Forms of Undeath

[Shadowspeak]

I know there are the Forsaken and the Scourge but I also heard about the thing that happened to Karazhan that made Duskwood what is is today.

I also know there were differant kinds of Undead before the Scourge.

My question is, what properties do these undead have? Are they just animated corpses, or are some of them sentient? Do they all serve a master, or do they just wander mindlessly? Is it possible for a character to be a 'necromancer' in the way that they can make animated corpses?

[Daala]

My question is, what properties do these undead have? Are they just animated corpses, or are some of them sentient? Do they all serve a master, or do they just wander mindlessly? Is it possible for a character to be a 'necromancer' in the way that they can make animated corpses?Some are just animated, some are sentient, some are independent, some are dependent, some are automatons. So, the answer is "depends on what you're specifically looking at."

There have been several necromancers in Warcraft, but a player cannot do it in-game.

But, using the DnD definition of Necromancy, a Priest is the closest thing.

[Shadowspeak]

*sighs* I want a rebuke undead in the shadow tree.

and a turn undead in the holy.

rebuke > turn

[Lelenia]

I want my greater heal to be able to target whatever I want it to, healing most things but dealing 1/2 total damage to undead critters...*that* would kick ass, the good old positive/negative energy interaction.

[Shadowspeak]

I want my greater heal to be able to target whatever I want it to, healing most things but dealing 1/2 total damage to undead critters...*that* would kick ass, the good old positive/negative energy interaction.

Macking it negative/positive rules would make Undea priests SO broken, hehe.

[Tirdisar]

Yes, necromancers were raising the dead long before the Scourge came. Although, the only ones that had major success were the Orcish warlocks, but some of the mages of Stormwind took those techniques to combat against the invading Horde. As far as differences go, there are a lot between those undead and the Scourge. Necromancers cannot use a living creature, whereas the Plague only worked on living humans. Although the Plague was more widespread, the true strength of the Scourge came from other sources, like death knights and creatures like Sapphiron. They are the true servants of the Scourge, and are unable to break away like the Forsaken were able to.

I see the Plague as a way not to kill people, but to weaken the body and mind of the person to allow the Lich King's will to more easily seep in and take control. They may be weaker, but the Scourge never relied on troop strength, instead focusing on completely outnumbering and overpowering their enemies. It would have taken a much longer time for his necromancers to go and animate every single corpse they came across, and, if the necromancer died, the Scourge would lose control over their army.

Then, there are Revenants. It's really hard to describe these, as there's little lore on them, but they are said to be beings born of hatred and rage, emotions so strong that they refused to completely die. Often, they are pledged to an elemental force to give them basically the strength of a lich and immortality, in turn for obedience to their lord. They are very much sentient, but many are so crazed that they kill without blinking an eye (if they have them).

The undead of Duskwood is a strange situation. From what I've seen, none of them were specifically targets, but a result of the strange experiments of Kharazhan and the opening of the Dark Portal. They simply emerged from their graves due to the outporing of energy from Deadwind Pass, and wrought horror upon the residents. As to their sentience, there is no proof that any bit of their minds remain, or that they obey any sort of orders.

[Karkarov]

This isnt warcraft specific but this is generally how it works....

If they were dead and "raised" they will be a brainless mindless husk, typically enslaved to whatever force raised them or left free purposefully which just degenerates into them wandering a given area and typically killing any living thing they can find.

If they have free will or control odds are by one means or another they purposefully tried to become undead through outside help and or did something that got this result while they were still alive. Case in point Arthas is a death knight, revenants exist through thier massive hate, humans ate plauged wheat etc. Typically they may still be enslaved but some have more freedom than others and like the plauged humans the chance to gain total free will.

Then you have your total free will total control undead such as lichs. Typically they did some kind of ritual while still alive to purposefully make themselves undead and it relied on no outside force or help they did it to themselves 100%. In world of warcraft this seems to be a little off the norm but thats how it goes most of the time. Obviously guys in this catagory still can act sane and do basically whatever they want. Of course anyone who purposefully makes themselves undead is probably one of those power craving loonies so we can imagine what thier desires degenerate into.

Perhaps from gaming and story wise my most favorite lich of all time is Vecna from D&D. He actually tried to pretend to still be human in the latter portions of his ravenloft tenure and was well known for running governments and actually being a somewhat sane considering leader. Of course he was a power hungry commi facist who oppressed everyone but not being undead hasnt stopped other people before.

[Noury]

Perhaps from gaming and story wise my most favorite lich of all time is Vecna from D&D.

Lord Soth.. FTW! :twisted:

[Shadowspeak]

Perhaps from gaming and story wise my most favorite lich of all time is Vecna from D&D.

Lord Soth.. FTW! :twisted:

Someone here has Vecna as a sig. Think it might be Skyze.

One time I made an orc who somehow found the eye and hand of Vecna and used them. The Orc became one of the most devious villans Iv'e ever had!

[EnheilRas]

Also recall that Orcish Death Knights of the Shadow Council Necrolytes were incredibly more powerful than the Human Death Knights of the Scourge due to them ALL being both master warlocks and master necromancers beforehand.

[Daala]

Also recall that Orcish Death Knights of the Shadow Council Necrolytes were incredibly more powerful than the Human Death Knights of the Scourge due to them ALL being both master warlocks and master necromancers beforehand.Hehe, and they became Liches of the Scourge.

[EnheilRas]

Some did.. Ner'zhul was never involved in the Shadow Council. It was Gul'dan's creation.

Most of those that survived went completely renegade. Their powers were formed from High Elven Rune magick and Warlock Powers independent from the Burning Legion. As such, they were not pawns of the Legion at all, and completely self-aware and sentient.

[Daala]

Oh, I know. I refer to the Shadowmoon Death Knights that accompanied Ner'zhul's bid for escape.