D&D: The Best Low Level Undead That Won’t Break Your XP Budget
Just kidding, turns out hardly anyone uses XP anymore. But these are still perfect low-level undead to run into in D&D.
Fighting undead is one of the evergreen things of D&D. It’s good at low levels. It’s good at high levels. You can never fight too many undead – especially if you’re in a party full of Clerics and Paladins. But fighting against hordes of skeletons or zombies or whatever should be a part of any adventurer’s career. Especially right at the beginning.
Which is why, today, we’re taking a look at some of the best low-level undead in D&D. These five are hard to beat!
Skeleton
These monsters are classic for a reason. At CR 1/4 they’re a perfect foe for basically any adventuring party to face on their first adventure.
They’re one of the few monsters you can telegraph coming a mile away, but the party will still be thrilled to fight them. Just litter bones in suspicious piles around any room. Even the most clueless adventurers will realize “oh yeah these bones are going to come to life and attack us.”
And even knowing that it’ll still be exciting when they do. Plus! Skeletons have a decent attack bonus, two modes of attack, and are vulnerable to bludgeoning damage. They reward players who come prepared, and at only 13 hit points, they won’t slow a fight down needlessly.
Sword Wraith Warrior
Sword Wraiths are one of my personal favorite undead in the game. They’re surprisingly resilient undead foes and it’s because, in addition to being ghosts, they have a sizable chunk of hit points and resilience.
They’re a perfect pick for when you want to have ghostly soldiers that can actually be a threat. They hit harder than a skeleton, and can recklessly attack, which makes them a fun boss fight for the lowest level parties or a persistent threat to higher level ones.
Brain in a Jar
It’s an undead brain in a jar. That alone makes it worth including in any adventure. Put it in a spooky mad scientist’s lab and you’re golden. But to top it off, Brains in a Jars are capable of detecting sentience out to 300 feet. And they can cast a variety of spells that help them lock down a battlefield so that it can drain the thought-essence of adventurers foolish enough to think the brain in a jar was named Abby Normal.
Ghostblade Eidolon
Ghostblade Eidolons are just cool. Out of the Mythic Odysseys of Theros, Ghostblade Eidolons are the identities of mortal souls who sacrificed their identities to escape the Underworld.
They are driven by a sense of passion without purpose, which makes them frightful combatants. They can make multiple attacks, deal force damage, they can move through walls and are naturally blurred. What great foes they make up and down the levels.
Minotaur Skeleton
It’s like a regular skeleton but is also a Minotaur. Which makes it big and beefy and bony. And then it charges the party and starts throwing party members left and right with its terrific charge that sends foes flying and knocks them prone.
What are your favorite undead monsters?
