Unborn

Obsolete: This article refers to an aspect of the game which has been removed. It is retained for historical reference only.

unborn L
HP	62-90
HD	11
XP	1171
Speed	10
AC	2
EV	10
Will	Immune
Attack¹	17 (hit: plain)
Resistances	rC+, rPois+++, rN+++, rTorm, rRot+++, rDrown, rWater
Vulnerabilities	Holy, Holy wrath
Habitat	Land
Intelligence	High
Uses	Weapons & armour Starting equipment Open doors
Holiness	Undead
Size	Medium
Type	unborn, unborn
Flags	Evil Speaks

A devotee of Yredelemnul that has committed to eternal worship and servitude — even beyond death.

Unborn are Yredelemnul-worshiping liches whose spell set focuses entirely on powerful Necromancy. They also possess the ability to reflect damage you inflict upon them back at you. They can be found in the Crypt, the Abyss, and the Depths.

Spells

Living characters facing unborn should definitely bring at least one rank of life protection to negate Agony. Undead characters can rely on summoned hordes to block the line of fire necessary for Dispel Undead to hit you. A few shots of Abjuration can exorcise whatever horrible things Haunt surrounds you with. In the end, though, Mirror Damage is still the most dangerous spell they possess.
As with the deep dwarf death knight, when an unborn "kneels in prayer and is bathed in unholy energy," that means it has activated Mirror Damage. In the console game, its glyph will change from a steady brown L to an alternating purple L and grey L. Tiles players should look for a little red arrow icon. You can also see if Mirror Damage is active by examining the unborn to see if it is "reflecting injuries." The spell lasts approximately 20 turns.
When an unborn is reflecting damage, do not hit it with any big Conjurations. Even if it isn't reflecting damage, don't use any massive multi-turn spells like Ice Storm, Fire Storm, or Tornado, as it may turn on reflection halfway through the spell. Instead, snipe at it while it is not reflecting, or use summons to take it out.

Unborn were merged into human death knights in 0.17.
Prior to 0.13, this monster was known as an unborn deep dwarf and could be found in deep dwarven bands. Like all deep dwarves, they did not regenerate.