Tarian Gilden

"Mr. Bodoni"

Nyx's Resting Place

Nyx is not bound to the tomb she was intered in, but still requires a designated resting place that is free of sunlight during the day and that she can retreat to if reduced to 0 hit points. If she travels, she will hide a casket inside a bag of holding.

Nyx Aeternas

Nyx Aternas

Medium undead, chaotic good

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• Armor Class 20 (plate, shield)
• Hit Points 130(14d10 + 42)
• Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
20 (+5)	10 (+0)	16 (+3)	10 (+0)	12 (+1)	18 (+4)

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• Saving Throws Str +10, Dex + 5, Cha +9
• Skills Athletics +10, Intimidation +9
• Damage Resistances cold, necrotic
• Damage Immunities poison
• Condition Immunities charmed, diseased, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
• Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 12
• Languages Common, Draconic, Abyssal, Celestial
• Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)

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Turn Immunity. Nyx is immune to being turned by good or neutral-aligned creatures.

Divine Smite. Nyx can expend a spell slot to cause her longsword attack to magically deal an 2d8 extra radiant damage to a target on a it. If she expends a spell slot of 2nd or higher, the extra damage increases by 1d8 for each level above 2nd. The damage increases by 1d8 if the target is a fiend.

Lay on Hands. Nyx has a pool of healing power that she can use to restore a total of 70 hit points. As an action she can touch a creature and draw power from the pool to restore a number of hit points up to the maximum remaining in her pool. Alternatively, Nyx can expend 5 hit points from the pool to cure a target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it. Whenever Nyx hits a creature with her bite attack, the necrotic damage dealt replenishes her pool of healing power which cannot exceed 70 hit points.

Regeneration. Nyx regains 5 hit points at the start of each of her turns turn if she has at least 1 hit point and isn't in sunlight. lf she takes radiant damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of her next turn.

Spellcasting. Nyx is a 14th level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 17, +9 to hit with spell attacks). She has the following paladin spells prepared:

1st level (4 slots): bane, detect good and evil, detect    magic, hunter's mark
2nd level (3 slots): hold person, lesser restoration,    zone of truth
3rd level (2 slots): aura of vitality, revivify
4th level (1 slot): staggering smite

Vampire Weaknesses. Nyx has the following flaws:
   Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into Nyx's heart while she is incapacitated in her resting place, she is paralysed until the stake is removed.
   Sunlight Hypersensitivity. Nyx takes 10 radiant damage when she starts her turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, she has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. Nyx can wear dark, concealing clothing such a cloak with hood to negate damage from this weakness.

Actions

Abjure Enemy (Replenishes Between a Long or Short Rest). Nyx can choose a creature within 60 feet of her that she can see. That creature must make a Wisdom saving throw, unless it is immune to being frightened. Fiends have disadvantage of this saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is frightened for 1 minute or until is takes any damage. While frightened, the creature's speed is 0, and it can't benefit from any bonus to its speed. On a successful save, the creature's speed is halved for 1 minute or until the creature takes any damage.

Longsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (1d8 + 10) piercing damage, or 16(1d10 + 10) slashing damage if used with two hands.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 14 (1d6 +10) piercing damage plus 8 (2d6) necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken.

Grave Breath (Replenishes Between a Long or Short Rest). Nyx exhales a dark chilling blast in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw, taking 16 (4d6) necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

Reactions

Protection. When a creature attacks a target Nyx can see within 5 feet of her excluding herself, she can impose disadvantage on the attack roll as long as she has a shield equipped.

Torrendra Ironmantle

Incorporating Non-evil Undead in Your Game

Undead vs. Deathless

In some settings, undead are counterbalanced by a visually similar but intrinsically different type of creature: the deathless. Deathless appear corpse-like, but are created through divine power, often by a cleric or deity. Deathless are often simply warriors risen back to fight for the cause of good, and then are sent back to rest until called again. Deathless are powered by positive energy in the same way that in some settings undead are powered by negative energy.

One could simply re-label all non-evil undead as “deathless”, yet it risks removing some of the drama and storytelling appeal of undead. Deathless are also linked heavily to the divine which makes them harder to work with less religious characters. It is far easier to consider deathless as a subtype of undead if you are willing to remove the conditional negative energy requirement, as was recently done for Eberron.

In a world where non-evil undead and deathless exist, the undead may find themselves believing to be wholly wretched and cursed, and become jealous of the deathless who were chosen by the gods to continue their existence. This may serve as a point of contention between some undead and the gods, in which some undead renounce their faith in the good gods, but know well the evil gods do not have their interests in mind. Good-aligned undead may try hard to prove themselves to the gods that they are worthy of becoming deathless. If deathless are more available to a certain race, such as elves, this can also serve as tension between an undead and that race which has better access to deathlessness. Some who aspire to become deathless but learn that it has a racial restriction that does not include their own race may become undead out of spite, but still retain a sense of justice that does not allow them to slip into evil.

In some settings, there may be good-aligned divinely created undead that occur. In Forgotten Realms, baelnorn are elves who are bestowed undeath by their gods, even good-alined ones to be guardians of their families, artifacts, or knowledge. Yet, baelnorn are still counted as undead and do animate dead in battle.

The Cycle of Life and Death

In many settings, there are gods who believe that undead are unnatural abominations that disturb or disrespect nature or the cycle of life. They care not for the deeds or alignment of said undead, only that undead to them must be put down. This can act as a compelling source of contention between heroic undead characters and the gods. This perspective of undeath may even biased or flawed if undead have a tendency to spontaneously rise, or rise when a creature feels their death is unjust or that their time in the Material Plane ought to be extended in the case of revenants and ghosts. Undeath being a divine domain, even to evil gods may also cast some doubt about undead being “unnatural”, if they are a niche within the cosmos-but so would many evil domains such as murder and tyranny.

Some good or neutral gods can be more considerate of undead if they serve them, or even in disagreement with the gods who hate undead. These considerations can be issues the characters must deal with, adding conflicts between good characters and between different points of view about what constitutes “natural” and “unnatural” or even what good is or should be about. If the gods become involved in this debate it could even threaten to shatter many faiths or the cosmos as a whole.

Undead Philosophy

In many settings, undeath is tied to a philosophy of nihilism, destruction, and death. Gods and other powerful extraplanar beings who endorse undeath often favor murder, selfishness, tyranny, and devouring all. Such gods may see undeath as being as appropriate as dead to them if such undead condemns souls to an empty, tortured existence or if such undead dedicate themselves to the destruction of other life.

Yet this does not have the be only philosophical view point of undeath. Undeath can be more than just embracing death, in fact it could be the opposite—which is the part that annoys the death gods of repose. Undeath can be a means of embracing life. Someone who voluntarily becomes undead does so to preserve themselves for certain intentions or goals. It may be the denial of growth—an important aspect of life, but also the denial of cessation. Even if there is an afterlife, souls often do not keep their memories or much of themselves over there, so such a valuable thing as knowledge and memories is something an undead may wish to preserve.

Undead who feel they can cast off the worries of things like mortality may begin to embrace life in a new way, they may become fearless and possibly even hedonistic, they may not mourn the pleasures of a living body, but instead relish the experiences their undead bodies offer to them. They may start to wonder how they survived so long alive with the burdens of the living body such as defecation and disease. These undead see undeath as something closer to life than to death, an undead creature is not a walking corpse, but a body refusing to die.

Why be Undead?

A question that is worth exploring is why a character may choose to become or remain undead even if there may be ways to return to full life. For evil characters, this answer is usually easier due to the presence of evil gods of undeath, and the general association of undeath and evil. You may however have an unconventional setting where things do not work that way, and undeath is more neutrally seen or reviled by more than just good and evil.

Within the list of spells there are a number of resurrection spells, the most powerful being one that can bring back the dead even if not a scrap of their corpse remains. The spells have a caveat, that the subject not have died of old age, which brings us to most common reason there are those that seek undeath and that is to live past their natural lifespan. There is a spell to cheat natural lifespan, known as Clone, which allows a soulless body to be made for someone whom, upon death can become their new body. Clone has some problems, it takes 120 days to have the body ready for one, and it costs gold every time.

Undead and Society

In most societies, undead who co-exist with the living must hide their undead nature or face terrible consequences. They may have to wear heavy clothing, avoid touching others so they won’t notice their lack of body heat, and wear items that make them undetectable. Such a person likely has some allies who know of their undeath and are willing to do things on their behalf that are difficult to do without revealing their undeath—or in the case of vampires, also during the daytimes. Undead who must feed would have a more difficult time remaining unnoticed; they will have to find ways to keep their feeding a secret. A vampire might drink blood from his allies or attempt to subsist on animal blood. A ghoul might attempt to subsist on butcher scraps, animals, or hire adventurers to bring the cadavers of slain goblins or orcs to them.

Incorporeal undead can simply hide from the living and only show themselves to select individuals. Some incorporeal undead might have a presence that is hard for the living to ignore, such as an aura of coldness or despair. Such undead stay in abandoned places that they can call their domain, but their aura might catch the attention of do-gooder clerics and paladins.

Undead can still remain productive members of a society of living, whether they secretly or openly co-exist with the living. There are jobs that undead can do that are too hazardous to the living. An undead person might handle diseased bodies or refuse, or deal with poisoning vermin. Undead can do work that would exhaust or injure the living such as tending to a drawbridge even in the very early hours of the morning or tending a massive contraption in a factory that has to be watched for days on end when operating. Undead can be adept at being guards, skeletons can remain standing in the same place for days, even weeks, perhaps years observing and interfering when necessary.

Undead who are more intellectually inclined can become like vast libraries of knowledge and experience themselves. They may be able to recall events that happened many generations ago and teach lost skills to new generations. If such undead are lucky, they may be highly revered and serve as advisers or councilors.

When the living and undead openly interact, it may change laws and customs to adjust. There hopefully would be rights given to the undead, and undeath will likely be seen as an extension of one’s life so they can keep assets that would otherwise be given to inheritors. This can cause some ire in heirs, especially when it comes to royalty; a king may become a lich to secure his place on the throne, which would encourage other royalty to kill him for the throne if he isn’t planning on letting it go. In this case, a country might forbid undead from royal titles or put a limit to the undead’s hold on the throne.

Undead who may spread disease might be given accommodation to control disease spread, or be restricted away from the living. Undead who feed may have to register with authorities how they plan to fulfill their needs and be regularly visited to make sure they keep with their promise.

Incorporeal undead may have the most difficult time with interaction, but if one sticks to a haunt, it could be registered as the undead’s property, or if it overlaps with someone else’s property, an agreement has to be made.

There is of course the option of undead living in their own settlements that fit their needs but may be inherently hostile to any living members due to the lack of accommodations for the living and possibly disease. Such necropolises may be hidden in places away from the living such as in extraplanar locations or within demiplanes.

What could such a settlement be like? It might have no farms, but have livestock—possibly even sapient livestock if the undead there aren’t interested in goodness. Since undead usually do not need to breathe and are usually immune to poison and disease, undead citizens might be careless in hygiene and handling poisons; a building might have a terrible poison gas problem due to one of the occupants doing alchemical experiments, but nobody notices. If it is in the plane of shadow, the sky may be a perpetual gloom that does not harm any undead sensitive to light.

Undead have all the time in the world, so the pace of life might be slow and less organized much like how some think of elven society. A holiday might span a month, a scholar might have centuries of study before becoming a master, a transaction may take years to complete. A necropolis might have no vegetation and be blighted, however it is entirely possible for one to have some vegetation for decoration or as a resource for making items. Depending on if undead rot or not, detrivorous creatures might be pests to undead. Instead of rats, cockroaches, and bedbugs being common household pets, common household pests might include carrion beetles, maggots, or even vultures—but it is a problem can be solved with smart application of poison or necrotic energy.

An undead society may become a potent force in trade. Undead workers and artisans can produce items using processes that would harm the living such as those that expose people to harmful dusts and gases. Undead miners can work in conditions that would kill living miners. Undead workers can work for days on end without rest. Such a city may become the main or exclusive exporters of certain items or trade goods as a result, which can pave a path to being accepted by the living better.

Relations with Evil Undead

Non-evil undead must contend with the presence of evil undead in most settings. Evil undead represent everything others fear about the undead and undeath itself; evil necromancers and intelligent undead are threats to good-aligned undead. Powerful forces of evil that lord over undeath can see non-evil undead as threats to their own rule and thus seek to eliminate them. Undead who wish to mind their own business and simply unlive their unlives are under threat from both the evil overlord lich and the righteous undead slayer; this is the constant vigil many undead face.

The biggest threats from evil undead come from those who wish to subjugate and rule over undead, and thus loathe undead who will not fall under their sway; such undead are typically liches, death knights, and demons whom undeath is part of their preview. Such forces of evil who can control undead not made by them are especially dangerous as they can turn friends into foe with a whim, those whom where once part of mindless undead hordes may have to go through the trauma again. Organizations and settlements have to be vigilant about the possibility of spies in their midst who may heed to such powers, even those who are fully sapient for there are foul undead who serve tyranny at their own will.

A far more insidious scenario is when a non-evil undead succumbs to evil. This can happen of an undead person has profane urges such as an overwhelming desire to kill the living and looses control of that; it can also happen if the undead person is tempted into evil the way even the living are, or they break under the stress of being persecuted by the living or under the ennui of vast oceans of time. Good-aligned undead may be more mindful of these signs in themselves and others, but some neutral-aligned undead may not show as much of a difference if they turn evil- that is until they cross over the thresholds of morality. Like all good beings, good-aligned undead can fall prey to intolerance and rigid ideology that drives them to extremes, such as one who is so vigilant about evil undead spies they wind up accusing others on a whim and even killing their friends.

There are undead who do take down evil undead and seek vengeance against evil necromancers who exploit the dead, especially seeking the one who may have raised them from the dead into servitude. Such undead people have the advantage of camouflaging among mindless undead and not triggering any impulses to kill the living from mindless skeletons and zombies. An undead person skilled in magic may have the means to even free undead undead the control of others; or even take control of a group of minions and turn them against their master.

Hunting down evil undead and necromancers can provide an opportunity for an alliance to form between undead hunters and undead undead hunters. A way both living and undead slayers of the undead may start to work together is meeting together in the midst of battle; a cleric swings their sword into several zombies, but suddenly arrows take down several more that where behind them at once, and the cleric is astonished to turn around and see the arrows come from a well-armed ghoul on a ledge. The hardest part of such a alliance is of course accepting one another.

A scenario in which evil and non-evil undead must ally with one another is if under threat from forces who enforce the “natural order” of death, such as from gods of death who adamantly loathe all undead no matter the alignment. The threat from these forces would have the be significant enough to prompt an uneasy alliance between undead, especially those whom might have once been enslaved by the evil undead: neutral-aligned undead would take the alliance much better than good aligned undead, and even these undead might have an internal conflict about the alliance. The alliance would not be without risks, for clever undead overlords and scheming undead tyrants can find ways to corrupt or usurp non-evil undead groups.

Ethics of Creating Undead

Although this guide mainly concerns the undead themselves, it is worth speaking of the type of necromancy that creates many undead in the first place. Such necromancy is often shunned or taboo, and in many settings is considered an act that if done enough times can render a necromancer evil. Like non-evil undead, there can be ways to work around aspects of such necromancy that may be considered evil, consider the following adjustments to reanimating depending on how reanimation works in your setting:

• Mindless undead minions do not have the souls of the deceased nor entropic energies, they are little different from constructs except they are animated from the echoes of life in the way the speak with dead spell does. When using the spell animate dead or create undead this way, such undead creature may return back to death after the time it is controlled is over.

• Mindless undead that somehow do have the soul of the individual are treated with respect. There might be people who voluntarily will allow their remains to be animated, even if it means disturbing their own rest, they are happy to be taken back to the land of the living once in a while.

• Mindless undead do have the original soul or the soul of another dead, but are still temporary and are laid to rest once their job is done. Animate dead and create undead spells can be modified to “dismiss” the spirit once it’s service is over to continue its journey in the afterlife. Such undead cannot be made if the soul has already been taken by the outer planes.

• The necromancer can contact the deceased for permission for use. The necromancer may pay the deceased’s family, give last words to family, or some other form of payment to convince the soul to return for awhile.

• There may be souls begging to be brought back and reanimated to continue something unfinished or for vengeance.

• There is a possibility that reanimation may bring the soul back, but some other part of the soul that is cast off during death or life force is missing; such a lack of this ephemeral part results in agony. Ethical necromancers have found ways to circumvent this by either bringing back the rest of the soul parts or substituting it.

Aside from these adjustments, there can also be rules and regulations on necromancers and other creatures who can tamper with the undead:

• A necromancer may only attempt to control undead who are already under control of another creature, and seek to release control of that undead after it is no longer nessiscary.

• A necromancer is forbidden from raising armies of enslaved undead, unless said undead are completely soulless.

• Raising the ensouled corpses or souls of children is forbidden. Undeath stunts the growth of children in mind and soul, and can damage the soul after a long period of time even if said child is fully sentient with free will. Any child who becomes a sentient undead creature must be nurtured and taken care of until they pass on to the afterlife. Most usually will pass on after a few years.

• Any sentient undead created are to be treated with respect and have their own rights that should not be violated.

• Sentient undead animals must have a purpose. The minds of most animals are fixated on survival, an undead animal has no need or often, no desire for functions that support survival and thus may live a bored and empty existence.

• Undead that are completely soulless automatons still have restrictions on use and violations of such restrictions such as the use for pranks on the living or acts of desecrating the dead are not considered evil but in very very poor taste.

• A soul cannot be forced back from the afterlife, a soul may only be asked to return to the world of the living or from the ethereal plane with proper offerings and respect. This also applies to attempts to contact the soul of the desceased from the Material Plane. Likewise forcing a soul back to the afterlife can be tantamount to killing the being again and be treated as such.

• Creating multi-corpse constructs with the souls of the deceased is forbidden, with the exception that the corpses used were used with permission, and the spirits of the dead have not been fused together to make a wretched being. Such beings are often created as grotesque minions by sadistic necromancers who revel in the agony they cause to the dead, therefore this practice is overall shunned by ethical necromancers.

Faction: Knights of the Restless

The Knights of the Restless are an organization devoted to protecting the rights and personhood of the undead. They are foe to both the do-gooders who seek to vanquish all undead with extreme prejudice and those who seek to use undeath to enslave others and bring ruin to the world. The Knights of the Restless have to remain hidden in most parts of the world due to the already high stigma placed on undead in many places, so they do operate in cells and smaller groups dedicated to to their cause in a local area.

Like many "Knightly Orders", membership is open to more than just fighters and paladins. Most members are wizards and other dedicated spellcasters.

Many members of this order pass themselves off as regular hunters of the undead and often do hunt down non-sentient or evil undead. However, they differ in that if they encounter undead who are redeemable or not evil, they will do their best to aid them. They will use their status and connections to help an undead seek a mutually beneficial solution, for example if a neutral-aligned ghoul has been terrorizing people in a village, a member will re-locate the ghoul and help it temper its hunger; the villagers will be told the ghoul has been killed.

Some members will infiltrate groups that oppose them to gain information on the acts and whereabouts of their enemies. For example, a spy for the Order who is also a member of an adventure guild focused on eradicating undead may hear of them attempting to raid and take down the lair of a good lich who has been blamed for certain problems in the area. Such a member would inform the others and alert the lich to either flee or prepare to confront the do-gooders.

Many members of the order are undead themselves who wish to pave the way to be acknowledged as persons. Many members are also living mortals who have friends and relatives who are undead, are necromancers who believe in the cause and to reform necromancy, or simply agree with the Order and have found the arguments of both the undead slayers and the undead slavers to be lacking and extremist. Some living members do seek to become undead themselves, but many find that the prejudice is a barrier and many feel that their cause is best served while alive.

Most people don’t know the order even exists, and the Order wants to keep it that way. After all, they are often against the status quo of the world and oppose the will of gods from multiple sides. The Order thus has established many ways of secret communication by means of magic or coded language similar to Thieves Cant. The Order has no official symbol, or even motto. This is done to keep it even more secretive as such things can alert others of the existence of a larger organization. Deeds are more important to the Order than formalities and symbolism. The Order also does not have any official ranks, renown within the organizaiton is more about trust and reputation than authority or rank. The organization is largely decentralized and democratic in structure.

Some cells of the order organize meetings in far off ruins or the lairs of allied undead to exchange information and plan operations. Members are highly aware of the potential for double agents, spies from enemy organizations, or the use of magic to spy on members, so they do take extra precautions; spellcasters often use many abjuration spells and wards to root out enemy attempts to spy. Yet the most commonly employed method of counter intelligence is simply exposing members to the deeds and reasons for the cause often, in hopes that any planted members will change their minds and convert.

The Order does allow members to form seemingly independent adventuring parties with undead members, in hopes that having undead heroes will inspire people to have a better opinion of them, and to send a message to the evil undead and necromancers that they will not be representative of undead and necromancy. Adventurers who attack evil necromancers and undead overlords will do their best to also distinguish between undead that are evil, and those who can be freed from control. They will not seek to kill all of the vampire thralls of a vampire lord, they would rather incapacitate them and aim to destroy the vampire lord to free them first.

To join the Order, one must first prove to agree with its ideals that undead are to be treated with personhood if they have a soul. Members are recruited, one does not come up to them, they come to you. For example, an adventurer is tasked to banish a ghost for no other reason than the ghost "needs" to be banished, and the advenuturer refuses or instead becomes friends with the ghost and only banishes it if it wishes to, then the Order may hear of it and consider recruiting the advenuterer.

Non-evil liches

Most liches are foul, evil beings who are selfish and are willing to sacrifice others to prolong their presence on the Material Plane. Yet history has recorded the names of some very few liches of good or neutral alignment. Such beings are so rare that they are thought to be an inherent oxymoron or mere rumors meant to foul the names of some heroes of the past. A deeper investigation would reveal their presence in such places as keepers of ancient libraries, guardians of old monasteries that house the remains of legendary heroes, or even as the head of a noble house of elves. Some elven good liches are known as baelnorns, they are gifted undeath by elven gods under rare circumstances should one be needed to preserve ancient lore or if one is the last of their tribe. Yet the good or neutral lich in general can come from a variety of humanoid races, not just elves.These non-evil liches are known as archliches, they are liches that overpower the status quo of undeath.

Unfortunately some powerful evil liches have started to call themselves "archliches", hence furthering confusion between the two, so the term baelnorn has begun to be used to apply to even non-elven good or neutral liches, despite there being differences in powers and creation of archliches and baelnorns.

Baelnorn

Baelnorn are extremely rare, but well revered members of elven communities who became undead through a consensus by elven leaders and permission from the elven gods.

When Needed Most. Baelnorn are usually created under pressing circumstances when an elf is needed to be immortal to continue a task such as guarding a powerful artifact or becoming a vessel of lore and knowledge. Many ancient baelnorn are also guardians and advisors to elven families who have chosen to remain in the world of the living to guide their descendants.

Holy and Undead. Baelnorn are considered holy beings by the elves despite their undeath and despite how this annoys certain deities such as Kelemvor and his followers. The knowledge of baelnorn is next to nonexistent outside elven communities, among the reasons being that hardly anyone else believes such seemingly absurd tales not just of good-aligned liches but ones that are holy and created by good-aligned gods.

Records of the Ruins. The ruins of places such as abandoned elven cities are where baelnorn are likely to be found. There, they continue vigilantly taking care of ancient objects and knowledge. An adventurer who allies with a baelnorn can find them a very valuable "living" record of history and vast knowledge who can provide stunning first-hand accounts of events in very ancient times

Contradictory Existence. Some credit the existence of baelnorn to the strange ways of the elves and their gods, as it seems nothing else can explain the troublesome contradiction of their existence. Many baelnorn not only can wield power over undead, but some who were highly attuned to nature in life continue doing so despite their "unnatural" existence. Others suspect the common assumptions of undeath being "wrong" might not be as accurate as many believe.

A Baelnorn's Lair

Baelnorn that dwell in ancient ruins continue to gaurd the sacred and valuable treasures of the elves. They can be found among the objects they dillgently guard and care for and will do what they can to make sure such treasures do not fall into decay. A baelnorn may construct or repair a ruined area such as a library or vault to a condition where it can protect what is inside and then dwell there for ages, the only sign being a strangely unruined building among ruins.

Baelnorn that dwell among the living can be found cloistered in libraries, magic academies, or temples to give guidance. Their "lair" in these cases will usually consist of a space where they usually haunt or dwell in, but others rarely venutre, or an officially designated space such as an office or quarters.

A baelnorn encountered in its lair has a challenge rating of 22 (41,000 XP).

Lair Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the baelnorn can take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects; the baelnorn can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:

• The baelnorn rolls a d8 and regains a spell slot of that level or lower. If it has no spent spell slots of that level or lower, nothing happens.

• The baelnorn magically summons two werewolves with the following changes: the werewolves' alignment is chaotic good, the werewolves have the fey ancestry trait, and cannot transmit werewolf lycanthropy. The baelnorn may also attempt to summon one shambling mound with a 40 percent chance of success. The summoned creature appears in an unoccupied space within 60 feet of its summoner, acts as an ally of its summoner, and cannot summon any other creatures. It remains for 10 minutes, until it or its summoner dies, or until its summoner dismisses it as an action. The baelnorn cannot have more than three summoned creatures present at one time and cannot attempt to summon the same type of creature after it is dismissed by any means for 8 hours.

• The baelnorn can telepathically communicate a message lasting no longer than 1 minute to a creature it knows is present within 500 feet of it. The baelnorn cannot send a message to the same creature for 10 minutes.

Archlich

Medium undead, any non-evil alignment

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• Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 151(20d8 + 60)
• Speed 30ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
11 (+0)	16 (+3)	16 (+3)	20 (+5)	18 (+4)	14 (+2)

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• Saving Throws Con +10, Int +12, Wis+11
• Skills Arcana +12, History +12, Insight+11, Perception+11
• Damage Resistances cold, fire, necrotic
• Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks, poison
• Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, petrified, poisoned
• Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 19
• Languages Common and up to five languages
• Challenge 21 (33,000 XP)

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Dead Whisperer. The archlich has advantage on Charisma checks on undead creatures with a CR of 5 or lower. The archlich can also cast speak with dead at will without spending a spell slot. The archlich also can cast spare the dying as a wizard cantrip and also affect undead creatures with it.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the archlich fails a saving throw, it can choose so succeed instead.

Rejuvenation. If it has a phylactery, a destroyed archlich gains a new body in 1d10 days, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears within 5 feet of the phylactery and appears as the archlich did upon first attaining lichdom.

Spellcasting. The archlich is a 20th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 20, + 12 to hit with spell attacks). The archlich has the following wizard spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): chill touch, mage hand,    prestidigitation, spare the dying*
1st level (4 slots): detect magic, disguise self, shield
2nd level (3 slots): detect thoughts, invisibility, mirror    image
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, counterspell, dispel    magic, fireball
4th level (3 slots): dimension door, fire shield
5th level (3 slots): cloudkill, immolation, scrying
6th level (2 slots): contingency, globe of invulnerability,    investitude of flame
7th level (2 slots): project image, teleport
8th level (1 slot): demiplane, power word stun
9th level (1 slot): time stop

Turn Resistance. The archlich has advantage on saving throws against being turned.

Water Walk. The archlich can walk on water at will, as if under the effect of the water walk spell and dismiss the effect at will if it chooses to.

Actions

Necrotic Blessing (3/Day). The archlich can take some of its own necrotic animating force, and convert it to bolster other creatures. The archlich can choose to take up to half of its current hp in damage but can use the same points of damage to distribute hitpoints evenly across any creatures of its choice within 30 feet of it. Any creature with hitpoints added this way is also becomes resistant to necrotic, fire, and cold damage and immune to becoming poisoned or poison damage for 1 hour. A creature that was poisoned is cured of poison.

Turn Living or Undead. The archlich can bring forth terror to either the undead or living surrounding it. Before the archlich takes this action, it must choose either undead or non-undead creatures. Each creature of the chosen type that the archlich can see within 30 feet must make a DC 20 saving throw or be turned for 1 minute. Turned creatures must spend their turn trying to move away as far as possible from the archlich and cannot willing move to closer to it. Turned creatures can only use their Dash action or try to flee an effect that prevents it from escaping. If the creature cannot move any farther, it must use their Dodge action. This counts as a fear effect for turning living creatures. Constructs, oozes, elementals, and aberrations are immune to this effect.

Reactions

Counterturn. If a creature attempts to turn the archlich, and the archlich succeeds its saving throw, it can, as a reaction turn the caster and up to six other creatures of its choosing. This counts as a fear effect for turning living creatures. Constructs, oozes, elementals, and aberrations are immune to this effect.

Legendary Actions

The archlich can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The baelnorn regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Cantrip. The archlich casts a cantrip.

Phoenix Soul (Costs 3 actions). If damage reduces the archlich to 0 hit points, it can use a reaction as its legendary action to make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 5+ the damage taken. On a success, the archlich drops to 1 hit point instead. All creatures within 5 feet of the archlich must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (3d8) fire damange.

Phoenix Aura (Costs 3 actions). The archlich can emit a destructive aura from the power of its own animating force. Creatures within a 5 foot radius centered upon the archlich must make a Constitution save (DC 20) or take 15 (3d8) of either necrotic or radiant damage (the archlich must choose either before using this action) in addition to 15 (3d8) fire damage.

Baelnorn

Medium undead, any good alignment

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• Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
• Hit Points 151(20d8 + 60)
• Speed 30ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
11 (+0)	16 (+3)	18 (+4)	16 (+3)	20 (+5)	14 (+2)

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• Saving Throws Con +11, Int +10, Wis+12
• Skills Arcana +12, History +12, Insight+11, Perception+11
• Damage Resistances cold, necrotic, radiant
• Damage Immunities bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks, poison
• Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, petrified, poisoned
• Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 19
• Languages Common and up to five languages
• Challenge 21 (33,000 XP)

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Holy Undeath. The baelnorn does not count as undead for the effects of holy water.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the balenorn fails a saving throw, it can choose so succeed instead.

Magic Resistance. The baelnorn has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Projection (3/Day). The baelnorn can project a wraith-like image of itself up to one mile away. The projection has 100 hit points, an AC of 16, and a fly speed of 30 feet. If a projection is damaged, the baelnorn takes half of that damage, a projection vanishes if reduced to 0 hit points. The baelnorn can see, hear, speak, see into the Ethereal Plane, and cast spells through its projection. The projection is capable of passing through magic barriers such as from spells such as forcecage and magic circle. A projection can lightly interact with its environment, such as pushing a small object, drawing a message in sand, or turning the page of a book. The projection cannot attack (but may still cast spells that deal damage) or carry solid objects.

Rejuvenation. If it has a phylactery or clone, a destroyed baelnorn gains a new body in 1d10 days, regaining all its hit points and becoming active again. The new body appears within 5 feet of the phylactery if it has one. If it uses a clone instead it takes over the clone as a new body.

Spellcasting. The baelnorn is a 20th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 20, + 12 to hit with spell attacks). The baelnorn has the following spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): chill touch, mage hand, thaumaturgy,    spare the dying*
1st level (4 slots): detect magic, guiding bolt, shield of    faith
2nd level (3 slots): spike growth, spiritual weapon, zone    of truth
3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, dispel magic, water    walk, wind wall
4th level (3 slots): banishment, grasping vine
5th level (3 slots): geas, insect plague, legend lore
6th level (2 slots): forbiddance
7th level (2 slots): etherealness, regenerate
8th level (1 slot): antimagic field
9th level (1 slot): true resurrection
*The baelnorn can effect undead creatures with this spell.

Turn Immunity. The baelnorn is immune to being turned by good or neutral-aligned creatures.

Water Walk. The baelnorn can walk on water at will, as if under the effect of the water walk spell and dismiss the effect at will if it chooses to.

Actions

Paralyzing Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +12 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (3d6) cold damage. The target must succeed on a DC 20 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Turn Living or Undead. The baelnorn can bring forth terror to either the undead or living surrounding it. Before the baelnorn takes this action, it must choose either undead or non-undead creatures. Each creature of the chosen type that the balenorn can see within 30 feet must make a DC 20 saving throw or be turned for 1 minute. Turned creatures must spend their turn trying to move away as far as possible from the baelnorn and cannot willing move to closer to it. Turned creatures can only use their Dash action or try to flee an effect that prevents it from escaping. If the creature cannot move any farther, it must use their Dodge action. This counts as a fear effect for turning living creatures. Constructs, oozes, elementals, and aberrations are immune to this effect.

Legendary Actions

The baelnorn can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The baelnorn regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Cantrip. The baelnorn casts a cantrip.

Fey Step (Costs 2 actions). The baelnorn casts misty step without spending a spell slot.

Paralyzing Touch (Costs 2 actions). The baelnorn uses its Paralyzing Touch.

Good Liches in Official Material

These rare undead have been a part of Forgotten Realms lore for a long time, but their presence is often ignored so they often come as a surprise for most players. Some who are more well-versed in lore may recall a few scattered appearances of archliches and baelnorn.

Balenorn first appeared in 2ed D&D in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume One and Cormanthyr: Empire of Elves and The Ruins of Myth Drannor. They also appear in 3rd edition's Monstrous Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn. 5th edition's Sword Coast Advenuture's Guide briefly mentions baelnorn when discussing how the followers of Kelemvor have opposition from more than just the evil-aligned.

In 2nd edition Monstrous Compendium Volume One, liches and demi-liches were listed as having any alignment. They were described as being usually unconcerned about good and evil but could be encountered of any alignment. The archlich, as defined as a good-aligned lich appeared in the 2e supplement Lost Ships for the Spelljammer setting. Later it also appeared in the same 3e book Monsters of Faerûn as the baelnorn did and both were described on the same page. In the 3.5e book Libris Mortis there is a small mention of a "good lich" variant of liches. In 4e, the archlich is re-introduced as an epic destiny available to level 21 arcane classes.

As of 5e, it seems the term "archlich" to denote a good (or just non-evil) lich has been dropped, and now used to refer to any extremely powerful lich like it is in other media such as World of Warcraft. The existence of good liches is harder to justify with the new requirement that liches feed souls to their phylacteries, yet there is still hope for them. In one official 5e adventure (not gonna spoil!) a lich does appear who has been referred to as an archlich in previous edition lore, and if you remind him he was once a hero in life he will become friendly to you. In another published adventure, there is a lich who is in very bad shape due to not feeding his phylactery but can be restored with a certain spell without the need to sacrifice any souls, though he is evil, the incident shows there may be another way.

Forgotten Realms lore does mention the names of a few specific archliches and baelnorn:

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• Lady Saharel, Netherese archlich, ally of the Harpers and once a lover of Elminster. Her undead body is no longer, but her ghost remains in Spellgaurd.

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• Renwick Caradoon, brother of Samular Caradoon and Amphail Caradoon the Just. He had prepared his potion of archlichdom, but it was administered to him by Samular as he lay dying on the battlefield.

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• The Srinshee, a noted baelnorn who was later restored to life by Mystra for saving Elminster and was instrumental in preventing the evil lich Larloch from becoming a god.

Church Grim

A church grim is the spirit of a faithful dog who has not left the land of the living, and remains to safeguard the graveyard its remains were buried in. A church grim appears as9 it did in life but often black or a translucent gray as well as glowing eyes.

Grave Gaurdians. Some believe that the first to be buried in a graveyard is condemned to remain there in spirit. This started a tradition in which this unfortunate burden was placed on an innocent dog. Whether or not the superstion is true, some graveyards do have the spirit of a dog wandering about. Some often mistake this spirit to be a vicious hellhound, but the church grim is actually a benevolent guardian of the graveyard. The church grim will do its best to scare and fight off intruders such as grave robbers and unscrupoulus necromancers.

Loyal Hounds. Sometimes a church grim may result from a dog who lays near the grave of its dead caretaker. The dog may vow to protect its caretaker's remains even long after it expired. Such church grims start out only guarding their master's grave, but may extend their patrol around the entire graveyard.

Ghost Guides. A church grim will also aid lost souls to the afterlife, the church grim itself is strongly bound to its graveyard so even venturing close to the afterlife does not give it rest.

Undead Awakening. A church grim is no mere soul of a beast. The church grim's tireless patrols, adaptation to spectral senses, and long time in the world grant it a greater intelligence than an average dog. It soon learns to discern potential threats and eavsdrop on the conversations of visitors.

Church Grim Packs. Church grims are usually alone but occasionally in large, older graveyards there may be multiple church grims. These spectral dogs may form formidable packs to better gaurd their territory.

Eternally Vigilant. If a church grim is killed, it will re-form above where its remains lay (even if they aren't there anymore) within 24 hours at night. A church grim can only be permanently removed using a wish spell or if all the bodies in the graveyard are removed or are completely decomposed, in which it will depart for the afterlife.

Guardian Spirits

For much of the tradition of old faiths, there has been veneration to the spirits. Such spirits can vary in their origin from the Feywild, the Shadowfell, or the Outer Planes. Many of spirits venerated are those of deceased ancestors. There may be some overlap between lingering spirits of the dead and the spirits from other planes, it may involve the destiny of that soul and what the soul did in life.

Some spellcasters have figured out ways to contact the dead from the afterlife, or to communicate with those who still linger close or in the Material Plane. An individual may be bonded to the spirit of a person as part of a pact or just out of concern for one another.

Evil necromancers may desire to control spirits of the dead or force them from the afterlife. A non-evil necromancer knows the better way is to bargain and negotiate with them. Various practices from around the world have different protocols such as providing miniature houses or some type of food as offering.

Immortal Souls. Reducing a guardian spirit to 0 hitpoints merely banishes it back to the afterlife. They can only be truly destroyed by evil powers that directly harm souls.

Restless Champion

Evil never rests, and thus there are some champions who fight against it whose sheer will never let them rest either. These warriors were often fighters, paladins, or rangers in life who died in ways that were not heroic or glorious enough such as from a freak accident, or perhaps a warrior's quest for vengeance against a great evil could not have been fulfilled in their natural lifespan. Either way, these undead are often raised through their own sheer will, a will that spits in the face of death and says "I am not finished".

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Restless Champion

Medium undead, any good alignment

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• Armor Class 18 (plate)
• Hit Points 78 (10d10+18)
• Speed 30 ft.

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STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	10 (+0)	18 (+4)	11 (+0)	12 (+1)	15 (+2)

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• Saving Throws Str +8, Con +8, Wis +4
• Skills Athletics +8, Survival +4
• Damage Resistances necrotic
• Damage Immunities poison
• Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, petrified, poisoned
• Senses Darkvision 60 ft.,
• Languages any languages it knew in life (usually Common)
• Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)

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Undead Fortitude. If damage reduces the restless champion to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5+ the damage taken, unless the damage is cold or from a critical hit. On a success, the restless champion drops to 1 hit point instead.

Actions

Multiattack. The restless champion makes two weapon attacks.

Greatsword. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, Reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage, or 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage if used with two hands.

Heavy Crossbow. Ranged Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, range 100/400 fr., one target. Hit: 5 (1d10) piercing damage

(Yes, the restless champion is so metal it can use a greatsword in one hand, but with a penalty.)

Spartoi

Legends tell of a great dragon that devoured many soldiers that tried to defeat it. Finally, the king who sent them went on a mission to face the dragon himself and was able to kill it. He was told by a supposed divine emissary to sow the dragon's teeth in the ground to reclaim his lost soldiers. The teeth traded places with the skeletal remains of the soldiers who then sprang up, re-animated as undead. The king was frightened and threw a brick amongst them, wherein they began to fight amongst each other. After a few remained he realized they were not a threat and were in his service as they were in life. They were called spartoi in legend, but the name still applied to skeletal undead created by a ritual that either was the one in the legend, or inspired by the legend, which came first is lost to history.

Ancient Necromancy. The ritual to create spartoi is incredibly rare, known by few and tucked away in vast libraries and lich lairs. The ritual uses similar procedures and components as create undead, but has the added requirement of using the teeth of a freshly slain dragon with humanoid remains in its gut. The ritual isn't used often because of these limitations, and has only been used in desperation such as when a kingdom is too depleted (most likely due to the dragon) to afford adequate resurrection and more troops.

Not Mere Minions. At first glance, spartoi are little different from typical skeletal minions with some cracks where the bones were mended back together with necromancy. Freshly risen spartoi behave much like regular mindless skeletal minions, and will attack at a slight provocation. After several hours, the original soul may return to the skeleton, along with memories and personality. The spartoi will re-awaken as a stronger, more intellegent and free-willed skeletal warrior. Most spartoi are proud to continue serving their lands or lords even in undeath.

Resilient. Spartoi can re-assemble themselves after damage. A heavy club can shatter a regular skeletal minion to finish it, but if the same is done to a spartoi, it will re-assemble soon. The same power that put their bones back together from the dragon's gut and resolve to fight on continues to protect them. A spartoi can only be destroyed by breaking it enough with sufficient weapons.

Creating Undead Player Characters

Undead Traits

Mummy

• Ability Score Bonus: +1 Constitution, +1 Strength
• Ability Score Penalty: -2 Dexterity
• Traits: Dreadful Glare, Rotting Fist
• Resistances: Necrotic damage
• Immunities: No additional immunities
• Disadvantages: 20 ft speed, vulnerability to fire damage

Long ago you may have been sworn to the service of a god or king, and part of that oath included gaurding a tomb or treasure past your natural lifespan. You may have also been condemned to eternal undeath as punishment for a great transgression. Either way you were carefully embalmed and preserved after death, and magic bound your soul to your corpse wherein you awaken when the living dare disturb the domain you protect. Over eons, you may have regained better self-awareness and questioned your role; or maybe you are seeking out what you were meant to protect after it was taken away. Regardless of your reason for venturing out, it won't be easy.

Dreadful Glare. You can frighten other creatures to paralysis with your glare. For a number of times a day equal to your Charisma modifier, you may choose a creature within 60 ft. of you that can see you. The creature must make a DC 11 Wisdom saving throw or spell save DC saving throw or become frightened until the end of your next turn. A target that succeeds its saving throw becomes immune to this effect for the next 24 hours. This recharges after you finish a long rest.

Rotting Fist. You can use your unarmed strikes as melee weapons you are proficient in with a reach of 5 ft. at one target.

Necropolitan

• Ability Score Bonus: None
• Ability Score Penalty: None
• Traits: Slightly Closer to Life, Unliving Willpower
• Resistances: No additional resistances
• Immunities: No additional immunities
• Disadvantages: None

You renounced life for undeath willingly through a special ritual. Your reasons vary, from needing more time to accomplish something, dedicating yourself to a cause, or simply the fear of the fate of your soul in the afterlife. Other than your undead visage, not much has changed for you and you evade many of the curses and drawbacks that many forms of undeath have. This template may also work when creating a zombie-like undead with most of its flesh intact and original soul, but no mental or physical drawbacks or hunger for flesh.

Slightly Closer to Life. As an undead creature, most attempts to heal you fail. However you are slightly closer to life than most other undead creatures; such spells do not directly heal you but may stimulate your body to heal itself. Whenever a spell is cast on you that restores hit points that specifically has no effect on undead, you may instead use your hit dice to recover hit points. You may roll a maximum number of hit dice equal to the level of the spell.

Unliving Willpower. You have advantage on saving throws against attempts to turn you using Turn Undead, as well as any spells or abilities that can specifically ward or trap undead such as magic circle. You also have advantage on any saving throws against being controlled by abilities such as Command Undead, if you already have advantage, take the advantage and double your saving throw modifier.

Skeleton

• Ability Score Bonus: +2 Dexterity
• Ability Score Penalty: -1 Charisma
• Traits: Bone Detach
• Resistances: No additional resistances
• Immunities: No additional immunities
• Disadvantages: Vulnerability to bludgeoning damage

You are among the weakest of undead creatures, often raised as mindless minions or even cannon fodder. You may have once been another disposable troop in a horde of undead, or you could have arisen spontaneously, maybe you were raised by an adventuring necromancer, either way it's unlikely you started fully sentient. Something happened though; your original soul returned and now you inhabit the remains of your body, locked in a form that inspires dread to others even if you don't intend to.

Bone Detach You may spend an action to remove a limb and use it as a tool or melee weapon. On the same action, you can throw your bone a distance of up to 60 ft. You must retrieve it back or replace it. If your hand is also thrown, alone or with your arm, it can move back to you at a speed of 10 ft.

Rolled damage from a limb with a humerus or femur stacks, rolled damage from other limbs does not stack (for example an entire leg is 1d4 + 1d6 + Con modifier). On a critical hit, if the damage dealt is greater than half of your hit points, it breaks. You may replace a bone with another from an inanimate skeleton or created for you with magic. You can also use smaller bones that are not listed above such as individual fingers or a knee cap but they do not do significant damage.

You use this trait a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier, and regain expended uses after a short or long rest.

Vampire

• Ability Score Bonus: None
• Ability Score Penalty: None
• Traits: Bite Attack, Torpor
• Resistances: No additional resistances
• Immunities: No additional immunities
• Disadvantages: Bloodlust, Sunlight Vulnerability, Vampire Weaknesses

This template covers the very basics of what it means to be a vampire, so the benefits and costs are minimal. a character who wishes to advance their vampiric powers can take a vampire class or prestige class which taps into their innate vampiric abilities much like a sorceror taps into their innate magic. If you decide to move onto a vampire class, adjust any traits to fit the class.

Bite Attack. You can use your action to bite a creature and drain blood from it if it has blood. The creature must be willing, restrained, incapacitated, or grappled. The bite attack is an unarmed melee attack with a reach of 5 ft. You have proficiency with this attack and can use either your Dexterity or Strength modifier to attack. The attack does 1d6 piercing damage plus your Dexterity or Strength modifier plus 1d6 necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage dealt, and you regain hit points equal to that amount of damage. You may instead drain up to 4 hit dice from your target if the creature has hit dice. The reduction lasts until the creature finishes a long rest. Any creature whose hit point maximum is reduced to 0 hit points dies. This attack counts as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances or immunities.

Bloodlust. Although you do not require food or drink the way a mortal creature does, you do require the blood of a living creature. Every time you use your bite attack and drain hit points or hit dice, you may spend 1 minute to drain 1 pint of blood. You must drink a total of 7 pints (3.3 liters) of blood per week from a living creature that is the same size and the same creature type you were before becoming a vampire. You may subsist on the blood of a creature that is not the same type as you were, but require twice as much blood. If you do not meet half your blood requirement at the end of each week, you suffer 2 levels of exhaustion, if you do not meet your full blood requirement you suffer 1 level of exhaustion. To recover from exhaustion you must meet your blood requirement in a week times your exhaustion level. For example, if you suffer from 3 levels of exhaustion due to blood deprivation, and must spend a week drinking 21 pints (9.9 liters) of blood to recover from exhaustion, if you fail to recover from exhaustion but still meet your regular blood requirement, you remain at that level of exhaustion. After 6 levels of exhaustion you slip into torpor for a year unless woken up using a greater restoration spell but still suffer from 5 levels of exhaustion and cannot benefit from more castings of that spell or anything that replicates its effect until you drink blood to recover your exhaustion. After waking up regardless of how you are woken up, you are compelled to use your bite attack to drink 50 pints (24 liters) from the nearest living creatures to you. You cannot make any other actions besides movement actions until you drink a total of that amount and recover from all levels of exhaustion afterward. The rules on the blood of another creature and size type still apply.

Sunlight Vulnerability. You take 10 radiant damage when you start your turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks. You may wear dark, concealing clothing such a cloak with hood to negate damage from this weakness. If you are reduced to 0 hitpoints this way, you are destroyed and can only be brought back to undeath by a true resurrection or wish spell.

Torpor. When you sleep, you appear to be dead to attempts at close inspection without magic. You may also adjust your duration of sleep to extend to up to a month to gain the benefits of a lesser restoration spell and up to three months or longer to gain the benefits of a greater restoration spell.

Vampire Weaknesses. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into your heart while you are incapacitated or asleep, you are paralyzed until the stake is removed.

In addition, you aquire an additional weakness from the following table.

Wight

• Ability Score Bonus: +2 Dexterity
• Ability Score Penalty: None
• Traits: Sneaky
• Resistances: Necrotic damage
• Immunities: No additional immunities
• Disadvantages: Sunlight Sensitivity

You may have been a violent, evil person in life, and thus made to continue your slaughter in undeath by evil gods. Or you may have been turned into an energy-hungry undead killing machine by a necromancer or another wight. You may be taking up adventuring for a number of reasons, to sate your slaughter or revenge against the necromancer who did this to you, or maybe you have had a change of heart and decide to make it up with heroic deeds.

Sneaky. You gain proficiency in Stealth if you are not proficient already.

Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Class Features

Many class features assume that the player character is alive and would benefit from things that undead already benefit from such as immunity to poison. Whether or not channeling radiant or divine power harms an undead is up to the DM, but generally living creatures can hardness necrotic or unholy power without immediate physical damage, so why can't an undead creature handle radiant or holy power without damage?

Spells of Use

Undead and those who work along with them who seek to aid undead rather than control them have adapted their magic to help.

Take the Reins

5th-level Necromancy (ritual)

• Casting Time: 1 minute
• Range: Touch
• Components: V, S, M (An onyx gemstone worth at least 50 gp which the spell consumes if activated)
• Duration: 8 hours
• Classes: Bard, Cleric, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard

You create a short-term pact with a being to ward against death. You must convince a creature that is capable of possession or has Incorporeal Movement as a trait to be carried in a gemstone and take over your body if you become unconscious or die before you cast this spell. During the casting of this spell, the creature becomes trapped inside the onyx gemstone for the duration of the spell, and takes no damage.

You must carry the gemstone with you during the duration of the spell, in which it remains passive until activated. If you fall to 0 hit points, the spells activates, the gemstone breaks, and the creature possesses your body. Upon possession, your body gains 1 hit point and your Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom scores are replaced by the creature's for as long as the creature inhabits your body. You regain consciousness the next turn after this spell activates. The DM make take your character for the time of the possession.

This spell may activate if you die due to a circumstance that skips death saving throws, but your body must remain intact enough to be useful or else the possession does not work and the spell cannot be activated. You count as an undead creature and take the resistances and weaknesses the possessing creature has. For the duration of possession your corpse does not decay and extends the time limit for resurrection spells such as revivfy. If you are resurrected, you regain control of your body and the possessing creature is evicted.

If the gemstone is ever 100 feet or more away from you, it shatters and the creature is freed and the spell cannot be activated.

Once you are possessed, the possessing creature may as a reflexive action transfer control back to you if it chooses. The possessing creature also has a time limit equal to the rest of the duration time of the spell before it was activated in addition to 1 hour. After the duration, the creature no longer possess you and cannot possess you with its own power or another casting of this spell for the next 24 hours. If you remain undead at the end of the spell, you die unless you were already undead prior to the spell. If you were already undead, you simply regain control of your body.

If you fall to 0 hit points again, you have advantage on death saving throws, if you die, you are no longer possessed. You then rise as a ghost until you are resurrected reanimated if your soul does not have an automatic destination after death such as a phylactery or clone made with the clone spell.

Soothe Undead

2nd-level Necromancy

• Casting Time: 1 Action
• Range: 30 feet
• Components: V, S,
• Duration: 1 hour
• Classes: Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Wizard

You give relief to an undead creature that is under constant agony due to its condition such as a spectre. Choose an undead creature that is within 30 feet of you that is perpetually distressed, the creature must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC, upon failure the creature is relieved of its torment and behaves favorably to you. This does not count as a charm effect. The creature may choose to fail its roll.

After the spell ends, the agony returns, and the creature may become hostile to you as a result if it feels you have tricked or betrayed it.

At Higher Levels.When you cast this spell using a 3rd level spell slot or higher, the duration increases 1 hour for each spell slot above 2nd. When you cast this with a 6th level spell slot or higher, the duration becomes permanent until dispelled.

Reanimate Onto Undeath

5th-level Necromancy (ritual)

• Casting Time: 1 hour
• Range: Touch
• Components: V, S, M ()
• Duration: Duration
• Classes: Cleric, Warlock, Wizard

You raise a corpse into an undead creature, minding any damage you may cause to its soul and wellbeing. If the creature's soul is willing and able to return to its body, it rises with 1 hp and is undead and has the basic traits of an undead creature. You may choose to reanimate the creature with the necropolitan features listed in page (xx). If the corpse is reduced to bones, it gains vulnerability to bludgeoning damage but resistance to piercing damage.

Care should be taken to prepare the body for occupancy, such as closing wounds or repairing broken bones. Missing bones or organs cannot be replaced, and the spell does not work if the head or skull is missing. The soul may be reluctant to return if too much of its body is missing.

This spell can also be used to revive undead creatures.

The reanimated creature regains its maximum hitpoints after finishing a long rest.

Adventure Hooks & Ideas

Most undead that heroes encounter are hostile enemies to take down, so how would non-evil undead work in a campaign? Here are some ideas and hooks.