Author Topic: Undead Monk Creation.  (Read 4763 times)

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Krika

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Undead Monk Creation.
« on: April 25, 2010, 04:38:22 PM »
Ok, I am getting together a concept for a game I might apply to. Basically I want an undead monk. Yes, monks aren't that good  of a class, but I still want to play this. So what I need is:

A way to become undead w/out LA. Probably Necropolitan.
A way to get a negative level effect added to my fists. Need help with that.
Suggestions for some ways to make this easier to play.

Level 4 build. 28 point buy.

snakeman830

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2010, 04:48:09 PM »
Unfortunately, Undead without LA and negative levels on your fists are pretty close to mutually exclusive.  Several Undead templates let you deal negative levels with your unarmed strikes, but all have LA.  Without that, the best way to get negative levels on your attacks is the Soul Eater PrC (BoVD), but that requires you to be alive.  The only remaining option is a ten level investment into Shadow Sun Ninja, which pretty much forces you to go Swordsage (not that it's a bad option) instead of or in addition to Monk.  You MUST be Good aligned to enter, but the PrC does advance Monk abilities.  The capstone ability lets you deal negative levels on unarmed strikes, but is only useable once per day and for 1 minute at a time.

And a hint: if you use Swordsage, the Unarmed Swordsage makes a better Monk than a Monk does.  I'm not kidding.

So in summary, here are your options:

1. Suck up some LA on the Undead template.
2. Don't be undead (or Humanoid), go into Soul Eater.
3. Play a Swordsage and go into Shadow Sun Ninja.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2010, 04:50:32 PM by snakeman830 »
I am constantly amazed by how many DM's ban Tomb of Battle.  The book doesn't even exist!

Quotes:[spoiler]
By yes, she means no.
That explains so much about my life.
hiicantcomeupwithacharacterthatisntaghostwhyisthatamijustretardedorsomething
Why would you even do this? It hurts my eyes and looks like you ate your keyboard before suffering an attack of explosive diarrhea.
[/spoiler]

If using Genesis to hide your phylactry, set it at -300 degrees farenheit.  See how do-gooders fare with a liquid atmosphere.

Solo

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2010, 04:50:21 PM »
Necropolitan

"I am the Black Mage! I cast the spells that makes the peoples fall down!"

The Legend RPG, which I worked on and encourage you to read.

McPoyo

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2010, 05:13:27 PM »
I had a BBEG who used Necrotic Focus gauntlets to pummel PCs as a Dry Lich...technically it's LA free, and gets full clerical casting, to boot.
[Spoiler]
A gygaxian dungeon is like the world's most messed up game show.

Behind door number one: INSTANT DEATH!
Behind door number 2: A magic crown!
Behind door number 3: 4d6 giant bees, and THREE HUNDRED POUNDS OF HONEY!
They don't/haven't, was the point. 3.5 is as dead as people not liking nice tits.

Sometimes, their tits (3.5) get enhancements (houserules), but that doesn't mean people don't like nice tits.

Though sometimes, the surgeon (DM) botches them pretty bad...
Best metaphor I have seen in a long time.  I give you much fu.
Three Errata for the Mage-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Barbarian-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Monks doomed to die,
One for the Wizard on his dark throne
In the Land of Charop where the Shadows lie.
[/spoiler]

Krika

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2010, 05:56:52 PM »
So what templates have the least LA, but give me a energy drain touch, and DON"T make me Evil?

McPoyo

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2010, 06:02:19 PM »
Energy drain and Not evil are mutually exclusive if they come from race. Energy Drain, period, makes you evil, what with everything it does having the evil descriptor.
[Spoiler]
A gygaxian dungeon is like the world's most messed up game show.

Behind door number one: INSTANT DEATH!
Behind door number 2: A magic crown!
Behind door number 3: 4d6 giant bees, and THREE HUNDRED POUNDS OF HONEY!
They don't/haven't, was the point. 3.5 is as dead as people not liking nice tits.

Sometimes, their tits (3.5) get enhancements (houserules), but that doesn't mean people don't like nice tits.

Though sometimes, the surgeon (DM) botches them pretty bad...
Best metaphor I have seen in a long time.  I give you much fu.
Three Errata for the Mage-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Barbarian-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Monks doomed to die,
One for the Wizard on his dark throne
In the Land of Charop where the Shadows lie.
[/spoiler]

Nunkuruji

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2010, 07:13:58 PM »
A DM's liberal interpretation of Hellbred's Evil Exception might allow you into Soul Eater and perhaps some other things without being evil.


duncandun

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #7 on: April 25, 2010, 07:26:40 PM »
necropolitan

necklace of natural attacks +1/souldrinking?

wyldfire

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2010, 09:06:22 PM »
Go ghost, you get the bonus of being incorporal and some other hideous powers as well.

Suzerain

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2010, 11:55:40 PM »
I had a BBEG who used Necrotic Focus gauntlets to pummel PCs as a Dry Lich...technically it's LA free, and gets full clerical casting, to boot.
Liches don't get energy drain, iirc. And Dry Liches don't either.

But Necrotic Focus gauntlets are an idea. If the DM lets gauntlets' enchantments count for monk's unarmed attacks (which I would not). It still requires one to have energy drain though.

necropolitan

necklace of natural attacks +1/souldrinking?
This is spot on. No idea what it would cost though. (edit: because you have to keep in mind, a monk can use ANY part of his body in an unarmed attack)

It would be better if used as a warforged component, but Necropolitan is for (monstrous) humanoids only. Corpse Creature is a possibility, but that's cheesy.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2010, 12:02:06 AM by Suzerain »

McPoyo

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2010, 12:19:11 AM »
I had a BBEG who used Necrotic Focus gauntlets to pummel PCs as a Dry Lich...technically it's LA free, and gets full clerical casting, to boot.
Liches don't get energy drain, iirc. And Dry Liches don't either.

But Necrotic Focus gauntlets are an idea. If the DM lets gauntlets' enchantments count for monk's unarmed attacks (which I would not). It still requires one to have energy drain though.

necropolitan

necklace of natural attacks +1/souldrinking?
This is spot on. No idea what it would cost though. (edit: because you have to keep in mind, a monk can use ANY part of his body in an unarmed attack)

It would be better if used as a warforged component, but Necropolitan is for (monstrous) humanoids only. Corpse Creature is a possibility, but that's cheesy.
Both lich types most certainly do, check the template entries. Look under the dry lich itself, it's easy to miss while skimming due to the number of abilities replicated by the WitW prc.
[Spoiler]
A gygaxian dungeon is like the world's most messed up game show.

Behind door number one: INSTANT DEATH!
Behind door number 2: A magic crown!
Behind door number 3: 4d6 giant bees, and THREE HUNDRED POUNDS OF HONEY!
They don't/haven't, was the point. 3.5 is as dead as people not liking nice tits.

Sometimes, their tits (3.5) get enhancements (houserules), but that doesn't mean people don't like nice tits.

Though sometimes, the surgeon (DM) botches them pretty bad...
Best metaphor I have seen in a long time.  I give you much fu.
Three Errata for the Mage-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Barbarian-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Monks doomed to die,
One for the Wizard on his dark throne
In the Land of Charop where the Shadows lie.
[/spoiler]

Suzerain

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2010, 01:17:43 AM »
Both lich types most certainly do, check the template entries. Look under the dry lich itself, it's easy to miss while skimming due to the number of abilities replicated by the WitW prc.

Hmm I checked this regarding Lich: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lich.htm

It does, however, get a touch attack that does negative energy damage. This wouldn't work with Necrotic Focus though (at least RAW).

And I can't find it in the Dry Lich description either. It does have dessicating touch, which is a beefed-up version of the lich touch attack, but that one wouldn't work with Necrotic Focus either.
What does work, however, is the 1d6 constitution drain it gets.And that's a scary thought. If you hit with 4 attacks a round, the victim must make 4 fort saves or lose con.

altpersona

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #12 on: April 26, 2010, 01:48:15 AM »
soul eaters lvl drain dont they?

is it non humanoid thats the prereq?
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Suzerain

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #13 on: April 26, 2010, 01:52:11 AM »
is it non humanoid thats the prereq?

And living, and evil:

[spoiler]Type: Any living nonhumanoid (monstrous humanoid is acceptable).
Alignment: Any evil.
Base Attack Bonus: +5.
Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 2 ranks.
Feats: Alertness, Weapon Focus (claw or other natural weapon)[/spoiler]

Anklebite

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #14 on: April 26, 2010, 01:54:46 AM »
wait... awakened animal cohorts get into that pretty easily, don't they?  :devil
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altpersona

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #15 on: April 26, 2010, 02:05:47 AM »
well, the living thing is a problem for sure..
The goal of power is power. - idk
We are not descended from fearful men. - Murrow

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Anim-manga sux.


Suzerain

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #16 on: April 26, 2010, 02:10:32 AM »
wait... awakened animal cohorts get into that pretty easily, don't they?  :devil

Possibly. I doubt it will still be a "animal cohort" though, since awakening them turns em into Magical Beasts. If there were a way to calculate the ECL for a awakened animal (which your DM will probably provide, though), then this should work with the leadership feat.

Anklebite

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #17 on: April 26, 2010, 02:27:59 AM »
wait... awakened animal cohorts get into that pretty easily, don't they?  :devil

Possibly. I doubt it will still be a "animal cohort" though, since awakening them turns em into Magical Beasts. If there were a way to calculate the ECL for a awakened animal (which your DM will probably provide, though), then this should work with the leadership feat.
ECL is HD+LA.

awaken adds two HD.

thus, it adds two to ECL.
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Suzerain

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #18 on: April 26, 2010, 02:38:29 AM »
Well, I was gonna do the "picture this as a template" thing. But +2 HD might actually be payment enough.

Still, I don't see that in the rules. It's basically "some magical beast" with X HD and no listed LA.

Anklebite

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Re: Undead Monk Creation.
« Reply #19 on: April 26, 2010, 04:07:44 AM »
Well, I was gonna do the "picture this as a template" thing. But +2 HD might actually be payment enough.

Still, I don't see that in the rules. It's basically "some magical beast" with X HD and no listed LA.
either the spell doesn't change the ECL at all, or it adds two via HD. no other RAW explanation is available.
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