Aside from magic abilities, is there anyway to tell a zombie commanded to lay still and motionless from a regular corpse?
Shoot it
>>48034282
Nope. A still zombie is a corpse. It just has the potential to get back up.
HOWEVER, often zombies in some worlds will have points of fire in their eyes. there is no way to hide those short of covering their faces, which might defeat the purpose of making them pretend to be corpses.
Also, all necromancy is evil.
>>48034282
You say it, with your voice. Not sure if it'll work, but there's no harm in trying.
You can also use your mace. Zombies tend to lie down after I use my mace on them.
Depends on the setting
>>48034282
You can identify the location or absence of blood pooling, drag marks or footprints, determine if the corpse has been rotated after death by looking for skin discoloration (blood settles in the body over time, causing marks similar to bruises on the underside of the corpse which persist if the body is later rolled) (only works on fresher bodies), and several other techniques, most of which result in the forensic's death as he approaches the zombie to check core body temperature.
In short, no, not really. The whole point of a zombie is that they're walking corpses. If they aren't walking, they're just corpses.
>>48034346
>waaaah society rejects me because I reanimate the rotting corpses of their loved ones to use for personal gain waaaah
This is you, fucking necromancyfaggot
t. Sir Goodwyn
Shoot an arrow in it. If it doesn't get pissed off and try to get up and attack you, it's probably dead dead
>>48034450
And if it does get up and try to attack you, you can always shoot more arrows into it. That usually makes them re-dead.
Usually zombies make minor movements even while trying to stay still, which gives them away. If your setting and/or magic has them with obvious tell tale signs like glowing eyes or specifically discoloration of skin that's a dead giveaway. The one true way to find out is to cut off the head, move the arms over the heat in a position to hold the head, and leave a mark of "respect" and the excuse to any grossed out allies/witnesses that this is how to honor the slain in your home country.
>>48034519
But anon, redeads are immune to arrows.
>>48034597
>Usually zombies make minor movements even while trying to stay still
That is a new one. I would have said the exact opposite.
>>48035024
This. They're dead bodies that are only moving around because of magic, so I personally wouldn't expect any involuntary movement.
>>48034425
The footsteps, at least, could be a useful technique for spotting a zombie. Day old footsteps that seemingly belong to a month old corpse are a good clue that something's up.
But the reverse doesn't work.
>>48035158
>>48035024
Magic has to keep moving to avoid becoming stale and sinking into the underverse. This causes things animated by magic never to be able to remain still relative to itself.
>>48034425
In some settings becoming a zombie seems to slow or stop decomposition, and one tell might be the lack of insects and other carrion on the corpse. Assuming it's been there a while and you have time to observe this, of course.
>>48034438
I don't exactly do 3.5 and the like much anymore, but didn't Necromancy in earlier editions have more applicability in the binding, communication, and pacification of undead than the creation of them, which 3.5 and PF effectively made the sole useful aspect of the Necromancy field?
>>48038122
I don't know about that but I do hate the fact that necromancers are essentially
"Wooo! I made a skelly!"
Then again it's one of the many things I dislike about D&D.
>>48034320
>>48034379
You're to kind of people who, when sent to investigate the local graveyard, start desecrating the place based on paranoia.
>>48039748
Wait, you mean the zombies at the graveyard are supposed to be walking around?
Unless my questgiver says otherwise, I'm going to hit the walking corpses until they lie back down for me.
>>48038189
3.5 and lower D&D specifically states that necromancy as spell school focuses on "spells that manipulate, create, or destroy life or life force." Now while most people think that necromancers simply raise undead, and indeed most necromancers you meet probably do, a wizard could focus on the necromancy school and be a "necromancer" solely to protect himself from death spells and to destroy undead. In 5th edition he can actually "resurrect" people like a cleric and stabilize the dying.
In fact, a "necromancer" that hates undead or governing hordes of minions and outwardly seeking to destroy them while preferring instant kill spells to prevent the hassle of prolonged combat would be that unusual if we bear in mind all the spells he has access to in the the necromancy spell school.
Heh, now this reminds me about Amethyst wizards from Warhammer Fantasy.
>>48042129
>a wizard could focus on the necromancy school and be a "necromancer" solely to protect himself from death spells and to destroy undead
I still think this is horseshit. Necromancers are supposed to raise the dead, that's what's so bad about them.
If we're supposed to have bad-boy magic that doesn't involve zombies, I'd rather just call it black magic or chaos magic or witchcraft or something that doesn't imply raising the dead.
Call it a zombie. When the zombie then stands up and calls you a bigot, shoot him right between his eyes because that's the only way to kill the damn mutants.
>>48034282
Once my DM ruined the surprise of a room when we looked inside and made a perception roll.
"The zombie doesn't move-SHIT!"
>>48034282
Depends on the system.
3.5 has turn undead, which can make undead run away or take damage.
There are also spells to detect undead in many systems.
