Ensouled Skeleton (PC race)

[Systole]

OOC: I wanted a skeletal/undead-ish PC race for a campaign I'm thinking about starting, but the basic undead template is just a game-breaker, and I didn't like the Obitu from Alluria Publishing, so I decided to try and make my own. Feedback would be appreciated.

Ensouled Skeletons

Several centuries ago, an immensely powerful necromancer used his magics to annihilate the population of an entire city. He then re-animated the populace as mindless undead, and spent several decades amusing himself by killing the heroes that came to destroy him and steal his treasures.

Eventually, the adventurers wised up and moved on, and the necromancer was left alone as ruler of a decaying metropolis populated by thousands of mindless skeletons.

He grew bored, and in his boredom, he began to experiment. After many years of trial and error, he found a way to infuse a skeletal undead with a small amount of positive energy, thus allowing a portion of the soul to return.

In the years since, the necromancer has converted all of his mindless creations into Ensouled Skeletons, and the dead city has become a bustling center of commerce. He rules the city as king nowadays, and though he's often frustrated by the demands of rulership, it sure as heck beats being bored.

• -2 Constitution, -2 Charisma: Ensouled Skeletons tend to be distant after their return from death, and their dry bones are relatively brittle.
• Partial Undead Immunities: Ensouled Skeletons are immune to disease, poison, and bleed effects. They do not suffer from enviromental conditions such as extreme heat or cold, although they can be damaged by these energy types normally.
• Death Resistance: Ensouled Skeletons straddle the line between life and unlife. As such, they are not immune to death magic, as are true undead. However, they gain a +4 to saving throws against death magic.
• Darkvision: Ensouled Skeletons have darkvision to 60’.
• Negative Energy Affinity: Ensouled Skeletons react to positive and negative energy as undead—positive energy harms them, negative energy heals them.
• Slow Natural Healing: Ensouled Skeletons heal more slowly than the living. They recover one hit point per two levels per night of rest (minimum 1), and one hit point per level per full day of bed rest.
• Necromantic Sorcery: Ensouled Skeleton sorcerers with the Undead bloodline treat their Charisma score as 2 points higher for all sorcerer class abilities.

Ensouled Skeletons do not eat or breathe, but do require sleep.

 

[Tovec]

I love the in game flavour about the Necromancer, however more information on the undead people themselves would be nice.

As I read your description I realized it seemed less likely Mary Sue would return to her body so much as Mary Sue's body now thinks and acts on its own.
This is a very "baby warforged" idea to me.

One thing, they look undead right? Rotting flesh/bones showing, possibly poor looking clothing and looking like they haven't had a good night's sleep, ever.

Onto the stats..
-2 CON, -2 CHA feels about right. But this is pathfinder you might want to give them +2 STR or something as well.
Partial Undead Abilities - I like this, As undead they don't suffer damage as people do but still take it. I'm curious why not more undead traits?
Death Resistance is good, the second part with the +4 I'm assuming is to cover the over zealous clerics?
Darkvision - good
Negative Energy Affinity - good

Here is where we start to disagree.
Slow natural healing. To my knowledge most undead don't heal naturally at all. While I can understand a certain amount of automatic healing being necessary, I wouldn't have them heal as normal people do. Not sure about the fix, I would probably keep most of this but change the flavour text to REST not SLEEP.
Sorcery, why is one of their two negatives nullified as far as Sorcery? I'm guessing there is some sort of flavour text which supports this but thus far we don't have that. Given this is PF, if you want to give them some sort of bonus for being sorcerer, allow them a +1 or +2 level bonus as far as the bloodline abilities go (if they choose undead).

Ensouled Skeletons do not eat or breathe, but do require sleep. Why do they require sleep? How can sleep possibly help them? Again, as I said above, REST certainly but sleep seems odd. What part of the soul requires sleep when you "are immune to disease, poison, and bleed effects. They do not suffer from enviromental conditions such as extreme heat or cold, although they can be damaged by these energy types normally."

Quick Edit: What was wrong with the other two examples you gave in your OOC?

 

[Systole]

The reason I don't like Obitu is because they weren't dead enough. And they had this whole backstory where they were good undead who hunted evil undead and turned them good. Which is fine, but I wanted these guys to be more along the lines of ordinary people who happened to be skeletons. Maybe they're good, maybe not.

As for using a straight undead template, that would be way overpowered, and it would require ECLs which I really don't want to do. Immunity to disease, poison, and bleed are some pretty hefty bonuses, but I couldn't think of a way around them. Immunity to death magic was too much, but I could justify dropping it down to a +4 bonus. The ability modifiers are there just to balance those immunities.

The sorcerer bonus is similar to the adjustment that tieflings get. It offsets the charisma modifier if you want to play a sorcerer, nothing more.

I didn't feel like they should heal 100% normally, but it's a game breaker if they can't heal normally at all and they get into a situation where there's no magical healing. And since they've got a positive energy spark, it seemed justified that they could heal, but very slowly.

Regarding rest vs. sleep, that crossed my mind as well. But if they're essentially human in a mental sense, they'd need sleep for proper ... uh ... brain function. And if they don't sleep, then they're immune to something else, which made me worry about them being overpowered.

 

[SkredlitheOgre]

I didn't feel like they should heal 100% normally, but it's a game breaker if they can't heal normally at all and they get into a situation where there's no magical healing. And since they've got a positive energy spark, it seemed justified that they could heal, but very slowly.

Okay, the thing I see wrong with this explanation is that if they have a positive energy spark, which is totally fine, shouldn't they take at least some damage from negative energy? Even one point would make sense. If you're going to go with being healed by negative energy, which I understand, I would say that the healing isn't quite as effective, so maybe 1d8 -1/per "healing" die but still add the caster level on "healing." So, a third level cleric casting Cure Moderate Wounds would be 2d8 +3 (for caster level) -2 for having the positive energy spark. Taking averages, that still comes out to 11 points of healing. Or you could flip it and say they're healed by positive energy, but take the same penalty due to being undead.

Regarding rest vs. sleep, that crossed my mind as well. But if they're essentially human in a mental sense, they'd need sleep for proper ... uh ... brain function. And if they don't sleep, then they're immune to something else, which made me worry about them being overpowered.

The thing is that your idea is an ensouled skeleton, not an "enbrained" skeleton. Sleep wouldn't help brain function if there's no brain. I agree with Tevec that "rest" makes more sense. Maybe instead of sleeping, the ensouled skeleton needs to have a full night or day of meditation to rest the soul or somesuch or they start taking penalties to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.

In regards to the -2 Con and Cha, I agree with Tevec again that you need to give them something to offset those, however I would go with Dexterity instead of Strength, because that will allow for a possibly higher Armor Class to help avoid damage to their "brittle bones."