'LICH' 'THE BECOMING' 'ELIXIR' 'MUMMY' 'MUMMIES' 'VAMPYRES' 'SPECTRES' (234)

Necromancers of great power can attempt to transform themselves into forms of
undead, essentially attaining a form of immortality while bound by strong ties
to the Negative Material Plane.  As the wizard ages in this form, skin and
muscle give way to bones and empty eye sockets, altering the once mortal
creature into an unnatural and hideous thing.  Once the necromancer has
completed transformation (or 'Becoming') they are no longer living beings and
therefore are free of hunger, thirst, or the weaknesses of mortal 'life'.

One form of the undead is the Lich, rumored to be created from a mortal body by
a remarkably potent Elixir, the contents of which are closely guarded and unique
to each transformation. Several Rituals of Power are available to these lords of
the undead; the most infamous being the Ritual of Abominations in which Liches
can desecrate the remains of the dead and steal a small portion of their life
energy (storing it in an enchanted phylactery).  The Lich can call upon these
fragments of life energy and temporarily harness the knowledge of the fallen in
doing so.

Mummies are a second form of sentient undead, and the transformation from a
living being to a mummy is no better understood.  Accounts of their powers vary,
but they are said to be able to use Abstraction to steal the flesh of the living
so that they may recapture the pleasures and pains that escape their lifeless
bodies.

Wights represent a third path of Becoming, but one far less involved than the
others described above.  The wight has less advanced magic to draw upon after
advancing in power, but does not have the inherent risk involved in creating the
Elixir of Death or being mummified.

Vampyres are the fourth path of becoming.  They are creatures that need to
feed on the blood of the living to survive.  As a result, they can still die
of the thirst that the other forms of undead have abandoned.  Vampyres retain
many of the physical characteristics of their prior race.  This path of
Becoming holds much inherent risk, and failure results in death.

See also: NECROMANCER, LICH, MUMMY, WIGHT, VAMPYRE.