I'm a new GM and setting up my first epic homebrew campaign. You all have given me great advice while running my first module campaign.
I now want to know how to progress the town bully from a human bully to eventually the Lich's "right hand man." The bully will progress from 1st level to about 8th level.
Additionally, the party will encounter the bully during their very first introduction session while meeting in a tavern. The bully will harass them and maybe get into a fight with them.
The second encounter will be finding them leaving town the next day and get into a fight with the bully and his friends because they embarrassed him the night before in the tavern.
The third encounter will be a days journey out side of town when he will gathered another group of his friends and try to ambush the party. During this combat I'm hoping the adventurers will kill him and this will be the time that the necromancer's (lich) hence men will find him and raise him form the dead. Some of the lich's henchmen will have been in the bar watching the event unfold. What type of undead should he be?
What type of undead will he be after they kill him as an undead the second time? third time? 4th time? Does eventually become a vampire?
Depending on his level of martial training (does he wear full plate), he could be a low-level graveknight once he has 5 or more HD. The best part about this one is that it makes for a perfect second-in-command for a lich. The template grants control over a sizable amount of undead that can be used as cannon fodder, or as part of the encounter itself for a beefier challenge. It grants you 5 hd of undead control per hd you have, so I like to use a smaller number of high-HD skeletons or zombies to maximum effect. This works even better with the lich master, as his necromancy can provide the larger bulk of the force, while the graveknight and his direct minions form an elite guard of sorts.
Obviously, this all would apply to the higher-end encounter levels, but the graveknight can appear as early as CR 5 (for NPC warrior) or 6 (for PC class).
Actually, there's an interesting thought -- hypothetically, I suppose a person could become multiple kinds of undead during their li--er, existence.
You can become lots of kinds of undead through predation, like ghouls, vampires and shadows. You can't be raised while the undead exists, but IIRC, killing the undead frees up the ability to be resurrected -- especially important for adventurers who are likely to be drained to 0 HP / stat while fighting these creatures, and would love to be later brought back.
Yet, I suppose it's possible for somebody to get ghoul fever ... become a ghoul ... die, get raised ... get killed by a shadow, become a shadow ... die, get raised ... get killed by a vampire, become a vampire spawn ... die, get raised ... maybe cap it off by becoming a Grave Knight.
It's practically pokemon.
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Additionally, the party will encounter the bully during their very first introduction session while meeting in a tavern. The bully will harass them and maybe get into a fight with them.
The second encounter will be finding them leaving town the next day and get into a fight with the bully and his friends because they embarrassed him the night before in the tavern.
The third encounter will be a days journey out side of town when he will gathered another group of his friends and try to ambush the party. During this combat I'm hoping the adventurers will kill him and this will be the time that the necromancer's (lich) hence men will find him and raise him form the dead.
Your plan hinges on the characters fighting him three times, letting him escape twice, and then killing him in the third confrontation?
Good luck. I recommend a backup plan.
@Stalchild The Graveknight is the perfect choice! I will adjust the NPC to now wearing his old father's (former fighter) ill fitting half plate armour. As a reminder the adventurers will encounter the bully as soon as they meet up for the first time (level 1 party).
I will then have him meet them again a days ride from the village and harass them again and have to run off when the fight gets "dicey."
I'll work him again at the adventurers next village stop and bring him back when the party reaches fifth level.