Westgard/Libris Mortis
Foreword
This manual will attempt to document, categorize, and codify the nature and types of undead and methods of fighting them in hopes that their scourge may be ultimately defeated, or at the very least, ease the suffering their shambling ranks inflict upon the living.
Of the Nature of the Dead
The Undead, in a general sense, are the animated bodies of the deceased. They are with only the most limited of exceptions (a singular occurrence, to be discussed later) innately hostile to mankind. Oddly enough, they do not engage in hostilities with monsters, despite a history of opposition, and the monsters possessing qualities that would seem compatible with their unholy diets. The Undead propagate in three distinct ways which will be explored further in this chapter.
Propagation
The Undead first and foremost require human corpses, or in some rare cases, an undead may rise without an intact body, instead being a being of spirit that was once Human. There are no recorded cases of undead Daimons and only limited anecdotes of undead Monsters. The Undead are a twisted mockery of life. Feeding and breeding in an unholy parody of Humanity. One might note the absence of summoning the undead from this chapter, it will be covered elsewhere.
Spontaneous Rising
The first method of undead propagation is the least understood, but also the easiest to combat. The spontaneous rising of the Dead. This can occur anywhere, anytime. Ancient crypts, tombs, graveyards all hold corpses which untended, will rise again as the Undead. Left unchecked, the most powerful of these will form hordes and menace civilized regions.
However, this can be largely kept in check by adventurers, who cull the ranks of the Undead before they grow too powerful. What we can observe from this however, is the undead draw an unholy power from numbers. The more undead in a region, the stronger they become.
Undead Territory
The second method of propagation is perhaps the most terrifying. When undead take over a region they convert it into an undead sprawl, and the dead buried within (or the unfortunate souls living there) are turned to shambling corpses. This can be combatted by halting undead takeovers and imposing order on regions. The simplest math is: the fewer regions in anarchy, the fewer regions capable of harbouring undead sprawls. Fell energies coalesce in these areas, animating bodies and giving rise to attacks on civilized regions.
Undead territory tends to be focused around ancient crypts, forgotten necropolises, mass graves and other places where the dead are easily accessible. This indicates that even ancient corpses can be raised from the dead and pressed into the ranks if the Undead.
Undead Maladies
The third and final method of propagation is the direct conversion of living victims to undead. The methods vary between types of the Undead, but are always violent. After a battle it is important to monitor the wounded for bites and tell tale signs of undead curses. Ghouls and Ghasts, for example, spread their curse through bites. Known undead maladies include:
Ghoul Fever. The bites of ghouls and ghasts carry a curse laden disease, which spreads rapidly. The victim will burn with an intense fever, breaking into a cold sweat. Their skin will take on a deathly palour, and once it has run its course the victim will perish and rise as a ghoul. The only remedy is to pour molten silver into the wound.
Wraith Spawn. Those slain by the shadowy wraiths will rise as a wraith by the next sunset unless the body is burnt. Do not gamble. When fighting wraiths, burn your dead.
Grave Chills. Caused by the ingestion of undead tissue or fluid, usually accidentally. A spray of coagulated blood or bile getting in one's mouth in combat is the most common cause. Victims will be gripped with agonizing pain and chills, before slowly going catatonic. The final stages will see the victim seem to fall asleep, only to awaken as a zombie. To remedy, keep the victim warm, and ply them with whiskey laced with silver.
Combatting the Dead
Fighting the Undead may seem like a straight forward affair, but those who would engage them as they would a human opponent will find their ranks quickly overrun, and joining the ranks of their foes. A soldier has to change tactics. A sword driven through the abdomen of a man will stop him. A sword driven through the sword of a ghoul brings you closer to its slavering maw. However, a head smashed in is still a head smashed in and will stop anything. Man, Daimon, Troll, Wyvern, Wraith, Wight... That being said, this chapter will discuss effective methods of combatting the Undead.
This chapter will discuss a variety of topics, from equipment to magic to tactics.
Silver
Silver is a purifying metal, one with an intrinsic connection to life and purity. Keep a silver coin in a waterskin and the water stays fresh. Remove it from the skin, and it will become foul and stagnant. So it is against the undead. Silver weapons will stop the dead in a case where they would otherwise ignore the blow. Silver will stop the unnatural healing of more powerful undead, and combined with sunlight can destroy a wraith. Silver can be used to treat undead maladies like Ghoul Fever. Use silver whenever possible.
Tactics
The undead lack the intelligence or motor functions to utilize ranged attacks. Thus, by deploying ranged forces in the back, and melee in the rearguard, you can shoot them all day before they even get close. Done right, you shouldn't even engage the dead in melee.
Undead are leaderless units, and are prone to retreating in the face of losses. Box formations are ideal for combatting the undead, as it does not hamper ranged offensive capability and offers a defensive boost in melee combat which is vital. The longer a unit stays in combat against the undead, the more likely the undead is to break. Deploying in box allows units to sustain combat against the undead for longer periods. Always deploy in box.
Holy Light
Magic will be its own section, but Holy Light bears special mention. Without getting into theological territory, Holy Light channels the divine essence that gives us life. Undead, possessing none of this Light, are vulnerable to it. The twisted mockery of life that fuels the Undead is driven out of their vessels by this raw channelling of divine energy, destroying them. Bar none, Holy Light is the best way to combat the undead.
Magic
The undead are just as vulnerable to magic as anything else, even those spells that seem as though they wouldn't. Scrolls of Fear are particularly effective, given undead units lack leaders and are susceptible to being routed. Curse of rust and splash of acid are both viable combat spells, degrading even natural weapons and armour. Magic weapons and armour both aid immensely in fighting the dead. Fireball remains useless, as the wizards appear to revel in some sort of joke, as if hurling a ball of fire isn't useful.