This may seem daft to some but is a dread necromancer classed as un-dead and are they affected by turning, laying on hands and cure spells?

Nope. They're considered alive.

Until lvl 20 where their class feature is to automatically turn into a lich. Woo?

No, seriously, liches suck. Like the lamest of all possible sentient undead. I'd rather be an awakened skeleton or zombie. If only because those come without the crap level adjustment. The only part of that which is good for the DN is that they get lich traits without the LA. But as a "capstone" trait... well... good thing that's not what one plays DN for.

Moved to Gaming Discussion.

Generally, it's a good idea to try to become undead if you are a Dread Necromancer. Becoming Necropolitan at level 3 can be really useful... lots of immunities, free unlimited healing, etc.

The immunities are nice, but there can be a short-term durability issue caused by not having a Constitution score, and Dread Necromancers don't have the options that Tier 1 casters do to just evade melee attacks. The newfound vulnerability to Turn/Rebuke Undead is a pain, too.

So yeah, I just take Tomb-Tainted Soul for unlimited healing and sometimes Tomb-Born Vitality on the off-chance I don't want to sleep. Most of my feats I spend on picks to either expand my spell list, though. Stuff like Mother Cyst and Arcane Disciple.

Well, if you are a dread necromancer, you SHOULD be able to figure out ways of making yourself better than normal when you get someone to do that ritual... there are a few ways to get extra hit points and such with the necropolitan ritual, right?

It's really hazy, because everything is worded so weird. In any case, applying to a game with a 1st-level Necropolitan that was made as such by an 8th-level Dread Necromancer with Corpsecrafter while inside the radius of a Desecrate effect attached to an altar of an evil god... requires a really awesome background.

Or a quest at low midlevels to find someone who can do that and convince them to do that and free you of the issues of your 8 Con?

Thanks guys it helps cos I gotta fight one soon its a gestalt that has 7 levels along with 5 of (damn I cannot remember the name of it but it is one of them fighter/spell caster guys) and 2 of pale master. my concept is a cleric/paladin and wondered if the turning was gonna help (guess not) so cut and thrust it is then.

Well, DN's suck in combat. The only thing good they have going for them is the massive amount of higher-than-usual powered undead. Good to have some kind of anti-undead to use.