undead/evil player charicters.

[Gicko]

so ive been considering becomeing a GM for awhile now, i havent had much practice with the game, but out of my circle of freinds, im the one who has the most expiriance (and the core rulebook) with pathfinder/Dnd.


i have an idea for a campain, but i cant find any player-charicter info for the races i want to be playable.


is their any info you guys know about for makeing skeliton, lich, vampire, ghoul, ghast, and ghost charicters? the campain im thinking of inbvolves being both undead and evil.

 

[saramin]

I would look in the bestiary at the various monster entries about applying templates you could also look at the WOW rpg for the basic undead "forsaken" race

 

[Truth Seeker]

-Many Organizations have become aware of a undead group have been forming...they have decide now, it is time to wipe it out-

 

[Gicko]

-Many Organizations have become aware of a undead group have been forming...they have decide now, it is time to wipe it out-

...wat?

 

[Jevhad]

Go further

Applying templates can unbalance your game a bit if you don't consider how to properly do it. I'm not saying not do it, au contraire I'd say go and do it memorably.

1. Don't simply give your character the option to play an undead, rather ask him to choose a normal character and create an adventure around how and why he will become an undead.

2. Choose a template that doesn't increase a lot the advantages for the character, or choose a type of undead that reduces levels with his attacks (level drain) and then transform the character into an undead so that it remains "balanced" (though for a more experienced GM I'd say go for it, you'll handle the balancing thing with time).

For example, tell your player you will allow him to play an undead, but he'll have to earn it... and he will pay for it. Have him roll a usual character and prepare a campaign about the group investigating a graveyard, a dead town or some disappearances. Obviously the villain behind is some sort of undead. Then after a couple of sessions and several combats you can either have the villain "select" the character to be his servant/ally and transform him willingly, or you can have the character eventually ambushed, and forced into undead state.

See? You already have a rocking campaign that everyone will remember, just try not to forget the other players. This one will eventually get what he wants (and will regret it probably) so concentrate on the other players and try to give them also things they or their characters want.

 

[Shazman]

I would take a look at librus mortis. It gives some details about undead pcs/npcs and gives some examples of undead characters.

 

[Chronologist]

I ran a Ghostwalk campaign for a couple of months, and one of the characters was an intelligent Skeleton. I found that the large number of immunities the character received naturally from being undead was easily balanced by his lack of constitution and vulnerabilities.

To answer your question fully, you can simply apply the Undead template to the character's base race and leave it at that, if you want a simple skeleton or zombie. For things like vampires and and ghouls, you may want to give a leel adjustment or the like.

I do advise Jehvad's method of introducing the template, your players will definitely remember and appreciate the template more that way.

 

[Gicko]

its not that the players want to be undead charicters. its that i want the campain to be ABOUT undead charicters. as in starting out as them.

would a lack of a constitution score really be a good idea for a player charicter? i was kinda thinking of just inventing some stat adjustments, adding the special abilitys of skelitons/ghasts ETC, and leaveing it at that. would leaveing out a constitution score really be a neseccity?

 

[Jhaelen]

would a lack of a constitution score really be a good idea for a player charicter? i was kinda thinking of just inventing some stat adjustments, adding the special abilitys of skelitons/ghasts ETC, and leaveing it at that. would leaveing out a constitution score really be a neseccity?

Well, if they are to have the undead type (and the special abilities/resistances/immunities associated with that type), the cannot have a constitution score.
Note, that undead use their charisma score in place of constitution for most game purposes. So, if they are to become living beings at some point, simply set their constitution score to their charisma score. If you're using point-buy this might also be a way to consider this.

I guess what might also work would be to create a new subtype similar to the the one WotC invented for the warforged race: construct vs. living construct.
This would allow you to redefine some (or all) of the associated properties.

'Living undead', maybe?

(or 'pseudo-undead' which actually has a precedent in earlier editions).
Do the 'shades' of 1e/2e still exist in 3e/Pathfinder, btw.?

 

[TheNovaLord]

I am running i think the 6th session of an evil campaign this week. The players arent undead, but humanoid races (2 human, hobbo, drow, kobold n orc)

What we have learnt:

They dont like paladins
NPC's get creamed by the priestess of gluttony and her selected channelling of lots of damage
she in turn is reduced to tears if the party kill undead BUT given the undead will save and turn resistance, she cant bag them all
as the world is out to get them they are suprisingly organised and 'nice' to each other....when everyone hates you, you need friends

being evil, especially for a spellcaster, just seems more fun

hope the campaign goes well

John