5th Edition Horror
5e
Begrudged Soul: Though little is known about begrudged souls, many rumors abound of their origin. Some say they are ghosts of powerful and influential people that refused to fade into obscurity. Others say that they form from a coagulation of lesser ghosts when the stars are right.
Boneseeker: ?
Corpse Reaver: Wizards and warlocks are often trucking with forces beyond their power, and the corpse reaver is one such unfortunate byproduct. Crafted by debased cabal of necromancers, the first corpse reaver was an attempt at creating a loyal undead champion; a tireless servitor that could serve as a stalwart tomb guardian, a relentless hunter, or even provide the muscle necessary to guard frail spellcasters. The cabal succeeded in crafting an impressive creature capable of great feats of savagery. The failure came in the creature’s ability to follow directions. A glimmer of chaos remained within the “mind” of the first corpse reaver, and it quietly waited and plotted, eventually murdering every member of the cabal under the auspice of a misunderstood order. Eventually, the undead champion received a dark inspiration, and began to seek out other necromancers, tempting them with the dark secrets of the construction of other corpse reavers, each time adding to its dark army of potent undead warriors.
Lesser Lich: This pitiable creature was unfortunate enough to find only half of the necessary rituals and instructions for becoming a lich.
Barrow Skeleton: A barrow skeleton is created through a special ritual meant to create a tomb guardian, and is more capable than most servile undead.
Burning Skeleton: Created from the bones of murder victims, burning skeletons are consumed by an unending blue flame that reflects their hopeless rage.
Burning Minotaur Skeleton: ?
Plagued Skeleton: These disgusting skeletons are either created supernaturally through the mass deaths by cause of plague, or purposefully by a necromancer that wishes to spread disease.
Bone Muck disease.
Plagued Warhorse Skeleton's Hooves attack.
Plagued Warhorse Skeleton: ?
Zombie Marshall: The zombie marshall manifests from especially strong sentient creatures. Though much of their personality is lost in the transformation, their strength of will creates in them a leader for the otherwise uncoordinated zombie hordes.
While the zombie marshall can be created by necromancers from the corpses of heroes and scions of the world, they can also manifest spontaneously when such scions suffer an unholy end at the hands of dark forces.
Zombie Beacon magic item.
Doombringer Undying: The doombringer is either a nihilist that would see the world undone, or a tyrant bent on using death and terror to rule as much as they can grasp. Whether through promises to dark powers, or some personal ability, the doombringer can tap into thanatotic powers that help them to see their plans to vile fruition.
The doombringer is effectively undead through their connection to the forces of entropy.
Graveborn: In fact, that they are generated from the remains of all the other races, they retain some glimpses and memories of a warm-blooded life.
Wretched: Some undead are created by chance; dark energies conspire with fate to wrest unfortunate souls into a dreary unlife. Yet some undead are crafted by mortal hands. These unfortunates are usually imperfect beasts, sewn together and given the spark of life by either focused magics or strange science. The result of these unholy efforts are known as wretched.
Risen Dead: ?
Walking Dead: ?
Shambling Undead: Deathly Form spell.
Walking Corpse: Risen Sickness disease.
Haunt: A haunt is a ghostly resonance that can affect a creature that triggers it. Such haunts are very likely to occur in places of death and psychic distress, such as torture chambers, mass graveyards, and battlefields.
Haunt Spectral Knife: A young couple once attempted to travel to a neighboring town to consult a sage regarding the bride’s sudden illness. The highwaymen sought to take the money that the couple had for the sage’s fee. The highwaymen killed the couple and took the money, and were never brought to justice. The husband’s survival knife drew the blood of one of the thugs, and still haunts the site.
Haunt Chilling Darkness: A house servant was once brought to this room and brutally murdered for attempting to steal wine.
Haunt The Painting: ?
Restless Undead: Some war zones can create restless undead in mass numbers, while charnel houses may create a portal into a realm of death and dread.
Undead: Some undead are created by chance; dark energies conspire with fate to wrest unfortunate souls into a dreary unlife. Yet some undead are crafted by mortal hands.
Ghost:
Ghoul: ?
Ghast: ?
Lich: ?
Shadow: Shadowed Typhus disease.
Vampire: ?
Vampire Lord: ?
Vampire Spawn: ?
Wight: ?
Zombie: Zombie Beacon magic item.
Zombie Powder magic item.
Corpse Oak's Wandering Body power.
Deathly Form
3rd-level transmutation
Classes: Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: self
Components: V, S, M (cured bone)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
You transform yourself into a shambling undead.
When this spell is cast, your type changes to undead, and you no longer have to eat, sleep, or breathe. Any exhaustion levels you have gained are removed but resume once this spell has lapsed. Additionally, you are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a slot of 4th level or higher, you can augment your new form with new abilities. If you use a 4th level slot, you become immune to the frightened condition. If you use a 5th level slot, you also become immune to the charmed condition and gain resistance to necrotic damage. If you use a 6th level slot, you also gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. If you use a 7th level slot or higher, you no longer have to concentrate on the spell, and it lasts up to an hour or until dispelled. All benefits are cumulative as you cast the spell at higher levels.
Zombie Beacon
Wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement)
This strange monolith is small enough to be moved by cart and horse. Those who come across it feel a strange draw to own the monolith. If someone claims the monolith, they can attune to it by keeping it near them for 3 days. On the sunset of the third day, all dead creatures within 100 miles rise as zombies and begin to move towards the monolith.
Curse. If attuned for more than 1 day, you must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw at the end of that day, and each month thereafter. On a failure, you become a zombie marshall, and the beacon is destroyed. The beacon cannot be unattuned or separated from you unless you are subject to a remove curse. The beacon can be destroyed otherwise by impaling a zombie marshall against it and reciting a holy scripture.
Zombie Powder
Wondrous item, uncommon
When spread on a corpse that has been dead for no more than 24 hours, it becomes a docile zombie servant under your control. The zombie exists for a ten-day. If the Zombie comes into contact with fresh human blood at any point, it goes berserk in the same manner as a flesh golem.
Bone Muck. A creature that takes damage from a plague skeleton’s weapon attack must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creatures becomes diseased, and gains the poisoned condition. Every 24 hours that elapse, the infected creature must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, ending the disease on a success. On a failure, its maximum hit point total is reduced by 5. If the creature’s hit point maximum reaches 0, it dies. Creatures slain in this way have a 5% chance of rising at the next sunset as another plagued skeleton, and automatically become a plagued skeleton if targeted with the animate dead spell. The reduction to the target’s hit point maximum lasts until the disease is cured.
Risen Sickness
Among all disease, few are as feared as risen sickness.
Fabled to have toppled empires, this sickness creates undead with staggering efficiency, and at the least ensures a culture of fear and paranoia. Even the rumor of risen sickness is enough to rally mobs to stamp it out, and kings have been known to wipe out entire communities as a safety measure, whether it was merited or not.
What is not certain is how the disease starts, but when it does, corpses begin to rise and hunger for flesh. This disease often spreads to long-dead corpses who have no resistance to the disease whatsoever, and swell the ranks of the risen.
Walking corpses are considered zombies, replacing their slam attack with a bite attack that imparts the infection (+3 to hit, 5 ft reach, one target, 1d4+1 piercing damage). These corpses infect their victims with a disease that kills and raises even more walking corpses. An individual exposed to a bite must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw. Failure means the victim is infected. After every hour of infection, the infected creature loses 2d6 hit points from their maximum. If this maximum reaches zero, the infected creature dies and rises as a zombie within 1 minute of death.
There is no simple cure for this disease outside of magic, though there are special herbs that can remove the infection before death. An infected victim that is cured is also restored to their normal hit point maximum. There are rumors of random individuals that are naturally immune to the disease,
Shadowed Typhus
This magical illness infects a victim’s shadow, causing the victim to slowly become a dark shade. This diseases may be contracted if an infected creature stands in your shadow, or by lurking in the same shadow as an infected creature. Creatures of the outsider and aberration type are immune to the effects of the disease, but may still carry and transmit the disease to others.
Symptoms develop the sunset after contraction. At that time, the victim begins feeling weak, and their shadow appears darker than usual. The victim begins to fear any light and feels pain and anguish if exposed to sunlight (this exposure does not cause any physical harm). The creature must make a DC 15 Constitution check to willingly step into any bright light.
If allowed to linger in the shadows, the disease worsens, and the infected creature begins to look as though they are in the shadows even when in the light. After three days without exposure to any bright light, the creature begins a transformation into shadow that takes place from sunset to dawn after the third day of prolonged darkness. The infected creature becomes a shadow that is able to create other shadows through disease rather than by its strength drain ability (which otherwise remains unchanged).
The only cure for this disease is prolonged exposure to sunlight (1 uninterrupted hour), radiant damage (equal to half of maximum hit points), or a lesser restoration. Spells and abilities that remove curses or diseases will also end this disease.
Hooves. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6+4) bludgeoning damage, and the target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creatures becomes diseased, and gains the poisoned condition. Every 24 hours that elapse, the infected creature must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, ending the disease on a success. On a failure, its maximum hit point total is reduced by 5. If the creature’s hit point maximum reaches 0, it dies. Creatures slain in this way have a 5% chance of rising at the next sunset as another plagued skeleton, and automatically become a plagued skeleton if targeted with the animate dead spell. The reduction to the target’s hit point maximum lasts until the disease is cured.
Wandering Body. Though the corpse oak is stationary, it can release its corpses, as many as 3 per turn as a bonus action. Each corpse uses the statistics of a zombie.
