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DESIGNART DIRECTOR ANDY COLLIINS, BRUCE R. CORDELL DAWN MURIN COVER ARTIST DEVELOPMENT TEAM TOM KIDD , ANDREW H. FINCH, MIKE DONAIS INTERIOR ARTISTS , STEVE BELLEDIN, JEFF EDITORS EASLEY, , , , CINDI RICE EMMANUELLE HUNTER, , CHUCK LUKACS, DAVID MARTIN, MICHAEL MANAGING EDITOR PHILLIPPI, STEVE PRESCOTT, WAYNE REYNOLDS, DESIGN MANAGERS GRAPHIC DESIGNER , CHRISTOPHER PERKINS DEE BARNETT, DAWN MURIN, TRISH YOCHUM DEVELOPMENT MANAGER ANDREW J. FINCH CARTOGRAPHER DENNIS KAUTH DIRECTOR OF RPG R&D GRAPHIC PRODUCTION SPECIALIST ANGELIKA LOKOTZ PRODUCTION MANAGERS IMAGE TECHNICIAN JOSH FISCHER, RANDALL CREWS CANDICE BAKER

Swarm-shifter created by . Resources: “Among the Dead,” by Michael Mearls and “Blackguards,” by James Jacobs, Dragon #312.

Based on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® rules created by and , and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game designed by , , , Richard Baker, and . This product uses updated material from the v.3.5 revision.

This ® game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without written permission. To learn more about the Open Gaming License and the License, please visit www.wizards.com/d20.

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SampleVisit our website at www.wizards.com/dnd file Avasculate ...... 62 Blood Amniote ...... 87 Awaken Undead ...... 62 Bloodmote Cloud ...... 88 Contents Bite of the King ...... 62 Bone Rat Swarm ...... 88 Introduction ...... 4 Blade of Pain and Fear ...... 63 Boneyard ...... 89 What You Need to Play ...... 4 Bloodstar ...... 63 Brain in a Jar ...... 90 What is an Undead? ...... 5 Chill of the Grave ...... 63 Carcass Eater ...... 91 Manifestations of Undeath ...... 5 Clutch of Orcus ...... 63 Cinderspawn ...... 91 Consumptive Field ...... 63 Corpse Rat Swarm ...... 92 Chapter 1: All About Undead ...... 5 Consumptive Field, Greater ...... 63 Crypt Chanter ...... 93 Origins of Undeath ...... 5 Death Ward, Mass ...... 63 Deathlock ...... 94 Undead Physiology ...... 7 Ectoplasmic Armor ...... 64 Desiccator ...... 94 Undead Metabolism ...... 8 Ectoplasmic Feedback ...... 64 Dire Maggot ...... 95 Undead Propagation ...... 11 Energy Ebb ...... 64 Dream Vestige ...... 96 CONTENTS Undead Development ...... 11 OF TABLE Eyes of the King ...... 64 Entomber ...... 97 Undead Senses ...... 11 Fangs of the Vampire King ...... 64 Entropic Reaper ...... 98 Undead Outlook and Psychology ...... 12 Field of Ghouls ...... 64 Evolved Undead ...... 99 Sentience ...... 12 Ghost Touch Armor ...... 65 Forsaken Shell ...... 100 Time and Immortality ...... 12 Ghost Touch Weapon ...... 65 Ghost Brute ...... 101 Compassion ...... 12 Ghost Trap ...... 65 Gravetouched Ghoul ...... 103 Spawn 13 Ghostform ...... 65 Grave Dirt Golem ...... 105 Undead Society ...... 13 Ghoul Gauntlet ...... 66 Half-Vampire ...... 106 Undead Religion ...... 15 Ghoul Gesture ...... 66 Hooded Pupil ...... 108 Deity Descriptions ...... 15 Ghoul Glyph ...... 66 Hulking Corpse ...... 109 Fighting Undead ...... 18 Ghoul Light ...... 66 Mummifi ed Creature ...... 110 Chapter 2: Character Options ...... 23 Haunt Shift ...... 66 Murk ...... 112 New Feats ...... 23 Incorporeal Enhancement ...... 67 Necromental ...... 112 Divine Feats ...... 23 Incorporeal Nova ...... 67 Necropolitan ...... 114 Monstrous Feats ...... 23 Kiss of the Vampire ...... 67 Plague Blight ...... 115 Feat Descriptions ...... 24 Necrotic Awareness ...... 67 Quell ...... 116 Undead in the Party ...... 31 Necrotic Bloat ...... 67 Raiment ...... 117 Undead Advantages and Disadvantages . 31 Necrotic Burst ...... 67 Revived Fossil ...... 118 Level Adjustments ...... 32 Necrotic Cyst ...... 68 Skin Kite ...... 119 Templates and Monster Classes ...... 32 Necrotic Domination ...... 68 Skirr ...... 120 Undead Cohorts and Followers ...... 32 Necrotic Empowerment ...... 68 Skulking Cyst ...... 120 Undead Mounts ...... 33 Necrotic Eruption ...... 69 Slaughter Wight ...... 121 Undead Monster Classes ...... 33 Necrotic Scrying ...... 69 Slaymate ...... 122 Creating an Undead Character ...... 34 Necrotic Tumor ...... 69 Spectral Lyrist ...... 123 Entering an Undead Class ...... 34 Necrotic Termination ...... 69 Swarm-Shifter ...... 123 How Monster Classes Work ...... 35 Night’s Caress ...... 69 Tomb Mote ...... 128 Ghoul/Ghast ...... 35 Plague of Undead ...... 70 Umbral Creature ...... 128 Mohrg 36 Protection from Negative Energy ...... 70 Visage ...... 130 ...... 37 Protection from Positive Energy ...... 70 Voidwraith ...... 131 Vampire Spawn ...... 38 Restoration, Mass ...... 70 Wheep ...... 132 Wight 40 Revive Undead ...... 70 Chapter 7: Campaigns ...... 133 Sheltered Vitality ...... 71 Incorporating Undead Chapter 3: Prestige Classes ...... 41 Spark of Life ...... 71 Into Your Campaign ...... 133 Death’s Chosen ...... 41 Spawn Screen ...... 71 Undead as Monsters ...... 133 Dirgesinger ...... 43 Spectral Touch ...... 71 Undead as Masterminds ...... 134 Master of Radiance ...... 44 Summon Undead I ...... 71 Undead-Themed Campaigns ...... 134 Master of Shrouds ...... 46 Summon Undead II ...... 71 Running Undead Encounters ...... 135 Pale Master ...... 47 Summon Undead III ...... 71 Using Sample Undead ...... 143 Sacred Purifi er ...... 49 Summon Undead IV ...... 72 Using Variant Undead ...... 143 True Necromancer ...... 51 Summon Undead V ...... 72 Ghosts ...... 144 Undead Prestige Classes ...... 53 Undead Bane Weapon ...... 72 Liches ...... 151 Ephemeral Exemplar ...... 53 Veil of Undeath ...... 72 Skeletons ...... 158 Lurking Terror ...... 54 Wither Limb ...... 72 Master Vampire ...... 55 Vampires ...... 162 Tomb Warden ...... 57 Chapter 5: Equipment ...... 73 Zombies ...... 170 Special Items and Alchemical Substances . 73 Cults of Undeath ...... 173 Chapter 4: Spells ...... 59 Positoxins ...... 74 Academy Necromica ...... 173 Assassin Spells ...... 59 Magic Items ...... 75 Eyes of ...... 174 Blackguard Spells ...... 59 Undead Grafts ...... 79 Lurkers in Shadow ...... 175 Cleric Spells ...... 59 Minions of the Skull ...... 176 Cleric Domains ...... 60 Chapter 6: New Monsters ...... 81 The Ruby Order ...... 176 Deathbound Domain ...... 60 Using this Chapter ...... 81 Adventure Sites ...... 177 Hunger Domain ...... 60 Challenge Ratings ...... 81 Nuchar’s Tomb ...... 177 UndeathSample Domain ...... 60 Templates ...... 81 The Barrow . file...... 179 Druid Spells ...... 60 Common Types and Subtypes ...... 81 Fanghurst ...... 180 Paladin Spells ...... 61 Angel of Decay ...... 83 The Warlord’s Subterfuge ...... 182 Sorcerer/Wizard Spells ...... 61 Atropal Scion ...... 84 Necromantic Vault ...... 185 Spells ...... 62 Blaspheme ...... 85 Catacomb of the Scion ...... 187 Avascular Mass ...... 62 Bleakborn ...... 86 3 4 CHAPTER #

Illus. by W. England (“Weavers oftheDarkVoid”), explorednewdepthsofnecroman- sued thistopic.Theirmostnotable contribution,Tsabal Gulstrae Nottobeoutdonebytheirhatedcousins, thedrowalsopur- share ofsupporters. work toodetachedandclinical to beveryuseful,butithasits first treatisesontherealitiesofundeath.Mostsagesfindthis TheelventomeMaieFirvain(“BeyondDeath”)wasoneofthe creatures, thisisimpossibletoconfirm. long dead,andthedialectofCelestial isnolongerusedbyliving name isabastardizationofAcrinus’soriginaltitle.Sincehe’s the BooksofDead,”thoughsomesagesclaimthatcurrent over thecourseofdecades.Roughlytranslated,itmeans“From who collectedtheinformationfromavarietyofothersources lect ofCelestial byanaasimarcleric of PelornamedAcrinus, This booktakesitsnamefromasetoftomespennedindia- LIBRIS MORTIS pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs presents them in formats ap- formats in them presents and culture pop and erature, lit- of folklore, bits of those for new takes on familiar themes of death and unlife, or just or just unlife, and themes ofdeath for on familiar new takes creatures, undead for new ways looking familiar been to use you’ve If game. his into right to drop encounters undead and ofsampleundead arange and encounters, undead running for tricks world, and tips campaign his in undead the porate ideas game, for his how tonew includein to incor- horrors these covers fi the DM can Within for D&D. propriate these stories. of new (and list old) enormous an contributed versions has industry picture motion of the and ghouls, and ghosts, vampires, with encounters describing exist of books Hundreds relations. pecting unsus- to hauntback their coming relatives beloved of es corps- animate the and fiends, blood-drinking spirits, less legends its own has ofrest- on planet the culture every thousands of years. Almost forers perhaps hundreds, watch- and readers, listeners, have entranced and horrified dead Tales walking ofthe knowledge ofunlife. with cer- such of prepared face be to the best is it In tainty, again. and again encounter, to likely is adventurer every something are undead necropolis, to city the From haunted catacombs living. prey the upon that strosities mon- animate horribly those dead, legendsand walking ofthe histories, stories, toIt unearth much too doesn’t effort take

Sample Mortis Libris file collects many Introduction nd nd to thwartitsenemies. attempt atdisinformation,created bysomenecromancerorlich informed onthetopic.Someeven claimthatthebookisacrafty on theundead,itsveracityisfrequently questionedbythosewell this workisperhapsthemostwell-known ofanysourcematerial The BookoftheDead(alsoknownasNecronomicon).Though Themostnotablehumanapproachtothetopicis,ofcourse, generations amongtheracesofstone. tling suchcreatures,anditslessonshavebeenpasseddownfor of DarkandRestlessSouls”)contributedmanytacticsforbat- approach tothestudyofundead.Thrakharaktor(“TheBook Asbefitstheirnature,dwarvenscholarstook astraightforward clerics aswell. of sorcery, andcopiesareontheshelvesofmanydark elven tic lore.Thebookisrequiredreadinginmostdrowacademies of this book, they are not strictly necessary. not are strictly they book, of this your enjoyment enhance supplements ofthese will any or all Folio, andFiend II, Manual supplements, several D&D from Monster including Manual. Monster for the fi the for new undead, tools the for battling tactics cluded optimal are doesn’t But in- leave book the players Also cold. the out in need. you what is book players, this at your to all-too-complacent throw a new scare equipment, items, spells, magic ght—including . In addition, itIn includes references to material bad idea either. idea bad isn’t a ofgarlic strand extra An read. you want to leave on while lights the You though: to wise, might the Aword book. this with wrong for you blood, won’t go thirsty and aristocratic or brains for hungry and pustulent undead whether So your you like come place. to right the mood to rollmonstrosities—gets you in the somededicated to destroying such dice, perhaps someone you’ve unlife—or nal eter- to damned creature horrible a roleplaying If character. player ing an undead creature as a book, Dungeon Master’s Guide, Guide, Master’s Dungeon book, rulebooks— core D&D three the in information ofthe use makes Mortis Libris PLAY TO NEED YOU WHAT even some guidelines for play- for guidelines even some feats, and prestige classes—and Although possession of Player’s Hand- Player’s and Illus. Lukacs by C.

his chapter presents the truth about undead—their Form/State Example origins, habits, physiology, and worldview. Moreover, it Corporeal, rotting Zombie attempts to ascertain the nature of undeath itself, present- Corporeal, preserved Mummy ing several theories concerning the energies that give rise Corporeal, preserved with feeding Vampire to unlife. Incorporeal, transient Wraith Incorporeal, haunting Ghost Humanoid Wight Monstrous Nightcrawler WHAT IS AN UNDEAD? Mindless Skeleton “What lies at the end of a life well lived? Eons of cold servitude, your Sentient Lich fl esh but a memory, your every tortured thought focused on one thing only: to feed on the living.” One unifying element defi nes most undead creatures: —Academician Drake Each must have been alive in the past, no matter how Bleak Academy Necromancer little of the original creature is left, even if just the spirit or memory remains. Although extreme and rare “. . . uhhhnnsss . . .” cases have seen small bits of the energy of unlife itself —Nameless zombie (negative energy) take on terrible form and purpose, almost all undead once had breath in their bodies Among scholars, debates rage about the multitude of forms, before gaining their feared title. bodies, powers, and abilities to be found among the undead. Why are they not all alike? The differences spring from the ORIGINS OF UNDEATH source of unlife itself, the dark élan that suffuses the necrotic Numerous theories exist concerning the nature of tissue of the dead. undeath, and though some hypotheses compete with or contradict one another, others reinforce or overlap MANIFESTATIONSSample OF UNDEATH each other. While these conjectures mayfile not agree on Undeath manifests itself in various ways. One need only fl ip the origins of unlife, most of them at least assert that this through the pages of a necromancer’s bestiary to see the mul- condition is generally visited upon the bodies of recently titude of forms and states ascribed to the undead. deceased creatures. Below are some of the more widely accepted theories about the origins of this affl iction. 5 pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs

VARIANT RULE: HAUNTING PRESENCES space adjacent to the object it haunts. A presence that takes Sometimes when undead are created, they come into being form can remain so for up to a number of minutes equal to its without a physical form and are merely presences of malign HD. An undead that takes form can always choose to return to evil. Haunting presences can occur either spontaneously (see its haunting presence status earlier, but it must take a move Atrocity Calls to Unlife, earlier in this section) or as a result of action to do so. the spell haunt shift (see page 66). Tied to particular locations While in physical form, the undead can take any actions or objects, these beings may reveal their unquiet natures only normal for an undead of its kind. It can attack, take damage, indirectly, at least at first. and even be destroyed. Unless it is a ghost, lich, or some other As a haunting presence, an undead is impossible to affect sort of undead that is resistant to destruction, the haunting or even directly sense. A haunting presence is more fleeting presence is also permanently eradicated, though most attempt than undead that appear as incorporeal ghosts or wraiths, or to return to their haunting presence status if threatened with even those undead enterprising enough to range the Ethereal such destruction. Plane. In fact, a haunting presence is tied to an object or loca- Poltergeist: If an object has parts that move, such as a tion, and only upon the destruction of the object or location wagon, a clock, or a crossbow, a haunting presence can con- is it dispelled. However, despite having no physicality, each trol the object’s movement, though the object will move no UNDEAD faster than the undead itself could move in its normal form. ALL ABOUT haunting presence still possesses the identity of a specific CHAPTER 1 kind of undead. For instance, one haunting presence may be Thus, a wagon can be made to steer toward a pedestrian on similar to a vampire, while another is more like a wraith. a street or roll out of a stable with no horse pulling it. A clock The Haunting: Whenever an undead appears as a haunt- can slow or run backward. A crossbow can cock and fire (but ing presence, it haunts an unattended, mundane object or not aim or load itself). location. Using the same decision-making process that he An undead with at least 10 HD and a Charisma score of 17 uses to populate a location or area with a standard monster, or higher can actually force an object with no moving parts the DM simply chooses an unattended mundane object or to animate (see Animated Objects, page 13 of the Monster location as the subject of a haunting presence. The DM also Manual), based on the object’s size. No undead, no matter determines the variety of undead (skeleton, zombie, wraith, how many Hit Dice it has or what its Charisma score is, can or other kind) that serves as the source of the haunting pres- animate an object that has a higher Challenge Rating than ence. An undead may haunt a discrete object of at least Tiny its own. size and no larger than Huge size. Items (both magical and If a location instead of an object is haunted, the haunting mundane) currently in the possession of a character (often presence can animate a number of objects equal to its HD at referred to as attended items) cannot be haunted. Unat- one time. tended magic items receive a saving throw as if a spell was Exorcising a Haunting Presence: No matter how a haunting being cast upon the item (DC 10 + 1/2 the undead’s HD + presence chooses to reveal itself, it is subject to being discov- the undead’s Cha modifier). ered and destroyed. Unfortunately, a cleric’s turning ability A haunting presence becomes a part of the object or loca- generally has no direct effect on haunting presences, other tion haunted. Haunting presences are always aware of what than to irritate them and focus their attention on the cleric is going on around the object that they haunt. They can see doing the turning. Something more is called for—an exorcist. and hear up to 60 feet away (but do not gain blindsight). A Exorcism is a special ritual, involving a spoken formula calling haunting presence cannot be turned, rebuked, or destroyed upon one or more deities, used with the intention of driving while the presence remains immaterial (but see Exorcising out haunting presences. Exorcism of a haunting presence is a Haunting Presence, below). Normal vulnerabilities of a essentially a two-step process—forcing a presence to become particular kind of undead do not apply to the haunting pres- physical, then destroying the revealed undead in the most ex- ence of that undead. For instance, the haunting presence of peditious manner possible. a vampire haunting a fire poker is not destroyed if brought First, the forced revelation can be achieved through the use into sunlight. of a special ritual, which is generally known to anyone with Effects of a Haunting: A presence haunting an object may ranks in Knowledge (religion). It must be performed by an ex- do so in a couple of ways. Undead of fewer than 5 Hit Dice orcist who spends ten consecutive full-round actions chanting may use only one form of haunting, but undead of 5 or more or speaking the formula that pertains to exorcism, at the end HD can make their presence known using either of the meth- of which time the exorcist must make a DC 20 Knowledge (re- ods described below (impermanent home or poltergeist). No ligion) check. If the exorcist’s concentration is interrupted, the matter the way the haunting presence makes itself felt, the ritual must begin again. If the ritual is successful, the haunt- haunting presence of a sentient undead can always choose to ing presence becomes physical and must remain so for 1 full speak to nearby creatures, usually in a whispery or incoherent round. The exorcist’s next action can be used to either attempt voice that seems to come from the air. However, haunting to turn the revealed undead, or to continue the ritual, with an presences are usually not much for conversation. Characters additional DC 20 Knowledge (religion) check required at the may note at times that the object they’ve found or the loca- end of each round. Each successful check forces the undead tion they inhabit has a strange air, or the appearance of it is to stay corporeal or incorporeal for 1 additional round. somehow “off” (with a successful DC 15 Intelligence check). Even undead of 5 or fewer HD that normally haunt only as Impermanent Home: An undead presence haunting an poltergeists are forced to take form by the exorcism ritual, object or an area can sometimes become more than a pres- as well as haunting presences that have already used up all ence, actually taking corporeal or incorporeal form a number their chances to take form for the week. Undead forced to of times per week equal to the undead’s Hit Dice (that take form usually use their actions to attempt to slay the includesSample haunting presences that manifest “physically” as exorcist before they themselves file are destroyed, so exorcists incorporeal undead). The presence that takes form does so generally bring along companions who can physically attack anywhere within the location it haunts, or in the closest empty the revealed undead. 6 pqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqrs