Role Playing Quandry for my Cleric

[Utrecht]

To be fair to the DM - and the entire group - this situation sort of caught us by surprise.

As a christmas present the DM gave each of us a "raise yourself" for coupon redeamable at time of death.

The first 2, the Monk and the Bard were killed in a battle with an evil cleric, who animated their bodies. At the time we did not have the capability of raising them (highest level at the time was 4 - we are now 7). So we put them into a Haverhouse (basically a house that appears as a backpack - I pull the cord and pop - apprears the house) vault. The next day, they were undead - but full sentient.

We then went to the local church (who routed us to the main church) who told us of a ritual that we could use to turn our fellows back - it just needed a couple of ingredients......

Thus, in the course of trying to obtain said ingredients, our Wizard got killed and turned into a shadow. He used his coupon - and since there is really no way to retcon coming back from a shadow strength drain - he got sentience (and a +3 CL added to his toon). During the fight, we also discovered tomes and altars to a previously unknown panteon of Gods to Undeath. These gods then immediately started trying to recruit the Monk and Bard - to which they are appearing ammeniable (my toon in character does not know this).

It was not the direction that the DM was intending to take the campaign - but with a couple dice rolls (Strength drains) we now have a significant portion of the party in undeath.

I have to admit - it has made the campaign MUCH more interesting - like I said, I actually have to role-play as opposed to roll some dice - for which I am happy.

Now some answers to questions.

Yes, I can turn my party members (this sucks - pretty much makes mine and the paladin's turning ability difficult). Yes, casting cure spells hurts them.

I have thus far resisted learning cause wounds becuase of the stigma of them. - However, there may be some justification in learning them IF they were to heal my friends.

Now, I don't think the DM has spent much time on how undead in his world work - thus far they seem standard - and he has some work ahead of him as well. But like I said, it is interesting - and fun. More thoughts please!!!!

 

[Arkhandus]

Well, firstly, your paladin ally cannot abide working with evil creatures, his sacred oaths demand he must either slay them or leave them, because they are evil and a paladin should not brook any evil to exist in his presence. That player has to realize this and do something too, as he can Detect Evil at will and would be obliged to scan the undead PCs when they started acting normally (or worse) when they were still corpses. That just ain't right. So he'll have to choose, as your PC will. Perhaps your two PCs confront the undead PCs and tell them that the forces of undeath are corrupting them, and by all that's holy, you two cannot stand by and allow them to be corrupted, whether or not they themselves have chosen to just go along with it. So tell them they either have to consent to being destroyed and Raised from the dead proper-like, or immediately work towards finding another way to return to life, as you and the paladin must alert the religious authorities to destroy former friends who joined the side of evil.

With the Good domain, your cleric thusly worships primarily the good and holy aspects of his or her deity moreso than the nature aspects, so his religion compels him to promote good in the world and just as actively oppose evil (if he had the Healing domain, it could be said he was more of the pacifistic sort who just tries to promote peace).

Or, y'know, you and the paladin could be drawn in by the undead PCs somehow and turn to evil yourselves, the paladin turning to the Blackguard prestige class, your cleric changing Domains and alignment, choosing to venerate the Gods of Undeath......

Your PC may spend some time struggling with the situation and trying to come to terms before he decides to take a side, but the player of the paladin has to act when he knows his friends have turned to evil. You should at least remind him of his paladin's oaths and code, that he cannot associate with evil, and the gods will likely strip him of his blessings if he does not stand by the oaths he made in the temple/shrine/church/whatever all those years ago.

Or, y'know the two of you could leave the undead PCs for a little bit and find some way to trap them and hold them captive for a while, such as some long-lasting Force Cube, (Otiluke's) Resilient Sphere, Force Bead, or a room that has its walls, floor, and ceiling covered in Walls of Force. (the shadow PC is going to be hard to contain, the others could just be locked up in a basement or something, provided the door is sufficiently well-blocked from the outside)