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Okay so I've a character I'm trying to build for an upcoming campaign and I'd like some assistance in making it work. Couple things before we begin.
1) I'd very much like to stay within the concept as much as possible.
2) I'd like to optimize this build as much as I can insofar as it is possible while staying within the concept (basically make the concept work as best as it can).
3) Less likely an issue but preferably have the character as a full caster.
Concept:
-Short version: A Louisianian/Hatian inspired Elf voodoo witch that uses plants to help create undead. Kinda like the Golgari from the Ravnica block of Magic the Gathering, but less evil and more like using the undead (implanted with seeds and saplings and such) to work the land and eventually serve as food/fuel for the plants. Doesn't make undead from innocent people (so no burning towns to the ground) but rather those that have either died recently of natural causes or by violence (making the ex-bandits work for you!) and is big on the whole "giving back to the earth" kinda thing. Looking at either Chaotic Good or Neutral for alignment despite the whole Necromancy thing.
The build so far: Looks like we're going to be starting at level 1. The current idea is a Gravecaller Witch with the Plant Patron (with spells getting overwritten by Gravecaller). Feats are likely going to be Extra Hex at 1st and 3rd, Train Plants at lvl 5, Grow Plant Creature at 7, Spell Focus (Necromancy) at 9, Undead Master at 11, then likely more Hexes from then on. Granted if I opted out of one of the Extra Hexes at lvl 1 or 3 I could get Undead Master by 9 though I'm not sure if that would gimp me in the short term due to Gravecaller snagging up some of the Witch Hexes for archetype abilities. No idea on traits yet but I intend to set up the background by Harrow and Ultimate Campaign and see what traits pop up from there.
Around level 7 I'm also looking at starting to make Necrocraft creatures for various jobs and eventually making use of the Grow Plant Creature feat for Assassin Vines and Treants.
Anyway, that's what I have so far. The campaign is a ways down the road so I have time to experiment and tweak.
Edit: Bonus points to anyone that can sort out how to make legit plant based undead for player use.
Is the campaign set on Golarion? If so, creating undead is an intrinsically evil act, so CG is hard to pull off here.
In a homebrew world things can be different, of course.
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Is the campaign set on Golarion? If so, creating undead is an intrinsically evil act, so CG is hard to pull off here.
In a homebrew world things can be different, of course.
It is indeed a homebrew setting (me and some guys in the group have been working on it for some time). One of the things I've advocated for the setting is heaping helpings of moral grey areas so things are not cut and dry about what concepts are good or evil.
Granted I may butt heads with one of the other players (a rules lawyer) but I suppose I'll deal with that as it comes.
Oh, rules lawyering shouldn't be a problem with alignment here, there are no rules in the rulebooks about undead stuff invariably being evil. (Well, the spells get the [evil] descriptor, but it's been clarified that casting an [evil] spell is not in itself an evil act.) It's only Golarion material that ever says that.
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Oh, rules lawyering shouldn't be a problem with alignment here, there are no rules in the rulebooks about undead stuff invariably being evil. (Well, the spells get the [evil] descriptor, but it's been clarified that casting an [evil] spell is not in itself an evil act.) It's only Golarion material that ever says that.
Might you have a link or something to the evil spell ruling? I've the feeling I'm gonna need it >.>
Well this is terribly embarrassing. I'm looking, and I'm finding a lot of posters who think that, but no rulings, and in fact developer commentary seems to be to the exact opposite effect. So I'm probably just insane. :-(
Guess you'll have to ask to have the evil descriptor explicitly removed from the spells of undeath.
Oh, I was thinking of a PFS rule.
Does casting evil spells cause an alignment infraction?
Casting an evil spell is not an alignment infraction in and of itself, as long as it doesn't violate any codes, tenents of faith, or other such issues. Committing an evil act outside of casting the spell, such as using an evil spell to torture an innocent NPC for information or the like is an alignment infraction. For example: using infernal healing to heal party members is not an evil act.
Whew! Not insane, just forgetting context. But it makes it clear that Paizo thinks it's reasonable to do it that way, even if various devs disagree.
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Well this is terribly embarrassing. I'm looking, and I'm finding a lot of posters who think that, but no rulings, and in fact developer commentary seems to be to the exact opposite effect. So I'm probably just insane. :-(
Guess you'll have to ask to have the evil descriptor explicitly removed from the spells of undeath.
Me and the Rules Lawyer are actually looking at homebrewing a variant of Animate Dead that subs out the Evil descriptor and subs in the Plant Type for undead. He's suggesting making it a lvl 3 version of Lesser Animate Dead, I'm more keen on a somewhat nerfed version of Animate Dead (sans the zombie and skelly variants). Still kickin' ideas about.
What if you animated dead plant husks into humanoid forms?
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There is a tiny bit of precedent for this:
http://www.archivesofnethys.com/MonsterDisplay.aspx?ItemName=Yellow Musk Creeper
From bestiary 1, these plant grow in corpses and turn them into non-negative energy zombies.
Maybe see if your GM will let you specialize in these plants for a non-evil necromancer?