Are the rules for Playable Undead?

[Rater202]

Player races. Classes or subclasses. Anything goes.

I like the idea of playing as an undead creature. I've done some 3.5 Homebrew about it recently(specifically slaymates and expansions of that concept) but I'm constantly craving more.

So, is there anything about the PCs being undead creatures? If nothing else, something I could use as a jumping-off point for Homebrew

[Brookshw]

Player races. Classes or subclasses. Anything goes.

I like the idea of playing as an undead creature. I've done some 3.5 Homebrew about it recently(specifically slaymates and expansions of that concept) but I'm constantly craving more.

So, is there anything about the PCs being undead creatures? If nothing else, something I could use as a jumping-off point for Homebrew

Yeah, check out Van Richten's, it's there.

[P. G. Macer]

Technically, there are not any 1st-party playable undead. However, as Brookshw mentioned, there are two lineages in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft that approximate being undead: The Dhampir, for vampires, and the Reborn, for more generic corporeal undead.

There’s also the Hollow One Supernatural Gift from Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount, the Critical Role crossover sourcebook, which makes you detect as undead to Divine Sense and similar effects.

[Garfunion]

You could also play a warforge that is constructed out of body parts

[Rater202]

You could also play a warforge that is constructed out of body parts

...Is that an actual option?

[Ralanr]

...Is that an actual option?

Mechanically, no.

Flavorwise? Yes.

[Lord Raziere]

No its just refluffing. Dhampir and Reborn are the only thing that are mechanically closest to undead.

[Garfunion]

Mechanically, no.

Flavorwise? Yes.
While in Eberron warforged are built using stone, metal, and wood. I don’t see any reason why someone couldn’t make a warforged out of flesh and bone. Flesh golems do exist, and while they’re treated as constructs they still look quite undead. Think Frankenstein’s monster.

As long as you don’t change anything mechanically, your appearance can be whatever you want.

[Kane0]

There's the UA Revenant race, bonus points for Undead patron warlock.

[Greywander]

I've written up my own homebrew undead race/template, with 6 subraces. In order from most corporeal to least corporeal: the discount vampires (stillbloods), knockoff Frankenstein's monsters (flesh dolls), just straight up draugr from Skyrim (wytherds), Mexican Sans Undertale (skulgrim), your sleep paralysis demon (shadowlurks), and possessed animatronics (phantomarions).

The homebrew starts with a generic template for undead, which could serve as a solid basis on which to build your own homebrew. It then gets into the specifics of my own homebrew race and subraces. This is still a WIP, and it looks like I was in the middle of rewriting skulgrims (adding the calavera stuff and removing the paralyzing touch). It's been some time since I touched it, but there should be enough there to give you some ideas, or just to use as-is if it's sufficient.

I've been meaning to go back over it and clean it up, or even rewrite the whole thing. But alas, it hasn't happened yet.

Link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dZ6pGa2HeeLY4sw48CVpxD7DeOXnr1UQZcf_AoBbTDY/edit?usp=sharing

Here's some other threads of mine you might be interested in reading:
The Four Laws of Undead Physiology (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?629365-The-Four-Laws-of-Undead-Physiology)
An undead civilization, how does each type of undead fit in? (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?597357-An-undead-civilization-how-does-each-type-of-undead-fit-in)
Setting for undead kingdom, adventuring hub city (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?607316-Setting-for-undead-kingdom-adventuring-hub-city)
Basic Undeath - Is it an Upgrade, Sidegrade, or Downgrade? (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?548393-Basic-Undeath-Is-it-an-Upgrade-Sidegrade-or-Downgrade)
Skeleton in a wingsuit (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?589733-Skeleton-in-a-wingsuit)