Undead Origins

[Voadam]

Relics
3.0
Undead Assassin Vine: The heart of darkness animates all corpses in a 100-foot radius. Everything that was once living is animated, depending on the dead material available, including earthworms, sentient plants, birds, and insects. The wielder can animate humanoid corpses as skeletons, zombies, ghouls, or ghasts. Dead plants are animated as undead assassin vines and trees as undead treants. Creatures without bones are animated as zombies. Apply an appropriate undead template to creatures, or simply use their standard game statistics but replace their creature types with undead.
Undead Treant: The heart of darkness animates all corpses in a 100-foot radius. Everything that was once living is animated, depending on the dead material available, including earthworms, sentient plants, birds, and insects. The wielder can animate humanoid corpses as skeletons, zombies, ghouls, or ghasts. Dead plants are animated as undead assassin vines and trees as undead treants. Creatures without bones are animated as zombies. Apply an appropriate undead template to creatures, or simply use their standard game statistics but replace their creature types with undead.
Eskil: The nightmare catcher is the creation of the skald Eskil, whom history remembers as the Betrayer of Antlon. On that bloody battlefield, while his family and friends lay dying, Eskil was cursed by his fiancee. with her last breath, she called upon the gods to deliver great vengeance upon him.
They stripped Eskil of his soul and cursed him to wear an undead shell until the end of time. Worse, his passion and talent were shorn away, his capacity to feel love and sadness, pain and pleasure burned out in an instant. Bereft of everything save bitterness, Eskil retreated to the underearth catacombs to plot vengeance.
Hrunting, Ghost Cleric 12: All summer long, the sun god and Hrunting toiled, slowly grinding stars into a single, flawless lens. When winter came, Hrunting returned to his people and used the light of a single candle to burn away dozens of ghouls. When a chieftain demanded ownership of the lens, Hrunting murdered him. In the scuffle, Hrunting dropped and shattered the lens, and subsequently walked into a blizzard rather than live with the shame.

Vampire: Any who die while wielding one of the devil’s teeth rises as a vampire (or ghost, if the body was absolutely destroyed) in 1d4 rounds.
Ghost: Any who die while wielding one of the devil’s teeth rises as a vampire (or ghost, if the body was absolutely destroyed) in 1d4 rounds.
Skeleton: The heart of darkness animates all corpses in a 100-foot radius. Everything that was once living is animated, depending on the dead material available, including earthworms, sentient plants, birds, and insects. The wielder can animate humanoid corpses as skeletons, zombies, ghouls, or ghasts. Dead plants are animated as undead assassin vines and trees as undead treants. Creatures without bones are animated as zombies. Apply an appropriate undead template to creatures, or simply use their standard game statistics but replace their creature types with undead.
Zombie: The heart of darkness animates all corpses in a 100-foot radius. Everything that was once living is animated, depending on the dead material available, including earthworms, sentient plants, birds, and insects. The wielder can animate humanoid corpses as skeletons, zombies, ghouls, or ghasts. Dead plants are animated as undead assassin vines and trees as undead treants. Creatures without bones are animated as zombies. Apply an appropriate undead template to creatures, or simply use their standard game statistics but replace their creature types with undead.
Ghoul: The heart of darkness animates all corpses in a 100-foot radius. Everything that was once living is animated, depending on the dead material available, including earthworms, sentient plants, birds, and insects. The wielder can animate humanoid corpses as skeletons, zombies, ghouls, or ghasts. Dead plants are animated as undead assassin vines and trees as undead treants. Creatures without bones are animated as zombies. Apply an appropriate undead template to creatures, or simply use their standard game statistics but replace their creature types with undead.
Ghast: The heart of darkness animates all corpses in a 100-foot radius. Everything that was once living is animated, depending on the dead material available, including earthworms, sentient plants, birds, and insects. The wielder can animate humanoid corpses as skeletons, zombies, ghouls, or ghasts. Dead plants are animated as undead assassin vines and trees as undead treants. Creatures without bones are animated as zombies. Apply an appropriate undead template to creatures, or simply use their standard game statistics but replace their creature types with undead.
Undead: The heart of darkness animates all corpses in a 100-foot radius. Everything that was once living is animated, depending on the dead material available, including earthworms, sentient plants, birds, and insects. The wielder can animate humanoid corpses as skeletons, zombies, ghouls, or ghasts. Dead plants are animated as undead assassin vines and trees as undead treants. Creatures without bones are animated as zombies. Apply an appropriate undead template to creatures, or simply use their standard game statistics but replace their creature types with undead.

THE HEART OF DARKNESS
The Heart of Darkness is the actual stone heart of the long-dead god Igtharka. Igtharka was an insane god of chaos, committed to nothing less than the complete destruction of the universe. The leader of his pantheon, Igtharka inevitably caused a conflict with the collective gods of light.
A mighty battle raged. When the seven great deities of sacred light defeated Igtharka, his followers retrieved his corpse before it could be destroyed. They carefully mummified and preserved Igtharka’s corporeal remains and sealed them into a huge sarcophagus with their most powerful spells. Then they transported it to the Astral.
Igtharka’s corpse is entombed in a gigantic sarcophagus. His mummy lays within, arms folded across his chest, with a massive gold mask covering his face.
The Heart of Darkness looks like a black pearl the size of a human head. Strange vein-like filaments hang from it. If placed on a surface, it levitates one foot above it and slowly rotates. To activate the Heart of Darkness, the wielder must grip it tightly and squeeze. When its powers are in effect, it feels warm to the touch and pulses to a slow beat.
The heart of darkness animates all corpses in a 100-foot radius. Everything that was once living is animated, depending on the dead material available, including earthworms, sentient plants, birds, and insects. The wielder can animate humanoid corpses as skeletons, zombies, ghouls, or ghasts. Dead plants are animated as undead assassin vines and trees as undead treants. Creatures without bones are animated as zombies. Apply an appropriate undead template to creatures, or simply use their standard game statistics but replace their creature types with undead.
All living creatures except the wielder in the radius of the heart of darkness have their life force drained. Creatures of lower level than the wielder must make a Fortitude save (DC 30) or lose Id6 Con per round. Should a creature die, subsequent use of the heart of darkness will animate the corpse.
All undead within a 100-foot radius of the heart receive fast healing 3 so long as their hit point total is 1 point or more. At will, the wielder can command them as an evil cleric of equivalent level.
The life draining power of the heart of darkness is so powerful that it negates all healing in its area of effect. All cure spells, heal, healing circle, mass heal, regenerate, resurrection, and true resurrection automatically fail. The caster loses the spell slot as if the spell has been cast.
If the wielder spins the heart in a counter-clockwise direction, it can call undead to it. All undead within 10 miles must make a will save (DC 30) or come shambling to its call.
If the wielder spins the heart in a clockwise direction, it repulses all undead away from it, creating a barrier 500 feet in radius around the wielder. Undead are not allowed a save against this effect. They cannot enter the area and, if within it, must immediately move to escape it. If confronted with an impassable obstacle as they move to escape the area, the undead may stand in place. Treat these creatures as if they were successfully turned.
Caster Level: 20th; Weight: 5 lb.

 

[Voadam]

The Council's Encyclopedia of Lifeforms Mundane and Magical Version 004 A-G
3.0
Agarat: Because they lack the ability to create spawn, it is thought that agarats exist only as deliberately created creatures (by high-level necromancers or priests, or perhaps cursed by the gods themselves). Their origin is as yet unknown.
Apparition: A creature slain by an apparition will rise in 1d4 hours as an apparition.
Banshee: The banshee is the undead spirit of an evil female elf.
Bog Mummy: Wherever a spark of unlife or negative energy touches a corpse naturally preserved by swamp mud, the result is a bog mummy.
In the Great Swamp, the Witch of the Fens, Thingizzard, provides the spark of negative energy needed to create bog mummies.
Any humanoid that dies from bog rot becomes a bog mummy in 1d4 days unless a remove disease is cast (within one day after death) or the creature is brought back to life (raise dead is ineffective, but resurrection or true resurrection works).
Great Swamp Bog Mummy: A character slain by the Great Swamp Bog Rot disease rises as a Great Swamp bog mummy.
Chimera Undead: ?
Coffer Corpse: The coffer corpse is an undead creature seeking its final rest. They are most often found in stranded funeral barges and the like.
Crypt Guardian: Animate Crypt Guardian spell.
Crypt Thing: Create Crypt Thing spell.
Variant Crypt Thing: ?
Demilich: The demilich (the name is a misnomer, for it is not a lesser form of a lich, but the waning soul of a lich, centuries old) appears as nothing more than a human (or humanoid skull), dust, and a few bones.
Grey Philosopher: A grey philosopher is the manifestation of an evil cleric who died with important philosophical deliberations unresolved in his mind. Unlike allips (q.v.), they have not been driven insane; instead, they spend their entire unlife endlessly pondering these weighty matters, so involved that they ignore everything around them.

Undead: Orcus is known as the Prince of the Undead, for it is said in secret that he alone invented the first undead that walked the worlds.
Skeleton: ?
Zombie: ?
Ghoul: ?
Ghast: ?
Shadow: ?
Wight: ?
Spectre: ?
Wraith: ?
Allip: ?

Animate Crypt Guardian
Necromancy
Level: Clr 4, Death 4, Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S, M
Casting time: 5 minutes/HD of undead created
Range: Touch
Targets: One giant sized corpse
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell turns the corpses of giants into undead crypt guardians that will guard one tomb, grave, crypt or other structure indefinitely. While a crypt guardian can be commanded to guard any area 10-foot radius per caster level, a grave-like settings is often most appropriate. Once created, a crypt guardian will do everything within its power to prevent the passage of living creatures into the area the guardian was created to guard; only the guardian’s creator can enter the area in question without provoking the undead warrior. As the crypt guardian is not under direct control of its creator, it does not count against the total number of undead the creator can control. Further, the HD of the crypt guardian created cannot exceed that of the caster’s level.
A crypt guardian can be created only from a mostly intact corpse or skeleton of a giant. If a crypt guardian is made from a corpse, the flesh rots from the bones over the next 2d6 weeks. A crypt guardian remembers nothing from its life including skills and abilities and depends solely on those granted during its creation. The creator of the crypt guardian must also be able to cast or read from a scroll the spells faerie fire, blind, invisibility, see invisibility, and wall of force at the time the crypt guardian is created The great scythe (or other weapon) the crypt guardian wields must be present at the time the guardian is created or it will always prefer to attack with its claws. A great scythe costs 50gp to have crafted. Material Component (for Crypt Guardian): Black pearl gems worth at least 100gp/HD of undead created and 2 rubies worth 500gp each. The gems are placed inside the mouth of the corpse and the rubies in its eye sockets. Once animated into a crypt thing, the pearls are destroyed but the rubies remain in its eye sockets and become the focus of the crypt guardian’s undeath.

Create Crypt Thing
Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Clr 7, Death 8, Sor/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Close (25 ft. +5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One corpse
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
You may create a crypt thing with this spell. This spell must be cast in the tomb, grave, or corpse that the crypt thing is assigned to protect. A crypt thing can be created only from a mostly intact corpse or skeleton. The corpse must have bones (so no oozes, worms, or the like). If a crypt thing is made from a corpse, the flesh falls from the bones. The statistics for the crypt thing depend on its size; they do not depend on what abilities the creature may have had while alive. Only one crypt thing is created with this spell and it will remain in the tomb where it was created until destroyed. Material Component (for Crypt Thing): A black pearl gem worth at least 300 gp. The gem is placed inside the mouth of the corpse. Once animated into a crypt thing, the gem is destroyed.

Bog Rot (Su): Supernatural disease—slam, Fortitude save (DC 20), incubation period 1 day; damage 1d6 temporary from Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, or Charisma (determine randomly using 1d4), secondary damage 1d6 temporary from the same ability score. Creatures afflicted with bog rot do not heal naturally and gain one-half benefit from magical healing until the disease is cured. Unlike normal diseases, bog rot continues until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or receives a remove disease spell or similar magic.

Great Swamp Bog Rot (Su): Supernatural disease—slam, Fortitude save (DC 20), incubation period 1 hour; damage 1d2 temporary from Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, or Charisma (determine randomly using 1d4), secondary damage 1d2 temporary from the same ability score. Creatures afflicted with Great Swamp bog rot do not heal naturally and gain one-half benefit from magical healing. Unlike normal diseases, Great Swamp bog rot continues until the victim reaches Constitution 0 (and dies) or receives a remove disease spell or similar magic.

 

[Voadam]

The Council's Encyclopedia of Lifeforms Mundane and Magical Version 004 H-Z
3.0
Huecuva: Huecuva are the remains of clerics who were unfaithful to their vows and turned to evil. As such they are condemned to eternal unlife.
Hungry Waters: Hungry waters may come into being wherever someone has drowned; in certain cases, the spirit of the dead may infest the area, causing the water to become a deathtrap for the unwary swimmer. The very waters become the new body of the angry spirit, which is continually seeking to bring new souls to share its eternal torment. With each such drowning victim, the area grows more deadly.
Ixitxachitl Vampiric: ?
Ixitxachitl Greater Vampiric: They can only achieve this status by being bitten by an existing greater vampiric ixitxachitl.
Jalie Squarefoot, The Lich Fiend: ?
Malice: A malice is an incarnation of pure spite and wickedness, created by a Grey Philosopher.
During their centuries of pondering, a grey philosopher's evil thoughts take on a partly real form, creating "malices," small incarnations of pure spite and wickedness.
Odic: An odic is an evil, undead spirit inhabiting the body of a plant.
Telekon: The Telekon is a type of wraith-like guardian undead created centuries or even millennia ago. The identity of the creators is unknown, and the process is long lost. However, it is known that they were created from human slaves with psychic ability, through a cruel and torturous procedure of enchantment and magical binding
Thoul: Thouls are a fascinating artificial crossbreed of ghoul, hobgoblin, and troll.
It is not known where thouls were first created, though they now seem to be fairly well spread throughout the world. Fortunately, their peculiar spawning methods make them a menace that does not grow in numbers rapidly.
Wyrd: It is rumored that Wyrds are a plague sent among the elves by their gods. Legends disagree on the purpose of this plague - some say it is to punish them for ancient treachery, others say it is to teach them humility, and still others proclaim that is the elvish destiny to slay (or be slain by) all Wyrds in order to prove themselves worthy of the blessing of the gods.
Since groups of elves slain by a wyrd rise as wyrds themselves, the failure of an elven group makes the problem much worse.
Any creature with elven blood slain by a wyrd rises in 1d4 days as an independent wyrd. Casting a dispel evil or remove curse spell on the body within this time period prevents this transformation. Creatures lacking elven blood killed by a wyrd do not rise as spawn.
Death Knight: A death knight is a horrific form of a lich created by a demon prince (it is thought Demogorgon) from a fallen paladin or favored blackguard.
“Death Knight” is a template that can be added to any humanoid paladin (fallen) or blackguard of at least 9th level.
Death Knight Paladin 9: ?
Dracolich: The dracolich is the undead form of a powerful and evil dragon. Legends say that a mystical cult engendered the first dracolich.
“Dracolich” is a template that can be added to any dragon creature.
Penanggalan: Penanggalan is a template that can be added to any female humanoid creature.
A female victim will rise from the grave in three days as a penanggalan, as a free–willed undead. Should an attempt to raise the victim succeed, the victim will be unable to do anything other than rest for a week, after which all damage done by the penanggalan is healed. Failure means that no further attempt can be made; the process by which the victim becomes a penanggalan is then inexorable. If a penanggalan kills a male victim, he does not return as undead.
Penanggalan Human Fighter 4: ?
Skeleton Warrior: The skeleton warrior is a lich-like undead lord that was once a powerful fighter of at least 10th-level. Legends tell that the skeleton warriors were forced into their undead lich-like stat many ages ago by a powerful demi-god who trapped each of their souls in a golden circlet.
“Skeleton Warrior” is a template that can be added to any humanoid creature.
When a fighter is transformed into a skeleton warrior his soul is trapped in a golden circlet.
Skeleton Warrior Human Fighter 12: ?
Zombie Template: Zombies are corpses reanimated through dark and sinister magic.
"Zombie" is a template that can be added to any non-undead corporeal creature that has a skeletal system.
Zombie Wolf: ?

Lich: ?

 

[Voadam]

The Quintessential Witch
3.0
Improved Zombie: Created by witch doctors of foul purpose, improved zombies are constructed out of the corpses of the innocent and pure. The witch doctor binds a wicked spirit into the husk of the former person which then animates it to commit unthinkable atrocities.
Witch Doctor prestige class Improved Zombie power.

Improved Zombie (Sp): Zombies created by the animate zombie ability or the animate dead spell are improved due to the close connection to the spirit world had by the witch doctor. Only medium zombies can be created. Furthermore, each zombie requires 500XP to create, as the binding of the evil spirit into a corpse is draining. Otherwise, zombies created thusly suffer all of the same restrictions defined by the aforementioned spell and ability.

 

[doghead]

Voadam

This is some serious dedication to the undead.

I think that in a universe where it is possible, the use of undead as soldiers/warriors would happen. Perhaps it would even be considered a honour to be raised as such. To serve as such. A weird form of ancestor worship?

Do you have a favourite?

thotd

 

[Voadam]

Unveiled Masters: The Essential Guide to Mind Flayers
3.0
Lich Mindflayer: Only the most dedicated and powerful illeth sorcerers and wizards have the capabilities to become liches, and the willingness to consider such a plan. Generally, the preparations for the transition to lichdom are conducted in secret, lest others in the illeth community attempt to put a stop to them. While crafting its phylactery, the would-be lich remains isolated (which in itself may raise suspicions).
Technically, mind flayers cannot become liches or vampires, since those templates can only be applied to humanoid or monstrous humanoid creatures, whereas mind flayers are aberrations. The material in this book assumes that mind flayers are close enough to humanoid that they can become intelligent undead like liches or vampires. If the GM prefers that this is not the case, ignore the material about undead mind flayers and assume that they cannot become undead. Alternately, it may be that mind flayers don't normally become undead, but that they can through mysterious and arcane rituals, requiring considerable research and difficult to find material components (some of which may require the cooperation of pawns on the surface world).
Vampire Mind Flayer: All it takes is for one vampire to slay a mind flayer for an illeth vampire to rise up and begin stalking its own kind.
Technically, mind flayers cannot become liches or vampires, since those templates can only be applied to humanoid or monstrous humanoid creatures, whereas mind flayers are aberrations. The material in this book assumes that mind flayers are close enough to humanoid that they can become intelligent undead like liches or vampires. If the GM prefers that this is not the case, ignore the material about undead mind flayers and assume that they cannot become undead. Alternately, it may be that mind flayers don't normally become undead, but that they can through mysterious and arcane rituals, requiring considerable research and difficult to find material components (some of which may require the cooperation of pawns on the surface world).

Shadow: Umbraleth are often found in the company of other creatures of shadow, such as undead shadows and nightshades, which they can create and command using their magical arts.
Nightshade: Umbraleth are often found in the company of other creatures of shadow, such as undead shadows and nightshades, which they can create and command using their magical arts.
Incorporeal Undead: Incorporeal undead (such as ghosts, spectres, and wraiths) are less common, since the forsaken rarely seek that state. They do arise spontaneously at times, particularly when a strong-willed forsaken is killed unexpectedly or violently.
Ghost: Incorporeal undead (such as ghosts, spectres, and wraiths) are less common, since the forsaken rarely seek that state. They do arise spontaneously at times, particularly when a strong-willed forsaken is killed unexpectedly or violently.
Spectre: Incorporeal undead (such as ghosts, spectres, and wraiths) are less common, since the forsaken rarely seek that state. They do arise spontaneously at times, particularly when a strong-willed forsaken is killed unexpectedly or violently.
Wraith: Incorporeal undead (such as ghosts, spectres, and wraiths) are less common, since the forsaken rarely seek that state. They do arise spontaneously at times, particularly when a strong-willed forsaken is killed unexpectedly or violently.

 

[Voadam]

Voadam

This is some serious dedication to the undead.

I think that in a universe where it is possible, the use of undead as soldiers/warriors would happen. Perhaps it would even be considered a honour to be raised as such. To serve as such. A weird form of ancestor worship?

Do you have a favourite?

thotd

I favor the origins based on the characteristics of death or the after death consequences of actions committed while living. Ghouls resulting from those who committed cannibalism or the radiant spirit that arises in Ravenloft after a paladin died before completing an important quest.

In my own games' cosmologies these conditions are not guarantees of rising as undead, usually it requires something more like a cursed area, a conjunction with the shadowfell, or a concentration of negative energy. The conditions guide how the undead manifests and provide lots of evocative story material to work with in games.

Spawning undead and magical creation have their story uses as well, but I like the circumstance-specific explanations best.

 

[Voadam]

War
3.0
Skeleton: ?
Zombie: ?
Ghoul: ?

 

[Voadam]

Weird War Two d20: Afrika Korpse
3.0
Corpse Mine: Blood mages reanimate the dead—particularly those with their legs blown off—strap salvaged helmets, metal plates, even cookware to their bodies, and bury them just beneath the desert floor. The corpses become aware when they sense a life-force nearby, burrow up through the sand, and attack.
They were Himmler’s people, dabbling in the occult, indeed doing unspeakable things with corpses. They used arcane ceremonies to turn the dead into mindless zombies, living land mines, and other horrors. He’d seen it only because he had to, and so he’d know what to steer his regular troops away from. Rommel knew they’d turn these bodies into undead abominations: things that shambled across battlefields, absorbing machinegun fire as they advanced unfeelingly toward the enemy, or buried corpses packed with explosives, clawing up through the sand when they sensed a British patrol above.
Ghul: Various legends claim they rise from the unburied bodies of murderers, torturers, and the perpetrators of unspeakable crimes.
Sand-Rot Mummy: Sand-rot mummies rise from dunes where the blood of the slain and the hot desert transform corpses into shambling bodies filled with rage against the living.
For centuries the cultures inhabiting the arid desert preserved their dead by removing the moisture and decomposing elements of the body. The Saharan sands naturally desiccate anything containing moisture left buried there for any length of time. For those killed in the dunes or buried in great sandy patches their anger and fear at their death imbues their blood with energy that transforms the sand and later empowers their broken bodies.
The sand absorbs the blood, bodily fluids, and spiritual energy, desiccating the body and mutating it into a ghastly shadow of the human it used to be. The sand not only dries out the corpse but crystallizes parts of their bodies into a hardy, leathery substance, making them more resistant to damage from all types of weapons. Their hardened skins tend to slow them down, however.

Undead: They were Himmler’s people, dabbling in the occult, indeed doing unspeakable things with corpses. They used arcane ceremonies to turn the dead into mindless zombies, living land mines, and other horrors. He’d seen it only because he had to, and so he’d know what to steer his regular troops away from. Rommel knew they’d turn these bodies into undead abominations: things that shambled across battlefields, absorbing machinegun fire as they advanced unfeelingly toward the enemy, or buried corpses packed with explosives, clawing up through the sand when they sensed a British patrol above.
Zombie: They were Himmler’s people, dabbling in the occult, indeed doing unspeakable things with corpses. They used arcane ceremonies to turn the dead into mindless zombies, living land mines, and other horrors.

 

[Voadam]

Weird War Two d20: Dead From Above
3.0
Fliegerkopf: In the final years of the war, Germany was desperately short of trained pilots. Pilots with only rudimentary training were rushed into combat and quickly shot down by experienced Allied pilots. Perfectly good aircraft sat idle while Allied bombers flew overhead because there was no one to fly them.
Hitler has placed his blood mages on the problem and in characteristic fashion they have come up with an arcane solution. They have had limited success in reviving the dead, and they have used this knowledge to reanimate the heads of experienced pilots recovered from the wreckage of their aircraft. These heads are wired into small, nimble jet fighters and sent aloft once more to do battle with the streams of Allied bombers and their escorts. The pilot heads used in this program are culled from the ranks of the party faithful. They press home their attacks on Allied aircraft with a fanatical devotion bolstered by their feelings of invulnerability.