Wanted: advice on pseudonatural template and undead

[SolitonMan]

Hi,

I'm currently running a short term gestalt campaign focusing on the Seeds of Sehan adventure arc from Dungeons 145-7. As part of the general campaign setting for this, I've adopted a perspective that there are forces which are consciously aware of and fighting against incursions of Far Realms phenomena in "normnal" reality. A main villain that is becoming the BBEG for this session is a gestalt warlock/cleric of Nerull that has an extreme interest in raising undead and perverting them with Far Realms eneriges.

I'm all over the flavor of this setting, but I'm kind of trying to rationalize things in game terms and integrate mechanics with results. For example, I'd like to run a few encounters with pseudonatural or half-farspawn undead, but when it comes to multiple template applications, I'm running up against type issues. Since both the pseudonatural and half-farspawn templates change the base creature to an outsider, most undead templates that I've seen then become "illegal". Likewise, making a creature undead and then applying the pseudonatural template means the resultant creature is an outsider, and thus you have issues with the warlock/cleric controlling such a creature.

I know I could Rule 0 the issue and just make 'em, but before I take that route, I was hoping someone might lend me their imagination and help out with any thoughts on a good mechanical process to make the critters that can be folded into the story without too much forcing. I've been toying with the idea of a vampire alienist experimenting with these creations as a backdrop and cooperating with the warlock, but I'm still iffy on the mechanical side of things. Any thoughts/ideas/directions to good resources that discuss these concepts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[pawsplay]

Don't change the type.

Or just give them a nasty Alternate Form using the template as a guideline, plus whatever else weird you want them to have.

 

[Goblyn]

I think I have your answer

Use the corpse creature template found on p185 in the BoVD after the pseudonatural template. It can be added to any nonundead, nonconstruct, nonplant corporeal creature. Outsiders are fine, and the resulting creature is undead.

Is this what you're looking for?

 

[SolitonMan]

Thanks, pawsplay, I had thought about ignoring the type change, but I'd like to stick to the rules as much as possible since I don't want my players turning things around on me, or simply just whining, "That's not fair!!!"

Goblyn, you are correct! The Corpse Creature template will work out just fine, thanks so much for pointing it out. My inspection of resources hadn't reached BoVD just yet.

I'll still check for more responses, but I believe that Goblyn has pointed me in the direction I was seeking.

 

[pawsplay]

If you need a rule, I believe Savage Species considers undead and construct to be top tier creature types, i.e. one you are one, you stay one unless the template calls it out.

 

[Drowbane]

If you need a rule, I believe Savage Species considers undead and construct to be top tier creature types, i.e. one you are one, you stay one unless the template calls it out.

QFT

Tentacle Vampires from Outer Space!