Turn Undead is too easy

[makofan]

As a DM, I can't really use undead past level 4 or so because clerics just laugh at skeletons and zombies. I am thinking of in my next campaign being more draconian:

Level 1: Skeletons 10 Zombies 11 Ghouls 12
Level 2: Skeletons 9 Zombies 10 Ghouls 11 Wights 12

etc

This would mean at level 6, a cleric would turn skeletons on a 5 or better so a skeleton guard could still potentially be useful. Maybe what I would do to compensate is make the effect more useful - maybe paralyze the monsters for 1-10 rounds

[coffee]

They can only turn 2-12 of them... You could just dump a whole bunch on them.

[wulfgar]

Here's a couple ideas for work around that might achieve your goal (more difficulty) without having to reinvent the turning table.

1. Special circumstances can make turning more difficult. Perhaps the evil aura that prevades the Worm-King's tomb causes a -3 to all turning rolls, or perhaps the jade ring worn by the foul Necromancer gives a penalty to turn any undead in his presence. Just a few examples.

2. Have the enemies adapt. Sure, the cleric in the party will be turning zombies left and right the first time he delves into the Necromancer's tunnels. The next time, the enemy will be ready, perhaps he hires some non-undead mercenaries, perhaps he gives his zombies specific instructions to slay the cleric first, perhaps his beautiful assistant tries to charm the cleric back at the inn in town and slip a poison into his ale.

[wulfgar]

Of course wait to do all that stuff until our current campaign (where I happen to play a cleric) ends

[ffilz]

I've never been bothered by the cleric's ability with low level undead. Hordes of skeletons and zombies make for fun room descriptions, and make for very dangerous encounters for low level PCs, but can almost trivially be swept aside by a decent cleric.

Of course, until the cleric can actual start destroying the skeletons, and zombies, the PCs may still need to deal with them since the turned undead go SOMEWHERE.

Frank