Mind of tempest
(he/him)
shades something about a shadow fell and nothing, think it was on a more scummy website nothing past that.What was the name?
shades something about a shadow fell and nothing, think it was on a more scummy website nothing past that.What was the name?
Oh, your talking about the "Shade." That was not what I was talking about. Here is the shade, and it is technically not an undead:shades something about a shadow fell and nothing, think it was on a more scummy website nothing past that.
That seems like a pretty weak reason to not include them. It would take one sentence of flavour text to explain why healing spells work on playable undead. "Although undead, [species] retain the ability to benefit from healing magics, which cannot enervate them like a living creature but still manage to knit their flesh back together." It seems like WotC just don't really want them for some reason.It's mechanical, the same reason they where reluctant to add construct PCs. The common healing spells don't work on creatures with the undead type, putting them at a significant disadvantage.
Eventually WotC did the autognome as constructs, with a rather clumsy cludge to fix the healing. You could do the same for undead PCs.
Some undead are just straight death spirits and not the remains of people. For many of this type there is no indication they are born, just that they are.I'm not sure how a life form could be undead from birth to death - isn't that contradictory?
A large number of undead are people turned undead. A lich is generally the same person they were as a wizard.I do not mean in the sense of a prestage class or something nor that is an undead of another sapient population.
a life form that is undead from birth to death that is effectively an undead species?
as that seems sufficiently out there and fantasy for it to be worth a shot?
Yep but that was also because anyone who was in a specific city when a catastrophe struck was turned undead and anyone who enters now gets turned undead. The general narrative idea there I think is a continuation of the old character as undead, instead of a wholly new undead character using the body but unconnected to the old character.IDR the particulars but the 2E AD&D Ravenloft boxed set Requiem: The Grim Harvest had rules for undead PCs.
You are probably right regarding the expectations that groups were running a series of adventures with a particular narrative and players would want to continue using their PCs. From what I recall, but believe me I could be wrong as its been over 25 years since I read it, I remember there being undead PC creation rules out of the box. I'll check when I get a minute.Yep but that was also because anyone who was in a specific city when a catastrophe struck was turned undead and anyone who enters now gets turned undead. The general narrative idea there I think is a continuation of the old character as undead, instead of a wholly new undead character using the body but unconnected to the old character.
Its been a while for me as well, it was the culmination of a trilogy of pretty terrible modules where everybody dies and becomes undead and in the future anyone who enters that city also dies and becomes undead as well, so it is a city of the undead only.You are probably right regarding the expectations that groups were running a series of adventures with a particular narrative and players would want to continue using their PCs. From what I recall, but believe me I could be wrong as its been over 25 years since I read it, I remember there being undead PC creation rules out of the box. I'll check when I get a minute.
Darkon is transformed by a wave of negative energy that is thrown out when the doomsday device is activated. The capital of the domain, Il Aluk, is swept clean of living things. Every living creature in the city (including the heroes) is transformed into an undead caricature of itself.
In fact, the wave of blackness that the heroes saw coming out of the exploding doomsday device was a shock wave from the Negative Energy Plane. Even as the heroes were killed, this energy washed over their bodies, infusing them with unlife and transforming them into undead creatures. At the same time, it transformed all of Il Aluk into a city of the dead and forever changed the domain of Darkon (henceforth known as Necropolis).
Every living thing in the city, from the lowliest rat to the highest Eternal Order priest, has been transformed into an undead creature by the doomsday device.
When the doomsday device was activated, it threw out a shock wave of negative energy so powerful that every living thing in Il Aluk was instantly slain. At the same time, the streets and buildings of the city were permeated with this force, which began to pulse within the city like a corrupted heartbeat. As a result of this powerful energy, the people and animals of Il Aluk were infused with unlife and rose as undead creatures on the morning that followed Darkest Night.
Il Aluk, the capital of Necropolis, has been swept clean of living things. There are no plants, no insects, no bacteria, nothing. So infused with the power of the Negative Energy Plane is this place that only the ranks of the living dead may come and go freely in this region. Any living creature who tries to enter the city is drained of life and becomes an undead thing.
Yes, same here. I had to go look but does appear you are correct; on page 25 it seems to imply that undead characters are created after their PC dies. seems like, as with everything in AD&D, there were stipulations to what type of undead you became, so players couldnt just play any undead. I read the boxed set but dont remember owning the adventures or having read themIts been a while for me as well, it was the culmination of a trilogy of pretty terrible modules where everybody dies and becomes undead and in the future anyone who enters that city also dies and becomes undead as well, so it is a city of the undead only.
There were definitely PC undead rules for out of the box but I think that city's undeadifying effects were a big deal in the boxed set.
I have the first two modules in print from that era but the boxed set as a pdf only from later and I have only skimmed it.
Here is a couple quotes
Really the "Doomsday Device" was the best they could come up with? Pretty sad actuallyHere is a couple quotes
Reborn too. Both count as humanoid, but they’re thematically undeadThere is the Dhampier from Van Richten's Guide, but they might be listed as humanoid and not undead.
Well, as you can see from the autognome (Spelljammer), that wording is too vague for 5e. You need to specify exactly which spells function normally, since 5e does not use a keyword system to unambiguously define which spells are healing spells. Whilst it might seem obvious, there are edge cases which could create arguments at the table. For autognome, these are the spells that function normally: cure wounds, healing word, and spare the dying. You might also have to think about Turn Undead, which is rather more common than effects that target constructs (although autognomes may need to worry about Shatter) and could result in an allied cleric accidently disintegrating their undead party member.That seems like a pretty weak reason to not include them. It would take one sentence of flavour text to explain why healing spells work on playable undead. "Although undead, [species] retain the ability to benefit from healing magics, which cannot enervate them like a living creature but still manage to knit their flesh back together." It seems like WotC just don't really want them for some reason.