Book of Unliving Pre 1105 – Enias Charenton

Librarians Note :

This information is highly unlikely to still be accurate post the Cataclysm.

Bone Demons
Description
It is not really fully known whether Bone Demons are themselves unliving, or if they are in fact a Demon that has come to look particularly like a form of unliving. Either way Bone Demons themselves are not particularly easy to distinguish from normal skeletons. They appear as animated {normally} human skeletons. They will for the most part bear some form of weapon and have in some cases been known to wear clothing or armour.

They can however be distinguished from skeletons by several means. Firstly they appear to be slightly more yellow in colour and secondly their bones are often very slightly warped, making them seem less human in origin. Third and last they seem to exhibit somewhat more intelligence than normal skeletons.

Even knowing these variations however it is remarkably difficult differentiating between normal skeletons and them without actually getting into a fight with one.

Powers
It is known that a Bone Demon has two powers of great significance. These powers can however, be truly devastating if one is unprepared for them.

Bone Demons would appear to be healed by contact with enchanted weapons. The practical upshot of this is if one has an enchanted weapon, an item that will generally be effective against most unliving creatures, and one hits a Bone Demon with it, it will only make the Bone Demon stronger {and probably more upset}.

Their second power is that of most skeletal creatures, which they are immune to the damage caused by sharp weapons.

It should be noted that with its unique combination of powers it is unlikely we know all of their abilities.

Method of Destruction
As there has been no definite confirmation that these creatures are unliving, it cannot be confirmed that an Incantor wedge will work. The only method of destruction that has been confirmed to work is non-enchanted blunt weapons. It should be noted that these creatures are extremely tough and extremely difficult to destroy in melee. Probably the best method would be for a team to take these down.

Death Knights
Description
Death Knights have been described in many ways. It is sufficient to say this is an exceptionally powerful form of unliving. Only liches, of all the standard forms of unlife, may compare with their power. They are dangerous in the extreme.

They are twisted forms of what in life were the strongest warriors of their generation. Their patterns corrupted by the greater powers of unlife. They can often look as they did in life or totally different. For the most part, each Death Knight is individual and unique, with its own characteristics, powers and tendencies.

Powers
As previously mentioned Death Knights are extremely powerful and individual. What is true for one Death Knight may not always be true for another. They do however tend to have certain characteristic powers in common.

Firstly Death Knights radiate an aura of fear that will cause all but the most experienced to flee. Secondly and most importantly they are immune to all forms of weapons be it enchanted, normal, blunt or sharp. They are even immune to ancient artifact weapons or weapons specifically created to effect unliving creatures. There are a number of very limited exceptions to this rule such as artifact weapons created to destroy unliving, however these are very few and far between.

As to other powers one can expect anything, as this form of unliving is so diverse that no power is absolutely out of the question.

Ghosts
Description
Ghosts are the ethereal forms of once living people who due to their actions in life have been cursed to remain within the world of the living to carry out or complete some task before they can rest. It is because of this they are often referred to as restless spirits, they are for the most part however inherently evil. They hate all things light, good or alive. Physically ghosts are difficult to describe, as they will often appear as they did at the time of death, showing all their old injuries and wounds. A classic example of this would be the tale of the headless horseman. The tale of the messenger who gave a message that betrayed his kingdom to an enemy force, but was discovered and beheaded for his crime. He was cursed to ride the route of that message terrorizing all those he came across until he was able to deliver the right message.

Powers
The powers of the ghosts are primarily based around fear. They project an aura of fear that will cause all but the most experienced warriors to flee from around them. Their blows will also cause fear in those that they strike.

These are not their only powers however; as due to their Non-corporeal nature normal weapons will simply pass straight through them causing them no harm.

Method of Destruction
There are a number of ways to destroy a ghost; regrettably none of them are easy. The most complicated of these being to attempt to lay to rest. This however involves completing the task that the ghost is being kept in the land of the living for. That involves finding out what that task is.

The second way that can work is to find some way around the ghost’s powers of fear and use magical weapons against them. This may bypass the ghost’s immunity to normal weapons.

The final way is to use powers of faith in the form of an Incantor Wedge. Typically around 30 levels of power will destroy ghosts but the people within the Incantors Wedge do have the problem of being vulnerable to the ghost’s powers of fear.

All told whilst not impossible to destroy, ghosts make difficult opponents.

Ghouls
Description
Ghouls are unliving creatures who whilst once human, are now hideously deformed humanoid creatures that feed on the flesh of human {or humanoid} corpses. Ghouls are thus; most often found where corpses are found, such as graveyards and Battlefields.

They possess an almost animal like cunning when hunting and while the true extent of their intelligence is not known they make difficult and dangerous opponents because of this. Their apparent fearlessness is also something that should be noted as this makes them bold and extremely unpredictable.

They however they are normally seen in packs.

Powers
The primary power of the ghoul is their ability to paralyse with their touch.

There are several theories of how this occurs. Suffice to say that this paralysis is effective through armour and makes for a very potent weapon.

Many ghouls also carry some form of disease contracted from the dead bodies they feed upon. It might therefore be not unreasonable to assume that ghouls are immune to disease, as there has not been a reported case of a ghoul getting sick.

There is also the matter of the ghoul’s apparent fearlessness that could be attributed to immunity to fear, or to mind based attacks. This could simply be a character trait and not ability.

Method Of Destruction
Compared with other forms of unliving the individual ghoul is relatively simple to destroy. Any type of weapon affects them and whilst tough they can be killed by anyone.

They are susceptible to the powers of faith. An Incantor Wedge of about 6 levels of power should destroy most ghouls.

Unfortunately ghouls are rarely found in singles. As mentioned before they hunt in packs, and they can be found with other unliving, feeding of the killing and destruction.

Greater numbers, some form of immunity to paralysis and plenty of cold hard steel are the order of the day when fighting ghouls.

Liches
Description
Ancient legends and tales of evil speak of a certain rite of magic that maybe performed only by the most powerful masters of the magical arts. If his hand should truly turn to the darkest necromancy, there are certain spells and certain potions that will kill the mage. But then return him in unlife as a Lich.

It should be mentioned as well that tales also say that being who is in great favor with a greater power of unlife will also allow a Lich to be created. This rite however is considerably less salubrious.

Whatever the truth of Liches they amongst all other standard forms of unliving are the only thing that maybe more powerful than Death Knights. Like the Death Knights though, Liches are individual. This includes their outlook, their appearance, their behavior, their powers, Everything! The only thing that can really be said for all Liches, they are all of immense power, both personal and in their command of magic. Most of them have had centuries to perfect their skills. They make truly deadly foes.

Powers
The most notable power of the Lich is obviously their command of magic. Even to start with, it is only a master mage that may have the skill and knowledge to become a Lich. One then adds centuries of practice and research you have that with makes a liches magical might.

Then you add all the personal power that unlife can bestow to one of the most powerful forms of unlife and you have either your own personal little hell or a passing idea of what a Lich can do if it puts its mind to it.

Powers that could not unreasonably be expected of a Lich would be immunity to all forms of weapons {See Death Knights}, A fully controlled aura of fear, the ability to freeze opponents {See Vampires}, The ability to fatally wound an opponent with a simple touch. None of these should be unexpected. Regrettably as each Lich is individual very little can be said about Liches in general.

Method of Destruction
The problem with forms of unliving that show such variation, there cannot really be any set way to destroy them. Almost certainly the ways that will destroy a Death Knight will destroy a Lich. Unfortunately the Lich has an Advantage the Death Knight does not, Centuries of magical knowledge and power. This alone makes the Lich more difficult to destroy.

As with Death Knights the only suggestion that may be of use is to research carefully, Plan thoroughly and then strike.

Mummies
Description
This is a form of unliving often overlooked by Incantors. This animated form of unliving is however worthy of a certain amount of caution. It appearance is that of a zombie or well-persevered corpse wrapped in strips of linen. This then makes them quite distinctive and this certainly makes them easy to identify.

The mummy is thought to originate from a curse set by ancient kings upon their tombs, that should grave robbers disturb their tombs they would rise and take vengeance on those who had violated their tombs. Never stopping until they were all dead. This has caused the creation of beings that have been doomed to a cursed existence as a mummy through the greed of living. As such these creatures hate all living and will actively seek out the living to kill them.

It is their hatred together with their unceasing nature and they’re near invulnerability to weapons that make these beings truly dangerous and a threat to all living things.

Powers
A Mummy will typically have two innate powers. Firstly it will typically be totally immune to all forms of non-enchanted weapons.

Secondly they are typically immune to any form of blunt damage whether that has been enchanted or not.

Lastly whilst not an innate power, most if not all Mummies carry or create some form of disease that they spread by touch.

Method of Destruction
There are two known ways of destroying these creatures.

Firstly Enchanted Sharp weapons are advisable, however one should always be close to a healer for once one has been infected by the disease time to cure the infection must done at most opportune moment.

The second way to destroy a Mummy is to use an Incantors Wedge, however the exact level power is unknown but a safe estimate would be power of 12 to 30. It is more likely to be on the higher end of that scale.

Posessing Spirits
Description
Very occasionally when a person dies a part of the their essence will become trapped on the mortal plane where for some reason it remains, unable or unwilling to move onto pastures new.

These trapped spirits are often driven insane by their bodiless existence and are thus driven to find someone else’s body to inhabit and over a period of time. The victim often will not realize anything is amiss and indeed may often not wish to discuss symptoms that relate to the possession as the process of possession, or the spirit itself can offer some form of power to the possessed person.

Powers

Method of Destruction

Shades
Description
Akin to Ghosts are Shades, they are the spirit forms of once living people who at the time of their death found that they could not find rest because of unresolved business they have in the land of the living. As such they returned as incorporeal shadowy reflections of their former selves. Each will remain for a time that they might try and complete that which was unfinished so that they might rest.

The primary difference between this form of unliving and that of ghosts is that shades are not inherently evil and filled with hate for all things that live. They are simply people who cannot rest and due to this they will work towards completing that which was unfinished in whatever manor they would have considered acceptable when they were alive. As such the behaviour of these beings will always be an extension of their behaviour when they were alive.

This of course begs the question, do you necessarily want to destroy these beings when it is probably easier and nicer to just give them a hand with whatever they need done in this world thus helping them move on to the next. Either way it is probably useful to know about these things for if you ever find an unpleasant variant on them.

Powers
These beings seem to all intents and purposes that even though they do register as unliving by the powers of Incantation, they are just as much a being of magic. Their primary known power is their incorporeal form. Which for reasons that should be obvious, means that Non-Magical weapons do not hurt them. They are also able to use their magical nature to magically strike opponents with their non-corporeal weapons that they many of them still carry around.

Method of Destruction
It has previously been mentioned that one might not necessarily want to destroy these beings, as often it is just as effective to run a little errand for them that will enable them to move on.

It may also be a good idea as the list of powers provided here is unlikely to be exhaustive, so they may have a few tricks up their sleeve. If however one must destroy one directly there are two ways known at this time. Magical weapons would be the first, this is likely to anger them so it is probably a good idea to have more than one person with a magical weapon trying to destroy them (and lots of Healers.)

The second way is an Incantor Wedge and according to at least reasonably reliable sources. About forty levels of power should put one of these beings down.

Banshee
Description
Regrettably Banshee is one of the numbers of the unliving that there is not much known about.

They are a unique class of unliving whose main distinguishing feature is not their appearance but rather their power.

Nonetheless from the rumours that exist about these creatures it can be proposed that they appear as a gaunt figure with long flowing garments.

Their most notable distinguishing feature is their apparent ability to protect emotions of sorrow or despair on their surroundings.

Indeed these are often so pronounced it is doubtful that they have sufficient control over this ability to stop it completely.

Their unearthly screams of grief and wails of outrage are extremely distinctive and cannot really be mistaken for anything other than a banshee.

One thing that is known about Banshee is that they are very often beings that having died have come back to the land of the living driven by their grief and anger to fulfill a specific purpose.

Powers
The chief weapon of the Banshee is naturally, their voice and such is their control of this weapon that it would appear that they could alter the damage they do at will.

This means that their voice can deafen, wound or in extreme cases can prove fatal.

The Banshee, as well as having the ability to invoke feelings of anger or grief, also has the ability to invoke a feeling of terror in its opponents.

This may be a secondary power associated with its voice. Whether this is the case or not is unknown but it is strongly suspected. If all of this did not make the Banshee dangerous enough, there have been known cases of Banshee’s that in melee combat strike enchanted blows that cleave straight through their opponents armour damaging the flesh underneath.

Methods of Destruction
As previously stated, very little is known about these particular creatures of unlife, particularly when it comes to destroying them. As with many things enchanted weapons are a good bet, but by no means certain to work. It is known that an Incantor wedge will destroy one but what level of power is required is unknown. However it has been guessed that a level between 60 to 70 would be safe for a creature of this power.

Ways of countering the powers of the Banshee’s voice would be helpful if not essential in destroying this creature.

The Faithless
Description
According to Norse legend of the warriors who worship the Ancestors Tiu, Odin and Thor, only the Valkyrior will take those who die in battle to Valhalla to reside with Odin and his kin. There they celebrate and wait for Ragnarock and last great battle. All others though are doomed to enter Niffleheim where Hel Demon child Loki rules. This harsh decree however has caused problems in and of itself.

The Faithless is thought to be a class of unliving unique to Norsca.

They are created when faithful follower of one of the Norse Ancestor dies in a way that will prevent them going to the rightful hall of their Ancestors. For the most part these people would go to Niffleheim. There are very rare occasions though that the outrage of the dying person, who has a strong enough will, is just enough to keep their pattern on this realm.

In these cases a very unusual form of unliving is created. All of the Faithless are Non-corporeal ghost like beings who as they did not go to the after life at their allotted time. Now they wander the world searching for a way to get to the hall of their Ancestors.

With this they become obsessed with gaining the symbols of the Norse Ancestor. On collecting these they gain power from the symbols.

Often these beings exist in the groups they lived in before death.

Powers
The powers of this class of unliving are somewhat different to the normal Non-corporeal unliving due to their obsession with symbols of faith. Naturally they are immune to normal weapons; there are two exceptions to this however. Firstly if a person strikes and calls out the name of a Norse Ancestor this will harm the Faithless. Secondly a person visibly wearing the symbol of a Norse Ancestor can use a normal weapon to hurt the Faithless as long as the Faithless can see the symbol.

The Faithless can however drain power from the symbols of the Norse Ancestors simply by touch thereby healing them. Their touch will also go straight through armour damaging their opponents through chilling cold.

Lastly regardless of what they are hit with they cannot be destroyed by weapons, they learnt the trick of cheating Hel of her prize once, they can and will do it again and again until find their place in the hall of their Ancestor.

Method of Destruction
There are only two things that can truly destroy the Faithless. Firstly an Incantors wedge could banish them permanently but a better way is to allow them to die in a righteous way. Then you must pray to the Norse Ancestors on the spot where they fell asking that they may be given a place in the hall of their Ancestors thereby allowing them to find rest.

A Gaunt
Description
Not much is known about Gaunt’s and what is known is taken from rumours.

Due to rumours one was found on the plain of unlife in the ‘Court’ of Maar the faceless and was acting at the time as his chief enforcer. Rumours say that the Gaunt was dressed simply in a simple brown hooded robe. The most notable point in its appearance was its entire body appeared to be that of a tall skeletal figure whose flesh had been totally withered away.

From this it would seem that this being is basically skeletal in nature, however it seemed very intelligent and was capable of speech and possessed a number of frightening powers, one of which may in fact be unique to this particular being.

Powers
The full range of powers of the Gaunt is still a mystery. However those that are known are anything but pleasant. Firstly it would appear that as with all skeletal creatures the Gaunt displays a near invulnerability to sharp weapons. This however is enhanced by its second known ability which its an immunity to the damaged caused by Non enchanted weapons.

Its final known ability however is by far the most fearsome. By touch it is able to wither the flesh of whatever body part it comes into contact with. This might not seem problematic until it is pointed out that there is known way to reverse this effect, it cannot be cured! Any limb so struck must be chopped off and regenerated for it to be regained. Unfortunately this cannot be done if the withered body part happens to be a head or the torso.

If this happens without the direct intervention of a greater power of life {such as an Ancestor} the person is dead. If this does happen it is advisable that the corpse be immediately blessed by a priest or otherwise sanctified. It should then be destroyed utterly to save the unfortunate victim from an eternity of torment in the form of a Gaunt.

Method of Destruction
Rumours say that the only weapon that the Gaunt is vulnerable to would be a blunt or smashing weapon that has been enchanted be made magical. These however are rare and would almost certainly be best to research more into these beings if one is actively setting out to destroy one. Powers of faith, such as Incantor wedges would likely destroy this creature however only one has been rumoured to exist and there is no conclusive evidence as to what amount of power an Incantor wedge would require. There is however an unsubstantiated rumour that Holy water will affect this creature however this has yet to be confirmed.

Skeletons
Description
As unliving go, Skeletons are not the most exciting. They are the animated skeletal remains of once living beings. Who and what they are animated by, tends to vary widely from greater powers of unlife to mortal necromancers. It is strange but popular fact that 9 out of 10 animators favour humanoid remains. It is perhaps some bad necromantic joke that has yet to be explained to the rest of the world. Whatever the case where Skeletons are found it is usually a pretty reasonable assumption that something more powerful is lurking somewhere in the background.

There are a number of variations on the skeleton theme with Giant Skeletons, Animal Skeletons and Skeletal warriors occasionally turning up but these are not found with great frequency. Nonetheless they are mentioned here for the sake of completeness.

Powers
Skeletal unliving has only one power of any significance. Due to their skeletal nature all skeletons are immune to weapons that bare an edge.

There have been reported cases where skeletal creatures have had the power to put fear into the hearts of their enemies. These powers however are not commonly associated with the typical skeleton.

It is interesting to note that skeletons seem to move somewhat slower than the living. Though it should also be noted that as with most if not all unliving they do not need to rest.

Method of Destruction
When dealing with skeletal creatures blunt weapons should be the order of the day.
Incantor Wedges of around 3-6 in power will work. One point to watch out for is that they rarely if ever travel on their own and are usually just the fore runners to something bigger and nastier.

Spectres
Description
These are beings heard of only in dreadful legends and as there have been no modern reports of these beings it is not certain whether they exist or not. What little information there is on these creatures is sketchy at best. All information currently known however has been included here along with speculation. In this way it is hoped that anyone meeting a Spectre will be over prepared rather than under prepared.

Spectres are said to be the ethereal unliving that feed upon the life force of living beings which then spawns lesser spectres which will fall under the control of the creature.
The beings that have been fed upon always die as the lesser spectre is created.

Spectres it is rumoured much like many forms of un-life, hate life and light. So much so that they will very rarely if ever be seen during daylight hours. It is unknown whether it is the daylight or bright light that hurts them, but it is believed that they will take great care to avoid it. These creatures are also rumoured to be extremely intelligent rivaling vampires in their cunning and their ability to stay hidden within a population. This would make them extremely deadly foes.
All Spectres are to be confronted with extreme care.

Powers
Their powers can only really be extrapolated from rumours of this creature. Naturally if this being were ethereal then Non-magical weapons would not affect the creature.

Its touch is said to be as cold as ice, this could mean that it has the power to freeze its opponents or simply damage them through chilling attacks. Either way it is quite likely that armour will not stop these attacks.

It can drain the life out of its opponents to create a new lesser spectre, how it does this is unclear but victims of a spectre should not be left behind if at all possible and measures should be taken to clean the body of any unliving or corrupting influence.

Lastly there have been rumours that spectres are powerful spell casters. With a great deal of time to spare and great intelligence the potential for spell casting ability is there.

Method of Destruction
Ethereal unliving are generally affected by magical weapons so this may be the best place to start but as this particularly powerful form of unliving it cannot be guaranteed that this will work. An Incantor Wedge is likely to work but as to the level of power necessary to complete this task is unknown. This can only be guessed at a power of 70 to 80 levels.

Succubus
Description
It may be that this form of unlife is an extremely rare one or that it has skillfully hidden amongst us for thousands of years undetected. Either could be a distinct possibility, the only way of finding out for certain would be to capture and interview a Succubus and as form of unliving this is unlikely to happen.

The Succubus {or the Incubus, which is the male form} appears as a beautiful woman, they target males and seduce them, then they will attempt to draw their victim away from prying eyes, there they can drain the life force away from their victim.
This of course is quite fatal to the Succubus�s victim.

Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of the Succubus is that they appear to be a totally normal, very attractive person. This enables them to hide in plain sight and even to be supported and protected by those who do not realize what they protecting.

Powers
First and foremost amongst the Succubus�s powers is the ability to drain the life out of its victim. This requires the Succubus to have physical contact with its victim. It is possible that skin contact is required for this to occur, as the Succubus will often become intimate with its chosen victim before feeding. This however is speculation. What is known is that the more the Succubus is able to feed the more powerful it becomes. Becoming harder to kill.

Secondly, the Succubus has the ability to beguile its victim with its eyes and words, much in the same way a vampire does. This it uses to seduce particularly stubborn victims or as a weapon if it gets caught to cause chaos amongst its attackers by turning their comrades on them.

Lastly the Succubus would seem to be immune to damage from normal weapons. This it would seem does not include weapons coated in silver for some reason.

Method of Destruction
Destroying a Succubus would in it self may cause problems with in the community that the creature lives in, due to the fact of attempting to identify the creature its self.

Once a Succubus has been detected the best way of destroying this creature would be an Incantor Wedge but as very little is known about these creatures it is unknown what sort of level of power would be required to destroy the creature. Otherwise it is simply a matter getting as many people as possible together that have the ability to cause the creature pain and be able to destroy it.

Vampires
Description
Of all types of unliving there are few that are truly as dreadful or complicated as the Vampire. Indeed with subtle depth and variance in the many different forms that are known to exist many books could be written on this form of unliving alone and they would still very likely be incomplete. As such this passage is necessarily broad and will generalize regarding these beings. Not all information here is necessarily one hundred per cent accurate for every Vampire but the breadth of information supplied here, it is hoped, will give the reader a place to start from and a chance at defeating a Vampire.

It is interesting to note as opposed to most unliving the majority of Vampires choose to become unliving. For those who become Vampires it means immortality and vast power. There is a price for this power though, the Vampire must feed and the only thing that a Vampire can feed on is fresh blood. If this were not bad enough 8 out of 10 Vampires say they prefer human blood {or humanoid if the genuine article isn�t available}

The fact that people want to become Vampires means that often when creating Vampires only the most intelligent, most dangerous people are chosen. This of course means that Vampires are generally extremely dangerous even before you figure in their unliving powers which, in and of themselves are considerable. A number of Vampires are wizards, who did not discover the process of becoming a Lich adding powerful magic to the Vampires already formidable arsenal. All in all Vampires are clever, cunning and powerful foes that should not be combated by the unprepared.

Lastly and perhaps worst of all, Vampires are very social creatures. That is to say they hang around in groups with servants and minions to protect them. It is rare to find a Vampire alone and even more rare to find one that is alone for any length of time. Indeed there seems to be a hierarchical structure to Vampire society with the most senior Vampire being the oldest then come the Vampires he has created then the ones they created and so on with the Non-Vampire minions and servants being at the bottom of the structure.

They will typically set up an area that they are able to protect and defend, where they can feed and organise a base of power for themselves. Entering an area such as this is perhaps the most dangerous thing a person can do. A Vampire will typically know of an intruder’s presence well in advance and will thus be able to tailor the formidable set of traps and ambushes it has laid previously to its opponents. A good demonstration of the effectiveness of their set up is that of a Vampire lair known to be on Unicorns land. The first expedition sent there was driven back having not seen the master Vampire and suffering what is thought to be approximately 60 per cent casualties {all of whom returned as Vampires themselves and thus were slain after wreaking havoc upon their former comrades}. The second expedition faired only slightly better in that there were no casualties. The Vampires however, are still assumed to be there and thriving.

Powers
When talking about the powers of an individual Vampire it is a little difficult to know were to start as they are so varied what will apply to one Vampire may not apply to another. One power that is universal amongst Vampires is the ability to beguile an opponent with its eyes and voice. This is what it primarily uses to feed, turning an opponent into willing slave or victim within moments.

Another power that seems to be common to Vampires is immunity to normal weapons. With some Vampires silver weapons seem effective, with others magical weapons. It seems the older a Vampire gets the more powerful and so the more things it becomes immune to.

Vampires seem generally to have the ability to transform themselves. Different reports have it that they are able to transform into bats or rats or wolves. Many reports have it that they are able to assume the form of a mist.

Vampires typically are extraordinary physically capable being stronger, faster and more intelligent than they were when living. Many of them have had centuries to develop skills and knowledge. This in and of itself is a very significant power that should be kept in mind.

Vampires have been known to have two other powers of note. Firstly they have been known to have the power to freeze opponents with a touch. This is similar to the paralysis effect that Ghouls can produce but immunity to normal paralysis is not effective against this and it would seem that the cold is pattern corrupting. Secondly some Vampires are able to drain an opponent of their health by touch. If drained completely, people may then become a Vampire themselves. Possibly the touch of this particular type of Vampire is in and of itself pattern corrupting. This however is not typical of the normal Vampire.

Method of Destruction
Getting past the traps, ambushes and general unpleasantness a Vampire will have prepared for anyone hunting it is probably the main problem faced in trying to kill a Vampire. That aside, magical weapons work on the large majority of Vampires unless they are incredibly old and against these a weapon designed to affect unliving or specifically Vampires may be necessary. For ancient Vampires it may be necessary to get together an Incantor Wedge or a weapon like White Reaver. There has been a report of a Vampire being dismissed by a power of 60 within an Incantor Wedge. Its exact age though was unknown. There are also unconfirmed reports of wooden stakes through the heart killing Vampires as well as Garlic repelling them.

The powers a Vampire wields, most specifically beguile, may also cause problems as such a way thoroughly countering all of its powers is strongly suggested as they will strike back if it is able or flee if necessary. With the ability to turn into a mist this makes this option almost always available unless this power as well can be neutralized.

Wight
Description
Perhaps the most physically repulsive of all the unliving is the Wight.
These creatures are known to feed on dead human remains so they are typically found in places where a good supply of these are to be found such as battlefields or graveyards. As such their smell and visage is totally repugnant. This is probably the best way of detecting them.

The fiercest and perhaps the best known of these are the Barrow Wights that have been found to inhabit the burial mounds of ancient nobles. They are perhaps the most dangerous of this form of unliving whose touch can quite literally suck the life right out of a person.

These creatures are a very dangerous form of unliving as they are like a disease and will spread and multiply throughout a land, feeding on the death and devastation that they seem to cause. Indeed it has in the past been considered necessary to burn vast areas of land, destroying it to eradicate the Wight infestation within the land. Much as a surgeon might sever a diseased limb to save the entire body.

Powers
As with many forms of unliving the Wight is thought to be immune to Non-Magical weapons, this however has not been confirmed by any accurate reports as fortunately modern times have yet to see Wights in large numbers.

As has previously been mentioned the touch of a Wight is often Fatal. Some power that the Wight has enables it to suck the life out of any person it strikes. It is thought that this power is somehow magical in origin.

The last power of the Wight is perhaps the most interesting as it seems to have the ability to transport itself to a place within 20 feet of its current position or somewhere within its line of sight. This �shifting� is done in a similar manor to that of a teleport spell but with the above restrictions.

Method of Destruction
A party who recently engaged and destroyed a Wight gained much of the information given here. The reports they supplied do indicate that the Barrow Wight was particularly dangerous and a savage foe.

Enchanted weapons are known to work on this creature but this is a very dangerous way of destroying it due to its life draining touch. The only other way is though an Incantors Wedge. Which is reported to have work with a power of 50 levels.

Wraiths
Description
Wraiths are incredibly evil forms of unliving, sprits born from the place where the plane of darkness and the plane of unlife cross. These creatures typically as humanoid shaped pools of darkness with bright red points of light where their eyes should be.

It would seem that these spirits posses a significant amount of intelligence, as they seem to have developed a form of society with their own lords and kings. These are of course more powerful that the average Wraith with significantly advanced powers and abilities.

It can be quite difficult to tell the difference between the three known levels of a Wraith. {AKA Wraiths, Wraith Lords and Wraith Kings} except by their powers and dismiss level. Naturally one does not want just to be guessing by clues like how fast they are able to carve people up. So looking for physical clues like crowns or chains of office or similar clues that might apply to living lords or kings is often the best chance you will get.

Powers
Wraiths of all kinds as one might expect of ethereal beings, are immune to Non-Magical weapons. What makes things worse their touch and often blows from the ethereal weapon they carry seem to be magically enchanted to be deadly to living things.

They also seem to have the ability to radiate an aura of fear that only experienced warriors are able to shake off.

What extra powers Wraith lords and kings have is not entirely clear. It can be surmised however that reasonable expectation would be a greater power in the aura of fear. High magic would not be an unreasonable expectation and it can be almost a certainty that they would become less vulnerable to the powers of faith the more powerful they become.

One change that has been observed is, as a Wraith becomes more powerful it becomes less vulnerable to physical magical weapons. One Wraith Lord was observed to be effected by blunt magical weapons only. However whether there is a pattern in the decrease in vulnerabilities or whether there is some other factor is unknown.

Method of Destruction
A standard Wraith has been observed to be dismissed by an Incantor Wedge of around 30 levels of power and a Wraith King by around 80 levels of power so a reasonable estimate for Wraith Lords would likely be around 60 levels of power. Magical weapons are known to affect Wraiths though attacking a Wraith is a dangerous and uncertain business. As such if it is the only option open then a selection of enchanted weapons would be a sensible precaution. Also weapons designed specifically to effect unliving would be another possible option for very powerful Wraiths such as Wraith Kings.

Zombies
Description
Zombies are what might euphemistically be described as the lowest rung on the unliving ladder. They are corpses animated by necromancy, can be of very little use in combat as they are clumsy and slow. Their only real redeeming features are that they tend to be very difficult to put down as they are tough and there are lots of them. They also have no sense of fear or self-preservation and care only about hurting their opponents.

Zombies are very easy to spot as they look like recently dead corpses walking around and it’s very unusual to find them on their own. They are slow and mindless and as such are only of any use when it comes to walking at people and moaning. Slowly.

Powers
Zombies have no real power of note than the fact that due to their animated nature their bodies can take a lot more punishment than they might previously have been able to.

It would seem that the stronger the enchantment that makes these creatures the more punishment they could take.

Also in certain cases Zombies are immune to blunt weapons as these just crush already dead flesh and bone.

Method of Destruction
When killing Zombies it is often best to just use swords or axes and hack them apart. An Incantor Wedge of about one or two levels of power will destroy these but it seems very much a waste of good power.