Apparitions to Zombies

Apparitions to Zombies – A Practical Guide to the Walking Dead.
10th edition

Edited by E'osa Brightwing, Secretary of the Order of the Light of Pelor.
Published by Barnabus and Nobble, Gnomish Book Printers.

Preface

A little over 500 years ago, on the battlefield at Windy Point, our Order was founded, with a mandate to search out and destroy the unliving and those who would use them as tools. And destroy them, we have.

In the process, we have recorded much information about the types and powers of the walking dead, how to fight them, and how to survive the battle. About 300 years ago, the Order began to compile that information into a book, to better carry out our mandate. That book was the first edition of Apparitions to Zombies.

The first edition contained much that was, to our modern knowledge, incorrect, or at least apocryphal. It was also small, containing only 8 or 9 entries, and those short. A personal favorite was the entry about skeletons, wherein it was claimed that only human skeletons could be converted into that type of undead. We know, now, of course, that virtually any corporeal being, once dead, can be converted into an animated skeleton. Whether that represents broader knowledge on our part, or an advance in necromatic magical theory on the part of our enemy, is, I suppose, open to debate.

This new edition is something special. Printed, for the first time, in bulk, by Barnabus and Nobble, Gnomish Book Printers, on their innovative movable-type printing press, this book allows for wider distribution of our knowledge at a much lower cost. Our hope is to get a copy not only into the hands of each Hunter, as has always been our tradition, but into the hands of anyone who fights the undead - be they Fist, Sword, Shield, or free agent.

And that, my brethren, is a good thing. For there are evil things afoot, and the dead are walking easy - altogether too easy - in the dark. Let this knowledge be a shining beacon in the growing darkness. And, as this knowledge benefits you, let your experience benefit the rest of the Order, and all those who stand in the Light. File reports, share your experience, learn from one another!

Yours in the Light, E'osa Brightwing

Undead Traits

All of the walking dead seem to share some similarities.

• All undead can can see as well in the dark as a dwarf.
• Illusions and Enchantments, as well as poison, paralysis, disease, and magical death effects, seem to have little effect on the walking dead.
• Being dead, damage to their organs or nerve centers seems to have no effect, though some warriors specializing in hunting the undead have reported limited success in targeting vital points in the negative energy fields surrounding the walking dead.
• The mindless undead seem to have no ability or inclination to heal their damage on their own.
• Positive energy, such as a cleric's cure light wounds spell, harms the undead in the same measure as it heals the mortal. Conversely, the inflict series of spells heal the walking dead in the same measure as they harm the living.
• Only the most powerful of resurrection magic has an effect on the walking dead.
• The unliving need not food, nor water, nor air, nor sleep.

Undead Types

Dread Skeleton

Entry by Sir Kimo DawnBreaker, Sir Jericho Templar and Sir Nigel IronFaith, first printed in the 9th edition.

Dread skeletons have only been encountered once. Working on a nefarious scheme to create an army of undead by creating a dark magic item it called the Totentanz gate, the self-styled Bone Lord had substantial necromatic power and retained self-awareness. It is believed to have been a unique creature, due to its attempts to improve the gate to create more creatures like itself.

Notable Dread Skeletons

• Bone Lord

Dread Skeleton, Lesser

Entry by Sir Kimo DawnBreaker, Sir Jericho Templar and Sir Nigel IronFaith, first printed in the 9th edition.

Lesser dread skeletons have only been encountered once. The product of the Bone Lord's Totentanz gate, these creatures retained self-awareness and mortal knowledge, but none of their mystical or extraordinary abilities. Spellcasters could not cast spells, fallen paladins had none of the normal mystical abilities of that class, and so on. It is worth noting that the Totentanz gate was apparently improved over time, as the early skeletons created by it retained only a shadow of their mortal self-awareness. This resulted in a very creepy town filled with skeletons seemingly going through the motions of their daily routine, but without enough consciousness to realize their own undead state.

Notable Lesser Dread Skeletons

• Tollerath
• Smithy

Ebon Heart

Entry by Sir Kimo DawnBreaker and Sir Jericho Templar, first printed in the 9th edition.

Ebon Hearts are unusual creatures, in that they are living beings, but supported by dark, corrupting magic, powered by an undead heart. The heart need not be actually IN the creature's chest, and a single heart can corrupt more than one mortal being.

Notable Ebon Hearts

• Cirid Bertram
• Ebon Dryads

Ghost

Sometimes, dying isn't the final end. Sometimes, there is unfinished business left behind by the departed. And if that business is compelling enough, and the will of the deceased strong enough, the spirit remains in the mortal world, haunting a place or a person, waiting to finish that business.

Those spirits are called ghosts, and they gain power from their anger or their confusion. Destroying them with weapons and magic is difficult, and often a temporary solution at best, as until their business is complete, they will return again and again. The best way to destroy a ghost, then, is to help it complete its business in the mortal world, thus releasing it from eternal torment.

Notable Ghosts

• Lelani Caladon

Recorded Powers

Incorporeal

Every ghost seems to exist in this state naturally, being creatures solely of spirit and lacking a physical body entirely. They may pass through walls, are invisible, and ignore both the armor and weapons of mortals, unless they are magical.

Manifestation

Every ghost seems to have this ability, which allows it to become visible to mortals, and use its other powers.

Corrupting Gaze

Even the gaze of a ghost is dangerous, and can corrupt mortal flesh and spirit.

Corrupting Touch

The touch of a ghost is corrupting to mortal flesh, and armor provides no protection.

Draining Touch

The touch of some ghosts is even more draining, as they can render mortals weak of body and spirit, and seemingly gain strength from the same attack.

Frightful Moan

Some ghosts emit a frightful moan, which can panic all but the most string-willed.

Horrific Appearance

It is recorded that simply looking upon the Hag of the Waters was enough to drain the body of virtue.

Malevolence

Ghosts seem able, sometimes, to take over or enter the bodies of mortal creatures, allowing them access to the pleasures and temptations of the flesh.

Telekinesis

The anger that often fuels a ghost's powers often allows it to move objects, hurling them or breaking them as an attack or a simple display of fury.

Ghoul

One of the most dangerous types of undead, ghouls are smart, cunning, and driven by a boundless hunger for the flesh of mortals. They are carriers of, and created by, a dread disease known as ghoul fever or the Hunger.

Many ghouls are known to have retained and even expanded upon their mortal skills, adding to them the dark power of the undead.

Recorded Powers

Claws and Fangs

The dark hunger that animates ghouls also gives them to tools to feed.

Ghoul Fever

The bite of a ghoul carries a foul disease, which not only kills, but causes the victims to rise as ghouls, or sometimes ghasts, themselves.

Paralysis

Those hit by a ghoul’s bite or claw attack are often subject to being paralyzed. Elves seem to have some immunity to this paralysis, for reasons unknown.

Ghast

A more powerful sub-type of ghoul, ghasts share all the same qualities of ghouls and add to them.

Recorded Powers

Claws and Fangs

The dark hunger that animates ghasts also gives them to tools to feed.

Ghoul Fever

The bite of a ghast carries a foul disease, which not only kills, but causes the victims to rise as ghouls or ghasts themselves.

Paralysis

Those hit by a ghast bite or claw attack are often subject to being paralyzed. Elves are not immune to the paralysis of ghasts.

Stench

The stink of death and corruption surrounding these creatures is overwhelming, and can often sicken the living.

Lich

Arguably the most powerful type of undead creature in Crescent, a lich was a powerful mortal spellcaster who devised and performed a dark ritual, dragging himself through death and into undead immortality. Retaining all of their spellcasting ability, and adding to it a great many unliving abilities and an immortal patience, liches are a grave enemy to face.

Notable Liches

The last known lich, Va'aster DarkLight, was destroyed in the Year of the Sun 377, by the Company of the Lamp.

Recorded Powers

Following are the abilities the survivors from the Company of the Lamp attributed to Va'aster DarkLight, in their own words:

Touch of Darkness

The touche of the lich is the touche of death, for the creature's dark energy dealt damage unto the hale with but a touche, and also rendered Valen of the Wooden Wheel like unto one dead, silent and fell. Valen we thought passed, until Elan saw the faintest spark of life stirring in his tiny soul.

Fearfule Presence

The creature was shrouded in a dreadeful aura of death and evil. Our lackeys and beasts turned and ran, as though faced with death itself.

Magick

The fell creature we fought assaulted us with powerful magicks, seemingly without end.

Shroud of Darkness

Even the light of Pelor, bright in the eyes of Elan HeartStorm, brought no fear to the beast.

Body of the Dead

The creature was unmoved by most magick, and by Dalende Ster, shrugging off many blows and spells. It was also immune to the galvanick elemental power of Jorill, forcing him to rely instead on fire and force.

Regeneration

Some 5 days after his destruction, we discovered among his treasure a strange child-sized skeleton, clutching a black metal amulet, with terrible energies swirling about it. We destroyed both the skeleton and the amulet, dousing them with the raw fire of the Sun. Elan theorizes that the amulet was the container for his mis-beggoten soul, and that had we not discovered it, he would have returned to bring destruction upon us all. Elan dubbbed the container his phylackterie.

Lich Spawn

Entry by Sir Kimo DawnBreaker and Sir Jericho Templar, first printed in the 9th edition.

This creature is seemingly a type of lich, but not nearly as powerful as Va'aster DarkLight was reported to be. Though we have no details about the process used to create such a creature, we theorize that they are the subject of a ritual similar to that used to create a proper lich, presumably performed by a much more powerful entity, possibly an actual lich. Our theory is based on the similarities between the powers of the one we encountered, and those reported by the Company of the Lamp. In nearly all cases, they are the same, simply at a more modest power level.

The existence of such a creature is worrisome, as it implies a threat as yet unknown, in the shape of its master.

Notable Lich Spawn

• The only example of such a creature yet encountered by the Light of Pelor, Salem, was interred at the Zoo in Mt. Daneasus. He was laid low by the Companions of the Rising Sun, who actually encountered him on multiple occasions, and finally destroyed him after the Zoo was breached.

Recorded Powers

The Companions of the Rising Sun reported Salem as having the following abilities:

Touch of Darkness

The touch of the lich spawn is the touch of pain, for the creature's dark energy dealt damage unto the hale with but a touch, and also imparted a temporary paralysis, similar to the spell hold person.

Fearful Presence

The creature was shrouded in an aura of death and evil, which we found difficult to penetrate. Repeated exposure seemingly added resistance to it, as on subsequent encounters, we were not affected by it.

Magic

The fell creature we fought assaulted us with magic, though of a power and quantity far less than has been reported for a full-fledged lich.

Body of the Dead

The creature was unmoved by some of our magic, though he fell to the Light of Pelor.

Regeneration

We destroyed the material form of Salem on multiple occasions, but he apparently regenerated somewhere removed from us, and returned to seek revenge repeatedly. He appeared to be going somewhat mad with power and bloodlust, so perhaps the regenerative process is somewhat taxing to the spirit. Eventually, he made the mistake of bringing his phylacterie along with him, and we captured it and turned it over to the Order of the Light of Pelor.

[Editor's Note] - Salem has indeed regenerated (multiple times) since he was turned over to our captivity. Author's original suggestion that the regenerative process is taxing to his mind appear to be correct; the creature has been behaving more and more erratically, and has been slipping in and out of a catatonic state.

Mummy

The eternal protectors of a tomb, shrine, or dungeon, mummies are undead with a purpose. Most mummies are slow, strong, and possessed of only limited intellect, knowing only their purpose and domain. History records that most were unwilling victims, sacrificed to a dark power and bound by that same power to eternal slavery. This tends to account for their rather negative outlook on (un)life.

However, there are reported encounters with some mummies that have retained not only their intellect, but their reason and magical power. Additional reports hint at the possibility that some of these intelligent, reasonable mummies are powered not by negative energy, but by the Light, having given their lives willingly to protect a sacred location or item, and are further of the Deathless type rather than Undead.

Notable Mummies

• Esomelech
• Lianna
• Zerk

Skeleton

The weakest of the common undead, skeletons are exactly what they sound like - the skeleton of a mortal being, animated by a small amount of dark energy. They possess no intelligence, limited power, and little resistance to damage, making them effective only in large numbers. Unfortunately, their low power level means that it is relatively easy for necromancers to obtain a large number of them. Their one strength is granted not by any dark power, but simply by their structure: Lacking any organs or musculature, they are highly resistant to slashing and piercing weapons.

Skinwalker

Entry by Sir Kimo DawnBreaker, Sir Jericho Templar and Sir Nigel IronFaith, first printed in the 9th edition.

The animated skin of a creature that has been flayed alive.

Reported Powers

Creamy Nougat Center

Skinwalkers are usually filled with nasty stuff - disease spores, acid, flesh-eating slime, and so on.

Immunities

Immune to flame

Dark Proficiency

Seem to retain their abilities from their time as mortal flesh

Non-communication

Apparently lack communication abilities, and possibly intelligence

Vampire

Another contender for title of most powerful undead in Crescent, vampires are fueled by the blood and life energy of the living.

Vampires appear just as they did in life, although their features are often hardened and feral, with the predatory look of wolves.

Like liches, they often embrace finery and decadence and may assume the guise of aristocracy. Despite their human appearance, vampires can be easily recognized, for they cast no shadows and throw no reflections in mirrors.

Vampires seem to retain the abilities they had in life, including skill with weapons or spells. Accounts of former priests retaining their spellcasting ability are numerous; most indicate that the undead priests call upon the power of their vampire master or some other dark entity.

Notable Vampires

• Simone Delcius

Reported Powers

Fists of Doom

Though they usually prefer to avoid fights, or let their minions do the fighting, vampires forced into melee without weapons have hammered their foes with powerful blows of their fists. Such blows drain vitality from the victim, and the vampire seemingly adds that strength to its own.

Blood Drain

A vampire can suck blood from a living victim with its fangs, rendering mortals weak of body and spirit, and seemingly gain strength from the attack.

Children of the Night

Vampires command the lesser creatures of the world, and can call forth swarms of rats or bats, or a pack of wolves. Such creatures serve the vampire without question or hesitation.

Dominate

A vampire can crush an opponent’s will just by looking onto his or her eyes.

Create Spawn

A mortal slain by a vampire’s energy drain or blood drain abilities rises as a spawn or a full-fledged vampire, depending on the individual. In either case, the new vampire or spawn is under the command of the vampire that created it and remains enslaved until its master’s destruction. Vampires have been reported with more than one enslaved spawn.

Alternate Form

Tales tell of vampires assuming the shape of a bat or wolf, or a cloud of gas.

Unholy Toughness

Vampires seem to ignore most mundane weapons, but are harmed by silver and magic weapons. Cold and lightning attacks are nearly useless against vampires.

Fast Healing

Vampires heal their wounds at an amazing rate. If damaged enough to fear destruction, some vampires have been reported to assume gaseous form and attempt to escape.

Spider Climb

A vampire can climb sheer surfaces as though with a spider climb spell.

Darkness in the Soul

Vampires seem to resist the effects of clerical turning.

Vampire Weaknesses

For all their power, vampires have a number of weaknesses.

Repelling a Vampire

Vampires cannot tolerate the strong odor of garlic and will not enter an area laced with it. Similarly, they recoil from a mirror or a strongly presented holy symbol. These things don’t harm the vampire - they merely keep it at bay.

Vampires are also unable to cross running water, although they can be carried over it while resting in their coffins or aboard a ship.

They are utterly unable to enter a home or other building unless invited in by someone with the authority to do so. They may freely enter public places, since these are by definition open to all.

Vampires are bound to their coffins and the dirt of their graves, though resourceful vampires have been known to pack up their coffin and dirt from the grave in a large crate, and have it transported by trusted or dominated minions.

Slaying a Vampire

Physical and magical attacks often incapacitate a vampire but don’t always destroy it (see the note on fast healing). However, certain attacks can slay vampires.

Exposing any vampire to direct sunlight disorients it quickly and then destroys it utterly if it cannot escape. Light magic is also particularly effective against vampires.

Similarly, immersing a vampire in running water disrupts the dark energy binding the creature to unlife, and will quickly destroy it.

Driving a wooden stake through a vampire’s heart instantly slays the monster. However, it returns to life if the stake is removed, unless the body is destroyed. A popular tactic is to cut off the creature’s head and fill its mouth with holy wafers.

Vampire Spawn

Spawn of bloodsucking undead. Bad news.

Notable Vampire Spawn

• That Cleric Guy from The Hallowed Hills

Wight

Approximately equal in power to a ghast, wights are animated not by the Hunger, but by pure negative energy. Lacking the fangs and claws of the ghouls, wights are much more capable of masquerading as mortals. They are also far more likely to negotiate, or at least engage in conversation with, their enemies, rather than ripping them to shreds and eating their spleens.

Most wights retain their mortal abilities, and there are far more spellcaster wights than ghouls. Wights also tend to lead groups of other wights, or lesser undead.

Reported Powers

Create Spawn

Any humanoid slain by a wight becomes a wight in short order. Spawn are under the command of the wight that created them and remain enslaved until its death.

Energy Drain

Living creatures hit by a wight’s attack are drained of vitality.

Sneakiness

Wights move with an unnatural and elegant grace.

Zombie

Only marginally more powerful than skeletons, zombies are animated corpses, with both flesh and bones. They too are possessed of no independent will or intellect, existing solely at and for the whim of their masters. They are relatively slow, with an unmistakable shambling gait. However, like skeletons, they are fairly easy to animate, so they are commonly used as shock troops by necromancers bent on conquest.

Game Notes

Using the most recent (10th) edition of this book as a reference confers advantage on Religion checks made in reference to undead.