Undeath

 

Naturally, because many people have unresolved issues at their time of death and an additional number are insufficiently religious, undead are rather common. Indeed, recent statistics show that almost 50% of all deaths end in undeath. This fact has led to a certain amount of cynicism in the general population about funerals. Attend a couple of funerals and undoubtedly you will hear numerous comments such as “I give it three months, tops.”

 

Undead beings are by no means inherently evil, but the almost universally large amounts of discrimination which they encounter (in no small part by people who consider them to be evil by nature) ensure that it is very difficult for them to settle down in the suburbs with white picket fences. The difficulty of their existences sometimes drive them into unlives of crime and/or villainy.

 

The most well-known forms of undead are ghosts, zombies, vampires, and lichs. Undead cannot use Action Points, although vampires acquire Blood Points and zombies acquire Brain Points to use instead. All undead are repulsed by the holy symbols or holy water of religions which have contempt for undead (each round of contact with such a thing burns for a degree of damage, and proximity to a holy symbol puts the undead at a small penalty of -1 or -2 to activity due to a general feeling of discomfort he feels in its presence).

 

Ghosts

 

Ghosts are undead trapped between worlds. They have no body in which to stay in the physical world and no afterlife allowing them entry into a truly aethereal place. This leaves them relatively impotent, as they are unable to manipulate material objects without great effort. By default they appear to other ghosts (and mortals to whom they manifest) in the form they had in life, but are incorporeal, meaning that they pass through all physical objects. They may for other reasons acquire modifications to this form. A god may punish a ghost with a bunch of metaphysical chains to lug around, for instance. Additionally, because self-concept influences ghostly appearance, if a person perceives herself in a grossly unrealistic fashion, she may take on an alternate form in death.

 

Despite their incorporeality, ghosts can perceive the material world (though it cannot normally perceive them). In addition, some kinds of magical objects affect ghosts. They can, for instance, be obliterated with plussed weapons; it is unclear what happens to ghosts when they disappear as a result of excessive magically inflicted wounds. Some scholars think they simply cease to exist, while others theorize that they go on to an afterafterlife). Though they are in large part incapable of interacting with the physical world, ghosts are not completely alone. There are other ghosts, and items of great emotional significance to a ghost may pass over to the other side with him. His clothes usually go along as well (particularly if they are a significant part of his self concept), though not necessarily. Athereal food is rarely available, so it is fortunate that ghosts do not need to eat.

 

Ghosts cannot use magic (not even miracles), psionics, mutant powers, or petitions, but they can develop a number of Skills mortals cannot (or in some cases, which mortals do not need). All of these special Skills deplete a ghost’s Special Ability Threshold at a rate of -1 Drain Penalty per use.

 

Physicality

Physicality allows a ghost to touch things in the physical world, just as a mortal can normally.

 

Degree Matrix

Degrees	Effect	Duration
1	Knock over one or two small objects	Instant
2	Pick up a light object	Round
3	Move large objects	Minute
4	Move objects as if living	Scene

 

Manifestation

Manifestation allows a ghost to allow others to perceive him, albeit in limited fashion. Besides the changes to appearance, the ghost can also elect to “spend” one of the degrees acquired on this roll to speak and make sound, or two degrees to make nonhuman sounds (clanking, high-pitched banshee screams, etc.). All these abilities last for a single scene.

 

Degree Matrix

Degrees	Effect
1	Indistinct, shimmering form
2	Clear but glowing form
3	Ordinary (not glowing) form

 

Shifting

Shifting allows ghosts to alter their own form (one degree allows minor cosmetic changes, two allows major changes in facial structure or minor body changes while retaining humanoid shape, three allows total change provided “mass” remains the same, and four lets the ghost as much as triple in size (or reduce to any smaller size), taking on any desired shape.

 

Degree Matrix

Degrees	Effect	Duration
1	Minor cosmetic changes	Minute
2	Minor facial changes or major body changes	Scene
3	Any change of identical “mass”	Day
4	Any change of up to three times “mass”	Permanent

 

Ghosts may also develop other Skills for affecting the material world. Such a Skill might create green slime, form whirlpools in the air, cause illusions of horrible disfigurement, or make blood pour out of the walls (if the ghost is really twisted).

 

Contrary to the expectations of some ghosts, there is no spirit world overlapping the physical world. To get to the afterlife, ghosts must leave the world they’re on and head for Hades. It’s a ridiculously long trip, and they probably won’t be let in when they get there unless they have the right paperwork.

 

Notably, a living individual may sometimes interact with the world as a ghost, such as in the case of astral projection.

 

Zombies

 

Some of what are sometimes called zombies are mindless automatons raised by necromancy, usually to perform various menial tasks or combat. Others retain their souls and mental abilities, and for most purposes seem just as they would were they alive, with a few exceptions. Few sapient zombies appreciate being lumped into the same category as the mindless variety, but the living are rarely sensitive to such issues.

 

Zombies have no natural healing abilities and must face the fact that even though they are up and about, they continue to rot. This means that under normal circumstances they smell increasingly bad, at least until their flesh rots off completely. Although zombies are generally held together by some mystical force (presumably the same one that keeps them walking around), rotting also means their bodies tend lose muscle mass. After the first week, the zombie loses a point of Strength and Dexterity, and after the first month another point. After a year, if the decay is not arrested, the zombie loses a third and final point in each Attribute. At this point, the zombie is nearly without flesh, and is therefore approaching skeletonhood.

 

Destroying a zombie requires more than just destroying one of its vital organs (none of its organs are). Therefore a zombie’s Wound Threshold is three times his Endurance. As a result, he can take considerable damage before he operates at a penalty, and he can continue to move and fight even at a substantial negative (ie, with a body full of holes). One strategy in fighting a zombie is to remove his limbs, which obviously decreases his combat effectiveness (apply additional penalties as needed). Unfortunately for those who would kill a zombie, however, he can continue to use body parts which have been severed, even the head. Severed parts can continue to move (hands and feet can crawl about, heads can speak, etc. — all parts remain connected metaphysically). To destroy a zombie completely, you must obliterate all of his body parts.

 

Zombies do not need to sleep, but they do need to eat. Zombies can no longer eat regular food, but must feast instead upon the brains of the living or recently living. A zombie has Brain Points instead of Action Points. He begins unlife with a number of potential Brain Points equal to his Intellect Attribute at his time of death, and can gain more by spending experience points in exactly the same manner that a mortal gains Action Points. The brains of living creatures are typically worth one Brain Point per the Intellect of the creature and are tasty in direct proportion to the creature’s intelligence (mortal races are thus most coveted). Brain Points are depleted at a rate of one per day. They also can be used to increase any mental Attribute on a one to one basis for an entire scene (for instance, three Brain Points could raise a character’s Intuition from three to five and Willpower from two to three for a scene). The use of any Temporary Brain Points takes a single action for as many points as are simultaneously spent. A zombie with no Brain Points left is nearly indistunguishable from a zombie whose soul and mind are departed, and behaves in a slow and stupid fashion (-2 to most things). Such a zombie will tend to hold his hands out in front of himself when walking and repeatedly utter the word “brains” in a dreary monotone, though with effort he might manage more sophisticated activities.

 

Zombies who are prepared in advance for undeath are called mummies. Mummies do not rot like other zombies (and do not suffer the resulting penalties), and they are more likely to employ magic. Skeletons are just zombies without any flesh, and who lack any increased Wound Threshold.

 

Vampires

People only become vampires when they are drained of blood and they drink the blood of a vampire. Vampires always retain the personalities they had in life, and they do not rot like most zombies do. They die “final” death only if they are staked through the heart with wood, if their heads are severed, or they are killed with sunlight or fire. Though other kinds of attacks may do them physical damage, the vampire will retain animation and consciousness in his head and torso so long as these parts are attached and they have not been dealt a “killing blow” by one of the above methods. Like zombies, vampire Wound Thresholds are three times their Endurance. Attempting to cut off a defending vampire’s head or stake her imparts a -4 penalty to the attack (due to the inherent difficulty of this). If successful, such an attack does three times damage, effectively negating the vampire’s enhanced Wound Threshold. Attacks with fire or sunlight-based weapons also do three times damage to a vampire.

 

Every round spent in full sunlight or fire causes a vampire three degrees of damage to her Wound Threshold. Unlike zombies, vampire limbs cease to be animate once severed, but with the expenditure of a Blood Point, they will reattach to the vampire’s body if reunited with it physically (in contrast to zombies, who usually have to graft their limbs back on). Upon being killed, a vampire who has been around long enough that she would have decayed completely (were she not a vampire) will disintegrate almost immediately.

 

A vampire has Blood Points instead of Action Points. She begins unlife with a number of potential Blood Points equal to half of that of the vampire who sires her, and can gain more my spending experience points in exactly the same manner that a mortal gains Action Points. The blood of living creatures are typically worth as many Temporary Blood Points as the creature has Endurance. Temporary Blood Points can be spent to heal oneself (one point per level of Wound Threshold; this takes a single action). They also can be used to increase any physical Attribute on a one to one basis for an entire scene (for instance, three blood points could raise a character’s Strength from three to five and Endurance from two to three for a scene). Using this ability to raise any number of Abilities simultaneously takes one action. Similarly, vampires can increase their Intuition, but only for purposes of enhancing their perceptive abilities. In addition, for each day which passes, she loses a Blood Point.

 

Unlife for a vampire is rather different than life was for her as a mortal. She can consume only blood, and becomes nauseous when consuming conventional foods. She acquires the ability to smell blood as well as a human might be able to smell a typical fart. Each night when she awakens, her hair has reverted back to the length and style it was when she died, even if she has cut it. She can see in the dark as a mortal can see in daylight. She has fangs, which are retractable at will. She sleeps hard and for a long time; a vampire typically passes out shortly after sunup and must make a Willpower + Resisting Urges check to resist this or to awaken prematurely. Normally she can pass as one of the living, but she looks increasingly pale when she does not feed, and is at -1 to blending into mortal society for every blood point below five she has. A vampire without blood points enters a state known as “Stupor,” in which she becomes numb and dazed responds to virtually all stimuli with confusion, and can only shuffle around slowly with her mouth hanging slightly open. A vampire in Stupor will not initiate any other independent action, nor will she understand or obey commands given to her. She will simply wander around and observe events, not resisting if others attempt to kill or manipulate her physically. Eventually, she will fall over and start to drool.

 

It is worth reiterating that vampires, like all undead, are not inherently evil. However, a popular and persistent myth that vampires are demons in human form continues to plague their existences. Otherwise, however, plagues do not often affect vampires any more than they affect other undead, as vampires are immune to most diseases. They are, however, susceptible to a particular FTD (feeding-transmitted disease) called forehead herpes, which makes their foreheads bumpy when they get upset. Forehead herpes is not dangerous, but neither is it easily curable, and vampires tend to dislike it for cosmetic reasons and because of the stigma associated with it in undead circles.

 

Vampires can develop various Skills which mortals cannot. These skills are magical, and thus they deplete the vampire’s Special Ability Threshold at a rate of -1 Drain Penalty per use. For all purposes, these Skills work just like spells and can be resisted with Resilience (Mystical).

 

Domination

Domination allows the vampire to order around any person with whom he can make eye contact (victims get Mystical Resilience checks). One degree will force the victim to obey a nondestructive, one concept command of which nearly anyone is capable (e.g. “go away,” “run,” “stand still,” or “dance.” Two allows slightly more complex commands which still cannot be self-destructive, like “run west,” “go home,” “attack Drakworth,” and “pull down your pants.” Such commands can also allow individuals to do things on command that are not normally under immediate and direct conscious control, like “sleep” or “get mad.” Three degrees allows complex sentences which can force a victim to use personal talents which require abstract thought, like “mix an invisibility potion,” “deliver a speech about the nature of evil,” or “run around the block sixty-four times while singing about digging a hole and then go take a bath in oil,“ again assuming that the victim is capable of the action and the behavior is not directly or obviously self-destructive. Four degrees allows the ordering of directly self-destructive actions, such as “kill yourself.” Individuals so ordered will tend to invent rationalizations for their behavior, though in the case of excessively odd orders they may be hard-pressed to find anything plausible. The effects tend to wear off after an hour or so once the victim leaves the presence of the vampire. Victims may have to make Intellect + Memory checks to remember their actions while under the affect of Domination.

 

Degree Matrix

Degrees	Ability	Memory
1	Nondestructive, Simple	Unaffected
2	Non-self-destructive, Slightly Complex	Sketchy (Requires Check)
3	Non-self-destructive, Complex	Vague (Requires -2 Check)
4	Complex Unlimited	None (Must Be Magically Repaired)

 

Presence

Presence allows a vampire to manipulate emotions (victims can resist with Mystical Resilience). One degree means the victim has slightly positive feelings for the vampire. Two means she regards him as a friend. Three degrees makes the victim see the vampire as a very close friend for whom she has extremely warm feelings. Four means she practically worships him, and such feelings may last a week or more. Note that if a victim already dislikes or doesn’t trust the vampire, a number of degrees equivalent to the victim’s dislike must be eliminated (either normally or with the use of this Skill) before the above benefits can be obtained.

 

Degree Matrix

Degrees	Regard for Vampire	Duration
1	Positive Regard	Minutes
2	Friendliness	Scene
3	Closeness	Day
4	Worship	Week

 

Shapeshifting

Shapeshifting lets a vampire transform into one specific animal for every time this Skill is chosen (bats, wolves, and cows are popular vampiric transformations; the latter creature is popular due to its longevity-bestowing milk and seemingly docile appearance). A fully shapeshifted vampire retains his Skills, but uses the Abilities of the animal into which he has transformed. One degree leaves the vampire looking like a severely disfigured version of the animal in question and at -4 to all Skills, two imparts a regular version of the critter, three allows the vampire to use magical Skills while transformed, and four allows the vampire to transform into a superior version of the creature with a +2 to two of the abilities at which the creature naturally excels. The duration of the shapeshifting is usually as below, but creatures with forms that must be longer-term to be useful (e.g. travel forms or beasts of burden) may have alternative duration charts.

 

Degree Matrix

Degrees	Quality	Duration
1	Half-assed (-4)	Minute
2	Normal	Scene
3	Good (+2), Magic-capable	Shift
4	Superior (+4)	Week

 

Discorporation

Discorporation allows the vampire to become either a fine mist or a shadow, depending on the version of the ability developed. When the Skill is terminated, the vampire can coalesce in human form anywhere inside the mist. In fog or shadow form the vampire can fully perceive the area within him with one degree, move (use Flying skill) as desired with two degrees, use magic with three degrees, and disperse and coalesce as fog almost instantly in any desired location (within a mile) with four.

 

Degree Matrix

Degrees	Area	Duration	Abilities
1	Endurance x 5 feet	Round	Perception
2	Endurance x 10 feet	Scene	Mobility
3	Endurance x 20 feet	Hour	Magic
4	Endurance x 40 feet	Day	Dispersal

 

Earthmelding

Earthmelding lets the vampire merge with the earth for a while.

 

Degree Matrix

Degrees	Duration
1	Scene
2	Shift (Sleeping Period)
3	Year
4	Indefinitely

 

Speed

Speed allows the vampire to take one additional action in a round without penalty for every additional two points in the Skill. A vampire with a Speed of 8 would therefore be able to take 5 actions per round without penalty, though of course each round this is used would cost a blood point.

 

Flight

Flight allows a vampire to fly. One degree allows flight. Each degree scored allows the vampire to add +2 to her flying Skill for the duration.

 

Degree Matrix

Degrees	Duration	Bonus
1	Scene	+2
2	Hour	+2
3	Day	+3
4	Week	+4

 

Animal Control

Animal Control allows the vampire to summon and control a number of local animals of any kind. With one degree, the arriving animal could be anything. With two, the vampire can specify a single word or short phrase designating a general characteristic (e.g. “four-legged,” “mammal,” “vicious,” “fluffy,” “hoofed,” or similar). With three degrees, he can name the species. With four, he can name specific individual animals. When the duration expires, the animals lose interest in obeying the commands of the caster and will behave according to their general nature. The commands must be made within earshot of the animals to be summoned unless the vampire as many Skill points in telepathy as degrees achieved in the check, in which case the command can be made mentally.

 

Degree Matrix

Degrees	Duration	Effect
1	Scene	Arbitrary Animal
2	Hour	General Type (i.e., Hoofed)
3	Shift	Any Local Species
4	Week	Specific Creature(s)

 

Telepathy

Telepathy creates a mental link between the vampire and a chosen subject, allowing them to communicate as if speaking verbally.

 

Degree Matrix

Degrees	Duration	Range
1	Scene	Room
2	Hour	Town
3	Day	City
4	Week	County

 

Lichs

 

A lich is usually a person who has consciously used magic to preserve her life indefinitely, usually via pacts with divinities, devils, or hosts such as grim reapers and demons. Occasionally, a lich becomes undead as a result of someone else’s pact (as a result of a mistake or powerful vengeance), but this is relatively rare.

 

Lichs retain the abilities they had in life and gain no special powers as a result of their undeath. As such, they are sometimes regarded condescendingly by vampires and zombies. However, because they are immortal, they have plenty of time to enhance their skills and magical abilities, and as a result they are usually quite powerful. Like other undead they are not necessarily evil, despite their reputations as powerful and cruel overlords who wield terrible magic. They do tend to be a rather paranoid and megalomaniacal lot, and obviously most of them are for one reason or another terrified of death. In addition, lichs very often owe some debt to a powerful entity, often one which drives them toward evil in some fashion. Most lichs do not rot in the same manner as zombies and may appear normal at first glance, but an astute observer will note the extremely dry quality of their skin and a tight quality to their features.

 

A lich has a Wound Threshold which is three times her Endurance, and can be killed much like a zombie. However, her parts are not animate once severed, and killing a lich does not actually vanquish her. Once a lich is more or less destroyed physically, her spirit (which is contained in an object, often a small leather box, called a phylactery) has the ability to produce a new body through an arcane and little-known form of conjuring. To destroy a lich permanently, her phylactery must be destroyed — a difficult task, as lichs typically guard their phylacteries with oodles of curses and powerful sentinels.

 

Lichs generally resent any implication that they are related to lichen. They are also greatly upset by mispronunciations of the word "lich," but are notoriously unwilling to disclose the correct pronunciation.