[3.5] A New Take On Undead [PEACH]

[Shadowknight12]

To save this post from becoming too wall-of-text-y, I'm going to link to the original thread that this one is based on. Everything important is on the OP, though you're more than welcome to read the rest and post with your opinions if you want. Here it is: Link (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220767).

All right, so what I'm going to be doing here is go over all the Monster Manuals, Fiend Folio and Libris Mortis (to begin with) and list what specific undead I will be keeping, what their cause of death and feeding requirements will be, and any potential modifications I will need to make in order to make them playable.

Speaking of which, some basic concepts you should know:


I'll be using oslecamo's monster classes to represent undead, not that cumbersome HD and LA fiasco.
Undead are not immune to mind-affecting effects.
Only living (non-Undead, non-Construct, non-Elemental, non-Outsider) creatures of Intelligence 3+ can become undead. Undead themselves reflect this.
I will not be using the alignment system.
Undead will be playable.
I will be using the feeding rules from Libris Mortis, modified to account for HD and consumed amount (more on that later on).
Fluff will be preserved whenever possible. Crunch will most likely be modified one way or another. An attempt at preservation will be made.


I will be taking requests, of course, and criticism and suggestions are what I'm here for. Feel free to pitch in and comment!

A few general design rules I'll be following:


The more powerful the undead (in terms of potential, of course, since monster classes mean that all newly risen undead begin at 1st level in their class) have more harmful/strict/complicated feeding requirements.
The less powerful a given undead is, the easier and less problematic its feeding requirement is, and the longer it can go without feeding.
Feeding requirements are not necessarily bad. All of them can be used for good or evil, just like undead themselves.
I'm not aiming to flesh out the entire campaign setting. That can wait and/or it's already done. If you want more details, I'd be more than happy to provide, but please, don't assume they don't exist.


Feeding Requirements, Adapted from Libris Mortis:

All undead creatures have Diet Dependencies, as outlined in Libris Mortis, page 10. Some special cases have Inescapable Cravings, though they are exceptions and not the norm. Unless otherwise specified, any feeding that is not part of an attack is a full-round action that provokes Attacks of Opportunity and can only be performed on willing or helpless targets (remember that unconscious creatures are always willing).

Inescapable Craving's rules are left untouched.

Diet Dependency's rules have been changed as it follows:

Will DC: Unchanged.
Wisdom Damage: Unchanged.
Satiation: Change to the following formula (round down any fractions):

Days = 3 - HD/4 + Q

Where Q stands for Feast Quotient. Calculate it as it follows:

If the undead deals ability damage: (Points Damaged)/4.
If the undead deals ability drain: (Points Drained)/5.
If the undead feeds on vitality or deals energy drain: (Levels Drained)/2.
If the undead feeds on pain: (HP Drained or Damaged)/20.
If the undead feeds on material worth: (GP Value)/1000.
If the undead feeds on magic: (Level Of Spell Slot Drained)/3.
If the undead feeds on psionic power: (Power Points Drained)/5.
If the undead feeds on warmth or heat: (Cold Damage Dealt)/10.
If the undead feeds on cold or chill: (Fire Damage Dealt)/10.
If the undead feeds on body parts (flesh, bones, skin, organs) or souls/essence: (Creature's HD)/4.
If the undead feeds on disease or poison: (Fortitude Save)/10.
If the undead feeds on "deathly energies": (Caster Level)/3.
If the undead feeds on "ambient magic": (Caster Level)/4.
If the undead drains emotion, thoughts or memories: DM Adjudication.
If the undead has another feeding requirement: DM Adjudication.

DM Adjudication: DM assigns a score from 0 to 10 based on the intensity of the emotion/thoughts/memories/etc.

Every time the undead feeds, run the formula and it will give you how many days the undead can go without having to make a Will save vs. Wisdom damage. Days cannot be reduced to less than 1.

Regarding poison and disease: In the Feast Quotient, Fortitude Save refers to that of the disease or poison the undead is feeding of.
Regarding deathly energies: While standing on Desecrated (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/desecrate.htm) or Unhallowed (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/unhallow.htm) ground, the undead is considered to be permanently sated. Run the formula when the undead leaves the premises. In the Feast Quotient, Caster Level refers to the caster of the desecrated or unhallowed area. When in doubt, assume the minimum necessary to cast the spell by a cleric (3rd and 9th, respectively). In the cases of graveyards and other places of mass death, assume the caster level is 3, plus 1 per 100 yards of radius. When the caster level reaches 9, assume the place is Unhallowed rather than Desecrated.
Regarding ambient magic: The undead can cast Dispel Magic (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/dispelMagic.htm) 1/day per 4 HD as (Su) ability, using its HD as caster level. The undead may only use this ability against non-instantaneous, non-concentration spells that affect an area, such as Magic Circle (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magicCircleAgainstEvil.htm), Alarm (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/alarm.htm) and Glyph of Warding (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/glyphOfWarding.htm). If the dispel check succeeds, the spell ends and the undead gains nourishment. In the Feast Quotient, Caster Level refers to the caster of the spell the undead is attempting to dispel.
Regarding emotion drain: Feeding on an emotion acts like the Calm Emotions (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/calmEmotions.htm) spell for that specific emotion (undead cannot end a barbarian's rage and suppress a bard's morale bonus, for example, it must choose between them), and for only one target at a time. The non-violent part of the spell doesn't apply unless the undead chooses a violent emotion, such as rage, hatred, jealousy and the like. In-game, the person is considered to be exuding the emotion like body heat, and the undead feeds on that. Draining emotion does not require the target to be willing or helpless, though it is still a full-round action that provokes Attacks of Opportunity.
Regarding memory drain: Feeding on a memory acts like the Programmed Amnesia spell (CAr, page 118), but it may only be used to delete a single, specific memory. The undead regains knowledge of that memory as though it had been its own. The undead cannot choose what memory to drain if it hasn't read the target's mind beforehand (Detect Thoughts only reads surface thoughts, so it does not count as true mind-reading).
Regarding thought drain: Target must make a Will save (DC 10 + half the undead creature's HD + the undead creature's Charisma bonus) or be Stunned for 1 round. If the save fails, the undead has successfully stolen the target's surface thoughts. If the save succeeds, the undead gains no nourishment and has wasted its action. Draining thoughts does not require the target to be willing or helpless, though it is still a full-round action that provokes Attacks of Opportunity.

Sourcebooks To Be Examined:


Monster Manual I.
Monster Manual II.
Monster Manual III.
Monster Manual IV.
Monster Manual V.
Fiend Folio.
Libris Mortis.


What I'm Looking For:


Constructive criticism for my entries.
Ideas to improve originality.
If I'm dismissing an undead creature, it's most likely because it either doesn't fit with the setting or because I can't think of a good way to incorporate it. It will almost always be the latter. In that case, feel free to make suggestions, I will most likely take it.
Suggestions on what other sourcebooks I can take on after I'm done with the ones above.


FAQ:

To be added as it comes forth.

[Shadowknight12]

Monster Manual I

Allip: Stays.
Cause Of Death: The suicide of a mad person.
Feeding Requirement: Sanity (represented by Wisdom drain).
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Points Drained)/5.
Crunch Changes: An Allip is considered to be under the effects of a Confusion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/confusion.htm) spell at all times (replace 'caster' with 'nearest enemy').
Fluff Changes: Probably none.
Notes: Every time an Allip drains Wisdom, it has the choice to internalise the sanity that provides its nourishment. If it does so, it loses its Babble and Madness abilities but gains the ability to speak intelligently and is no longer considered to be under the effects of a Confusion spell. This lasts for one hour per point of Wisdom drained.

Bodak: Goes.

Devourer: Goes.

Ghost: Stays.
Cause Of Death: The traumatic death of a wilful person with unfinished business in life, overwhelming emotions or an overpowering fear of death.
Feeding Requirement: Emotion.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + DM Adjudication.
Crunch Changes: Defaults to oslecamo's monster class.
Fluff Changes: Probably none.
Notes: The undead must have had a Charisma of 15+ and an Intelligence of 11+ in life.

Ghoul: Stays.
Cause Of Death: The traumatic death of a person who exploited and used others for their own benefit.
Feeding Requirement: The flesh of the living (it must kill or defeat a living, corporeal creature and consume its flesh).
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Creature's HD)/4.
Crunch Changes: Defaults to oslecamo's monster class. Ghoul fever does not turn people into ghouls. It just kills.
Fluff Changes: Ghasts are not simply more powerful versions of ghouls. Ghasts are indeed the animated remains of cannibals who died traumatic deaths. Lacedon arise if the person had the aquatic subtype.
Notes: None for now.

Lich: Stays.
Cause Of Death: Willingly undertaken ritual where a spellcaster seals away a bit of its soul in a phylactery.
Feeding Requirement: Magic.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Level Of Spell Slot Drained)/3.
Crunch Changes: Defaults to oslecamo's monster class.
Fluff Changes: Probably none.
Notes: There is no "unspeakably evil" act involved in a lich's creation. That's just propaganda. As usual, a lich must be level 11+ and it must craft or pay for the creation of its phylactery. A lich need not craft its own phylactery, though it must be in his possession upon performing the ritual.

Mohrg: Stays.
Cause Of Death: The traumatic death of a mass murderer or genocidal villain who died without atoning for its crimes.
Feeding Requirement: Pain (HP damage dealt).
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (HP Drained or Damaged)/20.
Crunch Changes: Defaults to oslecamo's monster class. Cannot create spawn.
Fluff Changes: Probably none.
Notes: None for now.

Mummy: Stays.
Cause Of Death: Willingly undertaken ritual where the victim is embalmed and swears to safeguard an important location with its (un)life.
Feeding Requirement: Deathly energies.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Caster Level)/3.
Crunch Changes: Defaults to oslecamo's monster class.
Fluff Changes: Probably none.
Notes: None for now.

Nightshade: Goes.

Shadow: Stays.
Cause Of Death: The traumatic death of a person who spent its life hiding and cowering due to not being strong enough to face life's difficulties.
Feeding Requirement: Strength.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Points Damaged)/4.
Crunch Changes: Defaults to oslecamo's monster class. Cannot create spawn.
Fluff Changes: Probably none.
Notes: None for now.

Skeleton: Stays.
Cause Of Death: Corrosion, dissolution or digestion (Acid damage).
Feeding Requirement: Deathly energies.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Caster Level)/3.
Crunch Changes: Not mindless, but intelligent. Will have to create a monster class for it.
Fluff Changes: Not animated by necromancy, but risen on its own.
Notes: None for now.

Spectre: Stays.
Cause Of Death: Extremely violent and gruesome death, to the point where remains are unrecognisable.
Feeding Requirement: Life force (represented by energy drain).
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Levels Drained)/2.
Crunch Changes: Will have to create a monster class for it. Cannot create spawn.
Fluff Changes: Probably none.
Notes: None for now.

Vampire: Stays.
Cause Of Death: The suicide via blood loss of a person who has suffered terrible losses.
Feeding Requirement: Blood (represented by Constitution drain).
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Points Drained)/5.
Crunch Changes: Defaults to oslecamo's monster class.
Fluff Changes: Probably none.
Notes: May create spawn, at some great cost (to be determined later). The blood it must drain must belong to living creatures of Intelligence 3+. Vampires look lifelike when they are at full HP and under the Gentle Repose (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/gentleRepose.htm) spell. This grants them a +20 unnamed bonus to Disguise checks to look alive. This effect ends if either condition stops being true.

Wight: Stays.
Cause Of Death: The traumatic death of someone slain through negative energy or energy drain.
Feeding Requirement: Energy drain.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Levels Drained)/2.
Crunch Changes: Defaults to oslecamo's monster class. Cannot create spawn (though other wights may arise from its victims if they are killed via energy drain, at the DM's discretion).
Fluff Changes: Probably none.
Notes: Wights look lifelike when they are at full HP and under the Gentle Repose (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/gentleRepose.htm) spell. This grants them a +20 unnamed bonus to Disguise checks to look alive. This effect ends if either condition stops being true.

Wraith: Stays.
Cause Of Death: Slow, lingering, agonising death, especially the kind caused by some sort of deprivation (asphyxiation, poison, disease, hunger, thirst, neglect).
Feeding Requirement: Depending on the cause of death, it drains that which it lacked (breath, health, nourishment, etc). Always represented by Constitution drain.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Points Drained)/5.
Crunch Changes: Defaults to oslecamo's monster class. Cannot create spawn.
Fluff Changes: Probably none.
Notes: None for now.

Zombie: Stays.
Cause Of Death: Extremely sudden death that deals very little damage to the body.
Feeding Requirement: Deathly energies.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Caster Level)/3.
Crunch Changes: Not mindless, but intelligent. Will have to create a monster class for it.
Fluff Changes: Not animated by necromancy, but risen on its own. The reason a zombie rises is because death came so suddenly that the person could not accept it.
Notes: Zombies look lifelike when they are at full HP and under the Gentle Repose (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/gentleRepose.htm) spell. This grants them a +20 unnamed bonus to Disguise checks to look alive. This effect ends if either condition stops being true.

This was an excellent sourcebook for undead.


Monster Manual II

Banshee: Stays.
Cause Of Death: Willingly undertaken ritual where a person agrees to damn itself for eternity in order to mourn the dead in their region.
Feeding Requirement: Strength of Personality (represented by Charisma drain).
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Points Drained)/5.
Crunch Changes: Will have to create a monster class for it. Horrific Appearance has to go.
Fluff Changes: According to the beliefs of the druidic faith, mourning the dead sends them forth into the afterlife and prevents them from becoming undead. Banshees are self-damned undead who have chosen to remain behind so that others may enjoy their afterlife. Undead are slightly less common if banshees are around to mourn for them when they die. Also, banshees can apprehend the entire history of a corpse with a touch, so that they can feel genuine grief (fake grief doesn't work). Banshees used to be mostly female due to tradition, but as the hatred against undead has flourished, druids are willing to perform the ritual on anyone willing, given that volunteers are practically unheard of. Proper druidic for a banshee is bean sí (fear sí if male).
Notes: Most banshees are unaware that they can end their undeath by willing themselves out of existence. Those who do either don't have the courage to do so or consider it a breach of their oath.

Bone Naga: Goes.

Corpse Gatherer: Goes.

Crimson Death: Goes.

Death Knight: Stays.
Cause Of Death: Willingly undertaken ritual by a being of extremely high martial might, usually performed by warpriests in a time of need.
Feeding Requirement: The heart of a worthy foe (treat as ghoul).
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Creature's HD)/4.
Crunch Changes: Will need to create a monster class for it. It cannot be banished by Holy Word or the like. The "Undead Followers" ability is replaced by Undead Leadership as a bonus feat.
Fluff Changes: They are not created by gods of death or evil. They were created by warpriests (of any religion) through a special ritual. Due to the current exacerbated stigma against undead, warpriests do not actually perform this ritual any more, though it has been stolen several times and it can actually be performed by anyone (the divine magic component can be substituted by performing the ritual in desecrated or unhallowed ground).
Notes: A death knight must be level 11+. The cost for the ritual is the same as that of a lich's phylactery.

Deathbringer: Goes.

Effigy: Stays.
Cause Of Death: Usually, the immolation of a pyromaniac, though in some occasions non-pyromaniacs may become effigies (particularly arsonists, fire-themed spellcasters and the like), yet immolation is still required.
Feeding Requirement: Cold.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Fire Damage Dealt)/10.
Crunch Changes:Will need to create a monster class for it. It does not deal energy drain. If the effigy establishes a successful hold on a body for one minute (i.e., its victim fails 10 successive opposed Wisdom checks against it), the victim may only perform an opposed Wisdom check to expel the effigy once per day from then on.
Fluff Changes: Their ability to infuse is completely optional and NOT a feeding necessity. As per the crunch changes, it deals only fire damage to the infused body. This means that possessing fire-immune creatures allows an effigy to avoid burning the body from the inside out (though the opposed Wisdom checks against it still apply).
Notes: Effigies are hunted down with exceptional zeal by the living. It probably has something to do with that whole "possesses bodies" thing.

Famine Spirit: Goes.

Gravecrawler Grave Guardian: Stays.
Cause Of Death: Willingly undertaken ritual performed by priests of the god of death.
Feeding Requirement: Deathly energies.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + Q.
Crunch Changes: Will have to create a monster class for it. Calcifying Aura and Constitution Drain removed. CR reduced to 10.
Fluff Changes: Renamed to Grave Guardian. Appearance changed to what they looked like in life, covered with (and shedding) a fine mist of grave dust. Priests of the god of death are tasked with creating a grave guardian for every graveyard they preside over, though other religions frown at such an act. However, they diminish the chance of corpses returning as undead (like banshees) and act as repositories of knowledge and local sages.
Notes: Grave guardians look lifelike when they are at full HP and under the Gentle Repose (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/gentleRepose.htm) spell. This grants them a +20 unnamed bonus to Disguise checks to look alive. This effect ends if either condition stops being true.

Jahi: Goes.

Ragewind: Goes.

Spawn of Kyssus: Goes.

Spellstitched Creature: Stays.
Cause Of Death: None. Spellstitched is a modification inflicted by a spellcaster upon a corporeal undead.
Feeding Requirement: Magic is added as an additional feeding requirement to the undead (unless the feeding requirement is already magic). Track each hunger separately.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Level Of Spell Slot Drained)/3.
Crunch Changes: Level Adjustment becomes +2.
Fluff Changes: Probably none.
Notes: None for now.

This was a painfully awful sourcebook for undead. There were some good ideas there, but an utterly terrible execution (Jahi, Ragewind, Famine Spirit, Gravecrawler).


Monster Manual III

Boneclaw: Goes.

Bonedrinker: Goes.

Charnel Hound: Goes.

Deathshrieker: Stays.
Cause Of Death: A curse placed upon the victim by a blood relative or a person the victim has wronged (or believes that the victim has wronged them). There must be an extraordinary amount of emotion behind the curse for it to work.
Feeding Requirement: Voices.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Creature's HD)/4 (treat as ghoul).
Crunch Changes: Cannot drain Charisma.
Fluff Changes: They do not rise in places of mass death, though they still absorb the final words/screams of those that die within 100 ft. of them. They do not need to scream all the time, but many of them find that it helps them deal with stress, trauma and other difficulties.
Notes: None thus far.

Drowned: Stays.
Cause Of Death: The traumatic drowning of someone who feared water, the sea or the depths of the ocean.
Feeding Requirement: The last gasp of a drowning creature.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Creature's HD)/4 (treat as ghoul).
Crunch Changes: They do not possess a Drowning Aura. Instead, they possess a Drowning Kiss. It works like the Drowning Aura, except that it requires either a willing, helpless or pinned target, provokes Attacks of Opportunity and may only be done to one creature at a time.
Fluff Changes: They do not look hideously deformed, but exactly like they looked in life, only permanently moist and with a slightly bluish tinge to their skin.
Notes: In order to gain nourishment from a victim, it must die by their Drowning Kiss ability. Drowned look lifelike when they are at full HP and under the Gentle Repose (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/gentleRepose.htm) spell. This grants them a +20 unnamed bonus to Disguise checks to look alive. This effect ends if either condition stops being true.

Dust Wight: Goes.

Ephemeral Swarm: Goes.

Grimweird: Goes.

Necronaut: Goes.

Plague Spewer: Goes.

Salt Mummy: Stays.
Cause Of Death: The traumatic death of a person bearing a terrible, dark secret.
Feeding Requirement: Salt.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (GP Worth of Salt)/1000.
Crunch Changes: Will have to create a monster class for it.
Fluff Changes: Salt mummies are immune to abjurations or folklore superstitions where salt is used to keep the supernatural at bay. Furthermore, they are immune to salt-based magic.
Notes: The victim rises covered in salt because of the mystical belief that salt is a symbol of eternity and preservation, echoing the victim's overwhelming desire to preserve its secret for all eternity. It needs not be interred in or covered in salt.

Vasuthant: Stays.
Cause Of Death: A spellcaster who dies without his burning need for power fulfilled.
Feeding Requirement: Ambient magic.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Caster Level)/4.
Crunch Changes: Using oslecamo's monster class.
Fluff Changes: None, probably.
Notes: None for now.

I never thought I'd see something even worse than MMII. How wrong was I.


Monster Manual IV

Bloodhulk: Goes.

Defacer: Stays.
Cause Of Death: The traumatic death of a person who spent most of their lives playing roles and being other people (spies, infiltrators, actors, doppelgangers, changelings, etc.).
Feeding Requirement: Faces.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Creature's HD)/4 (treat as ghoul).
Crunch Changes: Will have to create a monster class for it.
Fluff Changes: They do not need a necromancer's intervention to arise, and the potential victim is expanded somewhat.
Notes: In order to gain nourishment, the Defacer must use its Steal Face ability to kill a foe.

Necrosis Carnex: Goes.

Plague Walker: Stays.
Cause Of Death: A long, traumatic battle with a plague and an unjust death just as the victim was sure to be cured.
Feeding Requirement: Disease.
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + (Fortitude Save)/10.
Crunch Changes: Will have to create a monster class for it.
Fluff Changes: It does not look bloated, but instead it looks like a diseased version of the victim. Does not explode when killed, but instead releases inner reservoir of disease. Bloated Target is changed instead to "Still Target," refluffed as the plague walker being very stiff and hard to miss against.
Notes: None for now.

Vitreous Drinker: Goes.

Web Mummy: Goes.

It wasn't that bad, but it was still disappointing.


Monster Manual V

Blackwing, bonespur, bridge haunt, forest haunt, Kugan (phantom ghast), sanguineous drinker, serpentir, skull lord, spectral rider, taunting haunt, vampires (all), deadborn vulture zombie.

Blackwing: Goes.

Bonespur: Goes.

Bridge Haunt: Goes.

Forest Haunt: Stays.
Cause Of Death: The traumatic death of a fey, druid, ranger or another type of being strongly tied to nature.
Feeding Requirement:
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + Q.
Crunch Changes:
Fluff Changes:
Notes:

: Stays.
Cause Of Death:
Feeding Requirement:
Feeding Formula: Days = 3 - HD/4 + Q.
Crunch Changes:
Fluff Changes:
Notes:

[Shadowknight12]

Reserved for Fiend Folio, Libris Mortis and others. You may begin posting!

[Domriso]

I'm intrigued to say the least. I'll need to reference my Libris Mortis to get reacquainted with the rules before I comment at all, but the idea seems cool.

[Wyntonian]

I have three little things:

One, the feeding rules are, frankly, byzantine. I'd hate to need to use these regularly. I assume that's not intended, as you really only need to do that once per character, but still. I'd recommend doing the math for each undead and just giving their feeding quotient and such along with their entry.

Two, I'd appreciate a link the the oft-referenced oslecamo monster classes.

Three, Yay! I really like this. It needed to happen.

[Shadowknight12]

I'm intrigued to say the least. I'll need to reference my Libris Mortis to get reacquainted with the rules before I comment at all, but the idea seems cool.

Good to hear! The rules themselves aren't that complicated, but they're rather appropriate for the occasion.


I have three little things:

One, the feeding rules are, frankly, byzantine. I'd hate to need to use these regularly. I assume that's not intended, as you really only need to do that once per character, but still. I'd recommend doing the math for each undead and just giving their feeding quotient and such along with their entry.

Two, I'd appreciate a link the the oft-referenced oslecamo monster classes.

Three, Yay! I really like this. It needed to happen.

1) The feeding rules are meant to be used by the DM, and they're presented in a way that he can easily calculate the days each party member can go without feeding. That's why it's presented in a general equation form, and then modified according to each particular kind of undead. However, it costs me nothing to add another line to each undead's entry, so I might as well do that when I post the next batch.

2) That was my original intention (to link each of oslecamo's monster classes), but the BG boards have been down for a few days (and remain down to the moment of this writing), so that has been impossible to do. It's on my "Pending" list, however.

3) Awesome! I quite agree.

[super dark33]

I like this idea, especialy what you did with the lich.
a propoganda spread by the haters and jelous.

say for zombie that the feeding requierment is 'brains' AKA kill an enemy.

[HeadlessMermaid]

Very neat idea. I've run a campaign with a similar take on undead (though there was no undead nation anywhere). Here are a couple of fluffy ideas that you might find useful, concerning reasons to rise from the grave. Maybe you can think of specific undead that fit the description.

1) "May you never rot!"
Some rise due to a Curse. Not a spell, but an actual curse, uttered by someone who had been horribly wronged by them (twist: or thinks he had been wronged). The curse works if there's enough "energy", so to speak: an unbelievable amount of emotion (despair, hatred, agony etc), and/or if it's a blood relative. A parent's curse towards his own offspring is almost guaranteed to work. Nothing happens immediately, but when they die, they don't stay dead for long.

"May you never rot" was really a curse in the Balkans, and the prospect of it actually working terrified the villagers until a few centuries ago. It was considered a horrible thing to utter.

2) So vile that the grave ejects you
Sort of like the mohrg fluff, except that "vile" may not actually mean guilty of mass murder or similar crimes, but breaking a very ancient, very basic custom law: incest, patricide, matricide (etc), cannibalism, perhaps killing a guest under your roof, and so on.

Plenty of room for injustices here, too. Oedipus would be screwed, for example, though he did nothing on purpose, he just didn't know who his parents were.

Note: In both cases, cause of death doesn't matter per se - not sure if that fits your concept out of the box.

[Shadowknight12]

Just finished MMII. What a terrible book.


I like this idea, especialy what you did with the lich.
a propoganda spread by the haters and jelous.

say for zombie that the feeding requierment is 'brains' AKA kill an enemy.

Thanks! I do like that part as well.

Also, that's a funny suggestion, but I'm not really a fan of pop culture. :smalltongue:



Very neat idea. I've run a campaign with a similar take on undead (though there was no undead nation anywhere). Here are a couple of fluffy ideas that you might find useful, concerning reasons to rise from the grave. Maybe you can think of specific undead that fit the description.

1) "May you never rot!"
Some rise due to a Curse. Not a spell, but an actual curse, uttered by someone who had been horribly wronged by them (twist: or thinks he had been wronged). The curse works if there's enough "energy", so to speak: an unbelievable amount of emotion (despair, hatred, agony etc), and/or if it's a blood relative. A parent's curse towards his own offspring is almost guaranteed to work. Nothing happens immediately, but when they die, they don't stay dead for long.

"May you never rot" was really a curse in the Balkans, and the prospect of it actually working terrified the villagers until a few centuries ago. It was considered a horrible thing to utter.

2) So vile that the grave ejects you
Sort of like the mohrg fluff, except that "vile" may not actually mean guilty of mass murder or similar crimes, but breaking a very ancient, very basic custom law: incest, patricide, matricide (etc), cannibalism, perhaps killing a guest under your roof, and so on.

Plenty of room for injustices here, too. Oedipus would be screwed, for example, though he did nothing on purpose, he just didn't know who his parents were.

Note: In both cases, cause of death doesn't matter per se - not sure if that fits your concept out of the box.

Thanks for the awesome suggestions! That's definitely stuff I'm looking for, because it actually is somewhat tied to cause of death (look at the shadow or the ghost, for example). I particularly like the first one, and I'll be sure to incorporate it at some point.

[HeadlessMermaid]

Thanks for the awesome suggestions! That's definitely stuff I'm looking for, because it actually is somewhat tied to cause of death (look at the shadow or the ghost, for example). I particularly like the first one, and I'll be sure to incorporate it at some point.
Glad to hear it. Oh, and I had a special sub-category of "unfinished business", unfulfilled oaths. Though I can't remember how I differentiated it in the crunch.

And here is some more inspiration from folklore:

1) The Ballad of the Dead Brother
A 9th century poem (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dead_Brother%27s_Song), but Wikipedia's translation is literal and therefore awful, so here's the gist of it.

A mother of nine sons and one precious daughter receives an offer to betroth her daughter to a man from a faraway land. The family is against it, because in times of need it would be difficult to reach her. The youngest son, though, insists it's a good idea, and swears by all the saints to go and fetch her himself if the need arises. So they marry the girl off. But soon the plague claims all nine brothers, and the mother is left on her own, with no one to fetch her daughter. She can only wail and mourn on the graves of her dead sons, except the youngest. Him, she curses again and again, reminding him of his unfulfilled oath.

Then, by the power of the mother's curses, the earth shakes and the youngest brother rises from the grave. He rides a cloud all the way to his sister, he calls her, he takes her on his "horse", and he scares her out of her wits - as his hair has fallen out, his comeliness is gone and he smells of incense. And if that wasn't enough, little birds marvel at them as they pass over vales and hills, remarking what a strange and wondrous thing this is: "such a bonnie lass riding with a dead man!"

When they finally reach their mother's house, the dead brother disappears in a puff of smoke. The girl knocks on the door, the bereft mother comes out, they throw themselves in each other's arms, and promptly die.

That's a freaking spooky ballad. Note that the (un)dead brother is not a ghost, he is definitely corporeal and in the process of rotting, and he would probably smell of it too, if it weren't for the incense - a standard issue burial rite.

2) The Undead Farmer
Among so many tales of dead people rising from the grave with pomp and circumstance and particularly noble (or vile) intents, there was a remarkable story of a villager who rose for the most mundane reason imaginable: to keep tilling the land and feeding his family. He never bothered a living soul and the family was grateful for the help, but no one was brave enough to go near him. He was working during the night, and mysteriously disappeared when the youngest child became of age.

This was reported as a "true" story in the 18th century.

3) The Original Vampire
Meaning, the blood-sucking undead of folklore, before John Polidori and Bram Stoker added two very important elements to the mix: finesse and seduction. Or, if you like, nobility and charm. Or, if you like, money and sex. :smalltongue:

There are endless bloodsuckers in folklore all over the world, and there are endless undead. Sometimes, both features could be found in the same creature. But when they did, there was nothing charming about it. When they did, it was revolting and hideous.

Rather than slender, these undead were unnaturally bloated. Rather than pale, their cheeks were ruddy. And they didn't gracefully bite the necks of young ladies, no sir, they just gorged themselves on the blood of men, sheep, hares and cows. (Hence, red and bloated.)

So, undead-spotting wasn't done by noticing that a walking man's behavior was suspicious and his complexion too white. It was done by suspecting an undead in the area (dead animals, inexplicable mischief or a stroke of bad luck) and digging up a dead man: his complexion was too healthy and pink, decomposition hadn't progressed enough, and the smell wasn't as awful as it should - the villagers claimed... Why, it must be a vampire. And then they proceeded to purge the corpse, by burning it, or by stuffing it with communion wafers and garlic and whatnot, or by decapitating it, or a combination thereof.

(It's a far cry from Van Helsing and Dracula, and standard D&D vampires, and high fantasy as a whole... but I've had loads of fun with these creatures, perhaps for the sheer novelty.)