The Perfect Undead

[Gorfang113]

I have a character concept thats been in my head for a while. The necromancer is trying to find the one best way to bring someone into unlife, and making them as powerful as possible in the process. My ultimate goal is to be able to essentialy ressurect a dead character, but to make them undead with a whole slew of benefits to go along. Any spells, templates or classes that could help achive this would be appreciated. I also want to try and do this with as few levels as possible.

[tyckspoon]

Dread Necromancer (Heroes of Horror) class, Corpsecrafter line of feats (Libris Mortis), and creation in a Desecrated area all give bonuses to undead you make. For 'resurrection but made better' your best bet is combining those with the Animate Dread Warrior (Unapproachable East) spell, which animates a creature with intelligence intact and access to all of its special abilities (well, mostly intelligence intact- the template it applies has a pretty heavy Int and Cha penalty, so it doesn't work too well for arcane casters.) Dread Warrior has a huge XP cost, tho, so you'd want to find a way to not pay that.

Edit: Libris Mortis also has a few potentially useful templates like Gravetouched Ghoul and Mummified Creature that can be used to turn more varieties of things into undead instead of the basic skeletons and zombies. Unfortunately they don't explicitly say that Create Undead can make them, so you'd have to check with your DM.. but that appears to be the intent of the templates.

[Starbuck_II]

I have a character concept thats been in my head for a while. The necromancer is trying to find the one best way to bring someone into unlife, and making them as powerful as possible in the process. My ultimate goal is to be able to essentialy ressurect a dead character, but to make them undead with a whole slew of benefits to go along. Any spells, templates or classes that could help achive this would be appreciated. I also want to try and do this with as few levels as possible.

There is only one that is perfect:
The worm that walks.


The spellcaster performing the ritual must spend 10,000 gp in rare reagents for the ceremony. Furthermore, the ritual drains 2,000 XP from the spell-caster and requires the following spells: limited wish, polymorph any object, summon swarm (heightened to 7th level), and sympathy. Even if the ritual is performed correctly, there is only a chance that the deceased spellcaster will arise as a worm that walks. For each prepared but uncast arcane spell the deceased had at the moment of death (or unused spell slots if a spontaneous caster), there’s a 1% chance that a worm that walks will slither from the grave soil in 1d4 days

Don't worry, you can use scrolls for the ritual (a scroll of heightened Summon Swarm, Sympathy, Limited Wish, PAO).
Are they a spellcaster? If not you need imbue spellcasting or something to give them spells. A wand of Imbue spell ability maybe (they only need 1).
Cost you 2K XP and 10K gold as well. They need at least one spell (for 1%).

They more spells they have (including cantrips) the higher chance.
If a wizard get a wand of Mnemonic Enhancer: Each casting gives up to three additional levels of spells.
Choose 1st level ones (that is 3). With 25 charges (1/2 a wand), you get 75 1st level spells.
Meaning you get 75% chance + normal spell slots (1st level Wizard with 12 Int means 5 or 6 if specialized) =80% to 100% success.

Doable by what 7th level if spend most of wealth on scrolls and that one wand (you need that wand to ensure success at low levels). You'll need UMD if you aren't a wizard/Sorcerer (for scroll usage).

[Gorfang113]

First, Worm that Walks is an aberration. Secondly, I want something that works for any character well. So, say the partyfighter dies. Instead of giving him a ressurection, I bring him back to (un)life. But with his mind still (or mostly) intact. Perferably with as many bonuses as possible.

[Tokuhara]

First, Worm that Walks is an aberration. Secondly, I want something that works for any character well. So, say the partyfighter dies. Instead of giving him a ressurection, I bring him back to (un)life. But with his mind still (or mostly) intact. Perferably with as many bonuses as possible.

If it is melee focused: Death Knight, Deathless, Gravetouched Ghoul
If it is sneak focused: Wraith, Umbral, Spectre
If it is divine focused: Deathless, Dry Lich, Divine Lich
If it is arcane focused: Lich, Lich, Lich, and Lich

[Gavinfoxx]

Have you read these?

http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5584
http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19872470/New_Dread_Necromancer_Handbook
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214212
http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=2242

[Calanon]

If it is melee focused: Death Knight, Deathless, Gravetouched Ghoul
If it is sneak focused: Wraith, Umbral, Spectre
If it is divine focused: Deathless, Dry Lich, Divine Lich
If it is arcane focused: Lich, Lich, Lich, and Lich

There are more Undead arcane focused creatures than Lich... I can't think of any right now but I'm sure there are~

mind telling me where the Deathless template & Divine Lich is?

[Steward]

You can find the Deathless template in Eberron, I think.

[BlackestOfMages]

You can find the Deathless template in Eberron, I think.

Book of exalted deeds as well. They're positive energy undead as opposed to negative, and are inherintly good not evil etc