A Zombie What? [Archive] - Wizards Community

A Zombie What? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Caul
03-22-07, 11:04 AM I'm working on an NPC for my campaign, and I was wondering what everyone thought of this...

Female zombie cleric 3

The idea? A higher level BBEG casts Awaken Undead on a zombie who was in life a cleric, and who now, can continue along that path, although serving a different master. Now some questions...

Should I leave the restriction of only taking single actions that a zombie has, or do you think that would have been removed with the addition of Intelligence?

Is the Toughness feat still integral to being a zombie?

Thoughts?
korcheck
03-22-07, 11:53 AM Thoughts? Heres one. Are you planning to make him a bad guy? No matter how you as an awakened undead might feel of the notions from your previous life you won't be walking into a church anytime soon. Would your character be happy or even want to serve this other master? Also if he/she was LG before, then I would think that if it was me, I would run to the nearest chuch and ask for a quick death to rid the world of the abomination that I have become. As for the the movement impairment it would stay. It's a body thing I believe. Hear me out here, as a "zombie" you were created as cannon fodder. Against your normal everyday person you are the toughest of the undead, which is how it should be. however against Pc's of even first lvl you are merely a dangerous nuisance unless you come in numbers which is your real strength (zombies and skeletons exemplify the notion of strength in numbers). This is that way becuase, not much in the way of magic was spared on your body only enough to raise you and send you off to become one of the red shirts.
Pinky's brain
03-22-07, 11:57 AM You are the DM, so you can do what you like ... but in principle an awakened undead does not regain his class levels.
kaionon
03-22-07, 12:02 PM As far as I know, the movement penelty would still apply but the feats are up to you(I don't have the spel infront of me).

If you wanted to get around the one-action only thing, you could make the cleric as with the "corpse creature" Template from book of vile darkness. since your BBEG is likely powerfull enough to turn soemone into more then just a zombie? I'm unsure if it's in the SRD or not though, I just remember it did not give the normal zombie move restriction.
Edymnion
03-22-07, 12:41 PM Yes, the speed penalty would still apply, nothing physically changed, only mentally. Physically, they are still the perpetual half-rotten corpse they were before.
Caul
03-22-07, 03:42 PM Thoughts? Heres one. Are you planning to make him a bad guy?

Yes, evil NPC, sorry if I wasn't clear.

but in principle an awakened undead does not regain his class levels.

Nothing of the sort was said in the spell description. Besides, it would not be regaining class levels, rather achieving new ones...

If you wanted to get around the one-action only thing, you could make the cleric as with the "corpse creature" Template from book of vile darkness. since your BBEG is likely powerfull enough to turn soemone into more then just a zombie? I'm unsure if it's in the SRD or not though, I just remember it did not give the normal zombie move restriction.

Don't have BoVD unfortunately...

Yes, the speed penalty would still apply, nothing physically changed, only mentally. Physically, they are still the perpetual half-rotten corpse they were before.

Good point, and better still, as that will make the NPC more interesting.

I will post them as soon as I am done with them...
Kensan_Oni
03-22-07, 03:47 PM Can the cleric zombie rebuke itself to do what it wants instead of following commands?

Oh, wait... no intelligence. Nevermind...

Skip making the character a Zombie, use a higher level spell, and make it a ghoul or a shadow. It'll end up working better, to be completely honest.
Pinky's brain
03-22-07, 04:29 PM Nothing of the sort was said in the spell description.
It doesn't need to, a zombie has lost all it's class HD ... so even when it's made intelligent it's still classless.
Besides, it would not be regaining class levels, rather achieving new ones...
Possible but you will have to ad-lib the CRs.
ChimericalWolf
03-22-07, 09:10 PM I agree with Kensan. The zombie is too much trouble, mechanically. If you want the character to be effective, you'd have to change zombie to the point where you might as well make her a ghoul, ghostie, or vampire-spawn.
ahiman
03-23-07, 02:48 AM I agree with kaionon you should use the BoVD template. Just say that the NPC was made and killed her first master. If I recall the template is just zombie with no intelligence loss a bonus to str (I think) and a small DR. Its only +1 so that is not too much. Also if she gets higher level then she could make some zombies and hide with them to go in and do some touch spells.
Caul
03-23-07, 09:14 AM Again, I don't have BoVD, nor do I plan to get it...

I didn't realize a ghoul was CR 1 though, I'll just end up giving a ghoul class levels...
Cambian00
03-23-07, 02:07 PM hmmm

Im getting flashbacks from that British movie "Sean of the Dead".....
ChimericalWolf
03-23-07, 02:26 PM hmmm

Im getting flashbacks from that British movie "Sean of the Dead".....

Just a heads up, it's Shaun.
RogueElement
03-23-07, 10:34 PM The Necropolitan from Libris Mortis would work nicely here. The BBEG forces the guy into the necropolitan ritual, transforming him into an undead that really isnt any more powerful than a zombie (just not so messy) and he even keeps his class levels. The guy loses only one level and can continue with his career all nice and legal.
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi
04-02-07, 05:07 PM You could also check out a variant on crystalkeep (check under "Templates"). There's a variant zombie called the Fast Zombie. It's not limited to one standard action per round, though still only one attack. It increases the CR by 1/2 (there are other benefits to the template).

But ghoul works too. Maybe the gravetouched ghoul. It's a template rather than a creature, and it indicates that the ghoul is somehow favored.
JulesCARV
04-02-07, 05:11 PM I'd say just use the Karrnathi zombie and add cleric levels (I realize that this zombie cleric might not be karrnathi, but it doesn't really matter). There -- simple solution using ECS and core only.
DrOfDemonology
04-02-07, 05:16 PM All the nitpicky rules aside, I think the idea of a zombie NPC is a pretty interesting one. And zombies and other undead don't always have to be so serious, either. :D

Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels have some hilareous zombie characters, notably Reg Shoe the Watchman, and Mr. Slant the head of the Guild of Lawyers. Both very entertaining ;)
goblin_pride
04-02-07, 06:16 PM Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels have some hilareous zombie characters, notably Reg Shoe the Watchman, and Mr. Slant the head of the Guild of Lawyers. Both very entertaining ;)

Isn't Slant a vampire? I seem to recall one of the characters referring to him as a bloodsucker and there being an uproar until it's pointed out the referrence was to his profession, not his persuasion. Mr Slant being a lawyer, of course.
DrOfDemonology
04-02-07, 06:33 PM Isn't Slant a vampire? I seem to recall one of the characters referring to him as a bloodsucker and there being an uproar until it's pointed out the referrence was to his profession, not his persuasion. Mr Slant being a lawyer, of course.

Nope, he's a zombie. About the only change in his routine from being living to dead is that he now works through his lunch break :D
goblin_pride
04-02-07, 08:13 PM Nope, he's a zombie. About the only change in his routine from being living to dead is that he now works through his lunch break :D

You're right, the bit I'm thinking about he says something along the lines of "I'm not a vampire, I'm a zombie" and the the other character says "I was talking about lawyers."
korcheck
04-03-07, 04:16 PM I don't mean throw the train off track anymore here than it already is but I was wandering if there is a way to make a history monk from the disc world series? (Ok so maybe I did mean to.) I was thinking that they work with or for the dragons and the prophesy?
Belabras
04-03-07, 04:20 PM I don't mean throw the train off track anymore here than it already is but I was wandering if there is a way to make a history monk from the disc world series? (Ok so maybe I did mean to.) I was thinking that they work with or for the dragons and the prophesy?

Closest would be the Zerth Cenobite PRC from Complete Psionic. It gives psionic monks limited time control abilities.

(Nothing like Deja-Fu though. I don't think you can make the Sweeper)
korcheck
04-03-07, 04:30 PM :weep: Dang and I was looking forward to making the sweeper too :D
Ricohard_Draconis
04-03-07, 11:30 PM The sweeper is an epic level character.

Isn't Deja Fu just a spell like ability of an epic level version of time stop?
Belabras
04-03-07, 11:50 PM Yeah, but Time Stop doesn't let you effect anyone but yourself. The Sweeper is either throwing pockets of condensed time, or stopping time and hiting in the breaks when he uses Deja-Fu.
Ricohard_Draconis
04-04-07, 01:11 AM as i say some sort of epic Mass Time stop. although really he doesn't bring anyone with him. Since the boy is operating on his own power..

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Caul 03-22-07, 11:04 AM	I'm working on an NPC for my campaign, and I was wondering what everyone thought of this... Female zombie cleric 3 The idea? A higher level BBEG casts Awaken Undead on a zombie who was in life a cleric, and who now, can continue along that path, although serving a different master. Now some questions... Should I leave the restriction of only taking single actions that a zombie has, or do you think that would have been removed with the addition of Intelligence? Is the Toughness feat still integral to being a zombie? Thoughts?
korcheck 03-22-07, 11:53 AM	Thoughts? Heres one. Are you planning to make him a bad guy? No matter how you as an awakened undead might feel of the notions from your previous life you won't be walking into a church anytime soon. Would your character be happy or even want to serve this other master? Also if he/she was LG before, then I would think that if it was me, I would run to the nearest chuch and ask for a quick death to rid the world of the abomination that I have become. As for the the movement impairment it would stay. It's a body thing I believe. Hear me out here, as a "zombie" you were created as cannon fodder. Against your normal everyday person you are the toughest of the undead, which is how it should be. however against Pc's of even first lvl you are merely a dangerous nuisance unless you come in numbers which is your real strength (zombies and skeletons exemplify the notion of strength in numbers). This is that way becuase, not much in the way of magic was spared on your body only enough to raise you and send you off to become one of the red shirts.
Pinky's brain 03-22-07, 11:57 AM	You are the DM, so you can do what you like ... but in principle an awakened undead does not regain his class levels.
kaionon 03-22-07, 12:02 PM	As far as I know, the movement penelty would still apply but the feats are up to you(I don't have the spel infront of me). If you wanted to get around the one-action only thing, you could make the cleric as with the "corpse creature" Template from book of vile darkness. since your BBEG is likely powerfull enough to turn soemone into more then just a zombie? I'm unsure if it's in the SRD or not though, I just remember it did not give the normal zombie move restriction.
Edymnion 03-22-07, 12:41 PM	Yes, the speed penalty would still apply, nothing physically changed, only mentally. Physically, they are still the perpetual half-rotten corpse they were before.
Caul 03-22-07, 03:42 PM	Thoughts? Heres one. Are you planning to make him a bad guy? Yes, evil NPC, sorry if I wasn't clear. but in principle an awakened undead does not regain his class levels. Nothing of the sort was said in the spell description. Besides, it would not be regaining class levels, rather achieving new ones... If you wanted to get around the one-action only thing, you could make the cleric as with the "corpse creature" Template from book of vile darkness. since your BBEG is likely powerfull enough to turn soemone into more then just a zombie? I'm unsure if it's in the SRD or not though, I just remember it did not give the normal zombie move restriction. Don't have BoVD unfortunately... Yes, the speed penalty would still apply, nothing physically changed, only mentally. Physically, they are still the perpetual half-rotten corpse they were before. Good point, and better still, as that will make the NPC more interesting. I will post them as soon as I am done with them...
Kensan_Oni 03-22-07, 03:47 PM	Can the cleric zombie rebuke itself to do what it wants instead of following commands? Oh, wait... no intelligence. Nevermind... Skip making the character a Zombie, use a higher level spell, and make it a ghoul or a shadow. It'll end up working better, to be completely honest.
Pinky's brain 03-22-07, 04:29 PM	Nothing of the sort was said in the spell description. It doesn't need to, a zombie has lost all it's class HD ... so even when it's made intelligent it's still classless. Besides, it would not be regaining class levels, rather achieving new ones... Possible but you will have to ad-lib the CRs.
ChimericalWolf 03-22-07, 09:10 PM	I agree with Kensan. The zombie is too much trouble, mechanically. If you want the character to be effective, you'd have to change zombie to the point where you might as well make her a ghoul, ghostie, or vampire-spawn.
ahiman 03-23-07, 02:48 AM	I agree with kaionon you should use the BoVD template. Just say that the NPC was made and killed her first master. If I recall the template is just zombie with no intelligence loss a bonus to str (I think) and a small DR. Its only +1 so that is not too much. Also if she gets higher level then she could make some zombies and hide with them to go in and do some touch spells.
Caul 03-23-07, 09:14 AM	Again, I don't have BoVD, nor do I plan to get it... I didn't realize a ghoul was CR 1 though, I'll just end up giving a ghoul class levels...
Cambian00 03-23-07, 02:07 PM	hmmm Im getting flashbacks from that British movie "Sean of the Dead".....
ChimericalWolf 03-23-07, 02:26 PM	hmmm Im getting flashbacks from that British movie "Sean of the Dead"..... Just a heads up, it's Shaun.
RogueElement 03-23-07, 10:34 PM	The Necropolitan from Libris Mortis would work nicely here. The BBEG forces the guy into the necropolitan ritual, transforming him into an undead that really isnt any more powerful than a zombie (just not so messy) and he even keeps his class levels. The guy loses only one level and can continue with his career all nice and legal.
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi 04-02-07, 05:07 PM	You could also check out a variant on crystalkeep (check under "Templates"). There's a variant zombie called the Fast Zombie. It's not limited to one standard action per round, though still only one attack. It increases the CR by 1/2 (there are other benefits to the template). But ghoul works too. Maybe the gravetouched ghoul. It's a template rather than a creature, and it indicates that the ghoul is somehow favored.
JulesCARV 04-02-07, 05:11 PM	I'd say just use the Karrnathi zombie and add cleric levels (I realize that this zombie cleric might not be karrnathi, but it doesn't really matter). There -- simple solution using ECS and core only.
DrOfDemonology 04-02-07, 05:16 PM	All the nitpicky rules aside, I think the idea of a zombie NPC is a pretty interesting one. And zombies and other undead don't always have to be so serious, either. :D Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels have some hilareous zombie characters, notably Reg Shoe the Watchman, and Mr. Slant the head of the Guild of Lawyers. Both very entertaining ;)
goblin_pride 04-02-07, 06:16 PM	Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels have some hilareous zombie characters, notably Reg Shoe the Watchman, and Mr. Slant the head of the Guild of Lawyers. Both very entertaining ;) Isn't Slant a vampire? I seem to recall one of the characters referring to him as a bloodsucker and there being an uproar until it's pointed out the referrence was to his profession, not his persuasion. Mr Slant being a lawyer, of course.
DrOfDemonology 04-02-07, 06:33 PM	Isn't Slant a vampire? I seem to recall one of the characters referring to him as a bloodsucker and there being an uproar until it's pointed out the referrence was to his profession, not his persuasion. Mr Slant being a lawyer, of course. Nope, he's a zombie. About the only change in his routine from being living to dead is that he now works through his lunch break :D
goblin_pride 04-02-07, 08:13 PM	Nope, he's a zombie. About the only change in his routine from being living to dead is that he now works through his lunch break :D You're right, the bit I'm thinking about he says something along the lines of "I'm not a vampire, I'm a zombie" and the the other character says "I was talking about lawyers."
korcheck 04-03-07, 04:16 PM	I don't mean throw the train off track anymore here than it already is but I was wandering if there is a way to make a history monk from the disc world series? (Ok so maybe I did mean to.) I was thinking that they work with or for the dragons and the prophesy?
Belabras 04-03-07, 04:20 PM	I don't mean throw the train off track anymore here than it already is but I was wandering if there is a way to make a history monk from the disc world series? (Ok so maybe I did mean to.) I was thinking that they work with or for the dragons and the prophesy? Closest would be the Zerth Cenobite PRC from Complete Psionic. It gives psionic monks limited time control abilities. (Nothing like Deja-Fu though. I don't think you can make the Sweeper)
korcheck 04-03-07, 04:30 PM	:weep: Dang and I was looking forward to making the sweeper too :D
Ricohard_Draconis 04-03-07, 11:30 PM	The sweeper is an epic level character. Isn't Deja Fu just a spell like ability of an epic level version of time stop?
Belabras 04-03-07, 11:50 PM	Yeah, but Time Stop doesn't let you effect anyone but yourself. The Sweeper is either throwing pockets of condensed time, or stopping time and hiting in the breaks when he uses Deja-Fu.
Ricohard_Draconis 04-04-07, 01:11 AM	as i say some sort of epic Mass Time stop. although really he doesn't bring anyone with him. Since the boy is operating on his own power..