Strategies against the undead

[Brawls]

I'm in a major campaign currently where our main oposition is various types of undead. We will be facing increasing threats from various types for the foreseable future. My character is a Fighter 6/Warblade 1, and our party includes a Rogue 7, Sorceror 7, Bard 7, and NPC Cleric 7. The Cleric has some heavy optimization to deal with undead, but I'm seeking any suggestions on tactics, gear, feats, etc. that might be usefull by the classes listed.

We play fairly close to Core, though we have limited access to splatbooks. Also, magic and exotic resources are fairly limited in our campaign, so I can't just go to a store and buy a silvered, holy, axiomatic two-handed sword. While I'm loath to add an additional class, I could see multiclassing into a PrC that delivers some benefits against undead, but I would prefer to see if there are tactics and gear that we can exploit to be more effective. Some Disciples of Cayuse (or something like that) messed us up good last session with just their fear aura and little wormy missiles.:smallyuk:

Thanks,

Brawls

[Toliudar]

Get the rogue a wand/continuous item/something of Grave Strike, so that he/she doesn't feel completely nerfed by fighting undead.

[Seffbasilisk]

Alchemist's Fires, Flasks of oil, and Tindertwigs. When facing Zombie hordes, light them on fire. Only one action, so they either eat thier entire action trying to put them out (reflex is weak for most undead) or burn. Also, it spreads rapidly, and if you really want, talk to your DM about how they used to light pig carcasses on fire to really get a blaze going in the middle ages (part of seige warfare, how to light the fire to collapse the tunnels under walls). Mention how the bodies are most likely drained of all fluids already....and you're just adding accelerant.

[Keld Denar]

A Truedeath Crystal from MIC is a very cheap(relative term) and useful magic item for any character who deals damage with a weapon. The least version gives you 1d6 damage vs undead, and can be afixed to any masterwork or better weapon. The lesser gives the weapon the ghost touch property, but may only be afixed to a +1 or better weapon. The greater crystal (10k gold) grants the user the ability to crit and sneak attack undead if they qualify. It requires a weapon with a +3 enhancement bonus (usually attained via CL 12 Greater Magic Weapon cast by a wizard or cleric). Greater crystals won't really be available to you since you are still low level, but least and lesser would be great.

For your character, 2handed power attacking is the best way to hurt most undead. Most of them shouldn't have crazy DRs are you level, and a lot of them have low ACs. Take advantage of this by boosting your +hit with spells like bless, heroics, bard song, and/or recitation. Then Power Attack for a lot.

The sorcerer can take spells such as Grease and Ray of Enfeeblement, along with Solid Fog (next level) and a few other spells that can affect undead. See if he can take Greater Magic Weapon as one of his spells. At 8th level, it'll make your weapon and others weapons +2, which means you can power attack for more. At 12th level you will have +3 weapons, and you can afix Geater Tuedeath Cystals to them if you can get them.

The rogue should look into several alt class features from PHB2 and Dungeonscape that allow him to sneak attack undead when he qualifies or do other things instead of sneak attacking (penetrating strike).

All melees should look into getting +Bane: Undead (a +1 equivilent) or +holy (+2 equivilent) are all you need most of the time. Only vampires and Nightwalkers require silvered weapons, so you can carry a little bit of alchemical silversheen to apply as needed. Same thing with oils of bless weapon.

Ghost Nets (LM) are pretty handy vs incorporial undead. They let you beat them down until they stop moving, but get too expensive if used often.

Hope this helps!

[Kaelik]

If the NPC cleric is optimized against undead and you are running into lots of undead you have a bad DM. He's apparently just being a jerk and playing his own game with you along for the ride.

[Soups]

Most powerful undead(unsure if you have monster manuel cheese 4) have some form of DR. I doubt it's a problem with your party, being level 7, but a +2 usuall passes most DR for undead and shadows. Ghost touch wouldn't hurt to put on a backup weapon for most of the party, incase ghosts wander around.

It is expensive, but if you will be fighting undead alot, put bane[undead] on a few weapons if possible. Bane is a tricky enhancement, because you have to KNOW what you will be fighting for a while. You probably cant afford a disrupting weapon, being only level 7s. But I am sure you can get holy weapons.

I always make it policy to bring along equipment that can cast brilliant light. Keeps away shadows and the random vampire. Fire has been mentioned. Kill em' Kill em' with fire! Depending on your DM's style, never let a group of undead surround you. He/She might like doing resident evil zombies and might turn them into a mob and swarm your party. Sadly it looks likes your rogue won't have much fun. Keep him in "back" to guard the casters. Hopefully your DM lets the undead be contolled by the Necromancer, so your rogue can do his stuff.

If you must, there is one undead fighting class from complete warrior, Hunter of the Dead. It gives you spell levels and lets you kick undead ass. Its alot better than a ranger against unead, if only for spell levels(well a narrow but specifically against undead). Otherwise chucking ranger on everyone next level would be hilarious :P

[Brawls]

If the NPC cleric is optimized against undead and you are running into lots of undead you have a bad DM. He's apparently just being a jerk and playing his own game with you along for the ride.
Well, it is more in the way that without a cleric we would be totally hosed. That is why I'm trying to figure out how the PCs can be more effective, so the NPC can play more of a support role and not be central to our survival/success.

Brawls

[Kantolin]

Does the bard or sorceror have illusions?

Those work absolute wonders against mindless undead, especially if they're not explicitly being directed at the moment. An illusionary wall will deter them unless specifically told to 'touch all walls', while they will chase an illusionary person around in circles for hours if they're told to 'chase the nearest nonundead target'

[Keld Denar]

Well, it is more in the way that without a cleric we would be totally hosed. That is why I'm trying to figure out how the PCs can be more effective, so the NPC can play more of a support role and not be central to our survival/success.

Brawls

Well, if you or one of the other players doesn't mind getting killed off and rerolling a cleric, you can wreak some havok on the poor deaders. 7th level is just high enough to get the 1st level or Radiant Servant (have I mentioned I love this class?) and that lets you do Greater Turnings 4 times a day. Grab the Improved Turning feat, an Ephod of Authority (Vest Slot, MIC, about 800g) and a Phylactery of Undead Turning (Head Slot, DMG, about 10,000g) and you will have a turning level of 13 before rolling. Combine with a greater turning and you can dust (yes dust, not turn, utter destruction, no save) up to 17 HD undead (liches and stuff) as a 7th level character. 4 times a day. That'll teach your DM to through nasty undeaders at you.

Hopefully, this won't start an arms race, cause you never win though against a DM. You'll get to do a lot of neat stuff though, in an undead heavy campaign.

[The_Snark]

The sorceror can help the party out with two spells here..

1. Command Undead. Take control of an undead for several days? Sounds good. It's only a charm effect against intelligent undead. That'd be pretty decent, but it gives complete control over unintelligent undead, up to and including direct suicide (re-suicide?) orders. And it doesn't give unintelligent undead a save.

2. Bone Chill. It's from Frostburn, so it might not be available, but it's a handy spell in an undead-heavy campaign. Ray effect, paralyzes undead on a failed Fortitude save. Undead have almost universally terrible Fortitude saves; normally, their immunities mean you can't exploit this until you get to Disintegrate, but Bone Chill is only 2nd-level. Paralyze, beat to death at leisure.

If you have access to Libris Mortis, the bard should have already taken Requiem, which will let him affect undead with Fascinate and Suggestion. Illusions can also be very effective, as someone pointed out.

[Keld Denar]

The sorceror can help the party out with two spells here..

1. Command Undead. Take control of an undead for several days? Sounds good. It's only a charm effect against intelligent undead. That'd be pretty decent, but it gives complete control over unintelligent undead, up to and including direct suicide (re-suicide?) orders. And it doesn't give unintelligent undead a save.

2. Bone Chill. It's from Frostburn, so it might not be available, but it's a handy spell in an undead-heavy campaign. Ray effect, paralyzes undead on a failed Fortitude save. Undead have almost universally terrible Fortitude saves; normally, their immunities mean you can't exploit this until you get to Disintegrate, but Bone Chill is only 2nd-level. Paralyze, beat to death at leisure.

If you have access to Libris Mortis, the bard should have already taken Requiem, which will let him affect undead with Fascinate and Suggestion. Illusions can also be very effective, as someone pointed out.

Bone Chill is a good tactic, however most of the undead controlling spells target will saves, which not only are undeads good save, but undead HD tend to advance faster than CR, so that good will save is inflated higher than a standard NPC of equivilent CR. This makes then not as great of choices, unless the sorc takes means to jack up their DCs. Even though Facinate is a Will Save, its based off Bard perform check, its already a broken ability, so it'll work just fine.

[BRC]

The little things can matter, make sure your all using blugeoning and slashing weapons, and if you can get some ghost-touch stuff.
Get your cleric lots of turning attempts, rouge won't be much use since you can't sneak-attack undead, however, load him up with lots of holy water he can throw/pour. Holy water is cheap and your cleric can proably make some.
Hmm, I wonder what would happen if you froze some holy water into an icicle, then stabbed an undead with it...

[Prometheus]

More Sorcerer spells:
Daylight - When you need it, you need it.
Fly/Spider Climb/Levitate - Many corportal Undead do not fly, you can take all the time in the world if you are somewhere that they can't get
Web-Good for holding down a large swarm, Undead don't tend to be fast or have very good reflexes.
Flaming Sphere - Like Seffbasilisk suggested, fire is your friend especially against a horde. Again this hurts the slow undead, and they not particularly intelligent undead the most.

Most of these are for the masses of undead. Each DM is different, but when I DM I tend to put the undead in lower level hordes rather than a single mass. Of course, these are probably the undead your cleric is most equipped to deal with.

[Khanderas]

"If all else fails use fire"