Undead ranger [Archive] - Wizards Community

Undead ranger [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Heliomance
02-08-08, 12:01 PM I've been playing a ranger in a campaign since 1st level, and recently, at 5th level, for complicated reasons, I've ended up undead. This has resulted in me being cut off from nature, and losing wild empathy, my animal companion, and my spellcasting ability (which was, admittedly, pretty rubbish), and also barred me from taking further ranger levels. However, I as a player really like the bonuses I get from being undead, and it doesn't even come with an enforced alignment change or anything. Also, I was planning to multiclass out at level 7 anyway, it just means I'm doing it a little earlier. Is there a way I can justify my decision IC to not come back to the world of the living?
Sakaki22
02-08-08, 12:54 PM Perhaps losing the spark of life has led you to, subconsciously, give up the spark of nature? It's hard to see the beauty of the world around you when you've felt what's beyond and know natures cruel inevitability. You have a hard time empathizing with animals, even one you grew to trust so dearly, and you don't feel the sacred communion you once felt with natures primal forces. But you're not upset with the change, perhaps you honestly don't even feel like you could return now that you've seen nature at full circle. I think it's understandable.
KIDS
02-09-08, 02:22 PM Perhaps you have had your eyes 'opened' and decided that in fact in this life there was something more interesting or more worth it, or a different way of thinking, that would make you stay? Perhaps taking vengeance on other undead to stop the taint on you from spreading to others, or searching for undead like you? This would be great if you could have Favored Enemy (Undead).

I always thought of playing a character like that but could find absolutely no rule or game which would support such a concept. My initial inspiration was this (http://www.wowwiki.com/Leonid_Barthalomew_the_Revered). In fact, this quote in particular...

"I look at my undeath as a malady... An illness that merely requires treatment; however, it is also a great blessing for the Argent Dawn. What better vessel to smite the heathens of the Scourge than through the undead?
I am revered by my colleagues because of the sacrifices I have made, but the accolades mean nothing to me."

Hope that helped somewhat, that's a pretty cool concept you have there with many interesting RP outcomes. If you like that current feel, I recommend you make up a story or reasons and see how your DM feels about it in advance so that he isn't shocked.
I_roll_ones
02-09-08, 05:13 PM There are positive energy undead and spirits wandering around in many campaigns. If you are not forced to be evil or nibble on the occasional living thing, are you an unnatural seeming, evil, negative energy undead?

Maybe with the change, as noted before, comes a change. You are no longer of this plane, but you retain your strong protective instincts. You have no intention of killing yourself, but you choose to remain and fight. You war with those that would corrupt this plane, or force undeath upon the unwilling or rob them of their souls. Animals recognize you as something not of their world, but this doesn't bother you, you have been granted a new mission in life.
Heliomance
02-10-08, 01:07 AM The situation arose due to the fact that it's a homebrew setting. There is an entire nation of sentient undead, the Free Souls, who firmly believe that undeath is superior to life, and that everyone should be able to make that choice I was one of the first two elves they've ever successfully "freed" - normally elves are very hard to turn undead. Their very nature rejects it, and most end up going insane. What makes it even more ambiguous is that it's fairly well established that in this setting, there is no afterlife.
The DM is pretty fine with the fact that I want to stay undead. My main adversary in this is in fact the party druid, who of course sees undeath as unnatural and an abomination unto nature.
(For the record, we weren't willing converts, we were PoWs.)
CrimsonDeath
02-10-08, 04:11 AM Incidentally, being undead doesn't normally interfere with Ranger class features. Is your loss of class features also due to the campaign setting?
Heliomance
02-10-08, 05:05 AM Hmm, double post. I managed to hit post just as the forums went down for maintenance and didn't realise it had gone through.
Heliomance
02-10-08, 08:33 AM Aye, as rangers are a class that involves keeping nature happy, just like druids, and being undead is a fundamental affront to nature, nature withdraws all the powers she's granted. It makes sense really, and its lucky I was at a low level, as my nature related skills were very few.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Heliomance 02-08-08, 12:01 PM	I've been playing a ranger in a campaign since 1st level, and recently, at 5th level, for complicated reasons, I've ended up undead. This has resulted in me being cut off from nature, and losing wild empathy, my animal companion, and my spellcasting ability (which was, admittedly, pretty rubbish), and also barred me from taking further ranger levels. However, I as a player really like the bonuses I get from being undead, and it doesn't even come with an enforced alignment change or anything. Also, I was planning to multiclass out at level 7 anyway, it just means I'm doing it a little earlier. Is there a way I can justify my decision IC to not come back to the world of the living?
Sakaki22 02-08-08, 12:54 PM	Perhaps losing the spark of life has led you to, subconsciously, give up the spark of nature? It's hard to see the beauty of the world around you when you've felt what's beyond and know natures cruel inevitability. You have a hard time empathizing with animals, even one you grew to trust so dearly, and you don't feel the sacred communion you once felt with natures primal forces. But you're not upset with the change, perhaps you honestly don't even feel like you could return now that you've seen nature at full circle. I think it's understandable.
KIDS 02-09-08, 02:22 PM	Perhaps you have had your eyes 'opened' and decided that in fact in this life there was something more interesting or more worth it, or a different way of thinking, that would make you stay? Perhaps taking vengeance on other undead to stop the taint on you from spreading to others, or searching for undead like you? This would be great if you could have Favored Enemy (Undead). I always thought of playing a character like that but could find absolutely no rule or game which would support such a concept. My initial inspiration was this (http://www.wowwiki.com/Leonid_Barthalomew_the_Revered). In fact, this quote in particular... "I look at my undeath as a malady... An illness that merely requires treatment; however, it is also a great blessing for the Argent Dawn. What better vessel to smite the heathens of the Scourge than through the undead? I am revered by my colleagues because of the sacrifices I have made, but the accolades mean nothing to me." Hope that helped somewhat, that's a pretty cool concept you have there with many interesting RP outcomes. If you like that current feel, I recommend you make up a story or reasons and see how your DM feels about it in advance so that he isn't shocked.
I_roll_ones 02-09-08, 05:13 PM	There are positive energy undead and spirits wandering around in many campaigns. If you are not forced to be evil or nibble on the occasional living thing, are you an unnatural seeming, evil, negative energy undead? Maybe with the change, as noted before, comes a change. You are no longer of this plane, but you retain your strong protective instincts. You have no intention of killing yourself, but you choose to remain and fight. You war with those that would corrupt this plane, or force undeath upon the unwilling or rob them of their souls. Animals recognize you as something not of their world, but this doesn't bother you, you have been granted a new mission in life.
Heliomance 02-10-08, 01:07 AM	The situation arose due to the fact that it's a homebrew setting. There is an entire nation of sentient undead, the Free Souls, who firmly believe that undeath is superior to life, and that everyone should be able to make that choice I was one of the first two elves they've ever successfully "freed" - normally elves are very hard to turn undead. Their very nature rejects it, and most end up going insane. What makes it even more ambiguous is that it's fairly well established that in this setting, there is no afterlife. The DM is pretty fine with the fact that I want to stay undead. My main adversary in this is in fact the party druid, who of course sees undeath as unnatural and an abomination unto nature. (For the record, we weren't willing converts, we were PoWs.)
CrimsonDeath 02-10-08, 04:11 AM	Incidentally, being undead doesn't normally interfere with Ranger class features. Is your loss of class features also due to the campaign setting?
Heliomance 02-10-08, 05:05 AM	Hmm, double post. I managed to hit post just as the forums went down for maintenance and didn't realise it had gone through.
Heliomance 02-10-08, 08:33 AM	Aye, as rangers are a class that involves keeping nature happy, just like druids, and being undead is a fundamental affront to nature, nature withdraws all the powers she's granted. It makes sense really, and its lucky I was at a low level, as my nature related skills were very few.