Questions tagged [undead]

For questions pertaining to entities who have attained "unnatural" life after death (as opposed to "true" life such as via resurrection). An undead character is a character who was dead, and is now animated but not truly living. The exact nature of undeath varies widely between systems, but the undead themselves are common to myriad genres and settings.

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Does an Undead with Wild Shape gain a Constitution score during Wild Shape?

Build Race: Half Drow Template: Necropolitan Classes: Drow Transition Template Class 2 / Wizard 5 / Arachnomancer 2 **References** Spider Shape (Su): This ability functions as wild shape. Wild ...
Ruut's user avatar
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0 votes
3 answers
5k views

Can the Animate Dead spell be cast on any dead creature?

Can the animate dead spell be cast on any dead creature? My players killed a few saber-tooth tigers and the necromancer wanted to use animate dead on them. Also on an ogre, on wolves and so on... How ...
Davi Braid's user avatar
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10 votes
3 answers
2k views

How to manage play in a zombie RPG pre outbreak

I am planning on starting my newest campaign about the end of the world: a Zombie Apocalypse, with the game starting before the outbreak has occurred. Every zombie RPG I have encountered so far has ...
Seamus Harrison's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
616 views

Where can I find free horror-themed stock audio for zombie campaigns? [closed]

Does anyone know where I can find free stock audio to enhance my campaign? I am working of my first zombie RPG and all the places I normally go for stock sounds don't have any horror stuff. I'm ...
Seamus Harrison's user avatar
8 votes
5 answers
1k views

Keeping a group together in a Zombie RPG

Being fairly new to GMing I am having trouble with keeping my PC's from turning on each other, and every thing in sight. It doesn't matter how much I punish them for killing obvious allies, or ...
Seamus Harrison's user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
2k views

How can my undead reattach his arm?

My character is a necropolitan, and he just lost his arm. Regenerate doesn't work on undead, and I don't have the regeneration special ability. How could I reattach my arm? My character lost his arm ...
Discadae's user avatar
  • 540
28 votes
2 answers
52k views

Is it possible to bring undead back to life directly, without destroying them first?

In previous editions of D&D, you couldn't bring undead back to life. You had to "re-kill" them and then resurrect their corpse. In 5e, Resurrection states that it can't bring undead back, but ...
Miniman's user avatar
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15 votes
6 answers
8k views

What other undead paths are there for immortality?

I am developing a campaign were the party is tracking down a group of ancient powerful mages. These mages would have undoubtedly sought undeath to extend their existence and I didn't just want them to ...
Krager's user avatar
  • 503
30 votes
7 answers
137k views

How can I heal undead creatures?

Fifth edition seems to have removed any means of healing undead. The positive/negative energy duality of 3rd edition seems to be gone. Negative energy spells now do necrotic damage; some undead are ...
Bailey's user avatar
  • 652
14 votes
4 answers
4k views

If I take a feat that allows Critical Hits on undead, can I make sneak attacks too?

Maybe this question has a very simple answer, but I'm not sure how this works. The SRD says about the Rogue's Sneak Attack: "Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak ...
Markus Bendinho's user avatar
11 votes
2 answers
1k views

Will I lose my undead traits when I'm resurrected?

I have a ghost template in our new horror adventure. If I die (as a ghost) and after that am resurrected, I will return to being human (my race before becoming a ghost). Will I also lose all of the ...
SPike86's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
2k views

Can a vampire enter a temple?

My party will be going to a temple soon, and I'm wondering if a vampire (who is stalking them unbeknownst to the party) will be able to enter. It's to an evil god, but the ground is still technically ...
Taren Garlander's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
4k views

Does a Dracolich possessing a new corpse reform as its original type or as the corpse's type?

In the 5th Edition Monster Manual, it states the following under the Dracolich Phylacteries section: If a dracolich's physical form is ever destroyed, its spirit returns to the gem as long as the ...
Solin's user avatar
  • 1,024
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is a touch spell's charge sufficient to hit an incorporeal creature?

Abel wants to affect a shadow (MM 221-2) with the 3rd-level Clr spell spark of life [necro] (SpC 196). The shadow has the subtype incorporeal, and the spell spark of life is Range: Touch and doesn't ...
Hey I Can Chan's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
9k views

Can one use detect magic to detect undead?

As lesser undeads like skeletons or zombies are mostly made by magic I'm wondering if detect magic can be used as sorts of "detect undead in your view". Thus you see a pile of bones ahead of you and ...
Thomas E.'s user avatar
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12 votes
3 answers
11k views

Is Sunbeam's beam considered sunlight, for the purposes of Sunlight Hypersensitivity?

Compare Sunbeam's opening line: "A beam of brilliant light flashes out from your hand in a 5-foot-wide, 60-foot-line." to Sunburst's opening line: "Brilliant sunlight flashes in a 60-foot ...
Khashir's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
5k views

What is the difference between "ghosts" and "spirits of the dead" in Pathfinder?

I want to make a good-aligned shaman character that deals with ghosts on a friendly and pact-based relationship. However ghosts are described as always being CE undead meanwhile "spirits of the dead" ...
Sabotenderizer's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

How can I always see ethereal and incorporeal creatures?

I am trying to adapt a character who can see spirits continuously to Pathfinder. I looked all over the d20pfsrd site for a feat or supernatural ability that lets a character continuously see ethereal ...
Sabotenderizer's user avatar
11 votes
4 answers
7k views

What happens when Resurrection is cast on a zombie?

I know the Resurrection spell brings something back to life, but what happens when casting it on a zombie? A zombie is already dead, but now undead—does it "die" and is brought back to life, or does ...
Jayjay's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
1k views

How much experience does a cleric get when he Turns Undead?

Is there a standard amount of XP given to a cleric who is successful at Turning Undead?
DM911's user avatar
  • 511
8 votes
2 answers
2k views

Can a Paladin use Smite Evil on a touch attack to Lay on Hands on an undead creature?

Can a paladin use Smite Evil to gain pluses to attack and damage when the attack is a touch attack against an undead creature for the purpose of damaging the creature using the Lay on Hands ability? ...
PurpleVermont's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
1k views

Constitution bonus to HP for a necropolitan

In 3.5, players can take the template Necropolitan. This makes them undead, they lose a level, but gain various benefits. Since undead have no constitution score, what happens to their hit-points ...
Mala's user avatar
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10 votes
5 answers
12k views

How to GM a zombie-apocalypse game? [closed]

I was asked, not a long time ago, to GM a zombie-apocalypse one-shot. Being versed in horror-GMing, I decided to approach the genre as I approach most other genres of horror, but I've encountered a ...
Yosi's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
4k views

Is there an undead-heavy adventure that takes PCs from level 1 to level 20? [closed]

Is there either a single adventure or a collection of linked adventures that meets the following criteria: The primary foes are undead creatures. The adventuring sites include maps. The adventure ...
larkin80's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
540 views

What happens to a quasi-undead creature when fortunate fate activates?

The creature casts the 8th-level spell veil of undeath [necro] (SpC 229), which says, in part, that Like an undead creature, you are damaged by cure spells and healed by inflict spells. You don’t ...
Hey I Can Chan's user avatar
50 votes
6 answers
17k views

What rules say that summoning undead is evil, and what rules say why?

My question is: Where can I reference the RAW as to (1) that summoning undead is always an evil act, and (2) why summoning undead is always an evil act? Some of the players in my game keep coming up ...
Wolfman Joe's user avatar
  • 1,807
7 votes
2 answers
2k views

Are undead mounts considered "evil"?

Let's say, my PC is a human cleric of demons, and I have created an undead horse as my mount. It's great, because the horse does not need to sleep, nor feed, and it does not become fatigued. So riding ...
mawimawi's user avatar
  • 3,354
5 votes
1 answer
3k views

How many Hit Dice of undead creatures are destroyed with turn undead?

When you use the supernatural ability turn undead, you make a turning check (1d20 + your Charisma modifier), and the maximum Hit Dice of the single Most Powerful Undead Affected (PH 159) is dependent ...
Hey I Can Chan's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
4k views

When and how many times can a cleric attempt to turn undead?

In Moldvay/Marsh/Cook's B/X D&D: How many times can a cleric attempt to turn undead per encounter? When can the cleric do it? Instead of a melee/spell/missile attack or before the encounter ...
olinarr's user avatar
  • 2,901
18 votes
2 answers
10k views

How to raise the largest possible zombie (undead) army

Okay, it's time for the Zombie Apocalypse. Or at least, the raising of a rather unpleasant Zombie Army. Well, zombies are nice, but hey, other undead are welcome as well. So... an let's make it an ...
OpaCitiZen's user avatar
  • 39.2k
3 votes
2 answers
2k views

Command Undead on creatures who are under command of an NPC

In an upcoming session, there will be an NPC, who made a couple of ghouls who are under his command. Rise of the Runelords Spoiler: Now one of the players in the group that I am DM'ing has the feat "...
mawimawi's user avatar
  • 3,354
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is an arrow destroyed when used successfully as an improvised melee weapon?

The SRD says about Arrows that An arrow used as a melee weapon is treated as a light improvised weapon (-4 penalty on attack rolls) and deals damage as a dagger of its size (critical multiplier ×2)....
Hey I Can Chan's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
4k views

True necromancer, caster level and animate dead

I was working on a True Necromancer (Libris mortis pag. 53) and I wanted to see how many undeads it can control. Assume the Necromancer is level 11, he comes from a cleric/3, wizard/3, true ...
Squera's user avatar
  • 1,895
15 votes
3 answers
22k views

I want to have elite troop of undead, but which undead?

It's me again with more questions about undead. I was reading the cleric's animate dead spell, and I was a little bit disappointed after reading the skeleton's stats. 6 hp is kind of bad for an elite ...
Pyersamid's user avatar
  • 801
42 votes
6 answers
9k views

How do I Raise the Dead and Look Good Doing it?

I am a LE cleric (No god, but in an order of LG/LN cleric, faking to praying to their god) and we are in a mass combat campaign (Darn you drow), and I want to raise an elite troop of undead to protect ...
Pyersamid's user avatar
  • 801
10 votes
2 answers
801 views

How to represent an "Abhorsien," "Speaker for the Dead," or "Shepherd of Souls" type of theme?

I have a character who recently hit level 21, which will be the last level of the campaign. As such, I am looking for something fitting her destiny more than power, and the DM is most likely willing ...
KRyan's user avatar
  • 351k
12 votes
3 answers
16k views

Are undead immune to intimidate/demoralize

I wanted to confirm this I've heard tell they are but there seems to be much debate. Can you use intimidate to demoralize undead? This seems like the sort of thing that they would have made clear in ...
Chris Nicola's user avatar
15 votes
1 answer
9k views

Is it possible to create undead with class levels?

This came from a conversation I had with a friend: is it possible for a PC necromancer to raise or create undead with class levels? The specific example that sparked this was the possibility of ...
Cobalt's user avatar
  • 6,961
14 votes
2 answers
2k views

What happens when Zombies are Slowed?

I'm referring to the specific system of DnD 3.5 and to Zombies being slowed with the spell Slow. Zombies already have "Partial Action" in that they only have a standard action per round. I understand ...
Squera's user avatar
  • 1,895
15 votes
2 answers
3k views

Can the Create Water spell create "running water"?

In our current Pathfinder campaign, my party is (probably) dealing with a Vampire; one of the vampire weaknesses is to take damage in "running water". We have multiple Clerics and a Druid in the ...
Josh's user avatar
  • 1,187
7 votes
1 answer
572 views

How can I let undead stirges keep blood drain?

In a campaign I'm currently running, a vampire will seek a way to collect his daily dose of blood. He's planning to do that by collecting stirges, animating them as undead, and sending them to suck ...
Itaav's user avatar
  • 177
12 votes
2 answers
3k views

Day-to-day life of a Lich [closed]

How can a Lich NPC be made more believable? Things like... How do you suppose a lich spends his un-life? Assuming he has an evil crypt or evil tower to live in... What are his day-to-day activities? ...
Luke's user avatar
  • 257
8 votes
5 answers
3k views

Good alignment on characters facing a vampire

While running the Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil campaign, two of my players were arguing about what they should do about a vampire NPC. Try to change the vampire's alignment and turn him ...
Iamdante's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
541 views

Does Mind Blank provide protection from Turn Undead?

If an undead character is under the effect of a Mind Blank spell, does the spell's effect offer protection against being forced to cower or flee from a turn-undead effect?
Shiester's user avatar
  • 125
9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is there any information on cities where most of the citizens are undead?

In Open Grave it says: Other places, such as the city of Eredu, take a more proactive approach. In Eredu, undead that want to be citizens must submit to a process of authorization to gain ...
phaedryx's user avatar
  • 197
46 votes
12 answers
10k views

Techniques for making undead scary again

Undead used to be scary things: dead, rotting bodies seeking to devour all life, outnumbering their foes, and replacing their fallen with slain enemies. But nowadays players see them and think '...
Dakeyras's user avatar
  • 13.2k
43 votes
5 answers
3k views

If undead exist, why do cemeteries exist & cremation not a standard?

I have less fingers than the nr of cemeteries I cleared in campaigns of various scenarios and game mechanics. I find time and time again cemeteries crawling with undead. Either graves or crypts. I ...
Discipol's user avatar
  • 2,374
10 votes
1 answer
867 views

Does a character keep their class levels when changing in to a ghoul/ghast?

When someone dies from Ghoul fever, and they are a 6th level fighter, do they turn in to a Ghast with 6 levels of fighter? Or do they just become a 6HD ghast? I know the answer to this in D&D 3.5, ...
RuleofThree's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

Barbarian Revenant Half-Orc: How to roleplay [closed]

Introduction We have been playing 4e D&D for a while now. First we started with 3.5e skills but recently incorporated Burning Wheel style skills because we wanted more role-playing possibilities ...
El_Jairo's user avatar
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