Intelligent Undead [PF]

[Anderlith]

I'm going to be running a Pathfinder game & would like to include undead that can think & can operate like a squad of soldiers without being too powerful & without a living creature being in command of them

[schoklat]

What is your specific problem?
There are plenty of free willed undead around.

Best find a group of soldiers/creatures a bit below your intended CR and slap an appropriate undead template on them. Then go ahead and reskin as necessary and add a nice but of backstory.

[Anderlith]

I was just wanting undead that are intelligent enough to be soldiers & not shamblers. Able to use tactics, that sort of thing. But I don't want a bunch of Death Knights & Liches

[Raven777]

Your basic Ghouls, Wights and Mummies should get you covered. You can slap class levels on top of monsters, though I do not remember the rules of it by heart.

The online resource has a couple of classed undead already statted as examples, actually.

Taker of Eyes (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/unique-monsters/cr-16/taker-of-eyes-bodak-antipaladin-8) (Bodak Antipaladin)
Hymmir Urath (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/unique-monsters/cr-4/hymmir-urath) (Ghoul Barbarian)
Cutthroat (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/unique-monsters/cr-5/ghoul-cutthroat) (Ghoul Rogue)

[avr]

You don't have to be smart to be a good soldier, just not mindless. Ghouls, shadows, phantom armor, dread zombies and wights all have CR 3 or less and an intelligence score. You could also try converting karrnathi skeletons/zombies from the ECS to Pathfinder.

[Coidzor]

Aren't there exceptional skeletons (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/skeletal-champion-CR-1)and zombies (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/dread-zombie)that (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/zombie-juju-cr-1)retain (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/trench-zombie)their intelligence and class levels in PF? You could just make those less rare. They don't seem exceptionally powerful beyond having an Int score. Nix any ability to control other undead and you probably don't even need to increase their CR, at a glance.