Intelligent undead

Intelligent undead Ñ is a generalized name for all undead creatures that are sentient (not zombies), yet don’t fit into the molds for vampires, necromancers, or mummies.

Intelligent undead are former historical figures, raised by necromancers to serve as lieutenants in their undead armies. Unlike zombies, intelligent undead retain much of their original personality once revived. The full extent of this is not known, however.

Intelligent undead all belong to a type, dependant on the secret known by the one who raised them. Each type is assigned a unique name and a set of magic powers, making no two types truly alike.

Naming

The phrase ”intelligent undead” does not actually appear within the game. Instead, each kind of intelligent undead receives a procedurally-generated name. This name is composed of two parts. The first part alludes to it being undead (e.g. ”putrid”, ”risen”, ”grave”) or its nature as a vile night creature (e.g. ”night”, ”grim”). The second part is always a noun, and sometimes describes it as being undead (e.g. ”zombie”) but just as often simply makes it sound threatening (e.g. ”one”, ”slayer”, ”butcher”).

Powers

Each type of intelligent undead is given a set of magic powers. It seems they are normally given only a singular power, but intelligent undead with up to four distinct powers have been confirmed to exist, ranging from the relatively-harmless (causing blisters) to the extremely lethal (rotting the target’s nerves), to the more fantastic, such as changing the weather. They are made even more dangerous by the ease with which they can use their powers; even at a distance, merely the flick of a finger may, for example cause your dwarves’ eyes to rot off.