{ UNDEAD } Basic and General Undead RP Information

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UNDEAD

The Undead in Halloween comprise any being that is technically not alive, yet not truly dead: they are capable of thought, motion, speech, and all those other lovely things, without any of that pesky breathing or heart-beating to get in the way.

Like ghosts, the undead may be former humans who died - and, like ghosts, the moment of death erases all memories of their former lives. The only thing a newly-dead undead has left is their name and personality. See Memory below for more information.

Please note that in the following guide, "humans" is used to represent the person an undead may have been in their previous life, if applicable. It is possible to have an undead animal as long as they fit the criteria to make an undead (see: In the Human World). In addition, it is also possible to have an undead monster/demon/reaper as long as they have died in the Human World. Keep the rules of Memory in mind; your character can only be a first year should you choose to go this route. You may not have an alumni character who dies, comes back as undead and re-takes school.

Appearance:

Undead have a wide range of appearances - since, in theory, anything that can die has the potential to be undead. In addition to the 'classic' undead, like zombies, vampires, patchworks, and so on, undead reapers/demons/monsters may also exist. If an undead was 'born' through death, they will resemble their former self, give or take a few limbs and mutilations depending on how they died.

The main "trait" of being undead is... well. Rot. Nearly all undead are in some state of decomposition, one of the few exceptions being the classic (and much envied) vampires. And even they have corpse-pale flesh and are cold to the touch!

This decay is usually inactive, or at least very slow; it's impossible for an undead to decay into nothing as long as they have enough FEAR to sustain themselves. For example, mummies may be dried out and not rotting any longer because of their state of preservation. Patchworks also tend to be well-preserved, while fastidiously clean plague doctors take good care of their weakened bodies. Skeletons have nothing left to lose! Still, even born-undead often have bodies that are damaged in comparison to other races: lack of musculature, skin, bone showing through in places, missing limbs, or obvious stitches or grafts to cover up said damage. Their skin - if they have any! - usually looks unhealthy, corpse-pale or greening, perhaps blue or black, molding or rotting or bloody.

Undead can and do grow... when they choose to. Newly-dead undead may choose to remain in their at-death state, undead that are born and raised in Halloween often choose to grow up right alongside their more "alive" peers. Growth may be done through surgical modification (done by others or self-inflicted) if desired; this method of growth is very common for patchworks, who often attach new and bigger parts to themselves in order to grow!

Memory:
At the moment of death, newly-undead lose their memories of their former lives. They cannot recall what the human world was like (if they were from there), any exact moments in their past history, or the names or faces of people they once knew. They are a blank slate, equipped only with the knowledge of the basics and what their name is.

In a way, newly-undead have a sort of "detached" memory if you will. They know what things are and how to use them providing they have had experience with them in their past life (ie, a former chef would still know how to cook). They would even have strong feelings attached to the knowledge, however they do NOT know the specifics. For example, a newly-undead who was a former chef would know that someone was a fan of their pancakes, but they would NOT know if it was a former lover, child, family member, or tough-to-sell food critic. They would just know that someone enjoyed them to the point that they'd always smile, for example.

However, when it comes to emotions newly-undead can only remember STRONG emotions. A chef-undead for example would not remember working in a restaurant. If, however, the restaurant was their own, the thought of working in and managing their own might fill them with a warm, fuzzy nostalgia. A chef-undead who worked in a cafeteria on the other hand might recoil in horror at the thought of being asked to cook for a large number of guests if their experience in working in a school cafeteria was horrifying enough with the screechy little buggers.

Of course if an undead is born in Halloween, then they suffer no memory loss. They merely grow up just like any other kid born and raised in Halloween!


Culture:
As a faction, the undead do not have a unified, overarching culture: the closest thing they have is a very definite social hierarchy. In general, the more decayed you are - and the more you flaunt it - the less socially acceptable you are. Vampires form the highest social strata; shambling zombies make up the lowest. Undead may be unkindly stereotyped as slow, stupid creatures that can be easily manipulated or used as tools. This is not always true, of course, but the stigma is definitely there. Born-undead may consider themselves of a higher class than newly-undead.

Vampires are social climbers with healthy ambitions; they generally try to distance themselves from 'undead stigma' as much as they possibly can, choosing to emulate classier demons instead. Patchworks and some varieties of zombie are often created in laboratories by science-wielding Masters; these can be excellent minions. Mummies are often solitary creatures. Other zombies may choose to live and hunt in shambling packs. Plague doctors live in close-knit family Houses that can be extremely insular. How an undead lives really depends more on their specific species/type than the fact that they are undead.

One thing all undead can agree on, however, is that they have the singular honor of producing the most legendary Pumpkin King in Halloween Town history. The great Pumpkin King Jack Skellington was undead, after all! All undead hold his memory in great esteem, and enthusiastically join in any celebration that honors him.

The other thing all undead agree on is that fire sucks. All undead are more flammable than their living counterparts, and they all have a powerful instinctive fear of fire.


Common Undead Subclasses:
Vampires are all about politics and climbing the social ladder. They will step on anyone they can to get ahead. After all, they're the smartest, prettiest, and most deserving (and obviously the most vain). Their moods range from callous and cold to full of lust and desire; this often depends on how seasoned the vampire is. Most vampires wouldn't be caught... er, dead... with 'lesser' undead.

Patchworks are a strange lot. While the other undead all were born (or died) at some point, patchworks were created from a mishmash of disparate Parts. Most patchworks have a powerful sense of Duty and Purpose instilled in them by their creators; they often take on a servant or minion role. They live in a strict framework determined by Master's Orders, and any challenge to this framework can be highly confusing and lead to existential angst.

Mummies are an angry group. You'd be angry too if you had been imprisoned for thousands of years in a small box! Thankfully though, mummies tend to block that period of time from their mind, and are able to function in society fairly well when they have to. Often coming from long-gone civilizations, mummies feel a bit out of place in the modern day. They were once someone important, but now they're not, and even mummy pride and haughtiness can't make that pretty golden burial crown mean something. Still, they do have an affinity for curse/hex magic, which is more than most undead!

Zombies. What can be said about zombies? They look and smell horrible (rotting flesh is never en vogue). Their appearance ranges from a tolerable amount of decay to almost skeletal. Zombies are often just assumed to be slow and stupid; while this isn't always the case, even the smartest zombie still has to deal with the stereotypical view. Many zombies are social outcasts, at least to those who aren't also zombies (or at least undead).

Skeletons are absolutely not zombies who lost all their flesh, thank you very much! Also, the great Jack Skellington was a skeleton, and you'd better remember that. Skeletons often have a giant chip on their shoulders regarding both of these things. They have history, damnit, a great and storied history! And they will tell you about it! At length! With many embellishments!


In Halloween:
Undead fill in many different roles in Halloween:

• Servants/Minions: Many undead, especially the created type, make excellent servants and loyal minions to their creators, and to anyone else they end up being bound to.
  
• Advancing Hordes: The shambling zombie apocalypse is a classic for a reason. Undead are remarkably resilient in a fight (except when it comes to fire) and can take a lot of damage before dropping - and even then you might have a few disembodied arms grabbing your ankles. Or flipping you off.
  
• Mad Scientists: Many of the smarter undead have a fondness for science; those who were created often emulate their creators. It's easy to run tests and concoct great experiments when you can just sew yourself back together after the inevitable explosion.
  
• Continuality: Should a newly-undead choose to, they can continue the career they had in their previous life. Granted figuring out what that was may take some time and experimentation, and even relearning the skills to do what you previously did may take some time, but hey. At least you know that you enjoyed it. Or hated it.
  

These are only a few of the jobs members of the Undead race perform in Halloween. There are many jobs and careers available to any aspiring undead!

In the Human World:
The Human World, for all its delicious Fear-creation, is a dangerous place. More than one Halloween citizen found themselves on the wrong end of humanity, tasting fear themselves as their prey suddenly became the predator. But as a citizen of Halloween, they have nothing to worry about. If they die, they just dissipate and reappear in Halloween right as rain... right? Wrong.

Every time a Halloween citizen dissipates, there is a small chance for something to go horribly wrong. It is this small chance of corruption in someone’s natural Fear that can lead to the rise of another Undead citizen in Halloween. When this happens, the newly Undead loses all memory and skills of their previous life. They must start life again as a Year One, should they re-enroll. And what choice do they have, really? And of course, that all depends on whether or not Amityville will accept them again after failing so hard..

In order to generate Fear for Halloween, undead that visit the Human World tend to travel in groups, sometimes under the command of a leader or master. They often lurk around graveyards, hospitals, or medical facilities (especially morgues), ready to threaten the unwary with potential violence. A common tactic is burying themselves in the ground and then 'rising from the grave' in front of a hapless human. Mummies often haunt their own former tombs, or are drawn to mysterious museums that now house their burial relics; Egyptology departments in human universities provide surprisingly fertile territory. As for vampires, they tend to work alone, attracting a single target for a delicate dance of seduction.


ABILITIES

Racial Abilities:

Resilience and Resistance: All undead are startlingly resilient, even though they might look like they're ready to fall apart. The undead don't need pesky things like air or blood circulation or sleep or even a complete skeletal system to keep on going, and they have a surprisingly high resistance to pain. Their endurance and fortitude surpasses that of any other faction.

Falling to Pieces: Ready to fall apart, you say? No problem! If they do fall apart, many types of undead can simply put themselves back together. Skeletons and skeletal creatures are best at this; even fleshy undead can put themselves back in working order with a simple needle and thread. However, some undead (like Vampires) look down on this practice and prefer to straight up dissipate and have their limbs automatically replaced.

Note that this ability involves replacement of an undead's own body parts only: if your arm falls off, you can put it back on without too much trauma. You cannot replace it with a random arm you found lying on the side of the road unless your species' natural ability (i.e. the Patchworks' Interchangeable Parts) permits you to!


Racial Weakness:

FIRE: All undead have an instinctive fear of fire - sensible, given that they are highly flammable and burn much easier than other races. And it's not so easy to fix that kind of damage! A candle or burner may make an undead nervous; an inferno may well prompt utter mindless fear that shortcuts all logical responses. Fire bad.


Natural Abilities:

If there is more than one listed, YOU CAN ONLY PICK ONE. Natural Abilities represent the "clan" of undead you belong to. While you may be the same species, each species has different "clans" or "factions." These represent the changes and adaptations different kinds of undead have developed over the years in Halloween. While it is possible to gain an extra natural ability through classes, you may only begin with ONE.

Also, please note: for undead that were previously other Halloween species, such as an undead demon, undead monster, etc. - you do not get your original natural ability AND a new undead one. You must pick a suitable new natural ability, or put an undead twist on their previous one. For example, if a witch dies she may NOT summon her old cat familiar. Instead, she may be able to summon an horrible undead thing that might have been identifiable as a "cat" once...  

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Undead TL;DR

Note: it is not advisable to skip directly to here and read only the information provided in this section. At the very least, please skim the previous post. Thanks!

General Strengths:

• Resilience. The undead don't need the same creature comforts as the living - breathing? Nah. Blood circulation? Eh. While they aren't quite as resilient as ghosts, undead are much tougher than other fleshy creatures, provided fire isn't involved.
  
• Resistance. If you're already dead, what's a little pain? Nothing, that's what. Undead have surprisingly high pain thresholds.
  
• Perseverance. Undead can just keep going. And going. And going. They don't need sleep, or even rest. They just. Keep. Going.
  
• See My Arm? It's Flipping You Off. Even if an undead falls apart, it can put itself back together much more easily than a non-undead in a similar situation. Some undead can even control their limbs without them being attached to their bodies; however, those that can do this have it as a natural ability.

General Weaknesses:

• Social Stigma. Undead are often viewed as stupid, slow, smelly creatures, and even the brightest, fastest, cleanest of undead have to deal with this pervading stereotype. It gets tiring, okay? And sometimes it's just not worth dealing with other races when you have to fight that all the time.
  
• Fire. All undead are completely freaked out by fire, and extremely vulnerable to burning. A good blazing torch will likely make an undead flee from you in terror.
  
• Minion Tendencies. Many undead feel better with a strong leader/creator/master - usually not another undead. Always looking to other races for leadership doesn't exactly help with the social stigma thing, especially when the most highly regarded undead - vampires - are busy trying to look as not undead as they possibly can.
  

 

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Undead Subspecies

These are not the only subclasses of Undead in Halloweentown!
The following is merely an index of known Undead subclasses in Halloween. If you don't see a subclass that will fit your character, please feel free to make one up! You do NOT have to base your character off of a pre-existing myth or lore -- in fact, we encourage player-made subclasses! This list will only be updated with ENROLLED students, however. You can request for your students' subspecies to be added to this list HERE!

A-G

D::

- Death Knight::
xxxxxCommon Desc: Powerful warriors that have been forcefully summoned back from their death. While they may live to serve their masters, usually their strong sense of will overcomes their bound spirit, imbuing them with a strong feeling of vengeance for their graves being desecrated. They make solid arms-fighting creatures.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Weapons Mastery: A Death Knight can pick up any weapon and be able to use it... martially. That is, they can pick up a cutlass and know enough to be a fearsome swashbuckler, or pick up a pistol and be a dangerous gunslinger. A Death Knight cannot, however, activate any magical abilities with a weapon should it possess one. They treat all weapons like ordinary weapons. If they pick up a Hunter weapon for instance, they are unaware of what it is.


- Draugr, Draug::
xxxxxPlural: Draugar
xxxxxCommon Desc: A peculiar sub-species, the Draugar are the undead being of Vikings. They are said to be either hel-blar ("death black") or, conversely, na-folr ("corpse-pale").
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Size Shift: Draugar are capable of changing their size by will.


G::

- Ghūl::
xxxxxCommon Desc: Not to be confused with the Halloween term for a "girl" ("ghoul"), a Ghul is a cutthroat undead with one thing in mind: plunder and profit. Their notable features are razor sharp teeth and long thick claws that they use to dig with. Ghuls make up a majority of the undead that go about digging around for fresh corpses, turning a profit off of the sell-able parts they find. Any part that can't be used or sold usually winds up being eaten by the Ghul.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Digging for Profit: Ghuls boast a keen sense of smell that allows them to locate fresh corpses. It's up to the Ghul itself to dig the corpse up, and the condition said corpse is isn't guaranteed...  

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H-N

H::

- Hunter::
xxxxxCommon Desc: The Hunter is an agile special zombie whose mutation has granted him incredible strength and agility. Hunters are primarily identified by their distinctive and intimidating growl or the screams and snarls they emit upon sighting a human or whilst attacking. Not to be confused with the Hunters of Deus Ex Machina!
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Claw Attack: Their main attack is slashing at the victim with their sharp claws.
xxxxxxxxxx • Pounce Attack: They are agile jumpers and climbers and will often leap from large distances to knock down their victim, making it easier to attack them.



I::

- Igor:: (see also: Patchwork)
xxxxxCommon Desc: The classic accessory to any self respecting mad scientist, Igors aren't usually built "fresh" but recycled from parts of old ones, so young/fresh Igors are usually very rare. Unlike other patchwork minions, Igors are built to loom and lurk and assist without asking questions. It is a standard for them to be hunchbacked and created from "bottom of the barrel" Parts after all the "good" parts have been taken for more important patchwork projects. They are usually dim and almost dog-like in mentality with an obsessive need to serve. An Igor without a Master is a dangerous thing. When young, Igors are usually subjected to rigorous "training" to separate any notion of Self to replace it with love of their Master. Traditionally, they have a penchant for kidnapping beautiful girls.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Interchangeable Parts: Just like any Patchwork, Igors are able to swap out their limbs and other parts. This is usually most useful because they are used as guinea-pigs and minions for more dangerous activities like pulling that other Igor corpse out of that vat of acid.


J::

- Jiang Shi::
xxxxxCommon Desc: Also known as 'Chinese zombies or vampires'. These are dead that have been reanimated back to life with an invocation: usually in the form of a piece of imbued parchment put over their heads. If the parchment is taken off, they literally go from undead to dead.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Maneuverability: Jiang Shi are very swift and graceful. They can jump and "glide" to and from uncanny heights, almost as if they were flying.


K::

- Kyonshee::
xxxxxSee: Jiang Shi


L::

- Lost Fathoms Leviathan::
xxxxxCommon Desc: A tribe of undead leviathans. While they began their lives as leviathans, over time they have adapted aspects and features from other undersea races in such a way that gives every member of this race a unique appearance dependent solely on whose corpse they managed to find and harvest parts from. Every LFL has their own unique glowing pattern that varies in colors and shape, from green to blue to neon pink and purple. This pattern does not change despite the "parts" they give themselves, be it a new arm, leg, torso, or head.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Adaptation: A Lost Fathoms Leviathan can fuse and absorb a new body part if they concentrate their Fear and bind it with sea water. Their new limb then takes on their coloration, and is usable immediately as if they were born with it. This does not give them additional abilities, however (ie, a LFL that gives themselves feathery wings will be unable to fly with them).


M::

- Mummy::
xxxxxCommon Desc: Mummies are preserved or embalmed bodies of the dead. Both intentional and natural mummies exist. Bandaged mummies from ancient Egypt fall under the intentional category whilst bog and glacier, etc. bodies are natural.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Mummy's Curse: You really, really don't want to disturb a mummy's things. Every mummy can cast a potent curse to protect their belongings, with effects ranging from an itch that will never go away to bad luck. If you pick this natural ability, please explain the curse you what your character to be able to cast - what does it do? how long does it last? and so on.
xxxxxxxxxx • Hexing: Mummies have an affinity for hexing and cursing. Their hexes and curses tend to stick around for longer than usual. Note: This is for RP purposes only and has no affect on the battle system.
 

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O-U

P::

- Patchwork:: (see also: Igor)
xxxxxCommon Desc: Construct creatures that have either a.) died and been patched back to life OR b.) been created anew in a constructed body. Patchworks often make excellent minions or servants, and they tend to be docile and obedient.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Interchangeable Parts: Patchworks can function with their limbs interchanged, heads popped off, so on so forth. Their soul is bound to their patched up body by a strong magic.


- Plague Doctor::
xxxxxCommon Desc: Plague doctors have been denizens of Halloween since the time of the human Black Plague. They always wear beaked masks on their faces, which they are unable to remove without severe consequences. They may also posses other avian features. Beneath their clothing and bandages, plague doctor bodies exist in varying states of decay. Unless they have artificially or magically augmented themselves, plague doctors are physically gender-neutral - though, naturally, individuals may mentally possess any gender identity they wish. Plague doctors usually live in tightly-knit clans referred to as Houses (or Casas, or any translation of the word 'house' in a European language). As a race, they are inclined towards the study of medicine, disease, and the sciences; it is not impossible for a plague doctor to wish to be a musician, but it is unlikely.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Immunity: Plague doctors are immune to the effects of any germ, pathogen, or illness, whether spawned from the Human World or from Halloween Town itself.



- Pricolici::
xxxxxCommon Desc: It is said when a werewolf is killed prematurely and their head is not removed, they rise again as a monstrous vampire with wolf-like tendencies. Pricolici are considered to be mostly aggressive males simply because the more demure ones, as well as the females, are smart enough to stay out of sight and hide up their presence as well as possible. They favor attacking lone targets rather than groups and may, in some cases, suffer a milder form of the bloodlust that vampires do. Pricolici cannot be born from a pumpkin because of their origins. Their children are always born as live werewolves.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Shapeshift: As in life, the Pricolici is able to transform between a human form and a monstrous wolf form. Unlike a werewolf, however, their transformations outside of Halloween are unpredictable and can't be counted on to only happen by moonlight alone.



R::

- Reanimated Corpse (SUMMON)::
xxxxxNote: Not available for questing.
xxxxxCommon Desc: A reanimated corpse is a corpse brought back to "life" by means of a strong curse or spell cast by someone in Halloween. A reanimated corpse is not a zombie. It is simply a life-sized puppet made out of flesh that decays over time until its summoner dismisses it. They cannot speak or think for themselves; they are mindless golems that do their summoner's bidding.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Command Me: Reanimated corpses follow the orders of their summoners.


S::

- Skeleton::
xxxxxCommon Desc: A Skeleton is an animated corpse, completely liberated from decaying flesh, viscera, and other smelly things. Their senses are not as strong as other creatures, but they are still capable of smelling, feeling, seeing, etc, albeit to a lesser degree. Some of this is countered by their knack of “imagining” what they cannot already sense.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • I Can Move It Just Fine: Skeletons may remove parts from themselves and still use them. For instance, they can detach a hand and use that hand to skitter around by itself like Thing from the Addams Family.
xxxxxxxxxx • The Hip Bone Connects To The... Uh...: Without flesh and other junk getting in the way, a Skeleton can knock themselves apart and rebuild themselves any way they'd like and still function normally.
 

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V-Z

V::

- Vampire (Western):
xxxxxCommon Desc: The traditional vampire. At a glance, they look like a Reaper or human with a few differences: two sharp fangs and pale death-kissed skin. Because of their appearance, vampires are regarded as a high class of undead. Some even mistake them for Demons or Reapers, and treat them as such.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Heightened Senses: A Vampire can enjoy a sharper sense of sight, smell, and hearing. Very little can escape a vampire's notice, making them excellent diplomats or socialites.
xxxxxxxxxx • Shapeshifting - Flock of Bats: When a vampire wants to get around, they do it in style. With the swish of the cloak, a vampire can turn into a flock of bats and fly from place to place. If a bat is captured or killed, it simply reforms with the vampire later. If a majority of the bats are killed, however, the vampire itself dissipates and must re-form.



- Vampire (Revenant): (revenant)
xxxxxCommon Desc: The more "feral" and "wilder" type of vampire. These vampires rely not on formalities and words to get their point across: these rely on violence and pure strength. These vampires have longer fangs, serrated teeth, and claws, and prefer to keep to themselves. While vampires may be at the top of the undead social hierarchy, revenant vampires are towards the bottom.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Wall Walking: Revenant vampires can walk up vertical surfaces and hang about on ceilings, however in order to do so they must use their hands AND feet.


Z::

- Zombie: (traditional)
xxxxxCommon Desc: Unlike ghouls, zombies can only be brought back from death on certain landmark occasions. They retain their close cousins' sense of loss and disarray and are usually considered dim-witted and slow. Despite popular belief, zombies actually can be quite intelligent creatures and are not contagious, unless you are allergic to rotting flesh and maggots.
xxxxxNatural Ability:
xxxxxxxxxx • Death Grip: When a zombie wants to hold onto something, they really hold onto something. Due to their reanimated nature, zombies posses a degree of physical strength that doesn't necessarily match their body or build.