What are some ways to create undead?

[Greywander]

So it looks like Create Undead is the highest level spell that, well, creates undead. But all it does it raise a dead body as a generic ghoul, or ghast, wight, or mummy if you upcast it. But what if, say, I want to get revenge on that annoying paladin that keeps trying to kill me by turning him into an undead mockery of his former self, compete with free will to fully appreciate his new existence? What are the rules for that?

Is there some way to raise a creature, not as a generic undead, but as an undead version of themselves? Basically, take a pre-existing creature and apply an undead template to them?

[Mith]

Are you the DM here? You can probably make a ritual where a Paladin is turned into a Death Knight. This is handwavy, but it could be a justification if you like.

[Unoriginal]

There is no such method available to players, but there are NPCs who can do it depending on the DM.


Why would you do something this evil when it gives you no benefit, though?

[Greywander]

Are you the DM here?
Alas, I have no group to play with. This is purely hypothetical.

There is no such method available to players, but there are NPCs who can do it depending on the DM.


Why would you do something this evil when it gives you no benefit, though?
I don't know, if a paladin is trying to kill you then either (a) you're evil and exactly the sort of person who would do this, or (b) the paladin is Lawful Stupid and won't stop harassing you. Especially if it's not just one paladin, but an entire order of clerics and paladins. If they keep coming after you despite not being evil, eventually you have to send them a message that maybe they should stop. Or, you know, you could talk to them like a reasonable adult. If that doesn't work, then frankly they deserve whatever happens as a result of their misguided quest.

Also, it might be because you're a lich. Necrophobia is real. Archlich, look it up.

But aside form the rather narrow scenario I had in mind when I first asked the question, it seems like an odd thing to be missing from the rules. My guess was that they didn't want players giving their party cool undead powers (not needing to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe, immunity to poison and disease, etc.).

[Unoriginal]

Alas, I have no group to play with. This is purely hypothetical.

I don't know, if a paladin is trying to kill you then either (a) you're evil and exactly the sort of person who would do this, or (b) the paladin is Lawful Stupid and won't stop harassing you. Especially if it's not just one paladin, but an entire order of clerics and paladins. If they keep coming after you despite not being evil, eventually you have to send them a message that maybe they should stop. Or, you know, you could talk to them like a reasonable adult. If that doesn't work, then frankly they deserve whatever happens as a result of their misguided quest.

Also, it might be because you're a lich. Necrophobia is real. Archlich, look it up.

But aside form the rather narrow scenario I had in mind when I first asked the question, it seems like an odd thing to be missing from the rules. My guess was that they didn't want players giving their party cool undead powers (not needing to eat, drink, sleep, or breathe, immunity to poison and disease, etc.).

Why would it be a an odd thing to be missing from the rules? It wouldn't fit D&D Undead well if it was here.

If you want to turn your foe into Undead slaves, use a vampire.

Or if you just want to turn people into sapient Undead, you can use the Rite of Stolen Life from Tomb of Annihilation. Won't make you a servant, though.

[Mortis_Elrod]

Why would it be a an odd thing to be missing from the rules? It wouldn't fit D&D Undead well if it was here.

If you want to turn your foe into Undead slaves, use a vampire.

Or if you just want to turn people into sapient Undead, you can use the Rite of Stolen Life from Tomb of Annihilation. Won't make you a servant, though.

In previous editions there were a multitude of ways to create undead and a few ways to make sapient undead servants.

[Unoriginal]

Aside from vampirism and other "turn you into the same kind of monster" abilities, I don't recall a way to turn people into sapient undead servant against their will.

[MaxWilson]

Aside from vampirism and other "turn you into the same kind of monster" abilities, I don't recall a way to turn people into sapient undead servant against their will.

Well, there's always True Polymorph.

[Dalebert]

I posit that's exactly what Create Undead does. They are compelled to obey you but if you fail to reassert control, they become free undead. They already are an undead version of their former selves. I know skeletons and zombies understand the languages they knew in life and I think that's true of these forms as well, strongly implying that you are raising the person as an undead creature.

EDIT: Yep! From their description:


Wights posses the memories and drives of their formerly living selves.

[Unoriginal]

Zombies and Skeletons aren't the persons whose corpses are used, they're evil spirits put in said corpses. More advanced Undead are different, though.

[Mortis_Elrod]

On another note you can be a hexblade and just kill that annoying paladin and use your level 6 ability I think.

Anyone with Xanarthars on hand ? I think that’s how it works.