Zombie
Medium Undead · · CR 1/4
- Undead
- Medium
- Tier 1
Zombie is a medium undead of neutral evil alignment, CR 1/4. Found in urban, ruins, and underground. Sourced from Monster Manual (5e 2014) and Monster Manual (5.5e 2024).
Stat Block
- Challenge Rating
- 1/4
- Type
- Undead
- Size
- Medium
- Alignment
- —
- Speed
- —
- Habitats
- Urban, Ruins, Underground
- Sources
- Monster Manual (5e 2014), Monster Manual (5.5e 2024), Flee, Mortals!
Ecology
Zombies are not natural creatures; they are reanimated corpses sustained by necromantic energy. They have no metabolism, no growth, and no reproduction. They persist until physically destroyed or until the binding magic decays, which can take decades in dense magical environments. Necromancers maintain stables of zombies for labor and warfare. Battlefield haunts spontaneously generate zombies from unburied dead, especially where violent death and lingering magic concentrate.
Behaviour
Zombies act on simple imperatives: pursue movement, attack the living, obey the master. Without a master, they wander toward sounds and lights until destroyed or until they fall into water and rot to inertness. Some zombies retain fragments of memory, returning to homes or workplaces from life with disturbing persistence. Higher-grade zombies created from intelligent corpses can follow complex orders, but most are mere shamblers.
Origin
Zombification techniques are ancient, appearing in every culture that practiced magic. Some traditions tie the first zombie to a grieving mother who refused to let her son's body decompose, accidentally inventing necromancy through love. Others credit a death-god who taught the secret to mortals as punishment for impious sins. Most modern necromancers learn the craft from formal schools, treating zombification as foundational training for advanced undead creation.
Related Monsters
Frequently Asked Questions about Zombie
- What is the challenge rating of Zombie?
- Zombie has a challenge rating of 1/4. It fits a tier-1 party (levels 1-4).
- What type of creature is Zombie?
- Zombie is classified as a undead in D&D 5e, medium size.
- Where does Zombie live?
- Zombie is typically encountered in Urban, Ruins, Underground.