Dragon 126
Dragon 126
1e
Dracula (Vlad Tepes): Dracula is assumed to have been reborn as a true vampire after his death.
Vrykolakas: The vrykolakas is not self-animated. Instead, an evil spirit enters the body, causing it to move about. The vrykolakas would thus be the result of a bizarre kind of demonic possession, all the more terrible because the dead person has no mind to actively resist the takeover.
One common practice of the vrykolakas is to seat itself upon a sleeping victim and, by its enormous weight and horrific presence, cause an agonizing sense of oppression. A victim who dies from this oppression will himself become a vrykolakas.
Great Vrykolakas: The vrykolakas monster after 80 days have passed since it came into existence.
After 80 days, the vrykolakas gains enough power to become a great vrykolakas.
Ch'ing Shih: The ch'ing shih is a kind of Chinese vampire. Like the vrykolakas, the corpse is actually animated by a sort of demon who preserves the corpse from decay so that it can prey on the living. Unlike the vrykolakas, however, the demon animating the corpse is not entirely alien.
The Chinese believed that a person has two souls: the Hun, or superior soul which is aligned with the spirits of goodness; and the P'o, or inferior soul, which is aligned with the spirits of evil. If a body is not given the proper funeral rites, the P'o can seize control and animate the corpse. A particularly evil person may become a ch'ing shih by purposely separating the two souls. The superior soul can be stored someplace outside the body (much like in the magic jar spell) while the inferior soul is given free reign. When the person dies, he will return from the grave to work evil.
Evil P'o animating the corpse.
Vampire Greater: A variant form of vampire has been recorded which originates from the life-draining kiss of a succubus; high-level characters actually slain in this manner arise as vampires of exceptional strength and ability within a fortnight.
Undead: Areas in a fantasy universe in which huge numbers of people were slain or died all at once might also form breeding grounds for immense numbers of undead.
Vampire: If so desired, a vampire can transform its victims into vampires, thus spreading the curse of the undead. Only a select few of the victims become vampires; most victims merely die as a result of being drained by the bite of a vampire.
In Slavic folklore, the vampire and the werewolf are closely related. In fact, the surest way to become a vampire after death is to have been a werewolf in life. Another way to become a vampire is to eat the flesh of an animal that has been killed by a wolf (especially a werewolf in wolf form). The idea is that the wolf's bite has spread the contagion.
The actual origins of vampires are lost in time, though they are among the greatest and most evil servants of Orcus.
Apparition: An apparition is the insubstantial remains of a person of authority – sergeant, priest, etc. – charged with overseeing or guarding a specific area, whose death was the result of a shirking of duty. Confined to the area originally to be guarded, the apparition seeks both to protect its "lair" and to gather additional guardians to its service. Thus, a character slain by an apparition who later rises as such will return to the lair of the original creature to take up guardianship alongside it, taking the apparition's place if that creature has been slain.
Coffer Corpse: Coffer corpses are the restless remains of those whose last interment wishes were not carried out. Usually, this occurs because expediency dictates the body be abandoned to avoid any unpleasant fate due to the burden (as might often happen during a plague). At other times, church elders may deny the corpse interment in sacred ground. In cases such as these, there is a 5% chance that the restless spirit of the dead person remains tied to the corpse, rising during the hours of darkness to wander the area of its abandonment in a hopeless search for rest, returning to its ”lair” at dawn.
Crypt Thing: The crypt thing is a specially created guardian of tombs fashioned from a skeleton inhabited by a creature summoned from the Plane of Limbo by a high-level cleric.
Death Knight: Probably the rarest of undead, the death knight is the ultimate fate of a fallen human paladin or cavalier formerly, not less than 10th level. Bound to the demon prince Demogorgon.
Eye of Fear and Flame: This odd creature is the corrupt result of a lawful evil cleric who sought (and failed) to achieve immortality or lichdom. Seized by Orcus for its presumption, the accursed creature is bound to seek out lawful characters to corrupt through evil and chaotic deeds.
Ghast: A ghast is a ghoul which, through continued exposure to the magical forces of the Abyss, gains superior abilities and powers.
A character slain by a ghast later arises as a ghast under the control of its slayer.
Perhaps certain unique individuals of this aquatic race (Ixitxachitl) are in fact undead equivalents of ghouls, ghasts, zombies, and liches as well, animated by their own powerful magical spells or their deity, Demogorgon.
Ghost: Ghosts are the spirits of humans whose passing from life was marked by great anger or hatred. Because of this, the spirit of the departed becomes tied to a certain area – usually the place at which it died . bemoaning the fact of its death or inability to seek revenge.
The ghost is the sentient soul of a now-dead, evil creature.
Eventually, the wraith manifestation of a disturbed demilich gives way to that of a ghost.
Ghoul: Ghouls are the cursed remains of overwhelmingly evil humans who took advantage of and fed off of mankind during life, and so are bound to feed off humanity (literally) after death. Upon the passing of such an evil person, if proper spells and precautions are not observed (i.e., burial and bless spells), there is a 5% chance such a person will later rise as a ghoul, placing the community at large at great risk. Those among the living who fall prey to ghouls become as these undead – despoilers of the dead.
Perhaps certain unique individuals of this aquatic race (Ixitxachitl) are in fact undead equivalents of ghouls, ghasts, zombies, and liches as well, animated by their own powerful magical spells or their deity, Demogorgon.
Ghoul Lacedon: The lacedon, or water ghoul, is the unhappy fate of certain pirates and corsairs.
Groaning Spirit: This creature is the troubled spirit of a female elf of evil disposition – perhaps a drow.
Haunt: The haunt is the restless spark of life of one who has died without completing a vital task. So great was the urgency to complete the deed that the vital life-force of the individual remains tied to the scene of death, there to remain until it can find a living shell to inhabit until the task is completed. The difference between this and its cousin, the ghost, is that the haunt is the mindless life-essence of the departed, while the ghost is the sentient soul of a now-dead, evil creature.
Huecuva: Some sages have postulated that huecuvas are in fact the remains of tomb robbers slain by mummies and cursed to act as guardians for them.
Some claim that tomb robbers slain by mummies may later rise as huecuvas, joining their slayers as guardians.
Lich: Possibly the most powerful of the undead creatures, liches were formerly magic-users, clerics, or wizard/priests of high level. While the circumstances in which a lich arises are somewhat varied, a lich is most often the result of an evil archmage's or high priest's quest for immortality. The process involved in the creation of the lich remains a mystery to most, although some have suggested that through the assistance of a demon, the knowledge can be fully learned.
In even rarer cases, it is rumored that a wizard of extremely high level in fanatical pursuit of the answer to some bit of research may continue his work even beyond the point of death. Perhaps due to the years of exposure to magical powers, some inexplicable force allows the soul to remain with its dead shell until the inhabitant discovers the answer to its research or until the body crumbles to dust.
Perhaps certain unique individuals of this aquatic race (Ixitxachitl) are in fact undead equivalents of ghouls, ghasts, zombies, and liches as well, animated by their own powerful magical spells or their deity, Demogorgon.
Demilich: With the former lich type that pursued immortality the bodily shell eventually becomes dust, leaving only the skull and a few bones intact while the soul wanders forth to other planes. Nevertheless, these remains apparently retain a form of sentience. The source of this sentience is debated. Some sages maintain that it originates with the lingering essences of larvae used to maintain the lich's existence, while others assert a psychic tie to the now-departed wizard or cleric. Whatever the case, the remaining form, referred to as a demilich, is perhaps even more dangerous than the original lich, possessing both energy- and soul-draining capacity along with a keening ability similar to that of a groaning spirit.
The first manifestation of a disturbed demilich is that of an apparent wraith, which most often enjoys the energy-draining ability of that creature. A clue to the true nature of the monster can be gained by the fact that this wraith manifestation cannot be turned by a cleric otherwise able to overcome a traditional creature of that sort. This manifestation's sole purpose is to induce melee and spell attack, the latter of which has the effect of strengthening the creature (of course, a successful energy drain upon a character has the same effect). Eventually, the wraith manifestation gives way to that of a ghost – once again affording the same abilities of an actual creature of that sort. (It is said that the preferred mode of attack by this manifestation is to magic jar a group's magic-user, thereby utilizing the target's spells against his own party.)
Mummy: Contrary to popular belief, mummies are not usually the venerated dead found within Egyptian burial chambers. Instead, the mummy is typically some unfortunate warrior who, for some transgression, has been chosen to stand guard over the departed.
The means of creating a mummy are said to include a special form of the animate dead spell, along with an elixir made from a rare herb growing only in the wildest parts of deserts.
Poltergeist: Merely a restless spirit.
Revenant: On rare occasions when a powerful human is slain, there is a slight chance (5%) that the slain person (through sheer willpower and anger) arises as a revenant to seek out and slay its killers.
Sheet Phantom: The sheet phantom is an odd form of undead thought by some to come about as a result of some particularly bizarre circumstance, the nature of which no two sages can agree upon. One popular theory is that it is the spirit of a magic-user who, while under a duo dimension spell, was slain by a ghoul. The idea of it being an undead form of a lurker above is not widely or seriously acknowledged.
Sheet Ghoul: The sheet phantom's purpose in hiding is to envelop and possess a living being (thereafter known as a sheet ghoul).
Skeleton Animal: These relatively weak skeletons of normal animals are said to be created mostly by neutral-aligned clerics hesitant to use the animate dead spell on humanoid remains.
Skeleton Warrior: In most cases, skeleton warriors were powerful fighters or cavaliers (possibly paladins) who were seduced to the path of evil. Some claim Orcus or Demogorgon originally bound these warriors to be servants to the 12 death knights. Others claim that even today, powerful wizard/priests may learn the sorcerous methods of creating such monsters.
Son of Kyuss: The origin of these horrid creatures dates back to an evil high priest named Kyuss. Originally meant as temple guardians, the “Sons” have, after the passing of Kyuss, continued to be fashioned by certain priests of the Egyptian deity Set, and may be found on many worlds where such worship exists.
Spectre: Spectres are the cursed souls of those who ruthlessly oppressed their fellow men during their lifetime (the character of Jacob Marly from A Christmas Carol provides a good example). Bound to wander the land they ruled, particularly its most desolate and isolated regions, spectres hate the living for the torment of unrest they endure. A fair number of spectres were very powerful and feared as political figures in life, particularly tyrants who were fighters, thieves, or assassins.
Wight: The true origin of wights remains a mystery. Some sages claim they are the fates of evil humans who, through illness or deliberate design, are buried alive, and through their anger and sheer willpower remain in a state of unlife to seek revenge. Others say wights are evil guardians, the spirits of loyal henchmen who were slain and buried with their lieges to protect their former masters from desecration.
The noises are, of course, the mayor – now turned to a wight over the anger of having been buried alive.
Wraith: Wraiths are said to be the horrid spirits of dying men who vow to return and wreak havoc upon the living. In such cases where it would be impossible for an individual to become a revenant, there is a 5% chance that a person of great evil can fulfill his curse irrespective of whether or not precautions – including destroying the physical body – are taken.
The first manifestation of a disturbed demilich is that of an apparent wraith.
Zombie Human: Zombies are the mindless, undead servitors of magic-users or clerics who cast an animate dead on corpses not fully stripped of flesh – a process usually requiring either time or a cash expenditure of one gp per corpse for acid (though certain insects also serve well in this regard).
Perhaps certain unique individuals of this aquatic race (Ixitxachitl) are in fact undead equivalents of ghouls, ghasts, zombies, and liches as well, animated by their own powerful magical spells or their deity, Demogorgon.
Zombie Juju: This uncommon creature originates with a high-level magic-user's slaying of a creature by way of an energy drain spell.
Zombie Monster: Monster zombies are the result of casting animate dead spells upon the remains of bugbears, giants, etc.
Marvel Super Heroes
Vampire: Dracula's canines were enlarged so that he could deliver the classic “vampire bite.” This bite inflicted 6 points of damage per turn. If the victim was killed in the attack, an enzyme in the vampire's saliva caused the body to produce a greenish ichor which replaced its blood. In three days, sufficient ichor existed to turn the victim's body into a vampire.
Long ago, powerful proto-deities roamed the surface of the cooling Earth. Most of these were forced into other dimensions, but one, Cthon, left behind a store of dark lore and magic, which was gathered together and is now known as the Darkhold. The Darkhold found its way to Atlantis before that continent's destruction, where a sect of evil magicians discovered in its text a method of reviving the dead as blood-drinking bat warriors. These Atlantean Darkholders created the first vampires, who promptly slew their creators and escaped Atlantis.
Dracula: In a battle with a Turkish warlord, Vlad was mortally wounded and Castle Dracula was taken. The warlord took Vlad to a gypsy healer to recover, but the gypsy was a vampire and killed Vlad, turning him into a vampire.
