Pathfinder - Looking to build a Deathless Grave Knight for a player.

[Calemyr]

An amusing character is looking to join my campaign's roster: a deathless grave knight. In other words, an amusingly indestructible* fighter who is honorable and chivalrous but not exactly a paladin (thus is able to work with and assist dubious party members). The idea is that, in life, he was a bandit who got his soul placed in the armor of a legendary paladin and then was killed, turning him into something of a Grave Knight, but good aligned. The party at this point is a bit of a menagerie anyway (catfolk, tengu, dragon-blooded, dhampir, and those are the more standard characters), and the game runs more on story and fun than strict adherence to the rules, so another oddball isn't really out of line.

(* As in, I have every intention of putting this character through abuse that would break a mortal character, and yet this guy will hardly notice.)

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I create this character for the player that wants it? The party needs a tank and a token "good" person (everyone else is neutral and at times I question that), and this idea strikes me as far too beautiful an idea not to include. Seeing as my dhampir wants to go full-on vampire at some point in the campaign, I need to learn how this works regardless.

Does anyone have any advice on how to convert a player character into a playable undead? Is it simply a matter of following the "Creating a Graveknight" rules in the creature description? Should there be a level adjustment?

[Hunter Noventa]

That template is definitely in line for a level adjustment. The Rejuvenation ability alone is very powerful.
Alternately, you could try using the Race Builder to create an undead race that serves the same purpose, really depends on how badly you want them to have all the really powerful Graveknight abilities.

[Calemyr]

That template is definitely in line for a level adjustment. The Rejuvenation ability alone is very powerful.
Alternately, you could try using the Race Builder to create an undead race that serves the same purpose, really depends on how badly you want them to have all the really powerful Graveknight abilities.

I suppose that's fair enough. Outside of the effective immortality and a few abilities, I might as well just make him an undead fighter with some cool gear. A lot of it's just fluff. With the undead creature type, a few abilities, and the right gear, you could create a respectable grave knight without breaking balance.

One of the elements I've talked with the player about is the fact that, if the party uses this guy for nefarious purposes too frequently, he may go berserk and try to kill the party. Killing him will cause him to awaken the next time around refreshed and peaceful, but if he snaps he is meant to be a fearsome juggernaut of destruction.

I still don't know what to do with the making a playable vampire, though. That one's a ways off still, but I can't fairly so no to that when I'm seriously considering this.


Thinking about it, here's what I'm considering:

* Undead Traits: As per the creature type description. Charisma replaces Constitution. Constitution can't be lowest stat when assigning stats.
* Rejuvenation: Armor regenerates body if destroyed. Takes 1d10 days. The party knows I dislike killing characters (except with player cooperation), so really this does little more than give me carte blanche to kill the knight repeatedly.
* Sacred Aura: Undead cannot be created within 30 feet of Ludwig. Undead suffer -2 to attack, damage, and saves. Neutralizes Sacrilegious Aura. Might convince dhampir not to become vampire.
* Defenses: DR 10/Magic, Immunity to Cold and Electricity, +4 Natural Armor . Nonmagical weapons are rare at this point (Level 11).
* Phantasmal Mount: Can summon a mount once per hour. This particular knight should summon something desert related, if possible.

[Hunter Noventa]

I still don't know what to do with the making a playable vampire, though. That one's a ways off still, but I can't fairly so no to that when I'm seriously considering this.


Thinking about it, here's what I'm considering:

* Undead Traits: As per the creature type description. Charisma replaces Constitution. Constitution can't be lowest stat when assigning stats.
* Rejuvenation: Armor regenerates body if destroyed. Takes 1d10 days. The party knows I dislike killing characters (except with player cooperation), so really this does little more than give me carte blanche to kill the knight repeatedly.
* Sacred Aura: Undead cannot be created within 30 feet of Ludwig. Undead suffer -2 to attack, damage, and saves. Neutralizes Sacrilegious Aura. Might convince dhampir not to become vampire.
* Defenses: DR 10/Magic, Immunity to Cold and Electricity, +4 Natural Armor . Nonmagical weapons are rare at this point (Level 11).
* Phantasmal Mount: Can summon a mount once per hour. This particular knight should summon something desert related, if possible.

There are actually provisions for races without constitution in the Race Builder (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/advancedRaceGuide/raceBuilder.html) that would apply here, not sure what stat generation method you're using but they all seem fine there.

Rejuvenation then shouldn't be a big deal if you rarely kill characters off anyway.

Sacred Aura isn't overly powerful either, but it's not a useless feature either, so it's fair.

DR is trivial enough as you point out, Immunities are very nice as sis Natural Armor, so those are worth more.

if the mount can't be used by anyone else and can't attack, it's almost more thematic than anything.

If this is a Deathless-style undead, that is, one powered by positive energy, one could assume they are affected by negative energy the same way a normal undead is fueled by positive energy?

Either way, I'd say a level Adjustment of 2 wouldn't be too out of line. if there were some sort of weakness associated with this state, moreso than negative energy vulnerability, I'd say an LA of 1 wouldn't be out of line. Though this also depends on what ability adjustments you want to use.

[Calemyr]

There are actually provisions for races without constitution in the Race Builder (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/advancedRaceGuide/raceBuilder.html) that would apply here, not sure what stat generation method you're using but they all seem fine there.

Rejuvenation then shouldn't be a big deal if you rarely kill characters off anyway.

Sacred Aura isn't overly powerful either, but it's not a useless feature either, so it's fair.

DR is trivial enough as you point out, Immunities are very nice as sis Natural Armor, so those are worth more.

if the mount can't be used by anyone else and can't attack, it's almost more thematic than anything.

If this is a Deathless-style undead, that is, one powered by positive energy, one could assume they are affected by negative energy the same way a normal undead is fueled by positive energy?

Either way, I'd say a level Adjustment of 2 wouldn't be too out of line. if there were some sort of weakness associated with this state, moreso than negative energy vulnerability, I'd say an LA of 1 wouldn't be out of line. Though this also depends on what ability adjustments you want to use.

The way I'm figuring it, Deathless lose the immunity to mental effects and have positive energy affinity. They are also destroyed at 0, not at -CHA. Really, most of the character's abilties are based more on actual character build (class/feats/gear) than racial bonuses.

What the character gets from this "race" is a comedic level of indestructability, which is very good. The first ten levels we played through were mostly fun and story, where the party were rarely faced with anything they couldn't overwhelm. The second half of the campaign is going to pit them against a far steeper slope of difficulty. In their first arc they fought a watered down Balor and a quintet of well-meaning but ill-acting high clerics, this time they're fighting a tag team of a lich and her grave knight champion, possibly even a demi-lich if they really push things the wrong way. Eventually they're going to have to face off against demi-god abominations from other planes, true demon lords (rather than their watered down avatars), multi-national armies (on their own), and the creations of a mad genius looking to create the ultimate living conduit of planar energies. And that's just the stuff I can think of off the top of my head. Having a solid tank that can field this crap and also be able to shrug off getting decimated once in a while seems like a very useful asset.