Topic: Undead Senses

[GamemasterAlf]

Hows does everyone handle undead vision hearing etc - specifically skeletons, zombies, ghosts those wonderful creatures with no real ears and eyes - the vampires and ghouls clearly fall to normal rules
I use the fact that these creatures creature by evil/unlife/hate who want nothing more than to exterminate the living can see the living soul/spirit etc.
There are a few rules I have had to deal with because of my interpretation
Invisibility does not work on a creature with no eyes, but an unpresence spell would work as an even better invisibilty spell against them
allowing them to see a soul through thinner materials (makes up for lack of hearing) has made for interesting scenarios as the undead pound relentlessly on the barred door

[yammahoper]

they detect life at a diameter of 50'/type. Concentration is not required. Sentient undead can use perception skills with the sense.

[Cory Magel]

Somewhat complicated...

For me it depends on if the creature is magical but aware, controlled, or natural.  If magical but aware I'd likely say it can sense life, like a sense of smell basically (give it a range).  If controlled the controller needs to be aware of the target somehow.  If 'natural' then it needs to be aware of the target in normal fashions any living creature would normally become aware of it.

So magically created but self controlling skeletons would sense you within a range.

If controlled then the controller needs to be able to find the target using their own abilities.

'Natural' (let's say a Zombie or Ghost) would probably be sight first, sound second, smell last.

[OLF, i.e. Olf Le Fol]

Hows does everyone handle undead vision hearing etc - specifically skeletons, zombies, ghosts those wonderful creatures with no real ears and eyes - (...)

Undead such as skeletons, zombies, etc. (i.e., "material" undead) don't have actual, functional muscles either, yet are able to stand and move. As for "immaterial" undead, being immaterial, either you consider they're not tied to the physical world at all (which implies, in fact, not being bound by gravity at all, meaning that, since Earth is moving around the Sun at about 30 km/s, they should be out of the atmosphere in matter of seconds), or you consider they're bound by "some" physical rules. And if "some" is okay, why not "all"?
In other words, you can merely consider that the magic that allows undead to break physical rules gives them as well such physical senses and go with it.

[Peter R]

I have never really tried to rationalise to but my zombies and skeletons can see and hear but they do not detect life.

[yammahoper]

i prefer detect over sense because 1) represents instinctive hunger and 2) dealing with spells that affect senses and perception. for example a Hues spell is ineffective.

[RandalThor]

i prefer detect over sense because 1) represents instinctive hunger and 2) dealing with spells that affect senses and perception. for example a Hues spell is ineffective.

That's how I do it as well.

[Cory Magel]

A good portion of how we each treat this is influenced by how we treat the various undead I suspect.

For example, I look at a Skeleton and see a stack of bones.  They are not a natural occurrence (in my world a Skeleton HAS to be created).  They have no ability to sense naturally... no eyes, nose, ears (along with everything else obviously) so I need to explain their ability to be aware of things in another manner.

Zombies I see as kind of alive.  No one needed to create them, it's more like a disease.  So they still use their normal senses (if able).  This is why they are slightly 'dumber' or less aware than a normal human (their senses have been dulled, damaged, are missing, whatever).

[Peter R]

A good portion of how we each treat this is influenced by how we treat the various undead I suspect.

For example, I look at a Skeleton and see a stack of bones.  They are not a natural occurrence (in my world a Skeleton HAS to be created).  They have no ability to sense naturally... no eyes, nose, ears (along with everything else obviously) so I need to explain their ability to be aware of things in another manner.

Zombies I see as kind of alive.  No one needed to create them, it's more like a disease.  So they still use their normal senses (if able).  This is why they are slightly 'dumber' or less aware than a normal human (their senses have been dulled, damaged, are missing, whatever).

My skeletons are just extremely slim zombies.

[markc]

   Are Skeletons just Zombies on a diet in your game?   Or maybe just health conscious?


But then again that gets away from the old myths that you sewed up Zombies mouths as if they ate food they would unanimate. Obviously that fact went out the window with a lot of monster movies in the 80's.
MDC

[yammahoper]

other than zombies eating flesh their c&m entries are basically attack every living thing just like skeletons. zombies wail and scream. my skeletons are strongly influenced by ARMY OF DARKNESS so a 'lets get the hell out of here.' is nigh inevitable.

undeads soul devouring will blight an area and is often the first clue of their presence. all undead may spontaneously form under proper circumstances.

[Cory Magel]

I bit like some of my setting idea... if you find a skeleton wandering around you know there is an Evil Channeling caster around (likely a Necromancer).

[netbat]

Not sure if anyone else uses it, but I use Sam Daish's rules on Presence based perception. I pulled it from the old merp fan modules.free.fr site, but I think it is still available in the necromancy document on the merl yahoo group.

[Peter R]

  Are Skeletons just Zombies on a diet in your game?   Or maybe just health conscious?


But then again that gets away from the old myths that you sewed up Zombies mouths as if they ate food they would unanimate. Obviously that fact went out the window with a lot of monster movies in the 80's.
MDC

The flesh from my zombies eventually sloughs away, gets chopped off by PCs or simply rots away.

[markc]

In my game it is a very rare zombie that has no skin and a it is a rare skeleton that has any.


 But I guess that could be the setting way in which they are created/made/conjured.
MDC