Undead Origins

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Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition Companion

Advanced Edition Companion
Labyrinth Lord
Undead: Orcus is the Prince of the Undead, and it is said that he alone created the first undead that walked the worlds.
Ghast: ?
Ghost: These incorporeal, ethereal beings are the animated spirits of horribly evil humans. In life their evil was so great as to attract otherworldly attention, and the powers preserved their being as ghosts after death.
Groaning Spirit, Banshee: The groaning spirit is the malevolent spirit of a female elf that is found haunting swamps, fens, moors, and other desolate places.
Lich: A lich is an undead magic-user of at least 18th level (and possibly multiclassed) who has used its magical powers and a phylactery to unnaturally extend its life.
Being of Death: ?

Skeleton: Animate Dead spell.
Zombie: Animate Dead spell.

Animate Dead
Level: 3
Duration: Permanent
Range: 60'
This spell turns the bones or bodies of dead creatures into undead skeletons or zombies that follow the caster's spoken commands. The undead can follow the caster, or they can remain in an area and attack any creature (or just a specific kind of creature) entering the place. They remain animated until they are destroyed or until a dispel magic spell is cast upon them.
The caster may animate a number of hit die worth of zombies or skeletons equal to the casterEs level. For example, a 7th level cleric can animate seven skeletons, but only three zombies. These creatures are unintelligent, and do not retain any abilities that they had in life. All skeletons have an AC of 7 and hit dice equal to the creature in life. Zombies have an AC of 8, and the number of hit dice of the living creature +1. It is important to note that if a character is animated in this fashion, he will not have hit dice related to his class level, but instead will have the standard skeleton or zombie hit dice. A lawful character that casts this spell may draw disfavor from his god.

 

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Basilisk Goggles & Wishing Wells

Basilisk Goggles & Wishing Wells
Labyrinth Lord
Spectre: If killed while wearing the cloak of spectral revenge, a wearer automatically rises as a spectre in 1d4 turns, leaving the cloak with her corpse.
Wraith: Darkshade overuse.
Any characters killed by the wraith helm's negative energy attack (reduced to level 0 or below) become wraiths within 2d4 rounds.
Wight exposure to Hatchery Egg.
Undead: Slab of Redemption.
Non-evil enveloped by Earth's black blood summoned by a variant Rod of Magma.
Zombie: Flesh exposure to Hatchery Egg.
Ghoul: Zombie exposure to Hatchery Egg.
Wight: Ghoul exposure to Hatchery Egg.

Cloak of Spectral Revenge
Although the cloak can be worn by any character, only the truly singleminded, desperate, or fanatical consciously use this item. If killed while wearing the cloak, a wearer automatically rises as a spectre in 1d4 turns, leaving the cloak with her corpse. This undead monster hunts down and slays her killer, then becomes free-willed. The item’s power interferes with protective enchantments, so the owner cannot also wear magical armor/items that improve her armor class.

Darkshade
This small species of nightshade is popular in some circles, because eating the purplish-blue berries allows a person to speak with the dead. There are some restrictions, however: the speaker must remain within five feet of the burial site and a conversation can last no more than an hour. Despite the latter constraint, the speaker can ask as many questions as she wants.
Although very beneficial, the berries must be used sparingly and infrequently. They are relatively toxic, inflicting 2d6 points of damage (save versus poison for half ), but, worse, overuse can be deadly. A single spirit may be woken once per season without danger — if allowed sufficient rest. Waking it more often, or speaking to it for more than an hour… annoys… a spirit. Its features darken and the surrounding air crackles as the spirit transforms into a wraith. This takes one round, after which the undead tries to kill its persecutor before stalking other living creatures.
Those with dark intent can purposely raise wraiths this way, but this is a truly evil act, as the wraith can never turn back into a peaceful spirit. Given the newly-changed wraith’s desire to target its antagonist, the malicious might send dupes to trigger the transformation. In this way, the berries’ effect can also be used as a tool for indirect murder: the wraith hunts the person manipulated into waking it until the intended victim is dead or on another plane.

Slab of Redemption
Found in temples to good gods, this massive stone table converts a 6th level cleric spell into an unusual effect. When a person or creature, dead less than 8 hours, is laid upon the slab, its alignment changes to the god’s and its soul thereafter serves the god. There are several possibilities of how the dead character’s story continues. Depending on the deity’s wishes, the dead may stay dead, with their spirits becoming minor servants on the material plane; or, they might become undead; or, some lucky few might be resurrected. As there are no rules for spirits in Labyrinth Lord, how this concept works in a particular campaign is purely up to the LL. Also note, there are equivalent slabs of corruption in some evil temples.

Wraith Helm
Incorporeal undead such as wraiths cannot touch the world they inhabit, cursed to only watch their surroundings until destroyed. By wearing one of these eerily beautiful, gold-chased silver helms, a bodiless undead can make itself corporeal for five turns. Unlike other focusing items, a wraith helm draws its power not from the wearer, but through it, by taking over the undead’s life-draining attack.
When a monster first dons the helm, a single blast of negative energy rips 2d4 levels from all living things within 100’. Because the blast affects everything nearby, even those creatures just underground, a circle of death forms, and comes to resemble a snowless winter landscape. Those victims who make their saving throw versus death lose only one level. Any characters killed by this attack (reduced to level 0 or below) become wraiths within 2d4 rounds, controlled by the helm-wearer. Destroying or blessing the bodies before the spirits rise prevents this transformation. Should this fail to happen, the created wraiths remain in existence until destroyed; they do not disappear when the original undead returns to its incorporeal state after five turns. If the wearer removes the helm, the wraiths become free-willed, but may ally with their creator if treated well.
Following the initial blast attack, the borderland creature is relatively helpless, aside from any wraiths created: for the five turns of being solid, the creature cannot use its normal draining power. The energy blast from the wraith helm can lay waste to battalions, but the creature itself was so warped mentally by the transformation to un-death, that it lost any ability to use weapons. However, it can touch things and interact with the material world. While solid, the creature keeps the same stats as its incorporeal form, but has an AC of 8 and loses its resistance to normal and silver weapons. Should the creature be “killed” while in this liminal state, it is permanently destroyed.

Hatchery Egg
Long exposure to negative energy corrupted this dragon egg. It will never hatch on its own (unless the LL has something nifty in mind), but the hatchery egg does create “life,” after a fashion. Any nuggets of flesh within 200’ of the egg and larger than 10 pounds — including body parts, animal corpses, a month’s worth of jerked meat provisions, and even the living dead — are slowly transformed. Initially, the bad bits of beef stand up as zombies following a full day spent in the 200’ exposure zone. But, if the zombies hang around long enough, they get “upgraded.” Two weeks after becoming zombies the undead become ghouls; a month after this the ghouls become wights; three months after that the wights become wraiths, the most powerful undead most hatchery eggs can create. The exposure effect can pass through stone and earth, but is blocked by metal.
If the LL wishes, there could a gradual progression to the undead upgrading process: e.g., ghouls could become more powerful over days, or wights slowly less substantial as the weeks go on. This could merely be a pain for some LLs, or it could be an opportunity to try out some “half types” of undead surprise you’ve been thinking about springing on your party.

Magma Rod
An ordinary-looking length of heavy, reddish wood, this rod gives no ready sign of its function. Close magical examination indicates the rod provides mineral wealth when driven into the ground and triggered with a command word. But this is a cruel, perhaps deadly joke: the rod does provide mineral wealth — in the form of a volcano.
Activating the rod releases a geyser of lava, consuming the rod and covering everything in a 50’ radius with liquid rock. Thereafter, the volcano grows by 100’ per month until it reaches a size determined by the Labyrinth Lord. The rod can be activated underground, which may affect the surface. Used underwater, the rod can create a new island.
A very rare version of the rod does not bring magma to the surface, but rather the Earth’s black blood. This evil, gooey substance fills a dome, much like a blood blister, rather than a volcano’s traditional cone shape. Because the black blood is less dense than lava, those enveloped may survive the experience — if they are evil. Those who are not drown in liquid darkness, rising to become undead horrors.

 

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Beast Folio Volume 2

Beast Folio Volume 2
Labyrinth Lord
Gula: A Gula is born when someone dies from starvation, from simply being a poor peasant slowly diminishing away to a criminal locked in a dungeon cell.
For reasons unknown the starved return from death seeking everything and anything to consume.
Zombie Radiation: Radiation Zombie are created when a human is exposed to highly radioactive material. Depending on the level of radiation it will either kill them outright or slowly poison them over a period of time. A small number of those slain by radiation will return to life as a Radiation Zombie.

 

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Bestiarum Vocabulum Monstrous Plants

Bestiarum Vocabulum Monstrous Plants
Labyrinth Lord
Wraith: Darkshade plant over use.

Darkshade
This small species of nightshade is popular in some circles, because eating the purplish-blue berries allows a person to speak with the dead. There are some restrictions, however: the speaker must remain within five feet of the burial site and a conversation can last no more than an hour. Despite the latter constraint, the speaker can ask as many questions as she wants.
Although very beneficial, the berries must be used sparingly and infrequently. They are relatively toxic, inflicting 2d6 points of damage (save versus poison for half), but, worse, overuse can be deadly. A single spirit may be woken once per season without danger — if allowed sufficient rest. Waking it more often, or speaking to it for more than an hour… annoys… a spirit. Its features darken and the surrounding air crackles as the spirit transforms into a wraith. This takes one round, after which the undead tries to kill its persecutor before stalking other living creatures.

 

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Brave the Labyrinth 4

Brave the Labyrinth 4
Labyrinth Lord
Undead: Chaotic Raise chaos magic spell.
Zombie: In traditional fantasy role-playing, zombies are shambling undead corpses who have been given life via unholy magic—whether arcane or divine.
Magical Experimentation: In this instance some form of magical incantation or alchemical formula has transformed the victim into a zombie. Maybe a foolish wizard consumed a potion whose reagents had fouled or a mad sorcerer animated a corpse with magical energy
No Room Left in Hell: Worst of all, what if the lower planes where the souls of chaotic creatures and vile things are condemned to go after they die is now brimming with so much evil that there is no more room? With no place for these horrid souls to go, they rise from the grave and carry out their malicious desires in reanimated corpses driven by their own hatred for the forces of law and good.
If the virus does not remain dormant in the target's system until they die then they simply rise as a zombie 1d12 rounds after the victim dies. If the virus is fast acting, the target becomes a zombie within 1d4 rounds after being exposed to the virus. If the virus is degenerative, the target takes 1d6 hit points of damage each day until they are dead. Within 4d6 hours of death via this degeneration they rise again as a zombie.
Generally speaking, regardless of how the virus is passed between victims, the target should be entitled to a saving throw vs. disease to resist the effects. However, particularly potent strains may impose a penalty to this save of up to -4.
It is up to each individual referee whether or not the zombie virus can be cured by a cure disease spell, though it is highly recommended to avoid such an easy fix. Generally speaking, short of a wish, the zombie virus should be incurable.
Bite: In this case, the disease is passed on when the zombie bites an individual and that person is not slain.
Airborne: The plague is spread merely by proximity. Anyone who comes within thirty feet of a zombie must make a saving throw vs. disease or else contract the virus and rise as a zombie after death.
Ingesting: Whether a poison or some kind of fouled food, the virus is passed on when the target consumes something that carries the disease. They must make a saving throw every time they consume an item that is carrying the virus.
Spore: This rare fungus grows in dungeons and when disturbed it releases spoors into the air. Anyone within 30' of the spoors must make a saving throw vs. disease or contract the virus.
Magical: The virus is contracted via arcane (or divine, at the referee's discretion) spellcasting. Any time a character casts a spell, they must make a saving throw or risk contracting the virus.

Chaotic Raise
During combat, the shaman may bring back a fallen comrade. The target rises the round after the spell is cast as an undead version of its previous self (meaning a cleric may attempt to Turn it), with max hit points. The Labyrinth Lord is free to choose the type of undead, depending on the party's level.

 

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Challenge of the Frog Idol

Challenge of the Frog Idol
Labyrinth Lord
Wolf Ghoul: ?
Giant Catfish Zombie: ?

Wight: ?
Zombie: ?

 

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Class Compendium

Class Compendium
Labyrinth Lord
Skeleton: When a death knight reaches 9th level he may invade an existing stronghold or castle and seize control of it by force. If successful, the death knight can use dark magic to raise the now-slain former residents of the stronghold to serve him as undead servants. Most will return as skeletons or zombies in the service of the death knight, though at the Labyrinth Lord's discretion particularly powerful foes may rise as a wight or even a vampire. All of these undead creatures will serve the death knight until they are slain.
Animate Dead spell.
Zombie: When a death knight reaches 9th level he may invade an existing stronghold or castle and seize control of it by force. If successful, the death knight can use dark magic to raise the now-slain former residents of the stronghold to serve him as undead servants. Most will return as skeletons or zombies in the service of the death knight, though at the Labyrinth Lord's discretion particularly powerful foes may rise as a wight or even a vampire. All of these undead creatures will serve the death knight until they are slain.
Animate Dead spell.
Wight: When a death knight reaches 9th level he may invade an existing stronghold or castle and seize control of it by force. If successful, the death knight can use dark magic to raise the now-slain former residents of the stronghold to serve him as undead servants. Most will return as skeletons or zombies in the service of the death knight, though at the Labyrinth Lord's discretion particularly powerful foes may rise as a wight or even a vampire. All of these undead creatures will serve the death knight until they are slain.
Vampire: When a death knight reaches 9th level he may invade an existing stronghold or castle and seize control of it by force. If successful, the death knight can use dark magic to raise the now-slain former residents of the stronghold to serve him as undead servants. Most will return as skeletons or zombies in the service of the death knight, though at the Labyrinth Lord's discretion particularly powerful foes may rise as a wight or even a vampire. All of these undead creatures will serve the death knight until they are slain.
Eidolon: Not all who are slain find peace. Many cannot release their hold on the mortal life and linger as spirits with unfinished business. Driven to complete these incomplete obligations, they can find no peace until their business is complete. They are the restless spirits bound to the land of the living by a thread of passion.
All Eidolons are driven to continue their tortured existence by an all consuming passion. This passion must be selected at character creation and cannot be changed. Whether it's a quest for revenge, the desire to recover a long lost artifact or to protect a loved one who still dwells amongst the living – this is the very desire which drives the Eidolon to exist. The exact nature of this passion is up to the player and must be agreed upon by the Labyrinth Lord.
At the Labyrinth Lord's discretion, player characters who are slain may rise again as 1st level Eidolons. These characters lose all of the previous abilities associated with their class. Former thieves cannot pick pockets and former magic-users cannot cast spells, for example.
If the Labyrinth Lord offers the option for a slain character to become an Eidolon, that character must first succeed in a Saving Throw vs. Death based upon the level and class had when they were alive. If successful, they rise in 4d6 hours as a 1st level Eidolon. The player of newly reborn Eidolon and the Labyrinth Lord will need to work together to determine the character's Driving Passion.
Only player characters with a Wisdom of 12 or higher have the option of becoming Eidolons.

Animate Dead
Level: Cultist 3, Metaphysician 3 (Divine) or 5 (Arcane), Thopian Gnome 5, Wild Wizard 5
Duration: Permanent
Range: 60'
This spell turns the bones or bodies of dead creatures into undead skeletons or zombies that follow the caster's spoken commands. The undead can follow the caster, or they can remain in an area and attack any creature (or just a specific kind of creature) entering the place. They remain animated until they are destroyed or until a dispel magic spell is cast upon them. The caster may animate a number of hit die worth of zombies or skeletons equal to the caster's level. For example, a 7th level cleric can animate seven skeletons, but only three zombies. These creatures are unintelligent, and do not retain any abilities that they had in life. All skeletons have an AC of 7 and hit dice equal to the creature in life. Zombies have an AC of 8, and the number of hit dice of the living creature +1. It is important to note that if a character is animated in this fashion, he will not have hit dice related to his class level, but instead will have the standard skeleton or zombie hit dice. A lawful character that casts this spell may draw disfavor from his god.

 

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DF To Light the Shadows

DF To Light the Shadows
Labyrinth Lord
Zombie: ?
Skeleton: ?
Ghoul: ?
Undead: Masque of the Tomb King

Masque of the Tomb King – This unholy relic allows creation of and control over the undead.

 

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Divine Test of Hel

Divine Test of Hel
Labyrinth Lord
Vampire: ?
Draugr: ?

 

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Divinities and Cults

Divinities and Cults
Labyrinth Lord
Undead: Cleric of Hel Drain Life Side Effect
3. I Stab at Thee! If slain by the life-draining process, the victim reanimates as an undead creature, of equal HD to the level it had in life, hel(l)-bent on getting its life force back from the recipient! It attacks until destroyed.