Table: Undead Origins

From the upcoming Adventures Dark and Deep Game Masters Toolkit (not the Players Manual, which will be coming out first, of course):

Why is That Undead Creature Not resting Peacefully?

  1. Aborted baby
  2. After death, body was taken out through the front door of the house
  3. Bride or groom who died on their wedding night
  4. Buried next to or with someone they couldn’t stand in life
  5. Buried without the customary coin in the mouth/on the eyes
  6. Child who died before being baptized, etc.
  7. Died a violent death
  8. Died while under the effect of a curse
  9. Died with unfinished business 
  10. Died without proper funerary rites/blessings
  11. Drowning victim
  12. Fiancé who died right before their wedding night
  13. Had a premonition of their own death
  14. Hanged (criminal 75%, innocent 25%)
  15. Something stolen from their grave/tomb
  16. Stillborn baby
  17. Suicide
  18. Too ornery to accept death
  19. Woman who died in childbirth
  20. Woman who died soon after her baby was born

Written by 

Wargamer and RPG'er since the 1970's, author of Adventures Dark and Deep, Castle of the Mad Archmage, and other things, and proprietor of the Greyhawk Grognard blog.

1 thought on “Table: Undead Origins

  1. Too often, an undead's narrative element boils down to "There are ghouls here. They attack you." Given how unnatural they are, I appreciate it when people give some thought to why they're present and how they came to such an unhappy state.

    Thanks for this!

Comments are closed.