History of Orcus

[Urpriest]

So this should be a fairly basic question, if there's an official answer out there: before Orcus became Tenebrous, did he still have an association with the undead?

I need a Deity and/or powerful outsider with a connection to the undead for a campaign, and the connection needs to be relatively ancient. If Orcus didn't always have his association with the undead, what are some other good choices?

[Parra]

Orcus has had an Undead schtick since he was first introduced way back in 1st ed

infact his wiki article has a good deal of info on his history and variations of incarnations through the editions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orcus_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons)

[whibla]

His original title, at least the from the first time I saw him in the AD&D MM, was "Prince of the Undead".

His abilities included Speak with Undead (at the then ridiculous level of 20th), and the ability to "summon certain of the undead, for he is their prince", the list including up to 24 shadows, or 8 vampires as suggested randoms.

There is more, but either way it's clear that he has pedigree when it comes to the undead.

[rgrekejin]

There's always Kyuss, the Worm that Walks. He's a demigod of undeath detailed in Elder Evils. He's also the BBEG of "Age of Worms" from Dungeon magazine. I like his flavor a lot. His powers come from worms feasting on the corpse of a deceased God in the times prior to recorded history, and there's a neat tie-in to ancient Spellweaver civilization containing him magically.

[Neon Knight]

There's always Kyuss, the Worm that Walks. He's a demigod of undeath detailed in Elder Evils. He's also the BBEG of "Age of Worms" from Dungeon magazine. I like his flavor a lot. His powers come from worms feasting on the corpse of a deceased God in the times prior to recorded history, and there's a neat tie-in to ancient Spellweaver civilization containing him magically.

Kyuss is older than that; the first mention of him is in the 1981 Fiend Folio.

Kyuss the DnD deity is not to be confused with legendary cult stoner metal band Kyuss of Palm Desert, California, featuring vocalist John Garcia, guitarist Joshua Homme, bassist Nick Oliveri and drummer Brant Bjork. The band is actually named after the DnD deity.

[rgrekejin]

Kyuss is older than that; the first mention of him is in the 1981 Fiend Folio.

Kyuss the DnD deity is not to be confused with legendary cult stoner metal band Kyuss of Palm Desert, California, featuring vocalist John Garcia, guitarist Joshua Homme, bassist Nick Oliveri and drummer Brant Bjork. The band is actually named after the DnD deity.

That is seriously impressive.