During an unseen walking dead plague outbreak on one of the remote and isolated colonies, a group of scientists were desperately attempting to create a vaccine which would prevent the spread of the virus - even after a victim had been bitten. These scientists used a group of inmates and tried different serums on them; all either became zombies or died screaming.

Except for one.

This man was attacked and subsequently bitten numerous times, but when the zombies left him, instead of dying and turning, he survived and the wounds healed naturally, except for scars. Having escaped certain death, he attempted to flee into the furthest reaches of the remote planet. Months later he was tracked down by other surviving members of the military and captured so they could return to the same facility and find out exactly what went right in order to duplicate it and create a proper vaccine for the plague.

Over the next several years, the man underwent numerous physiological changes – hair and teeth fell out, his skin began to peel away and the layer beneath was a dark blue-grey hue, and he looked somewhat like the walking dead. Yet he still required regular food, water and rest. His organs continued to function, but he was now one of the undead.

The most startling change to take place was he developed the ability to control all types of walking dead. Any creature, no matter what type, as long as it was derived from the walking dead plague, he was able to control. This turned out to be a boon for him and his companions, and they were able to steer clear of many a deadly encounter with the undead because of it.

It was also discovered he was capable of passing on his condition through two means. If he bit anyone, they were infected with a mutated version of this virus. They did not die, and could heal from any damage sustained (except head trauma), but were forced to do anything he bid them to do.

Absolutely anything.

He could also sire children, who possessed the exact same abilities to pass it on and control the undead.

This happened centuries in the past. He is still very much ‘alive’ and wandering the cosmos, including his multitude of progeny, as they are immortal. Some try to fit in and live relatively normal lives, pretending they are nothing more than just another unusual human or humanoid alien, others actively seek out and gather small armies of the walking dead and other types of undead to do their bidding.

They are completely intelligent, and are fully capable of using weapons and armor, as well as other technology. Many of these creatures are immeasurably wealthy and have masses of the walking dead at their beck and call.

If one encounters a hoard of the walking dead, they can control a portion, if not all, and has several options. They can force them to back away, stop in their tracks, turn on one another, or perform simple tasks. This can be a risky proposal, as sometimes the hoard is able to resist the command. If this happens, the walking dead will attack them if they are not careful.

These beings have varied personalities, and their alignment tends to be chaotic neutral, but like most intelligent beings, they can choose their own path and have morals and ethics to which they abide (or completely ignore!)

Starfinder Creature Index