Help me decide what kind of undead I'm gonna use

[DMwithoutPC's]

Here’s the deal:

In my setting, there is an elven Empire on a bunch of floating Islands. First there were a lot of smaller kingdoms, but one of them conquered all others. The kings of the other islands were thrown in a well in the capital of the Empire. However, these kings did not die but became undead, and lived in the tunnels under the Capital. In the following centuries, this Elven Empire banished so of its inhabitants from the surface of the floating Islands. They started to live in the cave and horizontal outcrops of lands on the sides and belly of the islands. The undead became their kings. My question is what kind of undead should they be? I already decided that there is to be twelve of them. Should I make all of them the same kind of undead? Each one a different kind of sentient undead? Are Liches/ Vampires/ Mummies/ Skeletons thematically appropriate?

[Lateral]

Well, lich-lords are classic, of course. That said, you want twelve, right? I'm thinking a council of four liches, four vampire lords, and four ghosts. Maybe one arcane caster, one divine caster, one psion, and one warrior from each? I'm sure there are ways for noncasters to become some kind of lich.

[DMwithoutPC's]

Ghosts! I had forgotten Ghosts...

Yeah, I like this idea of three batches of four or four batches of three. but I don't know if vampire works, because the way I envision it, they lived on their one for a while, before exiled elves came. What would the vampires have fed on? or can vampires live without feeding for years?

[mabriss lethe]

Pathfinder has the Graveknight Template (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/graveknight-cr-2). It's effectively a warrior-esque version of the Lich, where their souls are bound to the armor they wore in life instead of a philactery.

alternately, There's the Curst template in FR.

I think both would be very good for creating the "fallen king" archetype. Moreso than a caster oriented choice would be.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

I'd probably go as many different undead types as possible. For example:
Lich (MM)
Ghost (MM)
Vampire (MM)
Death Knight (MM2)
Gravetouched Ghoul (LM)
Mummified Creature (LM)
Umbral Creature (LM)
Dry Lich (Sandstorm)
Tainted Minion (LoM)
Spectral Creature (SS, DoF)
Wight template (SS)
Huecuva (FF)
Spectral Mage (MoF)
Curst (LEoF)
Bone Creature (BoVD)*
Corpse Creature (BoVD)*
*Skeleton and Zombie variants from LM could be used with these.

Just go to this list (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/monsters&tablefilter=undead), hit ctrl-F and type template.

[DMwithoutPC's]

I'd probably go as many different undead types as possible. For example:
Lich (MM)
Ghost (MM)
Vampire (MM)
Death Knight (MM2)
Gravetouched Ghoul (LM)
Mummified Creature (LM)
Umbral Creature (LM)
Dry Lich (Sandstorm)
Tainted Minion (LoM)
Spectral Creature (SS, DoF)
Wight template (SS)
Huecuva (FF)
Spectral Mage (MoF)
Curst (LEoF)
Bone Creature (BoVD)*
Corpse Creature (BoVD)*
*Skeleton and Zombie variants from LM could be used with these.

Just go to this list (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/lists/monsters&tablefilter=undead), hit ctrl-F and type template.

ooh thank you, that's great! going a different kind of undead for every one, gives each one more flavour and makes them more interesting :smallbiggrin:

Though I should think of some fluff why they are the kind of undead that they are

[karkus]

Don't forget the Emancipated Spawn PrC from Savage Species; it allows spawn-based undead such as Shadows, Vampire Spawn, and Wights to regain the abilities that they had in life.

[Re'ozul]

They became undead after being thrown in a well, so backstory wise a lot of special circumstance created undead (liches, vampires, mummies) probably don't apply.

Gouls and Ghasts may work.

Or simply have them be Necropolitan.
One of the Kings had knowledge of the Ritual and since the other option was to die in the belly of the island, they took the disgusting step into undeath.

Further, maybe they offer select few of their 'subjects' that have proven themselves the same possibility. Maybe even in a modified form so that during the Ritual, some of the lifeforce of the new Necropolitan is connected or simply infused into them. (With them gaining evolved undead templates or similar for every X such turned beings)

[Urpriest]

Wraiths are good "king in a barrow" undead, since that's their mythological origin. There's a template for them in Savage Species, or you can just make them Wraiths with class levels.

[Red Fel]

So, they get thrown into a pit and eventually turn into undead?

If you don't mind going epic, a Worm That Walks is surprisingly fitting. Spellcaster who dies with unspent spells whose concentrated magical power and "unfinished business" reanimate in the form of a disturbing swarm of vermin? It could go nicely with a guy thrown into a pit. I mean, what else is down there but bugs, right?

Similar concept exists for Spectral Savant, except replace "uncast spells reanimate him as a swarm of worms" with "unspent power points and a bizarre crystal ritual reanimates him as a psychic vampire sort of thing." Maybe play with the ritual a bit to get it to fit.

Of course, these assume that some of these kings were possessed of (arcane or psionic) power in life. Which may or may not fit your bill.

And I'm trying to remember, but aren't there a bunch of incorporeal undead types which basically consist of "all-devouring storm of tormented souls"? Something-in-Darkness was a classic one, if I recall. But if you have a bunch of tormented, angry people who died together, that's also an option.

[gurgleflep]

How about using a bunch of various liches? (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=298793) I was looking for variants about a week or so ago and found was given some interesting options :smallbiggrin:

[DMwithoutPC's]

If thought about it, and they're not going to be vampires or mummies, because that way their creation isn't right. Liches perhaps. twelve different kind of liches is fun and has some concistancy. I like the Worm that Walks template, but wont that make them to creepy and weird to lead a society? Also, this well is obviously invested with some form of necromancy, a reason why they became alive again. A statue of an Elder Evil? some Dark god was once worshiped there? or was it merely the anger of the fallen kings that made them come back in undeath?

[atomicwaffle]

12 liches, 1 for each school of magic (specialized of course), a Psion, A lycanthrope (LE werebear, hue), a doppleganger (hue hue), and a Dracolich as the 'leader' of the council (maximum hue)

[Urpriest]

12 liches, 1 for each school of magic (specialized of course), a Psion, A lycanthrope (LE werebear, hue), a doppleganger (hue hue), and a Dracolich as the 'leader' of the council (maximum hue)

What does color have to do with anything?

[DMwithoutPC's]

What do you think of this?

When the first king was concurred, a great Mage-lord form an isle of wizards, his followers begged the Empire Elves to let him have the traditional burial rites, even if he was to be thrown in a pit. They secretly performed the lich-creation rites on him. The king himself did not know this, because he would have been opposed, good as he was. But he was given an amulet, as was their custom, and was pushed into the well. He died, and returned as a lich, with the amulet as his Phylactery. This First King divined the future and saw twelve undead kings overthrow the Elven Empire. He then started to work, with the help of his followers, to collect the means to turn the fellow kings. He found a vampire for a particularly bloodthirsty king, a drylich ritual for a sorcerer king from a desert island, a Worm who Walks spell for the president of a democracy. These first kings also used Enchantment to make the Elven Empire exile people to the caves they lived in, and built their own society down there.