Zombie

General Feat (Prerequisite: Level 8+, Constitution 15 or higher, must have been subjected to a powerful necromantic curse or transformation)

You have become a special type of zombie – not a mindless corpse, but a powerful undead entity with steel‑hard flesh, supernatural speed, mastery over ice and decay, and command over lesser dead. This transformation replaces any existing lycanthropy curse (werewolf, lunatic, etc.). The thirst for living flesh is your eternal burden.

Ability Score Increase. Increase your Constitution score by 1, to a maximum of 22. Your Strength increases by 2 (to a maximum of 22) – this is in addition to the normal +1 from the feat, effectively giving +2 Str and +1 Con.

Undead Nature. Your creature type becomes Undead. You do not require air, food, drink, or sleep. You are immune to the following conditions: poisoned, exhaustion, paralyzed, stunned, and frightened. You are also immune to fire damage and cannot drown. However, you have vulnerability to radiant damage, and any effect that would purify or turn undead (such as a cleric’s Turn Undead or a holy water flask) affects you normally.

Steel Flesh. Your body is as hard as steel. While you are not wearing armor, your Armor Class equals 13 + your Constitution modifier. You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks. Furthermore, if you are reduced to 0 hit points and your head is not severed or destroyed, you do not die; instead you fall unconscious and begin regenerating (see Supernatural Healing). Only the destruction of your head (or a spell such as disintegrate or wish) can permanently destroy you.

Supernatural Healing. At the start of each of your turns, if you have at least 1 hit point, you regain 5 hit points. If you take radiant damage, this healing is suppressed until the end of your next turn. Additionally, when you are unconscious and not dead, you regain 1 hit point after 1 hour.

Zombie Strength. Your physical might is vastly enhanced. You gain the following benefits:

• Your walking speed increases by 20 feet.
• You can take the Dash action as a bonus action.
• When you score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack, you can roll the damage dice three times instead of twice, and the target must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength modifier). On a failure, the target suffers a grievous wound, taking an additional 2d6 necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns until it receives magical healing or a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check.

Ice & Frost Mastery. You gain several ice‑based abilities, all using your Constitution as the spellcasting ability (save DC = 8 + proficiency + Con mod). You can use these abilities a combined total number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses after a long rest:

• Contact‑Freeze.When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you can expend one use to force the target to make a Constitution save. On a failure, the target’s flesh stiffens: its speed is reduced by 10 feet and it cannot take reactions until the start of your next turn.
• Ice Stun.As an action, expend one use to encase one creature you can see within 30 feet in ice. The target must succeed on a Constitution save or become restrained and incapacitated for 1 minute. At the end of each of its turns, it can repeat the save, ending the effect on a success. The ice has AC 15 and 30 hit points; breaking it frees the target.
• Ice Wall.As an action, expend one use to create a wall of ice (as the wall of ice spell, but the wall is 10 feet tall, 1 foot thick, and up to 30 feet long) within 30 feet. The wall lasts for 1 minute (no concentration) and melts if exposed to fire damage.
• Ice Floor.As a bonus action, expend one use to coat the ground in a 20‑foot radius within 60 feet with slippery ice, as the grease spell (Dex save or fall prone). The ice lasts for 1 minute.
• Freezing Atmosphere.Once per long rest (no use cost), you can lower the air temperature within a 60‑foot radius. For 1 minute, strong winds blow (ranged weapon attacks have disadvantage) and beautiful snowflakes fall, creating lightly obscured area. Creatures vulnerable to cold have disadvantage on Constitution saves while in this area.

Decay, Rot & Withering. You wield powers of entropy. You can use each of the following abilities once per short rest:

• Wither Explosion.As an action, choose a point within 30 feet. The air in a 20‑foot radius explodes into black wisps. Each creature in that area must make a Constitution save. On a failure, it takes 4d6 necrotic damage and suffers the withering condition (disadvantage on Strength and Constitution saving throws, and cannot regain hit points) for 1 minute. On a success, half damage and no condition.
• Rotting Body Aura.As a bonus action, you emit a foul aura in a 10‑foot radius for 1 minute. While the aura is active, any creature that starts its turn inside takes 1d4 necrotic damage, and your melee attacks deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage. Additionally, vegetation in the aura wilts instantly, turning the ground into difficult terrain.
• Sludge Creation.As an action, you create a 15‑foot square of rotting sludge within 30 feet. The area is difficult terrain. Any creature that enters the sludge or starts its turn there must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, its Strength score is reduced by 1d4 until it finishes a short rest (multiple reductions stack, minimum Strength 3).

Zombie Manipulation. You can command the dead. You gain the following abilities:

• Animate Dead.You can cast animate dead once per long rest without material components. The undead you create serve you for 24 hours, after which they become uncontrolled (but not hostile unless you command otherwise).
• Cultivate Puppet.As a 10‑minute ritual, you can take a corpse of a Small or Medium humanoid and turn it into a puppet (use the zombie stat block in the Monster Manual). You can have up to three such puppets at a time; they obey your verbal commands as a bonus action. A puppet crumbles if it is reduced to 0 hit points or after 7 days.
• Control Ghosts.You can cast speak with dead at will, but only on corpses you touch. Additionally, you can attempt to command a ghost or specter within 30 feet by making a Charisma (Intimidation) check contested by the ghost’s Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the ghost obeys you for 1 hour.

Zombie’s Curse. You thirst for the warm blood and fresh meat of living humanoids. This craving is manageable most of the time, but under the light of the full moon, it becomes agonizing. During a night of the full moon, you must make a Wisdom saving throw (DC 15) at the start of each hour. On a failure, you lose control and must use your action each turn to attack the nearest living humanoid (friend or foe) until you are knocked unconscious or no living humanoids remain within 90 feet. You regain control after 1 hour if no humanoids are near.

You can suppress the curse with sedatives (e.g., potion of sedation or alchemical tranquilizers). However, each time you use the same sedative, you build resistance: the sedative’s DC increases by 2, and after three uses it becomes completely ineffective against you. Only a wish spell or similarly powerful magic can remove the curse – but doing so would also strip you of all your zombie abilities.