Can you use Gentle Repose on an Undead?

[TremorFang]

Sorry if this was asked already. I was just wondering if one could use the spell gentle repose on an undead character.

I ask because I would like my character to eventually become a Lich, but for story sake, he is the type that doesn't want others to know he is a Lich.

That way he can be like, "Surprise! I am a Lich".

I know I would need to talk to my DM about using permanency on gentle repose, but that's only if gentle repose can preserve the undead.

Thanks.

 

[Dandu]

Yes.

 

[TremorFang]

Alright. Thanks then.

 

[Jhaelen]

Sorry if this was asked already. I was just wondering if one could use the spell gentle repose on an undead character.

That doesn't work, since the spell targets a corpse. A corpse is a type of object while an undead is a type of creature.

 

[Drowbane]

Jhaelen is correct in terms of raw. So ask your DM, he might be ok with it anyways. My last undead PC had a ring of gentle repose.

 

[Cor_Malek]

disclaimer - my explanation deals more with "right, but how?" part of this, and can(should) be ignored if for someone "Magic!"+page number is enough ;-)

It does need corpse, but I guess it depends on how you see the walking dead. IMO a lich body is by all means dead even if it's still animated by his arcane powers, and thus could be targeted by gentle repose spell, especially that apparently it just fends off germs shields from detrimental influence of oxygen. Now, trying to appear forever young by casting it on live body still wouldn't work, seeing how we need oxygen and the germs (yay ingestion!). On the other hand, since people raised after being under this spell do not immediately drop dead from suffocation, we could assume that any body-influencing spell cast after GR cancel it's preserving effects.

Even if we focus on the "a walking cadaver is not a cadaver, he's just cadaver-ish" line of thinking, you could have the cleric that is transforming you cast a permanent GR on your body before turning you to a lich.
However. The process of lich creation might be detrimental to the body by itself, as it's a case-by-case thing. Casting this spell on your body could very well prevent successful transformation, leaving you in an awkward spot.

All in all one can rule-lawyer it either way. Ultimately it's DM's call, but it's not without a merit, and could be fun.

 

[jefgorbach]

IMO its feasible/legal per RAW.

The description for Gentle Reposes states "You preserve the remains of a dead creature so that they do not decay." with RAW defining "dead" as being when "The character’s hit points are reduced to -10, his Constitution drops to 0, or he is killed outright by a spell or effect." (emphasis mine)

The key word being -OR- because even though liches have recovered their hit points, they still have a zero Constitution so are dead per RAW and thus subject to Gentle Repose.

 

[Persiflage]

No, for two reasons. One is what Jhaelen said: an undead creature is not a valid target for the spell. The other is my opinion only, based on this:

A lich is a gaunt and skeletal humanoid with withered flesh stretched tight across horribly visible bones. Its eyes have long ago been lost to decay, but bright pinpoints of crimson light burn on in the empty sockets.

That's not what a normally-decayed corpse looks like without deliberately arranging matters that way (glowing red eyes being in any case quite hard to do with standard embalming processes). That's what you look like when you become a lich. It's part of the process and damn well ought to be a drawback. I say there's no way that a Gentle Repose spell can or should be able to counteract the violent physiological trauma associated with a deliberate transformation to the undead state. Anyway, you've got to be at least an 11th-level caster to pull this off, so resorting to Veil or similarly-powerful disguise magic ought to be an option for you. As a minimum, tinted glasses are going to be a necessity

Why would you want to be a Lich anyway? You'll just get blown to shrapnel by a mid-level Radiant Servant of Do-Goodery by the end of your first week, and don't think that phylactery nonsense will save you. Ghosts have significantly greater amounts of awesome at the cost of +5 level adjustment instead of +4 for candy-ass liches. Get your back-story right as a ghost and it's nigh-impossible to put you down. Or Death Knights, they rock too (provided none of your party start making snide comments about Dragonlance).

Liches were actually scary in 2e; now they're just easy XP for any cleric who's made even a moderate investment in their ability to turn undead. [

 

[Cor_Malek]

Liches were actually scary in 2e; now they're just easy XP for any cleric who's made even a moderate investment in their ability to turn undead.

The rest of them carries a bazillion nightsticks on them anyway ;-)

BTW - I was sort of surprised to see that Lichen do not have SR. Huh.

 

[TremorFang]

The main reason is, my character has the "cliche'" never ending search for power. If your life has ended, well then so has your search for said power. Thus he turned to ways to indefinitely increasing his life span. So far, being a lich seems the only achievable way. I would love having devine level 0... probably not going to happen. lol.

I would of course have to invest in items that give turn resistance, but I like what my character did with his phylactery. Anyways, not dying is the main reason.