Undead Character Options

Character death is a complicated topic. It often rears its head at unexpected times and forces the question if the player of that character would rather roll a new character, or seek a method of continuing to play the one that has met their demise. The most common method of continuing to play a dead character is resurrection - restoring the character to life. This article presents four other options, however, aimed at continuing a character beyond death through undeath.

All four of these options, The Revenant, The Servant, The Spirit, and the Vampire, are designed to be power-neutral, changing a character but not putting them ahead of or behind other party members. However, all of the options are built around defying death, making death a minor setback for such characters. Decide for yourself what of these options, if any, fit into your campaign.

The Revenant

A soul who seeks revenge for their death or wrongs committed against them in life may rise from the grave as a revenant, determined to deliver their vengeance. A character who comes back from death as a revenant gains the following traits:

Undead Nature

As an undead, you don't have the same requirements as living creatures. Your type is changed to undead, and you gain the following features:

• You are immune to disease, the poisoned condition, and poison damage.
• You don't need to eat, drink, or breathe.
• You don't need to sleep. When you take a long rest, you must spend at least four hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you remain semiconscious, and you can hear as normal.
• You have advantage on saving throws against any effect which turns undead.

Rule Tip: Undead Healing

Most healing spells (such as cure wounds) aren't able to heal undead creatures. Generally, the best way for an undead creature to heal is by taking a short or long rest.

Fading soul

A revenant has only one year to exact revenge. When your revenge is complete or your time runs out, your body crumbles to dust and your soul returns to the afterlife. Once this occurs, only a wish spell can return your soul to the living.

Rejuvenation

Your body is decaying and frail, but your soul is not tied to a single body.

When you are reduced to zero hit points by any means, your body turns to dust and your soul is incapacitated. After 24 hours, your soul inhabits and animates a nearby corpse to continue your vengeance. If your new body is of a different race than your old one, you lose all traits from your old race except for ability scores improvements or feats, and gain all traits from your new race except for ability score improvements or feats. When you enter a new body, you gain the benefits of a long rest.

The Servant

A soul who owes a grave debt or who failed to uphold their end of a deal in life my be brought back from the dead to serve in undeath until their obligations are complete. A character who comes back from death as a servant gains the following traits:

Undead Nature

As an undead, you don't have the same requirements as living creatures. Your type is changed to undead, and you gain the following features:

• You are immune to disease, the poisoned condition, and poison damage.
• You don't need to eat, drink, or breathe.
• You don't need to sleep. When you take a long rest, you must spend at least four hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you remain semiconscious, and you can hear as normal.
• You have advantage on saving throws against any effect which turns undead.

Eternity of Servitude

As a servant, you must do as commanded by those you owe debts to. You are under the effect of a geas spell to anyone you owe a debt or uncompleted deal to. This effect can only be ended by a wish spell or by paying off your debt or completing your end of the deal.

The Spirit

A soul with unfinished business may allow themselves to be bound to an object in order to continue existing as a spirit on the mortal planes. Such an existance requires the aid of others and risks the destruction of their very soul. A character who comes back from death as a spirit gains the following features:

Undead Nature

As an undead, you don't have the same requirements as living creatures. Your type is changed to undead, and you gain the following features:

• You are immune to disease, the poisoned condition, and poison damage.
• You don't need to eat, drink, or breathe.
• You don't need to sleep. When you take a long rest, you must spend at least four hours in an inactive, motionless state, rather than sleeping. In this state, you remain semiconscious, and you can hear as normal.

Incorporeal Movement

You can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You takes 5 (1d10) force damage if you end your turn inside an object. In addition, you have a fly (hover) speed of 30 feet.

Soulbound

Your soul is bound to a single object. You are unable to pick up or move this object yourself, and cannot willingly move more than 100 feet from it. If you are ever forcibly moved more than 100 feet away from the object, you disappear and immediately reappear within 5 feet of it. Any damage dealt to this object is dealt to you instead.

When your HP is reduced to 0 for any reason, you disappear and are incapacitated as your soul is pulled into the object. After 1 hour, you reappear within 5 feet of the object with 1 hit point.

If the object is destroyed, your soul is destroyed with it, and can only be recovered by a wish spell or similar magic.

Binding a Spirit

It is possible to perform the ritual to bind a spirit to an object and keep it on this plane. If a player wishes to perform this ritual, use the following spell, which is added to the cleric, warlock, and wizard spell lists:

The Vampire

A creature who dies from a vampire bite may rise from the grave as a vampire themselves. A character who comes back from death as a vampire gains the following features:

Vampiric Nature

As a vampire, you don't have the same requirements as living creatures. Your type is changed to undead, and you gain the following features:

• You don't need to breathe.
• In order to gain the benefits of a long rest, you must rest in the coffin, crypt, or grave site where you were buried. If you didn't receive a formal burial, you must lie beneath a foot of eart at the place of your transition to undeath. You can move your place of burial by transporting your coffin or a significant amount of grave dirt to another location.

Vampire Weaknesses

As a vampire, you have the following flaws:

• You can’t enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.

• You take 20 acid damage when you end your turn in running water.

• You take 20 radiant damage when you start your turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

• If a piercing weapon made of wood is driving into your heart while you are incapacitated in your resting place, you are instantly destroyed.

Bloodsucker

You can bite other creatures and suck their blood in order to heal. As an action, make a melee weapon attack against one willing humanoid or a humanoid which is currently grappled, incapacitated, or restrained. On a hit, deal 1d6 piercing damage and 1d6 necrotic damage, and regain a number of hit points equal to the necrotic damage dealt.

The necrotic damage of this attack increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).

Spider Climb

You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Regeneration

You regain 10 hit points at the start of your turn if you have at least 1 hit point and aren't in sunlight or running water. If you take radiant damage, this trait doesn't function at the start of your next turn.

Shapechanger

While you aren't in sunlight or running water, you can use your action to polymorph into a a Tiny bat, or back to your true form.

While in bat form, you can't speak, your walking speed is 5 feet, and ayou have a flying speed of 30 feet. Your statistics, other than your size and speed, are unchanged. Anything you are wearing is transformed with you, but nothing you are carrying does. You revert to your true form if you die.