Warblade working for a lich

[Ettina]

I have a lich wizard in my story who is teaming up with a warblade. If the warblade dies or decides he wants to be undead, the lich will probably raise him as something sentient and decently strong. But what?
My brother was suggesting death knight, but I don't like the fluff - it sounds like death knights are created by evil dieties, and the lich isn't particularly interested in worshipping any diety, so he wouldn't have a diety making a servant for him. He's more likely to use his own magic to ressurect this guy.

[Thurbane]

Bone Creature (BoVD) is pretty cool, but off the top of my head, not sure if it has a listed LA or not.

Failing that, Necropolitan is always an option, but it's a bit "meh" as far as undead templates go.

[DrMotives]

Is this a PC or NPC? Because I always like the Bone Creature & Corpse Creature templates from BoVD, but they don't have a listed LA to make them PC options.

[Gildedragon]

vampire has certain... panache to it, and might boost the warblade's natural skills.
ghost and hauntshift him into a suit of armor
Shadow vampire is pretty bawler but +10LA is... a lot
Swordwraiths are pretty good options

either way: he ought get spellstitched

[ExLibrisMortis]

I'd go with spellstitched necropolitan, then add enhancements in the form of desecrate, Corpsecrafter etc. (after all, since warblades already have a d12 hit die, you're going to have to compensate for the hp lost).

[ILM]

Dread Warrior from UE? It doesn't have an LA listed but at least there's the spell Animate Dread Warrior from the same book. The creature is sentient but under the creator's control... until the creator is destroyed. (amusingly it says "upon the caster's death" so I guess you could make a case for the dread warrior always being free-willed if created by an undead caster :p)

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Ghost haunt shifted into armor (or better yet, a mannequin IN armor), as noted above, but make the body riverine, and give him a ring of continuous ray deflection or a spellblade poison ring attuned to disintegrate or something similar.

[Mr Adventurer]

If you go Warblade 4/Wizard 2/Abjurant Champion 5/Warblade +1, you'll have a Caster Level equal to your BAB of 11, and can qualify for becoming a Lich yourself. You get BAB 11 at character level 12, so you can make Craft Wondrous Item your 12th level feat.

Probs not what you were looking for but it's an idea I like!

[Gildedragon]

If you go Warblade 4/Wizard 2/Abjurant Champion 5/Warblade +1, you'll have a Caster Level equal to your BAB of 11, and can qualify for becoming a Lich yourself. You get BAB 11 at character level 12, so you can make Craft Wondrous Item your 12th level feat.

Probs not what you were looking for but it's an idea I like!

Considering how touchy other liches are about their minions possibly being stronger than them I don't see any lich paranoid enough to be a lich allowing their minion to be this...

[Mr Adventurer]

Considering how touchy other liches are about their minions possibly being stronger than them I don't see any lich paranoid enough to be a lich allowing their minion to be this...

Where are you getting that generalisation from?

Also, it's still D&D, so just because he's got a CL of 11+ in no way means he can challenge a full caster (presumably Wizard).

You need a bunch of spells to craft the Phylactery - which it's unlikely an effective caster of level Wizard 7 can do. So the master supplies the spells, the warrior minion supplies the feat and XP. This is a good way to justify the master lich then taking possession of the phylactery, to ensure proper loyalty.

Who wouldn't want a knight who keeps coming back? Set him to a mission, he'll accomplish it eventually... :D

[Gildedragon]

Where are you getting that generalisation from? Lich paranoia: Acerak, Vlaakith, Vol, Vecna, Suel Liches... All are very paranoid individuals that don't allow their followers to get even close to them in power. (In the case of Suel Liches iirc they use their apprentices as bodies-in-waiting)


Also, it's still D&D, so just because he's got a CL of 11+ in no way means he can challenge a full caster (presumably Wizard)...

You need a bunch of spells to craft the Phylactery - which it's unlikely an effective caster of level Wizard 7 can do. So the master supplies the spells, the warrior minion supplies the feat and XP. This is a good way to justify the master lich then taking possession of the phylactery, to ensure proper loyalty.

Who wouldn't want a knight who keeps coming back? Set him to a mission, he'll accomplish it eventually... :D

Fair enough on all counts but holding onto their phylactery doesn't stop them from
a) backstabbing one and then taking their phylactery back while one is reforming
b) finding one's phylactery and destroying it
c) being willing to be destroyed if they get to take you down with them.
Or worse d) backstabbing one, and turning one into a Grisgol
Considering undeath is for eternity... Well it is certain that the Lt will grow sick of one, eventually
Though them coming back is a good idea: haunt-shifted ghost: has no equipment and one has hold of the item that binds them to the world. If they (and the armor they inhabit) are destroyed, they reform alongside one: incorporeal, ready to be haunt-shifted into a new armor... And if they irritate one or deserve punishment: they are left incorporeal OR haunt-shifted into a tiny rag doll.