Undead World

1. Undead World

   #41

   Atropal is a monster from that D20 Epic book. Like a god's aborted baby come back to haunt the world with it's evil dead god-baby-ness.

2. another undead type

   #42

   A gestalt entity composed of the consciousness of a number of the undead. Their bodies rot away but their minds remain and pool together by a shared rage and hatred of those still "alive". As their hatred grows, so does their power. With simple willpower they can manipulate small objects around them. Dust, bone fragments, bits of cloth. They pull these small bits of detris together forming a shared "body" roaming the wastes and attacking anyone or anything that crosses their path. Their cries of pain and rage are often mistaken for the howl of the wind. Pity these poor creatures.

3. Undead World

   #43

   Location: The Storm Plains - a wild place full of craters and rocks, the wind does never stop here. Sometimes an unlucky fellow looses all flesh to the cruel winds, and the skelet is torn apart. Avoid this place.
   
   
   Note: the monster CirrusWind mentioned is at home here. Luckily, it has no intelligence, nor does it seek undead by purpose. But if the sun does not shine, it looks for the Living, forever. If it comes upon you by chance, it will kill you anyway.

4. A question of travel

   #44

   Perhaps this has been addressed already and I have missed it. Is the population of the Undead World static or are there always more arriving? And if so, where are they coming from and how do they get there?
   
   Also, insects are a big problem for the undead. They eat away at the flesh and lay their eggs for their ravenous young in their soft rotting skin. A thriving business amoung the Animated could be balms and salves created from the moses and lichens of the Dusty Gardens. These help repel insects and preserve the skin. Or if it's too late and you've already become a nesting ground for vermin, you could visit the local groomer, a shop or parlor where a trained Animated with keen eyes (keen for an undead) and using delicate tools such as picks and scapels will attempt to remove the worst of the insectiod infestion.

5. Undead World

   #45

   Why not have potions and unguents of assorted types that kill vermin and remove them from your system? That could be the equivalent of a remove disease type spell, but no magic required. Then you could have vermin and insect infestations that are "diseases" for a type of character that doesn't have diseases.

6. Re: A question of travel

   #46

   Perhaps this has been addressed already and I have missed it. Is the population of the Undead World static or are there always more arriving? And if so, where are they coming from and how do they get there?

   
   It was, but let be clearer:
   
   A mighty Necromancer failed to create a teleport-type of spell for undead only. Trying to find a way to transport packages with a certain special quality (undead), in reality was found a strange attunement of space to the undead energies (whatever it is). But a divine intervention is also possible.
   
   Whatever, the undead come from a classical fantasy world, where the forces of Good use the 'Disintegrate Undead' spell to good effect. Sadly it works only on weaker undead, but mumble the words, and *Poof!* those zombies are gone.
   
   My thoughts were that because of the strange space-time-continuum-warp-dingus-something, and due to some other interstellar reasons I will not explain here, most undead end up in one place (approximately), some could end up on the other side of the planet (a smaller colony _very far away), and a few unlucky souls can end up anywhere on the planet, anywhere.
   
   Problems arise for those that come at day. If they can't find a shadow very fast...
   
   
   So, the population is static in the sense undead cannot have any children, but new undead arrive every day. (Not counting those that get lost somewhere in space...)

7. Re: A question of travel

   #47

   Also, insects are a big problem for the undead. They eat away at the flesh and lay their eggs for their ravenous young in their soft rotting skin. A thriving business amoung the Animated could be balms and salves created from the moses and lichens of the Dusty Gardens. These help repel insects and preserve the skin. Or if it's too late and you've already become a nesting ground for vermin, you could visit the local groomer, a shop or parlor where a trained Animated with keen eyes (keen for an undead) and using delicate tools such as picks and scapels will attempt to remove the worst of the insectiod infestion.

   
   
   Quite right, insects can get very annoying, and can eat you up literally. Do not forget to see the Undead Cosmetics, by the way. If you are undead and care about your preserving, buy our products and let our dedicated advisors and cosmeticians and morticians help you. Order NOW!!!
   
   
   Oh... what did we speak about?
   
   Undead World. Those that arrive here have a stressing journey after them (insert special effects), very likely through space with radiation, vacuum, etc. The enviroment is quite hostile to life as we know it, with the atmosphere shielding little from radiation (and sun...), low-pressure unbreathable air, and little to eat anyway. As was said before, simple plants could survive even these conditions, and slowly make this world living. 'Higher' creatures, even little critters would have a hard time to survive (no oxygen to breathe). If we want to keep things simple, I would say no insects survive the stress of travel, and the hostile enviroment.
   
   But...
   
   But 1.) Among the mosses and lichens some insects could survive, or arrive later and enrich the miniature ecosystem of the Dusty Gardens. I wonder how it will look in a few thousand years...
   
   But 2.) What if some insect survives, and is quite hot on undead flesh? It could spread and become a horrible danger! Remember those movies with flesh-eating ants? Plot hook of the save-the-world kind.

8. Undead World

   #48

   Why not have potions and unguents of assorted types that kill vermin and remove them from your system?

   
   Just by the way, the visitors of the Pub claim the Gas has these effects. It depends on you whether you believe them... ;)

9. Undead World

   #49

   Location: The Pool of Tranquility
   
   Newly discovered, this spot close to the Hill is covered in its shadow for almost the whole day! Except for short moments in the morning and evening, undead can move freely on the surface. The Preacher has made his home here.
   
   This place is called after a smooth black, almost round rock close to the center. The Preacher stands on it when preaching, and travelers often sit on it.
   
   
   NPC: The Preacher
   
   A well-preserved, if somewhat thin ghoul. He has rejected his hunger for flesh, and now speaks to anyone that wants to listen, about a new chance to live and exist, and ways to repent for their sins. A group of trusty Undead follows him, and they try to build a place for all Undead to meet, a temple of sorts.
   
   The Preacher is one of those that welcome newcomers to the Undead World. They are often sent here first, to learn the basics needed to "survive". Many ignore him, but he is one of the few authorities around.

10. Undead World

    #50

    Nice character, Manfred. The Preacher. Maybe give him a write up in the characters section?

11. Re: another undead type

    #51

    A gestalt entity composed of the consciousness of a number of the undead. Their bodies rot away but their minds remain and pool together by a shared rage and hatred of those still "alive".

    
    
    There was more to this post but this portion is along the lines of what I was thinking when reading it.
    
    The brainless undead: for some reason I pictured a big crater that these zombies would, at some point, accidently fall into and not be able to get out of. Could be a herding point when they become unmanageable as well. I think the undead with intelligence may get annoyed with the crowds of wandering useless corpses that would start to infest the place over time. So they simply herd a number of them into one of the many pits around the city. Might be the same place that dead undead (?) get thrown as well. Undead aren't sanitary but it could be the rotting corpses laying around would get annoying enough to want to move. On this tangent there probably are bodies laying all over the place.
    
    Anyway, my thought was that it would be a pit of agony, moaning, clawing to escape undead that don't have enough brains to climb, but enough to claw the walls. This clawing may even form other caves and such, but anyway, just thinking of a place to put all these undead that are utterly useless to the undead society.
    
    But what if, brainstorming off CirrusWinds idea, this groaning mass did rot and start combining and mixing in such a way that the undead intelligence (what little there was) would combine into a giant sliming blob that could escape the confines of their pits. The mindlessness and because it is a blob would make it difficult to destroy, could ingest anything in its path and absorb it, perhaps even gaining the intelligence of those it consumes and combining it. So smart people would only insignificantly add to its intelligence but add it would.
    
    Anyway...

12. Squish, Squish

    #52

    Great and disgusting idea.

13. More about hit points

    #53

    To be wounded in Undead World means to be weakened forever. If you are sewn and nailed together, your Hit Points may increase beyond your former maximum. But this is only armor, that protects the magic hidden inside. If you are wounded enough, then you will be weakened again. (DM should note the number of Hit Points at arrival, and may assign penalties as the magic gets weaker.)

    
    
    Reading back on some older material and I had an idea for this. How's about, undead characters have a set amount of natural hit points (those they have when they arrive) and by sewing together or otherwise rebinding possible wounds, they don't actually gain back or add to any of their original hit points but gain a new category of hit points which is something along the lines of armor. Any new damage taken is first subtracted from these "armor" points (of course, a called shot or damage to a specific body part would be calculated different). Thoughts?

14. Undead World

    #54

    Thank you for good old Blob, Strolen! It fits greatly in the way I imagine Undead World...
    
    And yes, CirrusWind, this is like it should be.
    
    
    Wow, continue your work people... I relax while you complete my work. ;)

15. Undead World

    #55

    A pit may also serve as a way to punish some Undead. Throwing into a crater, and burrying so one alive is possible. Or throwing one into a mass of clawing Mindless Ones, or into a pack of imprisoned hungry ghouls is another kind of execution.
    
    
    Note: Most but the best-enspelled and lucky Undead bodies decompose slowly, especially in this world, with its winds and sandstorms. It seems that all will become skeletons in the end, one day, unless they find a permanent shelter. Many create a hole for themselves, some block the entrance once they do, and fall asleep.

16. Undead World

    #56

    What the ...

    Charisma for Undead? How can THAT work?
    
    To the Living, Undead do not have any charisma, they are simply damn ugly. (Please ignore vampires and similar, its about most lower Undead.) But we have a society composed of free-willed Undead only. Social interaction will happen, and some are heard and seen more than others.
    
    To re-work Charisma for Undead, we must consider their society and social-being, and to do it, we must delve a bit in their emotional baggage. Please note that Undead are somewhat emotionally-impaired. Were they not, they would probably all be dead now, or mad from this world, from commiting suicides to blind killing-sprees.
    
    
    Negative emotions?
    
    Undead, even those with free will, are not friendly creatures. The transport to Undead World was but a traumatic event. Most of the Undead were torn from their master and commander. All of them were pushed forward with a burning hatred to the Living. There are no Living nearby, the hate grows weaker, and Undead begin to remember their former lives, and their masters.
    
    Pain and Fear: Undead do not truly feel pain. There are exceptions, like holy water and the Sun. No holy water, Sun is the only thing Undead fear. On the other hand, it is the fastest way to die. Some sources of pain and fear can but come from their background, when they were still Living. In Undead World, many old memories awaken again. See also Self Preservation as a possible source of fear.
    
    Hate: No Living to hate. As before, sources of hate can come from the background, too.
    
    
    Positive emotions?
    Not many. :( If you rediscover parts of your past, you may remember things that used to make you happy. Some of them may be possible to repeat in Undead World, at least partly. Thus if you find someone doing some nonsensical activity, it may be trying to find the joy from the living days again. Many Undead try to return to jobs they had in Life. Some succeed, few are truly happy, or at least content.
    
    (Reminds me of a particular zombie, that used to be a trapper, most probably. These days you can discover his work, as you fall into a hole and your foot gets stuck. This is a BIT dangerous, of course, if you don't manage to get free till sunrise.)
    
    
    Self-preservation
    Common Undead are weakly equipped in this regard, but Undead World changes much. The freedom gained here, and returning memories make them feel a bit different, almost like having value, and in few cases having found The Meaning Of Life.
    
    It should be noted that combat is deadly, and chances to recover are few and limited. Any conflict, even with much weaker foes can damage you. While the wound may be not big, it may be beyond repair or healing.
    
    
    Why do anything, anyway?
    Once there is some shelter from the Sun, Undead don't need anything tu survive. (survive :wink: ) Some of them, mostly the Mindless Ones, do exactly that: nothing. It is easy to stay in your hole, maybe remove the dust swept in from time to time. Some fresh or old philosophers live similarly, having finally found the time to ponder all those big and little problems of Life (and of Undeath).
    
    A little problem is with adventurers:
    Gold? Too few valuables.
    Killing monsters? YOU are a monster.
    Fame? Very funny, my friend.
    Girls? There are some, but would you really want...
    
    What remains is the urge to do something, just anything, not having the boring life like everyone else. It was one of the reasons most adventurers started. Now, even former farmers may want a change.
    
    
    Social-being.
    Undead are not social. Distrust is the most common feeling if you meet someone unknown. Many simply ignore you, unless there is some reason to hear.
    
    
    Charisma
    Charisma is based mainly on pysical fitness, and how preserved the Undead looks. A missing limb, or many wounds (even stitched together) lower it. Whatever makes the Undead look more able to survive Undead World, improves his Charisma. Thus, weapons do help in more ways. A quality sword makes everyone listen to you. A preserved zombie with good rag-armor and an old sword can have the Charisma of a paladin. (Ironic if it was a paladin before.) Having a lot of animals/servants improves Charisma, too.
    
    Still, most Undead value their freedom and peace, and if you are known to them as a breaker of these things, all things that improved your Charisma lower it now instead

    :?:

17. Undead World

    #57

    Huh?

18. Undead World

    #58

    Well, it looks OK to me.
    
    But then again, I am probably weird.
    
    Any more coherent objection?

19. Undead World

    #59

    The undead charisma thing did make sense to me. I was wondering what Anonymous was trying to say there.

20. Undead World

    #60

    This is a great and orginal world-a world of the Undead.Thank you for creating it. :D

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