Living Dead

Actions

Multiattack The Living Dead make three attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack (see stagger).   Stagger Living Dead have poor reflexes and can only perform partial actions. Thus anytime they Move before combat, they can only use their claw attacks. Only before moving may they make both claw attacks and their bite.   Claw Melee Attack: +2, Reach 5 ft, One Target, Hit: 3 (1d4+1) 1d4+1 slashing damage   Bite Melee Attack: +3, Reach 5 ft, One Target, Hit: 4 (1d6+1) 1d6+1 slashing damage, (hit target must make DC 22 Constitution saving throw, or contract Living Death)   Living Death The true horror of the Living Dead is the infection they carry within themselves. As it grants them a semblance of life, it is a virulent toxin to the already living. While the infection itself is transmitted by even the scratch from one of these monsters, their bite is what can cause the worse effects to manifest almost immediately. When their victims are bitten they must make a Constitution save (DC 22), failure results in the victim suffering Ability Damage of -2 to their Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores 1d10 rounds after being bitten. The victim continues to lose 2 points from those Stats every hour after, until the victim's Constitution reaches 0 and he/she dies. If Strength or Dexterity reach 0, before the victim's Constitution does, the victim is considered both Prone and Restrained. If the victim dies from the infection (or is killed while being infected) they will reanimate 1d6 rounds after death as a newly formed member of the Living Dead. The infection can be cured at anytime prior to death with the use of a Heal spell. Until the infection is cured in this way the victim cannot heal either lost Hit Points or Ability Damage (neither naturally, or through magical means). Once cured victims can regain Hit Points as per normal, and stats return at a rate of 1 point (for each stat) per hour. Living Dead can be Raised or Resurrected, and in doing will return them to normal (while still leaving them infected with a dormant form of Living Death as explained below), leaving behind faint memories of what happened (and what they did) while they existed as one of those monsters. The infection itself has an effect on the decay of the corpse it reanimates. It slows down the rate of decay to almost a standstill, allowing the Living Dead to function without any decline in ability for 2 - 4 years after death and reanimation. Drier (or colder) climates can allow them to exist even longer. As stated above, even the slightest scratch from one of these monsters will transmit their malady. Anyone who takes damage from a member of the Living Dead (either from a claw or bite attack) becomes infected with Living Death. The infection will remain dormant within the victim for the rest of their lives, and while dormant the victim will be able to heal normally and suffer no obvious outward effect of the infection. The infection becomes active as soon as the person dies (no matter the cause) causing them to reanimate 1d6 rounds after death, becoming a member of the Living Dead. The dormant infection itself can be destroyed by casting Heal on the victim anytime prior to death.

The Living Dead are the reanimated remains of Humanoid corpses. They so strongly resemble Standard Humanoid Zombies that even the most seasoned Adventurer is unable to tell them apart by mere looks, but there are several very important differences between the two that become apparent once they attack.   While Living Dead are reanimated corpses, they are not Undead in the strictest sense. Instead they are corpses that have been given unlife through some form of unnatural disease. Where or how this disease came to be is unknown, many have speculated as to it’s origin; some say a Lich or mad Wizard created it, some say it is a mutated form of Mummy Rot, others say it comes from exposure to rocks that fell from the sky, and the list of opinions goes on and on. In the end the origin of the malady matters little, for the result is horrifying and wholly destructive.   Living Dead are driven by an insatiable need to spread their infection, using what little remains of their Intelligence to reach the living prey they need to carry on their nightmarish plague. Some Living Dead are able to use minor tools or implements (open doors, smash windows with rocks, etc.), but they are unable to communicate or use weapons in anyway. The most terrifying use of their vestigial intelligence is the fact they are drawn to former friends and loved ones as their initial victims, often using the sympathy these people feel for their former acquaintances as a lure.