The Undying
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The body was in amazingly good condition. Sir Nigel could not understand this, since the jungle temple it was interred in was very damp. "Damn curious," he muttered to himself as he moved teh head back and forth, examining the eerily unmarked face.
Even stranger, though, was the dagger thrust into the man's heart. Sir Nigel wondered when it had been left in, indeed, secured with now-decaying vines. He puzzles over this as he lifted the corpse out of the box in which it has reposed for untold years.
Startled by his assistant, Sir Nigel dropped the body ontot he floor. it rolled onto its side and the vines holding the knife snapped. The knife became dislodged. Before Nigel could turn back toward the body, it had already clambered shakily to it's feet, chanting "revenge, revenge, revenge".
The Undying are one of the strangest mysteries of the megaverse. They quite simply cannot die. Shoot them, stab them, stake them through the heart, atomize them, etc. they cannot die. Well, that's not entirely accurate. They can die, they just don't like to stay that way.
Aside from their regenerative powers, the Undying are perfectly normal. But that regeneration is enough. The Undying heal almost instantly from most injuries, never scar, and to paraphrase ESPN, you can't stop them, you can only hope to contain them!
All undying begin life as normal humans. At some point, they transform into this new state. Exactly when this occurs varies. Some change at the moment of their first "death" (or a near death experience), some change at the end of puberty, or after a very serious injury. Once this change is affected, they are immortal, more so than any vampire or god. The only way to stop an Undying is to trap it in such a way as to prevent it from healing. But these traps have a tendency of being undone by time, the elements, or the curious, to once again release the being into the world.
One final note: These guys are RARE. There should be only a handful of them at any one time.
Restrictions: The Undying cannot be supernatural races. They can be humans, humanoid aliens, elves, dwarves, etc.
Bonuses: +2D4 P.E.
Attributes: Standard
Saving Bonuses: +6 to save vs. toxins, drugs, gas, etc. Plus, the effects of these things abate as soon as the harmful influence is removed
Special Abilities:
1) Super Regeneration: The Undying regenerate at a rate of 1D4 HP per melee (this rate applies even when dead and at negative HP. Also, they can close one wound per melee (unless something is blocking it, see vulnerabilities). Scratches, light burns, etc. heal almost instantly. Also, if a part is severed, it will instantly reattach upon being touched to the body of the Undying.
Also, any part of the Undying which is reduced to a liquid, gaseous, plasma or dust state will begin to drift toward the body. If dismembered, and kept away from it's other parts, teh Undying will begin to regrow them. This occurs where there is the highest concentration of Undying parts. Regrowing an internal organ or hand or foot takes one hour. Regrowing an arm or leg takes three hours. Regrowing a head takes 90 minutes. Note that this cannot happen if the body is restrained in some way (ie, if you chop the Undying up and put it in Tupperware, or if you mix it with concrete).
2) The Call: If an Undying is "dead" for an extended period of time (see vulnerabilities), then it will be able to influence the minds of those around it in subtle ways. For this to work,t he person being affected must be in regular contact with the area the Undying is detained (for example, if one is mixed into a building's foundation, then someone who lives or works there could become affected). This person will not know the source of it, but will gradually become more and more disturbed. Eventually (they get to save vs. insanity every week. When they finally faila roll, they succumb to this madness until the Undying is freed), he will develop an unhealthy obsession with doing whatever it takes to free the Undying (though he does not know what he is doing. Usually this takes the form of delusions and obsessions. For example, someone who works in the aforementioned building could attempt to blow it up because "there are demons in it that need to be destroyed!" Often these people have troubling nightmares as well. Typically, these people have low to average ME, but not always. A strong willed, but stressed person may also succumb.
VULNERABILITIES:
The Undying only have one vulnerability. They cannot heal if a wound is held open. If you stab one and withdraw the sword, it will return to life almost immediately. But if you leave the sword in, then it cannot heal. If the Undying "dies" then it cannot return until the sword is removed The Undying to not decompose or rot (even if kept "dead" for centuries). Thus, those who know of these beings frequently devise fiendishly clever means to trap them. Stakes through the heart are a temporary solution, many Undying wind up being mixed into foundations, dropped into volcanoes, and other nasty ends.
Even though they cannot be permanently harmed, they do often suffer mentally if they are "dead" for extended periods. If the Undying is "dead" for more than his ME in years, then roll for one random insanity. Roll again if he is "dead" for his ME in decades. And again if he is "dead" for his ME in centuries, etc. etc.
NOTE: The Undying all usually have an OCC (from when they were mere humans). Any non-magical types allowed (the Undying cannot use magic, even before they turn). THey can even be psychic and mutants. Surprisingly, they can be borgs, and can even be turned after becoming Undying. But if they lose their implants, they restore the lost parts.
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