Undead Templates and Good Items

[Warlocknthewind]

So, running players through Expedition to Castle Raven loft adapted to E6, and I'm tossing a couple more fish in the barrel from other books. One such idea is the Executioner's axe from Book of Exalted Deeds, the Executioner Profession Skill from Book of Vile Deeds, and the Death knight template MMII.

EtCR features a saint, and she was slain at one point, and it was by a masked fellow, famous throughout Karrnath and Thrane as the Ender of many terrible persons. When his services were employed to slay a silver flame "zealous witch" in Barovia, he couldn't help but question the morality as she spat upon him cursing fowl utterances in the name of the Flame , all about how he would burn for his actions. "And this is the price of yours" was his reply. She had slaughtered a small village in the night, caught red-handed, and remorseless. When the axe-stroke fell, holy vengeance and all that, making him a Death Knight. (The slaughtered village being a large cult of the devourer bent on another lycanpocalypse). The flux of silver flame's energy by the assimilation of the saint figure made her death's tool cursed, as well as Holy, ensuring the death knight's vigil and punishment benign unless disturbed. I would place him at the crossroads, at the chopping block, still, where he he returns whenever disturbed.

Essentially, it's centered around a cursed holy vorpal great axe keeping a Death Knight at bay my keeping a negative level on him while he is holding it, disqualifying him from animating as a Death Knight, until it's removed and he's on a guilt ridden killing spree looking for the axe to restore his inert state before the undead in the region emerge, and converge on his location per Undead Leadership.

Is this how negative(Positive?) levels on undead work? Or are would they still stay animate, by RAW?

What's keeping my players from just burning the inanimate skeleton or something? I'd give them kudos for creativity, but I want some role-playing t the very least to solve the challenge, not some rum and a match (again).

What about Sir Urik, what'd he think, in your opinion?

He's just a simple level 6 fighter (Longaxe, focus & spec, reflexes, power attack, cleave, Exectution Focus, Trophy Hunter )

[Necroticplague]

Is this how negative(Positive?) levels on undead work? Or are would they still stay animate, by RAW?

What's keeping my players from just burning the inanimate skeleton or something? I'd give them kudos for creativity, but I want some role-playing t the very least to solve the challenge, not some rum and a match (again).

What about Sir Urik, what'd he think, in your opinion?

He's just a simple level 6 fighter (Longaxe, focus & spec, reflexes, power attack, cleave, Exectution Focus, Trophy Hunter )

You don't have to keep qualifying for a template, so you can't de-animate him by inflicting negative levels. If you had to constantly stay qualified for a template, this would result in massive rules dysfunctions for most undead, as there are a lot of "can be applied to any living...." that make you undead (Death Knight, in fact, is an example). That being said, undead aren't immune to negative levels, and suffer them normally (though they're immune to most methods by which you get them. Wrongly-aligned weapons are one method that works).

Nothing, but they'd need to recognize his de-animated body as a possible undead before looting him (something I find players relatively rarely do).

I think Urik works better as a Curst than a Death Knight. That also answers the "what if they set him on fire" handily (the answer being "he's out of commision for a bit, but he'll be back eventually"). The axe could have a benefit of supressing curses while wielded. For him, this would include the curse keeping him alive. So while he holds the axe, he's a corpse. When he's not, he's a nigh-invincible undead who will always get back up for another round after about a day or two. If they want to keep the axe, they'd need to free him from his curse through powerful restorative magics (Remove Curse, Break Enchantment, Wish, Miracle).

[Warlocknthewind]

A-ha! That is a much more appropriate template for the situation, thank you! I have hardly scratched FR in my decade of play, mostly raised on Dragon-Lance, so I have a sweet spot for the Death knight. Curse is perfect fluff, and I can apply it to him at a better CR for the party, who I expect to be level 1-2, likely TPK'd by a deathknight unless they hide well enough.

I'm trying to allow players creative ways to off Strahd, and an Executioner's Axe with a True death Crystal should allow them to just decapitate him (just decapitate a vampire? Pff) if they find no other way. I also like pulling from books, just to make players more comfortable.

[Rubik]

she spat upon him cursing fowl utterances in the name of the Flamehttp://pinkie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/rsz/mlfw10039_medium.png

[Warlocknthewind]

She was pissed! Rightly so, and the Flame (and Bel-Shador, for the executioner) recognized this, hence the magic usually unavailable in an E6 game.

The actually conscious diety-beings(Silver Flame, Demon Lords, Daeklyr maybe...) Receive level 20 Cleric Spell casting, which it can reward across their divine channels as miracles, which are only recharged on extremely rare occasions. This is how things such as Ritual Sacrifices/Righteous Martyrdom is fueled. The Flame/Bel-Shador used a Righteous nukelike spell, a Curse, and the subsequent Miracle after confronting the Executioner on a personal level.

I have Urik at level 3, nearing 4 on his way to assist the village, where he hits 4th in werewolf assault. He is dreaming nightly of a Raven-like being, flying over a graveyard digging itself up, to be awoken by the dawn in his dream as a blinding flash. If when Eva is visited, if they bring up anything pertaining to Uric, she gets as much information as possible, and shared that a day long vigil in the Castle's Chapel would show Urik the meaning of his Omens.

If the PC's succeed, they gain a potent ally against Strahd, or possible prePC, since I'm not letting g just anybody wander into Barovia. Players are going to pick from a selection of people already in Barovia if/when they die.
Edit: If the vigil is unsuccessful, Strahd Vamps him. And Uric gains a level in Boneknight as the alternative.

The Curse suppressive property of the Axe adds a couple more options for players, although. Make the Dryad less screwy, make Strahd not insane, or get a werewolf free from their alignment for the duration, or anything Eva may throw at them lest the party piss her off. I love it!