Undead PC's By RAW?

[RagnaroksChosen]

Hello,

Quick question is there any undead Race's/templets/etc that allow a player to be undead with out a level adjustment.

I wanted to play a skeleton but the template makes you mindless and have no Int.

I know about the feats in Mortis but i don't want to take that root.


so any ideas or thoughts?

[Eldmor]

The best method are the Racial Levels in Libris Mortis, hands down. You get to choose how much you want to stick to the undead-part and the class-part.
If you really want to play sentient undead without levels, there's always the Necropolitan. A bit costly to become one and implies some connections, but it works.

[RagnaroksChosen]

The best method are the Racial Levels in Libris Mortis, hands down. You get to choose how much you want to stick to the undead-part and the class-part.
If you really want to play sentient undead without levels, there's always the Necropolitan. A bit costly to become one and implies some connections, but it works.

Those work differently then other monstrous classes because you have to follow them through before taking pc class level... and the reason I ask this is because I want to play a caster.

[playswithfire]

I believe Necropolitan (also Libris Mortis) has no LA, but results in either a real lost level or just most of the penalties as if you'd lost a level. Maybe someone can confirm?

[monty]

Necropolitan is probably your best bet. You lose one level and another 1000 xp, but since there's no level adjustment, you'll start to catch up from extra xp later.

[RagnaroksChosen]

yes again i specified i didn't want to take the feat progression with is necropolitain ... unless I'm missing somthing...

Was the Skeletal Creature from BOVD ever updated? or is it still la 0

[Eldmor]

You really have to take them in full? I always thought you could dip, and I would rule it that way for sentients.
Caster..... yeah. There's no really good solution. The Undead template already has some power and wanting much more is going to put on an LA. My suggestion is to homebrew something.

[Krrth]

Necropolitan doesn't have a progression. It's a one time template you take that turns you into undead.

[AKA_Bait]

There's no really good solution. The Undead template already has some power and wanting much more is going to put on an LA. My suggestion is to homebrew something.

Indeed. Being undead typically gives you really good HD and immunity to a paragraph worth of things. There will be a trade-off for it. Necropoitan is one of the least problematic. If you are dead set against it... I'm not sure what to advise.

[RagnaroksChosen]

You really have to take them in full? I always thought you could dip, and I would rule it that way for sentients.
Caster..... yeah. There's no really good solution. The Undead template already has some power and wanting much more is going to put on an LA. My suggestion is to homebrew something.

yes other wise people would mix and match... we used to play with a rule similar to that then when people really started to munchkin if got bad so we brought it back to raw

[monty]

yes again i specified i didn't want to take the feat progression with is necropolitain ... unless I'm missing somthing...

Was the Skeletal Creature from BOVD ever updated? or is it still la 0

Necropolitan has no progression. It's just a one-time 0 LA template. However, when the template is added, you automatically lose a level +1000 xp. After that, though, you don't have to do anything else for it. You can go on gaining regular class levels.

[Eldmor]

yes other wise people would mix and match... we used to play with a rule similar to that then when people really started to munchkin if got bad so we brought it back to raw

Tell them to not munchkin their freedom? It's that easy.
Plus I wouldn't allow different undead levels. If you want different options, there are Undead feats that can give you different goodies.

[Keld Denar]

Necropolitan, as mentioned, is the only 0 LA template. It does cost a bit of gold and xp to apply though. Basically, you are injected with a bunch of chemicals that "deadify" your body. Its quite painful, from what I hear, at least until the point where you stop feeling anything, ever again. There is no feat progression or anything. Just slap on the template, die, and spend a level slightly behind your party till you catch up because you'll be getting proportionally more xp per enounter since you're lower level. That's if your DM just doesn't slap xp on you because he feels like it like some DMs I know. (One doesn't even use XP, he just says "ok, you level up" about ever 3 sessions or so, and XP costs are either converted to gold costs (for spells) or harvested from deconstructing magic items (for crafting).)

For a low LA undead, Grave-Touched Ghouls from LM are decent. They only have a couple of Racial HD and a low LA, but they make decent melee characters. Max CHA and take stuff like Hexblade, Pally of Tyranny, and/or Blackguard to focus on applying -save penalties to your opponents, then hit them with as many claw claw bite attacks as you can and hope your paralysis takes hold so you can munch on them at a later point. With a little optimization, you could have an effective save DC for paralysis in the low 30s by ECL 8-10. Thats pretty good, especially if you increase your number of attacks per round with stuff like Snap Kick.

Then again, you want to play a caster. Necropolitan is about the only way to do it short of homebrewing something....

[monty]

For a low LA undead, Grave-Touched Ghouls from LM are decent. They only have a couple of Racial HD and a low LA, but they make decent melee characters. Max CHA and take stuff like Hexblade, Pally of Tyranny, and/or Blackguard to focus on applying -save penalties to your opponents, then hit them with as many claw claw bite attacks as you can and hope your paralysis takes hold so you can munch on them at a later point. With a little optimization, you could have an effective save DC for paralysis in the low 30s by ECL 8-10. Thats pretty good, especially if you increase your number of attacks per round with stuff like Snap Kick.

Gravetouched Ghoul is also a template (LA +2), and therefore has no racial HD. It's not bad, especially with a Cha-focused melee fighter (paralysis is fun).

[Eldmor]

Ability Focus (Paralyzing Touch) so your NOMs don't even try running away.
This brings the horror of a Domo-kun Ghoul which is 100% Japan and 400% Awesome.

[Keld Denar]

Gravetouched Ghoul is also a template (LA +2), and therefore has no racial HD. It's not bad, especially with a Cha-focused melee fighter (paralysis is fun).

Hmmm, I thought it had 1 at least. Guess not. My Libris Mortis-Fu is weak lately. I should probably go back and give it an ol' reread.

My point still stands though, since paralyzing touch is cha based. Max your cha, take Ability Focus, 4 levels of Hexblade for Mettle, cha to saves vs spells, Hex, and Dark Companion (PHBII), then 3 levels of Pally of Tyranny for +cha again to saves and Aura of Dispair. After that, maybe another level of Pally for Rebuke Undead to power Divine Feats to add damage to attack routine and maybe something like Rapid Strke and Improved Rapidstrike to increase your attacks and chances to paralyze someone. Add in some Berzerker Rage Lion Totem Barbarian for pounce and Frightful Presence to make fear when you charge.

Then just move your Dark Companion over someone, Hex them, then charge, imposing fear and Aura on them. If the hex works, they'll be at (-2 -2 -2 -2) -8 to save vs your touch, making your effective DC 10 + cha + 1/2 HD, which could probably be around 24 by ECL 10. All but the sturdies foes will fail that save on the first shot, and since you pounce AND have rapid strike, you'll have a good chance of forcing them to roll low, at which point you pull their spine out through their abdomen and use it as a straw. :)

[trashcan01]

Why not just polymorph in to one? Or summon them?
In complete arcane is a class Alienist you can ask your DM to grant you undead summoning instead of pseudonatural template, so then you can summon skeleton wolfs, zombie dogs later vampires shadows and on and on. On 10th lvl of PC you get undead template and before that your familiar turns undead (not like cleric ability)
And I always thought playing mad scientist who create undead and become more mad as they raise in power and had vampiric frog was the way to go.
Now I play 4e and want to become vampirich lich who will rule the world.
Not much of a change.