What tactics and weapons are best suited for fighting undead?

[RavenStarver]

Working on a culture in a custom setting.
They're germanic in style, like land vikings, or a certain kingdom of horse riders.
The trick is that they don't really fight each other, the region they're in has a lot of the basic undead, skeletons and zombies and the like, due to these magical crystals.
So I'm mostly wondering what kind of weapons and tactics would be best suited to combatting the large groups of undead regularly encountered.

[Tinalles]

If zombies and skeletons are the most common, then warriors of your lands will probably carry weapons to deal slashing damage to zombies and bludgeoning damage to skeletons. Say, a longsword and a warhammer on every belt. Alternatively, a longsword for zombies and shield-bashing for skellies.

Zombies are slow and dumb. It's easy to lead them into traps.

[andygal]

Holy water.

[RavenStarver]

andygal wrote:

Holy water.

It is very effective, very expensive to produce in large quantities for a one use item.

[Dragonchess Player]

Carry an alchemical silver battle aspergillum (22 gp) as a secondary weapon (with a slashing weapon as a primary for zombies). And plenty of holy water.

[deuxhero]

Clearly they need a weapon that does both slashing and bludgeoning damage.

While no PF weapon does this, a polearm with blade on one side and a hammer on the other seems entirely logical.

The other option is them actually using a longsword to deal bludgeoning damage with the pomel like they were used for in real life.

[Ciaran Barnes]

I was surprised to find only two obscure weapons that can deal bludgeoning and piercing damage, considering the presence of other combos and what the morning star - a simple weapon - can do.

You should make a "B or S" custom weapon or two for you campaign. Many of the PF weapons with such versatility have slightly decreased damage. The one-handed weapon could be a mace with a wide blade on the end. The two-handed weapon could be similar but with a hammer-head instead of just having a heavy, omni-direction head. I would forego the reach quality due the swarming element of undead, so flavor reasons if not mechanical. If you want to go a little more exotic, I recommend a chain weapon with a blade and weight on the end.

[RealAlchemy]

deuxhero wrote:

Clearly they need a weapon that does both slashing and bludgeoning damage.

While no PF weapon does this, a polearm with blade on one side and a hammer on the other seems entirely logical.

The other option is them actually using a longsword to deal bludgeoning damage with the pomel like they were used for in real life.

One of these should do the trick.

I'd also expect the disruption and ghost touch enchantments to be more common than usual in an area with a lot of undead.

[Jurassic Pratt]

The Undead Slayer's Handbook Player Companion has exactly the kind of stuff your looking for.

[Dragonchess Player]

deuxhero wrote:

Clearly they need a weapon that does both slashing and bludgeoning damage.

While no PF weapon does this

Monk's spade can do all three: bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing. Besides, what's more appropriate for an undead-themed setting than using a "graveyard shovel" as a weapon? It's even a martial weapon, not exotic.

[Sheness the Hollow]

Rolling in bacon grease, and laying over a hot spit.

[Scott Wilhelm]

There's the Ghost Touch Enchantment.

Most creatures with DR can still be Grappled and Tied Up.

There is the Weapon Against Evil Spell. Also, Align Weapon.

There are lots of Spells that will help you bypass DR.

Acid and Fire usually work.

[The Sideromancer]

Polearms. Avoids natural weapons, helps with death bursts from plague zombies/burning skeletons, and you have options for both B and S damage.

[Scott Wilhelm]

The Sideromancer wrote:

Polearms. Avoids natural weapons, helps with death bursts from plague zombies/burning skeletons, and you have options for both B and S damage.

Yup, with the Quickdraw Feat, a Horsechopper, and a Lucerne Hammer, you have B, P, and S.

Take 3 levels in Phalanx Soldier, adn you can use a Polearm in 1 hand and a Shield in the other. Take Shield Slam: free Bull Rush with every Shield Bash. You get Attacks of Opportunity against any Undead that get within your Reach, and then you can Bull Rush them away from you, back to your Reach Weapon.