Build a Vampire Coffin Carrier

[Jarrick]

Ok, I'm playing a lesser drow (Player's guide to Faerun) vampire PC of 6th level (though that isnt very relavent. I feel I should mention that the adventuring is taking place above ground though). I have 5900gp to spend on making a mobile means of taking my coffin from place to place. I need some ideas. The best I've come up with is an arcane-locked carriage pulled by a pair of clockwork steeds (MM4). I'm sure many of you out there can do better though.

[woodenbandman]

wand of shrink item?

[Coidzor]

Get a fast undead under your control of 8 HD or less and use the spell "Haunt Shift" from Libris Mortis to make it into an animated object (caveat, must be a Huge sized or smaller coffin carrier)

[Keinnicht]

Bag of Holding Type II.

Plus you can sleep in there, since you don't need to breathe.

[Tvtyrant]

Get the Wizard's Chest and have a Wizard call it back at sunset?

[Elvenoutrider]

Effigy monster (complete arcane) with the coffin built into it.

[BobVosh]

Permanency animate objects?

Obviously not for everyone, but you can get someone else to do it for you.

[Necroticplague]

Get a fast undead under your control of 8 HD or less and use the spell "Haunt Shift" from Libris Mortis to make it into an animated object (caveat, must be a Huge sized or smaller coffin carrier)

According to the article on page 6, the coffin would have to have parts capable of moving in order for a poltergeist to have it move. Since the only part of a coffin theat moves is the lid, Haunt shift isn't really useful in this situation. The other form of haunting is incorporeal, and thus has no stregnth score, and thus no carrying capacity, so it can't carry your coffin. Even then, their is nothing indicating that the undead affected by haunt shift are automatically under your control, so you need some external form of control. Why do you specify >8 hd? Animating an object with no moving parts requires undead with <10 HD and < 17 charisma.

[Berenger]

Reproduce The Luggage from the discworld novels?

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I'd normally suggest to animate wooden feet, but hey... drow vampire.

[Trekkin]

Is there a particular reason you need your coffin, other than fast healing? I mean, you don't sleep, and a darkness spell (or sufficiently big robe) takes care of your vulnerability to sunlight, so technically you can just keep walking and throw the coffin on, say, an undead flying animal capable of keeping within 18 miles of you, if the SRD is valid in your game.

[Welknair]

Well, being able to access would still be nice for the fast healing. What if you used a sapient disk with the sizing (I think it was sizing) property and a rehash of the dancing sword enchantment... Then again, the latter would need to be houseruled most likely and I think that only works a few times per day in addition to not having a listed strength... Where was I going again?

Is your character a caster?

[Jack_Simth]

If you're a caster? Animate Dead on a suitable opponent (after the fight, of course). If you're not a caster?

Get an Oil of Animate Dead from a Cleric. The person applying the oil is the caster, so you get to control the beasty.

The Skeleton of a Triceratops would require a caster level 8 potion of a 3rd level spell, and 400 gp in material components - 1,600 gp for the item, market price. An oil of Desecrate beforehand would also help. Especially if there is an evil alter around when you do this.

[Welknair]

Are there any real criteria for the carrier? Ability to fly? Swim? DR? Invisibility? Storability? Living? Socially acceptable?

[The Glyphstone]

From the context of the OP, I would assume a primary criteria is 'disguisability' - if they're willin to go to the lengths of a carriage pulled by clockwork steeds, a couple of Animated skeletons lugging a coffin around in plain sight is probably a bad plan.

[Necroticplague]

A simple coffin may not be moved by Haunt Shift, but if you added some wheels to it (or maybe wings even) than it has parts that you can move using the poltergeist. Plus, since you only need it in one type, any undead from any random person will do. Preferably not a zombie, so that it can keep pace with you (unless you can add fast zombie, in which case use of zombies is recommended). Since you'd need to be cleric, wizard, or sorceror, you can rebuke the undead or use control undead spell to keep it up. Might look a bit odd for a coffin to move on it's own, but showing off your a spellcaster fixes that problem soon enough.

[Jarrick]

Im a vampire by virtue of a vampire base class linked to in the OP. I have all the typical vampire weaknesses but no ability adjustments or skill boosts, and no class levels other than "Vampire". I wanted something fairly inconspicuous that I could park outside a dungeon crawl or even in town for easy access in case I get reduced to 0 hp so I can fly out and recooperate. Also to give myself somewhere to hide out during the day (since we dont really take clothing into account when considering sunlight on the vampire, meaning heavy cloak or not, you still *phffft*, but we might end up revising that.). Being able to contuously travel for 24hours a day is a plus too for long distance travel, but not really necissary. Durability and security are kind of important too. Wouldnt want someone poking around it when I'm out.

Edit- Also, if it helps, I have a loyal friendly ally, a fellow drow, this one living, whom I can trust to do things for me (At least as far as you can trust a drow anyways). I was considering having him carry a bag of holding for me with the coffin inside, but if he goes down in battle first, then I cant open the bag to get inside while in gaseous form. Plus he then gets to decide when to let me out, something he as a player would haunt me with occasionally for shiggles.

[Coidzor]

According to the article on page 6, the coffin would have to have parts capable of moving in order for a poltergeist to have it move. Since the only part of a coffin theat moves is the lid, Haunt shift isn't really useful in this situation. The other form of haunting is incorporeal, and thus has no stregnth score, and thus no carrying capacity, so it can't carry your coffin. Even then, their is nothing indicating that the undead affected by haunt shift are automatically under your control, so you need some external form of control. Why do you specify >8 hd? Animating an object with no moving parts requires undead with <10 HD and < 17 charisma.

I wasn't talking about haunting the coffin itself, though the other type of haunting as a surprise alarm system for the coffin could have corner-case utility as a last line of defense. The thread topic is something to carry the coffin, after all.

I specified HD < 8 due to what I could recall of legal targets for the spell. And I even said you'd need to control the undead before haunt shifting it.

[Jarrick]

I do like the idea of a haunted coffin, especially if that includes haunted ports with heavy repeating crossbows. Sadly, Im merely 6th level and dont have any undead-manipulating powers, unless I use items or hire someone.

[Acero]

Sorry, but I jus imagined a Vampire going around in a floating coffin with a tinted front that has holes he can cast spells out of.

[Jarrick]

Sorry, but I jus imagined a Vampire going around in a floating coffin with a tinted front that has holes he can cast spells out of.

Maybe I could use the Dragonmech rules to construct a Coffinmech...

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Adventurers: We have him now...

::Coffin stands up, crossbows load, a flamethrower emerges, and mechanical arms begin swinging axes::

Adventurers: ....sonuva crap...

I've been meaning to try my hand at making a mech with those rules, just dont know if I have the funds, and it hardly meets the inconspicuous requirement.

[Antonok]

Maybe I could use the Dragonmech rules to construct a Coffinmech...

Ok, as part of your regular DnD group:

**** no.

I would suggest something along the lines of permant invisability cast on the coffin and install it on a flying undead, but seeing as its really late/early and my brain isn't working so thats the best suggesstion I can think of lol.

[Jarrick]

Invisibility just means people will stare at the creepy floating guy until the sun comes up and shines right through my coffin...

[FelixG]

Invisibility just means people will stare at the creepy floating guy until the sun comes up and shines right through my coffin...

The rules are unclear on what happens to things inside a container when invisibility is cast upon it. I would rule that if the container is invisible it makes anything inside invisible as well as they would be in the possession of the container.

Alternatively you could have a burrowing undead such as a purple wyrm with the coffin inside, then it just follows you around under the ground