Undead PCs

[Nagog]

On the topic of players being Undead (which I recognize isn't Rules as Written, but it's still Freaking Raw Awesome), how do you express the Undead quality of some adventurers? Whether the player is a Zombie that still has their soul, a high level spellcaster going full Lich, or a martial character making a deal with Strahd for immortality, how do you represent their Undeathly state?

[stoutstien]

I'd look at the ravenant as a starting point. Not mindless and has goals/bonds/reasoning.

[rlc]

Check out the gothic heroes UA, there's an undead player race in there

[CheddarChampion]

Are we talking mechanics? Homebrew?

Let's put ghosts aside since they'd be immune to the attacks from mundane enemies.

I'd divide them into corporeal vs semi-incorporeal:
Zombie & Skeleton & Lich & Mummy vs Phantom

Zombie:
+2 Constitution, +1 to another stat of your choice, -1 Charisma, -1 Dexterity.
Your type is undead, not humanoid.
Immune to disease, immune to poison, immune to exhaustion, no need to eat, sleep, or drink.
Undead fortitude: make a Con save to not die per the zombie entry in the MM.
Proficiency in Intimidation.
Understands the languages it knew in life but cannot speak. Cannot cast spells with verbal components due to this.

Skeleton:
+2 Constitution, +1 to another stat of your choice.
Your type is undead, not humanoid.
Immune to disease, immune to poison, immune to exhaustion, no need to eat, sleep, or drink.
Proficiency in one skill of your choice.
Understands the languages it knew in life but cannot speak. Cannot cast spells with verbal components due to this.
Disadvantage on stealth checks made to move quietly.
Vulnerability to bludgeoning damage.

Lich:
+1 Constitution, +2 Intelligence.
Your type is undead, not humanoid.
Immune to disease, immune to poison, immune to exhaustion, no need to eat, sleep, or drink.
Understands any three languages.
Proficiency in arcana and any one other skill of your choice.
Phylactery: per the Lich entry in the MM. Requires a sacrifice of souls to keep your proper body and mind.
Vulnerability to radiant damage.

Mummy:
+1 Strength, +2 Constitution.
Your type is undead, not humanoid.
Immune to disease, immune to poison, immune to exhaustion, no need to eat, sleep, or drink.
Understands any two languages.
Mummy's curse: you know the chill touch cantrip. At third level you can cast hex as a second level spell once per long rest. At fifth level you can cast bestow curse as a third level spell once per long rest.
Vulnerability to fire damage.
Takes 1d6 fire damage per round when in direct sunlight.

Phantom:
You died due to violence when trying to accomplish a great deed.
Make the following alterations to what was once a humanoid character:
Your type is undead, not humanoid.
Immune to disease, immune to poison, immune to exhaustion, no need to eat, sleep, or drink.
You are equipped with whatever equipment you had when you died, and it functions as it did then. If anything was broken or damaged when you died, it remains so. You cannot use any items you came by after your death.
Your appearance is altered to show how you died.
You cannot affect creatures that were born after you died and you phase through things that were constructed after you died.
You can walk through such creatures and objects so long as you do not end your turn in their space.
For Con mod rounds per day you can ignore damage and other negative effects originating from such sources. At the start of your turn, decide if you wish to do so for one round.
On the anniversary of your death, you are weakened permanently. Roll 3d6. For each 1 reduce your Str score by 1. For each 2, reduce your Dex score by 1. Etc.

[Nagog]

Zombie:
+2 Constitution, +1 to another stat of your choice, -1 Charisma, -1 Dexterity.
Your type is undead, not humanoid.
Immune to disease, immune to poison, immune to exhaustion, no need to eat, sleep, or drink.
Undead fortitude: make a Con save to not die per the zombie entry in the MM.
Proficiency in Intimidation.
Understands the languages it knew in life but cannot speak. Cannot cast spells with verbal components due to this.

Skeleton:
+2 Constitution, +1 to another stat of your choice.
Your type is undead, not humanoid.
Immune to disease, immune to poison, immune to exhaustion, no need to eat, sleep, or drink.
Proficiency in one skill of your choice.
Understands the languages it knew in life but cannot speak. Cannot cast spells with verbal components due to this.
Disadvantage on stealth checks made to move quietly.
Vulnerability to bludgeoning damage.


If I were a Zombie, could I shed all my skin to become a Skeleton? Also (as much as I'd love playing a skeleton), wouldn't the Skeleton have less Charisma than a Zombie, considering a Zombie probably looks more like their pre-death selves?

[PhantomSoul]

If I were a Zombie, could I shed all my skin to become a Skeleton? Also (as much as I'd love playing a skeleton), wouldn't the Skeleton have less Charisma than a Zombie, considering a Zombie probably looks more like their pre-death selves?

Hm, if it's Zombie-->Skeleton, then maybe the Zombie gained +1 Charisma (that negates the -1 charisma). Putrid skin and extra semblance of having been alive aren't too charming!

[CheddarChampion]

Yeah when I think zombie in D&D I think animated decomposing corpse that doesn't have full control of its own motion. It also cannot speak because the voicebox/lungs are are rotting, too.
Getting rid of the extra bulk (flesh) makes the body less smelly, more nimble, less tough.

A pristine zombie with an original soul would likely warrant different rules.
(Or a source of blood, a coffin, a lair, pointy teeth, regeneration, etc)

[Nagog]

Yeah when I think zombie in D&D I think animated decomposing corpse that doesn't have full control of its own motion. It also cannot speak because the voicebox/lungs are are rotting, too.
Getting rid of the extra bulk (flesh) makes the body less smelly, more nimble, less tough.

A pristine zombie with an original soul would likely warrant different rules.
(Or a source of blood, a coffin, a lair, pointy teeth, regeneration, etc)

XD point taken. I was thinking more along the lines of Talkers from the TV Show ZNation, where they're recently killed and not yet decomposing, or in the D&D narrative, killed in battle and raised shortly thereafter with Create Undead, then let the spell expire and give the PC control of them again. Cheaper than resurrection spells, but... different. But anyway, vampirism aside it would probably warrant different rules

[MarkVIIIMarc]

On the topic of players being Undead (which I recognize isn't Rules as Written, but it's still Freaking Raw Awesome), how do you express the Undead quality of some adventurers? Whether the player is a Zombie that still has their soul, a high level spellcaster going full Lich, or a martial character making a deal with Strahd for immortality, how do you represent their Undeathly state?

I did some kind of vampire/yougoloth/Undead hybrid thing to two PC's to avoid a TPK once. I didn't have the particulars all worked out but then again, no one was there to tell them what to expect so that seemed natural.

Ended up only Negative Energy Flood and resting could heal them and another death sent them to Ghenna or the like. They did not need to breathe, ppl were scared of them, the had to eat live sentient (int6 or greater) humanoids, and it gave me a plot hook to revive them.

Oh, their master was pretty easy going on them. Her master though if he ever revived may have been able to control them all(!) That built some urgency

[Stone-Ears]

XD point taken. I was thinking more along the lines of Talkers from the TV Show ZNation, where they're recently killed and not yet decomposing, or in the D&D narrative, killed in battle and raised shortly thereafter with Create Undead, then let the spell expire and give the PC control of them again. Cheaper than resurrection spells, but... different. But anyway, vampirism aside it would probably warrant different rules

You could also just use the zombies from the TV show iZombie as an example. As long as they have a steady supply of brain, they don't decompose and you can't tell them apart from other human beings. That could be a viable zombie build if you wanted to go for undead PCs. Optional for if you want to have the zombie character take on the personality of the brain they just ate for a short while.

However, that would mean the zombie character is going to be "rationing food" after every encounter. They would have to figure out how to not get found out if they're with a bunch of normal adventurers.

Not as much a problem if everyone is undead though.

[Greywander]

I've done a lot of work creating a homebrew undead race. I'm in the middle of revamping them, having doubled the number of playable subraces, but I can share some general traits I give them.

First, here's the basic undead template:


Age. When you become undead, you stop aging, and can't die from old age. Time spent as an undead doesn't count against your lifespan, should you be returned to life.
(Optional) You are immune to any effect that would age you.

Undead Nature. You don’t require air, food, drink, or sleep. Your creature type is undead instead of humanoid.
Note: Being undead means some spells, like hold person, no longer work on you, but many healing spells also don’t work, and spells like detect evil and good will work against you, as does Turn Undead. So being undead is a double-edged sword. Also, most people will assume you are evil if you learn you are undead.
Although you don’t require food or sleep, nothing prevents you from eating or sleeping.

Darkvision. Even the most elementary undead are able to see in the dark. You have darkvision out to 60 feet.

Immunities. You are immune to poison damage, and to the poisoned and exhausted conditions. You are also immune to disease.

False Appearance. While you remain motionless, you are indistinguishable from a normal corpse.

These traits apply almost universally to all undead. Interestingly, though, zombies lack the immunity to exhaustion, and vampires lack immunity to poison. False Appearance also doesn't apply to spectral undead, like ghosts or banshees, but I'd probably avoid spectrals for now as they're difficult to balance. Also, by my best estimates, this template is power-neutral, so applying it to a creature (such as a PC) should make then neither stronger nor weaker, just different (although the character may perceive it as an upgrade or downgrade, depending on their perspective).

Because undead are both difficult to heal, and difficult to revive (Raise Dead and Resurrection don't work, only Revivify, True Resurrection, and Reincarnate), I've given my homebrew undead the following trait:


Vigor Mortis. Whenever you are reduced to 0 hit points, you automatically stabilize, and even decapitation can’t kill you. There are only a few ways you can be permanently killed:

If you receive enough damage to kill you instantly, as described on page 197 of the Player’s Handbook.
If an effect kills you without reducing your hit points to 0, as with power word kill.
If your body is disintegrated, as with the disintegrate spell.
If your body is completely destroyed in acid or fire. When you take acid or fire damage while at 0 hit points, your maximum hit points are reduced by that amount instead. This reduction lasts until you finish a long rest. If your maximum hit points are reduced to 0, you die.
If you are slain inside an anti-magic field. While you are inside an anti-magic field, this feature is suppressed, allowing you to be slain just like any other mortal. If you are removed from the field while still dying, this feature reactivates, instantly stabilizing you.
If the lichstone that resides in your chest is destroyed. Your lichstone can only be attacked while you are at 0 hit points, and is immune to all damage except bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from magical weapons. The lichstone is a black pearl with hit points equal to your level + your Constitution score and an AC of 20 + your Constitution modifer, and regains its hit points when you finish a long rest.
If you take radiant damage that reduces you to 0 hit points or while at 0 hit points, you do not stabilize and must make death saving throws like normal. Subsequent radiant damage causes you to fail death saving throws as normal, but all other damage does not.

If you are unconscious for at least one hour, then you may gain the benefits of a short rest when you wake up.
Features that normally trigger or activate when you make a death saving throw, such as the Celestial warlock’s Searing Vengeance feature [XGtE], can be triggered or activated for the next five turns after you are reduced to 0 hit points.

Important to note that they still fall unconscious at 0 HP, and that some of the ways of killing them are readily available even to commoners. This list of ways to kill the undead character coincides with a specific weakness for each subrace. The vampire-type subrace takes acid damage from running water. The skeletal subrace is vulnerable to bludgeoning damage, which includes fall damage (easy death from massive damage if you toss them from high enough). The shadow-ghost subrace is vulnerable to radiant damage and has multiple indicators of a weakness to light. One of the new subraces will be vulnerable to fire damage, and another will have an external lichstone that they'll take damage if they go too far away from (making it easy to destroy if you have a magic weapon).

Specific types of undead might have more specific traits, I just moved up from three subraces to six. However, there are some decent traits that are generic enough that they could be applied to almost any kind of undead. (I generally use CON for the spell save DC, but CHA might make more sense for some undead.)


Withering Touch. As an action, make an unarmed weapon attack with a free hand against a target within reach. On a hit, the target takes necrotic damage equal to 1d6 + your Constitution modifier. This attack uses Constitution instead of Strength for the attack roll.
This damage increases by 1d6 at 5th, 11th, and 17th level.

Paralyzing Touch. As an action, make a melee spell attack against a creature within reach. On a hit, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Starting at 5th level, your paralyzing touch also deals 1d6 cold damage on a hit. This damage increases by 1d6 at 11th and 17th level.
Note: A variant on withering touch, taken from the lich. Paralyzation is very powerful, even with a save every round. You might consider reducing the duration to 3 rounds, or 1d4 rounds, for PCs.

Life Drain. As an action, make a melee spell attack against a creature within reach. On a hit, the target takes 1d6 necrotic damage and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. The reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Note: Another variant on withering touch, and rather more common. Not as overbearing as paralyzing touch, though definitely a direct upgrade to withering touch.

Frightening Gaze. As an action, you fix your gaze on a creature you can see within 10 feet of you. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against this magic or become frightened for 1 minute. The frightened target can repeat the saving throw on the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If the target's saving throw is successful, or the effect ends on itself, the target is immune to your frightening gaze for the next 24 hours.
Note: Taken from the lich, though fear abilities are common for spectral undead. This is much tamer than the next ability.

Horrifying Visage. As an action, you contort your face into a horrifying visage. Each non-undead creature within 60 feet of you that can see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A frightened target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if you are within its line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to your horrifying visage for the next 24 hours.
Note: Not great for PCs, as it affects non-undead allies. Overpowered on a full undead party. Spells and abilities that give your allies resistance or immunity to fear can turn this ability from a liability into a powerful weapon.

Dismembership. You can freely detach body parts without causing any damage to yourself, and dismembered body parts can be reattached. Dismembered body parts are able to continue to move and act and can be controlled by you. Each individual part has blindsight out to 1 foot, but can only discern the tactile nature of things within its blindsight.
You can only reattach your own body parts, you aren’t able to, for example, replace a missing arm with an arm from another creature. If you regrow a detached body part, such as with the regenerate spell, the detached part becomes inert and turns to ash.

Undead Resistance. You have resistance to cold, lightning, and necrotic damage.

Undead Resilience. You have immunity to the charmed, frightened, and paralyzed conditions.
You gain advantage on saving throws against any effect that turns undead.

Regeneration. You regain hit points equal to your Constitution modifier + your Proficiency bonus every 10 minutes as long as you have at least 1 hit point the entire time. Regaining hit points this way can't give you more than half your maximum hit points.
If you lose a body part, you are able to regrow the body part and restore full functionality in 2d4 - your Constitution modifier days (minimum of 1 day), provided you have at least 1 hit point the entire time. If you take fire or radiant damage, the regrowth of that body part is suspended for 8 hours, after which it will resume.
If you have a severed body part, you can also use your action to reattach it. You may only do this with your own severed body parts, not body parts from other creatures.

Spiderclimb. You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces you to 0 hit points, you must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, you drop to 1 hit point instead.

If you'd like something more specific, I'd be happy to work with you to make something.