Undead Origins

[Voadam]

Lost Mine of Phandelver
5e
Undead: Once-living creatures brought to a horrifying state of undeath through the practice of necromantic magic or some unholy curse.
Flameskull: Spell casters fashion flameskulls from the remains of dead wizards. When the ritual is complete, green flames erupt from the skull to complete its ghastly transformation.
Ghoul: ?
Mormesk the Wraith, Hate-Filled Apparition: Mormesk was a powerful mage until he met his end in the spell battle at the climax of the ore attack. Centuries of anger have poisoned his soul, transforming him into a hate-filled apparition.
Wraith: A wraith is the incorporeal remnant of a particularly hateful being.
Spectral Undead Servitor: Most wraiths can transform those they have slain into spectral undead servitors.
Skeleton: Assemblages of bones animated by dark magic, skeletons heed the summons of those who create them or rise of their own accord in places saturated with deathly magic.
Zombie: Zombies are corpses imbued with a semblance of life, retaining no vestige of their former selves.
Undead Guardian: ?
Restless Undead: ?
Ash Zombie: These zombies were created by the magical devastation when Mount Hotenow erupted thirty years ago.

 

[Voadam]

Mythic Odysseys of Theros
5e
Eidolon: When a mortal soul traumatically sacrifices its identity in order to escape the Underworld as a Returned; its identity manifests as a spirit-like eidolon.
Returned have escaped the Underworld and dwell among the living once more, but their second lives are rarely what they expected-not that they remember what it was they expected. As a result of having followed the Path of Phenax, the Returned lose their identities, which manifest as separate beings known as eidolons.
Since Phenax's escape, other souls have repeated his dangerous journey. When mortal souls travel the Path of Phenax, the Tartyx washes away their identities, symbolized by their faces, which become nothing more than blank flesh. Souls that successfully emerge on the mortal side of the Tartyx River become Returned with no knowledge of their former name or past life. As this is a known consequence, most souls forge a gold mask to carry with them. This mask becomes the proxy identity worn by all Returned. Souls' lost identities continue to exist, though, becoming eidolons, which scatter throughout the mortal realm, having no connection to their Returned bodies.
Traveling the Path of Phenax can present an exciting but challenging option for most parties, as it results in affected characters becoming a monster of some type-either an eidolon or a Returned.
Walking the Path of Phenax doesn't restore a soul to its life. Those who return from the Underworld are hollow shells inhabited by grim and purposeless spirits. These Returned are separated from their memories, which become wandering eidolons. They retain their personalities and skills, but each Returned tends to be a very different being from who they once were.
Phenax, Eidolon: ?
Flitterstep Eidolon: ?
Varyas, Flitterstep Eidolon: ?
Ghostblade Eidolon: Ghostblade eidolons typically arise from fallen warriors and believe they're endlessly embroiled in great battles.
Phylaskia: ?
Returned: Returned have escaped the Underworld and dwell among the living once more, but their second lives are rarely what they expected-not that they remember what it was they expected. As a result of having followed the Path of Phenax, the Returned lose their identities, which manifest as separate beings known as eidolons. The experience of escaping the Underworld also causes them to lose their faces, which become expressionless surfaces with empty eye sockets and gaping mouths.
Phenax was once a mortal who, like all mortals, passed on to Erebos's care in the Underworld when his time among the living came to an end. But Phenax found a way to escape the Underworld by sacrificing his identity to the memory-draining waters therein. He was able to cross the Rivers That Ring the World wrapped in a shred of Athreos's cloak. Since he had no identity, Athreos couldn't detect him, and thus Erebos couldn't use his great lash to pull Phenax back. When he emerged back into the realm of mortals, he did so as the first of the Returned. In time, others discovered this quandary of metaphysics, which is now known as the Path of Phenax.
The necropoleis of Asphodel and Odunos are home to the Returned-zombie-like beings who have escaped the clutches of the underworld at the cost of their identities.
Before becoming a god, Phenax died, passed into Erebos's realm, and ultimately escaped the Underworld. His escape route, the Path of Phenax, has since been employed by rare, but over the ages innumerable, individuals.
Walking the Path of Phenax doesn't restore a soul to its life. Those who return from the Underworld are hollow shells inhabited by grim and purposeless spirits. These Returned are separated from their memories, which become wandering eidolons. They retain their personalities and skills, but each Returned tends to be a very different being from who they once were.
Since Phenax's escape, other souls have repeated his dangerous journey. When mortal souls travel the Path of Phenax, the Tartyx washes away their identities, symbolized by their faces, which become nothing more than blank flesh. Souls that successfully emerge on the mortal side of the Tartyx River become Returned with no knowledge of their former name or past life.
Traveling the Path of Phenax can present an exciting but challenging option for most parties, as it results in affected characters becoming a monster of some type-either an eidolon or a Returned.
Returned Drifter: ?
Returned Kakomantis: Although the dead typically recall little of their lives, some have an obsession with magic that survives both death and rebirth as a Returned.
Some theorize that in life each kakomantis was a spell caster, and the trip along the Path of Phenax corrupted their abilities.
Returned Palamnite: These Returned led violent Jives, existences filled with such pain and hatred that violence now suffuses their deathless bodies.
Returned Sentry: Most new or purposeless Returned are easily manipulated into serving their more forceful brethren. Having purpose forced upon them, these Returned perform simple, artless tasks with middling efficiency. Their one virtue is their tirelessness, which makes them exceptional guards. In the necropoleis, this sees many Returned employed as sentries, though they might also be messengers or laborers.
Returned Sentry Triton: ?
Phenax, Returned: Phenax was once a mortal who, like all mortals, passed on to Erebos's care in the Underworld when his time among the living came to an end. But Phenax found a way to escape the Underworld by sacrificing his identity to the memory-draining waters therein. He was able to cross the Rivers That Ring the World wrapped in a shred of Athreos's cloak. Since he had no identity, Athreos couldn't detect him, and thus Erebos couldn't use his great lash to pull Phenax back. When he emerged back into the realm of mortals, he did so as the first of the Returned. In time, others discovered this quandary of metaphysics, which is now known as the Path of Phenax.
Tymaret the Murder King, Returned: When Phenax made his escape from the Underworld, there was one witness to his escape, an unremarkable soul called Tymaret. Sharing what he'd seen with the god of the dead, Tymaret received a cursed blessing from Erebos: he would be restored to the mortal world, but as a Returned, and with the task of slaying Phenax.
Returned Raider: ?
Returned Bandit: ?
Erebos, Returned: ?
Undead: Those who don't have a coin with them when they die and aren't given funeral rites have no means to pay Athreos's toll and thus have no way of reaching their place of rest. These lost souls primarily collect along the Tartyx's shores where they languish or beg for coins to pay for their passage. Some wander away from the shore, though, becoming ghosts or other undead.
Dangerous Undead: ?
Wayward Undead: ?
Evil Undead: ?
Black Oak of Odunos, Amalgam of Undeath: Before Odunos became a necropolis, it was a thriving city akin to Akros or Meletis. When the city fell before Phenax's assembled forces, some ofthe populace begged the god of lies to spare them the touch of Erebos's dread lash. Never one to miss an opportunity to cheat Erebos, Phenax made a solemn promise to those asking for his mercy, assuring them that they wouldn't be forced into the Underworld, on his honor. Soon afterward, the Returned that had invaded the city murdered these people to the last one whereupon Phenax, true to his word, bound their bodies and souls to a great oak, making a terrifying amalgam of undeath to guard Odunos and haunt the living for eternity.
Ghoul: ?
Ghost: Those who don't have a coin with them when they die and aren't given funeral rites have no means to pay Athreos's toll and thus have no way of reaching their place of rest. These lost souls primarily collect along the Tartyx's shores where they languish or beg for coins to pay for their passage. Some wander away from the shore, though, becoming ghosts or other undead.
Restless Ghost: Sometimes these dead are restless ghosts that can't pass into the Underworld until they finish a piece of business.
Restless Dead: ?
Shadow: ?
Specter: A nightmare shepherd takes over a crossing and doesn't allow souls to pass into the Underworld. As a result, they become specters that harass the living in the mortal world.
Wraith: The victims of the canyon's inhabitants rise as wraiths determined to end all life in the area.
Fiery Zombie: ?

 

[Voadam]

Out of the Abyss
5e
Brysis of Khaem, Wraith: The rise of the demon lords has awakened Brysis from the eternal sleep of death as a wraith, served by specters who were once her loyal retainers.
Pelek, Ghost: The ghost is friendly and tells the adventurers that Buppido killed him not too long ago, then chopped him into pieces to join the other body parts in the shrine. Pelek explains how he was traveling from Blingdenstone when he fell in with Buppido,
Burrow Warden Jadger, Ghost: ?
Vazuk, Poltergeist: Vazuk was a simple leatherworker who died in the drow invasion. His spirit awoke when a family moved into what used to be his home, then began to throw fits and terrorize any creatures coming near.
Udhask, Ghost: There's no evidence that he died a violent death, In fact, when the drow attacked Blingdenstone, Udhask had a heart attack and died while reaching for his loot.
Cyrog, Undead Elder Brain: In the heart of a alien cavern glistening with slime, scores of mind flayers gather around an enormous brain resting in a pool. The brain is dead. You can hear the llllthids’ incomprehensible thoughts as they mourn its passing. One word echoes louder than the others: Cyrog.
Suddenly Faerzress bathes the dark and twisted hall in purplish light. A rift opens, and a hulking, horned figure that reeks of putrescence steps out. It raises a skull-tipped wand and points it at the dead elder brain. The elder brain begins to pulsate, and you see intermittent flashes of purple light under its rotting flesh. The mind flayers are aghast as the elder brain speaks to them once more, telling them that Orcus has saved Cyrog, and commanding them to follow it into undeath.
Ghoul: Orcus rewards those who spread death in his name by granting them a small portion of his power. The least of these become ghouls and zombies who serve in his legions, while his favored servants are the cultists and necmmancers who murder the living and then manipulate the dead, emulating their dread master.
Orcus lair action.
Zombie: Orcus rewards those who spread death in his name by granting them a small portion of his power. The least of these become ghouls and zombies who serve in his legions, while his favored servants are the cultists and necmmancers who murder the living and then manipulate the dead, emulating their dread master.
Orcus lair action.
Orcus regional effect.
Skeleton: Buppido is a typical derro and attacks the characters regardless of their intentions. On his first turn, he uses a bonus action to channel the power of this "shrine," raising six skeletons in aid him. The undead assemble from the remains on the floor to form shambling, mismatched bodies. Each skeleton has two skulls, although this has no effect on its abilities.
Orcus lair action.
Orcus regional effect.
Minotaur Skeleton: ?
Specter: Brysis's four servants have arisen at her command as specters.
Mummy: ?
Crawling Claw: ?
Ghost: Some of the svirfneblin who perished during the drow invasion didn't go easily. and their ghosts linger.
Shadow: ?
Wraith: ?
Death Tyrant: ?

Orcus Lair Action
Orcus causes up to six corpses within the lair to rise as skeletons, zombies, or ghouls. These undead obey his telepathic commands. which can reach anywhere in the lair.

Orcus Regional Effect
Dead beasts periodically animate as undead mockeries of their former selves. Skeletal and zombie versions of local wildlife are commonly seen in the area.

 

[Voadam]

Plane Shift: Amonkhet
5e
Mummy Entombed in Lazotep, Undead Soldier: Unknown to any of the plane’s inhabitants, the entire society of Amonkhet has been manipulated by Nicol Bolas, who has seized control of the world, the gods, and the magic of the plane. Bolas chose this plane for his schemes because of the presence of a magical substance called lazotep, which interacts with the magic of necromancy in strange and powerful ways. Conveniently, he also found here a pious, structured civilization that he could easily subvert to his own purposes. Making himself the God-Pharaoh, he brought the gods themselves under his control, and eliminated anyone who tried to stand against him. Then he transformed the world into a factory designed to produce a huge army of perfect undead soldiers—mummies embalmed in lazotep.
Adapting the peculiar magic of the plane, Bolas found a means to preserve the combat skills of the living after death. He has selected five aspects of character that he desires most in his undead soldiers, and has built the society of Amonkhet around a series of trials designed to hone and perfect those aspects of body and mind. Throughout their lives, the people of the plane believe they are drawing nearer to the promised afterlife—and at last they die in the final trial, a mass battle with no survivors. But rather than earning a place in the afterlife, they are instead embalmed in lazotep and stored in Bolas’s great necropolis, adding to the ranks of his undead army.
Mummy, Desiccated Mummy, Zombie: Part of the magic of Amonkhet that Bolas has been able to exploit is a necromantic phenomenon called the Curse of Wandering. This naturally occurring magic causes any being who dies on the plane to rise again after a short time, cursed with insatiable hunger and an irresistible drive to attack the living. Desiccated mummies created by the Curse of Wandering fill the desert wasteland that dominates the plane, constantly threatening what little life remains.
The Curse of Wandering is the greatest danger of the desert lands. A creature killed in the desert rises again as a zombie as soon as the moisture has dried from its flesh. As a result, the corpses of every kind of desert creature shamble across the dunes alongside the humanoid zombies of dissenters and would-be explorers. Most of these former humanoids are mindless marauders with the statistics of the mummy in the Monster Manual, though some tales speak of mummies that have retained a sinister intelligence and even magical ability, becoming mummy lords.
Mummy: ?
Mummy Lord: The Curse of Wandering is the greatest danger of the desert lands. A creature killed in the desert rises again as a zombie as soon as the moisture has dried from its flesh. As a result, the corpses of every kind of desert creature shamble across the dunes alongside the humanoid zombies of dissenters and would-be explorers. Most of these former humanoids are mindless marauders with the statistics of the mummy in the Monster Manual, though some tales speak of mummies that have retained a sinister intelligence and even magical ability, becoming mummy lords.
Anointed, Tame Zombie: Not every citizen of Naktamun proves to be worthy of the afterlife. Acolytes sometimes die before the Ceremony of Measurement, perhaps in training accidents. Many initiates perish in one of the first four trials, before earning their five cartouches. Viziers sometimes die before they have truly earned a place in the afterlife serving their gods. Without having proven themselves worthy, these poor souls have no place as Eternals in the afterlife—but neither have they committed a grievous sin that would warrant abandoning them to the Curse of Wandering as marauding mummies.
Fortunately, the beneficence of the God-Pharaoh is great enough to provide a role for these people. Called the anointed, they are carefully embalmed, protected from the Curse of Wandering, and allowed to spend another lifetime in service to the worthy. The God-Pharaoh promises that those who faithfully serve as the anointed will earn a place as attendants in the afterlife as well, and even an eternity of service in the afterlife is preferable to an eternity subjected to the Curse of Wandering.
The bodies of the anointed are carefully wrapped in cloth and adorned with cartouches. In contrast to the cartouches of initiates and viziers, these do not harbor the life essence of the deceased at their best. Instead, they coach the anointed for a particular form of service. With their cartouches in place, the anointed rise and join the ranks of serving mummies who attend to the needs of daily life in Amonkhet.
The anointed are simply tame zombies.
Eternal: A being as mighty and magnificent as Nicol Bolas demands a fighting force of the highest caliber, so that an ordinary army of zombies could never be worthy of the God-Pharaoh. The Eternals are elite soldiers with all the skill and prowess of living soldiers, but none of the disadvantages that arise in living beings, such as emotions, hesitation, or disloyalty. Bolas has personally crafted all of Amonkhet to create just such an army.
Wight: ?

 

[Voadam]

Plane Shift: Dominaria
5e
Wight: ?
Undead Horse: ?

 

[Voadam]

Plane Shift: Innistrad
5e
Vampire: Vampirism on Innistrad is an anointing that persists and is perpetuated by magic—not a curse or a disease, but a physical state that the vampires somewhat euphemistically call a “condition of the blood.”
Typically, a vampire drinks so much blood from a human that the victim dies, but sometimes the vampire is interrupted and the human survives and recovers. Such survivors are often met with suspicion and fear, but they never become vampires unless an actual exchange of blood has occurred—which is always a deliberate act on the vampire’s part.
Innistrad’s ancient history speaks of a human alchemist and healer named Edgar Markov, who sought to preserve his own life and the lives of his family. As old age began to claim him, he despaired of finding an alchemical solution and turned to black magic. Not long after, the demon Shilgengar appeared to Markov and revealed a means by which he could achieve immortality: a dark ritual that involved drinking an angel’s blood.
The vampires of Innistrad are all descended from twelve ancient sires—the congregation that participated in Markov’s blasphemous ritual.
After his father’s death, Strefan studied magic and forged a pact with the demon Shilgengar in return for the promise of immortality. After murdering his brother Sergei and drinking his blood, Strefan journeyed to Markov Manor and consulted with Edgar Markov. Together, they worked with Shilgengar to create the twelve bloodlines of vampires on Innistrad.
Vampire Neonate: ?
Vampire Elder: ?
Geist: The restless spirits of the dead.
Innistrad is filled with the ghosts of the human dead. These spirits, called geists, take many forms. Some are protective ancestors, some are simply lost between life and death, and others are vengeful creatures bent on resolving conflicts they couldn’t in life. While Avacyn stood as guardian over Innistrad, she and the angels of Flight Alabaster ushered the spirits of the departed into the Æther, where they rejoined the essence of the plane. In her absence—and now her madness—many spirits cling to the world of the living, unable or unwilling to find their way to the Blessed Sleep.
Geists have always been a presence on Innistrad.
Some manifest on the plane only because of a grudge or regret powerful enough to disturb the Blessed Sleep of the body to which they were connected. Others linger because of a strong desire to protect their living kin, or because of some obsession forcing them to continue a duty they performed in life.
Benevolent Green-Aligned Geist: Rarely, human spirits return as benevolent green-aligned geists.
Unhallowed, Ghoul: Ghoulcallers are necromancers—mages who use black mana to call forth the dead from graveyards. These risen dead are called ghouls, or the unhallowed. The ghoulcaller fills the fragile mind of his or her creation with a single driving purpose, which the ghoul carries out to the best of its ability using whatever skills it has. The result is a grotesque parody of life: risen blacksmiths attempting to “reforge” their opponents, fallen warriors rasping incoherent battle cries, undead murderers reawakening their deadly slyness, and fallen mages trying to weave spells that often result in some horrible distortion of their original purpose.
Risen Blacksmith: Ghoulcallers are necromancers—mages who use black mana to call forth the dead from graveyards. These risen dead are called ghouls, or the unhallowed. The ghoulcaller fills the fragile mind of his or her creation with a single driving purpose, which the ghoul carries out to the best of its ability using whatever skills it has. The result is a grotesque parody of life: risen blacksmiths attempting to “reforge” their opponents, fallen warriors rasping incoherent battle cries, undead murderers reawakening their deadly slyness, and fallen mages trying to weave spells that often result in some horrible distortion of their original purpose.
Fallen Warrior: Ghoulcallers are necromancers—mages who use black mana to call forth the dead from graveyards. These risen dead are called ghouls, or the unhallowed. The ghoulcaller fills the fragile mind of his or her creation with a single driving purpose, which the ghoul carries out to the best of its ability using whatever skills it has. The result is a grotesque parody of life: risen blacksmiths attempting to “reforge” their opponents, fallen warriors rasping incoherent battle cries, undead murderers reawakening their deadly slyness, and fallen mages trying to weave spells that often result in some horrible distortion of their original purpose.
Undead Murderer: Ghoulcallers are necromancers—mages who use black mana to call forth the dead from graveyards. These risen dead are called ghouls, or the unhallowed. The ghoulcaller fills the fragile mind of his or her creation with a single driving purpose, which the ghoul carries out to the best of its ability using whatever skills it has. The result is a grotesque parody of life: risen blacksmiths attempting to “reforge” their opponents, fallen warriors rasping incoherent battle cries, undead murderers reawakening their deadly slyness, and fallen mages trying to weave spells that often result in some horrible distortion of their original purpose.
Fallen Mage: Ghoulcallers are necromancers—mages who use black mana to call forth the dead from graveyards. These risen dead are called ghouls, or the unhallowed. The ghoulcaller fills the fragile mind of his or her creation with a single driving purpose, which the ghoul carries out to the best of its ability using whatever skills it has. The result is a grotesque parody of life: risen blacksmiths attempting to “reforge” their opponents, fallen warriors rasping incoherent battle cries, undead murderers reawakening their deadly slyness, and fallen mages trying to weave spells that often result in some horrible distortion of their original purpose.
Zombie Animal: Ghouls also include zombie animals, often animated by necromancers to serve as familiars—most commonly cats, rats, and snakes.
Zombie Animal Cat: Ghouls also include zombie animals, often animated by necromancers to serve as familiars—most commonly cats, rats, and snakes.
Zombie Animal Rat: Ghouls also include zombie animals, often animated by necromancers to serve as familiars—most commonly cats, rats, and snakes.
Zombie Animal Snake: Ghouls also include zombie animals, often animated by necromancers to serve as familiars—most commonly cats, rats, and snakes.
Geist Red-Aligned Poltergeist: Human spirits motivated by fury sometimes return as red-aligned geists called poltergeists.
Undead: ?
Risen Dead: ?
Zombie: ?
Shadow: ?
Specter: ?
Will-o'-Wisp: ?
Wraith: ?
Ghoul: ?
Ghast: ?
Mummy: ?
Wight: ?
Lich: Liches are powerful necromancers who fuse the magic of the ghoulcaller with the arcane science of necro-alchemy, preserving themselves in hideous unlife while retaining their sentience and magical power.
Vampire Spawn: ?
Strefan Maurer, Strefan the Fiend, Vampire: After his father’s death, Strefan studied magic and forged a pact with the demon Shilgengar in return for the promise of immortality. After murdering his brother Sergei and drinking his blood, Strefan journeyed to Markov Manor and consulted with Edgar Markov. Together, they worked with Shilgengar to create the twelve bloodlines of vampires on Innistrad.
Strahd Von Zarovich, Vampire: ?
Ruby, Twin of Mauer Estate, Vampire Neonate: ?
Carmine, Twin of Mauer Estate, Vampire Neonate: ?

 

[Voadam]

Plane Shift: Ixalan
5e
Null: A humanoid killed with a Zendikar vampire's Bloodthirst ability becomes a null.

 

[Voadam]

Plane Shift: Zendikar
5e
Restless Undead, Ghostly Undead: Magic fueled by black mana can alter the natural cycle of life and death. Whether wielded by mortal wizards or demons, or simply an environmental manifestation of black mana’s flow through the land, such magic can trap spirits between the realm of the living and the mysterious fate of the dead. These ghostly undead are as destructive and hateful as the magic that calls them into being.
Shade: ?
Shadow: ?
Wraith: ?
Spirit of the Dead: Not all spirits are created with black mana, however, and not all are malevolent. The spirits of the dead sometimes linger in the world to protect their kin or communities, or to stand guard over sacred or important sites. These spirits can be dangerous, but they are not usually malicious. Both the kor and the Mul Daya elves remain in communion with the spirits of their dead kindred, entreating them for wisdom and protection.
Ghost: ?
Undead Ghost: The various forms of undead ghosts are the incorporeal remnants of life and personality left after the death of a mortal body.
Zombie: The various forms of undead ghosts are the incorporeal remnants of life and personality left after the death of a mortal body. But sometimes the reverse is true: a body retains its animation and hunger while losing any trace of its soul, becoming a zombie.
Vampire Null: When a vampire who is not a bloodchief drains the blood from a living humanoid, that creature undergoes a horrible transformation, becoming a stronger, faster version of a zombie called a null.
A humanoid killed by a vampire's blood thirst becomes a null.
Avatar: Avatars are rare beings similar to elementals. They are aspects or projections of a larger, abstract power, which might be anything from the looming shadow of death to the soul of Zendikar itself.
Demilich: ?

 

[Voadam]

Player's Basic Rules V0.3
5e
Undead: Necromancy spells manipulate the energies of life and death. Such spells can grant an extra reserve of life force, drain the life energy from another creature, create the undead, or even bring the dead back to life.
Creating the undead through the use of necromancy spells such as animate dead is not a good act, and only evil casters use such spells frequently.
Lich: ?
Zombie: Wizards are supreme magic-users, defined and united as a class by the spells they cast. Drawing on the subtle weave of magic that permeates the cosmos, wizards cast spells of explosive fire, arcing lightning, subtle deception, and brute-force mind control. Their magic conjures monsters from other planes of existence, glimpses the future, or turns slain foes into zombies.
Finger of Death spell.

Finger of Death
7th-level necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
You send negative energy coursing through a creature that you can see within range, causing it searing pain. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. It takes 7d8 + 30 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
A humanoid killed by this spell rises at the start of your next turn as a zombie that is permanently under your command, following your verbal orders to the best of its ability.

 

[Voadam]

Player's Basic Rules V0.2
5e
Undead: Necromancy spells manipulate the energies of life and death. Such spells can grant an extra reserve of life force, drain the life energy from another creature, create the undead, or even bring the dead back to life.
Creating the undead through the use of necromancy spells such as animate dead is not a good act, and only evil casters use such spells frequently.
Lich: ?
Zombie: Wizards are supreme magic-users, defined and united as a class by the spells they cast. Drawing on the subtle weave of magic that permeates the cosmos, wizards cast spells of explosive fire, arcing lightning, subtle deception, and brute-force mind control. Their magic conjures monsters from other planes of existence, glimpses the future, or turns slain foes into zombies.
Finger of Death spell.

Finger of Death
7th-level necromancy
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Instantaneous
You send negative energy coursing through a creature that you can see within range, causing it searing pain. The target must make a Constitution saving throw. It takes 7d8 + 30 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
A humanoid killed by this spell rises at the start of your next turn as a zombie that is permanently under your command, following your verbal orders to the best of its ability.