Undead

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The undead are once-living creatures from beyond the grave, now preying on the living or serving the dark will of Necromancers, unholy Priests, and certain evil gods. Examples of undead include skeletons, zombies, vampires, wraiths, ghosts, ghouls, and other horrors. They are common monsters in the Dungeon, and certain branches (Ossuaries, The Crypt, The Tomb) are populated almost exclusively by undead.

All undead are considered evil, and many gods award piety for destroying them. Naturally, Yredelemnul and Kikubaaqudgha reward their vile worshipers with power over the undead instead.

Several undead species are available to players, offering an unusual style of play. Undead characters have bizarre diets and are somewhat weaker on average than the living races, but their innate resistances can often compensate for any disadvantages. Having died once already, they leave behind no ghosts to plague future adventurers.

Undead Traits

All undead beings (including player undead) share several immunities and vulnerabilities. They have three levels of poison resistance, cold resistance 1, life protection 3, immunity to torment and normal rot, and are not susceptible to mutations (they rot instead). However, they are vulnerable to the Dispel Undead spell and weapons of holy wrath (which they also cannot wield) and take more damage than living characters from holy attacks.

Due to their lack of a functioning circulatory system, they cannot be poisoned or go berserk (except for vampires which have fed sufficiently). Also, many spells simply will not function for them, including most of the self-altering Transmutations: Dragon Form, Ice Form, Spider Form, Statue Form, Stoneskin, Beastly Appendage, Blade Hands, Necromutation, Regeneration, Death's Door, Borgnjor's Revivification, Alistair's Intoxication, Cure Poison.

Being evil, the undead may not worship the good gods (The Shining One, Zin, Elyvilon). They also may not worship Fedhas Madash, as they are aberrations in the natural cycle of life.

These are only the traits that all undead share. A particular undead being will have additional powers, intrinsics, and vulnerabilities peculiar to its species.

Playable Undead

These species of undead are available for player characters:

• Mummy - Embalmed figures that require no food and are especially attuned to Necromancy. However, they cannot drink potions, and their dry, bandaged bodies are quite flammable.
• Ghoul - Undying beings with a bottomless hunger for flesh. While they heal slowly and are constantly decomposing, they can repair themselves by eating meat, especially rotten or tainted meat.
• Vampire - Stealthy undead that subsist solely on blood. They may adjust their state of undeath by consuming blood; the more they drink, the more they come alive (though they never lose their weakness to holy weaponry).

Other species may temporarily become undead by casting the Necromutation spell, gaining the standard undead resistances and vulnerabilities in exchange for losing their food clock.

Undead Monsters

Derived Undead

These monsters are made from other creatures, so their stats and abilities depend largely on what they were in life. They make up the bulk of an average Necromancer's entourage; while they're not temporary like summoned creatures are, their low intelligence and lack of regeneration presents a different set of problems.

• Zombie - Shambling, reanimated corpses that are generally somewhat weaker than their living counterparts. Followers of Fedhas Madash may pray to strip off their flesh, destroying outright those that lack endoskeletons.
• Skeleton - While weaker than zombies, making use of reanimated skeletons allows a Necromancer to use the leftover flesh for other purposes (such as Sublimation of Blood, simulacra, or food).
• Simulacrum - Replicas of creatures made from ice. They are fragile and vulnerable to fire but capable of dealing brutal cold damage in melee.
• Spectral thing - A disembodied soul bound into a Necromancer's service. While weaker than some other types of undead, they retain their original intelligence and can recover from injuries.

Abominations

Necromancers who make use of Twisted Resurrection will eventually create abominations, haphazard combinations of body parts with demonic traits. Unlike most undead servants players can create, abominations can heal over time.

x Crawling corpse- A pitiful, crawling body with no combat skills whatsoever. However, it can merge into other abominations to form larger creations.

x Macabre mass- Several corpses that have merged together. While slightly more durable than a crawling corpse, they require more mass to be battle-capable.

x Small abomination- The successful result of Twisted Resurrection, small abominations tend to be fast and can be quite powerful.

X Large abomination- The end result of mashing corpses together, large abominations can be extremely powerful combatants.

Ghosts

These are insubstantial forms of undead, many of which have unusual abilities.

W Shadow- Shadowy apparitions that can turn invisible, allowing them to strike at the weak spots of hapless adventurers. Often form near those holding a lantern of shadows.

W Phantom- Phantasms that appear early on. They blink quite often, but are otherwise fairly unremarkable.

W Hungry ghost- These ghosts devour nearby food and drain the sustenance of their foes in hopes of getting them to starve to death.

W Silent spectre- Feared by spellcasters, these spirits are surrounded by a vast aura of silence.

W Flayed ghost- Hideous phantoms capable of inflicting illusory wounds that temporarily reduce the stamina of their victims.

Ghouls

These undead horrors spread rot and sickness in their wake. While they do leave corpses, only other ghouls would find them edible. Followers of Fedhas Madash may pray to instantly destroy them and gain piety (but not XP).

n Necrophage- Rot-laden cadavers that wander the Dungeon in search of corpses to eat.

n Bog body- Decaying figures found in swampy areas. They possess chilling magic and an icy touch.

n Plague shambler- Infected hulks that exist solely to spread plague and miasma.

n Ghoul - Both strong and tough, these undead creatures spread rot as they tear apart and devour anything that crosses their path.

Liches

These are magicians who have pursued undeath in order to prolong their existence. Since becoming a lich requires considerable power, these are some of the most dangerous types of undead you can come across.

L Unborn- A skilled lich-priest of Yredelemnul wielding some of the less common forms of Necromancy.

L Lich- Powerful undead mages capable of casting a wide and unpredictable variety of spells.

L Ancient lich- A long-lived lich that has achieved mastery over multiple kinds of magic. Their spells are hideously powerful.

Mummies

I see Egypt and the Egyptians -€” I see the pyramids and obelisks; I look on chisel'€™d histories, songs, philosophies, cut in slabs of sand-stone, or on granite-blocks; I see at Memphis mummy-pits, containing mummies, embalm'€™d, swathed in linen cloth, lying there many centuries; I look on the fall'n Theban, the large-ball'd eyes, the side-drooping neck, the hands folded across the breast. -Walt Whitman, Salut au Mond

Found mostly in The Tomb and the Ossuary, these undying beings are largely notable for their death curses, some of which can be extremely dangerous.

M Mummy - A shambling, flammable corpse that curses your items when it dies.

M Guardian mummy- A more capable opponent than a standard mummy, it also bears a much more vicious death curse.

M Mummy priest- Horrifying undead foes that can torment you to the brink of death and smite you over the edge as you flee.

File:Greater mummy.png Greater mummy- Powerful undead royalty with many resistances and all the necromantic prowess of a mummy priest.

Vampires

A variety of undead notorious for their life-draining capabilities and skill with Hexes.

b Vampire bat- Flimsy bloodsucking vermin that pose no real threat.

y Vampire mosquito- Pesky undead insects that come in small swarms, but rarely prove dangerous.

V Vampire - Sneaky types that like to drain your life force after turning invisible.

V Vampire knight- Moderately dangerous foes that attempt to cripple you with Hexes before pummeling you in melee.

V Jiangshi- Deceptively nimble cadavers from distant lands that absorb your life essence through knife-like claws.

V Vampire mage- Dangerous Necromancy specialists. Don't forget your life protection!

Wraiths

Another type of insubstantial undead, these phantasms often drain their victims in some manner.

W Wraith- Spectral forms that drain speed from their foes.

W Phantasmal warrior- Spirits of deceased warriors whose attacks slip through even the toughest defenses to cut at flesh and magical resilience alike.

W Freezing wraith- Slow-moving phantasms with an icy touch.

W Shadow wraith- Invisible ghosts whose attacks slow down blundering passersby.

W Eidolon- Dread apparitions that radiate an unearthly fear that prevents foes from approaching, leaving them open to a barrage of negative energies.

Other Undead

* Lost soul- A bereft and wandering soul, capable of reviving other creatures at the moment of their death.

z Flying skull- Swift but weak, flying skulls make for poor guardians but serve as an excellent alarm system.

J Death ooze- Jellies comprised of decaying flesh, they will inflict rot in addition to corroding your equipment.

f Deathcap- Pestilential, life-draining fungi called into existence by curse toes.

z Death cob- Extremely fast undead ears of corn that assault those who enter the Realm of Zot. No, seriously.

z Wight- Undying warriors in search of honorable deaths in battle. They often carry good equipment, but their gear is commonly cursed.

z Skeletal warrior- Powerful undead warriors who combine surprising durability with two-handed weaponry.

z Ancient champion- Horribly powerful skeletal warriors, wearing heavy armor, wielding heavy weaponry, and casting powerful spells.

z Flaming corpse- Incendiary remains of those who perished in fire, they seek to share their gruesome fate with others.

z Revenant- Deathly figures that hurl ghostly flames, simultaneously harming the living and healing their undead brethren.

D Bone dragon- Horribly strong undead made from the pieced-together skeletons of dragons.

z Curse skull- Slow-moving but extremely durable menaces who summon legions of the undead and torment any that blunder into view.

z Curse toe- Disembodied undead toes that would be pretty ridiculous if it weren't for their extremely dangerous abilities.

Unique Undead

L Boris- A lich who has mastered the art of regeneration, allowing him to respawn elsewhere in the Dungeon after you've felled him.

V Jory- The mightiest of vampires, he is capable of devastating magic and can fiddle with your mind.

M Khufu- A greater mummy who has nearly ascended to godhood. He is capable of entombing himself while he recovers from harm.

L Master Blaster'- The boss of the Thunderdome map in Dungeon Sprint. Ridiculously powerful even by Crawls usual standards.

M Menkaure- A forgotten mummy lord with the power to torment his foes.

z Murray- A more mobile curse skull who appears in the Vestibule of Hell. Packs a nasty bite in addition to his magic.

p Player ghost - The undead spectre of an adventurer who fell in search of The Orb. It retains many of the skills and traits it had in life.

L Zonguldrok - A master Necromancer who rises as a lich to combat anyone who dares disturb his mausoleum.

Retired Undead

M Bog mummy- A type of mummy found in waterlogged areas. They were replaced with bog bodies.

n Rotting hulk- A large, shambling corpse, riddled with disease. They were replaced with plague shamblers

p Terpsichore- A phantom who was removed because her ability to enchant nearby weapons into joining her dance was rather broken.

See Also

• Necromancy
• Necromutation
• Kikubaaqudgha
• Yredelemnul
• Death curse