Death guard fanatic is a creature in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.
Description[ | ]
Extraordinarily rare, death guards are sometimes created upon the demise of a particularly determined individual who refuses to leave the physical world for the Beyond. Paladins are most susceptible to this terrible transformation, but priests and other exceptional zealots often suffer the same fate.
Death guards occupy their former bodies, but the energy that allows the soul to remain in the physical world rapidly consumes the flesh, leaving only bone behind. They are often driven mad by their state and are terrifying foes to behold, striking fear into those unlucky few who encounter them.
When fampyrs wish to avoid the gradual decay associated with their condition, they can engage in a risky, expensive, and extremely painful process that separates their tissues from bone and leaves a perfectly aware skeleton behind. In this case, essence does not decay in the flesh and instead resides in bone, a much hardier substance. Since the newly created death guard requires virtually nothing to survive and will not naturally decay further, it can "live" until it is killed.
Their limited connection to the Beyond allows them to summon fearsome balls of flame, summon shadows, and even slay the living with a word.