Living Zombie (3pp)

The man before you is armed with a short sword. He wears leather armor and a vacant expression.

ECOLOGY

Environment any land
Organization any
Treasure leather armor, shortsword

Creating a Living Zombie

A creature that can cast both animate dead and dominate person can target a living creature subject to a dominate person spell it cast with an animate dead spell as if that dominated creature were a corpse. A dominated creature targeted by an animate dead spell in this manner becomes a living zombie instead of a normal zombie or skeleton.

Only humanoids under the effect of a dominate person spell can become living zombies. A living zombie uses the normal zombie template with the following changes.

A living zombie is a variant zombie whose body remains fully alive, despite the permanent departure of its soul. The living zombie retains the appearance it had in life, though its gaze is noticeably vacant. It counts as a living creature, as opposed to an undead creature, for all purposes.

A creature transformed into a living zombie cannot be restored from the dead until its living zombie body is slain. Essentially, the creature that became a living zombie is treated as if it were alive but subject to an unbreakable compulsion effect that forces it to live on as a living zombie.

A living zombie uses the normal zombie template with the following changes.

Alignment: Always neutral.

Type: The base creature retains its normal creature type instead of becoming undead. However, do not change the Hit Dice, base attack bonus, and base saving throw bonuses granted by the normal zombie template, regardless of the base creature’s type.

Defensive Abilities: The base creature does not gain the qualities and immunities of the undead type.

Abilities: The base creature retains its normal Constitution score.

Special Qualities: In addition to the changes made by the normal zombie template, a living zombie gains the flesh puppet special quality of the Living Zombie described here.