So I realized there's a level 2 spell called Command Undead, which is very useful in this campaign and I don't have too much of an issue with it. However it doesn't seem to present the PC from stockpiling undead encounters to turn into allies. Worse still, there's book 5 to think about, how would it run when PCs can use that spell on the Vampires? While there's a good chance they'll resist, I don't trust my luck (it fails me at the worst times), and will probably end up with 1,2,3's...
Help?
Running around with a legion of undead won't get you any love, and since a lot of the game depends on social encounters, and not so trusting people it is not a good idea. There is also the issue of using dead bodies being seen as evil by most good guys. If the PC's are not good then why bother harassing the Whispering Way.
PS:I would add "potential spoilers" to the title of the thread.
Done and done.
Well say the PCs are more mercenary than do-gooder. Plus what stops them from leaving their undead in the outskirts and fetching them later when they go out of town?
I wouldn't worry about it too much.
With the vampires you should remember the cultural significance. A mortal running around spamming command undead at their fellows will not earn respect or fear. Said mortal will be beheaded in the night and fed upon in celebration and sacrifice to dark gods. If your PCs are planning on working with any vampire at any point in time they should probably pick that up. Or have it pounded into their faces by an irate elder vampire.
Otherwise, well... it does have a finite lifespan. And you have to keep your idiot allies from threatening your pet undead.
With mindless undead, well, realize the mindless undead you're going to run into are traditionally zombies and skeletons. And your PCs have a finite number of 2nd level spells. It's not economical. All of their wizard's 2nd level spells will be spent on a single encounter to gain them at most half a dozen skeletons. Which will be mown down in the next encounter. Trust your wizard to realize how dumb an idea that is when he can be using his 2nd level spells for so many other cool things. Like invisibility. Or false life. Or resist energy. Or even some of the newer fun ones like spontaneous immolation.
Note that the spell makes intelligent undead merely friendly to you, and you have to win an opposed charisma check to get the subject to do something it wouldn't normally do. Depending on how psychotic it is, there may well be a check just to keep it from attacking the rest of the controller's party. Or any non-combatants you come across.
Unintelligent undead are automatically controlled and obey all orders, but the ones that are strong enough to matter are pretty rare. I can't remember any off the top of my head past book 3.
At least 2 of the cities are pretty decent in size, and the undead may be discovered. If one of the intelligent ones spills the beans things could get interesting. There are also fights within the cities so unless they can sneak them inside the city they won't be of much use.
One last thing, bringing undead to necromancers is not a great idea. They might gain control of the undead and turn them against the PC's. I did that in 3.5 once. Fun times, well not for them of course. :)
You have to make diplomacy checks etc on the creature to get it to do things other than "be your friend."
Consider that they are evil undead. Now, they're your friend. That doesn't stop them being evil. They won't help you in a fight. They just like you a lot and might step in to throw in a shot or two to give you an edge.
They might let you borrow things they don't care about.
Also, there's the whole "a sorcerer is shouting EIESO DOMINAE, O IRAES DE REQUIEM in front of me, roll initiative" problem.
Failing that, the problem that "a sorcerer is screaming in draconic in front of my friends" is hard to bypass.
The problem of "my friend just cast a spell on me to make me lose control of my actions" is an extra hard one to bypass as well. Now they are their friend, but, if they have ranks in spellcraft, they know they're being controlled. This can easily impact their actions-- especially vampires, as the stock Bestiary vampire is a sorcerer who presumably has ranks in spellcraft.
Plus what stops them from leaving their undead in the outskirts and fetching them later when they go out of town?
The fact that the undead don't do things they would really inconvenience them unless a) a diplomacy check is made*, or b) a charisma check is made* or c) they feel like being friendly to people who are really unfriendly to them.
*undead are very likely to have a strong charisma modifier
I asked my players to not be jerks and they agreed not to create a necromancer wizard whose sole tactic is to throw the baddies at each other.
Players like that would be awesome.