Coffer corpse

A coffer corpse was a rare type of undead that would arise due to the deceased's last internment wishes not being carried out, most often because they were abandoned. This could be due to the body being lost or deliberately avoided, such as during a plague.

Description
Coffer corpses had an appearance very similar to that of a standard zombie.

Behavior
During the night coffer corpses would arise, wander around the area in which their corpse was abandoned in search of a peaceful rest, then at dawn return to wherever they were lairing. However, even during daylight hours a coffer corpse would attack people. They hated life itself and were instinctively driven by an urge to deprive others of it due to being denied a complete death. Thus they were known to attack any living humanoid creature that disturbed them, especially priests.

Unlike some undead, upon killing a creature the coffer corpse would leave its victim's body alone. It then made sure not to interfere with any other undead that came to scavenge at the corpse, such as ghouls and ghasts.

Abilities
Like many undead, coffer corpses were immune to mind-affecting spells, such as charm or sleep, and were only vulnerable to magical weapons. If destroyed by any means other than incineration of their body, a coffer corpse would arise once more a week following their death. However, fulfilling the interment wishes of a coffer corpse would also cause them to return to a permanent state of death.

Combat
Coffer corpses were occasionally known to fight with weapons, though generally they used their bare hands. They were unusually strong for undead, thus once they had a grip on an opponent it was difficult to release them, especially when a coffer corpse had a death grip around their victim's throat.

History
In the mid-14 century DR, coffer corpses were among the more substantial types of undead that could be found guarding the burial mounds of Uthgardt tribes.

Around that same time, the legendary pirate captain Pohl Strongwind returned to life as a coffer corpse. Alongside a crew of ju-ju zombies he sailed on a ghost ship across the Dragon Reach, terrorizing any vessel they came across, until eventually a group of adventurers put him to rest.

Habitats
Beyond the Prime Material plane, coffer corpses could be found in the Domains of Dread.

Relationships
Some coffer corpses acted as servants of the deity Kiaransalee.

Notable

 * Pohl Strongwind

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Polyhedron #130, "Strongwind"