Amber zombies have varying appearances but are always human, demi-human, or humanoid. Succumbing to the amber creeping vine turns the skin amber and changes the eyes into glazed and lifeless parodies of their former appearance. The process of draining a victim’s intelligence also plants a vine seed into the skull. The resulting amber zombie is under control of the plant which created it. The zombie will seek to bring new victims to the creeper’s hungry vines and if the creeper is attacked the amber zombie will defend it. Amber zombies use whatever weapons and armour the victim had at the time of his or her conversion, but the zombie fights as 2 HD monster with no spell-using abilities or ability score bonuses.

Despite their name, amber zombies are not undead and cannot be turned by a cleric. They are, however, immune to mind-influencing magic just as true zombies are. After 2 months of service the zombie wanders away from the parent plant to find a nice patch of soil in a likely spot, where it dies and a new amber creeping vine sprouts from the corpse.

The only known way to cure an amber zombie is to kill the controlling creeper and cast both a neutralise poison and heal upon the zombie in rapid succession. The victim will be restored to his or her former self but will require a full week of rest for every 4 points (rounded up) of intelligence lost before being able to adventure again.