More Undead Undertakings! This time we take a stab at the Mummy. Their frightening presence is formidable, as is the mystical ailment they inflict. Does this profane disease sever one’s connections to the Divine in order to halt all Magical Healing? I think this is mostly inspired by the fabled Curse unleashed with the opening of King Tutankhamun's Tomb, but the rotting flavor imparted is pretty juicy and dire for ratcheting up tension as Characters race for some kind of mystical cure. If you want to really make them squirm, don't settle for a simple Cure Disease Spell 😊.
To me, mummification rituals almost always seem to imply an ancient, antediluvian culture with very particular burial practices and concepts of the afterlife. This can unleash all sorts of forgotten Languages, Foul Magics, and Tainted Technologies of course, and more than once I’ve made all my Mummies reptilian remnants of that aforementioned Saurian Civilization. The appearance of the Mummy is easily re-skinned, and any sufficiently large Mummy’s Tomb is going to also have all sorts of Mummified (and even maybe Animate) animals. If you’re feeling particularly wicked about their intrusion, you can even just use the same statistics for these.
I stumbled across some very flavorful Egyptian/Mesopotamian/Grecian Spells that I like to sprinkle among their Grave Goods, or even house within their hollow heads. Sadly, the blog was deleted so all we have are artifacts preserved in the Internet Archive’s cache.
Another type of Mummy I often like to employ are the taut and tannin stained Bog Born, replete with garroted necks and bound, gnarled hands. A great change of pace from your typical linen wrapped Lurchers, their touch usually inflicts a more desiccating disease, and their often-found leading powerful Druid cabals, etc.
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