Undead

      The "simplest" form of undead is the zombie.  A zombie is a magically animated corpse which seeks to feed on living flesh and blood.  They are almost always humanoid, though on rare occasions zombie animals have been reported.  Zombies are completely mindless and exist only to feed.  They cannot be given orders or instructions and do not follow commands, they will blindly and immediately attack any food source (living creature) they detect. 

      Zombies are the least powerful form of undead because they have the weakest link to the negative material plane.  A zombie draws just enough negative power to prevent it from dying, and as noted above, it actually needs to feed on living flesh in order to keep its physical energy and activity level up.  A zombie that remains unfed becomes first listless, then inactive, and will remain so until something edible comes along.  Even in this state, however, they can move with snake-like quickness to strike a target within range, passing from torpor to frenzy in an instant.  

     Similarly, because zombies are not strongly connected to the negative plane, they cannot be turned by holy clerics, nor controlled by evil ones.  In fact, about the only thing to do with a zombie is simply destroy it.  A zombie can be destroyed instantly through either the destruction or severance of its head, or it can be physically hacked to pieces.  Zombies have no mind, and thus don't respond to any mind-control magic, but they are affected by hold spells, and by any kind of damage, physical or magical -- including mundane weapons of all types.  Zombies will avoid fire if possible, but burning does not stop them. 

      A zombie attacks with nothing more than its natural hands and teeth;  the magical energy animating them gives them some moderate strength but nothing unusual.  Neither attack does more than minimal physical damage by itself, and were it not for the danger of disease transmission, an individual zombie would not even be a dangerous encounter.  A more significant danger from zombies is when they are encountered in large groups.  An individual overwhelmed by a mob of zombies can be very quickly torn and chewed to pieces right on the spot, with the ensuing corpse itself still possessing the magical energy of impending zombie disease. 

      The most significant risk from a zombie attack, of course, is the transmission of zombie disease.  Any human (except paladins) bitten by a zombie will immediately contract zombie disease.  While strong individuals can often withstand the onset of the disease for some hours, it will inevitably take hold and will inevitably be fatal unless magically cured, a process only possible by the application of a holy Blessing spell followed by Cure Disease.  It should be noted that normal cure disease remedies, including magical ones, will not affect zombie disease at all, unless explicitly attuned for that specific effect. 

      While technically only a zombie’s bite transmits the disease, it appears to also risk transmission any time a zombie’s saliva makes contact with open wounds, meaning a wounded individual encountering a zombie may not actually have to be physically bitten to risk the disease.  An individual actually killed by zombies rises themselves as a zombie at the next midnight. 

      Zombies can be surprisingly tough -- and half a zombie is still just about as bad as a whole one.  Still, they represent perhaps the weakest of all undead forms, and individually are generally  considered a class 1 encounter.  

     Ghouls are animated corpses, they can come from virtually any humanoid stock except elves, giants, and ithilids.  Like zombies, ghouls are undead creatures that exist only to feed off corpses -- the fresher the better.  They are, however, much more powerfully imbued with negative energy than their lesser cousins.  Not only are they stronger and faster than zombies, but they do not become dormant if unfed, just hungrier.  Although the process of becoming a ghoul destroys the rational mind, these creatures retain a terrible cunning which makes them particularly effective hunters;  they will pursue and attack any living creatures relentlessly and attack with no sense of fear. 

     The intensity of a ghoul attack is a terrible thing, as the magical energy sustaining them not only gives them unnatural speed and strength, but it sends them into a frenzy which causes them to attack without regard to personal safety;  it is said that ghouls don’t care if you kill them, as long as they can go down chewing.  Bad enough if there is only one, but ghouls not only almost always attack in groups (even packs), and even a single fighting ghoul will attract others to the location, increasing the duration and stress of the fight.   While we usually classify ghouls as a level 3, occasionally level 4 encounter, the student is cautioned that they attack as if several classes higher.  And again, once a ghoul starts attacking, only the death of its victim, or its own destruction, will stop it.    

     In addition to physical damage, any attack by a ghoul that draws blood causes a magical slowing effect of the victim's reactions, an effect which can rapidly accumulate with multiple wounds to cause complete paralysis (the thought of being conscious and paralyzed as ghouls eat one's flesh is the reason they are so feared).  This paralysis effects all humanoid types except the three noted above. 

     The corpse of a victim slain by ghouls will, if untreated, rise up as a new ghoul by the following night.  Normal religious rites or a blessing for the dead will in most cases suffice; but, contrary to some belief, a simple burial is not enough to prevent this metamorphosis.  In order to be resurrected, the body of a ghoul victim must be first blessed by a priest of good or neutral alignment. 

      All ghouls are chaotic evil, and cannot really be controlled or commanded (except to be pointed at food, perhaps).  Ghouls are almost always found groups, though its individuals may be initially spread out over some distance;  sometimes they are found  roaming in pack-like groups, and other times they are found infesting a specific area, often a large burial site.  They are always encountered either at night or in dark locations, as they shun sunlight;  it does not severely damage them by itself but appears to overwhelm their senses, leaving them helpless.  Ghouls have the normal undead immunities, but they are affected by clerical turning from any good-aligned cleric and particularly Lawful Good alignment. 

      A more powerful form of ghoul exists, a creature known as a Ghast.  They are physically indistinguishable from ghouls in form, but they give off a charnel stench which instantly identifies their presence.  Within 10 to 12 feet, this smell is so strong that it can bring on an incapacitating nausea and makes even the simple act of breathing difficult. 

      Ghasts attack in the same manner as ghouls, with about the same damage, although the paralyzing effect of their touch is not only stronger, it can affect any type of humanoid.  What makes ghasts dangerous is their intelligence.  Ghasts are clearly thinking creatures, capable of problem-solving and semi-rational thought (probably more about food than about opera).  They are almost always found amongst a pack of ghouls, which they appear to organize and command through some manner not well understood.   As encounters, they  are considered one level higher than ghouls. 

      A Spectre is a common term given to any non-corporeal undead creature which causes a life-draining effect through physical contact.  They are creatures of darkness that shun strong light and are made powerless by sunlight.  They are visually similar to ghosts, and are often mistaken for the same. 

      Spectres are composed entirely of magical energy, making them non-corporeal but still visible as a translucent and and indistinct figure undoubtedly reminiscent of their form in life.  The strength of the negative energy that gives them un-life causes the touch of a spectre to drain one life level in the same manner as a wight.  Its only attack form is this touch attack;  spectres do not use magic powers or physical weapons.         

      Being completely non--corporeal, a spectre is not bound by physical objects.  It can move through walls, doors, and physical obstacles, and its ability to sense life seems to similarly transcend physical barriers.  Its attacks certainly do, as normal physical armor and/or weapons provide no protection whatsoever from a spectre's touch.  Magical armor does provide some protection, and magical weapons are required to do damage -- an important fact, because Spectres tend to be relatively "delicate" and will tend to retreat from substantial danger.  Spectres have the normal undead immunities, and in addition cannot be paralyzed or held in any way.  Even though incorporeal, they are distinctly affected by holy water, although it has to be "splashed" on them.   A Raise Dead spell cast on a Spectre kills it instantly. 

      Spectres can form "naturally", with many experts believing they are the psychic remains of individuals who died under exceptional stress levels whose spirits refuse to accept their fate and move on to their appropriate afterlife.  The unresolved status of their existence drives them to hate all living thing as a representation of the life they can no longer have.  They can also be invoked by necromantic rituals, as the magician imbues an existing bound spiritual force with enough negative energy to manifest.  These creatures are not particularly susceptible to control, nor do they particularly obey instructions, but they have the same hatred for anything living and will unhesitatingly seek to destroy it.      

     Although they are, as noted, physical lightweights, their nature and the seriousness of their attack cause us to list Spectres as as a level 5 encounter.    

       A Mummy is an undead creature created by performing a series of specialized body-sustaining rituals on a fresh human or humanoid corpse. Specifics of the process can differ, but all include the removal of certain internal organs and the wrapping of the body in a characteristic manner using linen, cloth, or other fabrics as part of the preservation process.  While these bodies are usually intended to be preserved in a passive mode, they can be made active from disturbances, intended or otherwise, of their resting places.  

      Unlike all other undead forms, the process of mummification and the magic involved preserve the body through positive instead of negative energy.  This magic permeates the entire body, so intensely that a cleanly severed mummy limb can remain animate (and dangerous) for hours, sometimes even days.  It is strong enough to make them immune not only to mundane weapons, but even to magic of less than superior (+2) intensity, and allows them to sustain twice or more the damage they might have withstood in life.  It is also the source of their tremendous strength, usually human-maximum or even greater.  Fortunately, the one thing it does not generally seem to do is make them fast, and it is often possible (as well as advisable) to outrun or outmaneuver a mummy when encountered. 

      Because it is powered by positive rather than negative energy, a mummy cannot be clerically turned or controlled, except by clerics specifically dedicated to a deity controlling a pantheon's underworld of dead souls.  This also makes it possible for mummies to be neutral rather than evil in alignment, a fact which does not necessarily affect the aggressiveness of same when disturbed, but which can influence the kind of spells and magic that will affect it. 

      Although its empowering magic may be different than other undead, mummies share most of the category’s general immunities.  Mummies are not affected by poisons of any kind.  They are unaffected by sleep and hold spells, and are completely unaffected by cold-based magic.  Fire does some damage, minimal if mundane and a bit more if magical, but fire will not necessarily stop them;  and being attacked by a burning mummy has its own issues.  Holy water burns them like a powerful acid, whether evil or neutral.  A Raise Dead spell does not harm them, but turns the mummy back into a living person. 

      The mere sight of a mummy causes a natural fear reaction in living creatures which varies by the affected creature's level.  Ordinary individuals, and even trained adventurers below a 6th level certification are typically paralyzed by this fear (failed save) or will flee in terror (made save).  Most experienced and disciplined individuals of 6th or higher level are able to withstand this fear reaction. 

      Most mummies do not use weapons, but will simply attack with club-like blows of their limbs.  The damage from such attacks is formidable enough because of their great strength, but it gets worse.  A mummy's touch has the chance (66%) to transmit a rotting disease to the individual struck, one which is curable only by magic.  This disease is absolutely fatal over a 2 - 3 month period, and further reduces effective healing, even magical, by 95% while active.  Should an individual die from the disease or while under its influence, they will prove impossible to bring back to life by means short of a Divine wish or resurrection.

     Mummies are essentially unknown in the Blackmoor area, but are found in Greek, Roman, Gothic, Persian, and  (of course) Egyptian lands and cultures.  The Guild considers them minimum rank 6 encounters,  but capable of being higher.  

      Beyond the range of normal mummies, there is an even more powerful creature known as an Elder Mummy.  They are extremely rare, found only in the deepest tomb levels of two great necropolis complexes, one in Egypt and the other in Nubia, and apparently the centerpiece of each.  Although the tombs have been subject to exploration for some centuries, surprisingly little is truly known about them or the powerful creatures they are built around.   Scholars agree the Elder Mummies and their tombs are incredibly old, far predating the human era, yet a great many artifacts found within bear an eerie similarity to elements of First Age Egyptian culture.  Adventurers and explorers agree the Elder Mummies are hostile and dangerous, with the few recorded actual encounters of these creatures in their deep lairs invariably turning out bad even for Epic-class adventurer groups. 

      Reavers are creatures created only through necromantic incantations, and are bound to the necromancer that creates them.  They will follow his/her orders and none other, they cannot be deterred or distracted from their task.  Reavers are functionally intelligent, and can communicate with mortal creatures when necessary, but they are strictly servants and neither free-willed or independent.  If the necromancer who creates a Reaver is ever killed, the Reaver instantly loses all power and dissipates. 

      Reavers are essentially incorporeal creatures, composed almost purely of negative energy, but they take on a semi-corporeal body and are capable of using physical weapons and interacting with the physical world.  Like all incorporeal undead,  Reavers can only be harmed by magical weapons; but further, these must be superior quality (+2) or higher.  Reavers have a Slight level of magic resistance, and have all the normal undead immunities. They can be turned by clerical power, but not controlled by it. 

       A Reaver's touch does not drain life levels, but its weapon can.  Reavers almost always fight with a large, 2-handed scythe, which strikes as a master weapon; they use it in a whirling attack that can strike attack any opponent, or multiple opponents, in any facing without penalty.  Reavers are classified as class 7 encounters, and like advanced warriors can effectively attack up to three times in a round, but only twice at a single target due to the weapon’s large size.  Their negative energy gives them substantial strength and superhuman quickness. 

       Reavers have the ability to use a limited number of spell-like effects, and it is probable that their abilities can vary based on the wishes of the necromancer creating them.  In any case, certain common abilities of Reavers encountered appear to include invisibility, see invisible, fly, detect alignment, lightning bolt, poison cloud, dimension door, and fear.  It is also thought that in some cases, it is possible for a necromancer to see and hear through the Reaver's senses, as though he/she were scrying the area.

     Although  it appears the exact strength of a Reaver may depend on the level of the necromancer creating it, they are generally ranked as a class 6 or 7 encounter.

      The Crypt Lord is an undead spirit always found underground in old-to-ancient tombs, catacombs, and burial areas for the dead.  Physically, they are something of a mix between corporeal and non-corporeal; they typically appear in a skeletal form, often with robes or cloak as garments, but somewhat like Haunts their form ends at the lower spinal cord.  They usually move by gliding over the ground, although they can outright fly as well. 

      How Crypt Lords form is a mystery, as they are one of the few undead forms that are not conjured by necromancers.  Although they are always found deep within crypt areas, it is uncertain if they consider themselves protectors over the area, or simply reside there.  They are usually solitary, but in particularly large burial areas, it appears multiple Crypt Lords can co-exist, each with its own individual zone. 

      Crypt Lords are formidable opponents.  They are highly intelligent, and fully capable of using magical weapons and items of any class or type.  They are strong in melee, with estimates of their fighting equivalence averaging perhaps a 9th level warrior. More significant, however, are their magical abilities.  Crypt Lords can become invisible, cause darkness, detect and dispel magic, cause fear, and cause paralysis.  They have the ability to generate a bone shield around themselves, which functions similar to the magic spell fire shield, and the ability to generate a bone storm, filling an area with flying shards and fragments of bone and inflicting damage equivalent to a fireball-type spell. 

      Most feared of all the Crypt Lord’s magic is its sleep spell.  It is effective against individuals of any rank and race (except elves), and puts the victim into a deep coma-like slumber.  Once asleep, the creature takes its victims to a place deep within its lair where it apparently casts other spells over the individual, incantations which keep them in a state of suspended animation while the Barrow-Wraith slowly drains them of their life-force over time, possibly decades.  The only way to awaken someone in this condition is with a dispel magic spell, but this is not without danger unless the victim has been only recently enchanted;  the awakening process causes the body to suddenly sustain both the aging effects suspended by the Crypt Lord's magic, and the loss of life energy inflicted during that time. The shock of instantly sustaining these physical effects is very often fatal. 

      Crypt Lords can be of any evil alignment.  They are considered a class 8+ encounter.   

    Vampires are among the most famous and powerful of all creatures, undead or otherwise, an adventurer might ever want to encounter.  The myths and legends associated with these creatures exceeds that of perhaps all others, and the sifting of fact from fiction is not an easy issue among creatures capable of great individual variety. 

      All vampires start as normal humanoids, who are at some point in life, voluntarily or otherwise, are infected with and succumb to vampirism (almost always through the bite of another vampire).  When it occurs, the actual transformation alters the individual by replacing the positive energy their body previously used with negative energy.  This transformation empowers the vampire with great abilities but also requires it to operate under a number of specific parameters. 

     First, like normal living creatures, a vampire must feed in order to keep its energy level up.  A vampire feeds, of course, on fresh blood, and in order to remain healthy and active, it must have a supply either identical to its own racial type or as close as possible to it.  A vampire that does not get enough sustenance will not expire like a mortal creature, but will go into a passive, and ultimately dormant, state.  Sustained by the negative energy now inherent in its makeup, however, the vampire can go into a state of virtual suspended animation for as long as necessary until a blood source becomes available. 

      All vampires must have either a coffin or a dedicated resting place for their bodies where they must periodically spend time recharging themselves.  This functions somewhat like sleep does for normal mortals; the frequency with which a vampire must rest depends on its power and age (reduced by both).  This location also acts as the focus for the vampire to reform its body should it be severely damaged enough to force the vampire to abandon it.  This is why the location will always contain some bits of the creature, like a lock of hair or some fingernail clippings. 

      Direct sunlight is an anathema to all vampires; it will not kill them, but it can decompose them, thus destroying them physically in a manner which forces an extreme recovery time.  They will generally avoid garlic, and any form of Lawful Good holy symbolism, but the effectiveness of both is relative to the vampire's strength, and should not be considered as “absolute” protections. 

      Vampires share certain magical characteristics.  Vampires possess unnatural strength, often ogre or hill giant equivalent.   All have the ability to fly, to assume a gaseous form, and to be able to take on an alternate physical form -- bat, rat, and wolf are common.  Most vampires can call creatures of whatever type they can transform themselves into.  Interestingly, vampires of all types are always individuals of very high charisma as well.  For whatever reason, magical or natural, vampires in their normal mortal form are often able to exert virtually magnetic effects on mortals, and quite frequently to those of the opposite sex.  Whether it reflects the kind of person who becomes a vampire, or is the result of something in the process, the powerful personality of each individual vampire is an undeniable characteristic.

      A vampire can be potentially attacked in any form, except gaseous, but even if its physical form is “destroyed”, this only forces the vampire back to its resting place to reform its body again over time.  A vampire can only be truly killed in three specific ways.  One is to put a wooden stake through the creature's heart while its spirit is still in the body -- inevitably this means while the body is within its coffin.  The second is to physically drown the creature in holy water (of any good alignment), a process it cannot magically escape as long as its face is held under water.  The third is to Resurrect the creature, while at the same time keeping its soul bound to its body (theoretically possible with complicated magic).  

     While they share characteristics, vampires otherwise are highly individualistic creatures, generally reflecting as vampires the same kind of person they were in “normal” life.  Some adopt relatively solitary lifestyles, others use their ability to blend in to normal human habitation and concentrate on remaining anonymous.  Some make themselves deliberately famous.  A vampire who was a warrior, magician, or rogue in their normal lives will not only continue to possess such skills, but now with even longer a potential life span to improve them.  It is for this reason that arcane magician vampires in particular can become almost indistinguishable from liches if they live long enough.  In any case, a vampire’s power tends to grow the longer it lives, and as a result, it is now common in the adventuring world to distinguish between lesser vampires, greater vampires, and elder vampires.  These definitions are really only a difference of degree, a little like saying vampires can be bad, really bad, or really unbelievably bad. 

      It also means vampires are hard to classify, and matching them to the Guild’s encounter scale is mostly an exercise in argumentation.  We list lesser vampires as a class 8 encounter, greater vampires as class A, and elder vampires as class B, but these classifications are highly relative.  The lesser vampire is probably a bit undervalued, and in any case, any vampiric creature or being is something only to be encountered by the most experienced and capable adventurer. 

      A lich is the undead spirit of a powerful magic-using individual who has used arcane magic to continue existing far beyond their normal mortal years, to a point where they are sustained not by their body's life energy, but by their mind's control of arcane power.  Because a lich's existence is tied to arcane magic rather than negative energy, a lich does not by technical definition actually have to be an evil creature, but could possibly be neutral in alignment (never good).  However, since ultimately the life-and-death cycle of mortality is natural, the continual denial of it seems to inevitably lead to a condition that, if not actually evil, is so "un-good" that it might as well be. 

      That said, liches are perhaps the most powerful and evil creatures known to the adventuring world, maybe only equaled by the great dragons.  Because the incantations required for their transformation require the mastery of 8th and 9th level magical spellcasting, a lich by definition is already in possession of a level of power almost inaccessible to normal mortals, and as a result, represent more or less the apex of potential encounters, short of an actual deity on earth.  In most cases, a lich lives a life of seclusion enwrapped in its magical powers and its personal arcane agenda.  By their nature, they tend to attract other forms of undead and other evil creatures, and in many cases will do so consciously, if only as a means of secluding themselves further from the mortal world’s interference.  Those that seek them disturb these creatures, whether for holy glory or fell purpose, do so at their own peril.

      Liches are highly individual creatures, beyond all being mighty arcane spellcasters, it is difficult to set down too many rules about them.  From the standpoint of definitions, a lich capable of using 8th level arcane spells is classified as an “A” encounter, while one capable of using 9th level arcane magic is classified as a “B” encounter.  While for most of us, even most adventurers, this distinction is nothing more than academic, we are assured by the great heroes and adventurers of our history that it is a legitimate distinction. 

      Although it's hard to believe it possible for something to be worse than a class B lich, there is indeed in theory such a creature, and it is called an Demi-Lich.  A lich that is able to survive for an exceptional period of time, and which continues to develop its power and magical mastery, is capable of reaching a state where it evolves into a creature of almost pure magic, transcending its own body, space, and even time itself.  A Demi-Lich is not really even a creature of the Prime Material plane, though its bones and dust reside here.  It is instead truly a creature of the multiverse, spending most (hopefully all) of its time in arcane pathways long lost to the understanding of mortals. 

      Trying to define the power level of a Demi-Lich is pointless, they should probably be classified as deity-equivalents, and there are certainly some lesser gods out there who wouldn’t fare well in an encounter with a Demi-Lich.  Ninth level arcane magic is not only a standard commodity for them, but being beyond mortality, the fatigue and stress issues normally limiting the use of such magicks just don’t apply.  This ability to invoke almost limitless power makes them effectively unbeatable in anything resembling a confrontation;  it is universally conceded that the only chance to live through a Demi-Lich encounter is to catch the creature by surprise with its attention elsewhere, and act against it before it can return.  For exactly this reason, a Demi-Lich inevitably resides in deep, highly guarded and warded catacombs, with an entourage of lesser magical and evil creatures attending its chambers. 

       The only way a Demi-Lich can be truly destroyed involves a multi-layered ritual requiring both holy and arcane magical powers.  Among the spells that need to be cast are a Full Resurrection and a Wish, which gives a general idea of exactly what is required to confront such a creature.