Minionmancer cleric - take a template or not?

[Olfgar]

So im planning to play a NE or LE cleric of Nerrul in a new campaign. theres going to be a fairly decent amount of undead so ill have plenty of mooks to control before i raise my own bruisers. The reason im going evil is that Nerrul is "sick of this **** where dead things arent staying still, because its a mockery to death". Coincidentally, hes comepletly ok with us making them into servants for his cause.

So i always have the option to just stay alive. But for fun I was considering becoming a Lich or a Vampire (and yes im fairly certain the DM will allow LA buyoffs.

What do you guys think?

[Sgt. Cookie]

No.

Why? LA on a spellcaster is Bad. With a capital B. You would loose far too many Cleric levels for it to be worth it.

If you really want to be Undead, get yourself Libris Mortis and become a Necropolition. No LA. You do lose a single level, though. But you'll get it back soon enough.

[Madara]

If you really want to be Undead, get yourself Libris Mortis and become a Necropolition. No LA. You do lose a single level, though. But you'll get it back soon enough.

Either this, or go on the Pathfinder SRD and use their Lich template, its actually reasonable.

[Olfgar]

Yeah, the Cha for health helps alot...thats about the only thing i remember from the PF version though lol

[Snowbluff]

Dread Necros sort of make an exception to the rule for templates if you are going undead commander. They get their Cha to the number of undead HD they can control each level at 8th level.

[Sgt. Cookie]

Sort of is the key point there. The only two templates worth considering are Necropolition, if you aren't going full Dread Necro, or Lich from Dread Necro 20.

[Snowbluff]

Sort of is the key point there. The only two templates worth considering are Necropolition, if you aren't going full Dread Necro, or Lich from Dread Necro 20.

And (Gravetouched) Ghoul. And Evolved.

[Sgt. Cookie]

Never heard of those two. Source? I have heard of Ghoul, though.

[Snowbluff]

Never heard of those two. Source? I have heard of Ghoul, though.

Libris Mortis. Gravetouched makes some nice bonuses. Evolved gives fast healing, +2 Cha and Str per LA of it you take.

[Aliek]

Also, walker in the waste 10 grants the dry lich template, which is awesome in itself. Also, full casting IIRC, so it's a steal, really.

[Jeff the Green]

Also, walker in the waste 10 grants the dry lich template, which is awesome in itself. Also, full casting IIRC, so it's a steal, really.

You lose two levels, actually, and it's not available until fairly late (if at all; I'm AFB) because you need to be able to cast three spells from the sand and thirst domains. Earliest entry is a generic spellcaster, who can enter at 2nd level, then a cleric with the sand and thirst domains, who can enter at 4th.

It's not a bad class, despite the lost levels. It does minionmancy relatively well, and can be a melee beast the way no other undead can.

Moe to the OP, check out some of the homebrew monster classes around here. (On my phone, so no link, but Google "site:giantitp.com monster classes".) I particularly like the Vampire: two levels, and you use the blood you've drained to empower you. One of the ways you can use it is to have your Vampire levels stack for spellcasting.