[PF] Disguise Undead

[Raimun]

Let's say you are a necromancer with undead minions.

You don't want everyone to know those silent guardians of yours are actually recruited posthumously. Apart from full body armor, masks and capes, how else would you disguise the fact that they are undead?

I'm asking since I'll be playing a necromancer in a future campaign. My character will be kind of a higher class citizen, from a foreign culture, so having a personal guard with weird traditions is not that suspicious.

[Bhaakon]

Gentle Repose could do the job, assuming that the bodies were in passable shape when you animated them and they're not skeletal undead. Someone might notice that they're not breathing, but most mundane or magical disguises will have the same problem.

[Slipperychicken]

Use a Disguise check, duh.

[dupersudi]

Keep them out of sight if possible, if not use illusions and or heavy robes and masks.

[Steward]

Assuming that your necromancer is a wizard or a sorcerer, you can use Veil (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/veil.htm) to make any number of undead servitors look like anything you want, such as humans, or trees, or something like that. This illusion not only covers physical appearance but touch and smell. It lasts one hour per level after you stop concentrating, so you may need to reapply it periodically.

If these undead cannot speak, you could probably make some story about how your personal servitors have their tongues cut out at birth so that they will always guard your secrets. That sounds like the kind of messed up thing that exotic aristocrats do in sword and sorcery setting anyway.

[Slipperychicken]

Also, makeup, masks, and similar facades can do wonders. They can basically turn you from a sleep-deprived zombie into a shining example of "natural" beauty (and yes, there is makeup which specifically makes you look like you're not wearing makeup). I assume this stuff would be included in a Disguise kit.

[graymachine]

Gentle Repose, as mentioned above, will take care of your rotting problem on your zombies, but I wouldn't waste the spell levels on it unless you are really attached to a particular zombie. The Prestidigitation cantrip will take care o the smell. See their mouths shut to take care of any random moans. Subcontract the thieves' guild disguise master to take care of odds and ends that masks and helmets won't take care of, or put one skill point in disguise so you can do it yourself by taking a 20, although that is going to eat up a lot of time. Not sure how to counter their inherent clumsiness, but you might just let people think you have clumsy guards to lull any would-be attackers into a false sense of security.

[Slipperychicken]

Not sure how to counter their inherent clumsiness, but you might just let people think you have clumsy guards to lull any would-be attackers into a false sense of security.

It's obvious. Say they got heavy armor proficiency, a d10 hit die, two other stats and a Will save to worry about, and said "well, guess I know what stat I'm not going to need in combat!".

[Baroncognito]

It depends on how you get your corpses.

If you find a place where you get get a number of corpses of people who did not die violent deaths, you can cast Restore Corpse on them, and they'll look like they did right after they died and Gentle repose will keep them looking that way.

[Curious]

Only use skeletons, so they won't be obviously clumsy. Then, just make them wear full body robes and masks.

[graymachine]

Only use skeletons, so they won't be obviously clumsy. Then, just make them wear full body robes and masks.

I don't know; as a DM, I would require some significant effort to make the skeletons pass as people in robes, armor, or whatever. Perhaps requiring them to be masterwork, with extensive, custom padding and such, although that seems a little too much. Perhaps 50 gp and a Disguise check per skeleton.

[Slipperychicken]

Perhaps requiring them to be masterwork, with extensive, custom padding and such, although that seems a little too much. Perhaps 50 gp and a Disguise check per skeleton.

If you already blew a charge off your Masterwork Disguise Kit, by RAW you get everything you need. And in my opinion that's the way it should be.

[graymachine]

If you already blew a charge off your Masterwork Disguise Kit, by RAW you get everything you need. And in my opinion that's the way it should be.

Fair enough; I was thinking in the other direction.