As those of you who have read the introductory material for the game system know, it is asserted early on that the LA game system is a vital and changing one. This is demonstrable in many ways, including the many sorts of new material being added to it regularly. Here are some dark and dangerous creatures of the Living Dead sort that have been included in the roster of monstrous things encountered in the course of adventuring. See elsewhere for the most loathsome and dangerous of all, the soucouyant.

Bonewarriors in General:

The bonewarrior is a human or humanoid skeleton that is invigorated by force drawn from an unspeakable sphere, and this manifests itself in both a glow of a lambent, rotten yellow-gray emanating from the eye sockets of the skull and by a preternaturally detectable shimmer of energy surrounding the bare bones. It differs from the bonewalker as detailed hereafter.

One such living dead creature is created by an Augur Order individual possessing both the Ritual of the Living Death and the special Animate Bonewarrior Spell given following the description of the creature itself. Otherwise they can be created by a revenant bonewalker, such a living dead monster being capable of creating and controlling up to six bonewarriors from skeletal remains that are within 10 feet of the revenant bonewalker at the time, this capacity enabled by the malign negative energy imbued into the living dead thing by the deity creating it. If a revenant bonewalker’s bonewarriors are destroyed, these can be replaced at the rate of one per 24 hours, assuming the skeletal remains are available to do so.

Bonewarrior:

Appearing: 1 or more

H  26-35  P  36-55  S  12-15.

Attack: By weapon type plus preternatural Harm of 3-5 points disregarding all except supernatural armor.

Defense:  Unnatural energy provides 5 armor protection against all attacks save as noted hereafter, plus armor worn will provide additional normal protection according to the type of armor the bonewarrior wears, shield included. Note that weapons inflicting penetration Harm will only affect the bonewarrior to a maximum of one (1) point when armor is exceeded or bypassed; but those doing shock Harm, as well as acid, inflict whatever Harm is indicated after protection and armor and shield protection are exceeded or bypassed; consecrated oil/water and Theurgy Ability Powers specifically attuned to affect the living dead have full effect disregarding the protection.

Consecrated water in three-ounce volume, or consecrated oil in one-ounce volume causes 3-5 permanent harm to a bonewarrior, disregarding the creature’s Extraordinary protection and restoration.

Unless the bonewarrior is so harmed as to be at a negative 10 (-20) or lower Health, the unnatural energy that fills it will cause the creature to regain power.  After seemingly collapsing and being destroyed, having been reduced to a zero to negative nine (-9) Health, the evil force begins restoring 1 point of Health each one second realtime thereafter, until the Health Base Rating has reached its full state, at which point the creature arises and functions again.

Animate Bonewarrior Spell: Strong: This vile Spell enables the Augur Order necrourge to animate a human, Alfar, or Veshoge skeleton. In so doing, the animator is drained of 25 Health points, and this loss can be recovered only through normal rest and healing, the rate of recovery being 1 point per day. The subject skeleton is placed in the Circle of Command and the remains must be unhallowed or else the attempt will fail.

The energy cost added is 25 points at the time of activation.  After only one minute of time has elapsed the bonewarrior will arise and don such armor and pick up such weapons are also within the Circle of Command.

The newly created creature is subject to the command of the necrourge who created it.  It must obey any and all commands given to it regardless of the consequences.  It can not attack or seek to harm its master.  However, if the one creating a bonewarrior is ever totally powerless in regards to Ability energy points, those being exhausted and at zero (0), any and all created bonewarriors within or coming within a 10 foot radius will sense this weakness.  Then, and only then, can they attack—and they will!

Mummies in General:

While there are many sorts of normal mummified bodies, those we consider hereunder are not at all usual. The mummies we are describing here are empowered with Extraordinary energy, preternatural or supernatural, to attain a state of undeath, and thus they are two know classes of mummy. Each will be treated separately here.

Unwilled Living Dead Mummy: These sorts of mummies belong to the least powerful type of living dead, the unwilled sort they have no thoughts, obey commands given to them by one so enabled, and display an unholy desire to slaughter and destroy things that are truly alive.  The unwilled mummies are created by evil Extraordinary activations, such as those supplied by the dark Ability of Necrourgy.

The unwilled mummy appears to be a bandage-wrapped, long-dead corpse. It will often be arrayed in outer trappings as well as the cloth windings.  Its now-clawed digits protrude through the bandaging, and these wrappings are left open for the empty eye sockets to glare forth with strange red points of light, while the now-fanged mouth can open and close to bite its victim. Usually, however, such creatures employ weapons and blows of unnatural negative energization to destroy their opponents.

Mummy, unwilled:

Appearing: 1 or more:

H 16-26  P 31-50  S: 11-18

Attack: By weapon type; or either a combination of clawed hand for 2-16 (a die with 8 meaning added d4 as usual) Harm and bite for 1-10, these attacks being treated as a single one; or a clubbing arm blow inflicting 7-20 +3-5 supernatural Harm, the later portion always bypassing armor or other protection.

Defense: Any armor worn plus an unnatural energy that provides 10 protection against penetration Harm, 5 against that of blunt kind, including all Extraordinary bonuses.  Consecrated oil or water, as well as acid and fire do normal Harm. Theurgy Ability Powers specifically attuned to affect the living dead are also unaffected by this protection.

Consecrated water in three-ounce volume, oil in one-ounce volume, causes 3-5 permanent loss of Health Base Rating to a mummy, disregarding the creature’s Extraordinary protection and restoration.

Unless the mummy is so harmed as to be at a negative 20 (-20) or lower Health, the unnatural energy that fills it will cause the creature to regain power.  After seemingly collapsing and being destroyed, having been reduced to a  zero to negative 19 (-19) Health, the evil force begins restoring 1 point of Health each one second thereafter, until the Health Base Rating has reached its full total (as adjusted by permanent loss, at which point the creature arises and functions again.

Skeleton Animal:

Appearing: 1 or more

Small                H: 11-20  P: 21-40  S: 13-16

Medium            H: 21-30  P: 21-40  S: 9-12

Large               H: 31-50  P: 21-40  S: 7-10

Animal skeletons are animated by various dark Powers. They are imbued with preternatural negative energy that gives them a cunning of 11 but no real intelligence. They obey simple commands such as wait, move, attack, etc. Of course they have no fear.

Attack: An animal skeleton attacks twice in an ABC for Harm that varies by size small ones inflict 1-20 +1-2, medium ones 4-20 +3-5, and large ones 7-20 +6-8. Bonus Harm indicated bypasses all but supernatural protection.

Defense: Unnatural energy that provides double protection against most attacks, half against blunt (shock Harm) weapons and acid. Protection provided by size is:

Small: 5 vs. blunt and acid, 10 otherwise.

Medium: 6 vs. blunt and acid, 12 otherwise.

Large: 7 vs. blunt and acid, 14 otherwise.

When an animal skeleton is brought to a negative Health, its energy is dispelled, and the bones fall apart.

Otherwise, Harm inflicted will be repaired by the creature’s negative force, recovery being at the rate of 10% of normal total health per hour.

Self-willed Living Dead Mummy:

The mummy of this sort is the most powerful and dangerous of all the self-willed living dead. It not only has a will of its own, cunning and intelligence, but is also able to employ four to seven of the Abilities it possessed in life.  It is thus close to the cunning sorts of this category. All self-willed mummies have arrived at their state of undeath through their evil, although some might have been brought to such state by some malign force beyond their control. These creatures are now inimical foes of what is good, clean, truly alive.  As with others of their sort, the bestial thoughts and vile mind of these things seem bent only on wreaking havoc upon all that flourishes under sun and sky.

The self-willed mummy is virtually impossible to distinguish from the unwilled sort, and even its eye sockets show the same fiery pinpoints, albeit possibly more intense in color, brighter in their blaze. Otherwise, they fit the description given above for their lesser kind.

Mummy, self-willed:

Appearing: 1 usually (95%)

H  46-65   P  46-65   S  7-10 (all these are bases that can be added to)

Attack: A weapon or a clubbing arm blow for 9-20 + 15 supernatural Harm, the later portion always bypassing armor or other protection and a one-hand grasp to seize and hold the opponent, this assuring an automatic arm blow next attack sequence. If the hand-grasp attack succeeds in touching the exposed skin and the subject is human or human-like (many Alfar and Veshoges, for example), the vital force of the subject is drained, the victim permanently losing 2 points of Health and Precision and ½ point of Speed and ageing one year. This feeds the self-willed mummy, adding to its Base Ratings, the ageing allowing it to assume the appearance of a normal human for periods of time totaling up to one month per year of life drained from its victim.

Special Powers:

Assume appearance of normal human (see above)

Command unwilled mummies (up to one per point of speed)

Unnatural Physique of 150 score

Abilities: Typical abilities retained are:

Alchemia

Archery

Enchantment

Divination

Geourgy

Hunt

Learning

Ranging

Scrutiny

Stealth

Theurgy

Weapons

Defense: Any armor worn plus an unnatural energy that provides 20 protection against penetration Harm, 10 against that of blunt kind, including all Extraordinary bonuses.  Attacks from acid and fire are the same as blunt harm in regards protection. Consecrated oil or water do normal Harm. Theurgy Ability Powers specifically attuned to affect the living dead are also unaffected by this protection.

Consecrated water in three-ounce volume, oil in one-ounce volume, causes 3-5 permanent loss of Health Base Rating to a mummy, disregarding the creature’s Extraordinary protection and restoration.

Unless the mummy is so harmed as to be at a negative 30 (-30) or lower Health, the unnatural energy that fills it will cause the creature to regain power.  After seemingly collapsing and being destroyed, having been reduced to a  zero to negative 29 (-29) Health, the evil force begins restoring 1 point of Health each one second thereafter, until the Health Base Rating has reached its full total (as adjusted by permanent loss, at which point the creature arises and functions again.

Sepulchs in General:

There are three basic types of living dead.  The sepulch Living Dead are of the second class of Living Dead, the self-willed.  It is most difficult to destroy any kind of living dead thing, because of the unholy energy that motivates them.

Note that no living dead thing can ever enter a place that is sanctified to benign ends by Theurgy Ability activations, or one that has been actually consecrated and hallowed, and remains so, not having been defiled or profaned.  To do so inflicts one point of Harm to Health per one second such creature is upon or in such place.  If reduced to zero (0) Health thus the malign thing is absolutely destroyed.

These monstrous things have a Stealth Ability of 75, Waylaying Ability of 80.  Thus they often attack a totally unaware victim.  Usually one will attack with a submission hold from behind, choking their victim to unconsciousness, but it is not unknown for a sepulch to use a bludgeoning weapon to accomplish its ends.

A sepulch is generated from premature burial, the victim seemingly dead but actually in a catatonic state—for whatever reason.  Taken secretly to the depths of subterranean darkness from their grave, pulled deep into the earth from their coffin, the victim, regardless of race, will arise as a Living Dead sepulch after clawing and even eating its way to the surface.  Such a monster is created to seek out one living person at a time, render it unconscious, then drag it back deep below the surface to bear the painful transition to a similar fate!  If only one is identified, usually it means that the sepulch was sent on a quest by some monstrously evil master for a specific person so as to eliminate that victim in a terrible way.  If several are discovered it is a sure sign that a most wicked necrourge is at work in the vicinity.

A sepulch roams abroad only at night, for sunlight slows it by half and negates its strength (no +6 on attacks).  One burrows into the dirt to safe depths from the sunlight during the daylight.  When burrowing, one leaves virtually no trace on the ground (95% undetectable), hardly anywhere they emerge (85% undetectable), for unlike a gopher, for example, they displace remarkably little earth.

Sepulch:

Appearing: 1 or 1-4 (equal chances):

H  21-40   P  31-50   S  8 attacking or moving by perambulation/2 burrowing in the earth.

Attack: Grappling hold for 1-6 +6 (always bypassing armor) Harm that accrues only towards bringing the opponent to unconsciousness, or else a shock weapon for the indicated points +6, this being like Harm that accrues towards the victim’s unconsciousness.

Defense: Unnatural energy provides 8)armor protection against all attacks except those of blessed oil/water or Extraordinary activations including those of Theurgy Ability Powers specifically attuned to affect the living dead.

Harm accruing towards unconsciousness is recovered at the rate of 1 point per hour, although 10% of the total suffered will be actual Harm to Health that must be recovered at the rate normal for such physical damage,

A sepulch is mummy-like in appearance, a brown-black, rotten-looking thing with filthy and matted hair, a hate-filled countenance, a huge mouth, and enlarged hands and feet whose digits have thick and spaded nails like those of a ghoul for its burrowing.

Anti-Powers and Checks:

Holy water in three-ounce volume, or holy oil in one-ounce volume causes 1-2 Harm to a sepulch, disregarding the creature’s Extraordinary protection, which loss is recovered at the rate of 1 point per day.

Unless the head of the sepulch is severed, it will by virtue of its malign energy restore itself to its unharmed state.  After seemingly being “killed”, the unholy energy of the thing begins to mend Harm, restoring 1 point of Health each one second after that Base Rating has reached zero of less.  If the head is within a 10 foot radius of the body and not impeded, it will roll to it and rejoin, thus enabling the restoration to commence.  The newly severed head must be physically kept away from the body for one minute.  The creature is then destroyed.

(Thanks to Sean Westerman.)

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