Undead templates

[daggaz]

Well, as part of my ongoing TT game, (Alexander, Arni, Michael, Michael STAY OUT)

I am planning on having some fun with undead soon, now that my players are at fifth level and finally high enough to deal with some of the more interesting types.

For starters, they killed a couple of ogres a while back, which they foolishly left to rot in the open forest (dun dun dun!). Needless to say, one of the mid-level BBEG's has dropped by, and animated them. Grum and Nugg, my loveable ogre couple (who the party destroyed without even giving diplomacy a chance! tsk tsk), are coming back to play. Grum got raised as a zombie, it has already been decided. He will lurch into the settlement one night, his only semblance to his former personality being a sad, longing call for his long-lost Nugg. "Nuuugg.... Nuugg... ... Nugg?"

Nugg will be nearby, but she will be much smarter, and much more evil, than her dimwitted counterpart. Nugg, I would like to have been raised as a ghast. A hungry gleam is in her yellow eyes, and she moves just a little too quickly for the likes of her hapless victims.

So my question is, how do I properly ghastify an Ogre? And also, are there any more undead templates out there, besides skeleton, zombie, vampire and lich? (the last two are way too powerful for my party now) Some midlevel things would be nice..

[Actana]

I don't know if this is what you want, but if you have access to MM2, there is a spellstitched undead template which gives undead some spell-like abilities, depending on the undead's wisdom score.

Dunno about any other undead templates though.

[hyperfreak497]

You want Libris Mortis. Give me a second to dig it out...

EDIT: From the information you've given me so far, I think a gravetouched ghoul would be appropriate. It's basically a template that makes a creature into a ghoul without making it lose its abilities from life. It has bonuses to all ability scores (except Constitution; it's an undead), so the ogre will actually increase in mental ability.

[PlatinumJester]

Necropolitan template from Libris Mortis is quite solid.

Lose a level and 1000XP and become undead with no continuing level adjustment. Also get turn resistance +2 and Undead traits.

Also cost 3000gp to do and you have to be about level 4 + to do it without dying.

For other templates look at libris mortis.

[hyperfreak497]

Necropolitan template from Libris Mortis is quite solid.

Lose a level and 1000XP and become undead with no continuing level adjustment. Also get turn resistance +2 and Undead traits.

Also cost 3000gp to do and you have to be about level 4 + to do it without dying.

For other templates look at libris mortis.

Sure, if they weren't killed by the party. Necropolitan is a template that one willingly adds, during life. If the ogres are already dead, there's no way a necromancer could just walk up and turn it into a necropolitan.

[Ganurath]

To make an ogre a ghast, just go about it backwords: apply the Ogres as Characters changes to a Ghast. Adjustments will need to be made since she'll be a ghast before an ogre, such as the Undead Type, racial HD converting to undead, and so on, but it seems the simplist method to me.

As for roleplaying, ghouls and ghasts are driven insane by reanimation even though they have all their previous memories. Nugg is going to want to kill the party beyond all other goals, especially whoever delivered the killing blow, but odds are she'll neglect he beloved... which is why he's calling for her.

[daggaz]

To make an ogre a ghast, just go about it backwords: apply the Ogres as Characters changes to a Ghast. Adjustments will need to be made since she'll be a ghast before an ogre, such as the Undead Type, racial HD converting to undead, and so on, but it seems the simplist method to me.

As for roleplaying, ghouls and ghasts are driven insane by reanimation even though they have all their previous memories. Nugg is going to want to kill the party beyond all other goals, especially whoever delivered the killing blow, but odds are she'll neglect he beloved... which is why he's calling for her.

Hmm yeah, thanks for the tip. Dont know why I didnt think of doing it backwards... I was going to just compare a typical human zombie with a normal ghast, and add those differences to the template... But it seemed not so accurate..

As for the RP, yeah, Nugg is pretty much an insane abomination that lusts only for the flesh of the living. Tho she will probably be found somewhat in the same area as Grum, she wont pay him any attention (its so sad). Especially with any living souls nearby. Im planning on doing a bit of a scary surprise horror encounter with them. There will be a skeletal young dragon as well to spice things up.

EDIT: gravetouched seems just the kinda thing for me, as well. hmm... libris mortis, you say? What would the CR on a gravetouched ogre be, then?