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From our conversations, I learned that there are many more types of undead than I was led to believe through my childhood. Of course, I had heard the stories of armies of animated skeletons and cadaver men marching on towns and slaughtering women and children alike. I had even heard of the demiwraiths, evil spirits who could hide in any shadow and waited in dark alleys and streets for children and unsuspecting travelers to pass by. I had always assumed that these were the only types of undead that a man such as I would ever have to fear. Now, after my discussion with Fraz'l, I am ashamed to say that I sleep with a lantern by my bed and a symbol of Garlen about my neck. Even though Fraz'l insists that none of the Passions exert influence over the undead, I feel safer with Her beside me.
There are many types of undead with many different natures and desires, I have come to learn. Fraz'l has classified them by appearance and purpose. The smallest and most easily defined group of undead are the corporeal undead. These are the undead which have true physical bodies, such as zombies, skeletons, ghouls, cadaver men, and, some would argue, demiwraiths. Of these, all but the demiwraiths may be Horror constructs, animated and created by the Horrors and able to follow simple commands. These fall into the category of controlled undead. They are the easiest of all the undead to understand and deal with, and, as Fraz'l says, the easiest to fight.
The second major category are the non-corporeal undead. These seem to exist in a number of places at once, including the netherworld, the astral plane, and the physical plane. It is these undead which terrify me, ghosts which may pass through walls and banshees whose screams can pull your very soul from your body. Non-corporeal undead are also frequently called apparitions, as they generally appear as shimmering or misty vaguely humanoid forms. These undead have the most terrifying purpose as well. Very few of the non-corporeal undead are Horror constructs, spectral dancers being a most noteworthy exception. These undead have returned to their half-life most often through sheer willpower alone. They continue to exist through hatred alone, and it is this hatred of the living that drives them and causes them to seek out and kill any opportune targets. Many of the non-corporeal undead still possess a spark of intelligence from their former life, as well as bits and pieces of memories that seem only to torture them and drive them insane by reminding them of the world which they may never truly be a part of again.
These apparitions, Fraz'l tells me, are the most dangerous. Some may be quite cunning and attempt to lure you into a trap before they strike, while others will attack with a blind fury fueled by pure hatred. It is their unpredictability, Fraz'l says, which makes them so dangerous. In addition to the undead's ferocity or cunning in combat, those who find themselves in battle with an apparition may encounter other troubles as well. Those apparitions which exist mostly on the astral or nether planes often cannot be hit by normal weapons. The further a spirit goes from the physical plane, the more difficult it is to hit. Wood and stone weapons are the first to fail, followed by iron and then silver (though many doubt the effectiveness of silver in any combat, as it is such a soft metal). Eventually, one needs magical weapons that can strike into the astral to even hope to win a fight with an apparition. Fortunately these apparitions are rare -- most can indeed be struck by common weapons.
Zombies are a
type of animated undead. They are often created by Horrors or nethermancers
with the 5th circle Nethermantic spell Animate Zombie (described below).
Zombies can be formed from any Name-giver that has been dead for more than
a year and a day. After this period of time the last of the residual soul
of the deceased has left the body and it may be animated. The magic that
animates the zombies gives them unusual strength and toughness. They attack
with their hands, which are usually dried and drawn like bone clubs. Zombies
follow the will of their masters, and may be given simple commands.
| DEX: 5 STR: 7 TOU: 7
PER: 4 WIL: 7 CHA: 5 |
|
| Initiative: 4 | Physical Defense: 6 |
| Number of Attacks: 2 | Spell Defense: 6 |
| Attack: 6 | Social Defense: 12 |
| Damage: 9 | Armor: 4 |
| Number of Spells: (1) | Mystic Armor: 2 |
| Spellcasting: 5 | Knockdown: 10 |
| Effect: Restore Undead (12) | Recovery Tests: 2 (d12, see below) |
| Death Rating: 40 | Combat Movement: 30 |
| Wound Threshold: 10 | Full Movement: 60 |
| Unconsciousness Rating: 33 | Legend Points: 50 |
| Equipment: None | |
| Loot: 20% adorned with jewelry worth 2d6x10 sp | |
Animate Zombie
Circle 5 Nethermancer Spell
Threads: 3
Weaving Difficulty: 9/18
Range: Touch
Duration: Rank days
Effect: create zombies
Casting Difficulty: 6
The Nethermancer must be touching a corpse dead for more than a year
and a day while he weaves the threads for this spell. He may only animate
one zombie at a time with this spell. At the end of the duration, the zombies
fall to the ground unmoving. If the nethermancer wishes he may spend a
point of blood magic while casting the spell for each zombie created and
they will exist for a year and a day before the spell expires (unless they
are killed first of course). Zombies understand the commands of their masters
and will follow a simple command to the best of their ability. While waiting
to follow it's commands a zombie will remain completely still and will
not move unless attacked, they are often mistaken for lifeless corpses.
If the conditions for a command are not met the zombie will not follow
them. (Example: Kill anything that passes through that door. If something
was to come through the wall next to the door the zombie would not attack
it).
Shadowmen are
the undead spirits of those who died without having had the chance to confront
their opponents, honorable warriors who died at the hands of assassins,
magicians and traps. The souls of such warriors are often so tormented
by the loss of honor that through willpower alone their spirits come back
to take vengeance on the world that wronged them. Trapped forever in darkness
by the shadow that has fallen over their own souls, Shadowmen live an existence
of torture and despair. It is sad that, with their spirits so wracked with
grief and anger, they have stopped caring about honor and clean fighting.
Instead, they use their powers only to kill as quickly as possible.
Shadowmen appear as wispy dark silhouettes, roughly 6 feet tall and wielding smoky blades of mist. Detecting a shadow man is difficult in all but the most well lighted conditions. In near or total darkness, Shadowmen are practically invisible. They do not give off a heat signature nor can they be seen with low light vision on a perception test less than a 20, in which case a glimpse of movement is all that is gained. Under better lighting conditions, Shadowmen can be seen normally, though they are disconcerting to look at due to their swirling form. It is important to note that, unlike a true shadow, a Shadowman does not require light to exist, nor are they damaged by too much light. The name Shadowman is given to them due to their shadow-like appearance. This misnomer has cost many a young adept their lives as they hold up a light quartz to drive the creatures back.
Shadowmen have two very frightening abilities. The first, Shadow Shift, allows the Shadowman to change his weapon from a physical blade into a mystic blade. The Shadowman must first inflict a successful hit with their shadow blade, then make a Spellcasting Test against their opponent's Spell Defense. If successful, the blade shimmers and becomes a mystic blade, passing through physical armor and causing mystic damage. After the swing, the blade returns to its physical form. The shadow blade is a step 9 weapon. It will exist for one hour after its wielder's death, then it will dissipate unless a thread is woven to the weapon. (Maximum Threads 2, Spell Defense 14, Key Knowledge: Learn the Shadowman's Name). If a thread is woven, the blade may be used as a normal weapon without the benefit of the Shadow shift ability. Though there are rumors that the weapons are true thread items, no one yet has learned more about them.
The Shadowman's second ability, Shadow Double, is similar to the nethermancy
spell Spirit Double, except the shadow body created for the spirit to inhabit
is a copy of that of the target creature, who must be touched, and the
Difficulty for the spell is the Spell Defense of the target creature. The
Shadow Double will have the physical attributes (Str, Tou, Dex) of the
parent body with the mental attributes (Per, Wil, Chr) of the Shadowman.
Shadowmen frequently try to create a spirit double of a person and have
it attack their likeness, before revealing themselves in combat.
| DEX: 7 STR: 5 TOU: 8
PER: 7 WIL: 10 CHA: 5 |
|
| Initiative: 10 | Physical Defense: 13 |
| Number of Attacks: 1 | Spell Defense: 14 |
| Attack: 10 | Social Defense: 12 |
| Damage: 14 | Armor: 7 |
| Number of Spells: 1 | Mystic Armor: 8 |
| Spellcasting: 12 | Knockdown: 9 |
| Effect: Shadow Shift, Shadow Double | Recovery Tests: 1 |
| Death Rating: 46 | Combat Movement: 70 |
| Wound Threshold: 13 | Full Movement: 140 |
| Unconsciousness Rating: NA | Legend Points: 450 |
| Equipment: Shadow blade (Treasure worth Lp. if preserved) | |
| Loot: None | |
Flickerings are
the lost souls of those who died within the walls of Parlainth during the
Scourge. These souls, who for some reason were not put to rest properly,
are destined to walk the ruins of Parlainth forever, trapped half-way between
this world and the dimension in which Parlainth hid during the Scourge.
Trapped as they are, Flickerings have a horrible jealousy of those who
are able to walk the world of men and die as men. The soul of a Flickering
can never be truly laid to rest without being burned in a hearth blessed
by Garlen. If a Flickering dies in any other way, it will reappear in Parlainth
within an hour, thus they are fearless in their attacks. Flickerings received
their name from their shimmering silver blue form that vanishes and reappears
from moment to moment. If they leave the ruins in spirit form they will
fade from existence and reappear within Parlainth in one hour.
Flickerings have developed two special powers to aid them in their quest for death. Their blink ability allows the flickering to move from one location to another by shifting momentarily into another plane and then back again in a new location. To do this, they must make a Spellcasting test against a Difficulty of 5. They can then move up to the Effect Test result in yards from their original location.
Their second ability can only be used on an unconscious character. When a character falls unconscious, the flickering may make a Spellcasting Test against the target's Spell Defense. If successful, the flickering inhabits the body of the target and may use it freely. A possessed character may make a Willpower Test after becoming conscious (they must have a recovery test to become conscious, or be given a potion) to eject the flickering. The Difficulty is the Effect result of the possession. This is also the Difficulty for Dispel Magic. The flickering may be slain, driving it from the victim's body, but unless magic such as Undead Struggle is used it will harm the body as well as the spirit. Calling out the victim's name and speaking to him of memories and people important to him will allow him to add 2 steps to his Willpower Test to reclaim his body. An ejected flickering is penalized as if knocked down for a number of rounds equal to the duration of the possession. Some Flickerings retain memories from their previous life, and can use a possessed body to express their feelings and emotions.
Flickerings inhabit bodies so that they may seek out a Questor of Garlen
who will help them find rest. They frequently use the possessed body to
knock other characters unconscious, so that other Flickerings may take
control of the body. The Flickerings only seek to rescue their people from
endless torture. NOTE: A flickering cannot use any special abilities of
the victims, including Talents.
| DEX: 6 STR: 5 TOU: 7
PER: 8 WIL: 5 CHA: 7 |
|
| Initiative: 6 | Physical Defense: 12 |
| Number of Attacks: 1 | Spell Defense: 11 |
| Attack: 8 | Social Defense: 14 |
| Damage: 7 | Armor: 4 |
| Number of Spells: 2 | Mystic Armor: 5 |
| Spellcasting: 10 | Knockdown: 7 |
| Effect: 14, Blink, Possession | Recovery Tests: 2 |
| Death Rating: 40 | Combat Movement: 35 |
| Wound Threshold: 11 | Full Movement: 70 |
| Unconsciousness Rating: NA | Legend Points: 400 |
| Equipment: None | |
| Loot: When a flickering is burned in a blessed hearth, it leaves behind a silver/blue diamond worth d4x100 sp. This gem counts as treasure worth Legend Points (poor compensation for a dead friend). | |
Black Daggers
may be of any race and profession. The numbers given here are assuming
human assassins. Modifications should be made accordingly for more complex
Black Dagger adepts.
Black Daggers were once powerful members of the cult known as the Keys of Death. When nearing their deaths, these men and women swore a pledge that they would continue to serve and fight for Death's freedom long after their lives had ended. They then sacrificed themselves with a jet black dagger made of the finest obsidian. Somehow their prayers were answered, and they were granted continued existence in a non-corporeal form. They have retained all of their memories and abilities and have only become more deadly since their deaths. They are found in all parts of the world, especially in and around major cities. They have the ability to physically manifest themselves at will and often use this ability to serve as councilors and advisors to those who would begin wars. When in their physical form, Black Daggers wear all black. Their hair, eyes, and nails all are of the purest ebony, while their skin is pale white. For this reason, they wear long deep hooded black robes. Their only weapon is a magical black dagger that can shift with them along with their possessions into the astral plane. Their astral shift is not complete however, and they leave a wispy image of themselves on the physical plane.
Black Daggers consider them to be members and leaders of Death's elite army. They strive to spill as much blood as possible and they prefer to do it in a ritualistic manner as opposed to in combat. If they knock someone unconscious in combat, they will move on to the next opponent, leaving the unconscious one for later sacrifice.
In game terms, Black Daggers have two sets of scores, one for their physical manifestation and one for their astral form, the numbers for the astral form appearing in parentheses. It is rumored that some adepts have even been accepted as Black Daggers. They retain their skills and talents and karma while in their physical form, and may continue to advance as though still living.
The shift from astral to physical takes one complete round, in which
no other action may be performed, including tests of any sort. If the Black
Dagger is forced to make a test, they may try to shift again in the next
round. The only weapon wielded by a Black Dagger is the dagger that was
used for their own sacrifice. It binds them to their oath, and if they
are separated from their dagger for more than 1 full round, they will dissipate
and never reform again. The dagger has other properties as well which allow
it to strike into the physical plane from the astral. When a Black dagger
is killed or dissipated, its dagger loses its magical functions and becomes
a normal, finely crafted obsidian dagger. In addition, the magic that allows
them to shift all equipment into the astral fails and their items fall
to the ground.
| DEX: 8 (10) STR: 7 (8) TOU:
9 (9)
PER: 6 (8) WIL: 7 (7) CHA: 8 (6) |
|
| Initiative: 8 (10) | Physical Defense: 11 (15) |
| Number of Attacks: 1 (1) | Spell Defense: 10 (14) |
| Attack: 12 (14) | Social Defense: 10 (12) |
| Damage: 11 (12) | Armor: 4 (7) |
| Number of Spells: NA | Mystic Armor: 4 (7) |
| Spellcasting: NA | Knockdown: 10 (13) |
| Effect: NA | Recovery Tests: 4 |
| Death Rating: 50 | Combat Movement: 50 (80) |
| Wound Threshold: 14 | Full Movement: 100 (160) |
| Unconsciousness Rating: 43 | Legend Points: 850 |
| Special Abilities: Astral Shift | |
| Equipment: As physical manifestation | |
| Loot: Black Dagger (250 sp) counts as treasure worth legend points | |
A Spirit Wind
is formed when a large number of people die together in a single event,
such as an earthquake, volcanic eruption, being bathed in flame by a dragon,
etc. When many lives are lost at once, the carriers of the dead that escort
the souls to the netherworld become confused and overwhelmed by all the
pleading and grabbing souls. When this occurs, a large number of souls
never make it to the netherworld and become trapped on the physical plane.
The souls are then abandoned by the carriers of the dead and left in anguish
on the physical plane. Seeking solace, these souls often join together
to form one larger entity, each soul blending into the whole. It is for
these reasons that Spirit Winds frequently haunt the halls of kaers and
villages that have been decimated by Horrors. Spirit Winds kill so that
they may attempt to trick more souls into entering the mass. The more souls
contained in a Spirit Wind, the more powerful it may become.
The strength of a Spirit Wind depends on the number of souls trapped within it. When a character dies within 100 yards of a spirit wind, the wind may make a Charisma Test against the character's Social Defense. On an Excellent success or better, the new soul is pulled into the spirit wind. On the reverse side of things, however, if a character actively attempts to appease the spirit wind, they may make a Charisma or applicable Talent test against the Social Defense of the wind. The wind has a -2 social defense against all nethermancers. On a Good success or better, a soul will leave the wind, reducing its power. A spirit wind usually forms with 3-12 souls trapped in it. Use this number for calculating the step of the wind. Winds of more than 15 souls are rarely heard of, though one legend tells of a wind numbering over 100 souls that sweeps over Death's Sea every fifty years or so.
The wind attacks by sending spirits circulating about a character screaming
with an anguished wail. A psychic scream tears into the soul of the target
character, and attempts to separate the soul from the body. The Difficulty
for the scream is the target's Spell Defense. The Effect test determines
damage. Mystic armor reduces damage. The wind may attack as many characters
in one round as it has spells, as long as they are within 2+step yards
of the center of the wind. The spirits are visible as pale blue white streaks
of light, in the form of Name-giver bodies with stretched anguished faces.
| DEX: 6+step STR: 5+step TOU:
9+step
PER: 10+step WIL: 12+step CHA: 3+step |
|
| Initiative: 12+step | Physical Defense: 14+step |
| Number of Attacks: NA | Spell Defense: 9+step |
| Attack: NA | Social Defense: 8+step (6+step) |
| Damage: NA | Armor: 6+step |
| Number of Spells: 2+step | Mystic Armor: 6+step |
| Spellcasting: 12+step | Knockdown: 12+step |
| Effect: Psychic Scream (15+step) | Recovery Tests: 1+step |
| Death Rating: 50 + (5 x step) | Combat Movement: 75 |
| Wound Threshold: 14+step | Full Movement: 150 |
| Unconsciousness Rating: NA | Legend Points: see below |
| Special Abilities: Flight | |
| Equipment: NA | |
| Loot: NA | |
| Step | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| LP | 969 | 1940 | 2959 | 5505 | 9510 | 19890 | 33125 | 53300 | 74700 | 101800 | 144150 | 199200 |
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