Melee vs the Zombie Apocalypse

[m149307]

Ok, so I am wondering how well a regular dex based fighter with a dip of Warblade would fare in a campaign were the all the enemies are undead. Is there a weapon that would be good against hordes of Zombies, what feats could help me put them down before they can put me down, etc. All help is greatly appreciated.

[Troacctid]

I would for sure use a reach weapon. Zombies are gross. Who wants to stand within 5 feet of a zombie? Not me. They're so stinky and they bite.

[defiantdan]

what kind of undead? are they just zombie humanoids? is there dracoliches? Wizard or cleric liches? Ghosts? Shades? Allips? go to monsterfinder and look up just how many undead there are in the game. Then ask yourself can you fight them all? can your guy hit incorporeal, fly, burrow, attack somone who is invisible, find someone on another plane or deal with being hunted by a creature who doesn't need to eat or rest?

[m149307]

I don't know what kind of undead there will be, but I know that 85% of then will be 1HD. I know that turning is only half effective on them... And that's all I know lol

I think they are mostly undead humanoids

[Demidos]

I would for sure use a reach weapon. Zombies are gross. Who wants to stand within 5 feet of a zombie? Not me. They're so stinky and they bite.


I don't know what kind of undead there will be, but I know that 85% of then will be 1HD. I know that turning is only half effective on them... And that's all I know lol

Reach (larger size, spiked chain, specific feats) + Attacks of Opportunity (Combat reflexes) mean that most 1 HD undead will die before reaching you.

[defiantdan]

you can pretty much win that campagn with a cleric and hide from undead or any character and the lichloved feat or buy the relic ghost shroud. roll up a commoner and just stroll through.

[Karl Aegis]

Combat Reflexes, Power Attack, Cleave and Great Cleave could work if you're fighting mostly 1 HD undead. Blind-Fight helps out at least some of the time and you'll probably want Improved Initiative. You'll definitely need a two-handed reach weapon, immunity to energy drain, ability damage, ability drain, paralysis and disease. Outside core, Shock Trooper and Leap Attack are good options. You'll probably want some of the aberation feats from Lords of Madness, specifically Starspawn and Inhuman Reach. Zentarium Fighter Substitution levels are always good, but Imperious Command doesn't work versus undead. Armor will probably do nothing, so feel free to use the Thug variant from Unearthed Arcana. If you can fit Improved Trip in there somewhere, more power to you.

[Almarck]

Well, it turns out I misread the post and thought you were the GM for some reason.

Also, more relevantly: your defenses will be pretty solid so long as they don't catch you flatfooted. In general, you may want to invest more heavily in alchemical items.

[nolongerchaos]

Depending on the size of the horde, a crusader dip might be preferable to warblade, as crusader's renewal mechanic is passive as opposed to warblade's, and you'll be able to provide some minor self-healing.

[Greenish]

Also, more relevantly: your defenses will be pretty solid so long as they don't catch you flatfooted.Uncanny Dodge (warblade 2 hoo!) and Combat Reflexes mostly fix that. Still won't be able to use counters while flat-footed, though.

I agree with the suggestion for reach weapon, and you should get Steadfast Boots (MIC) as soon as possible. Free double damage attacks against anything that charges you (and zombies will have to charge since they can't move + attack).

[Red Fel]

Is there a weapon that would be good against hordes of Zombies,

As others have mentioned, a reach weapon is a great choice. To that, I add a Truedeath Weapon Crystal (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ps/20070209a), a lovely socketable augmentation to your weapon. The Least version deals bonus damage, the Lesser version allows it to function as a Ghost Touch weapon, and the Greater version allows you to crit undead. Note that if you're not using Sneak Attack or critfishing, the Greater probably isn't worth the extra cash. Similarly, the Lesser version is really only useful if you're facing incorporeal undead; if they're all corporeal, it's not worthwhile either, and you're probably fine with just the Least model.


what feats could help me put them down before they can put me down, etc. All help is greatly appreciated.

As mentioned, start with reach weapons. If you're willing to dip Crusader, Thicket of Blades is also an awesome stance to have. Combine that with Combat Reflexes, Robilar's Gambit/Karmic Strike, and Improved Trip + Knock Down (assuming your DM allows 3.0 material), and you're basically unapproachable. Anything that comes near you gets hit and goes down. If Knock Down isn't an option, replace Improved Trip and Knock Down with Stand Still, and you can basically freeze things in place (albeit at the cost of dealing damage).

As far as other options, you should consider the Anointed Knight PrC from BoED. It grants you several bonus feats (take a look at Sanctify Martial Strike, you'll love that), as well as a personal or weapon upgrade at each level. The prereqs are modest, and the benefits - particularly the weapon upgrades - are delicious. One of the upgrades is Unicorn's Blood, a ravage that deals Str damage. (Note that, although Undead are usually immune to such things, the text states that Undead not only take the damage, they take "an extra 1 point" of it.) Note that it requires an Exalted feat (Ancestral Weapon), which means you have to be UltraGood to qualify for the PrC.

Of course, if BoED is on the table, several Exalted feats (some of which are bonus feats for Anointed Knight) are great choices. Again, Sanctify Martial Strike is nice, as are Quell the Profane, Touch of Golden Ice, and Holy Radiance.

[m149307]

Alright, thanks everyone. I just got word from my DM that I get 150k gp... So what should I buy with that? I plan on getting the steadfast boots, +6 gloves of Dexterity, and a lesser crystal of True death (not greater as suggested because I need a 20 to crit). The crystal needs a +2 weapon though, so what would be a good enchantment to place in the weapon?

[Eonir]

so what would be a good enchantment to place in the weapon?

There is an enhancement in MIC (I forget what it's called) that allows your weapon to morph between bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing. I find that too be useful against undead, who tend to have a variety of reductions.

[m149307]

Do you remember if that is a +1,+2, etc?