Undead grafts were body parts, organs, or other appendages formed of undead flesh that were grafted onto a living creature.[1][2][3]
Description[]
Grafting the flesh of undead creatures onto oneself could confer tremendous powers depending on the piece and the creature from which it had been taken.[1][2][3] Although animated by magic, such grafts did not radiate magic. If removed from a creature, they could not be reused.[2][4]
Undead grafts were generally sought only by those who were desperately power-hungry[3] or who revered undead.[1][2] No sane person desired one, and any unfortunate individual who had one forced upon them was advised to find a way to remove it.[3]
Creation[]
Creating undead grafts required vile procedures[1][2] and pieces of bodies in perfect condition, often harvested from unwilling undead creatures.[2][3] Attaching such an appendage (either to another or to oneself) required familiarity with medicine, access to spells relevant to the specific graft, specialized knowledge of how to attach such flesh to a body,[1][2][4] and involved a complex and vile ritual.[3] The procedure generally was conducted in a comfortable and quiet setting, such as a laboratory or evil temple.[2][4]
The graft flesh spell could also be used to attach the limbs or skin of a corpse to a living creature, however this effect was only temporary.[5]
History[]
Undead grafts were originally devised in experiments by necromancers and priests of death who sought to remake their bodies in the form of undeath without actually dying first.[1][2]
As of the late 15th century DR, undead grafts could be purchased at the Corpse Market in Evernight from merchants such as Sanjos Irridan.[6]
Notable Undead Grafts[]
Arms[]
- Blazing skeleton claw
- The hand of a blazing skeleton which granted the ability to strike with fire.[3]
- Enervating arm
- This withered and leathery arm granted an enervating touch.[1][2]
- Ghostly arm
- An incorporeal limb that could not interact with physical objects but which granted a ghost's corrupting touch.[2]
- Mummified hand
- A withered hand that conferred strength and the ability to impose mummy rot on a victim.[2]
- Paralyzing arm
- A strong limb that granted a ghoul's touch.[1][2]
- Skeleton hand
- A skeletal claw that could be used to slash enemies.[2]
- Weakening arm
- A skeletal forelimb that conferred great strength.[1][2]
- Wight's claw
- A wight's hand granted the ability to drain the life from a victim.[3]
- Zombie arm
- Granted the uncanny strength of a zombie.[2][3]
Head[]
- Bodak's eye
- An empty white bodak eye that granted a once-daily gaze attack that could slay foes.[2]
- Eye of flame
- The red, eye-shaped gem from an eye of fear and flame enabled the recipient to cast fireball.[2]
- Lich's brain
- Granted the esoteric knowledge of a lich.[3]
- Mohrg's tongue
- The long, clawed tongue of a mohrg.[2]
- Mummy's eye
- Mummified eyeballs embedded into the eye socket could be used to instill fear or cast eyebite, but could not be used to look around.[1][2][3]
- Vampiric fangs
- Also known as the thirst of the vampire, some versions simply replaced the subject's teeth with those of a vampire[1][2] while others also replaced parts of the digestive system to confer their blood-draining abilities.[3]
Other[]
- Bonemail
- Interlocking plates of bone grafted directly to a creature's body provided it with permanent armor.[1][2]
- Undead skin
- A protective, mottled gray hide that covered or replaced the original skin.[2]
Notable Owners[]
- Bahldrak Slagspit and Bellegia Slagspit, dwarf assassin twins from Neverwinter who became living specimens for grafting experiments by the Red Wizards of Thay.[7]
Appendix[]
See Also[]
Appearances[]
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Eric Cagle, Jesse Decker, James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Matthew Sernett, Chris Thomasson, and James Wyatt (April 2003). Fiend Folio. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 214. ISBN 0-7869-2780-1.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell (October 2004). Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 79–80. ISBN 0-7869-3433-6.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 Bruce R. Cordell, Eytan Bernstein, Brian R. James (January 2009). Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 51. ISBN 0786950692.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Eric Cagle, Jesse Decker, James Jacobs, Erik Mona, Matthew Sernett, Chris Thomasson, and James Wyatt (April 2003). Fiend Folio. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 207. ISBN 0-7869-2780-1.
- ↑ Steve Kurtz (April 1, 1995). The Complete Book of Necromancers. (TSR, Inc), p. 56. ISBN 0-7869-0106-3.
- ↑ Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 208. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
- ↑ Alan Patrick (2017). Durlag's Tower (DDAL5-08) (PDF). Edited by Travis Woodall. D&D Adventurers League: Storm King's Thunder (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 5, 14.