making a memorable cohort?

[krupintupple]

in another campaign i run, a character has requested a cohort and i'm trying to think of an interesting way to introduce it. the whole "saving from enemies" has already been done and i'm kinda hoping to really make it memorable.

what i have planned, is that the cohort's group was TPK'd in an ancient crypt by some undead mere days prior to the PCs showing up, and thusly, the cohort is now undead themselves. i should mention the campaign has a very, very slight gothic horror feel, but mostly just for added flavouring.

i'm considering giving the poor girl a level in one of the undead monster classes in libris mortis, or turning her into a necropolitan or something of the like, as i'd rather her keep her personality and general alignment. for added shock, i was hoping to have her scuffle to the party, pleading to be healed, as she's "bleeding badly and needs help", only to show them hideous wounds caked in dried blood that clearly bled out days ago.

to recap those that dislike reading, i've been considering the following:

necropolitan
undead monster classes
an undead template that has little/slow alignment shift

if anyone would be able to think of something along these lines, i'd be very pleased for any input at all. thanks in advance!

I also should note that said cohort would eventually be cured/healed of her undeath, as it wouldn't be good for the group's image/reputation!

 

[Shin Okada]

How about making her some spawn-type undead and giving her Emancipated Spawn prestige class in Savage Species?

Maybe, you can let PCs encounter her "creator" just before finding her and let PCs slay it. Now she is freed and begins to recall her former life.

 

[Particle_Man]

As a change-up, make her seem undead, but actually be deathless (book of exalted deeds).

Oh, if you make her a vampire that sparkles, you will lose 10 honour points.

 

[jasin]

Necropolitans are great. Played one once, great fun.

I don't remember the undead classes from Libris Mortis very well. There's stuff like "master vampire" which gives you classic vampiric stuff you don't get from the template, or "creepy ghoul" which gives you ghoulish abilities that don't come automatically with the race, mostly just 5 levels, right?

It depends on what you want to do. If the cohort is to be a typical PC-classed party member, only undead, you can't beat necropolitan. If you really want to emphasize her undeadness, you might go with an appropriate monster class, but this could cut into her usefulness as a party member, especially if she's a spellcaster.

Great idea, BTW, especially the bit where she asks for healing (which will actually hurt her!).

 

[jasin]

As a change-up, make her seem undead, but actually be deathless (book of exalted deeds).

Oh, if you make her a vampire that sparkles, you will lose 10 honour points.

Deathless pretty much are vampires that sparkle. If they wanted Good-aligned undead, they shoul've stuck to their guns and made Good-aligned undead, rather than wussing out and making Good-aligned undead-but-not-really-because-undead-aren't-Good.

 

[green slime]

And here I was thinking the mere concept of good-aligned undead was wussed out.

 

[jasin]

And here I was thinking the mere concept of good-aligned undead was wussed out.

It's a matter of taste, obviously, but I think it's pretty cool if used with moderation. Sometimes, the soul is strong, or something unusual happens, and somehow, rather than being warped into a murderous monster, the person is trapped in the body of a muderous monster. I think that has story potential.

But "I want crit immunity, but it's too inconvenient to prepare inflict spells" seems like a cop out.

 

[krupintupple]

excellent replies all. it's got me thinking about what - and how - i could swing this to be spooky but also memorable.

if they encounter her within an urban setting, i'm thinking that the evil NPCs that bested her party will have locked them up in a vault and left them to die. since one of the towns they're playing in has a 'problem' with the dead returning, it would've been easy to say the pleading and banging on the other side of a locked, stone door was her. when asked, she could say she's been in there maybe a day or so, but one look at her shattered hands and dried blood indicates it's been more like a week. maybe seeing her allies rot shocked her into not realizing she's dead?

if they encounter her in a wilderness or dungeon setting, i may say her group underestimated a local cadre of ghouls hiding in a crypt. both sides lost, but she was infected with a wasting disease and died without realizing it.

either or, i'm leaning toward necropolitan (but not in the typical sense, as this was a freak of nature/magic/undeath) or perhaps even a ghoul/ghoulish character, but not fully transformed. maybe even a living corpse, albeit good, from the BoVD. however, the main thing is that she will eventually be turned back, probably within the same level or so. how easy is it to reverse the above? does raise dead count when you stopped being alive, pre-undeath, or when you last 'died' as an undead?

 

[jasin]

either or, i'm leaning toward necropolitan (but not in the typical sense, as this was a freak of nature/magic/undeath)

Right, more like a traditional haunt that clings to a semblance of life even after death, rather than the necropolitan willing transformation ritual as described in Libris Mortis.

or perhaps even a ghoul/ghoulish character, but not fully transformed. maybe even a living corpse, albeit good, from the BoVD.

Is living corpse a template or monster from BoVD? How does it work?

however, the main thing is that she will eventually be turned back, probably within the same level or so. how easy is it to reverse the above? does raise dead count when you stopped being alive, pre-undeath, or when you last 'died' as an undead?

Raise dead explicitly won't return someone who has been turned into an undead. Resurrection explicitly will. It wouldn't be unreasonable to say that you don't even have to destroy them as undead, just cast resurrection and if they're willing, the magic will restore them to true life.

On the other hand, it might be cool (in a creepy way) to have to kill your undead friend so you can resurrect them.

 

[krupintupple]

my mistake: 'living corpse' should've been 'corpse creature'. corpse creatures are essentially like a zombie (but with natural armour and a boost to strength), but retains its mental abilities.

resurrection, even as a scroll is a shade too expensive for the group's wealth, even as treasure. i'm thinking perhaps of a reincarnation, and since the warlock who will be UMD'ing it is an ardent follower of tymora, maybe she'll get three rolls on the table to determine what her newly liberated friend becomes? kind of a 'fortune smiles upon the faithful' thing? at least unlike 2e, there's no chance of coming back as a squirrel or muskrat something stupid like that!

now i do love the idea of having to kill her undead form in order to bring her back. it's very flavourful, creepy, and entirely fitting the campaign.

i'm almost certain that the group WILL be encountering her in an urban environment. the party's warblade has a particularly libertarian streak and has informed a local thieves guild that deals in protectionist rackets, slavery and prostitution that they should "reform. refrain from tyranny, or die violently" naturally giving me more than ample space to say that they find this undead girl in a jail cell, 'miraculously' alive, at least at first glance...