Corpse

When unable to distinguish between the living and the dead, some demons end up possessing the bodies of the dead. This leaves them unable to return to the Fade; thus as corpses they lack the lifeforce required for the demon to breach the Veil. Trapped in the physical world with death as its only future, the demon will go insane—the corpse will try to kill any life it encounters with no concern for its own welfare.

Background

The spirits gather around that violence like moths around a lantern, pressing for a closer look, until the Veil between this world and the Fade is stretched thin. Where it breaks, the spirits steal in, desperate for a taste of what we mortals take for granted. The weaker ones possess something that cannot fight back, like a corpse...and as the spirits relive the battles they once witnessed, mimicking what they think of as life, we mortals see only a corpse rise and attack.
—Lienne de Montsimmard^[1]

In most corners of Thedas, funeral rites include burning or dismembering the dead to prevent them from becoming host to demons. But not everyone gets a proper burial. It is not unheard of for the dead to be thrown into mass graves in the aftermath of a battle or execution, almost asking some demon to claim the corpses.
—From Beyond the Veil: Spirits and Demons by Enchanter Mirdromel^[2]

The following information is only mentioned in Dragon Age Tabletop. Certain portions of this media may no longer reflect currently established lore.

The demons of the Fade have a terrible hunger for the pleasures of the world that they sense across the gulf of the Veil. Their jealously causes them to claw at the walls of their perceived prison, forever testing the boundaries of the Fade. When a demon finally manages to break through, it must immediately seek out a form to possess lest it be pulled back across the Veil to the Fade. Unfortunately for the demons, the Veil is weakest in places where there have been a great many deaths, such as battlefields and pestilence-ridden villages, and many demons end up possessing the forms of the dead. The rage and frustration of such beings is near unimaginable. To have finally broken through to the world of the living with all the delicious pleasures it holds only to be trapped within a corpse that can barely sustain it is infuriating. Almost uniformly these demons go insane, abandoning even the strange reasoning of their kind for howling madness.

The type of demon and the condition of the corpse it inhabits determines the creature this horrifying union creates. Destroying a possessed body sends the demon inhabiting it back to the Fade.^[3]

Quests

Locations

Dragon Age: Origins

Redcliffe Village

Dragon Age: Awakening

Blackmarsh Undying

The Golems of Amgarrak

Amgarrak Thaig

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Lost Temple of Dirthamen

Strategy

Dragon Age: Origins

Corpses don't have many special abilities, so their only tactic is casting their single spell (if they have one); then they engage in melee. It is best to bottle them up with a chokepoint, using either a tank taunting or a Glyph of Repulsion.

Corpses can sometimes lie in wait for the Warden on the floor, "waking" when best able to surround the party (or at least the controlled character). They aren't detected by Survival in this dormant state, nor can they be targeted. Long-duration AoE spells/combinations still work, though, so if the Warden see some suspicious corpses, it is recommended to cast at least one. Paralysis Explosion works best, though Grease Fire, Tempest, Inferno and Blizzard are also good. If the Warden's party doesn't have these, a stealthed rogue should be sent into the room to trigger them while the others wait at the door.

Like all undead, they are vulnerable to fire, but are immune to flanking attacks, nature damage and blood magic, as well as being resistant to cold damage (but they can still be slowed, frozen, petrified or shattered). As a result, the party should avoid using Shale's natural crystals, Acid Flasks, Acidic Traps, and most poisons against them, in favour of their fiery equivalents.

Notable loot

Dragon Age: Origins

Corpse Gall

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Corpse Heart

Variations

Corpse archer – encountered in Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Devouring corpse – possessed by a hunger demon.
Putrid Devouring corpse – encountered in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.
Enraged corpse – possessed by a rage demon.
Ravenous Enraged corpse – encountered in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.
Harvested corpse – encountered in The Golems of Amgarrak.
Mangled corpse – encountered in The Golems of Amgarrak.
Shambling corpse – possessed by a sloth demon.
Desiccated Shambling corpse – encountered in Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening.
Walking corpse – generic specimens which only appear during the Attack at Nightfall.
Harvester – physical combinations of several corpses possessed by a Fade spirit.

Codex entries

Codex entry: Corpse

Codex entry: Demonic Possession

Notes

(Origins) Even though the description of Demonic Ichor implies that this item is looted from possessed corpses, it can only be looted from darkspawn.
Corpses do not bleed; however, they sometimes leak a grayish-black substance from their wounds. The composition is similar to that of a shade, adding further evidence that all shades are physical manifestations of demons without hosts.^{[confirmation needed]}
Nevarran mummification practices increase likelihood of possession by spirits.^[4]