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How does create undead (and greater) work if used on a PC? Some are templates I know, but not all. What if my 7th level rogue drops and the party necromancer uses a scroll of create undead on me? Do I keep my class levels and attributes and skills as a ghoul or shadow? Can I earn them back if not? Can I even still control myself?
Do I go into autokill the master unless he commands me, or can we continue to adventure on our merry way? The char in question is CG but not opposed to necromancy outright, as adventuring with this evil dude has softened him to it a bit. Saving your life on multiple occasions does that.
It would be a gm call on that one. What I can tell you is this: one of my party members drew from a deck of many things variant that turned him into a skeletal champion I used the template rules. As far as alignment it was easy for me because he was already evil whether his alignment would change would ultimately be a gm call. He had no racial HD just class HD so there was no change there. Basically the way I read the template is it doesn't really change anything based on class it did add new class skills in addition to his other class skills.
Whoever raised him would not control him If you read the spell it states that "Created undead are not automatically under the control of their animator."
If your looking for expanded rules for create undead the undead revisited book has some expanded rules for this. I'm sorry I'm not sure if an online ard for this exists.
Oh and if no template exists what i would do is simply change the character type to undead and add any special abilities or qualities the undead in question may have. Such as a ghoul would have Special attack Paralysis and the Ghoul fever as well as all the traits of undead which are in the back of the bestiary.
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It depends on the type of undead you're raised as. In the case of most undead that lack a template, you rise as a generic version of the creature; your stats and abilities are adjusted to match what's in the bestiary. If that form of undead is intelligent is can begin to gain class levels, but it would probably be best to think of it as an entirely different character. In many cases your character won't even retain his memories.
Now the spell create undead adds another wrinkle to things. Undead created with this spell are not automatically controlled, but if the caster uses the Command Undead Feat you may not be able to control your actions. The spell control undead would have a similar effect. Additionally, the undead types created by the spell in question would usually attack the caster, and other living creatures in the area, immediately unless controlled in some way.
Generally a PC in this situation will no longer be viable to play as a PC. The exception is the undead types that have a template, but this usually results in an increase in power that can easily unbalance the party. As a result, in most circumstances any PC raised as an undead should become an NPC.
Agree with Heaven's Agent.
I'd let a player character raised as a template undead, with it's increased power, continue to play for a little while, but state directly to the player that he'll get more and more detached from the living world as time goes by, and probably won't be able to travel with the party for long.
If the power increase makes the party unbalanced, I'd then revoke the right to play the char (probably through a serious talk and setting up a good way for the character to go in a fluid way, either by leaving the party, betraying them, or being destroyed). If not, then it can continue to play with them.
Oh and if no template exists what i would do is simply change the character type to undead and add any special abilities or qualities the undead in question may have. Such as a ghoul would have Special attack Paralysis and the Ghoul fever as well as all the traits of undead which are in the back of the bestiary.
My reason for this is because a ghould orc wouldn't have the same stats as a ghoul human. If you look at some APs or in Classic horros revisited or Undead revisited there are undead with class levels. If you feel it will be unbalancing don't allow. Keep in mind an undead player could also be returned to normal with a resurrection and true resurrection spell. In the campaing with skeletal champion he was travelling with a cleric of sarenrae who believes all evil but mindless undead can be redeemed the cleric prayed to her god for guidance and her god gifted her with a resurrection spell the next time she prepared her spells with which the cleric returned the player to normal. He wasn't happy about it but it was either that or be destroyed since the cleric and party were mostly good.
Note that an orc ghoul and a human ghoul HAS the same stats by the game as it is now, and Create Undead always creates a baseline undead creature, not something with class levels (unless templated).
You can of course house rule it, but a Ghoul Fighter 5 is FAR overpowered compared to a Human Fighter 5.
actually reading the spell create undead and even going back to animate dead it doesn't say it produces a basline creature. I have a necormancer in my game currently who used create undead on a bulette and made him a ghoul. You can just use the baseline undead because I understand making something a ghoul and then readjusting it would be a time consuming process if it was different with everything you cast create undead on. According to hero lab stat adjustments for a ghoul are: Str +3 Dex +5 Int +3 Wis +4 Cha +4 class skills are climb, disguise, fly, intimidate, knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Religion), Perception, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Stealth.
As for the overpowered aspect again that is a GM call whether something is overpowered or not. When you turn a fighter who had a CON 18 and CHA 8 into a ghoul his con is now 0 and his CHA is his hit point score. So he goes from a +4 hp each lvl to a +1(due to the +4 cha bonus) and loses 15hp off his total. If you just look at stats yes a ghoul fighter lvl 5 is more powerful but you also have to think a ghoul fighter isn't going to be able to walk into town and buy new equipment or stave off the hordes of living that would attack it on sight. If the player is dead and another player gets to raise him that player could go take his equipment before he is raised. Whether or not something is overpowered is not something that can be determined just by stats alone.
I believe official clarification stating that the spells do indeed create a baseline version of undead exists. I could be wrong on this point, though, and I'll have to do some digging to find the source. Regardless, creating a baseline version of the undead type makes the most sense in this situation. This is further corroborated by the fact that the majority of self-spawning undead either have a description of how the creature's former class level interact with the new undead form (vampire) or state in some way that a baseline creature is created (ghoul, vampire spawn).
You're correct about finding undead with class levels in published content, Smiles, but as I mentioned an intelligent undead can gain class levels after it is created. These examples in no way indicate that a newly created undead retains any of the levels it possessed in life. Additionally, the HeroLabs stat adjustments are non-official, as Paizo has not released any supplement that supports players creating and playing general undead NPCs.
Concerning undead being overpowered in comparison to the rest of the group, you need to realize that the ghoul fighter used in the above example may not be as unbalancing as some other options. Even so, according to the rules presented in the Bestiary a ghoul Ftr1 is actually a level 6 character, making it notably more effective on the front line than a level 5 human fighter. More powerful forms of undead are going to result in an even greater discrepancy of power.
I do indeed know and acknowledge that hero lab is unofficial I was merely giving a tool that one could use if someone elected to create an undead and wanted something other than the baseline creature. Also again all undead created with the spell create undead are intelligent. If your going to let a player play one and are worried about unbalancing things just use the players as monsterous characters.
Also there is no evidence that that a newly created undead won't retain any of its class levels. Especially when you consider a lich. Also in kingmaker there is a dread zombie retained all of his class levels from life. On the flip side there is a spectre who did not.
If you want quick dirty simply this is how it works when used on pc: If the GM is okay with it the player is still in control of his character if not he is an npc. Keep in mind an intelligent undead still retains memories from life in some cases so he may not attack the party even if he is an npc.
If you want quick dirty simply this is how it works when used on pc: If the GM is okay with it the player is still in control of his character if not he is an npc.
No one's denying this Smiles, but it's useless to refer to this universal rule in this thread. The OP is a player asking for advice, not the GM; we can only give advice based on the game's rules, because we have no influence on the GM's decision.
Keep in mind an intelligent undead still retains memories from life in some cases so he may not attack the party even if he is an npc.
In some cases, yes. But of those that can be created with the spells in question there is no indication that any memory is retained: a ghoul or ghast "hungers for the flesh of the living and behaves like a normal ghoul in all respects", a mummy may retain its memories but is created for a special purpose in which they are "ever vigilant", mohrgs might remember something of their lives but are insane, insatiable killing machines, shadows have "no goals or outwardly visible motivations other than to sap life and vitality from living beings", wraiths hate living things and "have lost much of their connection to their former lives", and devourers are unrelenting soul hunters. A wraith may maintain enough free will and memory to hold itself back, but even they hate all life. Now, most of this is the result of fluff description, but it's the best thing we have to go on in this instance. a GM has to decide this on his or her own.
well yes its just like an ooze that retains its intelligence but cannot control its actions. I thought the OP was a gm asking advice not a player my mistake.
No I am a player. I just was curious how it usually works. I don't know how the GM would react. He's usually ok if we can cite a rule from one of the Big Four (CRB, APG, UM, UC) or other hardcover. Supplements are iffy.
The necromancer has control undead and the command undead spell always prepped. He just wants any army really and I figured if I die I'd (OOC) not mind it.
Considering I'd lose everything I have though and be generic unless he houseruled otherwise this makes me reconsider that. I was going to chip in on a scroll of Greater if I could keep my rogue levels as a Shadow.
I guess I have to wait until he can do templates.
And Thanks very much for the prompt in depth replies. This forum kicks the tar out if Wizards or White Wolf when it comes to activity levels and replies.
NP sorry for the confusion. Keep in mind any undead can be brought back with a resurrection or true resurrection spell. So maybe your gm would be cool with the undead tagging along for awhile until you guys can raise the funds.
I guess I have to wait until he can do templates.
If your GM is interested in allowing this I'd recommend looking in other parts of these forums, like the house-rules area. These questions are not new ones, and it is possible that someone may have already done the work. Or someone more experienced with designing house rules might be willing to step forward and create some on your behalf, if you ask there.
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In the Golarion setting, a ghoul can retain class levels and memories of it's previous life if it becomes a ghoul in the presence of a rare darklands mineral known as lazurite. If the GM is copacetic with such things, a chunk of lazurite used as a power component might allow a spellcaster to raise a dead ally as a ghoul with his class abilities and memories intact.
As with pretty much everything, since 1st edition, if there isn't a rule or mechanic that allows something, there's always limited wish or wish for doing those things. A limited wish (perhaps off a scroll), cast in conjunction with the create undead, seems like a reasonable solution, although, as always, the GM's the one who decides what those spells can do.
Various 3.0/3.5 sources have templates and / or 'racial class' options for most forms of undead. Libris Mortus has Umbral Creature (shadow), Mummified Creature (mummy), Gravetouched Ghoul (ghoul) and Ghost Brute (ghost) templates, for instance, and I think the Book of Vile Darkness has one or two others.
An undead 'template' strapped onto a character of the same level as the rest of the party can be tweaked down a bit by the GM by simply having the undead form of your character only recall *some* of their life-experiences and memories, just chopping a few levels off the top, to bring the new undead version of the character down to a more even level with the rest of the party.
Depending on what your GM goes for, it might be less of a headache for you to just write up a new character, and let the necromancer make an NPC undead out of the last one. If the resulting undead is going to be a standard 3 HD ghoul or shadow under the control of the necromancer (until it isn't...), that doesn't sound like any sort of fun at all.
How does create undead (and greater) work if used on a PC? Some are templates I know, but not all. What if my 7th level rogue drops and the party necromancer uses a scroll of create undead on me? Do I keep my class levels and attributes and skills as a ghoul or shadow? Can I earn them back if not? Can I even still control myself?
Do I go into autokill the master unless he commands me, or can we continue to adventure on our merry way? The char in question is CG but not opposed to necromancy outright, as adventuring with this evil dude has softened him to it a bit. Saving your life on multiple occasions does that.
Here is the way I see it...
In Pathfinder you don't lose your experience points unless specifically noted, and that includes being turned into something else. If you have a rogue who is 12th level with 220,000 XP (using the medium XP progression) and that rogue is turned into a ghast (CR 2), the character looses all their levels and becomes a ghast. However, the character still has 220,000 XP. Thus, the rogue may immediately regain most of his levels due to his XP total; using the Monsters as PCs rules to determine how many levels worth of "ghast" that he has.So assuming a simplistic view of CR = level, as the monsters as PCs rules suggest, our 12th level Rogue would become a 10th level Ghoul Rogue. Now the monsters as PCs rules are a little more complicated than that, as their effective level loss from being a monstrous race drops as their level rises (which I'm not sure I like actually, but that's neither here nor there), but this is a simplified explanation of this idea.
Finally, all of the undead that are created by create undead or create greater undead are sentient and unless magically compelled can continue to adventure with their fellow comrades even after death. Now you're basically the undead guy in the party, like the sand-lich from Clash of the Titans. Anyone remember the almost pitiful look on Medusa's face when she tried to turn him to stone but he's immune to the fortitude save? (^-^)
Finally, all of the undead that are created by create undead or create greater undead are sentient and unless magically compelled can continue to adventure with their fellow comrades even after death. Now you're basically the undead guy in the party, like the sand-lich from Clash of the Titans. Anyone remember the almost pitiful look on Medusa's face when she tried...
He was, quite literally, the bomb ^_____^
Kudos for referencing my favourite movie of all time, I had to comment. XD
On topic, our GM would disallow this as a PC on the basis that it would provide too much power to one player, regardless of the rules :P
In Pathfinder you don't lose your experience points unless specifically noted, and that includes being turned into something else. If you have a rogue who is 12th level with 220,000 XP (using the medium XP progression) and that rogue is turned into a ghast (CR 2), the character looses all their levels and becomes a ghast. However, the character still has 220,000 XP. Thus, the rogue may immediately regain most of his levels due to his XP total; using the Monsters as PCs rules to determine how many levels worth of "ghast" that he has.
This is not a valid argument. Before a character can be raised, that character must die. Their corpse is then used to create a new creature, and a corpse has no experience points; unless specified, the newly-created undead does not gain the benefits, including the experience points, of the dead character. There is nothing in the game to indicate otherwise.
Finally, all of the undead that are created by create undead or create greater undead are sentient and unless magically compelled can continue to adventure with their fellow comrades even after death. Now you're basically the undead guy in the party, like the sand-lich from Clash of the Titans. Anyone remember the almost pitiful look on Medusa's face when she tried...
This is an oversimplification of things. A mummy, for example, is intelligent but created for a purpose it must complete. Several of the types of undead possesses an overwhelming hatred toward the living. One would need to deviate from the game setting in order to allow such creatures to adventure with a party of player characters.
In Pathfinder you don't lose your experience points unless specifically noted, and that includes being turned into something else. If you have a rogue who is 12th level with 220,000 XP (using the medium XP progression) and that rogue is turned into a ghast (CR 2), the character looses all their levels and becomes a ghast. However, the character still has 220,000 XP. Thus, the rogue may immediately regain most of his levels due to his XP total; using the Monsters as PCs rules to determine how many levels worth of "ghast" that he has.This is not a valid argument. Before a character can be raised, that character must die. Their corpse is then used to create a new creature, and a corpse has no experience points; unless specified, the newly-created undead does not gain the benefits, including the experience points, of the dead character. There is nothing in the game to indicate otherwise.
Finally, all of the undead that are created by create undead or create greater undead are sentient and unless magically compelled can continue to adventure with their fellow comrades even after death. Now you're basically the undead guy in the party, like the sand-lich from Clash of the Titans. Anyone remember the almost pitiful look on Medusa's face when she tried...This is an oversimplification of things. A mummy, for example, is intelligent but created for a purpose it must complete. Several of the types of undead possesses an overwhelming hatred toward the living. One would need to deviate from the game setting in order to allow such creatures to adventure with a party of player characters.
Heaven's Agent, you are the voice of reason in a sea of absurdity.
In addition to Heaven's Agent's very valid point about the actual rules of the game regarding raising undead, it is also an incredibly bad idea to allow a character to gain additional power (yes, being undead is a significant bump in power) as a result of "losing" the game by getting killed. Instead of losing a good chunk of resources (the expensive material components for raise dead/reincarnation) or simply having to roll a new character, allowing the character to play as undead is giving them a chunk of resources (undead traits), thus being rewarded for getting himself killed.
This can only lead to party imbalance, which leads to dissatisfied players, and can easily end the campaign in a pouty fog of mutual resentment.
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In Pathfinder you don't lose your experience points unless specifically noted, and that includes being turned into something else. If you have a rogue who is 12th level with 220,000 XP (using the medium XP progression) and that rogue is turned into a ghast (CR 2), the character looses all their levels and becomes a ghast. However, the character still has 220,000 XP. Thus, the rogue may immediately regain most of his levels due to his XP total; using the Monsters as PCs rules to determine how many levels worth of "ghast" that he has.This is not a valid argument. Before a character can be raised, that character must die. Their corpse is then used to create a new creature, and a corpse has no experience points; unless specified, the newly-created undead does not gain the benefits, including the experience points, of the dead character. There is nothing in the game to indicate otherwise.
Finally, all of the undead that are created by create undead or create greater undead are sentient and unless magically compelled can continue to adventure with their fellow comrades even after death. Now you're basically the undead guy in the party, like the sand-lich from Clash of the Titans. Anyone remember the almost pitiful look on Medusa's face when she tried...This is an oversimplification of things. A mummy, for example, is intelligent but created for a purpose it must complete. Several of the types of undead possesses an overwhelming hatred toward the living. One would need to deviate from the game setting in order to allow such creatures to adventure with a party of player characters.
Except all of this is disproved the moment you check the Mummy entry, which proves that casting create undead returns you to life as an undead version of yourself. You are still the same person, but you are now an undead version. There is no specific purpose. In fact, turning themselves into mummies is an effective alternative to lichdom.
Although most mummies are created merely as guardians and remain loyal to their charge until their destruction, certain powerful mummies have much more free will. The majority are at least 10th-level clerics, and are often kings or pharaohs who have called upon dark gods or sinister necromancers to bind their souls to their bodies after death—usually as a means to extend their rule beyond the grave, but at times simply to escape what they fear will be an eternity of torment in their own afterlife.
I do think this needs to be FAQ'd since most people I know use that spell to get the base monster, not base monster+class levels.
Either way is fine by me. I might use it to reunite dead PC's with the old friends if Ashiel's version is correct.
I say we hit the FAQ button.
I do think this needs to be FAQ'd since most people I know use that spell to get the base monster, not base monster+class levels.
Either way is fine by me. I might use it to reunite dead PC's with the old friends if Ashiel's version is correct.I say we hit the FAQ button.
Well, if you cease being the same person only undead-ified, then the mummy entry is wrong, because it specifically notes using it to extend your life and suggests retaining your abilities afterwards. This also matches up with the Mummy Lords who are 10th level clerics.
The mummy is only one monster though. I don't think you can use a monster that is known to have class levels at times, and apply that to other monsters that normally don't.
The ones with class levels are also the exception since most of them are created as guardians. It seem that the ones with class levels became mummies on purpose, but there are no details as to how they did it. The ordinary mummy seems to be the one created by the spell.
The mummy is only one monster though. I don't think you can use a monster that is known to have class levels at times, and apply that to other monsters that normally don't.
The ones with class levels are also the exception since most of them are created as guardians. It seem that the ones with class levels became mummies on purpose, but there are no details as to how they did it. The ordinary mummy seems to be the one created by the spell.
All sentient undead are known to have class levels at times. Ghouls for example. If the monsters as PC rules come into play, most low level PCs or NPCs turned into NPCs would have no class levels because they lose all their levels and use their racial CR; and haven't attained enough experience to gain any actual class levels yet. However, if you're a higher level character, you'd still have plenty of XP to re-collect some of your levels (or all of them, since the rules assume that your CR slowly vanishes as you gain levels).
Mummies are made from create undead. Why would they be an exception when they are created in literally the exact same manner as ghouls, ghasts, morgues, shadows, wraiths, spectres, and devourers?
EDIT: For example. If you took a PC. Let's say they are level 3 Cleric, using the medium XP progression with 5,000 XP. You turn one into a mummy. They are rebuilt as a mummy, with a character level of 5th (CR 5, by the monsters as PCs rules). You have lost all your shiny clerical abilities because for now you are just a mummy. However, when you hit 23,000 XP (enough to bring you from level 5 to 6) you get your first class level, so now you can be a Mummy Cleric 1. You need 18,000 XP to bring you from your current 5,000 XP to 23,000 XP and regain your class levels.
Now a much higher level character will have more XP, and thus would be able to regain more of their class levels immediately, as is with the Mummy Lords who are Mummy Cleric 10. By the time a 12th level character is turned into a Mummy, the level adjustment has been reduced from 5 to 1 (by the monsters as PC rules), resulting in a Mummy Cleric 11.
I personally think there's not enough weakness in monster PCs to justify lowering the level difference every 3 levels, but that's how the rules go, so... *shrugs*
Mummy Lords seem to be made because necromancers go through a ritual to bind themselves in death so they go from human cleric 10 to mummy cleric 10 as an example.
The spell in question seems to make you into a mummy with no class levels.
If mummies were made in the exact same manner as the other then the others would just as frequently have class levels, but you don't see many shadows with class levels.
Mummy Lords seem to be made because necromancers go through a ritual to bind themselves in death so they go from human cleric 10 to mummy cleric 10 as an example.
The spell in question seems to make you into a mummy with no class levels.
If mummies were made in the exact same manner as the other then the others would just as frequently have class levels, but you don't see many shadows with class levels.
All a mummy lord is, is a mummy with class levels. It gives the details as to how mummies are created. With create undead. It says this. It then says clerics and other important dudes either get their dark gods or necromancers to turn them into mummies so they can live forever, instead of just becoming mummies to be guardians. Guess what spell is on Cleric and Wizard spell lists?
Create undead.
Mummy Lords seem to be made because necromancers go through a ritual to bind themselves in death so they go from human cleric 10 to mummy cleric 10 as an example.
The spell in question seems to make you into a mummy with no class levels.
If mummies were made in the exact same manner as the other then the others would just as frequently have class levels, but you don't see many shadows with class levels.
Again, that's because most of the time class levels are consumed. Yes, it does turn you into an undead without class levels. Most people are below the level of most of these creatures. You'd have to be a 6th level character just to be a mummy with 1 PC level. Since higher level characters are presumably rarer than low level characters, there's a good reason the basic undead (and that's what they are, basic versions of those undead) do not have class levels. Yes you can have a shadow with class levels, absolutely, but most shadows don't have them. I'm sure there are those shadows who have acquired class levels.
I just remembered we had this discussion before.
<goes to check>
Yeah, May of last year.
Either way since both of us are pretty good with rules and we disagree, and I would assume most of the GM you know agree with you, and the ones I know agree with me the issue needs to be FAQ'd.
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Ashiel--
I think whether or not undead retain experience and class levels from when they were alive also depends on whether or not they retain memories of who they were in life. Even with sentient undead, sometimes that's kind of "iffy"... I have heard the presumption before that characters who have died, and whose remains/spirits/whatever came back as ghouls, shadows, wights & wraiths had no memory of who they used to be, and although nominally sentient (just how intelligent is also another question), had no trace of the original personality (this may not match these undead in your world or many other worlds)-- if the undead has no memories of his/her past and no traces of the original personality (or if the undead has very little of either), IMO the undead isn't going to retain any of the original character's experience and/or class levels either.
On the other hand, sentient undead who do retain the memories they had in life and generally retain some if not all of their personality from when they were alive-- vampires, ghosts, liches, mummies (arguable-- I've also heard of mummies as critters returning without past life experience), etc.-- IMO should retain their experience and some or all of their levels earned from when they were alive.
I think the dividing line isn't whether the new undead is nominally sentient or not-- it's how much or how little of a connection the newly animated undead retains to its former life.
Ashiel--
I think whether or not undead retain experience and class levels from when they were alive also depends on whether or not they retain memories of who they were in life. Even with sentient undead, sometimes that's kind of "iffy"... I have heard the presumption before that characters who have died, and whose remains/spirits/whatever came back as ghouls, shadows, wights & wraiths had no memory of who they used to be, and although nominally sentient (just how intelligent is also another question), had no trace of the original personality (this may not match these undead in your world or many other worlds)-- if the undead has no memories of his/her past and no traces of the original personality (or if the undead has very little of either), IMO the undead isn't going to retain any of the original character's experience and/or class levels either.
On the other hand, sentient undead who do retain the memories they had in life and generally retain some if not all of their personality from when they were alive-- vampires, ghosts, liches, mummies (arguable-- I've also heard of mummies as critters returning without past life experience), etc.-- IMO should retain their experience and some or all of their levels earned from when they were alive.
I think the dividing line isn't whether the new undead is nominally sentient or not-- it's how much or how little of a connection the newly animated undead retains to its former life.
For me it's primarily a mechanical concern. It doesn't say you lose your XP values and such, it just says you become one of these. At which point the Monsters as PCs rule applies, which determines your level and statistics. Possessing XP points means that while you are likely to lose some levels (due to becoming a monster) it means you might regain some of those levels immediately.
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For me it's primarily a mechanical concern. It doesn't say you lose your XP values and such, it just says you become one of these. At which point the Monsters as PCs rule applies, which determines your level and statistics. Possessing XP points means that while you are likely to lose some levels (due to becoming a monster) it means you might regain some of those levels immediately.
If the concern is the letter of the rules-- "you become one of these"-- then IMO that's exactly what it should be, and you don't acquire any monster levels if you already have more levels-- you just acquire the appropriate template. IMO, this still is only an issue if you have also decided that the letter of the rules you're applying, means that the newly created undead remains fundamentally the same person (other than having unlife instead of life)-- which admittedly may well be the way to apply it, when the RAW is "you become one of these". :)
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Using it on familiars and animal companions brings up another question. Is an undead familiar or animal companion still considered so?
Back in 3.X, there were occasional PrC abilities or feats that allowed (or required!) one to have an undead familiar or whatever, so, based on that precedent, which I don't think has been carried over to Pathfinder, I'd think the original intent was for the familiar or companion of someone who didn't have one of those Feats or PrCs to stop being a familiar/companion upon conversion to something else (whether it be undead, or plant via yellow-musk-creeperfication or construct via half-golem-ing or raggomoffyn-possession or whatever).
That all aside, that's my interpretation of 'rules as intended.' 3.X Druids could only have 'normal unenhanced' animals, to prevent template-nabbing and whatever. Because Pathfinder Druid companions are mechanically divorced from 'normal' animals and have their own statistics and rules, that line may have been abandoned, which opens the door for, rules as written (or, in this case, unwritten), a druid to continue having a companion bond with a companion that has become a completely different creature type, such as undead or plant or aberration or whatever.
Unlike 3.X, I'm not seeing a rule that prevents a druid from continuing to have a companion bond with a 'no-longer-animal' companion. (I could well be missing one, 'though! I just glanced through the animal companions sections in the core book, and might have overlooked it!)
And druids, unlike good clerics, aren't mechanically built around being pro-positive energy or have class features devoted to blowing up undead. Negative energy is no more 'unnatural' than positive energy in a fantasy setting that has both. It might freak out a player who doesn't really grok that negative energy isn't unnatural (although it's as deadly as fire, floods, earthquakes, plague or poison, other completely natural things), but it seems to be possible both mechanically and thematically.
Edit: I found *a* rule that suggests that Pathfinder intended the same sort of notion as 3.X, in the awaken spell, where it states that an awakened animal can no longer serve as a familiar or companion creature. So, the writer of the spell seemed to be assuming 3.X precedent, even though the Druid writeup no longer had the 'normal animal' verbiage.
Still, as written, this doesn't preclude any other wonkiness, such as a ghoul or mummy badger, just an awakened badger...
In my campaign I have a list of undead which have class levels in the bestiaries, and/or which are 'created' in the text by 'evil rituals' etc. etc. For each there is a Trait available (2 Traits buyable per Feat remember) which represents the learning of the unique rituals or techniques necessary to make those undead - who are brought to unlife by the Create Undead spell (for which I have created a CR balanced list of level prerequisites).
This way seems balanced to me as a house rule and as my campaign is very 'dark magic' in style (I also have developed an entirely fiendish summon monster spell - Summon Fiend), it gets used a lot....
Seems to me the biggest distinction is that the undead creation are spells that use the body as a material compenent to make a monster (as opposed to reincarnation, which returns a PC to life in another body).
The undead thing might have some memory of it's past life as flavor, but mechanically it's a NPC, not a PC anymore at all.
(unless the GM decides to let the player run it as a monster PC, and if so, should apply all those rules and guidelines, just like if the player wanted to play a Naga or something)
