Designing an undead cleric one-shot PC

[Pielorinho]

Hi, folks! in Sunday's game, I'm going to be playing Shoftu, an undead cleric devoted to a dead god. He's going to be helping the party conduct a ritual that will, if all goes according to plan, bring the god back.

The party is 15th level, and he should be, as well. So whatever sort of undead he is shouldn't be especially high on the level-adjustment front: essentially, there shouldn't be any undead traits beyond the basic package.

Because his god is dead, he's got a severe limitation: he can only cast spells from the divination and necromancy schools. (The DM has graciously houseruled that for him, healing spells are still from the necromancy school: apparently his God died sometime during Second Edition).

Does anyone want to help me design this character? He doesn't need to be really minmaxed; rather, he ought to be interesting to play for a session or two.

Spellwise, think Player's Handbook, Complete Divine, Magic of Faerun, and Relics and Rituals 1 and 2, with the caveat tha the DM will nix any spells that are uber. If there's an interesting cleric variant in Unearthed Arcana or somewhere, let's hear about that, too!

One more note: he's got an artifact-level sword containing the essence of his god. The sword may have intriguing powers that I might suggest to the DM, especially powers based around paths and around the border between life and death. (The party is rich in melee combatants, so melee powers aren't the best fit).

Thanks for any ideas!

Daniel

 

[Cabral]

If you have access to Complete Warrior, check out the special materials there, one allows for soul storing.

for the Undeadness, check out the Half-undead (skeleton/zombie) template from Dragon 313

 

[Gestalt]

The party is 15th level, and he should be, as well. So whatever sort of undead he is shouldn't be especially high on the level-adjustment front: essentially, there shouldn't be any undead traits beyond the basic package.

The Necropolitan template from Libris Mortis is (kind of) LA +1, because you lose a level, and its niftiest undead power is Turn Resistance +2.

The Crypt Spawn is from Magic of Faerun, and also lacks a LA besides the loss of experience on death. I don't have the book with me, but I believe they get to keep whatever wounds killed them in life. The Undeath to Death spell has more details.

 

[Tellerve]

Oohh, they are finally going to free that god. Neat

I don't really have any suggestions beyond what Gestalt said. I know there was a thread recently about an undead character though, so you might wanna search for that.

Tellerve

 

[Pielorinho]

Thanks for the ideas, folks! (And yeah, Tellerve--it's been a long time coming!)

Let's assume that I go for the Necropolitan template. I don't have that book, but I imagine we can crib something together. Any ideas on spells and feats, or on interesting powers for the sword?

Daniel

 

[Cabral]

The book of Vile Darkness, I think, had an intelligent skeleton template. What was the LA on that? It was, if I recall, the skeleton template with normal Intelligence and full class levels/abilities.

 

[Selenim]

Both the corpse and skeletal templates from the vile darkness book have a 1 lvl adjustment.

 

[Bad Paper]

depending on alignment, i would make it either a ghoul or a wight

 

[griff_goodbeard]

Both the corpse and skeletal templates from the vile darkness book have a 1 lvl adjustment.

Did WoTC post an official 3.0-->3.5 update for these templates b/c they didn't come with a LA in 3.0 and last I saw the "unofficial" 3.5 upate document put them at +2LA

 

[Land Outcast]

Lich, Divine Lich, Reeking throught the cracks over his skin with negaive energy.
I know, lvl adj +2, but still... Lichdom is mor than tempting... Even better, call him Undeath's Hand On The Prime.

Depends in the portfolio of the god but...
A +2 Unholy(+2) Profane(+1) Vile(+1) Souldrinking(+4) evilartifactofutterdoom.

ain't it?