Necropolitan

[Cornelius Grim]

I am considering being a Necropolitan for my next character, and I had a few questions about the bonuses I get from being one.

Unnatural Resilience, Resist Control, and Turn Resistance is pretty straight-forward, so I have no questions about this.

Hit Dice would all be a d12. Would that include class HD or just racial HD?

The Libris Mortis says a necropolitan is has the same abilities as the base creature. Does that include a human's bonus feat and skill points?

Those are pretty much all the questions that I had, if you could answer them, it'd be great.

[JaronK]

Hit Dice would all be a d12. Would that include class HD or just racial HD?

All HD, including class. Undead always have D12s, but no Con mod... I strongly recommend being created near a Desecrated Evil Alter for the extra hitpoints, and possibly by a Dread Necromancer 8 or UA variant Necromancer for the free +4 enhancement bonus to Str and Dex and higher hitpoints. D12+4 is far better than D12.


The Libris Mortis says a necropolitan is has the same abilities as the base creature. Does that include a human's bonus feat and skill points?

Yes. You're pretty much just an undead version of the old creature.

JaronK

[Soranar]

Other than what Jaronk mentioned, here's a few ways to get the most out of your template.

-the stalwart sorcerer variant add 2 hitpoints per level (usually not worth it but for a necropolitan it can be useful)
-if allowed, initiate of the faerie mysteries should also work
-since you have no CON score your concentration checks are based on Charisma
-if you have access to rebuke/command undead , you can do it to yourself to boost your turn resistance
-it doesn't take much rank in disguise self to pass yourself off as living (and usually recommended during social interactions)

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Faerie Mysteries Initiate and other things that give bonus HP off of different stats rather than the base constitution allow you to have your cake and eat it, too.

Check the X Stat to Y Bonus thread for more on the subject, but it's possible to have a character start off as a Necropolitan with FMI, go into Walker in the Waste and then come out with INT and CHA to HP by 11th level.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Say your character was made into a Necropolitan by an 8th+ level Dread Necromancer (HoH) with the Corpsecrafter line of feats (LM) in an area of Desecration with an evil altar present. This will get you the following permanent benefits:

+2 HP per level, +2 Profane bonus on attack rolls and saving throws, Desecrate plus evil altar.

+2 HP per level, +4 Enhancement bonus to Strength and Dexterity, Dread Necromancer's Undead Mastery class feature.

+2 HP per level, +4 Enhancement bonus to Strength (redundant), Corpsecrafter feat.

+4 Turn Resistance, Bolster Resistance feat from the Corpsecrafter line.

+1d6 Cold damage with all your natural weapons, Deathly Chill feat from the Corpsecrafter line.

+2 Natural armor, Hardened Flesh feat from the Corpsecrafter line.

+4 Initiative, +10 ft. land speed, Nimble Bones feat from the Corpsecrafter line.

Yes, being made into an undead by someone who's specialized in it results in some amazing, unfair bonuses. I didn't bother including Destruction Retribution, and Deathly Chill is probably situational at best, but otherwise it's definitely worth writing into your backstory and costs you nothing.

[Sception]

Worth a note: you can never be created by a dread necromancer. The dread necromancer class has no means of creating necropolitans (at least, not before epic level), and the description of the creation ritual in the template entry doesn't really leave much room to imagine that dread necros are creating you with spells.

As for desecrate - that theoretically works, but be prepared for a DM 'no'.

In practice, your d12 hit die are about even with a d8 hit die and +2 con modifier, which frankly should be plenty for anyone who isn't a front line warrior, and even then it isn't prohibitive. It's pretty swingy, of course, but these are the risks we run.

Racial bonuses from your previous life not dependent on your creature type are maintained by the template, so yes, a human who becomes necropolitan retains their bonus feat and extra skill points, even on levels they gain after becoming undead.

Remember that you need to pay a pretty hefty XP cost, as well a fair bit of gold, in order to become a necropolitan. The xp cost in particular makes it impossible to become a necropolitan before you've reached third level in life, and you'll lose levels in the process. Eventually, theoretically, you'll make it up. Also, you need to successfully petition a necropolitan society to accept you - and it's up to the DM when or if to introduce such a society, as well as what all you'd have to do to impress them enough to earn membership.

All, of course, is much easier if you're starting above level 3 and can just pay the gold and xp as part of character creation.

[JaronK]

Say your character was made into a Necropolitan by an 8th+ level Dread Necromancer (HoH) with the Corpsecrafter line of feats (LM) in an area of Desecration with an evil altar present. This will get you the following permanent benefits:

That requires being created with a necromancy spell. It's unclear what the Necropolitan ritual requires, but RAW you don't need any spells, so those feats won't work.

But Desecrate absolutely will. And being created by someone with an ability like Undead Mastery obviously is quite nice.

JaronK

[sreservoir]

the fluff is that necropolitans are transformed citizens of nocturnus. the place is mostly run by intelligent undead, why the hell wouldn't they have desecrated it?

[Cornelius Grim]

Say your character was made into a Necropolitan by an 8th+ level Dread Necromancer (HoH) with the Corpsecrafter line of feats (LM) in an area of Desecration with an evil altar present. This will get you the following permanent benefits:

+2 HP per level, +2 Profane bonus on attack rolls and saving throws, Desecrate plus evil altar.

+2 HP per level, +4 Enhancement bonus to Strength and Dexterity, Dread Necromancer's Undead Mastery class feature.

+2 HP per level, +4 Enhancement bonus to Strength (redundant), Corpsecrafter feat.

+4 Turn Resistance, Bolster Resistance feat from the Corpsecrafter line.

+1d6 Cold damage with all your natural weapons, Deathly Chill feat from the Corpsecrafter line.

+2 Natural armor, Hardened Flesh feat from the Corpsecrafter line.

+4 Initiative, +10 ft. land speed, Nimble Bones feat from the Corpsecrafter line.

Yes, being made into an undead by someone who's specialized in it results in some amazing, unfair bonuses. I didn't bother including Destruction Retribution, and Deathly Chill is probably situational at best, but otherwise it's
definitely worth writing into your backstory and costs you nothing.
This is awesome. I approve. I'll see if I can get a few of these bonuses written into my backstory. This will help a lot. Thanks!

Worth a note: you can never be created by a dread necromancer. The dread necromancer class has no means of creating necropolitans (at least, not before epic level), and the description of the creation ritual in the template entry doesn't really leave much room to imagine that dread necros are creating you with spells.

As for desecrate - that theoretically works, but be prepared for a DM 'no'.

In practice, your d12 hit die are about even with a d8 hit die and +2 con modifier, which frankly should be plenty for anyone who isn't a front line warrior, and even then it isn't prohibitive. It's pretty swingy, of course, but these are the risks we run.

Racial bonuses from your previous life not dependent on your creature type are maintained by the template, so yes, a human who becomes necropolitan retains their bonus feat and extra skill points, even on levels they gain after becoming undead.

Remember that you need to pay a pretty hefty XP cost, as well a fair bit of gold, in order to become a necropolitan. The xp cost in particular makes it impossible to become a necropolitan before you've reached third level in life, and you'll lose levels in the process. Eventually, theoretically, you'll make it up. Also, you need to successfully petition a necropolitan society to accept you - and it's up to the DM when or if to introduce such a society, as well as what all you'd have to do to impress them enough to earn membership.

All, of course, is much easier if you're starting above level 3 and can just pay the gold and xp as part of character creation.

I took the level loss into account when creating the character. Unfortunately, the DM said I'd just have to keep my undead features hidden from the public, as there was no necropolitan societies close enough. Thanks for the help!

Well, that answered all my questions. Thanks everybody! :smallbiggrin:

[NecroRick]

Worth noting is that unlike normal PCs undead don't have a reserve of hit points below 0 before dying.

So as a necropolitan you are effectively 10 points behind.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Worth noting is that unlike normal PCs undead don't have a reserve of hit points below 0 before dying.

So as a necropolitan you are effectively 10 points behind.

That matters at low level, maybe.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Contingency + Indomitability is extremely handy when your character would be destroyed when reduced to 0 hp.

[Sception]

By the time you can cast contingency, chances are the 0hp thing is no longer a serious issue.

[Analytica]

I always wanted Initiate of the Faerie Mysteries, then a cohort with the Lichloved feat to keep it working. :smallbiggrin:

[SilverClawShift]

As for desecrate - that theoretically works, but be prepared for a DM 'no'.

Our DM has let this kind of stuff go a few times. It makes sense that a spellcaster willing to make undead would also be pragmatic enough to know how to beef them up.

But he's also said no to it a few times. The general rule seems to be that if you were a spellcaster you can "Suck it up chief", but if you were a meatshield you might need a little more edge in that department.

[Soranar]

I always wanted Initiate of the Faerie Mysteries, then a cohort with the Lichloved feat to keep it working. :smallbiggrin:

Just looked up the Lichloved feat... that is just wrong. So so wrong.