Page 316 - D&D Bestiary

ZOMBIES
From somewhere in the darkness, a gurgling moan
is heard. A form lurches into view, dragging one foot
as it raises bloated arms and broken hands. The
zombie advances, driven to kill anyone too slow to
escape its grasp.
Dark Servants. Sinister necromantic magic infuses
the remains of the dead, causing them to rise as
zombies that do their creator's bidding without fear or
hesitation. They move with a jerky, uneven gait, clad
in the moldering apparel they wore when put to
rest, and carrying the stench of decay.
Most zombies are made from humanoid
remains, though the flesh and bones of any
formerly living creature can be imbued with
a semblance of life. Necromantic magic,
usually from spells, animates a zombie. Some
zombies rise spontaneously when dark magic
saturates an area. Once turned into a zombie,
a crea~ure can't be restored to life except by
powerful magic, such as a resurrection spell.
A zombie retains no vestiges of its former self,
its mind devoid of thought and imagination. A
zombie left without orders simply stands in place
and rots unless something comes along that it
can kill. The magic animating a zombie imbues
it with evil, so left without purpose, it attacks any living
creature it encounters.
Hideous Forms. Zombies appear as they did in life,
showing the wounds that killed them. However, the
magic that creates these vile creatures often takes
time to run its course. Dead warriors might rise from a
battlefield, eviscerated and bloated after days in the sun.
The muddy cadaver of a peasant could claw its way from
the ground, riddled with maggots and worms. A zombie
might wash ashore or rise from a marsh, swollen and
reeking after weeks in the water.
Mindless Soldiers. Zombies take the most direct
route to any foe, unable to comprehend obstacles,
tactics, or dangerous terrain. A zombie might stumble
into a fast-flowing river to reach foes on a far shore,
clawing at the surface as it is battered against rocks
and destroyed. To reach a foe below it, a zombie might
step out of an open window. Zombies stumble through
roaring infernos, into pools of acid, and across fields
littered with caltrops without hesitation.
A zombie can follow simple orders and distinguish
friends from foes, but its ability to reason is limited
to shambling in whatever direction it is pointed,
pummeling any enemy in its path. A zombie armed
with a weapon uses it, but the zombie won't retrieve a
dropped weapon or other tool until told to do so.
Undead Nature. A zombie doesn't require air, food,
drink, or sleep . .