To be or Not to be (undead), that is the question.

[Drowbane]

Grave-touched Ghoul is a pretty cool "new" undead template. Assuming you're fine with playing EVIL.

Only the most depraved and/or foolish PCs should seek out undeath.

...<snip>...

Um, if your DM is taking many of the negatives off the table like that... then why not?

 

[questbreaker]

be a vampire (if the DM allows)! not only do you get awesome special abilities, but you are ridiculously powerful. taking the improved turn resistance and endure sunlight feats are always good for a vampire. Profane vigor is sometimes good too. sure youll have less HP, but youll have expendable minions. also, if youre worried about raising your party average level with the hefty LA, look for a leveled version of the template, that slows your descent (or ascent, as i prefer) into vampirism. there are plenty of leveled verions of the template, im sure your DM will find at least one of them agreeable. get yourself a necrotic focus weapon if youre a melee type. also, get a special bracers of armor made, but substitute the spell used for it with the armor of darkness (Spell Compendium) spell, to add another +4 to your turn resistance (beware, DM may raise cost, but as far as i see it he is being quite liberal thus far). also, vampires have a natural +4 turn resistance. putting your turn resistance at a +12 if you take the feat. altogether not a bad idea. it seems sunlight wouldnt be a problem for you in a campaign with accepted vampire shopkeeper NPCs, because no one would care (or find it suspicious[because you wouldnt have to hide the fact youre a vampire]) if you chose to operate primarily at night. Furthermore, in the libris mortis, there is a potion/lotion/ointment/etc that allows you 1 hour immunity to the sun's harmful rays (super sunscreen). but beware, light spells burn it off, thats where the endure sunlight feat comes in to allow you time to reapply the next bottle or use a scroll you have prepared, etc. vampire is an especially good template for swashbuckler types (due to skill bonuses and DEX bonus), or regular power attackers (due to strength bonuses, but watch that low HP [and fort saves are worthless to you]), plus the importance of CHA makes it a natural fit for many other classes.

 

[Darklone]

Endure Sunlight feat (shiver).

But questbreaker is right, boost your turn resistance.

 

[lukelightning]

Vampires, on the other hand...

Cheers, -- N

Touche! However my point remains...the creator vampire is always making vampire servants, except when he or she is lonely and wants a boyfriend/girlfriend.

Personally I would try to work with the DM to make a custom undead template that gives me some cool stuff without breaking the game. Perhaps a "vampire light" template... some minor stat bonus, climbing, turn into a bat, DR 5/silver, dominate person 1/day (and only one dominated person at a time), and a blood draining bite that heals you.

 

[robberbaron]

IMC a while ago, the party discovered a sword which, after the first successful attack, turned the wielder into a Wight (applied a template with many of the features of a Wight).

They discussed it for about half an hour.
Some said no immediately, the fighter-types recalculated hit points and thought some more.

In the end they all decided to pass on the opportunity.

 

[lukelightning]

IMC a while ago, the party discovered a sword which, after the first successful attack, turned the wielder into a Wight (applied a template with many of the features of a Wight).

That's nothing. I know a sword that can turn you into a wight just by picking it up, no save. A lawful good holy sword! If you are evil it gives you a negative level...and if you are first level that kills you, and then you come back as a wight (the default rules are that anything that dies from negative levels comes back as a wight unless otherwise specified).

 

[werk]

Sounds like undead are treated in your campaign like warforged are in Eberron...except without the emancipation.

What are the odds of you being claimed as someone's property? Oh wait, you'd be the dread necromancer's property...

I still wouldn't do it.

 

[iceifur]

Well, with most of the negative mechanical elements of undeath having been tossed to the side (including the big one -- Level Adjustment), I'd go for it. Especially if your oh-so-understanding DM will let you get Spell-Stitched.

As was mentioned before, the cloak of turn resistance is pretty much a must-have undead item. If you're still worried about being turned/rebuked, there's also the Improved Turn Resistance feat from Libris Mortis. With both the cloak and the feat, you're looking at +8 bonus (+12 when you include the Corpsecrafter feat chain's +4 bonus) to your effective HD for the purposes of turning/rebuking; in your face, opposing clerics.

As for losing your Con mod to HP, you can always take the Improved Toughness[/i] feat from Complete Warrior if you feel like you need a bit of an HP boost.

 

[frankthedm]

An enemy cleric with the sun domain can destroy you at 60' with no save. After that, he can only make make survivors run or cower in a nearby corner for 10 rounds.

 

[Lady Sabelle]

So good advice on future feats if the choice is made to follow the path to unlife.

Something I'm worried about it the dead at 0 hp. Does anyone know of magic items that act as contingencies to do healing? (modified of course to do negative energy) Or is it something I'd have to research and make myself. I thought I'd see something in a Dragon Magazine with a ring that did something like that. (healed you when your hp got too low)

Another question my character has the Dark template which makes her an outsider... if she became undead could she still be banished? Would the 2 types/templates just stack?