Necromancer in need of advice! (D&D 3.5)

[Morrolan]

Hello everyone!

I am currently playing a death knight cleric using gestalt rules, and I have come across the body of a human lvl 15 fighter 5 tempest.
What type of undead should I make of it?

[Zincorium]

A lot of it depends on what books you have available- core, vampire might be your only option that doesn't remove all of his hit dice (which are valuable). Libris Mortis has a number of good ones, gravetouched ghoul is excellent for what you're working with.

[Kosjsjach]

I'm not quite sure what a "lvl 15 fighter 5 tempest" is, but keep in mind that pretty much everything (including everything from class levels: HD, feats, skills, abilities) are lost when Animate Dead is used.

For example, if you animate the corpse of a 20th-level human... let's say Wizard, you'll still be left with a 1HD skeleton (or a 2HD zombie).

[Maerok]

BoVD has Corpse Creatures which are like Zombies but retain all the goodies. There's a skeleton counterpart whose name eludes me.

Or Animate Dread Warrior from one of the Orient setting books is nice.

Create Undead or Create Greater Undead is good too for more monstrous sorts but you don't control them from the point of creation.

[Morrolan]

I've considered the corpse and bone creature from BoVD, and the dread warrior, but I won't have control over the undead then because I would need to be (effective level for turning) level 40.
Any other undead seems a waste... Al those shiny class levels...

@zincorium: vampires are not on the create undead or create greater undead lists. Is there a way to create them?

[JaronK]

Cast Animate Dread Warrior! No, better yet, Spell Stitch yourself with it, then cast it as a spell like (and thus no exp) ability. That'll give you the warrior back with full abilities.

JaronK

[Morrolan]

The xp costs will not be a problem, I'm allowed to use more onyx instead of losing xp. It'll cost me but I dont mind.

There is however another problem. We are lvl 14 gestalt characters, which means that our power level requires the DM to throw strong enemies at us (such as this one) and you cannot cast animate dread warrior on something that has more HD than you...

[taltamir]

isn't there a spell to preserve corpses for later resurrection? use it as a sort of "meat locker" to preserve said corpse until you can cast Animate Dread Warrior

[Morrolan]

I can use gentle repose, which has a duration of day/level. So, yes I can stop the body from rotting. If i forget casting it, ill tell the DM that there is no air inside a bag of holding and that rotting requires oxigen. :smallsmile:

I'll also try to convince him that because we're gestalt this isn't fair and I should be able to raise him bla bla bla.

[taltamir]

I can use gentle repose, which has a duration of day/level. So, yes I can stop the body from rotting. If i forget casting it, ill tell the DM that there is no air inside a bag of holding and that rotting requires oxigen. :smallsmile:

I'll also try to convince him that because we're gestalt this isn't fair and I should be able to raise him bla bla bla.

mmm... how many levels short ARE you?
Orange ioun stone gives a +1 caster level.
Death Knell gives a temporary +1 caster level.
there has to be a ton of other documents + caster level methods and items... you can just preserve him long enough to buy the items.

btw, rotting can occur without oxygen, its called anaerobic respiration:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_respiration
you get 1/16th to 1/17th the energy per sugar molecule, and you produce dangerous wastes (alcohol or lactic acid, depending on the creature. humans produce lactic acid anaerobically, yeasts produce alcohol, some bacteria can do both I think; all become deadly toxins in large enough quantity).

[Morrolan]

all become deadly toxins in large enough quantity).

Now that sounds like an option! :smalltongue: Thanks for the chemistry lesson :smallsmile:

The animate dread warrior spell doesn't work on caster levels but on the casters HD, otherwise I would have divine metamagic persisted greater consumptive field and walked into an orphanage or something.

[taltamir]

heh, "deadly toxin" is a relative term... we drink alcohol for entertainment...
sure the yeast that produced it went into shock and died when it got to ~6% alcohol, but for us its just delicious beer :)


The animate dread warrior spell doesn't work on caster levels but on the casters HD, otherwise I would have divine metamagic persisted greater consumptive field and walked into an orphanage or something.

oh god the lollery... am I a bad person for laughing at this prospect?

I read about tricks to gain HP temporarily and then lose them later (so they don't hamper your leveling up)

[Morrolan]

oh god the lollery... am I a bad person for laughing at this prospect?


Embrace the dark..... :smallbiggrin:



I read about tricks to gain HP temporarily and then lose them later (so they don't hamper your leveling up)

But were those temporary HD or HP? I need HD.

[taltamir]

sorry it was a typo, I meant tricks to gain permanent HD... as in, hit dice.
And then tricks to lose them again when you don't need them...
I don't personally know them, I heard people on the forum claim that they exist... (make a new thread asking how to permanently gain HD, and then permanently lose them)

i know its a gestalt high level game but... how much cheese is allowed?

[Morrolan]

Quite a lot of cheesiness actually :smalltongue:
I'm allowed to use divine metamagic + persistent spell and thats quite cheesy

[PhoenixRivers]

Shapechange into a Barghest.

Walk into an orphanage.

The lollery continues.

[Morrolan]

I'd have to find orphanages with children with 6 HD and more

[PhoenixRivers]

I'd have to find orphanages with children with 6 HD and more

No. Things with 6hd or more are attracted to the screams of dying orphans.

[Morrolan]

true, true :smallsmile:

[taltamir]

lesser planer bind a bunch of things with 6HD exactly.

[peacenlove]

The bard's song "Inspire greatness" (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/bard.htm) gives 2 bonus HD for its duration (double from an Exalted bard with the "Words of creation" feat).