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Undead of Elegy Island: Races

by Giampaolo Agosta

The Undecayed
The Undecayed are similar to Zombies, except that they retain the same level of intelligence they had in life, and their physical decay stops when they are reanimated. Undecayed PCs start out as NM Zombies (except for their attributes, which are the same as in life), with a negative XP limit (-2000 XP) to overcome. After that, they can take any class accessible to a human (often the same they had in life), although they suffer from a -20% XP penalty.
As Zombies, they have the standard undead immunities to sleep, charm and level drain. Healing spells act as reversed on them.
They can use any type of equipment available to normal humans and demihumans.
While Undecayed maintain the same Charisma score as in life, they suffer from a -3 reaction penalty from the living, due to their generally horrific appearance.

The Uncorporeal
The Uncorporeal are undead spirits. As the name says, they are generally incorporeal, since they reside in Limbo. They can travel to and from the Etheral, assuming material form. Moreover, powerful Uncorporeal gain powers that allow them to possess dead bodies or even the living, drain energy, or perform other supernatural abilities. In Limbo, they appear as normal people, with Armor Class 9 and normal damage (by weapon). They can use weapons, armor and other Ethereal equipment while in Limbo, but not in the Prime Material.

Level	XP	AC	HD	Damage	Powers
NM	0	6	1	1d6	undead immunity, incorporeal, materialize (2 rounds, can enter the Ethereal only 1/day)
1	2000	6	2	1d6	materialize (1 round)
2	4000	5	3	1d6	Special Ability, immunity to normal weapons (hit by silver weapons)
3	8000	5	3	1d6	Special Ability
4	16000	4	4	1d8	Silver weapons do 1/2 damage
5	32000	4	5	1d8	Enter the Ethereal 2/day
6	64000	3	6	1d8	+1 weapons to hit
7	128000	3	6	1d8	Special Ability
8	256000	3	7	1d10
9	512000	2	8	1d10	Enter the Ethereal 3/day
10	812000	2	9	1d10	materialize (instant)
11+	+300000	2 (1 at 12 & -1/4 lvls)	+2 hp	1d10	+2 weapons to hit at level 13, +1 Special Ability/4 levels

Special abilities:

• Summon: summon 1d4 other Uncorporeals with 1/4 HD.
• Charm: gaze attack, imposes a -1 ST penalty every 4 levels of the Uncorporeal.
• Animate Plant: as the Odic power.
• Spell-like ability (allows to cast one of the following spells as a Cleric of same level): Animate Dead, Finger of Death, Cause Disease.
• 
  All spell-like abilities are usable 1/day, and at will after level 16.
• Poisonous Presence: poison all food, water, potions, and kills small plants and insects.
• Age: as the Haunt power; before level 10, ages by 1d4x5 years/
• Magic Resistance: 5%/lvl, not effective against spells that target Evil.
• Possession: allows possession of dead bodies before level 9, as Ghost or Odic power afterwards.
• Wail: as Lesser Banshee wail before level 9, as Banshee wail afterwards.
• Paralyzing Gaze: as the Haunt power; before level 10, paralyzes for 1d4 rounds.
• Drain Energy: touch attack drains 1 level; the power can be taken twice to drain 2 levels.
• Ectoplasmic Net: as the Haunt power; requires materialize instantly (achieved at level 10) as a prerequisite.
• Poltergeist: the spirit is invisible even when it materializes
• Pristine appearance: the spirit's material form is pristine (can pass for a living being and does not suffer from reaction penalties from the mortals)

The Ancient Dead (Mummies)
The Ancient Dead are preserved bodies of (usually) Makai chiefs, shamans and warriors, and more recently rich Makai landowners and merchants. The dead spirit never leaves the preserved body, thus the Mummies are fully corporeal, and cannot enter Limbo. They can use most equipment, including armor and weapons.

Level	XP	AC	HD	Damage	Powers
	-25600 XP	AC 6	2+1 HD	dmg 1d6	half damage from normal weapons, full damage from fire and magic weapons, undead immunities
	-12800 XP	AC 5	3+1*HD	dmg 1d8	gain fear power
	-6400 XP	AC 4	4+1*HD	dmg 1d10	half damage from fire, 1/4 damage from normal weapons
NM	0 XP	AC 3	5+1**HD	dmg 1d12	half damage from fire, spells and magic weapons, immune to normal weapons, fear & disease
1	25600	AC 3	6+1**HD	dmg 1d12
2	51200	AC 3	7+1**HD	dmg 1d12
3	102400	AC 2	7+1***HD	dmg 2d8	Salient Ability
4	204800	AC 2	8+1***HD	dmg 2d8	-1 ST vs fear ability
5	409600	AC 2	9+1***HD	dmg 2d8
6	709600	AC 1	10+2***HD	dmg 2d10
7	1009600	AC 1	10+2****HD	dmg 2d10	Salient Ability
8	1309600	AC 1	11+2****HD	dmg 2d10	-2 ST vs fear ability
9	1609600	AC 0	+2hp	dmg 2d12
10+	+300000/lvl	AC 0	+2hp	dmg 2d12	1 Salient Ability/4 lvls, -1 ST vs fear ability/4lvls

Salient Abilities (based on AD&D Van Richten's guide):

• Charm Person: works as Control Undead, but on people and monsters, subject to ST vs Spell.
• Undead Liege: the Mummy controls undead as a spellcasting undead, or with a +3 level bonus if it is already a spellcasting undead.
• Curse: as the reversed Remove Curse spell, 1/day up to level 6, 2/day up to level 9, 3/day up to level 15, at will thereafter.
• Elemental Command: the Mummy acquires powers similar to the Glantrian Secret Craft of Earth Elementalism. The salient ability can be taken multiple times, each providing access to a new Circle.
• Magic Resistance: 5% per level.
• Retained Class Abilities: the Mummy can cast spells as full priest instead of Shaman, use Fighter special abilities after level 9, or use MS, HS, RL, F/RT as Thief of equal level, depending on its class in life. They can learn Weapon Masteries as per their original class, although they use the Cleric/Thief/Magic User progression.
• Summon Animals: the Mummy has the same summoning powers as a standard Vampire.
• Weightless: the Mummy acquires the Climb Walls skill as a Thief of same level, and increases its Move rating by +30'/round; at level 9, it gains Levitate at will; at level 18, it can Fly at will.
• Greater Rot: the Disease attack imposes a -1 penalty to ST per each 5 levels of the Mummy (minimum -2).
• Illusion: cast Phantasmal Force at will.

Mummies cannot retain wizardly magic even if they had them in life. They can learn to cast clerical spells even if they hadn't the ability in life (and if they had, they can take the Retained Class Abilities salient ability to cast spells as a full Cleric instead of as a Shaman).

Ghoul
The Ghoul Player Creature represents not only normal Ghouls, but also Elder Ghouls, Agarats, Wyrds, Ghasts and other of their ilk. In Elegy, Ghouls exists primarily as part of the crew of the Revenge, Donatello "the Black" Matrongle's war galley. Ghouls can use all types of equipment, although they generally eschew weapons, since their unarmed attacks are more powerful.
Player Creature Ghoul, contrary to the standard monsters, have retained at least a basic level of Intelligence, although they still generally do not remember much about their former lives (although those with the "Retained Class Abilities" special ability may remember more).

Level	XP	AC	HD	Damage	Powers
	-2000	7	1	1d2/1d2/1d2	paralysis 1d4 turns (ST at +2), undead immunities
NM	0	6	2	1d3/1d3/1d3	paralysis 2d4 turns
1	2000 XP	6	3	1d3/1d3/1d3
2	4000 XP	5	4	1d3/1d3/1d4
3	8000 XP	5	4	1d4/1d4/1d4	Special Ability
4	16000 XP	4	5	1d4/1d4/1d6	cold iron or magic weapons to hit
5	32000 XP	4	6	1d4/1d4/1d6
6	64000 XP	3	6	1d4/1d4/1d6	+1 weapons to hit
7	128000 XP	3	7	1d6/1d6/1d6	paralysis affects elves (1d4 turns and ST at +2)
8	256000 XP	2	8	1d6/1d6/1d6	Special Ability
9	512000 XP	1	9	1d6/1d6/1d6	+2 weapons to hit
10+	812000 XP (+300000/lvl)	0	9 +2hp/lvl	1d6/1d6/1d8	1 Special Ability at lvl 13 and every 5 lvls thereafter

Special Abilities:

• Elder Ghoul Light: -2 penalty to enemy attack and damage in 25', ST vs Spells to avoid.
• Agarat Scream: energy drain 1/turn, lasts 1d4 turns, ST vs Spell; can be taken twice to drain 2 levels.
• Carrion Stench: -4 penalty to enemy attacks, ST vs poison.
• Ghoul Lord: the paralyzing attack of the Ghoul now affects Elves; bite damage increases to next die size.
• Wyrd (prerequisite: Elf in life): ranged attack as a Wyrd, damage 1d6/1d6 up to level 4, 1d8/1d8 up to level 7, 1d10/1d10 afterwards.
• Sustenance: the Ghoul can regenerate HP by eating rotten humanoid meat (1 hp per level per day).
• Spell-like abilities: allows to cast one spell as a Cleric of same level, chosen among Fear, Cause Disease, Speak with Dead, and Animate Dead (1/day, 2/day from level 8, at will from level 16).
• Fast Movement: Movement +30' round; at level 9, gain burrowing movement at 1/2 speed.
• Lacedon: Swimming movement equals land movement.
• Retained Class Abilities: the Ghoul can cast spells as full Cleric or Magic User instead of Shaman or Wicca (but still need to gain additional experience as a Creature Shaman or Wicca), use Fighter special abilities after level 9, or use MS, HS, RL, F/RT as Thief of equal level, depending on its character class in life. They can learn Weapon Masteries as per their original class, although they use the Cleric/Thief/Magic User progression.