".
Zombie Traits
The reanimated corpses of those who have already experienced their lives, zombies can take a beating and still keep fighting.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Age. Zombies do not age at all, due to already being dead, however if their body is not well-kept they can start to rot. gentle Repose can be done as a ritual on a zombie but can get expensive, but getting a ring that is permanent might be better but most are way out of the price range of most zombies of a lower station in life.
Alignment. Zombies range from any alignment, such as being good for seeing their undeath as a chance at life again, or their death being unjust and wanting revenge.
Size. Zombies can be from any humanoid, ranging from the shortest human to the tallest goliath. Your size is dependent upon what race you were in life.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision. Your sight has been restored by necromancy, giving you unnaturally sharp vision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces you to 0 hit points, you must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 plus the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, you are reduced to 1 hit point, instead. Also when this happens you have a chance to lose a part of your body and will need to have it fixed or replaced, or a random effect on the injury table below.
Undead. You are considered undead for effects such as turn undead and many healing spells. You are immune to disease and the poisoned condition, and you have resistance to poison damage. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food or drink if you wish. Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours each day. You do not dream in this state, but resting in this way is otherwise identical to sleeping. Magically induced sleep can cause you to enter this inactive state.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write the languages you could when you were living, and one language of your choice.
Zombie Origins
The way you became a zombie is based upon your back ground and your class, the method of your death is up to the DM. To come back as a zombie one has to have had their body's soul bound to the body to prevent it from passing. This is done by a voodoo shaman or necromancer and is very illegal or requires a very high level permit. But ether way it does cost a lot of money or a debt to those who do the ritual or the ones who granted the permit most often both.
Peaceful Death
Your life had ended in a peaceful way, such as dying in your sleep or similar. Your zombification was most likely from a family member or friend, and your body is in better condition than most. This can be done by a voodoo practitioner or a student in the arcane arts who's field is that of Necromancy.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Tools From Life. You gain proficiency in one skill, tool, and musical instrument of your choice.
Military Death
our life had ended on the front of a war, as a soldier. You may have died from a powerful device ripping through your body, or to a soldier of your foes. Your body is typically wounded in some way, badly mangled or not, and your revival may have been to call upon your services in the military, again.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength or Dexterity score increases by 1.
Military Training. You gain proficiency in two martial weapons of your choice, and light armor.
Arcane Death
Your life was ended by a magical spell, which has infused itself into your corpse, possibly even being the source that has revived you. Your body may be in bad or good condition, but it has some sort of abnormality, such as an extra eye, an odd skin or hair color, or extra appendages or tentacles.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score increases by 1.
Arcana Mortis. You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. The score you increased from this subrace is your spellcasting ability for it.
Psychological Death
Your life was ended by some sort of mental power, either from madness overwhelming your brain into shutting down, or psionics destroying your mind. Your body is typically in decent condition, and your revival could be from psionic might springing you to life.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Telepathy. You can communicate telepathically with any creature you can see within 30 feet of you. You don't need to share a language with the creature for it to understand your telepathic utterances, but the creature must be able to understand at least one language.
Plague Death
Your life ended from a deathly sickness, possibly a horrible incurable plague, or some disease that you had from birth. Your body may be in a horrible mangled condition, or in a near-perfect condition, depending on how bad the disease was. You may have been brought back to life as experimentation to cure the disease.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1.
Might of Disease. Your teeth are imbued with some form of plague, making them natural weapons. They deal 1d6 piercing damage, and have the light property. When you hit a creature with this natural weapon, they must make a DC 8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier Constitution saving throw, or be poisoned until the end of their next turn.
Mortal Injury Table
You have suffered a mortal injury, typically the one that had somehow cost you your life.
1 - 5 Your leg is twisted, broken, or in some way works less than normal. Your movement speed is decreased by 10 feet, and you have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
6 - 10Your arm is twisted, broken, or in some way works less than normal. You cannot use the arm effectively you are at disadvantage on all dexterity and strength check with this arm.
11 - 15 Your eyes no longer work. You are permanently affected by the blinded condition.
16 - 18 Your brain is damaged terribly. Your Intelligence score is decreased to half of what it is at character creation, you are illiterate, and speaking is hard for you. Additionally, you have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws.
19 Your organs do not properly work how they should. You have disadvantage on Constitution saving throws, and when you drink a potion, you must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 8 + twice the potion's rarity, with 1 being Common. On a failed save, you spit up the potion, wasting it.
20 Your head is separated from your body, all that you can do is concentrate on controlling your body. You have to see with your head to make sure as not trip or fall. If not you are effectively blind but if able you can carry your head around until able to reconnect it. You are at disadvantage on all abilities and attacks until properly reattached, after doing so it take a long rest until this condition passes and your body adjusts once again. .
Ghost abilities up dated
The states of being
There are two forms as a ghost you can take to do ether takes an action, and you are limited to the abilities you can use in that form. You are also subjected to the vulnerabilities in that form as well, see each form below.
In ether form
Ethereal Sight. The ghost can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.
Possession: One humanoid that the ghost can see within 5 ft. of it must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or be possessed by the ghost; the ghost then disappears, and the target is Incapacitated and loses control of its body. The ghost now controls the body but doesn't deprive the target of awareness. The ghost can't be targeted by any Attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that turn Undead, and it retains its Alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and immunity to being Charmed and Frightened. It otherwise uses the possessed target's Statistics, but doesn't gain access to the target's knowledge, Class Features, or proficiencies.
The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 Hit Points, the ghost ends it as a Bonus Action, or the ghost is turned or forced out by an effect like the Dispel Evil and Good spell. When the possession ends, the ghost reappears in an unoccupied space within 5 ft. of the body. The target is immune to this ghost's Possession for 24 hours after succeeding
Cold Iron: This will cause a ghost to dissipate and will do normal damage to the lost soul. So cold iron bullets and shot gun shells would be something that would do it. Also a cold iron enclosure will contain a ghost as long as it remains un broken and on hollow ground.
Salt: will block a ghost from entering a home if placed over any point of entry windows and doors. It also can be used as a weapon to dissipate a spirit, used in shells and such just like cold iron.
Magic items, talismans: Also some various cultures have other devices and talismans to keep spirits and ghost at bay as well.
on the saving throw or after the possession ends.
Soul siphon: This is how you heal yourself and keep you from becoming a translucent version of yourself. Mostly people when you do this get a cold chill as if an icy hand on the shoulder. This can be used to damage living things like a withering touch but in doing this your connection with the negative plane becomes more firm. You will start to turn evil and become a poltergeist or other undead spirit of some type it just depends on the characters actions.
Corpse Reaping: This practice is not by any means pleasant to those watching it done and the creature your effecting. As you are literally eating the soul of the creature to heal or help you maintain the ectoplasm of a physical form. This can be done as a bonus action or a reaction when done this way you look how you did when you died which can be very unsettling to most if it was a particularly gruesome one. You can target one creature you can see within 5 feet of yourself that has 0 hit points and is still alive. The target must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw against this magic or die. If the target dies, then you regain 10 (3d6) hit points. This can in almost every case have a side effect of memories and feelings and cause temporary insanity in some. To avoid this effect you must succeed at a wisdom ability check DC 8 + the damage healed or gain a side effect. This can cause a person to become a hungry spirit, a willow wisp or some other evil spirit depending on the individual and thereafter are.
Side effect table*
01 - 20 Broken will: You have disadvantage on Wisdom ability checks and wisdom saving throws
21 -40 Distracted: You have disadvantage on intelligence ability checks
41 -60 Jittery: You have disadvantage on initiatives rolls
61 - 80 Hallucinations: You have disadvantage on wisdom (perception) checks
81 - 90 Reckless: The first attack made against you in any combat encounter has advantage on the attack roll.
91 - 94 Nothing: All you get is a cold feeling and it passes.
95- 100 Paranoid: You trust no one not even your closest allies. You no longer count as a "friendly" creature anymore, nor does anyone count as a "friendly" creature to you, in regards to abilities or spells. The only creature your beneficial spells and abilities can target is yourself.
* These effects can last for an hour and increase by that amount if the same effect is rolled more than once.
Ethereal state (the walker between worlds).
Incorporeal Movement. The ghost can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object. [Note that the ghost uses this movement when on the Material Plane. When on the Ethereal Plane he is visible but utterly silent to someone on the Material Plane, and solid objects on the Material Plane don’t hamper the movement of the ghost in the Ethereal. ] Also you movement is not limited to walking but you can fly at half your base movement rate.
Etherealness: The ghost enters the Ethereal Plane from The Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on The Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane. This is other than spells or effects that can ward vs spirits and planer travel or force effects which can damage them on ether plane. Ki energy is another seeing as the energy is drawn from the soul of a creatures will and there for can cause damage to these beings. Psionics are another way as again the energy is partly of will and force of mind much the way the spirit causes damage and manifests its self.
Dissipated: This condition for a ghost is like rolling a stabilize roll for the living, but in their case it is to return to the material plane and manifest. Failing to do so can cause the spirit to be lost as a players ghost is not bound to a place. If you become lost you are stuck in the ghost plane until you take a short rest after which you can make another attempt. There is no limit the number of times you can do this but the plane is not meant to be a place to linger. There are things that hide there and wait of those who over stay their welcome, shadow beings of darkness. If you fail a check to immediately manifest then if you make a check later you come back to the place of your death or where you were made into a ghost.
Manifested state (the soul given physical form )
Damage Immunities: cold, necrotic, poison
Damage Resistances: bludgeoning, piercing (ballistic), and slashing from nonmagical
Losing the form: This can happen if knocked to half your hit points and failing a concentration check. Taking possession of another can do this as you give up your manifested state to be one with another physical body. Also being damaged by cold iron or salt or magic that can lock or ward against spirits as per above will also do this. If this happens then you have to wait after a long rest to attempt to reconstitute a physical form again. As the manifested body is composed of your ectoplasm this substance is all that's left when your manifestation is destroyed. This is a main component in the binding ritual of a ghost to a place or object and those that are a part of this have absolute control over the ghost. If the person or persons die then the soul is still bound but can act as it wishes within the confines of a location or within of an object if unable to carry it with them.
The Manifested form: As per above this is composed of ectoplasm made to look as you were before you died and as such can use normal gear and things. So no dead man's clothing and items only, but if your form is destroyed those items just drop to the ground.
Once finished with the 3rd pass will post an up dated doc file.
