Undead according to Kymlun's lore are corpses animated by Necromancy, that may have magically retained part of - or an entire portion - of the consciousness they possessed during their lifetimes. The stronger the magic the more conscious and coherent the undead creature is.
Types of Undead:
1. The Puppet
The lowest level of undead is an Animate Dead which has no will of its own, it's what necromancers use to do their biddings. They perish if their master does, and the magic can dissolve easily.
The next level is a Servient Dead. It has no will of its own but it can cunningly conduct action as it sees fit on demand of its master. They're dumb as a brick by themselves but if you say: Gusto! Kill my teacher! - the creature will stalk and murder the teacher cunningly. Or if you say cook tea, it might ask what tea you wish, master.
2. The Foul
The third level is the Walking Dead. They've their own will but it's concentrated on hunger for flesh and hatred for any living creature would that be a bunny, your little sister or the next unsuspecting wanderer. They sustain themselves on mortal flesh, the more sentient the creature they eat the stronger they get. The only way to slay one is to remove its head from its spine or burn it to a crisp.
3. The True
The fourth level is the Holy/Unholy Dead. Ritually enhanced corpses of the dead with a will of their own and a holy or unholy purpose to their very existence, they are equivalent of a living creature, their only drive is the purpose they live by but they will find their own ways of accomplishing it, often able to change their ways in life.
Example: An unholy mummy that's set to avenge its master's or its own death, or to guard the tomb, can be very well convinced that you were locked there by your arch enemy and are willing to leave if it helps you. It will most likely help your way out if you manage to convince it, just to fulfill its purpose and keep you away from the holy ground.
The fifth level is the Sentient Dead. Also known as Liche, Dread-one, or The Haunting. Several magic-dwelling cultures preserve their dead in an undeathly state as well as some spirits may linger near the place of their death. What keeps them in a state of true undeath may be a purpose, unfinished business or simply the greatest power of will to exist beyond mortal existence.
Attributes of Undead:
Undead have no sense of pain, remorse, fear, they cannot be lost in thought or emotion other than hatred and despair. They are greatly resistant to physical damage, the only way to truly destroy one is to remove the head from its spine or to burn the whole creature, though without limbs or even without the lower portion of their spine they may continue to inflict damage any way they can. Among their many abilities they may be able to hypnotize with the deathly magic that glows within their eyes, shout unholy mantras to create magical effects or even bolster their fellow undead using their charisma: an undead creature retains its charisma score during their undeath and will be able to use it as a powerful presence of either fear, stunning, or even domination.
The tissue of their body is easily burnt and severed, but they continue to attack recklessly until finally stopped which makes them a hard opponent to fight.
The Downfall
When an Undead Creature is taken over by hatred they may lose control over themselves entirely. Even Holy Dead can turn into mindless killing machines of elemental hatred. Downfall can be resisted by either a charisma check if the modifier is high enough: the personality of the undead creature may triumph over the dark depths of death; or a will save. This makes them extra vulnerable to taunting.
The more powerful an undead creature is, the hardest it is to force them into downfall which may negate their common sense and logics but it doesn't affect their cunning or abilities, not making them any less dangerous.
_________________ "There is no Sparta. THIS. IS. SPOON!!"
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