![pool of radiance pool of radiance](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UU9ogw0f7oo/Te7v-Q9xqsI/AAAAAAAAETs/d94Lbl1po2E/s1600/start_153.png)
Wraiths come from Scotland, mummies from Egypt, and vampires from eastern Europe. "Spectre" has long been used as a synonym for "ghost" the word itself is French in origin. The term "wight" was used in Middle English synonymously with "man" and only became attached to the undead, I think, in Lord of the Rings. Skeletons are pan-cultural, but zombies (as we think of them) are west African in origin, as is the term "juju." (The Forgotten Realms wiki says that a juju zombie retains its consciousness and knows that it's dead and is thus "horribly vicious and cruel.") Ghouls are Arabian. Probably no list better exemplifies the amalgamation of mythology in modern high fantasy. Valhingen Graveyard featured eight types of undead: skeletons (including a giant one), zombies (including a "juju" variety), ghouls, wights, spectres, wraiths, mummies, and a vampire. Nothing worse than getting paralyzed and eaten. Even now, when I encounter a ghoul in a CRPG, I have this ingrained sense of dread and I concentrate all my attacks on it until it's dead. I don't think I had even heard the word "ghoul" up to that point, and I certainly didn't know they could paralyze on touch, which seemed horribly unfair to me. That added insult to injury: I got eaten by a ghoul, and no one noticed. I was exploring a cabinet and a ghoul came out, paralyzed me, and ate me while my comrades were searching another corner or something (I remember the DM whispering to me that they didn't know what was happening just yet). While my memory is probably off that I died in the first room-it may have been the second or third-I do remember what killed me: a ghoul. I remember being confused about why he'd want a 10-foot pole (especially when he was only about three feet high), but my companions assured me I needed one.Īfter maybe an hour of character creation, we began exploring the dungeon. I had a handful of starting gold, and I equipped the character.
![pool of radiance pool of radiance](https://gamefabrique.com/storage/screenshots/pc/pool-of-radiance-ruins-of-myth-drannor-03.png)
Probably my companions told me they made better thieves. I seem to recall he was a halfling, although I can't think for the life of me what made me want to play a halfling. The first time I played Dungeons & Dragons as a pen-and-paper game, I remember spending a long time rolling dice, naming, and coming up with a background for a thief character.