Mechanical methods of min-maxing the malevolent?

[Agita]

A ghost factory would be useful. Got to incorporate that into one of my campaigns one day.

The machine wouldn't fit very well into a default campaign setting.  Your material would have to stand alone, and that seems pretty complex.

It would probably require some sort of shell or something.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

A ghost factory would be useful. Got to incorporate that into one of my campaigns one day.

The machine wouldn't fit very well into a default campaign setting.  Your material would have to stand alone, and that seems pretty complex.

It would probably require some sort of shell or something.

Yeah.  If you're allowed spell turrets, it'd be best constructed with major creation.

[veekie]

A ghost factory would be useful. Got to incorporate that into one of my campaigns one day.

The machine wouldn't fit very well into a default campaign setting.  Your material would have to stand alone, and that seems pretty complex.

It would probably require some sort of shell or something.

Yeah.  If you're allowed spell turrets, it'd be best constructed with major creation.

Should I explain the joke?

[stranglebat]

Undead are too [mindless] to get any real amount skilled work out of them.  Given the control cap, it's far more cost effective to use unseen servants for virtually anything that doesn't require being skilled - shapeless means that you don't have to build in space in the machinery for them to wander around, and if your spellcaster is sick it fails safe, rather than failing dangerous.

I read somewhere about a DM that had a cabal of Necromancers cap out to their max undead amounts with all the tricks, using zombies commanded each one for a specific purpose and ended up making the undead equivalent of a Super computer. With enough undead (aka lines of code) you could ask it anything and it would work out the answer.

Also if you need to format contact your nearest cleric of pelor

[Agita]

A ghost factory would be useful. Got to incorporate that into one of my campaigns one day.

The machine wouldn't fit very well into a default campaign setting.  Your material would have to stand alone, and that seems pretty complex.

It would probably require some sort of shell or something.

Yeah.  If you're allowed spell turrets, it'd be best constructed with major creation.

Should I explain the joke?

He started the joke, I don't think he needs it explained.

[Prime32]

A ghost factory would be useful. Got to incorporate that into one of my campaigns one day.

The machine wouldn't fit very well into a default campaign setting.  Your material would have to stand alone, and that seems pretty complex.

It would probably require some sort of shell or something.

Yeah.  If you're allowed spell turrets, it'd be best constructed with major creation.

Should I explain the joke?

He started the joke, I don't think he needs it explained.

The joke about a society supported by those who aren't in a solid state?

[BrokeAndDrive]

I read somewhere about a DM that had a cabal of Necromancers cap out to their max undead amounts with all the tricks, using zombies commanded each one for a specific purpose and ended up making the undead equivalent of a Super computer. With enough undead (aka lines of code) you could ask it anything and it would work out the answer.

You can thank the fa/tg/uys for that one.

[stranglebat]

Damn now i just indirectly admitted i sometimes look at 4chan

[Prime32]

I read somewhere about a DM that had a cabal of Necromancers cap out to their max undead amounts with all the tricks, using zombies commanded each one for a specific purpose and ended up making the undead equivalent of a Super computer. With enough undead (aka lines of code) you could ask it anything and it would work out the answer.

You can thank the fa/tg/uys for that one.

No you can't.*

*Okay, it's entirely possible that they came up with it independently...

[BrokeAndDrive]

Great minds psychopaths think alike?

[Bozwevial]

I read somewhere about a DM that had a cabal of Necromancers cap out to their max undead amounts with all the tricks, using zombies commanded each one for a specific purpose and ended up making the undead equivalent of a Super computer. With enough undead (aka lines of code) you could ask it anything and it would work out the answer.

You can thank the fa/tg/uys for that one.

No you can't.*

*Okay, it's entirely possible that they came up with it independently...

Feel proud that you guys came up with it a good 10 months or so in advance.

[Gods_Trick]

A Ghost in the Shell joke? In my D&D! Well done 

One, I thought you van only rebuke and control a total unded HD of half your cleric level?

Two, between turrents and necromancers, whats cheaper and has a better duration. I'm inclined to say skeletons, but I know nothing about pricing spell turrets.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Spell turrets have a market price of Spell level * caster level * 1000 gp + 50*(xp+gp components of spells).  Just like other magic traps.

They're immobile and short-ranged, but on the other hand are more efficient can be purchased with landlord.

I could see undead being used in synergy with them, since it may be necessary to have mobile and nonmobile components.

for rule of cool, having a giant crystal skeleton embedded in the ceiling of a vast room the size of a blimp hanger, maintaining hundreds of spell effects in conjunction with lesser undead servitors would be pretty cool.

[Mixster]

And you could have spell turrets that create undead. Then you need some decent supply of bodies, like taking care of the problem with the sewer rats. No need to have human skeletons when they are mindless anyway.

[Caelic]

Icy Assassin also seems like a dandy way to be really evil and profit from it.  Yes, you can use it to eliminate and replace influential individuals, but that always carries the risk of detection.  Better by far to create the assassin and learn EVERYTHING the subject knows from it--all his deepest, darkest, nastiest secrets.

If the target is subject to blackmail and has the influence to be worth blackmailing, do it.

If the target has weaknesses, exploit them.

If the target has secret caches of wealth, loot them.

If the target objects, eliminate him.

[Midnight_v]

Insane defiance + Dread Witch and cast spell through yourself.
You may need a way to mitigate wisdom damage but together it'd make enimies get -4 to thier saves and your fears would work on even paladins and undead, further. . . by targeting yourself with fear spells you get to get the bonuses from being targeted with fear if I'm not mistaken.

[Amechra]

You could kill anyone from any range with a village of commoners and a pair of Vile spells.

Loves Pain+Mind Rape trick, anyone?

Alternatively, just have a single commoner come back as a ghost, Command him/her, and then use the fact that you basically have total control over them to replace Mind Rape in the above equation.

Any ideas on how to get a hivemind out of the village? That would be rather nifty, but would require a way to treat them as animals/vermin...

Haunt Shift yourself into the area of the village itself, and use those pathetic commoners to draw in some... better potential servants.