[RPG] Do effects that prevent someone from becoming an undead stop or delay the effect

dnd-5eundead

Do effects that prevent someone from becoming an undead stop the creature from becoming undead, or merely delay it?

For example, if a character is killed by a vampire's bite, but then hit with a gentle repose spell or a similar spell before being buried, does the spell prevent them from becoming a spawn? Or does it only delay them becoming a spawn for the duration?

Best Answer

The humanoid is protected

The bite creates undead the following night after ground burial

The bite of a vampire (MM, 352) states (my emphasis):

A humanoid slain in this way and then buried in the ground rises the following night as a vampire spawn under the vampire's control.

A vampire spawn (MM, 354) is classified as:

Medium undead, neutral evil

So, should the humanoid be buried after a bite, they would rise the following night as an undead.

Gentle repose prevents that

This is where gentle repose (PHB, 245) comes in:

For the duration[10 days], the target is protected from decay and can't become undead.

In this case, the effects of the vampire bite are RAW completely prevented. Since the Vampire bite's text specifically states that they will become a spawn on the following night, if that night they are protected, then they have passed the gate and are no longer at risk. The fact that the spell continues longer doesn't really change anything as the first night gate has passed and the corpse will not rise as undead after that.

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