D&D: Rising From the Grave, These are the Best High-Level Undead
The most dangerous undead command life and death itself. Here are the five most macabre masters, the best high-level undead in D&D.
Undead are a terrifying part of any good D&D campaign. They represent the terrifying specter of death and decay embodied in malicious form. But not only that, there’s a sort of natural progression to them.
You start facing down skeletons and zombies and shadows. Then you face their evolved forms, things like Drowned Masters, Zombie Tyrannosaurs, and undead Mind Flayers. Until eventually you face the ones who create them.
These are forces of nature unto themselves. A single one can be the mastermind behind an entire campaign.
Vampire (Spellcaster)
Vampires are iconic undead villains. They represent humanity’s basest desires poshed up with wealth and gothic estates. Living their life at the expense of others makes them perfect mastermind villains. And their undead abilities make them a foe worth fighting.
They can create other vampire minions to serve them, which means they can turn friends into foes for some delicious tragedy later. But then on top of that, make your Vampire a wizard. Spellcasters typically have the problem of being pretty weak in combat, but a Vampire Spellcaster can cast spells like Greater Invisibility, Bestow Curse, and Dominate Person, all on top of being a vampire.
Dracolich
These are dragons bound to a phylactery through profane rituals. Usually created by cultists and necromancers, these undead dragons are stripped of life, hunger, of the needs of the flesh. A Dracolich is evil incarnate.
They possess all of the abilities of the living dragon they were created from, but they are reborn within 1d10 days after being slain, like a lich. Additionally, they deal necrotic damage in spades and devour the souls of their victims to prolong their unnatural existence.
Death Knight
Death Knights were once Paladins who fell from grace and died without seeking atonement. Transformed by dark powers into hateful creatures of undeath, Death Knights, are malevolence itself given form.
They possess powerful magical abilities, casting the spells they once knew in life. Only now their abilities are focused on destruction and death. But more than that, Death Knights might be trapped in their form, unable to find the release of death until they are redeemed.
In a fight, Death Knights have powerful magic and can hurl a magical ball of hellfire that deals staggering amounts of fire and necrotic damage. As well they grant significant bonuses to any undead fighting on their side within 60 feet.
Lich
There’s just something classic about the Lich. These are the remains of great Wizards who abandoned life itself to preserve their powers. Bereft of mortality and morality, they wield terrifying powers and have unlocked magical secrets far beyond the accomplishment of most mortals.
They can cast the most powerful spells, and have a paralyzing touch that renders all but the hardiest foe absolutely incapacitated. And that’s all on top of any lair actions or other undead servants they might have fighting on their side.
Nightwalker
Finally, the Nightwalker. These are spirits akin to demigods that devour all life they encounter. Nightwalkers are beings of shadow and entropy. They live, hungering and silent in the Negative Plane. But when a creature stumbles into that plane, a Nightwalker is released.
New Nightwalkers are created when a living creature enters their domain. Nightwalkers exist only to make life extinct. And only the heartiest adventurers can hope to stand up to their deathly auras.
What are your picks for the best high-level undead?
