Undead

[Back to Contents]
Undead are creatures who are neither alive nor dead. They cannot be killed by normal means since they are not alive. Instead, they may be destroyed by magic and by silvered weapons, in most cases. Lesser undead include ghosts, ghouls, revenants, skeletons and zombies. Greater undead include night-gaunts, spectres, vampires, wights, and wraiths. Greater undead have the power to drain life force (in the form of Endurance and Fatigue) from living victims. They cannot affect other undead in this manner, nor can they affect extra-dimensional beings (demons, devils, etc.). It is possible for characters to become undead in certain cases. When this occurs, the character's abilities will be altered somewhat, depending upon the type of undead he becomes. His characteristics may be decreased or increased to fall within the appropriate range for the class of undead to which he belongs, but should be altered by the GM as little as possible. For example, a character with a Physical Strength of 10 who became a vampire would have his PS increased, but probably not by more than 5 (so as to possess the minimum Physical Strength for a vampire). A character who becomes undead retains his Rank in all skills, talents and magic which are useable to him in an undead state. They may continue to acquire Experience and Rank, but all Ex- Experience costs are doubled for undead characters. Undead beings recover automatically from being stunned at the beginning of each Pulse, if they have not already recovered.

Lesser Undead

Lesser Undead include all undead who do not have the power to drain life force from the living of this plane.

GHOST

Natural Habitat: Where human beings may be found.
Frequency: Uncommon
Number: 1-36 (1)
Description: A ghost is the insubstantial form taken by the spirit of a recently deceased individual. It may appear in exactly the form the individual himself took in life except for a certain shimmering quality and the fact that a ghost seen in direct sunlight will tend to fade into the background. Ghosts are usually produced when an individual dies in particularly traumatic circumstances.
Talents, Skills and Magic: Ghosts have no skills or magical powers and cannot harm living beings directly since they are insubstantial. However, they can frighten living beings (especially the unwary) into flight. A character facing a ghost must roll 3 times his willpower or less on D I00 to keep from panicking and fleeing from the ghost's presence. Add 20 to the dice roll if the ghost was unexpected.
Movement Rates: Flying: 250
PS None MD None AG None MA 5-23
EN None FT None WP 5-23 PC 5-23
PB 5-23 TMR 5-7 NA None
Weapons: Ghosts have no natural weapons and may use no man-made weapons. They cannot harm others directly and cannot be themselves harmed by physical means.
Comments: Ghosts can be sources of information which may be wholly or partially false. They may aid characters who are willing to assist them in finishing any business they may have left uncompleted in their former life and which is in whole or in part the cause of their inability to find peace. For example, they may seek revenge on the individual(s) who brought about their end OT may desire the welfare of a still living former lover to be attended to. Ghosts are usually chained to a place or object connected with their death or the fulfilment of their desires. They may not leave that place until put to rest unless wronged or cheated by a character. They will then become tied to that character, following him about, haunting him and warning his enemies of his approach until he rights the wrong he has done to them. Ghosts have only one aim: to alter the circumstances that have made them ghosts. They may temporarily assist characters in their own goals as a means of getting the characters' assistance in their quest, but only in a very limited sphere. Once their problem has been solved, they are laid to rest and immediately dissipate.

GHOUL

Natural Habitat: Crypts, Ruins, Fields
Frequency: Uncommon
Number: 3-30 (6)
Description: Ghouls are a form of undead who specialise in devouring the flesh of the living or of recently dead characters. They are physically humanoid in all respects except that they may be ravaged by sickness or maimed by the wounds which killed them. Their undead status has robbed them of most of their intelligence and agility, but has also made them fearless.
Talents, Skills and Magic: Ghouls possess no skills or magic. They possess two special characteristics: Any character bitten by a Ghoul will automatically die if the wound becomes infected and will rise at dawn on the day after his death as a Ghoul. Ghouls can only be killed by destroying their motor centre. Thus, they are unaffected by specific Grievous Injuries.
Movement Rates: Running: 150
PS 14-18 MD 8-12 AG 6-12 MA None
EN 18-24 FT 25-30 WP 18-25 PC 10-14
PB 1-2 TMR 3 NA None
Weapons: Ghouls may use their hands in Melee or Close Combat as unranked weapons. They may only Strike once per Pulse (i.e., no Double Strikes). Ghouls may Strike twice per Pulse in Close Combat (once with hands and once with teeth). Their bite has a Base Chance of 40%, damage of [D - 4] (but with + 20 to Infection Checks in addition to any modification for bites) and is never Ranked.
Comments: Ghouls, like Trolls hate fire and will immediately attack any character holding a torch in preference to all other targets.

REVENANT


Comments: A character who dies in circumstances conducive to the creation of a ghost may, at the GM's discretion, become a revenant. Thereafter, the character takes on the form of a ghost or night-gaunt (GM's discretion) chained to the place of death. The GM always plays the character. The revenant retains his previous personality and those characteristics appropriate to his new form and gains those characteristics appropriate to his undead state. Revenants can never be returned to life.

SKELETON

Natural Habitat: Any habitat where humans are found.
Frequency: Rare
Number: 3-12 (6)
Description: Skeletons are animated figures formed magically from the bones of the dead. They are controlled and animated by the will of an Adept in the same manner as zombies are. Often they will be clothed and armed. Skeletons immediately fall apart and turn to dust whenever they cease to be animated by an Adept. Skeletons may never be Stunned.
Talents, Skills and Magic: Skeletons have no special talents, skills, or magic. However, their special magical nature makes them immune to damage from weapons rated for A type damage (arrows, thrusting swords, stabbing weapons). They may use weapons, including Ranked weapons, shields and armour.
Movement Rates: Running: 150
PS 10-16 MD 14-18 AG 12-16 MA None
EN 8-12 FT 5-10 WP 20-25 PC 14-18
PB 1-2 TMR 3 NA None
Weapons: Skeletons may attack using the unarmed combat rules, but will probably be armed with a weapon of some sort.
Comments: Skeletons are often found around old battlefields and graveyards. They need to be animated before they can attack, though. The skeletons used by an Adept need not be Human. He could animate any type of being which would then have attributes close to those it originally possessed while alive. Usually, however, Human skeletons are used since they are more easily animated.

ZOMBIE

Natural Habitat: Any habitat where humans are found.
Frequency: Rare
Number: 6-24 (6)
Description: Zombies are another variety of living dead. In this case, the dead are animated by a spell cast by a member of the College of Necromancy. They may (when newly dead corpses are used) appear nearly normal except for a slight earthen hue. When old corpses are used, however, the zombies may the no more than skeletons held together by a few strands of sinew.
Talents, Skills and Magic: Zombies have no skills or talents and are not magic users. Like Ghouls, they are unaffected by Grievous Injury since their motor centre must be destroyed before they cease to be animated.
Movement Rates: Running: 150
PS 10-16 MD 6-10 AG 4-8 MA None
EN 16-22 FT 20-25 WP 18-25 PC 8-12
PB 1-2 TMR 3 NA None
Weapons: Zombies never use weapons. They may attack with hands using the bare-handed attack rules. Their hands are never Ranked.
Comments: A zombie loses 1 point per day from his Endurance for each day that he is not re-enchanted by his master.


Greater Undead

Greater undead include all those undead who have the ability to drain life force from the living of this plane.

SPECTRE

Natural Habitat: Ruin, Cavern, Crypt (usually enclosed area)
Frequency: Very rare
Number: 1-3
Description: Spectres are undead beings half of this world and half of another plane. They enter this world most fully at night and may disappear entirely during the day. If exposed to direct sunlight, they permanently dissipate. Spectres are humanoid in shape, but tend to show an easily discernible blue glow when viewed in the shadowed areas they prefer.
Talents, Skills and Magic: Spectres may possess the entire gamut of human talents and skills. In addition, they are Dark Mages of the College of Celestial Magics. Their touch is ice cold and any character coming in contact with a spectre which is in full physical form suffers [D + 3] damage drained directly from Endurance. A character whose last point of Endurance is drained by a spectre becomes a half-strength spectre.
Movement Rates: Running: 300
PS 3-30 MD 3-25 AG 10-20 MA 17-30
EN 20-30 FT 25-35 WP 20-30 PC 20-30
PB 3-20 TMR 6 NA None
Weapons: Spectres have no natural weapons other than their touch. They also are not weapon users even in their most substantial state. Damage from contact with spectres is never absorbed by armour.
Comments: The characteristics and power of spectres varies in direct proportion to their substantiality. The same spectre which has a PS of 3 at noon would have a PS of 25-30 at midnight. A spectre cannot physically harm a character while insubstantial. He can perform magic. Except for the few hours when the sun is highest, the spectre may choose to be either in incorporeal (insubstantial) or corporeal (substantial) form. It takes a spectre 12 Pulses (1 minute) to change between these forms. Spectres can only be harmed by exposure to direct sunlight or by magic. Magic does not affect spectres while in their incorporeal form.

VAMPIRE

Natural Habitat: Wherever men are found. They make their home in Caverns, Ruins and Crypts, however, and are most likely to be found there.
Frequency: Very Rare
Number: 1-6
Description: Vampires are human (or humanoid) beings who have entered the netherworld of "life-drinkers." They support their existence by drinking the blood of the living (or recently dead) members of their own species (but not necessarily their own race). A character becomes a vampire only by performing a Ritual of Becoming Undead or by being killed by a vampire who drains the character's last point of Endurance. A character who dies in this manner rises at sunset of the third day after his death in the form of a vampire and must, thereafter, be treated in all ways as a vampire. Once the character's last point of endurance has been drained, the character may not normally be resurrected or prevented from becoming a vampire. He may be destroyed in the same way as a vampire once he rises from the dead, but not before. Vampires always appear to be the age they were at when they became vampires. All physical wounds or disfigurements during life are, however, removed. A character may sometimes be prevented from becoming a vampire by being pinned in his coffin by a stake driven through the heart.
Talents, Skills and Magic: Vampires retain all magical and racial skills acquired during their life and may learn any number of new skills. They lose all magical knowledge unless they were, while alive, members of the College of the Mind. All vampires are automatically members of the College of Sorceries of the Mind. Any character who was a member of this College while alive retains any Rank he achieved with the knowledge of that College. Vampires have the following special skills. They can change shape between the following forms: Bat, rat, wolf, cloud of mist or their "natural" human shape. It takes one full pulse for the transformation to occur. A vampire must implement only a pass action during a pulse in which he attempts to change shape. Vampires are hypnotically attractive to members of their own species (including other races). They possess most of the characteristics that they did during their life except that their Physical Strength and Willpower are both increased by 50% (round up). They gain the ability to summon control and communicate with all common land mammals and are especially adept at communicating with and summoning bats, rats and wolves. This ability operates automatically as a talent of the same type as G-1, G-3, and Q-1 of the College of Earth Magics, except that the Base Chance is always increased by 20 when a vampire attempts to summon, control or communicate with an animal. Vampires lose 1 point from Fatigue (and from Endurance when Fatigue is exhausted) each hour during which they do not feed. When a vampire feeds, they add 1 point per pulse (for each 10 seconds when not in combat) to either Fatigue or Endurance (their choice) for each point they drain from their victim. The vampire's Fatigue and Endurance may never be raised above their normal maximum level by this method. A vampire whose last point of Endurance is removed because they have failed to feed is permanently destroyed. A vampire feeds by entering Close Combat with a character and drinking that character's blood or by hypnotising the character into allowing them to drink the character's blood (using a Spell of Hypnosis). Characters hypnotised by a vampire will not resist a suggestion that they allow the vampire to feed on them. Vampires do not cast a shadow. Their reflection does not show up in a silvered mirror, but does show-A, up in a mirror not made with silver. They may not cross running water (streams, rivers, and the like). They must sleep from sunrise to sunset in a bed of earth taken from their grave. Vampires may not enter an inhabited dwelling unless invited in by its inhabitants. Relics and holy items associated with the Powers of Light are repellent to vampires. So is garlic. They will not willingly come in physical contact with such items and will tend to flee them or at least stay 10 feet or more away from them. Vampires fear dogs with angel eyes (dark circles around the eyes) and will generally flee such animals. Vampires cannot die. They can be destroyed in the following manner: By direct exposure to sunlight. By being staked through the heart while in their coffin. By hearing the crow of a cock at dawn while out of their coffin. By having their heart pierced by a silvered weapon. By failing to replenish Endurance through feeding. Vampires suffer [D - 5] damage from the touch of consecrated objects, but will become infuriated by their touch so that they attack the wielder of such objects instead of fleeing their presence.
Movement Rates: Running while in human form: 300. The Movement Rates for other forms (bat, rat and wolf) are as per the creatures of the same name.
PS 15-30 MD 15-25 AG 15-25 MA 15-25
EN 15-25 FT 20-30 WP 25-30 PC 20-30
PB 12-25 TMR 6 NA None
Weapons: Vampires are treated in all ways as human beings for purposes of combat except that they cannot be harmed by normal weapons. They have no special weapons except their ability to drink blood as described above. This ability may not be used against characters wearing armour other than cloth, leather or wicker unless the victim is first hypnotised and opens his armour so that the vampire can reach his neck.
Comments: Vampires are not harmed by weapons other than silvered weapons. They may be harmed (but not destroyed) by magic. A humanoid character bitten by a vampire becomes a under the control of the vampire that bit him if that vampire has any remaining capacity to control his victims. Otherwise, he becomes a vampire under no one's control. A vampire may control a number of his victims who have become vampires equal to half his Willpower (rounded down). A vampire's control over his undead victims is not total and the victim has a 10%Base Chance of successfully disobeying any order of the controlling Vampire which would lead to his injury or destruction or which would prevent him from feeding. This Base Chance is increased by 5 for each additional victim under the vampire's control. Control requires no concentration. A vampires may create a telepathic bond between himself and a victim who is not undead by performing the Kiss of the Undead. The vampire opens a small wound over his heart with any handy edged weapon and forces the victim to drink the vampire's blood from this open wound. Thereafter, the vampire and the victim will have a limited knowledge of each other's thoughts and location until one or both are destroyed. Note: A character who becomes undead can not normally participate in the game; and if allowed, would operate under severe limits. They would, for example, be unable to travel during the day except while locked in a coffin. They would be prevented from entering certain dwellings, travelling over consecrated ground, etc. The character is always played by the original player, not by the GM.

WIGHT (BARROW WIGHT)

Natural Habitat: Crypts, Ruins, Graveyards, Fields & Moors
Frequency: Rare
Number: 1-6
Description: Wights are a form of ghost. They normally appear in their human form, but vary in substantiality in direct proportion to the time of day. Bright sunlight makes them fade into the spirit world while moonlight and starlight increases their corporeality. When in a corporeal state (usually just after moonrise), they are capable of harming humans just as if they were, themselves, alive.
Talents, Skills and Magic: Wights may exhibit any and all human skills and talents. They may use magic, but are limited to the Celestial Magics (Conjurations of Night and Stars) at Rank 10 or above due to their unique status as beings who themselves wax and wane substantial in direct proportion to the power of celestial bodies. They can use weapons, wear armour and carry shields just as they did when they were alive.
Movement Rates: Running: 250
PS 15-30 MD 15-25 AG 10-20 MA 15-30
EN 10-25 FT 15-30 WP 20-30 PC 20-30
PB 3-7 TMR 5 NA None
Weapons: Wights are treated in all ways as human when in a substantial state except that they cannot be harmed by normal weapons. In addition, a Wight may drain the life force of any character with whom he comes into physical contact. Whenever a character strikes or is struck by a Wight, the contact does [D + 2] damage. Damage inflicted on a character in this manner is never absorbed by normal armour.
Comments: Wights are individuals who have died under a geas or oath which they have been unable to fulfil in life. Often, they are bound to a specific place by an oath to protect that place. They are often found guarding burial sites, especially where treasure is buried along with the body of the master the Wight has been set to guard. Only magic or silvered weapons can harm a Wight and these things can destroy it. An individual whose last point of Endurance is drained by a Wight becomes a night gaunt upon the next moonrise, but will have all his normal characteristics halved (round down) and will exist under the control of the Wight who killed them unless that Wight has been destroyed. When a Wight is destroyed (by magic or silver), all night gaunts under the Wight's control are also destroyed.

WRAITHS

Natural Habitat: Fields, Crypts, Graveyards, Ruins, Caverns
Frequency: Uncommon
Number: 1-10 (l)
Description: A wraith is much like a Wight in that he appears human and tends to wax and wane insubstantial. However, a wraith dissipates entirely in full sunlight and may never reform Consequently, wraiths stay in dark areas where the sun does not penetrate and only come out at night. The natural pallor of a wraith is replaced by a silvery aura in bright moonlight when its power is at its height.
Talents, Skills and Magic: Wraiths cannot harm living beings by physical means, nor can they engage in any physical skills. However, a wraith can, when its power is high, perform Celestial Magic at Rank 8 or above. The touch of a wraith operates in the same manner as the touch of a Wight except that +4 is added to the damage die roll. Even at their most substantial, they are not otherwise physical beings.
Movement Rates: Running: 250
PS 2-5 MD 2-5 AG 25-35 MA 15-30
EN 15-30 FT 20-35 WP 20-30 PC 20-30
PB 5-20 TMR 5 NA None
Weapons: Wraiths have no natural weapons and cannot use physical objects. They can use magic.
Comments: A wraith may not be harmed by weapons (including enchanted weapons). It may only be destroyed by magic spells or by exposure to direct sunlight.