Earliest possible way to get an undead companion

[Fixer]

I am working on a character build and am trying to find the most efficient way to get an undead companion without taking specific class levels.

The reason I am not talking about class levels is because, as a necromancer 1, you can take the UA variant feature that gives you a skeleton friend instead of a familiar. That seems the easiest way but I am wondering if there is a way that uses feats available to a swordsage/rogue or swordsage/scout character.

*EDIT* Sorry, has to be allowed for good-aligned characters.
*EDIT Mark 2* Has to be able to handle negative energy in a positive fashion, as undead do for healing.

[Jair Barik]

Undead leadership at lvl 6 seems the most obvious way

[Longcat]

UMD with scrolls of Animate Dead.

[Fixer]

Undead Leadership requires a non-good alignment. I didn't specify originally, but other aspects of the character require a good alignment so that part isn't allowed.

I have edited my original post.

[Jalor]

Ordinary Leadership, grab a Necropolitan cohort.

[Kylarra]

Leadership -> Necropolitan Necromancer Cohort -> ??? -> Profit?

[Mewtarthio]

Undead Leadership requires a non-good alignment. I didn't specify originally, but other aspects of the character require a good alignment so that part isn't allowed.

Convince your DM to waive the alignment requirement, then take Undead Leadership.

[Fixer]

Convince your DM to waive the alignment requirement, then take Undead Leadership.

My GMs know me too well to let me do that. ;)

[Jalor]

Again; there's nothing saying you can't take a Necropolitan with Leadership.

[Jair Barik]

Most means of gaining an undead cohort etc. would be disallowed under your requirements. Animation spells are evil as are spells that summon dead. Generally if your playing good you should frown upon the undead.

You could however gain undead with a neutral cleric at lvl5 without using animate dead or "evil" spells/abilities but this is dubious and goes against the whole no specific class levels. If your curious though its cleric2/wizard1/Master of shrouds2

[Norr]

A shadowdancer gains a shadow companion at level 3 (minimum character level 10). The shadow has the same alignment you do, immune to turning/rebuking and gains additional HD as you advance. If the SRD is correctly worded, it can be argued that the shsdow starts at 5 HD and advances up to 9 HD at shadowdancer level 9.

If this is of interest I do not know.

[Fixer]

Well, you can do the same with Necromancer 1 UA Familiar replacement with undead for only a one-level dip (still being Good). Seeing as how no one can beat a one-level dip with any other class, I was hoping someone knew of a feat or alternate class ability that might grant one.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Again; there's nothing saying you can't take a Necropolitan with Leadership.

Quoted because you seemed to miss it. This is, bar none, the fastest, most efficient way for you, as a good aligned Swordsage/Scout or Swordsage/Rogue, to get an undead companion.

[VirOath]

Feat: Obtain Familiar
Feat: Stitched Flesh Familiar

Take a raven, get all the cool stuff like flight and speak, and the non-optimized stuff like bonuses to spot and search checks.

For extra cheese, get your new undead Spell Stitched. Just be sure to have strong wisdom boosters on your undead Raven, the Spell Stitched template checks for Wisdom at the time it is applied, not it's normal.

Though, some DMs might not rule as the way of the Tippyverse.

[Fixer]

Quoted because you seemed to miss it. This is, bar none, the fastest, most efficient way for you, as a good aligned Swordsage/Scout or Swordsage/Rogue, to get an undead companion.

No, I didn't miss it. I just read the description on Necropolitan and thought about the GM-input-required nature of Leadership and calculated the odds of anyone who would GM me to allow both combined to be very close to 0. I most certainly couldn't have the player advocate the option of their cohort becoming necropolitan, because the acts you have to perform are quite evil (torture, calling upon dark powers, etc.).

I generally have strict GMs.

Feat: Obtain Familiar
Feat: Stitched Flesh Familiar

Requires arcane spellcaster level 3rd. You can already get an undead companion at arcane caster 1, so why bother with two more levels?

[VirOath]

Requires arcane spellcaster level 3rd. You can already get an undead companion at arcane caster 1, so why bother with two more levels?

Because it is a UA WIZARD alternative(One that isn't that great), my method allows you to use any arcane base class or PrC.

Hexblade, Spellthief, Suel Arcanamach, or any method of getting a single level of Arcane Casting accounted for and cheesing in with Practiced Spellcaster (It does say it increases your caster level, just not for spells per day or known.). It blows open builds with ways of getting a familiar and making it undead, instead of locking it to the Wizard Class and forcing you to give up the familiar.

After all, you said you didn't want a Wizard.


Edit:

Another way, Shape Soul Meld(Necrocarnum) from MotI. You take HP damage equal to the HD of the creatures, but you can get around that by using loads of Temp HP. The downside is supposed to be you can't heal it for as long as the Zombie is up, but with Temp HP you can't heal it anyways. So no loss.

[Jair Barik]

Well fell animate would let you create undead with any caster and is allowed for good characters but you wouldn't be able to control them

[Fixer]

Another way, Shape Soul Meld(Necrocarnum) from MotI. You take HP damage equal to the HD of the creatures, but you can get around that by using loads of Temp HP. The downside is supposed to be you can't heal it for as long as the Zombie is up, but with Temp HP you can't heal it anyways. So no loss.

Two feats required: Shape Soulmeld (Necrocarnum Circlet) and Open Lesser Chakra (to bind to Crown).

Actually, that will work pretty well if my GM will allow it (as none of the feats require you be evil, but the use of Necrocarnum is pretty evil). Necrocarnum Zombies are naturally stealthy, and so is this character, so it will work well. Well, except the whole "the HD cannot exceed your meldshaper level" part. Being limited to 1/2 your character level in HD might be hard to find a corpse that low HD at higher levels.

Are there any reasonable LA+0 undead races out there?

[Jair Barik]

Necropolitan count? If so thats alright

[AstralFire]

Necropolitan is veering back into "My DM will never let me get this through" territory.

[Draken]

Necropolitan.

See what your DM thinks of Corpse and bone, but the two are most likely +1 or +2.

[Benejeseret]

1) I second the Animate Dead spell-triggers.

Scrolls if you think they'll last awhile or a wand / eternal wand for expendable ones. It's not like they'll have 'personality' other than RolePlay value anyway so their source hardly matters.

Really - Animate Dead as a spell completion (UMD) cost only (caster lvl)*3*25+(caster lvl*25) and you get HD worth 2xcaster level.

So to get a permanent 10HD Skelly it is a mere 5x3x25+(10x25) = 625g

625g!!!!





2) Buy a Flesh Golem - or a Flesh Golem Manual (8k) and get a wizard buddy to help finish making him if needed.


GOOD ALIGNED

Depending how you view it, an GOOD character should NOT be looking to hand around the Undead either way.



3) Might I suggest instead = Animate Object.

Nothing says you cannot get a Skeleton animated (object) if you reeeeaaally want to keep the creepy angle (without the EVIL).

To create a wondrous item with Continual-use it is x4 for rounds/level spell and a further x2 for non-slotted.

Small Object = 1x6x2000x4x2 = 96000g
Medium = 2x6x2000x4x2 = 192000g
Large = 4x6x2000x4x2 = 384000g
Huge = 8x6x2000x4x2 = 768000g
Gargantuan = 16x6x2000x4x2 = 1536000g

Since these prices are quite high you could always go with the Figurines of Wondrous Power for less.

[Fixer]

Has to be able to positively handle negative energy (such as undead do for healing).

I will edit the first post to reflect this.

[Woodsman]

Tomb-Tainted Soul (Libris Mortis) allows you to heal with negative energy, but you're damaged by positive energy.

But, sadly, alignment requirement.

[arguskos]

I'm away from my books at the moment, but in Dragon Compendium, the Death Master class gets an undead companion at level one, and I believe only has the alignment restriction of non-good, so if you can deal with being neutral, that's an option.

Note: This is all from memory, so I could be wrong.

[Benejeseret]

All Undead are prone to Rebuking - but the item I detail below can get around that in a way.


Since I have been pondering bought undead assistance I'll throw this out as well:

Using magic item creation rules for say a ring/helm. Similar to the shield ring fluff it as two rings magically linked and made of blank onyx, one for controller and one for the skeleton.

Market Cost = Caster level (1=2HD undead) x Spell level (3) x 2000g x 0.5 (because its duration is 24hrs+) + HDx25g

• This means you can custom tailor the item/monster according to your level and budget.
• This is one way to go if your DM argues that without caster levels you cannot control the undead (which is false - even a scroll brings the needed levels inherently so you can control just like it gives the necessary levels to increase a fireball etc.). The extra cost and the ring/helm provides user-activated perma-control.
• As you level, you can spend some gold to upgrade the item for more HD. Thus it scales with you for only 1525g/HD of undead.
• It does not stack with other uses of Animate Dead (ie. same pool of total controlled)
• Anytime the Skelly/Zombie gets destroyed you can create a new one as a Standard Action (user activated)
• Anytime the Skelly/Zombie gets Rebuked dismiss it as a free action and re-make with a standard action (ie. remove the ring and put it back on)
  
  
• Now as an interesting exercise lets also add the basic Intelligent Item template for +1000g (plus 1.5x for extra enchant)
  
  So could an intelligent Helm with Animating properties be placed on a Skeleton to animate and then Ego dominate the Skeleton thus granting you an intelligent undead skeleton cohort NPC?
  
  
  
  

[VirOath]

Two feats required: Shape Soulmeld (Necrocarnum Circlet) and Open Lesser Chakra (to bind to Crown).

Actually, those don't have to be bound to a Chakra. From my understanding, Shape Soulmeld lets you make a single soulmeld and gain the base abilities of the soulmeld. Soulmelds can be further augmented by binding them to their slots, giving additional effects dependent on the spot you bind them too.

A good example is Shape Soulmeld(Strongheart Vest). Just having the feat lets you make and wear the Strongheart Vest. But, you can bind it to either the Heart or the Belt, one or the other gives different bonuses on top of the basic ability damage DR. But just the feat lets you get the ability damage DR.

[Fixer]

Actually, those don't have to be bound to a Chakra. From my understanding, Shape Soulmeld lets you make a single soulmeld and gain the base abilities of the soulmeld. Soulmelds can be further augmented by binding them to their slots, giving additional effects dependent on the spot you bind them too.

That particular soulmeld MUST be bound to the Crown Chakra in order to animate undead. Without being bound, it can only detect the presence and position of undead within 30 feet (unless you put essentia into it, which then also grants undead in that detection radius a turn resistance equal to essentia).

Unfortunately, I am restricted to a Good alignment. Not even Neutral is allowed in this exercise.

[Gaiyamato]

Well fell animate would let you create undead with any caster and is allowed for good characters but you wouldn't be able to control them

Actually they are auto controlled as if you used the Animate Dead spell, though it isnt evil. But you would need to be able to actually cast the silly thing at +3 spell levels.
lol.

I think the level 1 Wizard dip is the best really.

Heh Level 6 Necromancer with a stiched flesh raven AND the skeleton warrior and Fell animate (thus a bunch of zombies).. all with lawful good alignment. Fun! :)

[VirOath]

Oh, didn't know that, so that works then.

But the Uttercold Assault build for a wizard is good. Since you can pull it off with the Arcane Swordsage (I believe) as well, you can get alot of creation of undead. Make them mindless, and toss in Control undead.

A Good way of making and controlling undead.