Basically, you want the character to have to work to stay in shape, but not make it such a feature it simply becomes a chore to play an Undead (as in too much time and effort needed to keep her in shape), or, on the other side of the spectrum, a flavor mechanic that barely balances strong bonuses. And by all that I mean that the whole "I am Undead, I have to fight decay" deal should not be something that will suck all the attention you put into the character. It should be something lighter, to reflect it's nature, and not a heavy feature that constantly requires you to go out of your way to keep the character up.
So, for me, the simplest way to do that, is to consider what it takes to "upkeep" a regular living character, and see how we can bend these rules when applied to an Undead.
You could just make the Undead very tanky, additionnal HPs, damge reduction, resistances, immunities (to most DoTs and crowd control mainly) but deprive them of all the usual ways of regaining life. Let them heal back to full health on level ups, and work to keep them alive between them (making tactical decisions, whether in combat or not), with the occasional prodigal source of nutrients you might find while exploring that'll make you say "oh god that's EXACTLY what I needed."
Make the Undead a powerful force that keeps waning over time, but relentlessly rises back up if you manage her everyday un-life wisely. Might even underline that eternal life is mostly about making smart decisions come the right time in the process, rather than eating corpses or any other sort of sacrifice.
Last edited by Maali; 07/09/15 05:41 PM.
