Ideas for undead for a hit-and-run army in the desert

[lolcat]

As the title implies, i'm collecting ideas for a necromancers army rulig over and raiding trespassers to a wasteland. The BBEG is not so important right now (Walker in the Waste, Runecaster most likely) but more what kind of intelligent undead he could most economically produce and equip to rule his empire.

The idea is for smart tactics and cost efficient creative equipment. So if you have any ideas, please let me know :)

Here are two builds i have made up to now:

Human Warlock 1 Bone Creature Swarmshifter (Undead Sand) [Undead, Shapechanger]


Strength, 18, (+4) Total Hit Points: 15 FastHealing 1d4/rd

Dexterity, 21, (+5) Speed: 15 feet [slowpoke flaw], fly 60 ft. [perfect] in sand-form

Constitution, - AC 26 = 10 +4 [armor] +1 [Dastana] +5 [dex] +2 NA + 4 [tower shield]

Intelligence, 11, (+0) Touch AC: 15, Flat-footed: 21

Wisdom, 15, (+2) Initiative modifier:, +5 = +5 [dex]

Charisma, 17, (+3) Fortitude save: +0 = 0 [base]

Reflex save: +2 = 0 [base] +5 [dex] -3 [poor reflexes]

Will save: +4 = 2 [base] +2 [wis]



Attack (handheld):, +4, = 0 [base] +4 [strength]

Attack (missile):, +5, = 0 [base] +5 [dexterity]

Grapple check:, +4, = 0 [base] +4 [strength]


Immunities (Ex): Cold immunity, take half damage from piercing and slashing weapons.
Darkvision 60 ft., Undead traits

Eldritch blast 1d6 (5/d +2d6 mortalbane)

Spiked Gauntlet or Claw [1d4, crit x2, 1 lb, light, piercing]
Dagger (1d4, crit 19*-20*2, light, piercing or slashing]

Short Spear [1d6, crit x2, 3 lb., two-handed, piercing]

Light Crossbow [1d8, crit 19-20/x2, range inc 80 ft., 4 lb, piercing]

Chain shirt [light; +4 AC; max dex +4; check penalty -2; 25 lb.]

Dastana [+1 AC, check penalty –1], Tower Shield [+4 AC, check penalty –6]



Feats:

Poor Reflexes [flaw], Slowpoke [flaw]

Flaws: Extra Invocation, * 2, Human: Obtain Familiar, Lvl 1: Mortalbane, 5/day +2d6 eldritch blast

Taint: Lifesense

Traits: Cautious, Stout


Craft_1, 4 = +0 +4, Listen 4 = +2 +2, Knowledge +4, Spot 4 = +2 +2

Know 3 invocation: Eldritch Spear (250 ft. Reach), Eldritch Glaive or Miasmic Cloud, Summon Swarm



Undead Sand - Diminutive Undead (Swarm)
Speed: fly 60 ft. (perfect).
Special Qualities: darkvision out to 60 feet and undead traits.
Immune to Weapon Damage (Ex): Weapon attacks are useless against a diminutive swarm.

Equipment: Black Sand in Skull (when not in swarm-form fast-healing 1d4), Yellow Mold in ribcage: When damaged by bludgeoning weapon all within 10 feet of the mold must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of Constitution damage. Another DC 15 Fortitude save is required 1 minute later—even by those who succeeded on the first save—to avoid taking 2d6 points of Constitution damage. Fire destroys yellow mold, and sunlight renders it dormant



Human Dragonfire Adept 1 Bone Creature Swarmshifter (Undead Sand) [Undead, Shapechanger]


Strength, 12, (+1) Total Hit Points: 16 FastHealing 1d4/rd

Dexterity, 21, (+5) Speed: 15 feet [slowpoke flaw], fly 60 ft. [perfect] in sand-form

Constitution, - AC 26 = 10 +4 [armor] +1 [Dastana] +5 [dex] +2 NA + 4 [tower shield]

Intelligence, 11, (+0) Touch AC: 15, Flat-footed: 21

Wisdom, 15, (+2) Initiative modifier:, +5 = +5 [dex]

Charisma, 17, (+3) Fortitude save: +2 = 2 [base]

Reflex save: +2 = 0 [base] +5 [dex] -3 [poor reflexes]

Will save: +4 = 2 [base] +2 [wis]



Attack (handheld):, +1, = 0 [base] +1 [strength]

Attack (missile):, +5, = 0 [base] +5 [dexterity]

Grapple check:, +1, = 0 [base] +1 [strength]


Immunities (Ex): Cold immunity, take half damage from piercing and slashing weapons.
Darkvision 60 ft., Undead traits

Breath Weapon 1d6 Acid 30 ft. line

Spiked Gauntlet or Claw [1d4, crit x2, 1 lb, light, piercing]
Dagger (1d4, crit 19*-20*2, light, piercing or slashing]

Light Crossbow [1d8, crit 19-20/x2, range inc 80 ft., 4 lb, piercing]

Chain shirt [light; +4 AC; max dex +4; check penalty -2; 25 lb.]

Dastana [+1 AC, check penalty –1], Tower Shield [+4 AC, check penalty –6]



Feats:

Poor Reflexes [flaw], Slowpoke [flaw]

Flaw1: Lingering Breath(+1round wait), Flaw2: Split Breath (½ dam)(+0 round wait)

Human: Entangling Exhalation(+0 round wait), Lvl 1: Obtain Familiar, Taint: Lifesense

Traits: Cautious, Stout


Craft_1, 4 = +0 +4, Listen 5 = +2 +2+1, Knowledge +4, Spot 5 = +2 +2+1

Know 1 invocation: Scalding Gust



Undead Sand - Diminutive Undead (Swarm)
Speed: fly 60 ft. (perfect). Special Qualities: darkvision out to 60 feet and undead traits.
Immune to Weapon Damage (Ex): Weapon attacks are useless against a diminutive swarm
Dragontouched: You gain 1 hit point, a +1 bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks, and a +1 bonus on saving throws against paralysis and sleep effects

Equipment: Black Sand in Skull (when not in swarm-form fast-healing 1d4), Bullseye Lantern with Sickstone: Provides a nauseating, not-quite-green, not-quite-silver light that provides illumination up to 40 feet. Any creature within the range of this illumination must make a DC 15 Fortitude saving throw each round or take 1d6 points of Constitution damage. A successful save reduces the Constitution damage to 1 point. The damage caused by sickstone results from a magical disease, so creatures immune to magical diseases are immune to the effects of sickstone.

[Segev]

Skulking Cysts are ideal hit-and-run monsters. High stealth, and they leave people infected with necrotic cysts, which a BBEG with the Mother Cyst feat can exploit heavily.

[ShurikVch]

How about Ravenloft stuff?

Desert Zombies are mostly like "regular" Zombies, except with Burrow speed, and able to drag their victims under the sand (up to Medium-sized; Str check)

Scourged Zombies are too like "regular" Humanoid Zombies in many ways, but have 1/day "Scourging Scream": blast of hot sand (30' cone BW), which does 2d6 damage, and any Humanoid killed by it becomes Scourged Zombie in 1d4 rounds. Also, Scourged Zombies are keep their Int, skills, and feats (but still get Toughness, like all Zombies)

[liquidformat]

A group of Bone Creature Ankhegs, Ashworms, and/or Bullettes all seem like a great choice. They would be hard to track, great at sneak attacks and hit and run tactics, and in general cause a lot of headaches. It would be like the undead version of tremors.

If you want a commander you could go with a Bone Creature paladin of slaughter/Tyranny 5/Ashworm Dragoon X.

[AsuraKyoko]

Asherati (Sandstorm) are absolutely incredible for hit-and-run in the desert. They get the ability to swim through sand as though it were water, and can see through the sand while doing so. As a race, they are quite interesting, and are very powerful in the desert. You can apply undead templates to taste, but, if I remember correctly, Necropolitan is decently cheap, though it requires you to use creatures that are at least level 3.

Interestingly, while the Ritual of Crucimigration is usually undertaken by willing creatures, the description of the ritual directly states that, once the ritual has begun, you can't back out of it. Additionally, if you die due to the ritual reducing your EXP to 0, you are gone for good, and nothing can bring you back (it notably does not include an exception for the intervention of deities).

All of this is to say, if you perform the ritual on a character who is level 2 or lower, they are gone for good. Also, their corpse will be found nailed to an upside down cross with cursed nails, which is the perfect way to leave the loved ones of an aspiring hero for them to find...