Only characters with a spirit can learn this skill. Proficiency in this Skill Category enables you to accurately discern the type of Undead, if any, that you are in the presence of. Like the skill Discern Runes, this skills range is increased from two inches from your hand to match the range of the skill Discern Spirits. Visual recognition is possible and more accurate than RECOGNISE UNDEAD skill. There are many different kinds of Undead that you may encounter on an adventure and a table of these, along with the skill level required to discern them can be found in the appendix. This skill is required to Animate, Control or Dismiss Undead using the appropriate spell described in the Inherent Spells section. You may also be given the exact type of Undead, if you are able to discern it, followed by “unknown”. This means that it is not a usual type of that Undead and spells specific to Undead such as Control Undead or Dismiss Undead may not work as expected.
If you encounter an Undead that has not been mentioned in the appendix then you will be informed that it is an “Undead Unknown”.
Once an undiscernible Undead has been encountered several times, it will be classed as an 'Undead under research'. In several (real time) of being classified in this manner it will be added to the list of Undead discernible with this Skill Category. Undead fall into a number of categories, and if it is unknown, you will still be provided with one of the following categories for reference;
Skeletal Skeletons, Death Knights and all boney things in between.
Fleshy Zombies and Liches, undead who are still soft.
Non-Corporeal Ghosts and spirits with no physical body
Ancient Mummies and related, bandaged, preserved creatures.
Ghoulish Ghouls, Ghasts and other sharped clawed nasties.
Vampiric Sharp toothed, blood sucking, cape wearing, drama loving undead
Non-Humanoid Crawling claws, floating skulls and other non-full body things.