Tome of Necromancy (3.5e Sourcebook)/Monsters

Monsters

Perhaps the most important thing about necromancy is the undead creatures themselves.

Artificial Intelligence

When a necromancer creates even a lowly kobold skeleton when his necromantic control limit has already been reached, one or more of the undead creatures already under his control become "uncontrolled". That much is clear to everyone. But what does an uncontrolled zombie do? It's not intelligent, it simply runs a program that causes it to act in a predictable fashion to stimulus. Of course, what that program actually is has heretofore been left undescribed. The actions of uncontrolled undead depend largely on the moral option your game is using for necromancy in general.

Of course, it doesn't make much difference to uncontrolled Wights and the like – they are somewhat intelligent and wholly evil. So they'll be just like any other monster – as tactically savvy as the DM.

Crawling Darkness

Under the Crawling Darkness option, undead are inherently evil, and act accordingly. The mindless undead hunger for life and are completely ambivalent to all else. If a skeleton has unbroken line of sight to a living creature or object, they will attack it. If living creatures and objects are both visible, the skeletons will bypass objects (such as trees) in order to attack creatures (such as people or horses). Non-living and undead creatures are unmolested unless the skeleton witnesses it attacking an undead creature. Skeletons prioritize targets that they can reach this round without provoking attacks of opportunity over other targets. Skeletons prioritize targets with more hit dice over other targets. Skeletons prioritize targets which are closer over targets more distant.

If a skeleton perceives an undead creature attacking another undead creature, it will attack whichever undead has been in its line of sight for less time. If a skeleton has seen both creatures for an equal amount of time, it comes in on a random side (even if it had previously seen one of the undead creatures in a previous context). If a skeleton is attacked by an undead creature, it will defend itself.

Skeletons wander around in a spiral search pattern attacking any living thing they find. They do not molest non-living things at all, so a skeleton will not open a door or tunnel through a wall unless it is made out of living wood or meat. If a living thing disappears from its vision, the skeleton will go to where the living creature was last seen and begin searching there – unless another living thing is seen (in which case the skeleton will simply move to attack it instead).

Skeletons do not question their perceptions, a closed door or even a curtain can be enough for a skeleton to abandon a pursuit. Skeletons have no sense of smell or irony, and a living victim is forgotten as soon as the skeleton moves to the point of last contact. A skeleton will not walk into what appear to be dangerous or solid objects unless it can see a way to get to a living target that it can currently perceive.

Don't Attack Unless....

Since skeletons are mindlessly evil and relentless in their quest to destroy all life, a skeleton is normally ordered to not attack unless specific criteria are evoked. The criteria could be anything from "walking through this doorway without invoking the name of Wee Jas" to "attacking someone wearing the garb of the chosen of Kyuss." If the exact criteria are not met, the skeletons will hold their blades. Most necromancers remember to allow their skeletons leeway to defend themselves, but sometimes even that is overlooked. Controlled skeletons, therefore, are usually under considerable restraints and will often hold their claws in check until after combat has been initiated.

Playing with Fire

Under the Playing with Fire option, undead are dangerous, but not necessarily evil. Their behavior befits that. Uncontrolled skeletons follow their last set of commands exactly, and those commands are only of the most basic sort. A skeleton last ordered to follow the necromancer who created it will continue to do so – mindlessly marching in the necromancer's wake, its empty eye sockets staring vacantly. It won't make any move to assist the necromancer, nor will it take any further instructions, it will simply follow. Forever. Should a skeleton be last asked to guard an area, it will attack any creature entering the area, though it will make no move to attack creatures outside that area. A skeleton last ordered to chop wood will continue until the forest is splinters or its axe rusts away to nothing.

Skeletons will defend themselves if attacked, and will attack creatures that they perceive attacking other undead. As with the Crawling Darkness, if skeletons see undead attacking other undead, it can rapidly degrade into a free-for-all with skeletons smashing each other with abandon. But they will not instigate such behavior on their own. Skeletons will not leave areas they are assigned to except to pursue creatures which are attacking them.

Skeletons are not curious about their surroundings, and do not question events in their area that do not obviously interact with their latest orders.

Previously Published Monsters

There are a lot of undead monsters in a variety of sourcebooks. In fact, regional and monster sourcebooks that don't have at least one undead creature in them are by far in the minority. Many of these creatures are supposed to be constructed by powerful Necromancers, and have no rules for powerful necromancers actually doing that. Many of these creatures should rightfully have the Unliving or Dark Minded subtypes. What follows is a list of the Undead already existent in D&D as well as the method of creating them, with the hard character requirements and suggested building materials on the third. Many Fey and Native Outsiders can be counted as "humanoids" for purposes of creating undead.

Undead Creation

Monster	Modifications	Creation Requirements	Creation Materials
Abyssal Ghoul	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 12 – 120 hp)	A Feast Unknown: Character Level 12, Knowledge (planes) 4 ranks	Requires the sacrifice of a CR 8 or higher humanoid or fiend.
Allip	Dark Minded	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character level 5, Listen 4 ranks	Requires the name of a unique individual who was completely insane at death.
Angel of Decay	Dark Minded	Feed the Dark Gods: Character Level 17	Must sacrifice 15 intelligent creatures, materials costing 7500 gp.
Atropal Scion	No Modifications	Feed the Dark Gods: Character Level 13	Must sacrifice 11 intelligent creatures, materials costing 6,500 gp.
Banshee	Dark Minded	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character Level 19, wail of the banshee	Requires the corpse of a very selfish humanoid.
Bhut	Dark Minded	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character Level 11, Survival 4 ranks	Requires sacrificing an intelligent victim at least two days walk from a city.
Blaspheme	Dark Minded	Body Assemblage: Character Level 11, Knowledge (religion) 4 ranks, false life	Requires pieces of humanoid or giant corpses such that an attribute of 14 or higher is represented in all statistics.
Bleakborn	No Modifications	Wrappings of the Ages: Character Level 9, chill touch	Requires the corpse of a humanoid who died of cold.
Blood Amniote	No Modifications	Path of Blood: Character Level 11, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 4 ranks	Requires 20 liters of blood and an alchemist's lab.
Bloodfiend	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 17 – 114 hp)	Path of Blood: Character level 16, knowledge (planes) 4 ranks	Requires the sacrifice a demon of CR 8 or higher.
Bloodmote Cloud	No Modifications	Path of Blood: Character level 8, knowledge (Nature) 4 ranks	Requires 20 liters of blood and an alchemist's lab.
Boneclaw	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 19, loses Unholy Toughness)	Path of Blood: Character level 7, spectral hand	Requires one humanoid body and the skeletons of 3 other medium creatures.
Bone Creature	Dark Minded	Body Assemblage: Character level 3	Requires one relatively clean skeleton.
Bone Drinker	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 14, loses Unholy Toughness)	Wrappings of the Ages: Character level 8 (6 for Lesser), Craft (alchemy) 4 ranks or Create undead, caster level 15 (12 for Lesser).	Requires the corpse of a goblin (lesser) or bugbear (greater).
Bone Naga	Dark Minded	Wrappings of the Ages: Character Level 13	Requires the corpse of a Dark Naga.
Bodak	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 15 – 76 hp)	Path of Blood: Character level 10, Knowledge (Religion) 4 ranks	Requires the corpse of someone extremely evil, or the killing of a humanoid with evil magic.
Bone Rat Swarm	No Modifications	Body Assemblage: Character level 5, Knowledge (Nature) 4 ranks	Requires 1,000 rat skeletons.
Bone Yard	No Modifications	Body Assemblage: Character level 16, Craft (alchemy) 4 ranks	Requires 5 tonnes of bones from any creatures.
Brain in a Jar	Dark Minded	Wrappings of the Ages: Character level 6, Craft (alchemy) 4 ranks	Requires the removal of the living brain of a creature with an Intelligence of 18+.
Charnel Hound	Unliving (Con 19, loses Unholy Toughness)	Body Assemblage: Character level 15, Handle Animal 4 ranks	Requires 100 humanoid corpses (or proportionately fewer larger corpses of intelligent creatures).
Cinderspawn	No Modifications	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character level 8, Knowledge (planes) 4 ranks	Requires the spot where a Fire Elemental perished.
Corpse Creature	Dark Minded	Body Assemblage: Character level 3	Requires one relatively intact corpse.
Corpse Gatherer	No Modifications	Body Assemblage: Character level 21	Requires and consumes a forsaken graveyard.
Corpse Rat Swarm	No Modifications	Body Assemblage: Character level 6, Knowledge (Nature) 4 ranks	Requires 1,000 rat corpses.
Crawling Head	No Modifications	Body Assemblage: character level 22, Use Magic Device 4 ranks	Must have at least 100 humanoid corpses.
Crimson Death	Dark Minded	Path of Blood: Character level 13, Hide 4 ranks	Requires a humanoid, a sharp implement, and a strong wind.
Crypt Chanter	Dark Minded	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character level 9, Perform 4 ranks	Must know the name of a dead performer who was unappreciated at the time of death.
Crypt Thing	Dark Minded	Wrappings of the Ages: Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) 4 ranks or create undead, caster level 14th.	Requires one humanoid corpse and a fancy outfit.
Deathbringer	Dark Minded	Body Assemblage: Character level 19, Craft (tailor) 4 ranks	Requires at least 12 humanoid corpses or two giant corpses.
Death Knight	Dark Minded	Feed the Dark Gods	More powerful warriors require more sacrifices to reanimate.
Deathlock	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 11 – 19 hp)	Path of Blood: Character level 5, Knowledge (Arcana) 4 ranks	Requires the body of an arcane Spellcaster.
Deathshrieker	No modifications	Feed the Dark Gods: Character level 17	Must sacrifice 15 intelligent creatures and use equipment costing no less than 7,500 gp.
Demilich	Dark Minded	Craft Wonderous Item	Caster Level 21
Desiccator	No Modifications	A Feast Unknown: Character Level 4, Knowledge (planes) 4 ranks	Requires the location where a Water Elemental died.
Devourer	Unliving (Con 18 – 126 hp)	A Feast Unknown: Character level 13, Knowledge (planes) 4 ranks	Requires the slaying of a giant and a humanoid.
Dream Vestige	Dark Minded	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character level 18, Oneiromancy	Requires at least 100 sapient creatures to be killed in their sleep within an hour.
Drowned	Unliving (Con 13, loses Unholy Toughness), CR bumped to 9.	Body Assemblage: Character level 11, Swim 4 ranks	Requires the corpse of humanoid who died of drowning.
Dust Wight	No Modifications	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character level 9, Appraise 4 ranks	Requires the corpse of a humanoid dead for at least 100 years.
Ephemeral Swarm	CR bumped to 8	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character level 10, Knowledge (Nature) 4 ranks	Requires the names of 1000 dead animals.
Effigy	No Modifications	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character level 19	Must have 3 spells with the [Fire] descriptor.
Entomber	Unliving (Con 12 – 60 hp)	A Feast Unknown: Character Level 7, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) 4 ranks	Requires a corpse and some blue thread.
Entropic Reaper	Dark Minded	Feed the Dark Gods: Character level 14	12 sacrifices and 6,000 gp.
Famine Spirit	Unliving (Con 18 – 336 hp)	A Feast Unknown: Character Level 21, finger of death, symbol of pain	Requires the corpse of a humanoid who starved to death within the last hour.
Forsaken Shell	No Modifications	A Feast Unknown: Character level 8, Hide 4 ranks	Must remove all the skin from a humanoid.
Ghast	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 15 – 37 hp)	A Feast Unknown: Character level 5, Heal 4 ranks	Requires infecting and killing a humanoid of at least 3 hit dice.
Ghost Brute	No Modifications	Whispers of the Otherworld: Variable	Requires killing an intelligent creature.
Ghostly Visage	No Modifications	Whispers of the Otherworld, Graft Flesh	Requires killing an intelligent creature.
Ghoul	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 13 – 15 hp)	A Feast Unknown: Character level 3	Requires killing a humanoid.
Gravecrawler	Dark Minded	Body Assemblage: Character level 18, flesh to stone, speak with dead	(Fill me.)
Gravetouched Ghoul	N/A	N/A	This monster is subsumed into the Ghoul Template presented here.
Grim Weird	Dark Minded	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character Level 13, Knowledge (Arcana) 4 ranks	(Fill me.)
Huecuva	No Modifications	Wrappings of the Ages: Knowledge (religion) 4 ranks	Must have the corpse of a Blackguard, Cleric, Druid, Favored Soul, Monk, or Paladin.
Hulking Corpse	No Modifications	Body Assemblage: Character Level 11 Requires the corpse of a giant.
Hullathoin	Unliving (Con 26 – 232 hp)	Feed the Dark Gods: Character Level 17	15 sacrifices and 7,500 gp.
Hunefer	Dark Minded	Wrappings of the Ages: Character level 27, Knowledge (Religion) 10 ranks	Must have the body of a demigod.
Jahi	Dark Minded	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character level 18, Bluff 10 ranks	(Fill me.)
Lavawight	Unliving (Con 16 – 304 hp)	A Feast Unknown: Character level 25	Requires a humanoid of at least 16 hit dice and access to a pool of magma.
Lich	Dark Minded	Craft Wondrous Item: Caster Level 11	Requires a spellcaster of at least level 11.
Mohrg	No Modifications	Body Assemblage: Character level (Fill Me)	(Fill me.)
Mummy	Dark Minded	Wrappings of the Ages: Character level 7, Heal 4 ranks	Requires the corpse of a humanoid.
Murk	No Modifications	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character level 5, Sense Motive 4 ranks	(Fill me.)
Necromental	No Modifications	Wrappings of the Ages: Variable	(Fill me.)
Necronaut	No Modifications	Body Assemblage: Character level 16, Knowledge (Engineering) 4 ranks	(Fill me.)
Necropolitan	Dark Minded, Unliving	Path of Blood: Knowledge (Arcana) 4 ranks	N/A.
Nightshade	Dark Minded	Feed the Dark Gods: Variable	Sacrifices variable.
Plagueblight	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 15 – 57 hp)	Body Assemblage: Character level 8, contagion	(Fill me.)
Plague Spewer	No Modifications	Path of Blood: Character Level 12, Heal 4 ranks	(Fill me.)
Quell	Dark Minded	Path of Blood: Character Level 5, Knowledge (Religion) 4 ranks	(Fill me.)
Quth-Maren	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 15 – 85 hp)	A Feast Unknown: Character Level 9	Must strip the skin off a humanoid.
Ragewind	No Modifications	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character Level 21, Proficiency in all martial weapons	(Fill me.)
Raiment	No Modifications	Wrappings of the Ages: Character Level 3, Craft (tailoring) 4 ranks	(Fill me.)
Revived Fossil	No Modifications	Wrappings of the ages: Variable requirements	Variable requirements.
Salt Mummy	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 16, loses Unholy Toughness)	Wrappings of the Ages: Character Level 10, desiccate	Requires the corpse of a humanoid.
Shadow	No Modifications	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character Level 5, Hide 4 ranks	Requires the corpse of an intelligent creature.
Shadow of the Void	Dark Minded	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character Level 28, Survival 10 ranks	(Fill me.)
Shape of Fire	Dark Minded	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character Level 28, Knowledge (planes) 10 ranks	(Fill me.)
Skeleton	No Modifications	Body Assemblage: Variable requirements or Animate Dead	Requires a corpse.
Skin Kite	No Modifications	Body Assemblage: Character Level 5, Craft (Tailoring) 4 ranks	(Fill me.)
Skirr	Unliving (Con 19 – 94 hp)	Wrappings of the Ages: Character Level 9, Craft (alchemy) 4 ranks	(Fill me.)
Skulking Cyst	Unliving (Con 15 – 34 hp)	necrotic cyst	(Fill me.)
Slaughter Wight	Unliving (Con 13 – 153 hp)	A Feast Unknown: Character Level 10, BAB +7	(Fill me.)
Slay Mate	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 11)	You can't make this one	N/A.
Spawn of Kyuss	No Modifications	A Feast Unknown: Character Level 7, Knowledge (Religion) 4 ranks	(Fill me.)
Specter	No Modifications	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character Level 9, Bluff 4 Ranks	Requires the corpse of a humanoid.
Spectral Lyricist	Dark Minded	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character Level 6, Perform 4 ranks	Requires the corpse of a Bard.
Swordwraith	Darkminded, Unliving (Con 14 – 42 hp)	Whispers of the Otherworld	Must have the corpse of a mercenary warrior.
Tomb Mote	No Modifications	Wrappings of the Ages: Character Level 4, Heal 4 ranks	(Fill me.)
Ulgurstasta	Unliving (Con 30 – 280 hp), upon reaching an Int of 10, the Ulgurstasta also has the Darkminded subtype.	Feed the Dark Gods	An Ulgurstasta is created at Intelligence 1, but still requires 11 sacrifices.
Vampire	Dark Minded, Unliving (variable Con)	Path of Blood: More powerful vampires require more powerful characters to create	N/A.
Vampire Spawn	Unliving (Con 13 – 33 hp)	Path of Blood: Character Level 6	Must sacrifice a humanoid of less than 5th level.
Vasuthant	No Modifications	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character Level 4 (19 for Horrific Vasuthant), darkness	(Fill me.)
Visage	Dark Minded, Unliving (Con 12 – 99 hp)	A Feast Unknown: Character Level 11, knowledge (planes) 4 ranks	(Fill me.)
Voidwraith	No Modifications	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character Level 8, Knowledge (the planes) 4 ranks	(Fill me.)
Wheep	No Modifications	Path of Blood: Character Level 13, Intimidate 4 ranks	Requires the corpse of a humanoid that was tortured before death
Wight	Unliving (Con 13 – 28 hp)	Any creature slain by negative levels can rise as a Wight	N/A.
Winterwight	Unliving (Con 16 – 304 hp)	A Feast Unknown: Character Level 25, Black Ice	Requires a humanoid of at least 16 hit dice.
Wraith	Dark Minded	Whispers of the Otherworld: Character Level 7 (13 for Dread Wraith)	Requires the corpse of a humanoid.
Zombie	No Modifications	Body Assemblage: Variable requirements or animate dead	As normal.

References

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