Living Dead
NPC Levels: 1-40
NPC Checks: Based on Level by Check Roll Guide.
Information: These creatures come about in three ways. The first is a Raised skeleton or corpse created by a mage calling a spirit into the dead. The second is a dead realms spirit possessing a corpse or skeleton. The fourth is created when a living creature enters the dead realm and is killed, then possessed by its own spirit. The only corporeal creatures inhabiting the Dead Realm are Living Dead, Zombies, and Liches, the remaining denizons are spirit types, including wraiths. These creatures have no pulse, their hearts and vital organs are dead, as such they cannot have sex nor do they eat food or drink anything. Living Dead are best known as having humanoid forms but they also manifest as animals and dragons. The animal types are usually just called dead realm 'whatever kind of beast they are' but they too are living dead.
If a fresh corpse is spirit possessed their appearance can fool the senses and they can pass themselves off the living, otherwise they carry a stench and definate look of death on them to varying degrees. The Living Dead have the intelligence and other mental faculties of the spirit inhabiting them, and the physical strengths of the creature type possessed. This is accomplished by them drawing in the spirit aspects of the physical body as it was in life. As spirit aspects can only emmulate physical embodiments superficially, the organs do not function.
Like Planar creatures, the Living Dead if mortally wounded, or killed, sink into the dead realms and cannot return to the upper plane for ten days, and can only be killed permanently within the dead realm. When inactive they sink into the dead realms where they often have a lair within this ether plane of sureality. Unlike Planar creatures they can survive outside of the Dead Realm for days at a time, the duration dependent on their arcane level (up to 1 day per level). If they become guardians they return to the upper plane when the area or person they are protecting is threatened.
On the upper plane they feed off the life force all around them to regenerate (or reassemble in the case of skeletons) rapidly. Full recovery is attained within three turns unless they are beheaded. They also feed on the souls of those they kill. Some call them Vampires because of this, but it is souls, not blood they consume.
Checks are based on their level, and HP is limitless until destroyed or banished. The loss of limbs determines what their hindrances are. The living dead have dead realms powers. For each soul they consume they gain +1 permanent stamina and Willpower.
"You just have to dig in and not back off until they are in too many pieces to put themselves back together, then...whatever is left just vanishes. Ten days later they are back again as if they had never died. The living dead are hard to kill twice. I discovered later that they could be killed, but it's a lot easier to just banish them." - King Grymvar, 10th Age.
Ways of Death: Obliteration of Spirit on any plane. Complete Annihilation of their bodies while they are in the dead realm.
Planar: All Living Dead are Planar creatures. They can leave the Dead Realm (their home plane) for up to 1 day per level. When this time expires they sink back into the Dead Realm for a period of no less than five days before they can planes walk to the upper worlds and other planes again.
The Dead Realms: This plane is a dusky, ethereal mirror of the worlds these creatures and spirits come from. There are forests, mountains, deserts, seas, lakes, rivers, deserts, castles, cities, etc, only this spectral plane is cast in shades of half shadow, decay, mist, and murk. It is as gloomy and spooky as the creatures which dwell here.
Dead Realms Magic
Stamina 1
1- Drain Life: -1 level per crit + damage
2- Ethereal Cloak: A cloak that conceals physical and metaphysical presence from senses and perception
3- Dead Realms Gate: A gateway which leads to and from the dead realms which non-dead realms creatures can pass through.
Stamina 2
4- Venomous Dart: does aggravated damage
5- Breath of Decay: causes degeneration, range of up to 1 foot per level.
6- Reak of Death: blurs vision as eyes water, staggers -1 AR, -1 AR per ace, causes vomiting and dizziness as well on a crit with damage. Radius of up to 1 foot per level.
Stamina 3
7- Breath of Vigor: +1 stamina per success.
8- Dead Realms Walker: Can travel great distances in short time through the dead realms.
9- Dark Banishment: Plunge target into the Dead Realms. If they are killed there, they become a living dead creature.
Stamina 4
10- Stunning Bolt: -1, -1 AR per ace. + damage
11- Union of Souls: Ability to create other Living Dead by drinking the soul from a living creature until dead and breathing a breath of their own spirit into their victim or chosen progeny.
12- Deathly Concealment: They can hide all aspects of death and appear as their corpse body did when alive. Lasts up to 1 hour per success.
Stamina 5
13- Bone Arrow: drains -1 stamina, -2 stamina per ace, damages
14- Dead Realms Sword: sword of necromantic power is summoned which fights on his/her side that is wielded by a spirit hand. 1 Level per success. +35 damage, -1 stamina per hit
15- Dead Realms Familiar: A dead realms corpse animal that can be summoned as a mount, spy or fighting companion depending on what kind of animal it is. They have a darkish corpsal appearance. Each has three Dead Realms Magic attacks. Level of familiar is +1 per success. If killed outside the dead realm these animals sink into the dead realm where they recover and can be summoned again within 5 days. Like Planar creatures, dead realms creatures can only be killed permanently within the dead realm.
Stamina 6
16- Necronomican Reposte: does +1 damage per level, and -1 stamina when blocking
17- Dead Realms Lair: A lair of their own creation which they construct out of the Dead Realms ether of reality. They can ward this lair with their power.
18- Armor of Behemoth: Leathery, slate grey armor fuses with body. Strength increases by +10 while armor is worn. AC+25.
Stamina 7
19- Deepening Wounds: aggravates wounds to do added damage for +1 turn, +1 turn per ace
20- Wings of Raziel: Black feathered wings which allow the Living Dead to fly swiftly and to do so while carrying as much weight as they are able to hold in their arms. They are morphing wings and manifest very rapidly. They can always find their way, even in strange lands while winged as a these wings pass on an infintesimal taste of the angel Raziel's knowledge to them, the knowledge of places. This knowledge is forgotten by them as soon as they morph out of their wings.
21- Summon the Living Dead: Summons up to 1, +1 per ace. Level is +1 per success. All have Dead Realms magic.
Stamina 8
22- Mortus Trail: Trail of deadly vapors follows and surrounds creature 1 turn per success. Rear attackers are hit, aggravated damage, 1 turn per ace. Radius of 2 feet per stamina level spent.
23- Dead Realms Warding: Use dead realms magic to ward areas and items.
24- Dark Enchantment: Enchant select items with dead realms magic to create magic items and artifacts.
Stamina 9
25- Leviathon's Prowess: Fortitude equal to power of roll. Lasts 1 turn, +1 turn per ace.
26- Terrifying Presence: Clears a path quickly or disarms enemies of their nerve. Those is the path of this dread either flee in terror or are paralyzed with fear. Power vs. Willpower. -1 AR, -1 AR per ace, -1 courage and WP per success.
27- Finite Strength: improves strength by +1 per success, lasts until another spell is cast.
Stamina 10
28- Deadly Quarter: turns victim into a living dead skeleton warrior or fighter on a crit.
29- Lord of the Dead Realm: Attainment of a kingdom that spans 100 miles in the dead realm with a great fortress that takes shape as the Lord of the Living Dead formulates it. Creatures will flock to serve this lord who rules over all within their territory.
30- Horn of Doom: A horn that can be summoned that when blown summons other Living Dead from the dead realm. Up to 1 Living Dead ally per success.
Stamina 11
31- Create Monsters: engineer a dead realms monster as called that can command up to 12 dead realms spells, or powers from other learned paths (if a lich) as selected. Level of up to +1 per success. Even if a monster has only 1 spell, they can cast that spell at the level they were created. Roll twice for levels, once for combat level, and once for arcane level.
32- Living Dead Cabalist: Cast any spell from these spell books at current or lower level; Necromancy, Sorcery, Shadow Path, Fire Elements, Spirit, or Abysmal; at +5 additional cost in stamina and at risk of full backlash damage if spell fails.
33- Deadly Aura: all successful attacks do critical damage for next turn, +1 turn per ace.
34- Aura of Immunity: raise an aura of immunity against magic, elements, a single condition, or a single damage type (blunt damage, slashing damage, or piercing damage). Lasts until another spell is cast.
35- Arch Living Dead: travel at will between the planes with no penalty to remain outside of the dead realm as long as desired until damage or death sends Living Dead back to reconstitute.
Stamina 12
36- Dead Realms Lich - Living Dead ascends into a Dead Realm's Lich and gets +4 paths (necromancy, sorcery, shadow, spirit, fire, acid, or abyss), and +4 levels in Dead Realms Magic.
37-40 - Improved Power - Use any dead realms power at these levels as gained.