Can you use Gentle Repose on an Undead?

[zaulsiin]

IMO its feasible/legal per RAW.

The description for Gentle Reposes states "You preserve the remains of a dead creature so that they do not decay." with RAW defining "dead" as being when "The character’s hit points are reduced to -10, his Constitution drops to 0, or he is killed outright by a spell or effect." (emphasis mine)

The key word being -OR- because even though liches have recovered their hit points, they still have a zero Constitution so are dead per RAW and thus subject to Gentle Repose.

There is a difference between "Zero Constitution" and "(null) Constitution". A undead creature has no Constitution score at all. It has no value assigned to it, not even 0.

That being said, I would be inclined to employ the Rule of Cool for this one. I don't think it works by strict RAW, but it's a clever use of an otherwise mostly unused spell, and should therefore be allowed.

 

[radmod]

That doesn't work, since the spell targets a corpse. A corpse is a type of object while an undead is a type of creature.

Jhaelen is correct in terms of raw. So ask your DM, he might be ok with it anyways. My last undead PC had a ring of gentle repose.

AFAIK, there is no official definition of a corpse as an object. This falls under the category of "how does your DM define a word?" Corpse used to mean 'body', but that definition is obsolete; now it means a "dead body."
A lich is a type of undead, which the D&D Glossary defines as being "once-living creatures". Further a creature is a "living, or otherwise active being."
So one could choose to say 'once-living' means now-dead and therefore a lich is a corpse, OR
one could take the common sense approach and say that 'dead' means non-active, which a lich is, by definition, active.

I choose the latter.

 

[TremorFang]

Interesting. I shall ask my DM what he wants to do. My argument, if you can call it that, is that it doesn't really break anything. It's not like I am somehow gaining constitution score by preserving the body; I am merely going for a certain look and way of role-playing my character.

I have been looking into immortality and there just isn't anything achievable besides a lich. I would much prefer devine rank 0, and I still want to look into that. A devine lich would be very interesting I think.

If you guys know of other awesome ways to be an immortal spell cast. Except Incantifier (Not worth taking). I am open to ideas. Thanks for the insight.

 

[TremorFang]

Alright so my DM said it would be alright to use gentle repose, except that I will have a sort of stale smell about me. Quick question. Do liches still gain attribute points at the multiples of 4 levels? A friend said he thought they didn't because their undead and therefore don't "Grow". I think he's wrong. Just because you are undead doesn't mean you can't become smarter, or wiser right?

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

If your DM doesn't go for gentle repose, try:

[sblock]ORCUS' CHOICE
brand
Baby Oil

Squeezed from only the most vigorous elf babies in the multiverse, ORCUS' CHOICE brand Baby Oils will give any corporeal Undead softer and more supple skin, leaving even the most ancient and evil of immortality-seekers with a spritely youthful appearance.

With ORCUS' CHOICE brand Baby Oils you will feel fresher and more alive than ever before!

Sold at better beauty boutiques all throughout the Realms.
Suggested retail price: 85gp for a 30 day supply.
[/sblock]​

 

[radmod]

Alright so my DM said it would be alright to use gentle repose, except that I will have a sort of stale smell about me. Quick question. Do liches still gain attribute points at the multiples of 4 levels? A friend said he thought they didn't because their undead and therefore don't "Grow". I think he's wrong. Just because you are undead doesn't mean you can't become smarter, or wiser right?

I'm assuming you're talking ability score increases? My understanding is that any creature that is modified to a PC still retains his level dependent benefits. Of course, I don't have anything with me right now, so I can't confirm that. Otherwise, the creature would get the HD growth benefit of monsters, which is huge.

 

[TremorFang]

I see. Thanks for the info.

 

[Cor_Malek]

Tremor, I think that what your friend describes would fit rather to age ability score changes. Attribute points gained every 4 lvls come from experience gained, not physical change. In a way, you retain same strength/dexterity/whatever, but you learn to use it better, which is solved mechanically by adding points to numerical value of given attribute. Also, rule 0.

 

[TremorFang]

That makes sense. It's not like a Lich would get less intelligent over time. That is the whole reason a Lich becomes what they did, power and time to gain more of it. Thanks.