Undead Origins

[Voadam]

Complete Mage

Complete Mage
3.5
Zombie: Seed of Undeath spell.
Greater Seed of Undeath spell.

SEED OF UNDEATH
Necromancy
Level: Cleric 4, sorcerer/wizard 4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 full round
Range: Touch
Target: Living humanoid or animal touched
Duration: 1 day/level (D)
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes
The subject’s face briefly takes on a gaunt, pale look and a death’s-head rictus before returning to normal.
You plant a kernel of negative energy in a subject, which is held in check by the positive energy inherent to the subject’s own life force. Seed of undeath does not in and of itself, harm the subject. Should the subject die before the spell expires, however, it rises as a zombie 1 round later (as per the animate dead spell), as long as a sufficient corpse remains.
Any undead created in this manner are automatically under your control. At any given time, you can have a number of HD worth of undead animated through seed of undeath equal to your own HD, and they count against the maximum number of HD worth of undead you can control at any time (as described under animate dead).
Material Component: A black onyx gem worth 25 gp per HD of the subject.

SEED OF UNDEATH, GREATER
Necromancy
Level: Cleric 7, sorcerer/wizard 7
Components: V, S, M
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area: 40-ft.-radius emanation
Every creature in the area briefly takes on a corpselike appearance, then returns to normal.
This spell functions like seed of undeath, except it applies to any humanoid or animal that dies in the area while the spell is in effect.
Corpses of creatures that died before you cast the spell, or that died outside the area and were then carried within, are unaffected.
Material Component: A black onyx worth at least 5,000 gp.

 

[Voadam]

Dragon Magic

Dragon Magic
3.5
Undead Dragon: ?
Dracolich: ?
Ghost Dragon: ?
Vampiric Dragon: ?

 

[Voadam]

Dragonlance Campaign Setting

Dragonlance Campaign Setting
3.5
Death Knight of Krynn: Death knights are terrifying corruptions of those who once served as champions of a god. Only a handful of such beings have existed in Krynn’s history, most of whom were Knights of Solamnia in life. Gods of Evil create death knights in return for terrible acts on the part of those who have spurned the protection of the deities of Good.
“Death knight” is a template that can be added to any humanoid creature of 6th level or higher.
Lord Ausric Krell, Death Knight Fighter 5, Knight of the Lily 7: A Nordmaarian youth recruited directly by Lord Ariakan, Lord Ausric Krell rose to hold the rank of “Night Warrior” in the Knights of Takhisis, serving and fighting directly under Lord Ariakan himself during the Chaos War. Dishonoring himself and disobeying every tenet of the Dark Knights, Ausric secretly plotted against his lord, finally poisoning Ariakan’s mount before the last, fateful battle with the forces of Chaos.
Anyone who might have discovered Ausric’s treachery died in the battle, and he too was overwhelmed and killed by the enemy. The goddess Zeboim, however, found out about the murder of her son and was determined to avenge him. She cursed Ausric to eternal, tormented life.
Fireshadow: Any living creature reduced to Constitution 0 by the green flame of a fireshadow becomes a fireshadow within 1d4 rounds.
Skeletal Warrior: Skeletal warriors were dangerous combatants in life who are forced to battle on after death.
To be considered for transformation to a skeletal warrior, a character must be at least 3rd level.
“Skeletal warrior” is a template that can be added to any humanoid creature.
If a death knight creates a skeletal warrior, it must serve its master until either the death knight or skeletal warrior is destroyed. When a skeletal warrior is created through arcane or divine magic, however, its soul is trapped in a golden circlet, which can then be used to command the creature. Unless commanded against it, a skeletal warrior will do anything in its power to recover the golden circlet and ensure its own free will. A skeletal warrior’s golden circlet is much like a lich’s phylactery.
The spellcaster creating the golden circlet must be a cleric, mystic, sorcerer, or wizard of at least 6th level who possesses the Craft Wondrous Item feat. The golden circlet costs 60,000 stl and 2,400 XP to create and has a caster level equal to that of its creator at the time of its creation.
Physically, golden circlets are unremarkable bands of gold with a circumference large enough to fit around the creator’s head. The golden circlet has a hardness rating of 10, 20 hit points, and a break DC of 20.
Here Sir Ausric Krell, a death knight served by a group of skeletal warriors, is imprisoned, battered by a perpetual storm. Fighting loneliness and boredom, he might keep captives alive for a time before killing them. He forces those he kills to serve him forever as skeletal warriors.
Grimix, Skeletal Warrior Barbarian 4: A minotaur warrior who survived a shipwreck upon the island of Storm’s Keep, Grimix found himself challenged by the death knight, Lord Ausric. Never one to back down, Grimix fought the death knight and was quickly dispatched. Ausric admired the minotaur’s bravery in the face of overwhelming odds, and raised him as a skeletal warrior to serve in the death knight’s growing retinue.
Spectral Minion: A spectral minion is the soul of an intelligent humanoid who died before she could fulfill an important vow. Even in death, spectral minions are bound by the vow or quest placed upon them while they were alive.
“Spectral minion” is a template that can be added to any humanoid, monstrous humanoid or giant creature.
Spectral minions may have been anything in life, from a lowly clerk to a mighty heroic paladin.
Dedrinch, Spectral Minion Expert 5: This spectral minion was a former scribe and archivist who turned to forgery as a way to make more money. Although he can provide helpful advice or information to adventurers who encounter him in his buried library ruins, his overriding goal is to create perfect forgeries of all the volumes in his collection.
Lord Soth, Death Knight: When Lord Soth was cursed for his crimes at the moment of the Cataclysm, he became a death knight.
Fistandantilus, Demilich: ?
Undead Dragon: ?
Shadow Wight: ?
Frost Wight: ?

Undead: Chemosh is the creator and ruler of the undead. Chemosh raises and animates corpses and imprisons souls by tempting mortals with promises of eternal “life,” dooming them to a horrible existence as his undead slaves.
Ghoul: ?
Ghast: ?
Skeleton: ?
Wight: ?
Zombie: ?
Lich: Many clerics of Chemosh hold their positions for generations, using their powers to cling to control even after death by transforming themselves into liches or other dread beings.
Banshee: ?
Ghost: The “Lake of Death” occupies the area where the capital city of Qualinost once stood. The White-Rage River empties into the lake. It is likely that some of the buildings in the ruined city still stand far beneath the surface of the water, along with the carcass of the alien green dragon Beryllinthranox. Many say the ghosts of those who died on both sides haunt the lake.

 

[Voadam]

Eberron Campaign Setting

Eberron Campaign Setting
3.5
Deathless: Deathless is a new creature type, describing creatures that have died but returned to a kind of spiritual life.
The deathless are strongly tied to the plane of Irian, the Eternal Day, the birthplace of all souls. In fact, the death less are little more than disincarnate souls, sometimes wrapped in material flesh, often incorporeal and hardly more substantial than a soul in its purest state.
In the center of the island-continent lies a region where necromantic energy flows easily, and it was here that the elf Priests of Transition discovered the rites and rituals required to preserve their elders beyond death.
Ascendant Councilor: ?
Karrnathi Skeleton: It has been imbued with malign intelligence, and its bones have been treated alchemically to make them more resilient.
Karrnathi skeletons are created from the remains of elite Karrnathi soldiers slain in battle.
First, the priests worked with Kaius’s own court wizards to perfect the process for creating zombie and skeleton troops to bolster Karrnath’s forces. With the addition of armor and weapons, as well as a slight increase in power, these undead were stronger and more formidable than the average mindless walking corpse.
Karrnathi Skeleton Archer: ?
Karrnathi Zombie: It has been imbued with evil intelligence, and its desiccated flesh has been treated alchemically to make it more resilient.
Karrnathi zombies are created from the remains of elite Karrnathi soldiers slain in battle.
First, the priests worked with Kaius’s own court wizards to perfect the process for creating zombie and skeleton troops to bolster Karrnath’s forces. With the addition of armor and weapons, as well as a slight increase in power, these undead were stronger and more formidable than the average mindless walking corpse.
Karrnathi Zombie Archer: ?
Undying Councilor: Similar in some ways to undead mummies, undying councilors are the well-preserved corpses of ancient elves, still animated by their benevolent spirits.
An undying soldier or councilor is an undead creature, but it is charged with positive energy and sustained by the devotion of its descendants.
Undying Soldier: An undying soldier or councilor is an undead creature, but it is charged with positive energy and sustained by the devotion of its descendants.
Erandis d'Vol, Vol, Queen of the Dead, Elf Half-Dragon Lich Wizard 16: In life, Vol was the heir to the fortunes of House Vol. She carried the Mark of Death and proudly proclaimed her heritage as both elf and green dragon. Her half-dragon blood, once thought to be a way to end the elf-dragon wars, eventually led to the eradication of House Vol as both elves and dragons declared the mixing of the species to be an abomination. Lady Vol survived the destruction of her family, but became an undead creature—a lich.
As the Vol family was slaughtered, the matriarch used her powers over death to make sure her beloved daughter survived. Erandis became a lich, and now remains as the single memory of her family’s ancient glory.
Undead Mind Flayer: ?
Kaius III , Kaius I, Human Vampire Aristocrat 2, Fighter 11: When Vol, the ancient lich at the heart of the Blood of Vol cult, appeared before Kaius to collect her “considerations” for the aid her priests provided him, he had no choice but to submit. In addition to allowing the cult to establish temples and bases throughout Karrnath, Vol demanded that Kaius partake in the Sacrament of Blood. Instead of the usual ceremony, Vol invoked an ancient incantation that turned Kaius into a vampire.
Moranna, Human Vampire Aristocrat 4: ?
Malevanor, Mummy Half-Elf Cleric 8:
Spectral Dinosaur: ?
Undead Lizardfolk Priest: ?
Undead Dragon: ?
Undead Rat Monstrosity: Deep in the sewers of Sharn, a mad necromancer assembles a device to transform the rats of the city into undead monstrosities.
Skeletal Dragon: ?
Ghostbear: Some of the scavengers believe that the ghostbeasts are guardian spirits left behind by the royal family of Cyre to protect the city. Others say that they are the ghosts of the city’s dead.

Zombie: Emerald Reanimator Eldritch Machine magic item.
Skeleton: ?
Vampire: ?
Lich: ?
Ghoul: ?
Ghost: When Dolurrh is coterminous, slippage can sometimes occur between the Material Plane and the Realm of the Dead. Ghosts become common on Eberron because it is as easy for spirits to remain in the world of the living as it is for them to pass to Dolurrh. Spells to bring back the dead work normally, but run the risk of calling back more spirits than the one desired. Whenever a character is brought back from the dead while Dolurrh is coterminous, roll on the following table.
d% Result
01–50 Spell functions normally.
51–80 1d4 ghosts (CR = raised character’s level) appear near the raised character.
81–90 As above, but the wrong spirit claims the risen body and the intended spirit returns as a ghost.
91–99 The spell functions normally, but a nalfeshnee possesses the raised character.
100 The spell does not function; instead, a nalfeshnee animates the body.
Dolurrh is coterminous for a period of one year every century, precisely fifty years after each period of being remote.
Some of the scavengers believe that the ghostbeasts are guardian spirits left behind by the royal family of Cyre to protect the city. Others say that they are the ghosts of the city’s dead.
Dracolich: The Order of the Emerald Claw has sent a mad wizard to raise an army of dracoliches from the battlefields of the Age of Demons.
Dust Wight: ?
Ephemeral Swarm: ?
Bodak: ?
Nightshade: ?
Shadow: ?
Necronaut: ?
Vasuthant: ?

Emerald Reanimator: This gruesome device incorporates bone and undead flesh into its construction. Any creature that dies within 2 miles of this eldritch machine immediately animates as a zombie under the control of the device’s creator. An emerald reanimator must be built within a manifest zone linked to Mabar.

 

[Voadam]

Eberron Faiths of Eberron

Eberron Faiths of Eberron
3.5
General Raulz, Karrnathi Skeleton Cleric 9: ?
Erandis d'Vol: Rather than see her daughter destroyed, Minara used her powers over life and death to transform Erandis into a lich.
Kaius I, Human Vampire: Vol herself came before the king of Karrnath to claim her due. First, she demanded that her cult be allowed to establish temples and bases in his kingdom.
Second, she required Kaius to undergo the Sacrament of Blood. Kaius had heard of the ritual and knew it was harmless to participants, so he agreed. Vol deceived him, however, and used the ritual to turn Kaius into her own personal thrall as a vampire.
Malevanor, Mummy Cleric 9: ?
Baszilio, Human Vampire Rogue 2, Wizard 5, Cleric 3: ?
Randall A leazar d’Deneith, Vampire Human Rogue 7: ?

Spectre: The former high priest of the Monastery of the Unyielding Shield has become a spectre.

 

[Voadam]

Eberron Secrets of Sarlona

Eberron Secrets of Sarlona
3.5
Old Copper Dragon Ghost: ?

Undead: Test of Death: The massive skull of a black dragon rests in the center of this chamber, signifying the baleful majesty of Falazure. Its eyes flash red as anyone enters, calling forth heinous undead to harry good folk. Evil beings might find a boon here instead, such as the secret of becoming one of the free-willed undead, if they are willing to risk death to acquire it.
Shanjueed Jungle is one of the largest Mabar manifest zones on Eberron. The center of the zone lies in the heart of the forest. It expands slowly each year and now covers a circle nearly as wide as the forest. Within the zone, it is as if Mabar were coterminous with Eberron. In addition, anyone slain in the forest rises as a random type of undead the next night (usually a zombie).
Zombie: Shanjueed Jungle is one of the largest Mabar manifest zones on Eberron. The center of the zone lies in the heart of the forest. It expands slowly each year and now covers a circle nearly as wide as the forest. Within the zone, it is as if Mabar were coterminous with Eberron. In addition, anyone slain in the forest rises as a random type of undead the next night (usually a zombie).

 

[MNblockhead]

Has anyone put together an organized and formatted compilation of all undead origins? It would be cool to have that on PDF. My searching just returns bestiaries and comic series.

 

[Voadam]

I had a bunch of links to compilation pages of the ones I have recorded organized by game system with notations for follow up sources on the first entry for particular types of undead, but those now lead to the wrong pages after the update. It will be at least a little while before I adjust them to the new page system.

Edit: The first page has the correct link now to page 17

 

[Voadam]

Eberron Secrets of Xen'Drik
3.5
Cloud Giant Skeleton: Even as he died, Izzdelth was animated by the arcane energy he wielded.
Advanced Bodak: Even as he died, Izzdelth was animated by the arcane energy he wielded.

Vampire: It is rumored that the secretive elven sect of the Qabalrin gave birth to the first vampires, and that these undead lords still sleep in hidden vaults.
Skeleton: The spirits of the giants who died in the City of Gold emerge to hunt any who dare trespass on their eternal home.
Many elf slaves also died in the City of Gold, and their restless spirits present just as potent a threat as the undead giants.
Zombie: The spirits of the giants who died in the City of Gold emerge to hunt any who dare trespass on their eternal home.
Many elf slaves also died in the City of Gold, and their restless spirits present just as potent a threat as the undead giants.
Spectre: The spirits of the giants who died in the City of Gold emerge to hunt any who dare trespass on their eternal home.
Many elf slaves also died in the City of Gold, and their restless spirits present just as potent a threat as the undead giants.
Mummy: The spirits of the giants who died in the City of Gold emerge to hunt any who dare trespass on their eternal home.
Many elf slaves also died in the City of Gold, and their restless spirits present just as potent a threat as the undead giants.
Wraith: The spirits of the giants who died in the City of Gold emerge to hunt any who dare trespass on their eternal home.
Many elf slaves also died in the City of Gold, and their restless spirits present just as potent a threat as the undead giants.
Undead: If no sentient races inhabit the caverns, then PCs might encounter entombed undead animated by the demise of Izzdelth. When the great necromancer died, his power seeped into the surrounding area, animating the corpses of the fallen.
Nightshade: Even as he died, Izzdelth was animated by the arcane energy he wielded.

 

[Voadam]

Eberron The Forge of War
3.5
Karrnathi Dread Marshall: The result of substantial necromantic experimentation was the dread marshal, an undead officer of greater skill, higher Intelligence, and a substantially stronger sense of personality, than any Karrnathi undead before.
Skeletal Heavy Warhorse: ?
Avlast, Ghast Fighter 2: ?
Shiril, Wight Rogue 2: ?
Lavro, Mummy: ?
Mathir, Ghoul Adept 4: ?
Woeforged: The necromancers of Karrnath have made a horrific discovery deep in the gray mist. A band of warforged once assumed to be part of the Lord of Blades’ cult are in fact nothing of the kind. Just as the warforged are “sort of” alive, they can apparently become “sort of” undead. These “woeforged,” as the necromancers have come to call them, are rusted and broken, just as normal undead are often decayed, and they show the same affinity for negative energy as other undead. Where they come from, who created them, and what they can do remain unclear.
Lord Vladimar Kronen, Ghoul Fighter 5, Cleric 4: ?

Undead: During the spring and summer of 898, new armies arose within the catacombs of the City of Night, as necromancers and corpse collectors created the first undead Legion of Atur.
In mid-994, Cyre launched a deep-strike invasion of Karrnath aimed at the undead-producing crypts of Atur.
Next, the flashback PCs find themselves dispatched to investigate why an entire town in Thrane has fallen silent. Their discovery is horrific: The townsfolk have been wiped out by a virulent plague, very much like the one they faced years ago. Some of the townsfolk have not remained dead, and the PCs must prevent the spread not of plague, but of plague-spawned undead!
Karrnathi Skeleton: ?
Karrnathi Zombie: ?
Skeleton: ?
Zombie: Any living creature that dies by violence or disease in Valin Field has a 5% chance of rising as an undead on the second nightfall after its death, unless it is removed from the area. Sentient beings rise as ghouls or ghosts, while nonsentient beings become zombies or ghost brutes.
Human Warrior Skeleton: ?
Human Commoner Zombie: ?
Bleakborn: ?
Bodak: ?
Ghoul: Any living creature that dies by violence or disease in Valin Field has a 5% chance of rising as an undead on the second nightfall after its death, unless it is removed from the area. Sentient beings rise as ghouls or ghosts, while nonsentient beings become zombies or ghost brutes.
Although Lake Brey is normal everywhere else, a haven for fishermen and boaters, the water turns dark where it nears Valin Field. The tide and the waves leave a bloody stain where they wash over the shore. Plants rot and fish lie dying. Anyone who comes into contact with the water in this location for more than 1 round risks contracting ghoul fever, just as if he or she had been injured by a ghoul. Anyone who eats a plant or animal from this portion of the lake contracts ghoul fever with no save allowed.
Ghost: In the weeks after the fire, the Knights of Thrane and their cleric allies struggled to destroy the remaining undead and rid the city of its Karrnathi stench, but the damage and loss of life were staggering. The city never recovered, and most today believe it is haunted by the ghosts of its burned residents.
Any living creature that dies by violence or disease in Valin Field has a 5% chance of rising as an undead on the second nightfall after its death, unless it is removed from the area. Sentient beings rise as ghouls or ghosts, while nonsentient beings become zombies or ghost brutes.
The citizens of Valin never stood a chance. Their few defenders were swiftly overrun by the Knights of Thrane, and those who died by the sword or the lance were the fortunate ones. At Kronen’s orders, the survivors were rounded up, impaled, and burned, their bodies scattered across the surrounding fields in symbols of great occult significance that Kronen believed were honoring the Silver Flame. Ash and boiling blood spilled over the fields; screams drowned out the crackling of flames and the shrieks of crows in the sky, come to feast on the body.
Legends disagree on the reason for what happened next. Did the ghosts of the dying call down vengeance on their attackers? Did the land itself rebel against the horrors committed upon it? Did the Silver Flame punish those who committed such atrocities in its name? Whatever the cause, the carrion birds and scavengers—crows and vultures, dogs and wolves—turned talons and jaws not upon the bodies, but upon the soldiers of Thrane. To the last individual, everyone who followed Kronen’s mad orders was ripped apart and consumed. Of Kronen himself, no trace was found, except for his emblem of the Silver Flame, scored and defaced by the raking of a thousand claws.
Ghost Brute: Any living creature that dies by violence or disease in Valin Field has a 5% chance of rising as an undead on the second nightfall after its death, unless it is removed from the area. Sentient beings rise as ghouls or ghosts, while nonsentient beings become zombies or ghost brutes.
Deathshrieker: ?
Ghast: Although Lake Brey is normal everywhere else, a haven for fishermen and boaters, the water turns dark where it nears Valin Field. The tide and the waves leave a bloody stain where they wash over the shore. Plants rot and fish lie dying. Anyone who comes into contact with the water in this location for more than 1 round risks contracting ghoul fever, just as if he or she had been injured by a ghoul. Anyone who eats a plant or animal from this portion of the lake contracts ghoul fever with no save allowed.
Spectre: ?
Wraith: ?