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Undead
Undead are a type of creature that has died and been brought back through magical or spiritual means. They can be frequently found throughout Baldur's Gate 3, most notably during Act Three, and may be created through various spells and actions available to players and NPCs.
“Remnants of the once-living that are trapped between life and death.„
Characteristics[edit | edit source]
Most undead are reanimated from formerly living creatures, and generally exist between the realms of the living and the dead. As such, certain damage types or status effects that would normally be effective against organic creatures are ineffective against undead creatures. 
Poison and 
Necrotic resistances appear quite commonly, and some are often immune to Poison or Necrotic damage, or both. Similarly, they are unaffected by many conditions such as 
and 
.
Conversely, almost all healing effects including 
, 
, and 
have no effect on undead. However, potions can still heal them.
Types of undead[edit | edit source]
Crawling Claw[edit | edit source]
“Severed from their owners and skittering along on digits still stiff with rigor mortis, these hands can squeeze the breath from a throat in an instant.„
Crawling claw and reanimated severed limbs, usually created to perform menial tasks as a servant by dark wizards. Lacking a brain, crawling claws do not possess intelligence, although they can still hear and understand basic commands.
Crawling claws in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Dark Justiciar[edit | edit source]
“Remnants of the once-living that are trapped between life and death.„
Dark Justiciar are elite warriors who serve Shar, even after death. They can be found mainly in the Gauntlet of Shar in Act Two, as well as corpses in Grymforge during Act One.
Dark Justiciars in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Death Knight[edit | edit source]
“When a fallen paladin dies without atonement, it can be brought back from the grave as something entirely different - entirely evil.„
Death knights are reanimated warriors, often created from those who were evil in life. They appear fully clad in armour, which hides their rotting skin such that only their eyes show through as pinpoints of light. Death knights were most often created from those who were, or whose behaviors aligned with, paladins or others sufficiently of their ilk.
Death knights in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Flying Ghoul[edit | edit source]
“With their jagged wings and razor-sharp teeth, these undead gorge on humanoid flesh in the depth of night.„
Flying Ghouls are flying variants of the regular Ghoul. They have large jagged wings and often swoop down to consume humanoid corpses
Flying ghouls in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Ghast[edit | edit source]
“Orcus, god of undeath, creates ghasts by infusing ghouls with a particularly baleful dosage of his abyssal energy. Whereas a ghoul is little more than a savage beast, a ghast is cunning and can inspire a pack of ghouls to obey its commands.„
Ghasts are very similar to ghouls - humanoid creatures that can paralyze their foes with their claws and teeth. They are generally more cunning and deadly, but carry the stench of rotting flesh. This stench is so severe it can cause 
, and even 
.
Ghasts in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Ghost[edit | edit source]
“The soul of a once-living creature, bound to the material plane by its desire to resolve some unfinished task from its life.„
Ghosts are spirits which are bound to someone or some place, either from being denied a proper burial or by having unfinished business when they died. Being incorporeal, they can fly and pass through solid objects as they please.
Ghosts in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Ghoul[edit | edit source]
“Driven by their insatiable hunger for humanoid flesh, ghouls usually roam the night in packs.„
Ghouls are humanoid looking carnivorous creatures that devour corpses and hunger for the flesh of living beings. They have long sharp teeth, and can their prey with claw or bite wounds.
Ghouls in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Grim Visage[edit | edit source]
“These skulls spawned from Gerringothe Thorm's twisted psyche. Manifestations of her worst flaws, they keep the coins of her protective armour intact.„
Grim visages are floating skulls created from various aspects of Gerringothe Thorm's personality to guard her coins. There are six of these reprehensible aspects; defeating any of them removes armor from Gerringothe.
Grim Visages in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Mummy[edit | edit source]
“Shambling, their bodies clothed with rotted scraps of funereal wrappings, mummies bring their malice with them out of their tombs.„
Mummies are undead creatures created from preserved, mummified corpses. They retain the bandages which wrapped and preserved their body, but are in various stages of extreme decay. If attacked by a mummy, a condition known as 
may be inflicted.
Mummies in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Mummy Lord[edit | edit source]
“Huddled in their sarcophagi like sickly penitents, mummy lords creep out to protect their tombs, their crumbling rags host to fierce ancient fists and skin crawling with curses.„
Mummy lords are more powerful, intelligent versions of Mummies that are created from powerful and/or evil creatures. If defeated, they will automatically reform in their lair unless their desiccated hearts are found and destroyed by fire.
Mummy Lords in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Shadow[edit | edit source]
“Resembling dark exaggerations of humanoid shadows, these undead feed on the vitality of the living creatures they were once part of.„
Shadows are dark, incorporeal creatures which can be frequently found in Act Two. They are twisted remnants of once living creatures that have been corrupted and consumed by the Shadow Curse. When defeated, they usually leave behind a Shadow Vestige; interacting with these reveals fragments of their former lives.
Shadows in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Skeleton[edit | edit source]
“The remains of the dead, animated by dark magic - be they summoned by spellcasters, or risen on their own.„
Skeletons are a commonly encountered form of undead. They are animated from a corpse of a creature that is devoid of flesh. Consisting of mainly brittle bones, skeletons are vulnerable to 
Bludgeoning damage and can be created through various magic spells.
Skeletons in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
- Agile Guardian
- Apostate Destroyer
- Apostate Defender
- Apostate Librarian
- Apostate Sentinel
- Bloodmarrow Skeleton
- Chatterteeth
- Death Shepherd
- Entombed Scribe
- Entombed Warrior
- Giant Skeleton
- Godey
- Infernal Mason
- Necromite
- Reconstituted Arcanist
- Reconstituted Duellist
- Reconstituted Marksman
- Robust Guardian
- Withers
Undead Dragon[edit | edit source]
“Bones studded with rotting scales and draped with dead tissue, these dragons have been animated by fell necromancy.„
Undead dragons are exceedingly rare creatures reanimated by use of extraordinarily powerful magic. Their bodies are skeletal in appearance, and they retain much of their abilities and magic as they had in life.
Undead dragons in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Vampire[edit | edit source]
“Amiable aristocrats and cold-hearted hunters, vampires are the embodiments of evening made flesh.„
Vampires are powerful undead creatures known for their pale-skin, sharp claws, blood-red eyes, and sharp canine teeth used to pierce and drink the blood of their victims. They can regenerate, as well as turn other humanoid creatures into vampire spawn by feeding on them. They are also known for their sensitivity to sunlight, and their skin burns in its presence.
Vampires in Baldur's Gate 3
Vampire Spawn[edit | edit source]
“Subservient to the one who created them, vampire spawn are deadly hunters both ravenous and proud.„
Vampire spawn are creatures created when a vampire bites and drinks the blood of a humanoid creature and allows it to survive. They have some of the features of a vampire such as sensitivity to light and a hunger for blood, but are bound to the one who turned them unless their master is killed, or their freedom is granted.
Vampire spawn in Baldur's Gate 3
Wraith[edit | edit source]
“A wraith is malice incarnate, concentrated into an incorporeal form that seeks to quench all life. Even small fires can be extinguished by the sucking oblivion of the wraith's horrifying existence.„
Wraiths are similar in appearance to Shadows, and can also be found in Act Two. In combat, Wraiths will frequently teleport from shadow to shadow. They also generate an 
which snuffs out nearby light sources and can drain the life of their enemies.
Wraiths in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Zombie[edit | edit source]
“Mindless remains of the dead, imbued with necromantic magic, zombies do their creator's bidding without fear or hesitation.„
Zombies are a common form of undead similar to Skeletons except for retaining significant amounts of flesh. Mindless and often missing body parts, zombies can be created from most living creatures and they usually form the backbone of any necromancer's army. Zombies can be difficult to kill, often recovering after receiving an otherwise fatal blow.
Zombies in Baldur's Gate 3[edit | edit source]
Other[edit | edit source]
Related items[edit | edit source]
Arrow of Undead Slaying - double damage against undead creatures
Blade of Oppressed Souls - 
won't apply Crown of Madness to undead
Doom Hammer - prevents healing and applies disadvantage to their attacks
Gandrel's Aspiration - 
allows ranged weapon attacks to turn undead
Hammer of the Just - additional slashing damage against undead
Holy Water - Deals 3d6
Radiant damage against undead
Planeslayer Flail (inaccessible) - bonus damage and attack roll against undead
Resonance Stone - does not affect undead
Sword of Life Stealing - target takes additional Necrotic damage unless it is undead
The Blood of Lathander - blinds nearby undead creatures- The Long Arm of the Gur - bonus to attack and damage against undead
The Oak Father's Embrace - deals Radiant damage to undead creatures that hit the wearer
The Sacred Star - turns undead creatures if they fail a saving throw.
The Undead Bane - deals additional damage and applies 
to undead
Veil of the Morning - undead have disadvantage against the wearer, and the wearer has advantage against saving throws from undead creatures
Related spells and abilities[edit | edit source]
- nearby undead deal Charisma modifier additional damage with weapon attacks
- Undead receive disadvantage on attack rolls.
- forces an undead corpse to explode, creating a 
Cloudkill cloud
- undead are not paralyzed by the attack
- must be used on undead
- takes control of target undead for a period of time
- grants advantage on attack rolls against undead
- deals an additional 1d6Radiant to undead
- deals an extra 1d4Radiant damage per turn
- grants nearby undead resistance to 
- Controls an undead but kills it at the end of battle
- Raises a fallen undead creature with half its hit points
- undead have disadvantage against the target
- grants nearby undead resistance to 
- Forces nearby undead to flee
- Forces nearby undead to flee
- allied undead become resistant to Bludgeoning, 
Slashing, and 
Piercing damage.
