Searching for low level intelligent undead


Advice


I'm searching for a mini-boss kind of creature for my low level party (They're level 1, might be 2 or 3 by the time the encounter this though)
It's supposed to be an undead pirate captain "in command" of a whole bunch of lesser undead. By "in command" I don't necessarily mean it needs the supernatural "control undead" ability. It's just the one organizing the mindless ones.

- Undead
- Made from human
- Intelligent, aka able to work on it's own without constant orders
- Even better if it regains class levels and memories of it's living days
- Doesn't need a lot (or any) super special powers
- Should be created by a necromancer/ritual/etc. (though I can houserule this part if it's not)
- Able to serve as enemy to a party around level 2


First can i know what your party members are? that can make a big difference on difficulty levels


Juju Zombie. CR+1, can work good as a boss character (CR 3-5) with 2-4 levels in a class.

Skeletal Champion for a slightly less buff version.

The JuJu Zombie is one of my favorite undead templates though.


Ghouls work too. You can give 'em class levels and say those are the class levels it had when it died and became a ghoul.


If you have access to the Fiend Folio from 3.0/3.5 it has a template for an undead creature called a heucuva. It has to be applied to a humanoid that had at least one level in cleric, paladin, druid, or monk but when applied to a cleric it gains control undead. I've used one in a low level encounter before, it works well and fits your requirements.


Paladin of Baha-who? wrote:
Ghouls work too. You can give 'em class levels and say those are the class levels it had when it died and became a ghoul.

Ghouls with class levels are far more likely to result in a TPK against a level 1-2 party than some other examples. Ghouls should be CR 2 already (bumping Ghasts up to CR 3). They're pretty buff for a CR 1 creature.


The Huecuva seem like it'd be pretty fun. An old cleric of Besmara perhaps, cursed by a witch-woman he upset in life with his callous piracy.

edit: semi-ninja'd! Though the huecuva has been reprinted as a creature in Bestiary 3. You could add a level of cleric if you liked, I think.


I'm a big fan of the Skeletal Champion. It also happens to fit all of your criteria pretty well. It retains its memories, has class levels, and doesn't have any special powers. You'll have to kinda handwave the fact that there isn't a spell in the CRB that creates them, but that doesn't preclude some secretive ritual or something.

Tack on an extra +1 CR and make it a Bloody or Burning Skeletal Champion for extra fun. Or just use those, and other skeleton variants templates, as ways to liven up later encounters with stronger Skeletal Champions.

EDIT: As others have said, the huecuva works well too. Especially since it has the added benefit of providing a buff for all nearby undead.


Skeletal Champion FTW. Go back and read your Disney. In the book of Pirates of the Carribean:

For too long I've been parched of thirst and unable to quench it; too long I've been starvin' to death but haven't died. I FEEL nothin'; not the wind on my face nor the spray of the sea. Nor the warmth of a woman's flesh...

A dead captain barking out orders to a skeleton crew on a doomed ship. It almost writes itself, savvy?


Thank you guys.

The Skeletal Champion and the Juju Zombie seem both quite perfect for what I have in mind.
The Huecuva is a nice one too, but not the right one really. Though it might be nice for another encounter I plan.

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