D&D: Undead in the New Monster Manual are a Very Grave Matter
WotC shows off some of the new undead in the new monster manual in a preview of all the gothic horrors to come.
Undead are a big part of Dungeons & Dragons. The image of a bunch of fantasy warriors fighting off animated skeletons is etched into the collective consciousness. It’s older than D&D, of course, but fighting the living dead is a big part of many a module.
From the Red Wizards and their necromantic thralls (not to mention love affair with lichdom), to Strahd von Zarovich brooding in Barovia, to the machinations of Vecna the Archlich, undead play a big, often antagonistic role in D&D.
In the new Monster Manual, undead have received a significant revamp (pun intended). There are new types of undead. Old familiar skeletal faces got some upgrades. And of course, we got a look at some of that sweet sweet new undead artwork.
So grab your holy water and remind your Cleric that their “turn undead” ability has been buffed in the new edition, and let’s dive on in.
Undead in the New Monster Manual – New (Skeletal) Faces
One of the big things in the new monster manual that you’ll hear over and over is the exxpansion of “monster families.” And that just means more variants. It’s a return of one of the best things about 4th Edition, which was enemy types. Ironically, this was one of the more MMO-like things. And while 4th Edition was often criticized for being too MMO-like, people meant in terms of what players could do, and structural issues about the game.
But here in 5.5E, this variety is making a comeback in a big way. According to WotC’s designers, this principle means you’ll see more chances to run into a given type of monster across the level spectrum. Which means lower level versions of high level creatures (and vice versa).
Take the new Ghast Gravecaller. A gravecaller is a higher CR form of ghast. Ghasts are undead monsters that are famed for their paralyzing claws and rotting stench that makes it harder to resist said claws. They’re stinky ghouls.
A ghast gravecaller is a spellcasting variant. While a gravecaller still has the infamous stench, it can also speak to the dead, living or otherwise. And that’s already a cool little touch. But gravecallers do more than just speak to the dead. They also shoot blasts of necromantic magic at their enemies, and may well paralyze them up close.
Hilariously, they’re also quite vain. As D&D designer Wes Schneider revealed, a gravecaller might pose as a more powerful variety of undead magic users. Gravecallers often come about when someone fails to become a lich. And the kind of self-possessed ego to then pose as something you’re not makes for an amazing villain. Imagine kicking in a door, thinking you have to fight a lich, and then it turns out to not have the soul-devouring powers of one.
Revamping Vampires
Vampires also get the “monster family” treatment, with three bloodsucking new variants: the Vampire Familiar, the Vampire Nightbringer, and the Vampire Umbral Lord. In a previous video, the design team mentioned them before. But alongside the video, WotC unveiled the stats for the low-level version, the Familiar, seen above.
As you can see, they still feel vampiric—their weapons might poison a creature, paralyzing them for their vampire master. They also have a climb speed and can skitter up walls. And if you’ll note, they can dash or disengage as a bonus action. With 65 hit points, and a +5 Initiative bonus, they make a decent threat.
Sadly, we don’t get to see more of the other two vampire types. Not yet, any way. But this is a good indicator of what you can expect.
Revving Up the Revenant
The other big famiy of monsters that they showed off was Revenants. Revenants are undead spirits who come back to this world looking for revenge. A classic myth, and a classic D&D monster. In the new monster manual, these undead, vengeful spirits have more company.
Again, it’s so that you can see more variety of revenants throughout the tiers of play. Up above, you can see thehor rific new Graveyard Revenant. Graveyard revenants are what happens when the revenge spirit inhaits a whole nest of corpses. Or maybe it’s multiple avenging animi taing up residence—whatever the cause, it’s basically a whole smabling mass of corpses coming after you at once. Which is terrifying.
There’s also the Haunting Revenant, which we took a look at yesterday. But what they didn’t tell us at the monster manual press briefing, is that thee undead spirits can inhait more than just houses. You might find a haunting revenant inside a ship or any other big sort of structure that then comes after you to try and kill you.
Undead Made Spookabble
But the new monster manual is about more than justintroducing new types of familiar undead. It’s also a significant reworking of many undead monsters. Those who were at PAX Unplugged got to see this in action when the new version of the ghost appeared. They hit harder—way harder. But ghosts aren’t the only ones with an upgrade in the new monster manual.
The Dracolich, which was once a weird template that you could apply to any kind of dragon has been overhauled to have more of a distinct identity. As Crawford puts it, the dracolich should feel like you’re not just fighting a dragon. You’re fighting an undead creature with its own set of unique abilities that is dragon-like.
Or take the updated Banshee, which they only briefly touched on. But one of the other defining new principles of the monster manual is giving DMs more tools to situate their monsters in the world. To that end, the new banshee comes with guidelines for how you’d make them fit in situation. They might appear as ill-omens, before a catastrophe, or something like that.
All of this kind of neatly wraps up the experience you can expect from creatures across the board. Of course, there are still a few more undead we haven’t gotten too much into. Like the flaming skeleton, which is a direct return from 4th edition, exploding body and all.
But whatever flavor of undead you enjoy running or fighting, you can expect to find them and more in the new moster manual!
Look for the new Monster Manual February 2025!
