Help with killing undead?

[Gunslinger]

In one of the campaigns that I am curently playing in, it is clear that at some point down the line the party will be confronted with, and have to destroy, a massive undead army including high level vampires and necromancers. In preparation for this I am searching for tools to help the party. I would appreciate suggestions for spells, items, and feats that will let me take out either hordes of low hit dice undead or help me turn or destroy high hit dice undead. The necromancers will most likely have the ablity to raise fallen undead by the masses, so something to keep them down permanently would be useful. Turning will obviously be useful (I am a good aligned cleric), as will spells like Holy word and Undeath to Dead, but I doubt they will be enough.

 

[shilsen]

I assume your PCs are high-level, if they're taking on such a challenge. Information about level, PC classes, and available wealth would be helpful in making suggestions.

For purposes of turning undead, the combo of a Phylactery of Undead Turning and a consecrate spell would be great for taking out larger numbers of weak undead. For doing the same and taking out more powerful undead too, something like a sunburst spell (assuming someone in the group's high enough level to cast it), which has a 20,000+ sq. ft. area, would be great.

 

[Gobbo]

Hire some mercenaries and cast a bunch of Magic Stones, they deal 2d6+2 vs. undead and only uses a 1st level spell. Good for the lesser undead that dont get turned. If you have a Druid, they have a few spells that will be usefull too.

 

[Gunslinger]

The average level in the party is 12 right now. Permanent party members include a level 14 Force Mage prestige class wizard (ability to substite force for any damage type, bonuses to damage on each die with spells like fireball), a level 10 paladin/monk/Knight of the Left Hand who specializes in grappling (with the help of a ring which increases his size up to 2 categories), level 12 cleric focused mostly on healing and preventative magic, and a level 11 Half-dragon fighter who is specialized in melee combat. We have a bunch of fighters and another cleric who join us whenever their players can make the game. We have about average wealth, going by the dmg tables.

[Edit] I don't know if the 3.0 version of sunburst was different, but in my 3.5 PHB the area of effect says 80 ft. radius. It would still be a great spell to use, but unfortunately not with an absurd area of effect.

Also, the DM will accept nearly any published material, so suggestions from outside the core books are also welcome.

 

[Chupacabra]

Do not forget that vampires can summon swarms or packs of wolves, rats, bats, etc. While individually not a big deal, they can delay and harass your party (especially spellcasters) when appearing in large groups. You don't want your mage's counterspell of the necromancer's Symbol of Pain spoiled by nearby wolf taking an attack of opportunity. Perhaps when you are selecting your final spell line-up keep a slot or two open for some anti-vermin (see Repel Vermin spell) or anti-animal (good ol' Fireball or Cone of Cold) spells, even spells that do not affect the undead but are still useful for dealing with large numbers of weak critters such as these. Consider Cloudkill for example.

If you don't want to blow higher level spell slots for these direct-action, consider lower level spells that will delay or discomfit this kind of swarm attack: e.g. Fear, Rainbow Pattern, Wind Wall. All can disrupt a concentrated swarm attack and buy you time.

Speaking of buying time, if you know you will be facing hordes of undead, consider spells that will enable you to control the landscape of the battle and prevent an overwhelming number of baddies from reaching you all at once. Consider Move Earth, Soften Earth and Stone, Transmute Rock to Mud, or the various "Wall of ..." spells to shape the battlefield temporarily or permanently. Create chokepoints the horde has to pass through or create safe havens where you cannot be flaked from.

Think of ways you can bypass the irritating low-level cannon fodder undead / vermin and get to the necromancers & vampires who will truly be hurting you with spells cast from behind their wall of lowbie allies. Look at Air Walk, Fly, Alter Self (for wings), or Dimension Door. Anything to get you face to face with the bad-guy spellcasters. The undead army can't be re-raised if its leaders are killed first.

Good luck!

 

[Piratecat]

Take leadership - and get a hunter of the dead as your cohort.

 

[Scion]

If your dm is sick in the head, Celestial Brilliance. Have everyone carry around 5 or 6 of these suckers all empowered (6th level spell slot, extended if you can swing it).

Undead? what undead?

 

[isoChron]

How can Necromancers re-use destroyed undead ?
I always thought undead, once destroyed (killed sounds somehow wrong ), can't be raised again. So the Necromancer could control many undead and raise undead from fallen living creature. But no undead recycling as far as I know.

Useful spells against huge hordes of undead:
Sunbeam
Sunburst
Undeath to Death
Undeath Eternal Foe
Searing Light
Heal
Mass Heal

Get the help of a high level Lathander Cleric, boost CHA and give him an amulett of undead turning.

Get holy ghost touch undead bane weapons.
Get weapons of disruption.

Feats:
Extra Turning
Empower Turning (for many low HD Undead)
Heighten Turning (for few high HD Undead)

 

[shilsen]

[Edit] I don't know if the 3.0 version of sunburst was different, but in my 3.5 PHB the area of effect says 80 ft. radius. It would still be a great spell to use, but unfortunately not with an absurd area of effect.

20,000+ square feet is not an absurd enough area of effect for you?

 

[G.A. Donis]

An 80 ft. radius covers 20,106 sq. ft. so it sounds like there wasn't any real change, just a rewording. If you haven't already taken it you might want to consider extra turning. It probably won't swing the outcome of the battle in your favor, but having a couple more turn attempts sure won't hurt.

Could anything be done with mass quantities of holy water? Either purchased or created throught a Create Water and Bless Water combination?