Hello aspiring necromancers of all shapes and sizes! Welcome to my spellbook and thank you so much for cheking out 2nd episode of our animate dead series and final episode until wizards updates this list. Which i think they should because i think that necromancer needs some more teeth and 5e but that’s just me being a little bit stingy.
In any case we’re talking about the zombie 5e. Great zombie love them, staple in the horror genre michael jackson thriller just very popular in pop media. Now let’s take a quick look at the big man himself in terms of his stats here.
Animate Dead 5E Zombie Stats
- TYPE: Medium Undead, Neutral Evil
- AC: 8; HP:22(3D8+9); SPEED:20ft
So contrary to the skeleton the zombie is considered to be a neutral evil instead a lawful evil. He’s a little bit more feral but also kind of brain-dead which makes sense because he’s a zombie. Significantly lower AC of eight but more chunky in the hit point department, 22 hit points as an average calculated by rolling 3d8 and adding nine to it. Which i’d actually roll those especially just the one same as i mentioned in the previous article. The speed is 20 feet which means he’s a little on the slow side of things. So bear that in mind is you’re using them.
- STR: 13 (+1)
- DEX: 6 (-2)
- CON: 16 (+3)
- INT: 3 (-4)
- WIS: 6 (-2)
- CHA: 5 (-3)
Looking at its stats you’ll notice his CON and Strength are pretty good. Saving throws zero modifier to wisdom which is interesting i’m not too sure why he would but whatever. Damage immunities posion cuz you know he’s dead. Condition immunities also poisoned because dead. Let’s take a look at its other skills and kind of abilities here. does animate dead work on zombies?.
Senses
- Darkvision: 60 ft., Passive Perception 8
- Languages: understands the languages it knew in life but can’t speak
So he does get darkvision up to sixty feet and its passive perception is eight. But then again the skeleton was a nine so he’s a little bit lower which is interesting because he actually has eyes don’t know why that is. Under languages it can understands all in new in life but can’t speak because you know dead.
Under undead fortitude: Now this is awesome i assume when you were low levels this actually caused you a bit of grief so it reads as followed: If damage reduces the zombie to 0 hit points, it must make a Constitution saving throw with a DC of 5 + the damage taken, unless the damage is radiant or from a critical hit. On a success, the zombie drops to 1 hit point instead.
Man this has been a bane just a real pain in the neck for so many adventurers out there so now you get to dish up the hurt on the goblins that you took when you were like level 1 so it’s pretty exciting that way. Let’s check out it’s actions.
Actions
The zombie only has one action and it’s melee so you’re a little bit more limited with zombie thing or the skeleton in that sense and it’s just a slam. Basically just slaps you +3 to hit, range of five feet, melee so make sense. One target and deals four bludgeoning damage. Determined by rolling a d6 and adding one. So in terms of DPS skeletons a little bit better personally i prefer skeletons but the benefit of a zombie is that you can actually make it masquerade as someone else.
If you can get the corpse fresh enough at least but it’s pretty cool, it is really cool. To be fair i’m fairly certain to be easier to make zombies and skeletons at least after like actively killing them i don’t know a lot of places where you could just get bones outside of like maybe a cemetery but that’d be really about it. Also read does animate dead work on skeletons?
Description
Undead zombies move with a jerky, uneven gait. They are clad in the moldering apparel they wore when put to rest, and carry the stench of decay.
From somewhere in the darkness, a gurgling moan is heard. A form lurches into view, dragging one foot as it raises bloated arms and broken hands. The zombie advances, driven to kill anyone too slow to escape its grasp.
Dark Servants. Sinister necromantic magic infuses the remains of the dead, causing them to rise as zombies that do their creator’s bidding without fear or hesitation. They move with a jerky, uneven gait, clad in the moldering apparel they wore when put to rest, and carrying the stench of decay.
Most zombies are made from humanoid remains, though the flesh and bones of any formerly living creature can be imbued with a semblance of life. Necromantic magic, usually from spells, animates a zombie. Some zombies rise spontaneously when dark magic saturates an area. Once turned into a zombie, a creature can’t be restored to life except by powerful magic, such as a resurrection spell.
A zombie retains no vestiges of its former self, its mind devoid of thought and imagination. A zombie left without orders simply stands in place and rots unless something comes along that it can kill. The magic animating a zombie imbues it with evil, so left without purpose, it attacks any living creature it encounters.
Hideous Forms. Zombies appear as they did in life, showing the wounds that killed them. However, the magic that creates these vile creatures often takes time to run its course. Dead warriors might rise from a battlefield, eviscerated and bloated after days in the sun. The muddy cadaver of a peasant could claw its way from the ground, riddled with maggots and worms. A zombie might wash ashore or rise from a marsh, swollen and reeking after weeks in the water.
Mindless Soldiers. Zombies take the most direct route to any foe, unable to comprehend obstacles, tactics, or dangerous terrain. A zombie might stumble into a fast-flowing river to reach foes on a far shore, clawing at the surface as it is battered against rocks and destroyed. To reach a foe below it, a zombie might step out of an open window. Zombies stumble through roaring infernos, into pools of acid, and across fields littered with caltrops without hesitation.
A zombie can follow simple orders and distinguish friends from foes, but its ability to reason is limited to shambling in whatever direction it is pointed, pummeling any enemy in its path. A zombie armed with a weapon uses it, but the zombie won’t retrieve a dropped weapon or other tool until told to do so. Undead Nature. A zombie doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
So do you know why zombies gets wisdom save? Its because of the rotting brain. Spells that attacks the mind, charm illusions, psonics, etc. See back in AD&D days they explained the hows or whys. Take the goblin, its always a 2d6. Why? Because goblins are consider a thief (rouge) class. At second level a rouges gets the disengage feature. Its not a natural ability for being a goblin its a class feature.
Conclusion
In any case if you have any ideas, questions, comments, concerns, stories involving the zombie please put it down beneath in the comment section. I really do appreciate it. That being said, i hope you guys all have a great day and as always happy resurrecting. what is the difference between summon undead and animate dead?.