Talk:Undead (Dungeons & Dragons)

Articles merged

 * Article merged: See old talk-page for allip here. -Drilnoth (talk) 02:53, 7 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Article merged: See old talk-page for animus here. -Drilnoth (talk) 03:01, 7 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Article merged: See old talk-page for baelnorn here. -Drilnoth (talk) 14:49, 7 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Article merged: See old talk-page for bloodhulk here. -Drilnoth (talk) 14:54, 7 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Article merged: See old talk-page for boneclaw here. -Drilnoth (talk) 17:39, 7 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Article merged: See old talk-page for crimson death here. -Drilnoth (talk) 13:18, 8 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Article merged: See old talk-page for devourer here. -Drilnoth (talk) 17:59, 8 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Article merged: See old talk-page for effigy here. -Drilnoth (talk) 18:03, 8 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Article merged: See old talk-page for flameskull here. -Drilnoth (talk) 18:08, 8 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Article merged: See old talk-page for mohrg here. -Drilnoth (talk) 18:12, 8 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Article merged: See old talk-page for shadow here. -Drilnoth (talk) 18:16, 8 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Article merged: See old talk-page for wrackspawn here. -Drilnoth (talk) 18:28, 8 November 2008 (UTC)

I ain't doing the work, but this is probably notable
https://www.google.com/search?q=undead+dungeons+and+dragons&sxsrf=ALeKk01G9q5tvmQXCfe8zzwT3pi6ZeKO3Q:1582319708082&source=lnms&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj86vugyOPnAhXaITQIHdT6BSIQ_AUoA3oECDcQBQ&biw=1094&bih=474 Peregrine Fisher (talk) 21:16, 21 February 2020 (UTC)
 * Well, User:BD2412 is already tackling Draft:Lycanthrope (Dungeons & Dragons), so that may keep him busy for a while, but we may have to go to the mat for this one as well. BOZ (talk) 23:12, 21 February 2020 (UTC)

Ref Error
Hi, Your page/draft is generating an error "Cite error: A list-defined reference has a conflicting group attribute "lower-alpha" (see the help page)." which causes it to appear on the CAT:REF page. Please could you try to track down what's causing the error? Thanks BoonDock (talk) 20:47, 12 March 2023 (UTC)

Content moved from draft to talk page
{{quote|

Allip
The allip is an undead creature, the spectral remains of someone driven to suicide by madness in life. They are found on any land, and underground, they are solitary, and carry nothing with them, despite having the intellect of a human.

In the third edition Monster Manual, an allip is described as having the same features that it did in life, but greatly distorted. The mouth is twisted, and the eyes glow. From the waist down, it becomes much more gas-like, looking like a typical ghost—it has no legs, and trails off into "vaporous nothingness". It leaves a faint trail of fog behind it as it moves.

Animus
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting, an  is an undead monster created through the use of both arcane and divine magic. They are unique to the Great Kingdom and its successor states.

Animuses retain all skills and powers that they possessed in life (unless a deity forbids it) and also attain other powers from their transformation. All animuses possess immense strength, and can spread fear by their touch. They also gain the power to command undead, and can paralyze by gazing into a target's eyes. An animus can also mentally dominate living creatures and implant suggestions into their minds.

Among the most important powers of an animus is its regeneration powers. An animus can only be destroyed totally by being cremated or dissolved in acid.

Unique among undead, animuses are affected by disease. However, as the animus is already dead, no disease can be fatal or terminal to an animus.

The animuses are a legacy of the alliance between the House of Naelax and the devil Baalzephon. In the 440s CY, an ancestor to the Naelax line of Overkings made contact with Baalzephon to further his own powerbase. Baalzephon promised to aid the Naelax in gaining the position of Overking in exchange for the souls of the Naelax line. Part of this aid rendered would be the secrets to making animuses.

Around 583 CY, during the Greyhawk Wars, the first animuses were created. Overking Ivid V, paranoid about disloyal advisers and nobles, had numerous key generals, nobles and lords assassinated, particularly after the defeat of Aerdy forces at the Battle of Innspa. Their bodies were handed over to priests of Hextor and pit fiends supplied by Baalzephon. Each body was imbued with an admixture of divine and fiendish arcane spells while the souls resided in an artifact on loan from Baalzephon, the Casket of Abyssal Bone.

Amongst those transformed into animuses was, eventually, Ivid himself, transformed on the orders of Baalzephon, who hoped to stave off the wasting disease that had afflicted Ivid and threatened to kill him. The aim was to keep Ivid as a stable puppet on the Malachite Throne. The plan failed, however, as the disease progressed unchecked.

Since the loss of Rauxes and with it Ivid, there have been no means to create new animuses, as Baalzephon's devils and the Casket have vanished along with the capital of the Great Kingdom. The exact spells used to create animuses have also been lost as well. However, numerous animuses still walk the lands of the Aerdi. Since Ivid's disappearance, the magical effects that bound them to loyalty to him were diminished, and many of the animuses pursue their own plans.

A second story places the blame of the creation of the animuses, at least initially, on Lady Lorana Kath, one of the 12 Death knights created by Demogorgon. In this telling, she created the first Animi from peasantry from her fiefdom near Stringen, either as a means of finding a lover who could tolerate being near a Death Knight, or in the hopes of finding a way of undoing the transformation imposed upon her by Demogorgon. She later revealed the secret of animus creation to Ivid V and the priesthood of Hextor as a means of currying favor. Under this theory, Kath is thought to be still capable of creating new animuses, a potential that she uses as a means of retaining power within the priesthood of Hextor.

Publishing history
The animus first appeared in From the Ashes, which linked the first appearance of the monster to the Greyhawk Wars storyline. The idea was fleshed out in the never-released (but available online) supplement Ivid the Undying. The monster was later updated in 2001 for third edition in the Living Greyhawk Journal, and for 3.5 in Dragon Magazine's "Creature Catalogue" feature.

There have been no official game stats allowing players to replicate the process of creating animuses, and it is explicitly said that the process would be impossible to replicate in game statistics.

Ashen Husk
The ashen husk is an undead formed from the animated corpses of those who died of thirst and dehydration while in the desert (contrary to being labelled as animated corpses, however, they are not zombies).

Baelnorn
A  is a fictional undead creature, usually a spellcaster. They are described as elves who sought undeath to serve their families, communities, or other purposes (usually to see a wrong righted or to achieve a certain magical discovery or deed). They are lich-like creatures that appear as impressive-looking elves with shriveled skin and glowing white eyes. Most of their appearances in modules, setting books, games, novels and the like are related to the old lords of Cormanthor/Myth Drannor, a fictional location in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

Baelnorns are created through a powerful arcane or divine necromantic ritual. Typically, elven characters choosing to pursue a duty which would extend beyond death voluntarily go through the process. The process is described as similar to that of a lich, but does not result in the fear oriented abilities attributed to liches. The ritual permits the character to retain all of its memories, personality, and abilities. In addition, the process alters a character's abilities, conferring many of the powers seen in other types of undead monsters, including paralyzing touches and summoning other, lesser forms of undead. In the Forgotten Realms setting, Gold or Sun elves are the most likely to pursue this goal, but first must find the approval of various groups, sometimes including the Seldarine.

To become a baelnorn (instead of a lich), a character must be of a non-evil alignment (usually Lawful Good). However, a baelnorn may become evil after the ritual, as seen in the character Tordynnar Rhaevaern, detailed in the supplement Lords of Darkness.

In D&D novels
Baelnorn characters usually appear in the role of champions, guardians, and protectors. In the novel Elminster in Hell, Elminster consults with a number of baelnorns beneath the ruins of Myth Drannor. In the Pool of Radiance novel and game, the protector baelnorn Miroden Silverblade is kidnapped by a cult. The Forgotten Realms novels The Siege and The Lost Library of Cormanthyr both include guardian baelnorn characters. The character Tordynnar Rhaevaern is detailed in the supplement Lords of Darkness as a baelnorn archmage who has become evil and shows hatred for humans.

Bloodhulk
The bloodhulk is an undead being that was originally an evil, fanatical, shamanistic human or similar creature whom others had come to worship as a god, and had too many sacrifices made to them. When it dies, the gallons of blood from those sacrificed to the bloodhulk begins to run in its veins, and it arises as oozing, hulking, misshapen abomination.

Bloodhulks resemble humans, albeit very vaguely. So full of blood have their muscles, skin, sinews and such become that they look nothing short of mutated and their identity is completely lost. Their veins bulge through their thick, red, rippling skin, struggling to pump blood to their gargantuan upper mass. Their heads are incredibly disproportionate to the rest of their body, being shriveled and wizened and tiny at the top of their massive torsos.

Under Second Edition rules, Bloodhulks are described as incredibly bestial creatures with no desire other than to roam around and obtain the blood of any who would encroach upon what was their territory in life. For each victim the Bloodhulk kills with their brute strength and powerful fists, they consume the remains and become stronger from the blood. Eventually their hearts can no longer take the strain, however, and the creatures shrivel and die. For some reason, Bloodhulks are often depicted with other, smaller Bloodhulks, possibly clerics or such which had also received a small portion of the blood from the Bloodhulk's sacrifices in life.

As of Third Edition, Bloodhulks seem to have lost their clerical background, their blood-consuming ability, and their vulnerability to cardiac failure. They are essentially on par with zombies, although with increased size and hit points and a vulnerability to piercing weapons.

Most Bloodhulks cannot speak. The few that can speak speak Undercommon.

The bloodhulk crusher, bloodhulk fighter, and bloodhulk giant appeared in the Monster Manual IV (2006).

Bodak
The Bodak comes from the Infinite Layers of the Abyss. A bodak is humanoid in shape, with smooth grayish-black skin and a featureless face. Its gaze kills living creatures. A bodak is always chaotic evil. It is said that humanoids who die in some of the most evil places of the Abyss return as bodaks.

The bodak was introduced to the D&D game in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons with the module Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (1982), It appeared in the first edition Monster Manual II (1983). For the 2nd edition, it appears in the Monstrous Compendium Outer Planes Appendix (1991) and it was further detailed in the first Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994). The Third edition Monster Manual(2000). In Dragon #307 (May 2003), which introduced the bodak template, with the five-headed hydra bodak as a sample creature. It also appears in the 3.5 edition in the revised Monster Manual (2003) and again in the 4th edition, it appears in the Monster Manual (2008).

Boneclaw
The  is an undead creature which can be used by Dungeon Masters as allies or enemies of the player characters. In the game, they resemble humanoids who are half skeletal and half without skin, with their sinew and muscle exposed. The most prominent feature of the boneclaw are its claws; its three, bony fingernails seem to grow and shrink randomly between two and ten feet long, and are razor sharp. They are constructed using a secret magical ritual to hunt and kill living creatures

Whether to sadistically end the lives of the innocent, or due to being in the service of a necromancer or such who commands them to do so, the purpose of boneclaws in the Dungeons & Dragons game is to eviscerate the living with their claws. Though they often grow and retract as they please, the Boneclaw can take full control of the length of its claws, and attacks by sneaking into the range of a foe and then lashing out with a claw growing at the speed of lightning, and skewering them through the heart.

Boneclaws speak Common and, in 3rd edition, Abyssal. They are evil in alignment.

Boneclaws in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting were created by Szass Tam to protect Thayan enclaves.

Boneclaws in Eberron were created by Droamite necromancers working for the daughters of Sora Kell from ogre magi.

The boneclaw appears in the Monster Manual for 4th edition.

Miniatures
Two Dungeons & Dragons miniatures represent boneclaws. The first, simply called "Boneclaw", was a Rare miniatures in the Deathknell expansion. The second, also a rare, was the "Boneclaw Impaler" in the Against the Giants expansion.

Brain in a Jar

 * For the thought experiment, see Brain in a Vat.

Brain in a Jar is simply put, an undead brain in a jar of preservative fluid. It was introduced in Libris Mortis, a D&D supplement that deals specifically with undead.

It is a live brain in a grimy jar filled with preservation fluid with powerful (psionic abilities.

The brain in a jar is a masterpiece of preservation—but where alchemical preservatives leave off, necromancy picks up.

Merely removing the brain of a zombie or some other undead creature and storing it in alchemical preservatives is not enough to create an undead brain with psionic ability. The ritual of extraction, the spells of formulation, and the alchemical recipes of preservation are closely guarded secrets held by only a few master necromancers.

The creation of a brain in a jar is difficult and fraught with danger, because once its mental powers are fully developed, this undead creature is adept at controlling the thoughts and minds of other creatures, especially living creatures. It is not unknown for a brain in a jar to take control over the necromancer who created it.

The Brain in a Jar uses mainly psionic abilities to do what its lack of moving parts would otherwise prevent: move itself, manipulate objects and the environment, and ward off attackers. Its main attack is Mind Thrust, an assault upon the mind of another creature. In addition to this, it can also drive mad anyone who magically or psionically detects it, and it can control and rebuke other undead.

Corpse Gatherer
The Corpse Gatherer is an undead creature that appears as a giant made of earth and stone. Upon closer inspection, one can see headstones, dead hands and heads protruding from its bulk. The monster is essentially an animated graveyard.

A corpse gatherer can swallow any creature in its grasp. The victim then takes bludgeoning damage from rocks, gravestones, etc. in the creature's body. It can also increase its mass by absorbing corpses.

When a corpse gatherer is destroyed it falls apart into its component corpses. The undead's animating force converts these corpses into zombies.

Crimson Death
The crimson death dwells in marshes and swamps and appears as a vaguely humanoid knot of fog, with arms, a torso, and white glowing eyes. Its lower body trails off into indistinct vapor. A crimson death is always neutral evil. The crimson death is an incorporeal undead. However, it can drain blood from any creature it touches.

The crimson death first appeared (as "Death, crimson") in the first edition in the original Monster Manual II (1983). The crimson death appeared in the second edition in the Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (1989), reprinted in the Monstrous Manual under the "mist" entry. The crimson death appeared in the third edition Monster Manual II (2002).

Death Knight
In Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy roleplaying games, a death knight (also known as a doom knight or demon knight) is a mighty warrior animated as an undead creature by the gods of death, evil deities, demon lords, or other malevolent forces. They are commonly leaders of undead forces, often serving as the second-in-command of a lich.

Publication history
The devourer first appeared in the second edition for the Planescape setting in the Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III (1998). The creature was also detailed in the Guide to the Ethereal Plane (1998).

The devourer appeared in the third edition Monster Manual (2000), and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003). The devourer was further detailed in Dragon #355 (May 2007).

The devourer appears in the fourth edition Monster Manual (2008), including the spirit devourer, the viscera devourer, and the soulspike devourer.

Description
The devourer resembles a grey, horrible mutated, malnourished, sickly, shambling humanoid. The barely-there skin on its chest is opened up, revealing the completely dry and empty ribcage.

A devourer has the ability to spray a poisonous fog that instantly traps a foe, and the trapped being takes on an effigy in the devourer's ribcage. This captured life essence sustains the devourer's unnatural life force and gives it the ability to cast five spells. A creature trapped within a devourer's ribcage is unable to escape unless it still has remaining life essence when the devourer is killed. If a trapped creature's life essence has been exhausted by the devourer's spells, it cannot be resurrected without the use of a very powerful spell.

In the game, devourers speak Common and are chaotic evil in alignment.

Dracolich
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, a dracolich is an undead dragon that possesses certain abilities of a lich.

Publication history
The dracolich was introduced in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. It was also one of the first new creatures introduced for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988)
The dracolich (night dragon) first appears in the article "The Cult of the Dragon", by Ed Greenwood, in Dragon #110 (June 1986), and then in the Forgotten Realms accessory Waterdeep and the North (1987).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989–1999)
A dracolich named Rauglothgar appeared in the Forgotten Realms product Hall of Heroes (1989). The dracolich as a creature was reintroduced in the first Monstrous Compendium Forgotten Realms Appendix (1989), and then appeared in the revised Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (1993).

The dracolich also appeared in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The dracolich later appeared again in the Forgotten Realms product, Cult of the Dragon (1998).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000–2002)
The dracolich template and the proto-dracolich appear in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (2001) for this edition.

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007)
The dracolich template appears in Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons (2003), including the ancient blue dracolich as a sample creature.

The dracolich was detailed in Dragon #344 (June 2006), in the "Ecology of the Dracolich".

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008–2013)
The dracolich appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), including the blackfire dracolich and the runescribed dracolich. The dracolich also appears in Draconomicon: Chromatic Dragons (2008), including the bone mongrel dracolich, stoneborn dracolich, icewrought dracolich, and the dreambreath dracolich.

Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (2014–present)
The dracolich appears as a template in the Monster Manual for this edition (2014).

Description
A dracolich resembles a normal, living dragon at first, but as time goes by it ages and partially decomposes, eventually coming to resemble a corpse.

Despite its wretched appearance, a dracolich is a very powerful opponent with a correspondingly high challenge rating, due in part to the minions and weapons they tend to possess. Evil chromatic dragons like black, blue and red dragons usually become dracoliches, because of the evil magic involved in their creation; however, rumors spread about other kinds of dragons submitting to the process as well.

Dracoliches are created from evil dragons through powerful necromantic magics. Essentially, it involves the dragon dying and then taking over its own corpse. It also gains a vessel called a phylactery, or soul jar, in which its spirit is stored. The soul continues to exist even after the destruction of the body, and can only be killed by the destruction of the phylactery itself.

In literature
Although the dracolich is a well-known fantasy monster, there are no references to them in classical mythology. The first use of a dracolich appears in an adventure for Dungeons and Dragons (see "Dracoliches in Greyhawk" below). Since then, this monster has been elaborated upon by numerous authors of fantasy novels, role playing games and video games. Nearly every high fantasy style roleplaying game has its own version of a dracolich or bone dragon.

In the Forgotten Realms
In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting for Dungeons and Dragons, an organization known as the Cult of the Dragon is responsible for inventing the method of the dracolich creation. The organization has also created several other undead dragon varieties, as well as other dragon-like monsters including the dracimera (a dragon-chimera) and the mantidrake (a dragon-manticore).

Ed Greenwood's novel Spellfire features several dracoliches, and depicts one on the cover.

In the "Sellswords" series of books, Jarlaxle Baenre and Artemis Entreri encounter, fight, and come to control a dracolich, which in life had been a black dragon named Urshula.

In the "Transitions" book series, Cadderly, Drizzt, Ivan, Pikel, Jarlaxle, and Bruenor fight the red dragon-turned-dracolich, Hephaestus, from the Sellswords books series. They fight the dracolich because it seeks revenge on Jarlaxle and Cadderly for ridding it of its sight and taking its prize (see Sellswords series, Servant of the Shard), and because they believe the dragon to be the source of Cattie-Brie's "trance" and seizures of memories occurring. Also, anyone who came in contact with her mind would suffer the same thing.

In Greyhawk
The oldest mention of a dracolich (although it simply described as an "undead dragon") belongs to the World of Greyhawk setting, found in the adventure White Plume Mountain. There is a note on the adventure map concerning an undead dragon called Dragotha, formerly consort to Tiamat, who was given his undead powers by the deity Kyuss. It is unknown whether other dracoliches exist in Greyhawk.

Reception
Screen Rant compiled a list of the game's "10 Most Powerful (And 10 Weakest) Monsters, Ranked" in 2018, calling this one of the strongest, saying "It's possible to make a dragon even more fearsome and powerful, all you need to do is turn it into an undead monstrosity."

Effigy
The effigy is an undead hybrid of a ghost or specter and a fire elemental, it is an envious undead creature that hates living creatures and lusts after the life energy they possess. It possesses the bodies of living creatures and takes over their lives, but eventually the possessed body catches fire from the inside from the corruption, turns into a flaming zombie, and is destroyed, and the Effigy must find a new host.

An effigy appears as a ghostly, translucent humanoid shape with a fiendish face and composed of burning, multicolored flame. Its eyes glow white within the flickering fires of its insubstantial body, but it has no other discernible facial features. Clawed, fiery arms can also be made out.

The Effigy's preferred form of attack is to possess a living body and then use this body to attack. A creature infused (possessed) with an Effigy does fire damage, and has an energy draining touch. A wisdom check can be made against an Effigy to drive it out of a host, or to prevent it from entering in the first place.

Flameskull
The flameskull is a tiny undead guardian created from the skull of a recently slain humanoid spellcaster. The flameskull was introduced to the D&D game in the second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
 * In the second edition, the flameskull appears first for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting in Dragon #197 (September 1993) in the "Dragon's Bestiary" column, and was later reprinted in the Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume One (1994).
 * In the 3.5 edition, the flameskull appears in Lost Empires of Faerûn (2005).
 * In the fourth edition, the flameskull appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), including the great flameskull.
 * In the fifth edition, the flameskull appears in the fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set (2014).

Ghost
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the ghost is an undead creature. Like a Dungeons & Dragons vampire, it is achieved by applying a template to a base creature, of the races existing for playability within the canon.

Description
A ghost looks just as the creature did in life, though its appearance is hazy and translucent. Beginning with third edition, a ghost can be of any alignment, and usually (at the Dungeon Master's discretion) retains whatever alignment it had in life. A ghost is incorporeal, and can harm living creatures with either a touch or a gaze.

Publication history
The ghost was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974–1976)
The ghost first appeared in the official newsletter of TSR Games, The Strategic Review #3 (August 1975).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988)
The ghost appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as the spirit of an evil human who was so awful that it has been rewarded (or cursed) with undead status.

The lesser ghost for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting appeared in Lords of Darkness (1988).

Dungeons & Dragons (1977–1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the ghost, which first appeared in the module Palace of the Silver Princess (1981). The ghost was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Companion Rules set (1984), and the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991).

Several variants of the ghost appeared in Dragon #29 (September 1979).

The immature desert ghost and mature desert ghost appeared in Creature Catalogue (1986), and the Creature Catalog (1993).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989–1999)
The ghost appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The watchghost for the Forgotten Realms setting first appeared in the Ruins of Undermountain boxed set (1991). The Pasocada ghost appears in City of Gold (1992). The spectral harpist first appeared in Code of the Harpers (1993). The Zhentarim spirit first appeared in the Ruins of Zhentil Keep boxed set, and in Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Three (1996).

The ghost mount for the Al-Qadim campaign setting appeared in Monstrous Compendium Al-Qadim Appendix (1992), and the lesser ghost mount appeared in Dungeon #51 (January 1995).

The bear animal ghost, the wild boar animal ghost, the wild horse animal ghost, the mountain lion animal ghost, the stag animal ghost, and the wolf animal ghost appeared in Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness (1994).

The casura ghost and the ker ghost appeared in Monstrous Compendium Annual Two (1995).

The ghost pack appeared in the Shaman supplement (1995).

The lacunae ghost appeared in Dragon #265 (November 1999).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000–2002)
The ghost appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000) as a template, including the human ghost as a sample creature.

A number of variant ghost templates for the Forgotten Realms setting appeared in Monstrous Compendium: Monsters of Faerun (2001), including the spectral harpist, the watchghost, and the Zhentarim spirit.

The domovoi (ghost) appeared in Dragon #290 (December 2001).

A variation on the ghost template appeared in the Ghostwalk campaign setting (2003), using the dwarf ghost as a sample creature.

The ghost brute template appeared in Dragon #300 (October 2002), and included the ghost brute cat as a sample creature. The ghost brute template appeared in Savage Species (2003), which also included the ghost hound.

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007)
The ghost appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003), including the human ghost as a sample creature.

The Selskar watchghost appeared in the adventure "Forest of Blood" in Dungeon #101 (August 2003).

The frostfell ghost template appeared in Frostburn: Mastering the Perils of Ice and Snow (2004), including the human frostfell ghost as a sample creature.

The ghost brute template appeared in Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead (2004), which included the ghost brute hound as a sample creature. This book also included the haunting ghost and the sagacious ghost. The ghost brute lion later appeared in the module Red Hand of Doom (2006), along with the ghost dire lion.

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008–present)
The ghost appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), including the phantom warrior, the traphaunt, the wailing ghost (banshee), and the tormenting ghost.

Variant ghosts

 * Doomsphere – Ghostly beholders
 * Frostfell Ghost – The spirit of a creature slain by Arctic hazards, it appears caked in ice, rime, and snow.
 * Ghost Brute – Spectral remnants of animals, magical beasts, and sentient plants.
 * Ghostly Dragon – Ghost dragons gain a breath weapon that ages those it touches.
 * Haunting Ghost – A haunting ghost lurks in foreboding, often deserted areas. Typically, it seeks to drive away all living creatures from its domain.
 * Keening Spirit – Also known as a groaning spirit, this ghost of an evil female elf is known for its constant weeping and groaning.
 * Sagacious Ghost – Some ghosts possess vast stores of knowledge, making them akin to an undead library. Depending on alignment, these ghosts might offer information freely or at a dire cost.

Ghosts in Ghostwalk
In the Ghostwalk setting, ghosts are one of the main playable character races. Ghostwalk ghosts have a semi-tangible body made of transparent ectoplasm. Ghosts are not undead, although they are often mistaken for undead creatures.

Ghosts in the Forgotten Realms
Faerûn hosts a number of variants ghosts.


 * Selskar Watchghost: These spectral guards were created by human warriors by the Selskar wizards.
 * Spectral Harpist: The spirits of Master Harpers who died while engaged in Harper service that is left unfinished.
 * Watchghost: Also called "unsleeping guardians", these ghosts are created by powerful necromantic magic.
 * Zhentarim Spirit: Vengeful spirits of Zhentarim wizards who hunt those they hold responsible for their deaths.

Ghosts in Oriental Adventures

 * Acheri – The spirits of girls who died as a result of murder, accident, or plague.
 * Akikage – The undead spirit of a ninja assassin who died while stalking an important victim.
 * Bhut – Bhuts are vicious, flesh-eating ghosts most commonly formed from the spirits of those who are executed, commit suicide, or die accidentally, and do not receive proper funeral rites.
 * Chu-u – A legless spirit of a mortal who was neither virtuous enough to be rewarded nor wicked enough to be punished in the afterlife. It wanders in agony seeking others to testify on its behalf to the judges of the dead.
 * Con-tinh – The spirit of a maiden who died before her time—usually as the result of an illicit love affair that ends in murder. Its spirit is bound to a single fruit tree.
 * Hanging Ghost – Spirits of those who committed suicide, who try to trick others into doing so via illusions.
 * Kuei – A kuei, or phii ha, is the spirit of a humanoid that died by violence unavenged or with a purpose unfulfilled.
 * Ubume – The "mourning ones" are the spirits of women who have died in childbirth or while pregnant. An ubume cannot rest until its child is "born" via a kind soul agreeing to hold the ghostly child.

Critical reception
The ghost was ranked eighth among the ten best mid-level monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. The authors described the ghost as "the perfect example of an incorporeal monster – a creaure that simply doesn't have real substance on the Material Plane, and thus can move through walls, doors, and other obstacles". The authors also note that ghosts "also have the advantage of being infinitely configurable".

Other publishers
The ghost is fully detailed in Paizo Publishing's book Classic Horrors Revisited (2009), on pages 22–27.

Ghoul
In the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game, ghouls are monstrous, undead humans who reek of carrion.

Publication history
The ghoul was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974–1976)
The ghoul was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), where they were described as being able to paralyze anyone they touch.

The lacedon, or aquatic ghoul, is introduced in Supplement II: Blackmoor (1975).

The Ghouls of Yanaidar appeared in Supplement IV: Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes (1976).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988)
The ghoul appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as an undead creature, once human, who feeds on corpses. The ghast is also introduced in this book, and is said to be indistinguishable from a ghoul except for its carrion stench which causes retching and nausea.

Several creatures similar to ghouls appeared in Dragon #138 (October 1988), including the baka, the black annis, the callicantzari and great callicantzari, the gelloudes, the ghula, the spirit-ghoul, and the wendigo.

Dungeons & Dragons (1977–1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the ghoul, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983). The ghoul was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).

The vapor ghoul appears in the module Thunderdelve Mountain (1985), and later in the Creature Catalogue (1986) as the "vapour ghoul". The elder ghoul appears in the Creature Catalogue (1986) and the Creature Catalog (1993).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989–1999)
The ghoul, ghast, and lacedon appear first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The goop ghoul appears in Dragon #198 (October 1993). The ghoul undead dragon and ghast undead dragon appear in Dragon #234 (October 1996).

The true ghoul and the true ghoul noble are introduced in Dungeon #70 (September 1998), in the article "Kingdom of the Ghouls." The ghoul was detailed in Dragon #252 (October 1998), in the "Ecology of the Ghoul".

The elevated ghoul appears in Return to White Plume Mountain (1999).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000–2002)
The ghoul, ghast, and lacedon appear in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).

A variant ghoul (jikiniki) appeared in Oriental Adventures (2001).

The abyssal ghoul was introduced in the Forgotten Realms supplement City of the Spider Queen (2002), and then appeared in the Fiend Folio (2003).

Savage Species (2003) presented the ghoul as both a race and a playable class.

The ghoul creature template appeared in Dragon #307 (May 2003), and included the ghoulish harpy as a sample creature.

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007)
The ghoul, ghast, and lacedon appear in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).

The fleshvigor ghoul for the Ghostwalk campaign setting appears in Dragon #315 (January 2004). The nether hound ghoul for the Forgotten Realms setting appears in Dragon #322 (August 2004).

The ghoul and ghast were presented as player character classes in Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead (2004).

The true ghoul reappears in Dungeon #129 (December 2005) in the adventure "A Gathering of Winds," as part of the "Age of Worms" Adventure Path.

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008–present)
The ghoul appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), including the horde ghoul, the abyssal ghoul, the abyssal ghoul hungerer, and the abyssal ghoul myrmidon.

Description
A ghoul is said to be created on the death of a man or woman who savored the taste of flesh. They not only eat the dead, but also prey on the unwary living. Likewise, a ghast is supposedly made while someone dies during the act of cannibalism. Ghouls can paralyze their victims with a touch, though elves are immune. Aside from the standard variety, a number of other forms of ghoul exist.

Abyssal ghoul
These extraplanar versions of the standard ghoul have fiendish characteristics that make them far more formidable than their cousins.

Ghast
The ghast is similar to the ghoul, but is distinguished by its monstrously foul and supernaturally nauseating stench. It is also more powerful than a standard ghoul; even elves can fall victim to a ghast's paralytic touch. It very closely resembles its undead cousins, but is far more deadly and cunning. Like ghouls, ghasts speak whatever language they did in life (usually Common). They are chaotic evil in alignment.

Ghoulish and ghastly creatures
These are creatures which possess the ghoulish or ghastly template, which in effect makes them non-human versions of ghouls and ghasts.

Gravetouched ghoul
These ghouls are said to have been blessed by the King of Ghouls upon their return from the dead, and are thus more powerful than common ghouls. While standard ghouls lose all of their abilities from their previous life, gravetouched ghouls retain most of their former selves, albeit enhanced by the transformation into an undead creature.

Lacedon
A lacedon is the aquatic version of the standard ghoul. Save for the fact that they are powerful swimmers, Lacedons are identical to standard ghouls. They are said to lurk near reefs, waiting to prey on stranded vessels.

Thoul
A thoul is a sorcerous crossbreed between a hobgoblin, a troll, and a ghoul. It appears to be a hobgoblin, but paralyzes with a touch and regenerates.

True ghoul
A civilized form of ghoul, these creatures lack the savage nature of their standard counterparts, and often live together in underground cities which approximate human civilization. An example of such a society can be found in the World of Greyhawk's version of the White Kingdom.

Critical reception
The ghoul was ranked fifth among the ten best low-level monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. The authors described the ghoul as "terrifying to low-level heroes because one scratch of a ghoul's filthy claws may cause even the most resolute heroes to freeze up in complete (but thankfully short-lived) paralysis".

Other publishers
The ghoul is fully detailed in Paizo Publishing's book Classic Horrors Revisited (2009), on pages 28–33.

Publication history
The mohrg appeared in the third edition Monster Manual (2000), and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003). The mohrg is presented as a player character class in Libris Mortis (2004).

Description
Mohrgs lack the intelligence of liches but have more brain power than a zombie.

In third edition Dungeons & Dragons, the mohrg is the animated corpse of an unrepentant murderer. It possesses a long, prehensile clawed tongue that can paralyze with a successful attack.

Mummy
A mummy, in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, is an undead creature whose corpse has been mummified and animated, often through the power of an evil god of the Egyptian pantheon such as Set.

Publication history
The mummy was included in earliest Dungeons and Dragons boxed games as well as the original Monster Manual written by Gary Gygax and published in 1977. Since then, the mummy has remained a fixture of the Dungeons & Dragons universe and has been represented in each subsequent edition.

Later versions of the game have presented mummy templates which can be applied to various creatures so that a Dungeon Master can create various types of mummies.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974–1976)
The mummy was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), where they were described as having a touch that causes a rotting disease.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988)
The mummy appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as an undead human that retains a semblance of life and seeks to destroy living things. The Monster Manual was reviewed by Don Turnbull in the British magazine White Dwarf #8 (August/September 1978). As part of his review, Turnbull comments on several monsters appearing in the book, noting that the mummy was revised from its previous statistics, and could now cause paralysis on sight (as a result of fear).

Dungeons & Dragons (1977–1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the mummy, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977), and Expert Set (1981 & 1983). The mummy was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), and the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989–1999)
The mummy appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The greater mummy first appeared in Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix (1991), and was reprinted in the Monstrous Manual.

The animal creature mummy and monster creature mummy were introduced in Monstrous Compendium Annual Two (1995).

The bog mummy appears in Requiem: The Grim Harvest (1996) for the Ravenloft campaign setting, and then in Monstrous Compendium Annual Four (1998). A different bog mummy appeared in Dragon #238 (August 1997), along with the ice mummy.

The mummy undead dragon appears in Dragon #234 (October 1996).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000–2002)
The mummy appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).

The greater mummy appears in Deities and Demigods (2001).

The mummy was detailed in Dragon #300 (October 2002), in the "Ecology of the Mummy". The mummified creature template appeared in the same issue of Dragon, and included the mummified ogre as a sample creature. This issue also featured the bog mummy, the clay mummy, and the ice mummy.

Savage Species (2003) presented the mummy as both a race and a playable class, and reprinted the mummified creature template.

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007)
The mummy appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003), along with the mummy lord.

The mummy was presented as a player character class in Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead (2004). The mummified creature template was again featured in this book, along with the mummified ogre sample creature.

The salt mummy appears in Monster Manual III (2004). The web mummy tomb spider template appears in Monster Manual IV (2006).

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008–2014)
The mummy appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008).

Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (2014–present)
The mummy appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2014).

Description
A mummy causes fear in the living by its sight, and any creature it touches is affected by a quick-acting leprosy-like rotting curse called "mummy rot". They often inhabit great tombs or temple complexes, destroying would-be grave robbers. Mummies are usually lawful evil in alignment.

Variant mummies and mummy-like creatures

 * Bog Mummy: Corpses preserved through the natural action of bogs or swamps and animated through evil magic
 * Clay Mummy: Unlike standard mummies, clay mummies are vulnerable to bludgeoning weapons rather than fire.
 * Crawling Apocalypse: A creature that resembles a giant mummified octopus.
 * Greater Mummy: An undead mummified divine spellcaster, often a priest of an evil god of the Egyptian pantheon such as Set. More powerful than a typical mummy, greater mummies are similar to liches, as they are both powerful undead spellcasters. In appearance, greater mummies are typically indistinguishable from typical mummies except for their priestly garb which is often rich, though decayed, and usually including their divine patron's unholy symbol.
 * Huecuva: Created from divine or oathbound creatures who have failed in their vows.
 * Hunefer: The mummies of demigods whose power has not utterly departed to astral realms.
 * Ice Mummy: A creature that succumbs to an ice mummy's rot freezes and shatters, melting into nothing at the first thaw.
 * Mummy lord: Mummy lords are often potent spellcasters. They are found as guardians of the tombs of high lords, priests, and mages. Most are sworn to defend for eternity the resting place of those whom they served in life, but in some cases a mummy lord's unliving state is the result of a terrible curse or rite designed to punish treason, infidelity, or crimes of an even more abhorrent nature. A mummy lord of this sort is usually imprisoned in a tomb that is never meant to be opened again.
 * Salt Mummy: Ancient corpses of humanoids preserved by being buried in salt. Salt mummies were very evil when they were alive.

Nightshade
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the nightshade is a powerful undead creature composed of darkness and evil.

In Third Edition, nightshades are native to the Plane of Shadow.

Publication history
The nightshade was introduced to the D&D game in the basic edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

Dungeons & Dragons (1977–1999)
The nightcrawler nightshade, the nightwalker nightshade, and the nightwing nightshade first appear in the Dungeons & Dragons Master Rules (1985) in the Master DM's Book. They later appear in the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989–1999)
The nightcrawler nightshade, the nightwalker nightshade, and the nightwing nightshade appeared for the Mystara campaign setting in the Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix (1994).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000–2002)
The nightcrawler nightshade, the nightwalker nightshade, and the nightwing nightshade appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).

The nightswimmer appeared in Dungeon #92 (May 2002).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007)
The nightcrawler nightshade, the nightwalker nightshade, and the nightwing nightshade appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).

The nighthaunt nightshade appeared in the Forgotten Realms setting in Lost Empires of Faerûn (2005).

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008–present)
The nightwalker nightshade appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008).

Types

 * Nightcrawler – A nightcrawler is a massive behemoth similar to a purple worm, though utterly black in color.
 * Nighthaunt – Nighthaunts are gargoylelike and drawn to places of evil power and defiled goodness.
 * Nightswimmer – A nightswimmer is an aquatic nightcrawler.
 * Nightwalker – Nightwalkers are human-shaped horrors that haunt the darkness.
 * Nightwing – Nightwings are batlike flyers that hunt on the wing.

Other publishers
The hierarchy of the nightshades was described in more detail in Classic Play Book of the Planes (2004) from Mongoose Publishing. The nightcrawlers are said to emerge first, digging tunnels into darkreaches in the Plane of Shadow, followed by nightwings flying out of the darkness to scare away or enslave intruders, and finally the nightwalkers, stated to be the lords of their kind, appear. Furthermore, the nightwalkers are stated to be using the Plane of Shadow as a half-way point between the Material Plane and the Negative Energy Plane due to the latter's being too hostile to mortal life to make taking slaves there feasible.

The nightshade is fully detailed in Paizo Publishing's book Undead Revisited (2011), on pages 34–39.

Shadow
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the shadow is an undead creature.

Publication history
The shadow was introduced to the game in its first supplement, Greyhawk (1975).

The shadow appears in the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the original Monster Manual (1977). The Monster Manual was reviewed by Don Turnbull in the British magazine White Dwarf #8 (August/September 1978). As part of his review, Turnbull comments on several monsters appearing in the book, noting his disappointment that the shadow is of the undead class and thus subject to a cleric's turn undead ability. Turnbull commented, "I used to enjoy seeing clerics vainly trying to turn what wouldn't turn, when Shadows were first met".

The shadow appeared in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983) and the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991).

The shadow appeared in second edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The shadow appeared in the third edition Monster Manual (2000), and in the 3.5 revised Monster Manual (2003). The shadow appeared as a template in the Manual of the Planes (2001). The shadow appeared as a player character race in Savage Species (2003).

The shadow appeared in the fourth edition in Monster Manual 3 (2010).

The shadow also appears in the fifth edition Monster Manual (2014).

Description
A shadow is an incorporeal creature of sentient darkness. Its touch saps the strength of living creatures and, if the living creatures are afflicted for long enough, they can turn into a shadow themselves. A shadow is always chaotic evil. They can be found anywhere, and appear as patches of mobile gloom with a more or less humanoid shape.

Reception
Rob Bricken of io9 identified the shadow as one of "The 12 Most Obnoxious Dungeons & Dragons Monsters".

Other publishers
The shadow is fully detailed in Paizo Publishing's book Undead Revisited (2011), on pages 46–51.

Skeleton
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the skeleton is an undead creature. In the third edition of the game, a skeleton's statistics are usually created by applying a template to those of another creature.

Publication history
The skeleton was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974–1976)
The skeleton was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), where they were described as acting under the instructions of their motivator, usually a magic-user or cleric of chaotic alignment.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988)
The skeleton appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as a magically animated undead monster enchanted by a powerful magic-user or cleric of evil alignment.

The animal skeleton was introduced in Dragon #66 (October 1982) in the "Creature Features" column by Gary Gygax, and soon after appeared in Monster Manual II (1983).

Several skeleton variants appear in Dragon #138, in Tom Moldvay's article "The Ungrateful Dead" (October 1988), including the bloody bones, the dry bones, the gem eyes, the shock bones, and the skleros.

Dungeons & Dragons (1977–1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the skeleton, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983). The skeleton was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989–1999)
The skeleton and animal skeleton appear first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), which also introduces the monster skeleton. All three are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The Strahd skeleton for the Ravenloft setting appeared in the Ravenloft: Realm of Terror boxed set (1990), and later appeared in Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness (1994). The giant skeleton was introduced in Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix (1991), and later appeared in the Monstrous Manual (1993). The Strahd's skeletal steed also first appeared in Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix (1991). Several new skeleton variants appeared in Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness (1994), including the archer skeleton, the insectoid (giant ant, giant tick, stag beetle), the skeletal cat, and the skeletal hound.

The skeleton undead dragon appears in Dragon #234 (October 1996), which later appeared in Cult of the Dragon (1998). In the same issue of Dragon, the "Dragon's Bestiary column features the defiling skeleton, the dust skeleton, and the spike skeleton. The dust skeleton and spike skeleton later appear in Monstrous Compendium Annual Four (1998), which also includes the obsidian skeleton.

The crystal skeleton appeared in Dragon Annual #2 (1997).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000–2002)
The skeleton appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000). Described are skeletons of several size categories, including tiny, small, medium-size, large, huge, gargantuan, and colossal.

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007)
The skeleton appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003), as a template. This book also featured a number of sample skeletons, including the advanced megaraptor skeleton, the chimera skeleton, the cloud giant skeleton, the ettin skeleton, the human warrior skeleton, the owlbear skeleton, the troll skeleton, the young adult red dragon skeleton.

The skeletal dragon template appeared in Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons (2003)

The fiery skeleton, the nimble skeleton, the soldier skeleton, and the vicious skeleton appeared in Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead (2004). This book also featured a number of sample skeletons, including the athach skeleton, the crocodile skeleton, the deinonychus skeleton, the dire badger skeleton, the dire bear skeleton, the dire rat skeleton, the elephant skeleton, the glabrezu skeleton, the gnoll warrior skeleton, the halfling warrior skeleton, the heavy warhorse skeleton, the kobold warrior skeleton, the minotaur skeleton, the nine-headed hydra skeleton, the ogre skeleton, the roc skeleton, and the tyrannosaurus skeleton.

The Strahd's skeletal steed appeared again in Dragon #359 (September 2007), the final print issue of Dragon.

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008–2014)
The skeleton appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008).

Variant skeletons

 * Bone Creature – a skeleton that retains knowledge and skills it possessed in life
 * Crystal Skeleton
 * Dust Skeleton
 * Fiery Skeleton – burns with never-ending flames, it is immune to fire
 * Frost Skeleton – is immune to cold and deals cold damage with its attacks
 * Lightning Skeleton – is immune to electricity and deals electricity damage with its attacks
 * Nimble Skeleton – more agile than standard skeletons and able to climb as fast as it can walk
 * Obsidian Skeleton – also called defiling skeleton
 * Skeletal Dragon – created from dragons and retains some of their deadly abilities
 * Skeleton Warrior
 * Soldier Skeleton – often arising from the sites of massive battles, these skeletons gain benefits when fighting cooperatively in groups
 * Spike Skeleton
 * Vicious Skeleton – able to rend flesh and deal horrific wounds with their claw attacks

In the Forgotten Realms
Faerûn hosts a number of the variant skeletons listed above, as well as the following:


 * Baneguard – First developed by priests of Bane, these skeletons can phase in and out and hurl bolts of magical energy.
 * Blazing Bones – Fiery skeletal undead created when a spellcaster's contingency spell goes wrong, these rare undead can be found in Myth Drannor.
 * Direguard – Baneguards improved by the Red Wizards of Thay, these skeletons are wreathed in a shadowy field of force that functions as armor. They can also see invisible foes.

Critical reception
The skeleton was ranked second among the ten best low-level monsters by the authors of Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies. The authors state that the skeleton "introduces players to the special advantages and weaknesses of undead monsters; they're immune to the rogue's sneak attack, they're immune to critical hits, but they're vulnerable to the cleric's turn undead power." They also thank Ray Harryhausen for people knowing what fighting skeletons ought to look like.

Screen Rant compiled a list of the game's "10 Most Powerful (And 10 Weakest) Monsters, Ranked" in 2018, calling the tiny skelton one of the weakest, saying "[skeletons] go all the way down to Tiny-sized creatures, which means that it is possible for your party of adventurers to fight a group of skeletons that are the same size as action figures."

Other publishers
The skeleton is fully detailed under the "walking dead" entry in Paizo Publishing's book Classic Horrors Revisited (2009), on pages 52–57.

Skeleton Warrior
In the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, skeleton warriors are a more powerful version of undead skeletons.

Publication history
Skeleton warriors first appeared in the original Fiend Folio. The Fiend Folio was reviewed by Jamie Thomson in the British magazine White Dwarf #28 (December 1981/January 1982). As part of his review, Thomson comments on several monsters appearing in the book, referring to the skeleton warriors as "beings similar to Tolkien's ringwraiths".

The skeleton warrior appeared in second edition for the Dragonlance setting in the Monstrous Compendium Dragonlance Appendix (1990), and reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

Description
Skeleton warriors are created from great warriors by powerful necromancy. Unlike their lesser kin, skeleton warriors retain all of their fighting skill and are highly resistant to magic. Skeleton warriors are difficult to command, and as such are rarely found in groups greater than two or three.

Lord Soth of Krynn was served by thirteen skeleton warriors, the cursed undead remnants of his loyal retainers.

Spectre
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the spectre is an undead creature.

Publication history
The spectre was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974–1976)
The spectre was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974). There they were described as having no corporeal body, being able to drain life energy levels, and identified with Tolkien's Ringwraiths.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988)
The spectre appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as a powerful undead human that haunts the most desolate of places, such as tombs and dungeons, and drains the life energy of opponents.

Dungeons & Dragons (1977–1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the spectre, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977), and Expert Set (1981 & 1983). The spectre was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), and the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989–1999)
The spectre appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The spectre undead dragon appears in Dragon #234 (October 1996).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000–2002)
The spectre appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007)
The spectre appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008–2014)
The spectre appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008).

Description
A spectre is an incorporeal creature that resembles a ghost, with a hatred for all living things. A spectre drains the life energy from living creatures, turning them into new spectres upon death. A spectre is powerless in natural sunlight and flees from it. A spectre is always lawful evil. A spectre appears as a humanoid, but with a mostly transparent and faintly luminous form. A spectre looks much as it did in life, and can be recognized by someone who knows what the person looked like.

Wight
A wight is an undead creature. A wight is given a semblance of life through sheer violence and hatred. A wight can drain the life energy out of victims by touch, turning them into new wights upon death. A wight appears as a weird and twisted reflection of the form it had in life. Wights are always lawful evil.

Publication history

 * Dungeons & Dragons (1974–1976): The wight was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), where they were described as being able to drain away energy levels on a touch.
 * Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988): The wight appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as an undead human that inhabits barrow mounds or catacombs, evil and hateful, seeking to destroy all life it encounters.
 * Dungeons & Dragons (1977–1999): This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the wight, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977, 1981, 1983).  The wight was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).
 * Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989–1999): The wight appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993). The wight undead dragon appears in Dragon #234 (October 1996).
 * Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000–2002): The wight appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000). The lavawight and winterwight appear in the Epic Level Handbook (2002). The vilewight appeared in the Book of Vile Darkness (2002). The wight template appeared in Dragon #300 (October 2002), and included the troglodyte wight as a sample creature.
 * Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007): The wight appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003). The wight was presented as a player character class in Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead (2004). The slaughter wight also appeared in this book. The dust wight appears in Monster Manual III (2004). The wight was detailed in Dragon #348 (October 2006), in the "Ecology of the Wight".
 * Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008–2014): The wight appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008).

Wrackspawn
The Wrackspawn is an undead being. Wrackspawn are created/risen from the bodies of those fallen in battle, tortured prisoners, or others who endured extreme pain and bodily damage before death. Wrackspawn are incredibly ugly: bloodstained, charred black muscles; limbs bent in odd directions; a tortured, howling expression; exfoliated from burning; and bones and organs protruding. They are completely mindless, seeking only to kill everyone they see with their bone spears (perhaps made of their own bone) in order to exact morbid revenge on what they may mistake for their tormentors in life. Wrackspawn are far too mindless to speak.

They are Neutral Evil in alignment.

Wraith
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, the wraith is an undead creature.

Publication history
The wraith was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the D&D game.

Dungeons & Dragons (1974–1976)
The wraith was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" set (1974), where they were described as high-class wights with more mobility.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977–1988)
The wraith appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as an undead, similar to a wight, with a chilling touch that drains life energy.

The soul beckoner, a creature similar to the wraith, is introduced in the module Dark Clouds Gather (1985).

Dungeons & Dragons (1977–1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the wraith, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set (1977), and Expert Set (1981 & 1983). The wraith was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), and the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994).

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989–1999)
The wraith appears first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and is reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).

The soul beckoner wraith appears in Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Appendix (1990).

The desert wraith appeared in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting supplement Old Empires (1990).

The Athasian wraith for the Dark Sun campaign setting appears in Dark Sun Monstrous Compendium Appendix II (1995).

The wraith undead dragon appears in Dragon #234 (October 1996).

Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000–2002)
The wraith appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).

The wraith template appeared in Dragon #300 (October 2002), and included the merfolk wraith as a sample creature.

Savage Species (2003) reprinted the wraith template, including the kobold wraith as a sample creature.

Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003–2007)
The wraith appears in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003), and included the dread wraith.

The evolved wraith appears in Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead (2004).

City of Splendors: Waterdeep (2005), for the Forgotten Realms setting, featured the sea wraith. Anauroch: The Empire of the Shade (2007) featured the orb wraith.

The incarnum wraith appeared in Magic of Incarnum (2005).

The acidwraith appeared in Dragon #131 (February 2006).

Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008–2014)
The wraith appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008).

Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition (2014)
The wraith appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2014).

Description
A wraith is an incorporeal creature born of evil and darkness, despising light and all living things. A wraith drains the constitution from living creatures, turning them into new wraiths upon death. A wraith is powerless in natural sunlight and will flee from it. A wraith is always lawful evil. A wraith appears as a sinister, spectral figure robed in darkness. It has no visual features or appendages, except for its glowing red eyes.

D&D Miniatures
The wraith was included in the D&D Miniatures: Harbinger set #53 (2003).