I don't understand undead

[MrConradTheDuck]

Like, ok, so I have a Bones Oracle and I plan on using my Raise The Dead ability as you do but I'm failing to understand how it works. I really don't understand animating undead at all. Like, ok, when I animate dead do I animate them at their current hit die? If I have more hit die available to me (Like from Raise the Dead) do I increase their hit die to match the ability or do they stay where they're at? Do I need a body? If so does the body keep it's stats or the stats from the Bestiary for Zombies and Skeletons? How do I command them? Is is a move action or no action or what? Answers would be real cool cause this is one thing I just don't get.

[lemeres]

You can find most of the relevant rules in the template for skeletons and zombies found here. I will detail the basics here:

So, nope, you cannot improve their hit dice. The extra hit dice you control just stay in reserve and you can use it to control a different undead creature.

For example, lets say you have 20 hd you can control. You find a creature with 10 hd and make it a skeleton. You now have 10 hd left, which you could use to control another 10 hd skeleton, two 5 hd skeletons, or ten 1 hd skeletons. Whatever combination you like within your limits.

This seems powerful? Yes, it is, but there are limits-
1. hd from class levels do not count for your basic skeleton or zombie. Yes, that means that most humanoid enemies are useless.
2. You can only use it on bodies you find/make. So you have to wait until your GM throws a monster you find useful
3. for the regular skeleton, you lose all special attacks, feats, and skills, as well as most special qualities (except for ones improving melee or ranged attacks).
4. Undead are typically destroyed when they hit 0 hp (end of story) and they require negative energy to heal (they do not heal naturally..usually- at least basic skeles and zombos). So they are high maintenance and easily lost.

Now, you can undo #4 there by making bloody skeletons- they have fast healing (scales with hd) and they reform after 1 hour unless someone uses holy stuff to kill them. Their HD costs twice as much when it comes to how much you can control (so that 10 hd monster takes up your whole pool of 20 mentioned above, even though it still have 10 hd- but it will stay around, which is useful)

Generally, animate undead just reduces the creatures into basic beatsticks and (lack of)meatshields. Limited, but useful. The general idea is that you usually look for a big mean beast with useful attacks (things like grab on claw attacks, for example, or maybe a dozen different natural attacks) and you just use that.

There are higher level spells that create more varied undead, but these are the basics here.