I'm not quite sure if this belongs here but whatever. My question was if there was a way to gain a permanent undead ally in D&D without having to spend a spell slot each day or continually using my channel divinity. (I am an Oathbreaker paladin for reference.)
Short of some home brewing, nothing that I can think of. My memory is fuzzy, maybe a hexblade warlock can gain a permanent undead ally but I believe even their ability is just a temporary thing.
Best thing I would recommend is getting the Summon Undead spell and just RP it that each time you summon one of the types, it's always the same one for that type. The same ghost, the same skeleton, etc. That's what I'm doing with my Pact of the Fiend Warlock and his Summin fiend spell.
I had an idea that I could use the ceremony spell on an undead under my control, any thoughts? If I decided to multi-class into bard or druid, I could even use the awaken spell.
One of it's affects is that you can change a willing creature to it's previous alignment if that has previously changed. I would just need to reanimate a person who was good or neutral in life.
I could also probably use the awaken spell because I plan on taking a level into bard. It makes a creature with intelligence of 3 or less (zombies) charmed by the caster for 30 days and increases their intelligence to 10.
Awaken only works on beasts or plants. Create undead is humanoids, so they wouldn’t interact. Not sure how an alignment change would do anything to help you make a permanent undead follower.
Really the only way is what you noted in your OP, spend a spell slot each day. Even necromancer wizards, which pretty much all about undead, need to do it that way. It a balance mechanic so you don’t end up with lots and lots of them.
The alignment at least makes them non-hostile towards me if I stop controlling them seeing as my character is CG. It's worked once before with a spined devil and now he's an NPC party member. It was just a magic arrow provided by my character's Deity.
By RAW, alignment has no impact on attitude. All evil creatures aren’t on one team while all good are on another. Two good creatures can very much dislike each other. Two evil creatures can dislike each other. Seems like your table has a house rule otherwise, which is fine, just saying. Of course a good oathbreaker also doesn’t make sense by RAW. Nor does the idea of someone good aligned wanting to control undead — creating and controlling undead is an inherently evil thing to do. But again, if you’re all having fun, that’s all that matters.
By RAW, alignment has no impact on attitude. All evil creatures aren’t on one team while all good are on another. Two good creatures can very much dislike each other. Two evil creatures can dislike each other. Seems like your table has a house rule otherwise, which is fine, just saying. Of course a good oathbreaker also doesn’t make sense by RAW. Nor does the idea of someone good aligned wanting to control undead — creating and controlling undead is an inherently evil thing to do. But again, if you’re all having fun, that’s all that matters.
I'd argue that it isn't inherently evil to create and control undead, it's just usually done by evil people for evil intents.
However, in my homebrew setting there's a culture of outlander types who believe that once their souls leave their bodies, it is only just and right, and frankly honorable, that their bodies continue to serve their kin as warriors or servants, to help alleviate manpower shortages, defend their homes, etc.
I'm not quite sure if this belongs here but whatever. My question was if there was a way to gain a permanent undead ally in D&D without having to spend a spell slot each day or continually using my channel divinity. (I am an Oathbreaker paladin for reference.)
Short of some home brewing, nothing that I can think of. My memory is fuzzy, maybe a hexblade warlock can gain a permanent undead ally but I believe even their ability is just a temporary thing.
Best thing I would recommend is getting the Summon Undead spell and just RP it that each time you summon one of the types, it's always the same one for that type. The same ghost, the same skeleton, etc. That's what I'm doing with my Pact of the Fiend Warlock and his Summin fiend spell.
I assume you mean animate dead because paladins, (not even Oathbreaker) can't learn summon undead.
Not without homebrewing a spell list, no. That's why I was saying there's gonna need to be homebrew involved to make it happen.
I had an idea that I could use the ceremony spell on an undead under my control, any thoughts? If I decided to multi-class into bard or druid, I could even use the awaken spell.
Use ceremony how? RAW, there's a pretty specific list of options. I'm not seeing how any of them would help make an undead.
One of it's affects is that you can change a willing creature to it's previous alignment if that has previously changed. I would just need to reanimate a person who was good or neutral in life.
I could also probably use the awaken spell because I plan on taking a level into bard. It makes a creature with intelligence of 3 or less (zombies) charmed by the caster for 30 days and increases their intelligence to 10.
Awaken only works on beasts or plants. Create undead is humanoids, so they wouldn’t interact.
Not sure how an alignment change would do anything to help you make a permanent undead follower.
Really the only way is what you noted in your OP, spend a spell slot each day. Even necromancer wizards, which pretty much all about undead, need to do it that way. It a balance mechanic so you don’t end up with lots and lots of them.
The alignment at least makes them non-hostile towards me if I stop controlling them seeing as my character is CG. It's worked once before with a spined devil and now he's an NPC party member. It was just a magic arrow provided by my character's Deity.
By RAW, alignment has no impact on attitude. All evil creatures aren’t on one team while all good are on another. Two good creatures can very much dislike each other. Two evil creatures can dislike each other. Seems like your table has a house rule otherwise, which is fine, just saying. Of course a good oathbreaker also doesn’t make sense by RAW. Nor does the idea of someone good aligned wanting to control undead — creating and controlling undead is an inherently evil thing to do. But again, if you’re all having fun, that’s all that matters.
really, it's a reskinned version called "Oath of the Fallen".
Also, necromancy can be justified through utilitarianism. Wrong a small group (those who've died) to benefit the larger group (the world at large).
I'd argue that it isn't inherently evil to create and control undead, it's just usually done by evil people for evil intents.
However, in my homebrew setting there's a culture of outlander types who believe that once their souls leave their bodies, it is only just and right, and frankly honorable, that their bodies continue to serve their kin as warriors or servants, to help alleviate manpower shortages, defend their homes, etc.
Smart. It makes sense.