Need a skeleton character 3.5

[Coplantor]

A friend of mine wants me to run him and some other friends a pirate campaign, a very monkey island like campaign. And he wants to be a skeleton.

Now, the Skeleton template sans the int and charisma limitations seemed like an obvious choice, but I dont know if hat might work. Necropolitan was my second option, but I dont think it feels skeleton-ish enough.

Any advice guys?

[Urpriest]

Bone creature in BoVD is somewhat designed for this sort of thing, though you'd have to homebrew a level adjustment.

Huecuva, Death Knights, and Liches all don't have to be skeletal, but they've all been depicted that way.

[Coplantor]

Cool, which books are the huecuva and death knight in?

[Urpriest]

Cool, which books are the huecuva and death knight in?

Huecuva is in Fiend Folio, and is basically a more Cleric-focused Lich without a phylactery. Death Knight is from Monster Manual II, but it may have been reprinted later, and it's exactly what it sounds like.

[Coplantor]

They might need a little tweaking though, the guy wants to be a skeleton, nothing too flashy.

[Venger]

Huecuva is in Fiend Folio, and is basically a more Cleric-focused Lich without a phylactery. Death Knight is from Monster Manual II, but it may have been reprinted later, and it's exactly what it sounds like.

what's the LA on death knight? there's none printed.

[Feralventas]

what's the LA on death knight? there's none printed.

I'm having trouble finding the right book, since I think the MM2 template is the one lacking the LA, but having played a DK in the past I recall figuring that I wasn't going to gain a level with that character for a long time owing to the nifty new +5 LA that it came with.

Still, lotza tricks and tools for the trade-off. I'd suggest just using the Metropolitan template though; much more easily balanced for a low-level campaign.

[Coidzor]

I believe Death Knight's LA is in the MM2 Update they released around the start of 3.5 Should still be able to find the update documentation on WOTC's site.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Death Knight is LA +5 (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20030718a).

I'd use Skeleton, plus Awaken Undead from Spell Compendium, technically with no level adjustment. Note that Awaken Undead gives him an Int score of only 1d6+4, which can't be higher than what he had before he was animated, but it can be cast (DMM) Maximized. He's stuck with a Wis 10 and Cha 1, or a -10 Cha mod (minimum 1) if you want to convert it to racial bonuses/penalties.

If you want to give him a level adjustment, or if he typically plays low-op and other players are usually high-op, there are plenty of other options. You could combine it with one or more of the skeleton variants in Libris Mortis p162, such as Nimble + Vicious. You could also say the individual who animated him did so in the area of Desecrate with an evil altar present, that they had one or more of the Corpsecrafter line of feats in Libris Mortis, and that they had eight levels of Dread Necromancer from Heroes of Horror. That would get him the following benefits:

Skeleton template
Awakened, Int score is 1d6+4, regain racial extraordinary attacks/qualities, +2 Turn Resistance, +2 Will saves vs effects that control undead
Dread Necromancer 8 creator (+4 Enhancement to Str and Dex, +2 HP per HD)
Corpsecrafter creator (+2 HP per HD, +4 Initiative, +10 ft. land speed, +1d6 cold damage on natural attacks, +2 Turn Resistance, +2 natural armor)
Desecrate plus evil altar present when created (+2 HP per HD)
Nimble Skeleton (Dex +4, Climb speed equal to land speed)
Vicious Skeleton (Claws do damage one size larger, Rend, Improved Crit: Claws)

I'd probably give all of that a total LA +2 or +3. If he picks a base creature with two or more racial HD, he'll be stuck with that many Undead HD, which are completely worthless. You can also add the Spellstitched template from Complete Arcane, which has no level adjustment but there is a hefty gp cost.

[Urpriest]

Still, lotza tricks and tools for the trade-off. I'd suggest just using the Metropolitan template though; much more easily balanced for a low-level campaign.

Intentional typo?

[ericgrau]

Death Knight is LA +5 (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20030718a).

I'd use Skeleton, plus Awaken Undead from Spell Compendium, technically with no level adjustment. Note that Awaken Undead gives him an Int score of only 1d6+4, which can't be higher than what he had before he was animated, but it can be cast (DMM) Maximized. He's stuck with a Wis 10 and Cha 1, or a -10 Cha mod (minimum 1) if you want to convert it to racial bonuses/penalties.

If you want to give him a level adjustment, or if he typically plays low-op and other players are usually high-op, there are plenty of other options. You could combine it with one or more of the skeleton variants in Libris Mortis p162, such as Nimble + Vicious. You could also say the individual who animated him did so in the area of Desecrate with an evil altar present, that they had one or more of the Corpsecrafter line of feats in Libris Mortis, and that they had eight levels of Dread Necromancer from Heroes of Horror. That would get him the following benefits:

Skeleton template
Awakened, Int score is 1d6+4, regain racial extraordinary attacks/qualities, +2 Turn Resistance, +2 Will saves vs effects that control undead
Dread Necromancer 8 creator (+4 Enhancement to Str and Dex, +2 HP per HD)
Corpsecrafter creator (+2 HP per HD, +4 Initiative, +10 ft. land speed, +1d6 cold damage on natural attacks, +2 Turn Resistance, +2 natural armor)
Desecrate plus evil altar present when created (+2 HP per HD)
Nimble Skeleton (Dex +4, Climb speed equal to land speed)
Vicious Skeleton (Claws do damage one size larger, Rend, Improved Crit: Claws)

I'd probably give all of that a total LA +2 or +3. If he picks a base creature with two or more racial HD, he'll be stuck with that many Undead HD, which are completely worthless. You can also add the Spellstitched template from Complete Arcane, which has no level adjustment but there is a hefty gp cost.
Oops, he beat me to it, but here's some homebrew anyway. Not like it took too long:

Awakened Skeleton
An awakened skeleton is a humanoid skeleton created by the awaken undead spell (spell compendium). It has lived among other creatures long enough to gain a little bit of a personality.

Ability Scores: dex +2, int -2, cha -4. An awakened skeleton has no constitution score.
Type: Undead:
Darkvision 60 ft.
Immunity to mind affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, energy drain, ability damage, fatigue, exhaustion, effects that require a fortitude save that don't affect objects, death by massive damage, and ressurection spells (but see revive undead in spell compendium).
Healed by negative energy, hurt by positive energy.
Use charisma for concentration checks.
Destroyed at 0 HP.
Does not breathe, eat or sleep.

Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: +2 natural armor bonus.
Claws: An awakened skeleton has 2 1d4 claw attacks at his full attack bonus.
Special Qualities: Immunity to cold, DR 5/bludgeoning, turn resistance +2, +2 to will saves against spells that control undead.
Feats: Gain improved initiative as a bonus feat.
Level Adjustment: +2.

The main concerns were that foes with bludgeoning weapons are rare and the laundry list of undead immunities. So unlike other high LA races they are likely to survive early play. I'm still not sure if this should be LA +3, but they're still vulnerable to some things and gain little offensive bonus, so I said +2. I went with cha -4 because I don't think something with the personality of a wet sponge is playable in an rpg, and IIRC the general guideline is no ability below 3 for a PC.

[Coplantor]

I think LA +3 or even +2 seems a bit too high for your template, it's the same that Biffoniacus used for his template which has a +4 to Str and +8 to Dex, improved damage, an extra +4 to initiative and +2 to natural armor, a climb speed and an extra 6hp per HD.

[ericgrau]

If you're playing along side half-minotaur mineral warrior goliath PCs it could be +1. Otherwise I'd say +2 is fair. PCs can pop out a mace or switch spell types but most monsters don't have much choice. But it's your campaign world so maybe it's a high optimization group and then sure, go LA +1 (or more LA but with any of BF's added goodies). Or whatever you want as the DM, it's just my opinion.