new undead [help]

[Tracersmith]

I've got a campaign that has an army of undead. I was thinking for the footsoldiers and sgt's I would have an Intelligent skeleton. That skeleton id like to be about CR 3 and the skeleton sgt (CR 5) would "rebuild". I'd like advise on where to go from here. Any Ideas?

[Rex Idiotarum]

Slayer's Guide to Undead has Advise on intelligent forms of Zombies and Skeletons, I'd start there.

[Tracersmith]

where / what is the guide? is it a posting, book, or webpage?

[Umarth]

BoVD also has intelligent skeletons and zombies templates.

[katarl]

Baneguard and Dreadguard are also both intelligent (lost empires of faerun)

So are Dread Warriors (Unapproachable East), who, incidentally, maintain class levels and don't count towards HD.

Casting Awaken Undead (lvl 6, sor/wiz, Libris Mortis/Spell Compendium) works, too.

[Closet_Skeleton]

Baneguard and Dreadguard are also both intelligent (lost empires of faerun)

So are Dread Warriors (Unapproachable East), who, incidentally, maintain class levels and don't count towards HD.

Casting Awaken Undead (lvl 6, sor/wiz, Libris Mortis/Spell Compendium) works, too.

Dead Warriors are in Lost Empires of Faerun (previously in Monsters of Faerun along with Baneguard and Dreadguard) but they could easily be in Unapproachable East. That would make them appear in 3 3.x books... Awaken undead is also in Savage Species along with Awaken Construct, another useful spell.

I usually find myself using the Skeleton Warrior Template from the Warcraft d20 Manual of Monsters but that differs little from the 3.5 Monster Manual skeleton; it mainly just has them keeping original HD.

A Warrior 3 with the skeleton template but ignoring the text about character levels would be about CR 3. Then you could just use a 5th level version for your sargeant.

[Tracersmith]

TY much friends I like the zombie template alot. and ive used baneguards and dreadguards before and they just didn't feel right. dread warriors have somethings that i can use but i was really looking for a monster not a template. im also trying not to have class levels. and awaken undead works well but i need the stats for the CR 3 skeleton (not spell-like powers but more then more HD).

no one has said anything about the rebiulding CR 5 skeleton.

TY for the help you have so far givin.....

[The_Pope]

And the Eberron Campaign Setting has Karrnathi Skeletons and Zombies, both of which are intelligent (INT 11) and rather cool. Especially the artwork of them.

[Tracersmith]

Thats IT!!!!!!!! ill be using the karrnathi Skeletons Thank you All

how manytimes should that put themselves back together to make them CR5

[Tracersmith]

Would it be over powered to have the CR5 skeletons rebuild the round after they die unless you remove / distroy the skull.... (ie called shot to the skull with a bashing weapon).

[sigurd]

Sylvan Trumpeter #4 has a CR3 undead that I like very much.
Bridge Wight CR3
Eric Runyan - Sylvan Trumpeter #4 p.33


Nice pic and everything :)

[Malus_Black]

Would it be over powered to have the CR5 skeletons rebuild the round after they die unless you remove / distroy the skull.... (ie called shot to the skull with a bashing weapon).
Introducing called shots is a bad idea. Instead, make them die at -10 hp instead of 0, and give them fast healing that activates when they hit negative hit points. Depending on how hard you want to make them, you can increase the fast healing (5 or more should guarantee that they're back up in two rounds at most), and let it work for a certain number of rounds, or just until they hit 1 hp. If you have the healing work for, say 1d6 rounds, they'll be a lot more likely to stay in the fight. If it stops at 1 hp, they'll be more of a nuisance than a real threat until they've healed back up by other means (potions of inflict, for instance).

Using fast healing means that they can be killed in one good strike, but, more likely than not, they'll be back up in a few rounds unless the PCs devote another attack to them.

If you feel that they should only be destroyed by making them fall and then finish them off, say that they have to be coup de graced (yes, yes, undead are immune to critical hits and death effects, this is an exception) and fail the save, or the fast healing just makes them keep coming back for more.

[magic8BALL]

...yes... or just do this: these undead are living, but instead of matabolising positive energy, the matabolise negative energy.
This means these 'living skeletons' have a CON score (potentially more/less HP, are not destoyed at 0 HP, but disabled and dieing: "as you land your blow, the skeleton falls into a pile of bones", and are vunreble to death effects, such as Coupe de Grace: "as you crush the skull of your fallen foe, the red glow in its eye sockets fades into nothingness").
Give these beasties regeneration 5, DR 5/blugeoning. This means to effectivly kill them, you would need a bludeoning weapon dealing leathal damage. Once they are knocked out, a Coupe de Grace will be needed, or else they will rise in less than 2 rounds: "the pile of bones shifts unnaturally, and reforms itself into a complete skeleton. You think you can see the skull form an evil smile as a bony arm raises an already bloodied axe"

As a stand alone monster with about 4HD, this type of skeleton sergent would be around CR 5, if you give it medium armour, a greataxe/greadsword/scythe/falchion or a heavy shield and a battleaxe/lonsword/scimitar.
As part of an army, you can afford to give it magical stuff as well, as the PC's are of a significantly higher level: without magic gear, the CR 5 monster wont have a chane of hitting the PC's, or having the PC's miss an attack themselves.

...hmmm... meyby I might have an army of living undead savage my next world...

[Tracersmith]

i like it alot thank you all of you.... I beleave that i have found in the last few posts the spark that I was looking for