Fantasy RPG Undead

"Fantasy games tend to mix cinematic, literary and folkloric undead freely, assigning them the strength of Norse draugr (undead warriors), the bloodlust of Hollywood's flesh-eating ghouls and the glowing eyes and dark cloaks of Tolkien's Ring-Wraiths."
Sometimes, due to game mechanics, a variation comes about that is totally new. The AD&D1 vampire's Energy Drain attack case in point. Rather then draining Health (represented by Constitution or Hit Points) or youth (causing aging) the character's actually skill (represented by levels) was drained.
This resulted in a vampire that could do something unknown to any actual vampire legend: drain knowledge from its victim.
This mechanic survived into AD&D2, was changed to "gain a negative level" in AD&D3, and eliminated with AD&D4.
==References==
*GURPS Undead, p.19
Category:Fantasy Reality
Category:Undead