Weapon Classes	Undead Classes		-	-
1st Edition AD&D	-	Dragon magazine	-	Dragon #126

By their very nature, undead monsters
in AD&D® game campaigns are unique.
Their unusual structures and nonfunctioning
biological systems should make them
resistant or immune to many weapon
attacks. The purpose of this article is to
bring out these effects in clear and unified
game terms. Much of this material alters
or expands upon previous guidelines for
combat against undead monsters.

Weapon classes
Weapons in the AD&D game can be
divided into four general classes, determined
by their function: stabbing, cleaving,
crushing, and special. Each class is
described below:

Stabbing weapons are those which penetrate
with a sharp point. The surface
damage done is restricted to a small area,
but there is deep penetration to destroy
muscles and organs. This weapon class
includes the arrow, blowgun needle, caltrop,
dagger, dart, fork, harpoon, javelin,
knife, lance, partisan, pick, pike, quarrel,
ranseur, spear, spetum, spiked buckler,
short sword, and trident.

All other edged weapons are considered
to be cleaving weapons, even though they
may also have a stabbing attack (e.g., a
long sword can either be used to either
stab or chop). They penetrate with the
edge, damaging a broad area or even
severing an extremity. Examples include
the battle and hand axes, most types of
pole arms and swords, and the scimitar.

Crushing weapons are those without an
edge for cutting. They do not penetrate,
but cause damage by shock directly under
the impact area. The aklys, bo and jo
sticks, <bat>, flail, hammer, mace, staff, and
sling bullet (from sling or staff sling) are
counted in this group. The spiked morning
star is found here as well, as it is more of a
crushing weapon than a penetrating one.

The special weapons include the man
catcher, lasso, and whip. These weapons
are all unable to harm the undead, but
may have a special attack which would be
effective. Note that the fist, garrot, and sap
are totally ineffective against undead.
Other types of weapons, such as the bec
de corbin, lucern hammer, and newly
introduced weapons from Oriental Adventures
or the DM?s own creativity, should
be categorized depending upon their main
use by characters in combat against
undead opponents.

Undead classes
The ways in which these weapons affect
the various undead depend. on the physical
form of the undead opponents. Undead
can be divided into four general classes:
skeletal, corporeal, noncorporeal, and
special. The special undead are the demilich,
haunt, phantom, and revenant. These
have specific and unusual rules covering
physical attacks made against them, and
the combat guidelines of this article do not
apply to them. Pseudo-undead are not
covered under these guidelines, either.

The new classifications and combat
system vs. undead follow.

Skeletal undead include the animal skeleton,
death knight, huecuva, lich, skeleton,
and skeleton warrior. (The crypt thing and
eye of fear and flame may also be included
here.) Stabbing weapons do only 1 hp damage
to these undead, with no other bonuses
for damage applicable. The point on such a
weapon has little area to hit solidly, and it is
likely to glance off the curved bone. In any
case, there are no muscles or organs to
damage. Cleaving weapons do half damage
(add all bonuses, divide by two, and round
down), mainly from the weight and force of
the blow, in addition to severing extremities.
Crushing weapons do normal damage by
breaking and crushing bone. Although the
whip and lasso are able to entangle (but not
damage) skeletal undead, the man catcher is
ineffective. Silver or magical weapons are
required to harm a huecuva; magical weapons
are required against a lich.

Corporeal undead are those which still
have bodies of dead tissue more or less
intact. Due to the drying of muscles and
tissues, these creatures are tougher than
when they were alive. Corporeal undead
include the coffer corpse, ghast, ghoul,
mummy, penanggalan, sheet ghoul, sheet
phantom, son of Kyuss, vampire, wight,
and zombie (all types). Stabbing weapons
do 1 hp damage, plus magical and strength
bonuses, since these creatures are little
affected by damage to their dead muscles
and organs; what does it matter to a dead
man if you run it through the heart?
(Unless it?s a vampire, of course.) Cleaving
weapons do normal damage; this fits in
well with the mythological zombie, which
had to literally be chopped to pieces to be
destroyed. Crushing weapons do only half
damage per hit, adding all bonuses before
dividing by two and rounding down. The
shock of the blow does not faze them
much, but shattered bones will eventually
render them harmless, unable to move or
attack. The lasso, man catcher, and whip
can entangle corporeal undead, but not
damage them. Magical weapons are
required to fight coffer corpses, mummies,
vampires, and juju zombies; silver or magical
weapons can harm wights; and, cold
iron weapons do double damage to ghasts.

Noncorporeal undead are those with no
solid bodies, existing almost completely on
the Negative Material or Ethereal Planes.
This class includes the apparition, ghost,
groaning spirit, poltergeist, shadow, spectre,
and wraith. According to mythology,
these spirits could only be destroyed by
exorcism. But, in AD&D game terms, this
would be grossly unfair to the characters,
who would rarely have a cleric able to cast
an exorcism spell. As it stands now, all of
these undead require magical or silver
weapons to harm them. Stabbing weapons
do but 1 hp damage (and no more) to
them; cleaving weapons do 1 hp damage
with strength and magical bonuses applicable;
crushing weapons do half damage
(as calculated above). The DM may rule
that certain magical weapons specifically
designed to harm undead (as described
below) can do full damage to noncorporeal
undead. Use of this rule will make the
noncorporeal undead truly horrifying,
appropriate to their mythological background.
Spells and clerical turning will be
much more in demand when facing these
monsters.

There are a few exceptions to the above
rules. First, there are a number of magical
weapons which, by their description or
general nature, are specifically designed to
harm the undead. These include: any
weapon-type artifact; arrow of slaying
undead; mace of disruption; any magical
sword or weapon with a special purpose
to slay undead; any sword which gains
bonuses against creatures with particular
abilities or powers ? and incidentally
against certain types of undead monsters
(e.g., sword, +1/+2 vs. magic-using and
enchanted creatures, good against undead
with spell-casting or spell-like powers);
sword, flame tongue; sword of the planes;
sun blade; or any form of holy sword.
When these weapons are used against any
of the three classes of nonspecial undead
noted above, they always do their assigned
damage. For example, a flame tongue
short sword does 1d6 +4 hp damage to a
zombie, even though it is a stabbing weapon
used against a corporeal undead.

DMs may wish to make an exception for
silver weapons. These affect undead in
various ways; see the Monster Manual and the Monster Manual II and
the FIEND FOLIO® Tome for each undead's
description. To soften these strictures, the
DM may rule that any undead which is
harmed by silver will always take damage
from a silver weapon regardless of weapon
type. For example, a silver arrow used
against a huecuva will do normal damage,
even though skeletal undead are not normally
harmed by arrows.

Finally, note that if an undead monster
requires magical weapons to hit it, the
weapon used must be magical and have the
proper minimum bonus to hit and damage,
regardless of weapon type. For example, a
ju-ju zombie is fully affected by battle axes
(a cleaving weapon), but the axe must be at
least +1; a normal axe does no damage. Of
course, a hit by a magical weapon against
any sort of nonspecial undead should do
normal damage if silver weapons are given
this freedom. Treat the two classes of weapons
in the same way.

Use of these optional rules will put the
undead more into line with their legendary
versions. It will also prevent illogical events,
like slaying zombies with normal arrows,
permissible under the present rules. Characters
may have to learn the hard way
exactly what it means to face a creature
that is not living and is thus immune to
many of the things that slay the living.

OCTOBER 1987