Tome of the Unclean 2019 Preorder
Castles & Crusades
Undead: Undead are once-living creatures animated by spiritual or supernatural forces.
Vorgalos house their lairs, the country around and the beneath them with the undead. They do this by stalking cemeteries, unhallowing a grave, and raising the dead, pulling them back from the afterlife and bringing them back to the world.
In the material planes the undead are creatures who have been trapped in their dead bodies through some device or the other.
It is not so simple in the infernal planes for here there are few living creatures that possess restless spirits.
Many fall in life and are never laid to rest. Whether in battle, or at home, those whose bodies are not buried in hallowed ground, or at least given the blessings of the gods, are untethered and unprotected. Even if were good in life and their souls crossed to some heaven of their belief, their bodies are not safe. These the arch devil and demons can summon to the infernal planes. When Orcus calls his armies to him, hosts of them rise from the earth around him, these are the untethered undead and they serve him for they know no other way.
But many of the undead have suffered the loss of their life in the infernal planes. Whatever reason brought them to the planes, whether of their own free will, some dark sorcery or captured by a demon they sought to control, it does not matter. They come to the infernal planes whole and living and no matter their alignment or state, if they fall, they are consigned to the plane, unable to cross over to their own heavens. These are wights, ghosts, ghasts, banshees and similar creatures.
Devil Discarnate: The discarnate are lost souls, shadows of their former selves.
The discarnate are the souls and spirits of those who died in Hell and were trapped there, their bodies left to rot, unburied.
Those who die in Aufstrag, remain there, their souls trapped until their bodies are laid to rest in hallowed ground. These are the discarnate.
Note that the discarnate are also people that have fallen in Hell and have become undead creatures.
Abigor: ?
Ousmane: ?
Undead Crow: ?
Draugr: The draugr is a type of undead so malevolent in life that its evil ways still possess it in death.
Only corpses that have been housed in tombs or crypts can be draugr, as the creature cannot dig itself out of a grave.
Ghast: If a creature dies from wounds sustained by a ghast’s claw and bite damage, and is not eaten by the foul creature, it will rise again as a ghoul or ghast in 2d4 days unless the corpse is blessed before interment. The victim will rise as a ghoul if it has less than 4 levels or hit dice, and as a ghast if it has a 4 or more levels or hit dice.
But many of the undead have suffered the loss of their life in the infernal planes. Whatever reason brought them to the planes, whether of their own free will, some dark sorcery or captured by a demon they sought to control, it does not matter. They come to the infernal planes whole and living and no matter their alignment or state, if they fall, they are consigned to the plane, unable to cross over to their own heavens. These are wights, ghosts, ghasts, banshees and similar creatures.
Ghost: Ghosts are the undead spirits of evil folk. In life, these people were cruel, vindictive, and visited needless suffering upon others. At their deaths, their spirits were forced to remain bound to the physical world in perpetual torment.
Once set loose in Hell, a soul is difficult to find and if not devoured will appear as a ghost somewhere.
But many of the undead have suffered the loss of their life in the infernal planes. Whatever reason brought them to the planes, whether of their own free will, some dark sorcery or captured by a demon they sought to control, it does not matter. They come to the infernal planes whole and living and no matter their alignment or state, if they fall, they are consigned to the plane, unable to cross over to their own heavens. These are wights, ghosts, ghasts, banshees and similar creatures.
Ghoul: If a creature dies from wounds sustained by a ghast’s claw and bite damage, and is not eaten by the foul creature, it will rise again as a ghoul or ghast in 2d4 days unless the corpse is blessed before interment. The victim will rise as a ghoul if it has less than 4 levels or hit dice, and as a ghast if it has a 4 or more levels or hit dice.
Haunt: In its living form, the haunt had some mission or task that needed to be completed. So great was the compulsion to finish this deed that, even in death, its spirit seeks to fulfill its final task.
Lich: A lich is a powerful undead creature, born from a hideous ritual performed by a wizard that lusts for everlasting life. Becoming a lich is an option for only the most powerful and reckless of magi, as it involves separating the spirit from the body and binding it in a specially prepared phylactery. This very powerful enchanted item can take any form, but it is usually an amulet of the finest quality. After the ritual is complete, the wizard assumes its undead form, and the phylactery thereafter houses the lich’s soul. Few know these arcane rituals, and of those few, even fewer dare test the sorcery. If it fails, the wizard’s soul is lost and forever irretrievable.
Mummy: A mummy is an undead creature wrapped in divine bandages and urged to existence through prayer and ceremony.
The process required to create a mummy gives the creature powerful protections against physical damage.
There are those who are brought to the planes, or captured there, and buried alive. Their living bodies are wrapped in coils of madness and imprisoned in tombs of stone. These mummies are every bit as dangerous in hell as they are in the material world. The torments of their binding and the nature of their burial drive them mad, with a need bent on destruction.
Nekun: Nekun are the skeleton-like anonymous dead of those who have passed into Hades, Tartarus and other regions below the earth.
Revenant: Any humans (and only humans) that have died an extremely ghastly death can arise as a revenant to exact revenge on its killer. The revenant, in life, must have had a minimum of 15 constitution, intelligence and wisdom to become a revenant. Even at that, the chances are very slim.
Shadow: They are either doomed souls who, in life perpetrated great evil against innocents, or they are thralls, created and bound to darkness by another shadow.
A creature reduced to 0 strength by a shadow’s strength drain attack is slain. The deceased will rise again as a shadow within 1d4 rounds, losing all class abilities, and forever functioning as an ordinary shadow. A victim rising as a shadow is forever dead, and cannot be restored to life by any means short of a wish.
Upon a successful bite the caraton drains the victim of one level, which in turn heals the caraton for 1d8 hit points. The victim is allowed a constitution save, which, if successful, negates the energy drain. If a victim falls to a caraton, either by loss of hit points or loss of levels, they cannot be resurrected or raised by normal methods. Short of a wish spell, they are irrevocably dead. The victim’s soul will be whisked away to the Abyss while their body will be animated as an undead using the chart below:
1–10 Zombie
11–15 Shadow
16–19 Wight
20 Wraith
Skeletal Warrior: The skeletal warrior is an undead, created by high level, evil clerics as protection and guards. All were powerful fighters in life, some being enemies of the cleric that created them. Their life essence still exists, and if they were ever to claim it, they would die, and their spirit will pass into the afterlife, tormented no more.
The essence is usually kept in a gem of some worth, usually in excess of 10,000gp. This gem may be set in a crown, circlet, necklace or various other types of jewelry, or can be loose.
Skeleton: Humanoid skeletons are the animated remains of humanoid creatures. Their bodies are little more than bone and sinew held together by vile sorcery.
Fashioned from the living bones of the aghul’s victims, the knoglen blade is an 8-foot long polearm with a razor-sharp blade that bestows a +3 bonus to both attack and damage. If the attack roll results in a natural 19 or 20, flakes of the blade break off and enter the wound, causing it to fester. In the round following a successful hit the victim feels a searing pain which lasts for 4 rounds at which point the limb becomes numb and useless. If untreated, the wound turns necrotic and within 1d4 days the flesh surrounding the wound rots away. There is no saving throw for this condition. Further neglect leads to the rot continuing to spread, dealing 1d10 points of damage each day until the victim dies. Unless the dead is buried in consecrated or holy grounds, they will rise as either a zombie or skeleton within 1d8 days.
Treatment for the rot includes remove curse, remove disease, heal, restoration spells, a paladin’s cure disease ability, or a cleric or paladin may attempt to turn the bone flakes, which turn as a 1 HD undead.
Spectre: Spectres are spiritual echoes; fragments of a learned person that died in the pursuit of knowledge.
Any creature slain by a spectre will become a spectre in 1d4 rounds.
Son of Rhealth: The Sons of Rhealth were created ages ago, by worshipers of the foul Lord of the Undead.
The disease from a son of Rhealth worm bursting inside a victim manifests within 2d12 hours. At first, the victim becomes nauseated, vomiting and unable to eat. After another 1d6 hours, he will begin to lose 1d4 hit points per round, growing weaker and weaker (- number of hours infected on all dice rolls). Once dead, the creature will rise as a Son of Rhealth in one day. Only a remove disease spell will negate this horrific disease.
Wight: They were once human, but are now cursed to haunt the world, living in seclusion, for some foul act of greed.
A human victim killed by the wight’s energy drain can be brought back to unlife, as a wight, under the control of the slaying wight. The slaying wight must want to use this ability; it is not automatic.
Upon a successful bite the caraton drains the victim of one level, which in turn heals the caraton for 1d8 hit points. The victim is allowed a constitution save, which, if successful, negates the energy drain. If a victim falls to a caraton, either by loss of hit points or loss of levels, they cannot be resurrected or raised by normal methods. Short of a wish spell, they are irrevocably dead. The victim’s soul will be whisked away to the Abyss while their body will be animated as an undead using the chart below:
1–10 Zombie
11–15 Shadow
16–19 Wight
20 Wraith
At times, when the whim takes him, Orcus will take up his scepter and attack. Those struck will suffer 2d4+6 damage and will lose three levels (constitution save to avoid level loss). Anyone reduced to 0 levels will fall dead, only to rise the next round as a wight under Orcus’s control.
But many of the undead have suffered the loss of their life in the infernal planes. Whatever reason brought them to the planes, whether of their own free will, some dark sorcery or captured by a demon they sought to control, it does not matter. They come to the infernal planes whole and living and no matter their alignment or state, if they fall, they are consigned to the plane, unable to cross over to their own heavens. These are wights, ghosts, ghasts, banshees and similar creatures.
Wraith: Wraiths are powerful wights who have forged a more powerful bond with the negative material plane.
A human victim killed by the wraith’s energy drain can be brought back to life as a wraith, under the control of the slaying wraith. The slaying wraith must want to use this ability; it is not automatic.
Upon a successful bite the caraton drains the victim of one level, which in turn heals the caraton for 1d8 hit points. The victim is allowed a constitution save, which, if successful, negates the energy drain. If a victim falls to a caraton, either by loss of hit points or loss of levels, they cannot be resurrected or raised by normal methods. Short of a wish spell, they are irrevocably dead. The victim’s soul will be whisked away to the Abyss while their body will be animated as an undead using the chart below:
1–10 Zombie
11–15 Shadow
16–19 Wight
20 Wraith
Zombie: Zombies are undead humanoids, reanimated corpses that stalk the earth with little purpose or reason.
As humans can be turned into undead, so can the plethora of monsters that litter the land.
Upon a successful bite the caraton drains the victim of one level, which in turn heals the caraton for 1d8 hit points. The victim is allowed a constitution save, which, if successful, negates the energy drain. If a victim falls to a caraton, either by loss of hit points or loss of levels, they cannot be resurrected or raised by normal methods. Short of a wish spell, they are irrevocably dead. The victim’s soul will be whisked away to the Abyss while their body will be animated as an undead using the chart below:
1–10 Zombie
11–15 Shadow
16–19 Wight
20 Wraith
Fashioned from the living bones of the aghul’s victims, the knoglen blade is an 8-foot long polearm with a razor-sharp blade that bestows a +3 bonus to both attack and damage. If the attack roll results in a natural 19 or 20, flakes of the blade break off and enter the wound, causing it to fester. In the round following a successful hit the victim feels a searing pain which lasts for 4 rounds at which point the limb becomes numb and useless. If untreated, the wound turns necrotic and within 1d4 days the flesh surrounding the wound rots away. There is no saving throw for this condition. Further neglect leads to the rot continuing to spread, dealing 1d10 points of damage each day until the victim dies. Unless the dead is buried in consecrated or holy grounds, they will rise as either a zombie or skeleton within 1d8 days.
Treatment for the rot includes remove curse, remove disease, heal, restoration spells, a paladin’s cure disease ability, or a cleric or paladin may attempt to turn the bone flakes, which turn as a 1 HD undead.
Zombie Monster: As humans can be turned into undead, so can the plethora of monsters that litter the land. Appearing much like their undead cousins, a monster zombie is a decayed living corpse of its former self. Any creature from a goblin to a giant can be transformed into a zombie, and the CK must make adjustments to the statistics listed above.
Vampire: ?
Banshee: But many of the undead have suffered the loss of their life in the infernal planes. Whatever reason brought them to the planes, whether of their own free will, some dark sorcery or captured by a demon they sought to control, it does not matter. They come to the infernal planes whole and living and no matter their alignment or state, if they fall, they are consigned to the plane, unable to cross over to their own heavens. These are wights, ghosts, ghasts, banshees and similar creatures.
Lich: ?
Demi-Lich: ?
Wight Spawn: A human victim killed by the wight’s energy drain can be brought back to unlife, as a wight, under the control of the slaying wight. The slaying wight must want to use this ability; it is not automatic.
Wraith Spawn: A human victim killed by the wraith’s energy drain can be brought back to life as a wraith, under the control of the slaying wraith. The slaying wraith must want to use this ability; it is not automatic.
Denizen Genitch Beetle: They spawn on the corpse of very evil creatures, living embodiments of the lingering evil of the creature itself. Usually several dozen to a hundred spawn.
