Undead Origins

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Small But Vicious Dog

Small But Vicious Dog
Small But Vicious Dog
Carrion: Blame the death-fetishists of Hekhara for these beauties. Some bright spark just had to see what happened when you feed the giant vultures on a diet of zombie flesh. The answer: nothing good. Although at least we now know what’s grosser than a vulture: a giant stinking undead ghoul-vulture.

 

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Swords and Wizardry

Swords and Wizardry
Swords & Wizardry
Banshee: One particularly unusual thing about banshees is that they often associate with living faerie creatures of the less savory variety; they might even be an undead form of faerie.
Ghost: ?
Ghoul: ?
Lich: Liches are the undead remnants of wizards, either made undead by their own deliberate acts during life, or as the result of other magical forces (possibly including their own magics gone awry).
Mummy: ?
Shadow: Their chill touch drains one point of Strength with a successful hit, and if a victim is brought to a Strength attribute of 0, he or she is transformed into a new shadow.
Skeleton: Skeletons are animated bones of the dead, usually under the control of some evil master.
Animate Dead spell.
Spectre: Any being killed (or drained below level 0) by a spectre becomes a spectre as well, a pitiful thrall to its creator.
Vampire: ?
Wight: Any human killed or completely drained of levels by a wight becomes a wight.
Wraith: ?
Zombie: The standard zombie is simply a corpse animated to do its creator’s bidding.
Zombie Contagious: If their Undeath is contagious, they should be worth a few more experience points than described here, and if a single hit from a zombie causes contagion or any other sort of disease, they should be worth considerably more experience.
Animate Dead spell.

Animate Dead
Spell Level: Magic-User, 5th Level
Range: Referee’s Discretion
Duration: Permanent
This spell animates skeletons or zombies from dead bodies. 1D6 undead are animated per level of the caster above 8th. The corpses remain animated until slain.

 

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Swords and Wizardry Monster Book

Swords and Wizardry Monster Book
Swords & Wizardry
Allip: The allip’s touch does not deal damage, but causes the victim to lose 1d4 points of wisdom. If a victim’s wisdom falls to 0, it dies and will become an allip within 2d6 days.
Banshee: ?
Skeletal Remains: In addition to the adhesive film it exudes, the piece of pure chaos at the bone mound’s core gives it an innate ability to animate, partially, the bones that stick to it. The effects of this spell-like ability extend up to 2ft away from the creature’s body. The bone mound can animate 1d6 of the bony remains that have adhered to it each round. Each of these animated body parts may attack once, inflicting 1d4 damage. A cleric may turn these newly living bits of skeletal remains as if they were Type 1 undead. The bone mound may shift its animate dead power from one set of bones to another at any time.
Cat Feral Undead: Feral undead cats look like they were created by zombie-raising magic, but they are actually things quite unlike normal animated undead such as skeletons or zombies.
Ethereal Shade: ?
Exoskeleton Giant Ant: Giant ant exoskeletons can be animated into undead creatures by unusual and rare necromantic magic.
Exoskeleton Giant Beetle: Giant ant exoskeletons can be animated into undead creatures by unusual and rare necromantic magic.
Exoskeleton Giant Crab: Giant crab exoskeletons are animated by specific necromantic spells, cast upon the very largest giant crab exoskeletons (10ft in diameter).
Exploding Bones: ?
Eyeless Filcher: An eyeless filcher is the undead body of a criminal maimed or tortured to death in brutal punishment for its crimes; usually these criminals were guilty of particularly heinous crimes during life. These creatures are animated by an extremely powerful undead force, which causes fear and horror in any onlooker: at the sight of an eyeless filcher, anyone failing a saving throw will either f lee in terror for 1d12 rounds or be paralyzed until the undead is out of sight (equal chance).
Ghast: ?
Ghoul: ?
Ghoul Ao-Nyobo, Blue Wife: ?
Glitterskull: ?
Gravebird: Gravebirds are highly intelligent undead birds (usually ravens or crows) that have been brought back to life through foul magic.
Head-Stealer: A head-stealer is the headless, undead body of someone who has been decapitated, usually by execution or dungeon trap. The body is animated with a vengeful spirit, and seeks to re-enter society by removing someone else’s head and placing it atop its own neck.
Jackal of Darkness: ?
Lich: Liches are the undead remnants of wizards, either made undead by their own deliberate acts during life, or as the result of other magical forces (possibly including their own magics gone awry).
Nykoul: Nykoul are undead hill giant shamans, driven to continue plaguing the world by dark powers from beyond this world.
Rusalka: Rusalka are undead maiden-witches that haunt the cold rivers and lakes in which they drowned.
Females slain by a rusalka will themselves rise as rusalkas the next night, and will serve the rusalka who slew them until that rusalka is herself destroyed.
Shadow: Their chill touch drains one point of strength with a successful hit, and if a victim is brought to a Strength of 0, he becomes a shadow.
Silent Knight: ?
Skeletal Fury: The skeletal fury is an undead creature created from the skeleton of a horse, with claws or talons grown from the hooves, horns or antlers grown from the skull, the bones of large bat-like wings grown from the shoulders, and a red glow burning in the eye sockets.
Skeleton: Skeletons are animated bones of the dead, usually under the control of some evil master.
Fossil Skeleton: Fossilized skeletons are normally found only in underground caverns or complexes that have been left undisturbed for millennia, although they might also be found in inter-dimensional pockets, or in areas where the fossilization has been deliberately induced. In some limestone caverns where the mineralized water is in constant contact with the bones, skeletons might also fossilize relatively quickly – over the course of a hundred years rather than a thousand. Older fossilized skeletons may show pre-human features; fossilized Neanderthal skeletons are not uncommon.
Spectral Scavenger: ?
Spectre: Any being killed (or drained below level 0) by a specter becomes a specter himself, a pitiful thrall to its creator.
Spectre Parasitic: ?
Sumatran Rat-Ghoul: ?
Tree Ghost: Tree ghosts are the undead form of a Dryad who was killed by a wraith, vampire, or other such undead creature.
Vampire: ?
Vierd: ?
Wight: Any human killed or completely drained of levels by a wight becomes a wight.
If a creature possessed by a parasitic spectre is slain, the corpse will instantly transform into an undead creature, having abilities identical to those of a wight. If such a “wight” is destroyed, the spectre is expelled, taking 2d8 hit points of damage in the process. Non-magical weapons cannot harm a parasitic spectre. Note that parasitic spectres can possess corpses as well as living beings, and transform them immediately into wight-form, but they cannot possess corpses that have been dead more than a few minutes.
Zombie: The standard zombie is simply a corpse animated to do its creator’s bidding.
If the eyeless filcher manages to kill an officer of the law, whether guard or magistrate or scribe of the court, the unfortunate victim rises from the dead the next day as a double-strength zombie under its control.
Zombie Contagious: If their Undeath is contagious, they should be worth a few more experience points than described here, and if a single hit from a zombie causes contagion or any other sort of disease, they should be worth considerably more experience.
Zombie Brain-Eating: ?
Zombie Leper: Any who battle them must save vs disease at the end of the fight or contract Zombie Leprosy (die in 3 days and return as a Leper Zombie).
Anyone slain by a Leper Zombie reanimates as a leper zombie in 1d6 rounds.
Carrying equipment, arms or armor of one slain by a leper zombie or used to destroy a leper zombie carries a risk to the bearer, they must save vs disease at +4 each day or contract Zombie Leprosy. Holy water, remove curse and other methods of cleansing may render the gear safe again.
Zombie Pyre: ?
Zombie Raven: Zombie Ravens are the rotting, undead bodies of ravens.

 

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Monstrosities

Monstrosities
Swords & Wizardry
Allip: The allip’s touch does not deal damage, but causes the victim to lose 1d4 points of wisdom. If a victim’s wisdom falls to 0, it dies and will become an allip within 2d6 days.
Banshee: Ellyllon was an elf warrior who visited the monastery to learn the secrets of the world and to achieve his own inner peace. He instead found ancient words carved into the hollow bells. Reciting them turned him into a deadly banshee.
Skeletal Remains: In addition to the adhesive film it exudes, the piece of pure chaos at the bone mound’s core gives it an innate ability to animate, partially, the bones that stick to it. The effects of this spell-like ability extend up to 2ft away from the creature’s body. The bone mound can animate 1d6 of the bony remains that have adhered to it each round.
Cat Feral Undead: Feral undead cats look like they were created by zombie-raising magic, but they are actually things quite unlike normal animated undead such as skeletons or zombies.
Unfortunately, her beloved cats wandered into a necromancer’s garden and were turned into 18 feral undead cats.
Ghoul Aquatic: ?
Kraken Zombie: ?
Demonvessel: A demonvessel is a corpse that has been animated by trapping the essence of a demon within the body rather than relying on the more basic necromantic means of animating corpses. Depending upon the exact method used to bind the demon into a dead corpse, these undead creatures usually resemble mummies, but in some cases they will appear to be zombies with strange runes tattooed into the skin.
Since his wife’s natural death, the successful lamp merchant Garrick has wallowed in self-pity. He offered his vast fortune to anyone who could bring Corliss back to life. Unfortunately, the gods deemed her time had come and resurrection lies beyond mortal magic. A priestess of Orcus (under the guise of a cleric of Freya) named Edlyn (Cleric 8) approached Garrick with empty promises.
Edlyn indeed brought Corliss back from death. Her body, infused with a demonic spirit, became a demonvessel.
Ethereal Shade: Lady Baymoral is the true danger in the room. She became an ethereal shade after her death. Her spirit haunts the dining table.
Exoskeleton Giant Ant: Giant ant exoskeletons can be animated into undead creatures by unusual and rare necromantic magic.
Exoskeleton Giant Beetle: Giant beetle exoskeletons are animated by necromantic magic quite different from that used in the Animate Dead spell.
Exoskeleton Giant Crab: Giant crab exoskeletons are animated by specific necromantic spells, cast upon the very largest giant crab exoskeletons (10ft in diameter).
Exploding Bones: ?
Eyeless Filcher: An eyeless filcher is the undead body of a criminal maimed or tortured to death in brutal punishment for its crimes; usually these criminals were guilty of particularly heinous crimes during life. These creatures are animated by an extremely powerful undead force, which causes fear and horror in any onlooker: at the sight of an eyeless filcher, anyone failing a saving throw will either flee in terror for 1d12 rounds or be paralyzed until the undead is out of sight (equal chance).
The cavern is the home of Jelida Daribe, a vile killer who attacked villages in the dead of night – and left none alive to tell of his foul deeds. Jelida was eventually caught and convicted, but the relatives of his victims tore him apart shortly after his trial. Jelida returned as an eyeless filcher.
Flenser: ?
Ghast: ?
Ghost: There are innumerable types of ghosts with varying qualities, often depending on the nature and circumstances under which the person died.
Ghost Strangling: Anyone strangled by a strangling ghost will rise as a strangling ghost within 1d6 days.
At night, the alley is haunted by 3 strangling ghosts, a trio of assassins who were cut down by mysterious means after leaving the manse one dark and stormy night. They had killed the inhabitant, a sorceress of no little influence in the courts of Hell (where she is said to rule to this day).
Ghoul: Zombies are mindless creatures, the walking dead. (These are merely animated corpses, not carriers of any sort of undead contagion as are ghouls.)
Ghoul Ao-Nyobo, Blue Wife: The palace of the emperor is enormous, but even the emperor knows not how enormous. Behind the walls covered in gilt plaster and mosaics of tortoise shell and amber there are secret, dank passages haunted by the former empress, a woman called Obomay, who would have ruled the empire from behind the imperial throne had not the emperor took a liking to a dancing girl called Othea who was practiced in the secret art of the of seven venoms. Othea now holds the place of power behind the man-child emperor, and Obomay dwells in the shadows after being unceremoniously dumped into a dry well in the Anemone Garden, her hatred re-awakening her as an ao-nyobo ghoul.
Ghoul Crimson: Crimson ghouls are created by strange and terrible magical procedures worked by necromancers upon a normal ghoul.
Gravebird: Gravebirds are highly intelligent undead birds (usually ravens or crows) that have been brought back to life through foul magic.
Head-Stealer: A head-stealer is the headless, undead body of someone who has been decapitated, usually by execution or dungeon trap. The body is animated with a vengeful spirit, and seeks to re-enter society by removing someone else’s head and placing it atop its own neck.
Jackal of Darkness: ?
Lich: Liches are the undead remnants of wizards, either made undead by their own deliberate acts during life, or as the result of other magical forces (possibly including their own magics gone awry).
The lich Arus Kezanlizil rules the Forge-Temple, claiming it after an unforeseen accident transferred his undead spirit into the body of the dwarven cleric Arbor Oakenchisel.
Mummy: ?
Nykoul: Nykoul are undead hill giant shamans, driven to continue plaguing the world by dark powers from beyond this world.
Redwraith: Weaker redwraiths slowly gain strength over a period of years, eventually becoming full redwraiths that are no longer under the control of the original.
Redwraith Weaker: If a creature is drained of all life energy by a redwraith, roll d100 to determine the result. 01-40: the creature rises as a weaker redwraith under control of the original one, 41-50: the creature rises as a wight (not under control of the redwraith), 51-00: the creature’s body is animated as a zombie under the redwraith’s control.
Rusalka, Water Witch: Females slain by a rusalka will themselves rise as rusalkas the next night, and will serve the rusalka who slew them until that rusalka is herself destroyed.
Shadow: Their chill touch drains one point of Strength with a successful hit, and if a victim is brought to a Strength attribute of 0, he or she is transformed into a new shadow.
Silent Knight: ?
Skeletal Fury: The skeletal fury is an undead creature created from the skeleton of a horse, with claws or talons grown from the hooves, horns or antlers grown from the skull, the bones of large bat-like wings grown from the shoulders, and a red glow burning in the eye sockets.
Skeleton: Skeletons are animated bones of the dead, usually under the control of some evil master.
Skeleton Fossil: Fossilized skeletons are normally found only in underground caverns or complexes that have been left undisturbed for millennia, although they might also be found in inter-dimensional pockets, or in areas where the fossilization has been deliberately induced. In some limestone caverns where the mineralized water is in constant contact with the bones, skeletons might also fossilize relatively quickly – over the course of a hundred years rather than a thousand. Older fossilized skeletons may show pre-human features; fossilized Neanderthal skeletons are not uncommon.
The caves contain the remains of the first creatures to call the Seething Jungle their home. The native lizardmen died during a natural disaster that collapsed their tunnel homes into the ground around them. The lizardmen’s broken bodies merged with the flowing limestone to create 18 skeleton fossils trapped in the walls.
Spectral Scavenger:
Spectre: Any being killed (or drained below level 0) by a spectre becomes a spectre as well, a pitiful thrall to its creator.
Parasitic Spectre: ?
Sumatran Rat-Ghoul: ?
Tree Ghost: Tree ghosts are the undead form of a Dryad who was killed by a wraith, vampire, or other such undead creature.
The pale woman is a dryad named Melene slain years ago by the vampire Valmont De Shade as he traveled the countryside seeking a permanent lair.
Vampire: Any human killed by a vampire becomes a vampire under the control of its creator.
Four bone pillars stand about this 30-foot-square ossuary. Each four-foot-diameter pillar is crafted from hundreds of random bits of bones and skulls. A low wall of femurs runs from one pillar to the next. Four skull chalices sit on the wall. Each chalice is filled with steaming blood. Anyone drinking from a chalice must make a saving throw or be cursed so he can only drink blood from that moment onward until cured. If the curse is not reversed within 3 months, the victim becomes a vampire.
If a possessed creature possessed by a parasitic spectre is slain, the corpse will instantly transform
into an undead creature, having abilities identical to those of a wight.
Note that parasitic spectres can possess corpses as well as living beings, and transform them immediately into wight-form, but they cannot possess corpses that have been dead more than a few minutes.
Varn: These are the restless spirits of dead fighters and warriors whose armor continues to fight long after they are gone.
Inside the structure is a sarcophagus set into the tiled floor. It is carved to resemble the man buried within. Standing before the grave is the warden’s guardian, a Varn who fell in battle protecting the body from those who would defile it, and continues to do so after death.
Vierd: ?
Wight: Any human killed or completely drained of levels by a wight becomes a wight.
If a creature is drained of all life energy by a redwraith, roll d100 to determine the result. 01-40: the creature rises as a weaker redwraith under control of the original one, 41-50: the creature rises as a wight (not under control of the redwraith), 51-00: the creature’s body is animated as a zombie under the redwraith’s control.
Wight Sea: Sea-wights are highly similar to normal wights, originating from bodies in ocean-flooded tombs, bodies that were consigned to the depths of the ocean, or from individuals – usually those of some power – who perished beneath the dark waves.
As with normal wights, a successful attack by a sea-wight drains one level of experience from the victim, and a fully-drained victim rises as a sea-wight of half normal strength under the command of its killer.
Zombie Giant Shark: ?
Zombie Giant Octopus: ?
Zombie: The standard zombie is simply a corpse animated to do its creator’s bidding.
The bodies of six dwarves are tied to the dead trees of the Hallawstack Trees by their black beards. Each dwarf’s body is cut and bruised, and arrows protrude from their backs. The arrows have ostrich feather fletching. The dwarven bodies have no treasure. They have been dead for six days. One of the dead dwarves is now a zombie that sits facing tree until PCs approach. Its violent death caused it to awake as one of the undead.
If a creature is drained of all life energy by a redwraith, roll d100 to determine the result. 01-40: the creature rises as a weaker redwraith under control of the original one, 41-50: the creature rises as a wight (not under control of the redwraith), 51-00: the creature’s body is animated as a zombie under the redwraith’s control.
Zombie Contagious: If their Undeath is contagious, they should be worth a few more experience points than described here, and if a single hit from a zombie causes contagion or any other sort of disease, they should be worth considerably more experience.
Zombie Waterlogged: ?
Zombie Brain-Eating: ?
Zombie Leper: Anyone slain by a Leper Zombie reanimates as a leper zombie in 1d6 rounds.
The woman and her companions drank from the tainted pond and turned into 8 leper zombies.
All of the clothes are tainted with leprosy that turns someone wearing them into a leper zombie if they fail a saving throw.
Zombie Pyre: These undead creatures are weirdly enchanted with some sort of necromancy.
Zombie Raven: Zombie Ravens are the rotting, undead bodies of ravens.

 

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Battle Axes & Beasties

Battle Axes & Beasties
Swords & Wizardry
Undead: The restless dead, corpses that are animated by malevolent spirits or foul magics.
Lich: Powerful Wizards or Faithful sometimes want to live forever, even if ‘live’ is a loosely defined term for those who pursue the path to becoming a powerful undead creature.
A spellcaster intentionally pursues the path to becoming a lich, and it is a long, arduous, and irreversible path, ending with the spellcaster becoming ‘blessed’ with eternal undeath.
There are rumors that some of these creatures gained this state accidentally as the result of magical research gone horribly wrong.
Mummy: The desiccated, undead remains are inhabited and animated by a malevolent spirit.
Skeletal Warrior: Bones animated by the malevolent spirit of a warrior.
Skeleton: The animated bones of the dead, imbued with a souless semblance of life by the spirit that animates their remains.
Specter: Any creature reduced to less than 0 Constitution by the touch of a specter dies and returns in 1d3 days as a specter themselves.
Vampire: ?
Wampyre: The bite of a vampire drains 2d3 points of Strength from the victim. Those reduced to 0 Strength or lower in this manner become wampyre (lesser vampires) under the control of the creator vampire.
Wight: The touch of a Wraith will drain 1d4 points of Strength from their victim (save for half – minimum of 1 point drained). Victims reduced to 0 Strength or lower will return as a wight in 1d4 days.
Wraith: Powerful, older wights.
Zombie: Zombies are mindless undead creatures, driven by a spirit that hungers for the taste of fresh flesh.
Any humanoid killed or completely drained of strength (1 point per hit unless a successful saving throw is made) by a wight returns as a zombie after 1d3 days.
Zombie Contagious: These zombies carry within their bite or scratch a disease that turns those infected into mindless undead.
Those slain by Contagious Zombies rise in 1d3 combat rounds as common zombies.

 

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Black Books Tomes of the Outer Dark

Black Books Tomes of the Outer Dark
Swords & Wizardry
Zombie: The zombie's bite causes D4 damage and, if the victim is killed as a result of a bite, will infect the victim. This infection turns the victim into a zombie in 1D6 hours.
Create Zombies spell.

Create Zombies This spell requires a human corpse which retains sufficient flesh to allow mobility after activation. The caster puts an ounce of his or her own blood in the mouth of the corpse, then kisses the lips of the corpse and 'breathes part of himself' into the body. Once the spell is cast, the corpse awakes ready to obey simple commands from its creator. Should the caster die, the zombie becomes inactive. The number of zombies than can be created is unlimited (as long as the caster can pay the SAN cost). Part of the invocation refers collectively to the Outer Gods - every caster knows such entities exist, though no names are used. These zombies stay useful indefinitely. SAN: 1D2

 

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Chance Encounters

Chance Encounters
Swords & Wizardry
Null: When a Cleric or Magic-User dies while affected by Feeblemind, the corpse may reanimate as a null, a rare and terrible form of zombie.
Sibilant Corpse: Rarely, after a Chaotic Magic-User dies, especially if in life he sowed dissension through deceit and gossip, the mage's evil takes new form as an undead sibilant corpse. The necromantic forces that animate a sibilant corpse also grant it frightening sorcerous power.

 

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Crimson Blades 2: Dark Fantasy RPG d20 Version

Crimson Blades 2: Dark Fantasy RPG d20 Version
Swords & Wizardry
Undead: Undead are either the dead bodies of people that have been reanimated by evil sorcerers and cultists to serve them as bodyguard or, tormented souls that due to the way they died have been unable to leave the earthly realm.
Crypt Corpse: ?
Ghoul: ?
Lich: Liches are the undead remnants of sorcerers and wizards, either made undead by their own deliberate acts during life, or as the result of other magical forces (possibly including their own magic, gone awry).
Mummy: Mummies are preserved corpses animated through the auspices of dark desert gods best forgotten.
Skeleton: ?
Zombie: Zombies are mindless creatures; created from the more recent dead. The standard zombie is simply a corpse animated to do its creator’s bidding, but the GM can give them extra HD or abilities if required.
Banshee: ?
Ghost: They are often stuck in the material realm because they have unfinished business; which when completed allows them to “die”.
Shadow: Any person reduced to 0 STR becomes a shadow under the control of the shadow that killed him.
Wight: Anyone reduced to 0 DEX by a wight becomes a wight under the control of the wight that killed him.
Wisp: ?
Wraith: ?
Vampire Prince: Vampires are creatures that have been infected by vampirism; a disease that is transmitted from some creature already infected to another, by biting them and draining all their blood.
Lich Lord: ?

 

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Crypts & Things Remastered

Crypts & Things Remastered
Swords & Wizardry
Undead: With the Gods departed from Zarth there is no clear passage to the afterlife, so many people return from the grave as grisly animated rotting corpses.
Evil Priest powers that require blood soaked rituals to invoke include raising the undead
Corpse Colossus: “I watched in horror as the necromancer’s acolytes set about their master’s grisly work in that hellish ruined castle. From the great pile of bodies gathered from local graveyards, they stripped the flesh from them and tossed them into giant cauldrons. The bones were ground up and similarly prepared. Great black magics were cast that night, and in the light of a fearful and hesitant dawn the rotting Giant stood there, eyes burning like fire ready to terrorize the lands of the living.”
Made of a small mountain of freshly dead bodies, that are reanimated by ancient and powerful magics in a long and expensive ritual, a Corpse Colossus usually serves the evil will of a necromancer.
Crypt Fiend: ?
Faceless: ?
Ghoul: Necromancers can automatically raise any bodies as skeletons or zombies depending on their decomposition, at a rate of 1D6 per round. Given time and ritual conditions they can create higher forms of undead, such as Ghouls and Wights, at the rate of one per night.
The woman is the Countess, the would be bride of the Nizur-Thun slain in her sleep before her wedding night day and returned from the grave as a Ghoul.
Anyone wearing the Countess' diamond wedding ring at the time of death, on a successful Saving Throw, will return from the dead as a ghoul 1D6 nights after their death.
Hanged Man: These undead assassins are created by foul black magic that reanimates thieves after their death by hanging.
Lich: “The priests of the Isle of the Dead have formed an unholy pact with their master the Silent One. In return for perpetual life, they form and act out plans to bring the whole of Zarth under the Silent One’s Eternal Night.”
A Lich is the undead remnants of a wizard, either made undead by their own deliberate acts during life, or as the result of other magical forces (possibly including their own magics gone awry).
Mummy: “Some Kings and High-Priests are rich enough and powerful enough to cheat death.”
Red Zombie: These plague infected zombies are becoming a distressingly more common sight, as the Red Death spreads outwards from the Locust Star into the world. Primary carriers of the disease are the Red Zombies themselves and they seem to seek out living beings to pass it on. Any victim of their attack will rise two hours after death as one, and anyone wounded by them can be infected by the disease. Player characters may Test their Luck to avoid infection.
This was once the Merchant’s guild house and the Red Zombies are the inner circle of the guild who failed to escape being transformed when Wimble entered the Shroud.
Reincarnate: The Reincarnate is a sorcerer who has ritually sacrificed their living soul to join the ranks of the undead.
Skeleton: Skeletons are animated bones of the dead, usually under the control of some evil master.
Necromancers can automatically raise any bodies as skeletons or zombies depending on their decomposition, at a rate of 1D6 per round. Given time and ritual conditions they can create higher forms of undead, such as Ghouls and Wights, at the rate of one per night.
Knights of death are able to raise 2D6 undead (skeletons or Zombies depending on state of decay) every round.
Animate Dead spell.
Spore Zombie: “In accordance with the mistress’s wishes I placed Ozric’s corpse in the dungeon with the giant mushroom fiend he had discovered. She was pretty certain he had been infected but wanted to be sure. I was ordered to watch through the door panel. The next day I observed his corpse, ridden with mini-mushrooms, shambling around the room.”
Spore Zombies are victims of a Spore Fiend risen under the control of the fiend, to protect it from harm and to gather more food.
Spore Fiends are otherworld mushroom monsters, who trap living beings using their spores which cause madding hallucinations on a failed Test vs Luck. These hallucinations in turn lead to a Sanity check. While the victim is incapacitated the Spore Fiend moves in to kill the victim, sucking its life force out with a bite from a ‘mouth’ hidden under its hood. A day later the slain victim rises as a Spore Zombie under control of the Fiend.
Tattooed Warrior: “A famed warrior, long dead but preserved by
black arts to fight on the tribes behalf.”
Created by foul black arcane rituals from the dead bodies of tribal champions, these are the elite of the undead.
Wight: Any human killed or completely drained of levels by a wight becomes a wight.
Necromancers can automatically raise any bodies as skeletons or zombies depending on their decomposition, at a rate of 1D6 per round. Given time and ritual conditions they can create higher forms of undead, such as Ghouls and Wights, at the rate of one per night.
Wind Wraith: Wind Wraiths are created by special rituals to act as advanced shock troops for invading armies, or from deaths during server storms.
Zombie: The standard zombie is simply a corpse animated to do its creator’s bidding.
A crypt fiend raises 2D6 of the dead as Zombies per round with its right hand.
Necromancers can automatically raise any bodies as skeletons or zombies depending on their decomposition, at a rate of 1D6 per round. Given time and ritual conditions they can create higher forms of undead, such as Ghouls and Wights, at the rate of one per night.
Knights of death are able to raise 2D6 undead (skeletons or Zombies depending on state of decay) every round.
Animate Dead spell.
Zombie Contagious: If their Undeath is contagious, they should be worth a few more experience points than described here, and if a single hit from a zombie causes contagion or any other sort of disease they should be worth considerably more experience.
Great Undead Whale: ?
Hollow: The Hollows are the soulless husks of the victims of the House. Cast away but some how still linked to the House, which psychically controls them.
Ozzark the Dead King, The Plague Lord: ?
Blood Pope: ?
The Green Man, Minor Corpse Colossus: When the Haunted lands initially went to the Shroud, the surviving villagers buried the people who died of shock in a mass grave (see the pit below). Malek’s apprentice, a suitably half mad and childlike young man called Mildark, used the last of his magical knowledge to summon them back into undead life as a small Corpse Colossus (his magical power was not great enough to summon a full version of this monster and besides there wasn’t enough corpses).
A large mass grave where the villagers of Wimble buried the folk who died of shock when the Village moved to the Shroud. Although Windy Mildark reanimated the dead as the Green Man.
Giant Undead Pike: ?

Animate Dead
Spell Level: 5th Level
Colour: Black
Range: Crypt Keeper’s Discretion
Duration: Permanent
This spell animates skeletons or zombies from dead bodies. 1D6 undead are animated per level of the caster above 8th. The corpses remain animated until slain.

The Countess’ diamond Wedding ring.
This is worn by the Countess and will have to be taken from her cold undead fingers. It is engraved with “Death shall not part us!”’Anyone wearing the ring at the time of death, on a successful Saving Throw, will return from the dead as a ghoul 1D6 nights after their death. Of course they must pass another Saving Throw or else go insane from the transformation. Further Sanity rolls are required when ever the character feeds on raw sentient flesh, which they need to do at least once a weak, or uses their Ghoulish abilities. Furthermore the now Ghoul only heals Hit Points and lost Constitution via feeding (full Hit Points and 2D6 Constitution per corpse) and must make a Saving Throw whenever passing a fresh corpse or stop and feed. The ring has a monetary value of 100 GP.

 

[Voadam]

Chthonic Codex

Chthonic Codex
Swords & Wizardry
Lecternomancer: Grand Sorcerer of the Valley of Fire Deleterios III killed, in a single stroke, all of his 15 apprentices. Opinions on the reasons differ. Of his detractors, the Chimerists mention he needed corpses of spellcasters for his own nefarious experiments, while the Orthodox Necromancers remind that Deleterios III was reckless during experimentations.
Rumours circulate about how all of his apprentices might or might not have been corrupted by their Master’s enemies to plot against him, that somehow Deleterios III found out and crushed their hearts with magic.
Anyway, he took their corpses and retired for a long while, a couple of years, in his laboratories, flayed the bodies, tanned the skins with their brains to make vellum, wrote on their skin with their blood, then stitched them in codexes with their hair and bound them in books.
Skullsnatcher: Orthodox Necromancers usually satisfy their mad power ravings by achieving immortality and leading giant undead armies. Others, like the Reformed Necromancers, are not happy with simple massacre, and desire to fight their enemies using the Black Art in much subtler ways.
Skullsnatchers are sometimes used for this purpose, using the rites developed by Grand Sorceress of the Valley of Fire Deleterios II. She created these headless undeads by performing rituals on the decapitated remains of the rebellious Orthodox Necromancy apprentices after the revolts following her predecessor's Apotheosis ritual.
Savant Emeritus: Savants never truly retire. As they become older and wiser, more and more bent and withered, even more haughty and crotchety, often they die. And while sometimes it's not noticeable, some other times it is, and it's ok. So when they do go properly dead and motionless, we usually bury them in the catacombs, so that we can protect them. And when we can't do that, they're reanimated and buried in crypts or in their hermitage with all their stuff. Or sometimes they just go there by themselves. Away from the Schools, because it would be trouble to keep them close or keep them unprotected; the reasoning goes that, if they can cast spells, they can prevent the plundering of their tomb, to say the least.
Hypogean Dragon Ghostly: ?
Hypogean Dragon Mummified: ?
Undead: These creatures are non-living corpses animated by their psyche, somehow still lingering with the corpse. More rarely they are simply a disembodied lost psyche roaming our world.
School of Necromancy Level 5 - Drink of Immortality - it’s a deadly poison brewed from the brewer’s blood and unwholesome ingredients like human bone meal, ground polycerate goat horn, amethyst and 2 random results from the Pharmacopeia Rare Ingredients Table. The first time the drinker dies, they will become a undead after 1d6 rounds. When drunk, immediately SAVE OR DIE. And become an undead in 1d6 rounds, of course, because the Drink still works.
School of Necromancy Level 8 - Drink of Eternal Power - it’s an even deadlier poison brewed from mana-tar, seven caster pineal glands, a bucket of honey and 6 random results from the Pharmacopeia Rare Ingredients Table. When drunk, immediately SAVE OR DIE. If the caster survives, the first time they die, they will return as an undead after 1d6 rounds. The ordeal will confer them a power from the Savant Necropowers Table: the player can pick any power lower than 1d6 + caster level. The potion immediately kills any drinker except the brewer, NO SAVE.
Interrupted Rest spell.
Zombify spell.
Back from the Graves spell.
Gift of Immortality spell.
Great Gift of Immortality spell.
Lost Company spell.
Grand Celebration of the Chthonic Gods spell.
Zombie: Zombify spell.
Lost Company spell.
Grand Celebration of the Chthonic Gods spell.
Dead Head: Dead Head spell.

Interrupted Rest
Level: 1/i. Range: touch. Casting time: 1 round. Duration: instantaneous.
The touched corpse corpse animates as an undead oflevel 1. Its personality has
been completely corrupted by the ordeal ofwaking up as a rotting corpse; it is
free-willed but spiteful, ravenous and angry with all that is alive.
Dispensation - the caster must pour a pint ofinnocent blood on the corpse.

Zombify
Level: 2/i. Range: touch. Casting time: 8 hours. Duration: instantaneous.
The caster lights incense and candles around a corpse, then rubs it with special
powders and mhyrr. The corpse animates as an undead of level equal to the Tier of the Caster. It is completely subject to the Casters will. The ingredients cost 50c per level of the undead created.
Alteration - Necrosurgery - this spell must be cast within 2d6 rounds of the subject's death. The caster treats the corpse with oils (500c) and replaces the heart with a stone. The subject is animated as a zombie, their powers, skills, levels, personality, will and agency escaping the clutch of death completely preserved, but completely subject to the caster's will. The undead will lose 1 level per month until, at level 0, they instead become a mindless ravenous lvl1 undead.

Back from the Graves
Level: 5/iii. Range: 20'. Casting time: 1 turn. Duration: instantaneous.
The closest humanoid corpses to the caster will animate as undead. The spell affects 2 corpses per Caster level and the undead created are level 1. Their personalities have been completely corrupted by the ordeal of waking up as rotting corpses: they are spiteful, ravenous and angry with all that is alive, but they must save or obey every wish of the caster. The spell ingredients cost 1000c.
Dispensation - the casting time is 1 turn per corpse to be reanimated.

Gift of Immortality
Level: 6/iii. Range: touch. Casting time: 8 hours. Duration: instantaneous.
Like Interrupted Rest except that the subject's powers, skills, levels, personality, will and agency escape the clutch ofdeath completely preserved. The spell also laces the corpse with necromantic energy. The subject gains undead immunities, one Undead Ability determined rolling 1d6 on the following table, plus the ability to see in the dark. The spell needs ingredients costing 1000c.
1: any physical contact transfers 1d6 hits from the victim to the undead
2: immunity to cold and spells up to level 1d6+1
3: any victim killed with natural attacks will raise as a lvl 1 undead minion in 1 turn
4: once per day the undead can teleport between shadows
5: victims hit by the undead natural attack must save or be paralyzed for 1 turn
6: become incorporeal for up to 1 hour, either once per day or spending 1 mana.
While incorporeal the undead can't interact with non-magic objects.

Great Gift of Immortality
Level: 10/v. Range: touch. Casting time: 12 hours. Duration: instantaneous.
Like Gift of Immortality except the subject gains one random undead ability per Tier it had before death. The spell requires ingredients costing 5000c.

Lost Company
Level: 11/iv. Range: 100 yards. Casting time: 1 round. Duration: instantaneous.
Like Zombify except it affects the closest 250 corpses. The spell needs ingredients costing 10000c.

Grand Celebration of the Chthonic Gods
Level: 12/vi. Range: 1 mile. Casting time: 8 hours. Duration: instantaneous.
The caster finds a suitable threshold for having a meal of dog meat and burying
alive 12 innocent people, 6 men and 6 women, each person wearing jewelry worth 2500c. Two hours after the burial 250 corpses within range animate like Zombify. At the fourth, sixth and eight hour of casting a characters of level 1d6+1 animates as per the spell Great Gift of Immortality. They report for duty as lieutenants, their devotion to the caster unshakable. Each lieutenant independently controls 250 corpses that animate together with them. If a lieutenant is destroyed its now free-willed company will do its best to take as many lives as possible. The 12 victims are never reanimated: after the burial they simply vanish from below the ground.
Alteration - Totentanz - Like Interrupted Rest except affecting all corpses in range. The ingredients cost 10000c.

Dead Head
Level: 4/ii. Range: touch. Casting time: instantaneous. Duration: until dawn.
The Caster animates an undead severed head, known as a Dead Head, completely subject to the caster’s will. The head has 1 Hit per caster’s Tier and whispers with a really quiet voice. If an appendage is stitched to it, the Dead Head will be able to use it to move around, flying with bird or bat wings, hopping on a foot, crawling on a hand.
Alteration - Heeding Head - Duration: permanent - a head is set up to watch over a passage or an entrance, and the caster can order it to watch for a particular event or creature. When the head witnesses the event or creature it will report it by talking, whispering or shouting.