Archaeology Graverobbing can be a lucrative hobby, both in the real world and in D&D-land. Grave goods tend to be durable and valuable: silver, gold, gems, lost knowledge, weapons, and in D&D-land, magic.
The major difference between archaeology graverobbing in real life and D&D is the threat level, because undead are only a threat in D&D-land. D&D being D&D, undead are practically a guaranteed hazard of graverobbing.
Undead:
"Undead are evil creatures that have been created through dark magic. They are unaffected by things that affect living creatures, such as poison, and are not affected by spells that affect the mind, such as sleep and charm person. They do not make noise." (B44)
Basic Undead are Ghoul, Skeleton, Wight, and Zombie. Expert adds Mummy, Spectre, Vampire, and Wraith to the list. Shadows can be found in Basic, but are not undead.
Expert also expands and slightly changes the definition of Undead, to read:
"Undead are evil creatures that have been created through dark magic. All were once living beings. They are unaffected by things that affect living creatures, such as poison, and are not affected by spells that affect the mind, such as sleep, charm person, and hold. Undead usually do not make any noise." (X41)
The final sentence of both definitions means undead make excellent ambush monsters. Silent. Usually.
What makes the undead truly frightening isn't so much the silent waiting, the special attacks (paralysis, level drain, disease, or other), or the need for silver and/or magic weapons to hit them, though. It is the Morale score of 12 that most of them have (Ghouls 9, Spectres and Vampires 11) that is terrifying. For readers that are unfamiliar with Morale, a score of 12 means that undead never retreat or quit. They just keep coming. (As an aside, if you don't use Morale rules, give them a shot and make combat fun and unpredictable again - or at least potentially shorter).
Yes, clerics can turn undead, but they cannot do it often or continually. So the threat of a unending horde of undead assailants - especially if backed into a corner or other dead end - is a palpable one, especially if PCs are a lower level.
Those eight undead won't be the only undead in the megadungeon, though. I recently read something at The Manse about ghosts, and I like it enough that I am adding such ghosts (in a nested subtable) to the random encounter tables for my megadungeon. So more undead; this plays into what is already on the rumor table.
In addition to those ghosts are the undead variations from BECMI and AD&D, because converting isn't that difficult. Ghasts, banshees, coffer corpses, sons of Kyuss, liches, and more will all eventually be found somewhere in the depths. What are now the classics.
All this is important (to me) because there is a semi-hidden passage right off of the first level that leads to a series of crypts, tombs, and catacombs dedicated to an ancient and best forgotten deity of death and decay. What I am planning is a multi-level sublevel, because I dream big. I'm intending to use the sussurus from the Lichway adventure as a set up, because what self-respecting adventurer wouldn't attack a spiky humanoid-shaped thing that does nothing but make noise and attack sources of open flame?
Of course, this sublevel has its own entrance to the surface, still used by the cultists that dwell in Skara Brae. It occurs to me that run-ins with the cultists should lead to players/PCs recognizing some of the slain cultists as people they have dealt with: innkeepers, shopkeepers, etc. Inevitably, some of the slain should still be seen alive and well on the surface, leading to doppelgangers or something worse.
As to why the PCs would be exploring this sublevel to begin with, well, that is the point of D&D as I see it: exploration. With exploration comes risk, but also rewards.
And those rewards are what draw the PCs down deeper, darker corridors and stairwells.
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