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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:

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):


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: