Undead
The Undead are creatures that are brought to a semblance of life after their death, in a manner that is different from resurrection in that their life is not fully restored. This is usually accomplished by binding a cursed soul to some aspect of the material world, often (but not always) their own corpse. The Undead can range from zombie roltons to phantoms to much worse. They can manifest in corporeal and non-corporeal entities.
Undead possess a natural 25% damage resistance to physical attacks, as well as a +25 bonus to defending against PSM skills. Each tier of Sanctify on relevant offensive combat gear negates 20% of these defenses, removing them completely at the fifth tier (T5). Blessed combat gear removes these defenses entirely. Most direct damage spells harm them normally.
Many undead are immune or highly resistant to many forms of mind-affecting magic. The Cleric spell Smite/Bane (302) may be more or less effective depending on the cleric's deity.
Corporeal and Non-Corporeal Undead
The corporeal undead generally take damage normally from blessed weapons.
While still vulnerable to attacks by blessed weaponry, the non-corporeal undead (e.g. spirits, phantoms) are a little harder to handle. Having no body, they use a special non-corporeal critical table which makes them immune to instant death or debilitating wounds. Many are also immune or highly resistant to stuns and knockdowns. Non-corporeal beings can be forced into a corporeal form by using the sorcerer spell Phase (704). The Order of Voln has an unarmed combat ability called Kai's Smite that also draws them into corporeal form temporarily, and they can be weakened by Symbol of Disruption.
Sheer Fear
- Main article: Sheer fear
Player characters may be incapacitated by sheer fear in the presence of undead creatures with substantially higher level than their own.
Undead Creatures
These are some of the many undead creatures in Gemstone IV. Duplicated level 1-15 or generic undead areas common in starter locations are excluded from the list as they aren't unique.
Until recently, no base level undead creatures existed between the levels of 64 and 75. This "Undead Gap" existed for over 20 years, and ended with the July 2016 release of the Red Forest and its level 68 warped tree spirits and was further corrected in August 2020 with Den of Rot that added level 70 seething pestilent visions and level 72 magna vereri.
Level ranges will expand beyond The Scatter undead maximum with the level 110 lich after the release of Hinterwilds later in 2021/2022.