Undead
Undead are corpses whose former souls have been unnaturally reanimated by curses, afflictions or otherworldly forces that override the cycle of life and death. They are sustained by a malevolent energy that separates them from the laws of the living world, transforming them into abominations that persist indefinitely. Their presence defies time, and their corruption festers through generations, spreading a deep-rooted evil that reshapes the land and the hearts of those who encounter it.
Those who perish by the influence or touch of the undead are often doomed to rise again in their image, drawn into a cycle of predation and damnation. The transformation into undeath is a fall into a hollow state of awareness, where the memories and affections of the former self are dissolved. In their place blooms a consciousness bound to ancient, hidden forces — powers birthed in the fractures of the world, operating outside the reach of reason or science, incomprehensible and terrifying.
To destroy an undead creature is not as simple as harming the body it wears. Its essence is tied to the perverse magic that binds it, and often requires rites, relics or rare substances to sever. Only when these rites are fulfilled and the body is undone does the soul, long imprisoned, find release. It departs the mortal world, no longer subject to resurrection or bondage, leaving behind nothing but silence and the absence of its former suffering.
Behaviour
The behavior of undead spans a wide spectrum, shaped by the diversity of their forms, the strength they possess and the remnants of will or intellect that linger in their cursed state. Some are little more than husks animated by dark impulse, while others possess a frightening lucidity, capable of long-term planning, manipulation and the pursuit of dominion. The more intelligent among them often display a calculated ambition, seeking to extend their curse to others as a means of expanding their control. They view infection as a method of propagation, turning victims into servants and use their unnatural longevity to gather influence, knowledge and arcane power across centuries.
By contrast, lesser undead are driven by a blind, unfocused hatred for the living. These creatures kill out of compulsion, not purpose and do not comprehend the horror of their existence. They haunt the grounds where they were first animated, bound to crypts, battlefields or cursed ruins, where their presence poisons the very air and soil. As their numbers swell, they may begin to press outward, turning once-forgotten places into nests of death and decay. Still, outbreaks rarely go far unchecked. The living, faced with the existential threat posed by a spreading plague of undeath, are quick to unite. History tells of entire kingdoms pausing their wars and rivalries to face down such terrors, fighting with a desperation born of the knowledge that there can be no diplomacy with the dead.
Most undead are bound by the rhythms of night and shadow, dormant or weakened during daylight. Their power often waxes after sundown, when the veil between the worlds thins. Yet there are exceptions. Skeletons and zombies, stripped of spirit and driven only by the last command etched into their bones or flesh, walk beneath the sun without hesitation, their behavior dictated less by mystical cycles and more by the will of whatever force first summoned them.
Unholy Spaces
The undead radiate an intense form of evil, producing unholy places able to defy spells such as protection from malevolence, dispel magic, chant, prayer or bless. The area of such places depends on the number of trapped souls — undead and victims of humanoid sacrifice — that have been bound to that place. For every score of bound souls, or 20 in number, four combat hexes within the lair or sanctuary of the undead will be protected from all magic designed to protect against evil.
These cursed sanctuaries can emerge in crypts, tombs, ruins, ancient temples or in the forgotten caverns beneath the world, spreading their corruption like a wound in the weave of reality. Within their borders, holy ground becomes profane and divine spells lose their potency as though smothered by an unseen force. Clerics and paladins who enter such domains find their powers unreliable, their prayers unheard, as if the gods themselves are held at bay. The air hangs heavy with malevolence, time distorts subtly and the ordinary laws of nature begin to fracture.
As more souls are offered or consumed within these spaces, the influence of the unholy presence deepens. Walls may weep blood, shadows grow unnaturally long and echoes whisper in forgotten tongues. Light sources dim and the minds of the living may falter under the psychic weight of so many bound spirits, each one struggling to scream, dream or flee. These domains do not expand like mortal territory through conquest — they spread through ritual, suffering and the will of the dead to hold dominion over the material world.
Destroying or purifying an unholy place is a feat of great effort and peril. It demands not only strength and spellcraft but a means to release the souls chained within. Until then, even the strongest wards will falter inside these places and every step taken brings the living closer to spiritual collapse or worse — conversion.
Advantages
All undead are immune to sleep, charm and curses; the undead never rest or slumber, though some that must hide from sunlight may be surprised in their refuges during the day. They cannot be stunned, either by the result of damage done or sage abilities available to monks and others.
Their resistance to sleep and charm is not merely physical but metaphysical — the forces that drive them are wholly alien to dreams and will. Their minds, if they can be called that, do not operate along emotional or rational lines and are not subject to fatigue, distraction or persuasion. Even lesser undead such as ghouls or wights possess this immunity, as their reanimation strips away the soul's ties to the needs of mortal flesh.
Attempts to disable or manipulate them through conventional means often result in disaster for the unprepared. Many spells that might affect other creatures that require the spellcaster to touch the victim, such as shocking grasp, lay the caster open to suffering from an undead's natural attack form, when that undead also attacks through touch. In such cases, the moment of contact becomes mutual — and for the living, often fatal. Certain undead possess draining touches, necrotic auras or corruptive strikes that feed on life essence itself, bypassing armour and consuming vitality in ways that are difficult to counter.
Furthermore, even magic that seeks to bind or debilitate through touch may be repelled or absorbed in ways that defy understanding. The body of an undead is often suffused with energies that recoil at divine light or arcane probing, causing spells to misfire or backlash on the caster. For this reason, wise spellcasters maintain distance and prepare indirect methods of assault, lest their power become their undoing.
Holy Water
All forms of undead suffer from the touch of holy water, as though the substance were acid against their skin. A single vial of 4 fluid ounces can cause 2-8 damage on a splash. This is managed by hurling the contents of an open vial at the undead and hitting armour class 10, regardless of the undead's physical nature. Misses always cause at least 0-2 damage, as some flecks of water are bound to land true even if most of the splash misses.
This vulnerability arises from the consecration imbued within the water, which disrupts the necromantic energy sustaining the undead form. Upon contact, it burns not with flame but with divine rejection, corroding not just flesh and bone but the very malice that gives the undead their unlife. Unlike fire, which may only damage the shell, holy water strikes the spiritual essence directly, unraveling the unnatural threads that bind soul to corpse. The reaction is often immediate and violent — skin blackens, smoke rises and in some cases, the creature emits a shriek as if momentarily drawn toward true death
Holy water sprinklers are designed with a glass bladder containing holy water, that explodes when hitting a corporeal undead creature. These weapons cause 3-12 damage from the splash when the weapon hits, but can only benefit from this effect once, until a new bladder is emplaced in the weapon. The force of the splash delivers the contents deep into the creature's body and essence, making it particularly effective against flesh-bound undead such as mummies, ghasts or vampires in corporeal form
Sprinklers are often carried by priests, templars or elite undead-hunting orders trained to strike quickly and decisively. As a weapon, they blend the martial with the sacred, creating an intersection between ritual and battlecraft. The careful handling and rearming of the weapon is often done with ceremony, as the blessing within the holy water is believed to weaken over time if not stored properly or if the container is tainted by prolonged exposure to necrotic energy.
Undead Creatures
The following creatures may be counted as undead:
See also,
Bestiary
The Adventure
Turn Undead (sage ability)
