Dhampir hunter, Vampiric Companion and Raise\resurrection of Animal Companion how does that go?

[zza ni]

(warning a wall of text before my question to explain the starting points)

so looking at the hunter class it seem that their level 10 (and later on level 16) class ability of ' Raise of Animal Companion'(\resurrection at 16th) has no limited uses per day -as in he can spam it as long as he and the companion can take the backlash.

said backlash is

for the hunter:

Using this spell-like ability gives the hunter a permanent negative level. This negative level cannot be overcome in any way (including by restoration), but automatically ends after 24 hours.

and for the companion it depend if it's as

rise dead:

The subject of the spell gains two permanent negative levels when it is raised, just as if it had been hit by an energy-draining creature. If the subject is 1st level, it takes 2 points of Constitution drain instead (if this would reduce its Con to 0 or less, it can't be raised)

or

resurrection:

The subject of the spell gains one permanent negative level when it is raised, just as if it had been hit by an energy-draining creature. If the subject is 1st level, it takes 2 points of Constitution drain instead (if this would reduce its Con to 0 or less, it can't be resurrected).

looking for ways to minimize this backlash and maximize the uses per day i set eyes on the dhampir race which has : "Resist Level Drain: A dhampir takes no penalties from energy drain effects, though he can still be killed if he accrues more negative levels then he has Hit Dice. After 24 hours, any negative levels a dhampir takes are removed without the need for an additional saving throw."
which while limiting the use of up to once per level (or less if he gain negative levels from something else) at least it mean he doesn't suffer any penalties for all the negative levels he stack up for reusing this ability.

as for the companion the dhampir race can pick up the feat vampiric companion (limited to level 10 the same level he gain the rise dead ability) which make the companion into an undead type. and here lays the pickle.

while undead have "Not subject to nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength), as well as to exhaustion and fatigue effects." (remember the spells say "just as if it had been hit by an energy-draining creature")
it also say that:
"Not affected by raise dead and reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect undead creatures. These spells turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead."

so up to level 16 the dhampir would be best suited without the feat and just rise his companion with stacking 2 negative levels to it for each time that happen.

the interesting thing is when level 16 hits and he can use resurrection. as the feat say "If your animal companion or familiar is destroyed, dismissed, or lost, you can apply the effects of this feat to the replacement creature"

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so my question goes, is it right to assume that at level 16 with said feat the dhampir can resurrect his companion (takes 1 minutes) which is then comes back as it's living type, with 1 negative level, then the feat takes place turning it into an undead and negating the negative level? (it should end with his almost full hp for the resurrection, recalculated via con to cha change and -5 for starting with a negative level that removed 5 hp from his current hp and max hp )

[Mysterious Stranger]

Vampiric Companion states if your companion is destroyed, dismissed or lost you can apply it to the replacement companion. It does not however state that it can be applied to a creature more than once. The fact that the companion remains undead if you are destroyed seems to indicate it is a permanent one-time change. Resurrection cast on an undead brings the creature back to life, they are no longer undead. Since the companion is the same companion not a replacement it would not become undead.

[zza ni]

well it was destroyed so it stopped being your companion there, and when it comes back, isn't it a replacement?
it say "you can apply the effects of this feat to the replacement creature " meaning it's an option and you can decide to hold it off for a while. it's not an automatic thing once it's off from the original companion.

i mean once any companion get destroyed you have the options of getting a new one or trying to rise it. wouldn't rising it also reattune it as well?

it's kinda finky even with the normal companion.

i don't think the feat care how you got your new companion, once you have one you can apply the feat to it.

i mean what happen if you dismiss the undead companion? i guess he stay undead. you can dismiss a companion and call him back, druids going through different areas are even supposed to do so. like getting a marine animal for underwater quest, then getting an other for land based one. wouldn't this count as such? Thr druid can even dismiss his companion thinking of getting a new one them decide to recall it back. Nothing stop him from replacing it with itself.

at this point im not even sure anymore, you might be right, anyone can tell what happen when you dismiss the undead companion? couldn't an evil dhampir start sending horrible undead abomination to plague the land this way?

edit: i think as a GM i would call this one 'undeath powered by the feat' and once the companion is dismissed he stop being undead and just stay dead - the animating power move on to posses a new champion. (Which might be the same creature if it got resurrected and made into a companion again)