Order of the Phoenix idea [D&D 3.5]

[graymachine]

I just had an idea for a organization in a D&D game, possibly just for paladins, and was looking for some discussion to develop it. The basic idea is an organization that specifically hunts the undead and is very insular; it sets itself up across kingdoms and generally acts as a sovereign entity. The twist is that the actual undead hunters for the organization are solely made up of people that have been brought back to life from undeath via resurrection.

Obviously, given how incredibly expensive that would be, we can assume that the actual undead hunters are few in number, the greater bulk of the group engaging in politics and banking to further it's goals.

My main idea for the feel of the group is authoritarian, perhaps even fascist. Also, should the hunters consist of only paladins, or would the feel of the group be sustained while consisting of any class? Should this be a prestige class?

Anyone have any ideas to further flesh this out?

[Choco]

Maybe something like the Scarlet Crusade from Warcraft lore?

You could have the formerly-undead hunters be like the elite troops that assassinate liches and track down powerful undead, and a lot of rank-and-file grunts that defend the group's territory and attack undead armies, etc.

[Waker]

While I can see the organization being popular for a paladin, I don't think you should restrict it just to them. You'll still want clerics at the very least. And what of Druids and Rangers? They hate the undead too.
But there are tons of classes that are devoted to killing the undead. There was a thread recently where someone was asking for the prcs, poke around a bit for it.

[Zuljita]

also consider the children of the light from the wheel of time series for inspiration.

[KillianHawkeye]

Aw, and here I expected this thread to be about Harry Potter.

[Uncertainty]

Is this in a setting where Good, sentient undead exist? Because if so it could throw an interesting wrench into the morality of the organization (If you're into that)...

[Incompleat]

I think that commoners and their guilds do not get enough space in standard D&D plots.

So what about this? The Guild of Gravediggers is going to be extremely opposed to the concept of undeath. It's bad for business (OK, good for business if the undeads are of the murdery type, but you don't get paid for inhuming a dude twice. And everyone dies at least once, so letting people live longer is, you know, an investment).

So, perhaps such a guild would be willing to resurrect some champions and pay them to get rid of the undead created by evil wizards, necromancers and other dark lord wannabe types.

Maybe I have been reading too much Pratchett lately...

[graymachine]

While I can see the organization being popular for a paladin, I don't think you should restrict it just to them. You'll still want clerics at the very least. And what of Druids and Rangers? They hate the undead too.
But there are tons of classes that are devoted to killing the undead. There was a thread recently where someone was asking for the prcs, poke around a bit for it.

Fair enough about the classes, though it seems to me that a sense of solidarity is lost. Perhaps it should be an organization prestige class, like the factions in Sigil are?

[graymachine]

also consider the children of the light from the wheel of time series for inspiration.

The Children of Light are approximately the feel I was thinking of, although with a little more political clout. I wanted to avoid them being religious in nature as it feels too much of a cliché; yes, while it tends to attract the religious to it, it isn't itself a religious group. Alternatively, I could see making it one if I built it around a custom deity/concept.

I usually allow the possiblity for sentient undead to be good, and will so here, since it could lead to several interesting situations. I could see it potentially being good as well if all undead are evil, as a campy, hack n' slash, but I don't play those too often.

[Libertad]

I don't want this to get too political, but I'd recommend against making a Paladin order fascist.

Otherwise, I'd recommend making your order rather secretive (or as secretive as can be among a class that cannot lie), but with a good public face; their front would be upstanding members of the community dedicated to defense and good works. They'd probably have chapter houses located in undead-prone areas; in cities they'd spend public funds on providing courses for learning about the undead to better protect against them. In more rural areas, they'd help protect roads, villages, and trade routes from being overwhelmed by necromancers, ghouls, and the usual rogue's gallery of creatures of the night.

So they'd come off less as "isolated kooks with something to hide" and more like "decent, honorable folk knowledgeable of horrors too terrible to comprehend." And on the off-chance somebody does discover their secret, they'd probably not talk about it if the Order helps bring social stability.

[Steward]

In the 3.5 Expedition of Castle Ravenloft, there's a great prestige class called the Knight of the Raven.

[Calanon]

Aw, and here I expected this thread to be about Harry Potter.

Ikr? and here I was hoping someone made a 3.5 Version of Avada Kedavra a man can dream... a man can dream...

Anywho! 4th level Paladin (or turn undead) as a prequisite to join the order, Hell you can even make the order a splinter cell for some other Church... and bing bang boom you can even conduct an entire story around this where one of the church officials attempts to achieve godhood.

[SilverLeaf167]

Ikr? and here I was hoping someone made a 3.5 Version of Avada Kedavra a man can dream... a man can dream...

Anywho! 4th level Paladin (or turn undead) as a prequisite to join the order, Hell you can even make the order a splinter cell for some other Church... and bing bang boom you can even conduct an entire story around this where one of the church officials attempts to achieve godhood.

I think either Finger of Death, or perhaps Power Word Kill works just fine for Avada Kedavra.

[ClothedInVelvet]

Fair enough about the classes, though it seems to me that a sense of solidarity is lost. Perhaps it should be an organization prestige class, like the factions in Sigil are?

Classes are not the only (or even the primary) source of solidarity. Look at the French Foreign Legion for example. Huge portions of it aren't even from France, but its esprit de corps is unmatched. Solidarity can come from shared experiences, shared practices, and shared beliefs.

For example, imagine a ranger from an Order castle in the north (where it's a mix of rangers, druids and clerics) travels to the south. There, he finds an Order castle that has no rangers or druids at all, and is filled exclusively with paladins and clerics. But the castle is built the same way, his room looks exactly the same, and the daily schedule is identical to the northern castle. Even though he doesn't know anyone, and there are no rangers, he'll probably feel right at home because he already knows how everything works.

That is solidarity.

[Anxe]

Phoenixborn class source. It's on page 38 of the PDF. It's a divine casting class that focuses on dying and constantly being reborn. It gives half casting progression and allows the character to die and be reborn a certain number of times per week. It's more for clerics than paladins, but I think its very much what you're looking for. It pumps up cure spells and makes you immune to negative energy effects with the other abilities.