History Main / ZombifyTheLiving

* ''Manga/{{JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood}}'' has this trope within the first few arcs, but some may call it subverted. [[spoiler:Dio Brando]] uses the Stone Mask introduced early on to [[spoiler:seemingly kill a would-be murderer]], but later demonstrates that it turns the already-living guy into a vampire. [[spoiler:Dio later goes on to use the Stone Mask on himself to become immortal.]] The reason this may be seen as subverted for the reason that it was theorized by Jonathan to be an obscure form of ritual sacrifice, or maybe even how some fans of the franchise believe the Stone Mask briefly kills its wearer before immediately reviving them and making them a vampire.

* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood'' has this trope within the first few arcs, but some may call it subverted. [[spoiler:Dio Brando]] uses the Stone Mask introduced early on to [[spoiler:seemingly kill a would-be murderer]], but later demonstrates that it turns the already-living guy into a vampire. [[spoiler:Dio later goes on to use the Stone Mask on himself to become immortal.]] The reason this may be seen as subverted for the reason that it was theorized by Jonathan to be an obscure form of ritual sacrifice, or maybe even how some fans of the franchise believe the Stone Mask briefly kills its wearer before immediately reviving them and making them a vampire.

'''Lestat''': And then there's the retching.

-->'''Louis''': ''(in 2022 narrating to Daniel)'' Bliss was merely a stage in my transformation. Pain followed, a seizing and unrelenting pain, through which I would pass before my apprenticeship began.\\

'''Lestat''': And then, there's the retching.

** ''TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragonsFirstEdition'':

** ''TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragonsSecondEdition''

** ''TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragonsSecondEdition'':

* In ''WesternAnimation/SkeletonWarriors'' and it's tie in comic BigBad Baron Dark can convert people directly from human to zombie skipping the whole "having to die and rot" bit, he then adds them to his army. Some people go willingly and seem to retain some of their former selves, but your average unwilling convertee just seems to become overwhelmed by Baron Dark's psychic link.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* The Cordyceps fungus is known for infecting live insects like ants, manipulating the movements of its host before the fungus ultimately consumes the host's organs and spread its spores, ideally from a high location which it would direct the host to pre-death.
[[/folder]]

** 1st Edition AD&D

*** Advanced ''D&D'' 1st Edition ''Dungeon Master's Guide''. In the "Artifacts and Relics Powers/Effects Tables", one of the Major Malevolent Effects is the user [[RapidAging aging 3-30 years each time they use a primary power]]. If they do this often enough, they will change into a "deathless withered zombie".
** The spell Energy Drain drains the LifeEnergy ({{Character Level}}s) of victims. Any human or humanoid drained to zero levels or less becomes an undead.
*** When the spell was first written out in Module G1-3 ''Against The Giants'' (1981), it turned its victims into standard zombies.

** 1st edition Advanced D&D ''Monster Manual''
*** Spectres, wights and wraiths are undead that drain {{Character Level}}s from their victims by touch. If a victim drops to level zero, they immediately become a half-strength undead of the same type as the one that killed them.
*** The shadow is an undead that drains points of a victim's Strength by touching them. If the target's Strength drops to zero, they become a shadow.
** 2nd Edition AD&D ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'' campaign setting ''Monstrous Compendium Appendix II: Terrors Beyond Tyr''. A creature drained of all LifeEnergy by a racked spirit immediately becomes a lesser spirit. A lesser spirit is the same as a racked spirit except that it doesn't have psionic powers.
** 2nd Edition AD&D TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms
*** Supplement ''Prayers from the Faithful''. The spell Create Undead Minion can change a living sentient being directly into an undead monster. The higher the CharacterLevel of the caster, the more powerful an undead they can create. For example, an 18th or higher level caster can turn a being into a ghoul, ghast, ju-ju zombie, wight, wraith, spectre or vampire.
*** Supplement ''Cult of the Dragon'' and ''Spellbound'' boxed set "Campaign Guide". The Red Wizard spell Unlife can change a person directly into an undead creature. The type of undead created is based on the CharacterLevel of the victim: 1st-3rd level = skeleton or zombie, 4th-6th level = ghoul, 7th-8th level = wight, 9th level or higher = wraith.
*** ''Ruins of Zhentil Keep'' boxed set Monstrous Compendium Appendix. Worshippers of the deity Bane who voluntarily take part in a religious ceremony are changed directly into the undead known as Banedead.
** 2nd Edition AD&D ''Monstrous Compendium Annual''. A high level psionic becomes a psionic lich by putting all of their psionic powers into a phylactery. When the last psionic power is placed in the phylactery, the psionic's life force is completely drained and they are transformed into a psionic lich.

** The curst (''Lost Empires of Faerûn'') is created by casting ''bestow curse'' on a dying subject, followed by ''create undead'' or ''create greater undead''.
** The 3.5E supplement ''Sandstorm'' has an ArtifactOfDoom called the Dead Throne that not only brought the desert warlord Ten-Ap back from the dead but also gave him the ability to convert the living into {{mumm|y}}ies.

** ''Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume 1''. The undead known as a spectral wizard is created by casting the Create Spectral Wizard spell on a human or elf wizard. The wizard is immediately changed into a spectral wizard.

* Creator/{{Chaosium}}'s supplement ''All the Worlds' Monsters''. If a creature is touched by a Coachman of Death, it must make a saving throw vs. magic or be turned into a zombie.

* ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsHonorAmongThieves'' has ''The Beckoning Death'', a high-level Necromancy spell that can turn a large group of living humanoids into undead. [[spoiler:It was used in the film's backstory by Szass Tam to turn the nation of Thay into a {{Necrocracy}}, and his pupil Sofina plans to use it on the citizens of Neverwinter that attend the Highsun Games.]]