An Odd Undeath

There aren't really your typical living-dead in Into the Odd. Cheating death isn't about dealing with souls, and holy symbols don't really come into it.

But you're so sure you saw an undead creature in Bastion?

Might have been one of the following.

Skeletons
Ivory automatons, polished bone armour on brainwashed henchmen, skeletons of victims hung up to warn intruders.

Zombies
Victims of hypnosis rays, brain parasites, or intelligent viruses that seize control of minds and muscles.

Ghosts and Wraiths
Echoes, holograms, drug-fuelled visions of dead loved ones, unfortunate consciousnesses trapped in vacuum chambers, or bound to a comatose host.

Ghouls
Underground mutants with poisonous bites and awful hygiene, cadaver-worshipping cults.

Brains in OBJECT
Oh, sure. People are always trying to cram brains into things.

Mummies and Liches
Oily old nobles that seem to live forever, life-force revivification machines with a bad track record, and spritely old women that claim their spark was reignited by a night-time encounter with an androgynous star-child.

Vampires
Bruncent Sythe is a crooked old guy that drinks at the Four-Worlds and always bites the landlord when it's closing time. It was probably him wearing his funeral suit.

Making a Better Mummy

When did Mummies become the hard-hitting tanks of the undead? They're presented as slow but super-strong in both D&D and Warhammer.

Seems to me they should be the frail but magically powerful leaders of vast ancient armies. A very specific flavour of lich, really, perhaps awakening after a set number of millennia. Possible future spoilers for anyone playing in my Into the Odd game.

Mummy of Emperor Kthataktha the Giver STR 5, DEX 1, WIL 20, 15hp, Armour 1.

Dressed in full ceremonial armour and wielding an ornate spear, the mummified remains of the once great emperor cannot move without help. Indeed, he is never seen off his jade throne, which is carried by twelve brass skeletons, who serve only as an elaborate means of transport.

He speaks in a raspy groan, needing to be translated by one of the few living speakers of his empire's dead tongue. His thoughts are entirely set on regaining his stolen treasures and establishing a new empire.

The emperor can use any Arcana, even those wielded by his enemies, within 30ft as if he were wielding them himself. He is bedecked with jewellery and a foot-high crown. Together these jewels function as an Arcana containing the spells listed below. Only one of the Emperor's bloodline can wield these items. Anyone else that tried is blasted with lightning for 2d6 damage.

Eternal Hunger (Power 5): One target within 20ft must pass a WIL Save or lose 2d6 STR and you gain that many HP, even if it takes you above your maximum. These extra HP are lost when you have a full rest.

Death Knell (Power 7): All living creatures within 40ft must pass a STR Save or take 3d6 damage. Even those that pass this spell are deafened until they next have a full rest.

Eyes of the Stars (Power 8): You know the exact location of one object or being you have touched before.

Making a Better Skeleton

This should be easy. To me the skeleton has gone from a potentially terrifying concept to the disposable mook of the undead.

It's a magically animated skeleton! By its very nature it's got a degree of supernatural power about it. A zombie still has muscles and sensory organs, but this thing's walking around through some other means. Let that dark magic have a bit more credit than something so easily dispelled by a sword swing.

That's right, skeletons should be a nightmare for fighters to deal with.

As always, this is written with Into the Odd in mind.

Skeletal Minion

The obedient servants of some wielder of dark magic. They shuffle about carrying out the will of their master as if part of his own soul exists within them.

STR 10, DEX 13, WIL 12. Armour 2 (see below), 6hp.

Sword (1d6).

Counts as having Armour 2 only against piercing attacks such as arrows and spears. Swords, axes and hammers ignore this.

When a skeleton would be killed by physical attacks it is smashed into at least two separate pieces. Unless they are kept apart these will reform on the skeleton's next turn, restoring it to full health. Each half will continue to fight but the half without a sword only causes 1d6-1 damage.

The skeleton's WIL is reduced to 0 the magic animating the skeleton is banished and it falls into a pile of bones.