Animate Dead, Lesser
School necromancy [evil]; Level cleric 1, sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (an onyx gem worth at least 8 gp per Hit Die of the undead)
Range touch
Targets one or more corpses touched
Duration 10 mins/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
This spell turns corpses into undead skeletons or zombies that obey your spoken commands.
The undead can be made to follow you, or they can be made to remain in an area and attack any creature (or just a specific kind of creature) entering the place. They remain animated until they are destroyed. A destroyed skeleton or zombie can't be animated again.
Regardless of the type of undead you create with this spell, you can't create more HD of undead than your caster level with a single casting of animate dead. The desecrate spell doubles this limit.
The undead you create remain under your control for 10 mins/level. Once the spell duration expires they are destroyed. No matter how many times you use this spell, however, you can control only 2 HD worth of undead creatures per caster level.. If you exceed this number, all the newly created creatures fall under your control, and any excess undead from previous castings become uncontrolled. You choose which creatures are released. Undead you control through the Command Undead feat do not count toward this limit.
Skeletons: A skeleton can be created only from a mostly intact corpse or skeleton. The corpse must have bones. If a skeleton is made from a corpse, the flesh falls off the bones.
Zombies: A zombie can be created only from a mostly intact corpse. The corpse must be that of a creature with a physical anatomy.
Mr. Fishy had a book with a similiar spell. You could only create one at a time. It had feats to bolster them too. The Librius Mortem has summon undead spells in it. Summon monster but undead only. It was a good nerco spell. Summon a zombie and then poof, no zombie. Where is that Renegade Wizards Spellbook from? Mr. Fishy has a zombie hugger in his home game.
DAMN YOU GENCON!!! YOU KEEP ALL THE COOL STUFF HIDDEN FROM US POOR WATER BOUND FISHIES.
Thank you for the intel, and Mr. Fishy supports low level necromancy.
A zombie in every gargage...Vote Fishy
Here is a question, since his posts have been made, is my spell now useless? lol, Also, I think perhaps having it allow you to keep them until destroyed might be a bit too powerful for a lvl 1 spell, but that's just my current opinion.
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As an alternative, the Renegade Wizards Spellbook has the Animate Skeleton and Animate Zombie spells:
** spoiler omitted **
** spoiler omitted **...
I recall seeing these (and allowing them IMC) first in Mongoose's Necromancy Book (along with a LOT of neat spells and feats for Necros, the class stuff... not so much).
Here is a question, since his posts have been made, is my spell now useless? lol, Also, I think perhaps having it allow you to keep them until destroyed might be a bit too powerful for a lvl 1 spell, but that's just my current opinion.It was not my intention to invalidate your spell. I think it's actually quite sound. I just wanted you to know that similar spells had been published, with slightly different effects.
And with the HD of the undead capped by your caster level, all you get are some minions that are somewhat weak. BUT you can get a number of them, if you like, and they are just like any other undead.
Besides, with the rather expensive material component, I can't see too many abuses of these spells. Your spells limits the duration and max HD to be controlled, but greatly reduces the material costs.
Now, the rules for controling undead I always understood to be unrelated to the actual spells involved, so I would change your HD cap from 2 to 4. If the spell only lasts 10 min/level, I would nix the material component completly OR make it a focus that becomes part of the undead until the animating spell has ended. You can continually re-use your gems (remember: reduce, reuse, reanimate).
Finally, I think a longer duration may be in order. 1hr/lvl would allow a necromancer to prep a force of weak skeletons, but they would only ever be usable for that day.
I would therefore recommend the following changes: Change material component to focus (that is absorbed by the undead created, thus multiple casting require multiple foci, bit the foci are reusable) and change the duration to 1hr/lvl to allow the necromancer time to prep his minions. Finally, change the hd cap to 4/lvl to make the spell compatiable with Animate Dead. That way there's no question about how many hd can be controlled using both spells.
I'll be making those changes in a moment.
Edit The Changes
Animate Dead, Lesser
School necromancy [evil]; Level cleric 1, sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (an onyx gem worth at least 5 sp per Undead)
Range touch
Targets one or more corpses touched
Duration 1 hour/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
This spell turns corpses into undead skeletons or zombies that obey your spoken commands.
The undead can be made to follow you, or they can be made to remain in an area and attack any creature (or just a specific kind of creature) entering the place. They remain animated until they are destroyed. A destroyed skeleton or zombie can't be animated again.
Regardless of the type of undead you create with this spell, you can't create more HD of undead than your caster level with a single casting of animate dead. The desecrate spell doubles this limit.
The undead you create remain under your control for 1 hour/level. Once the spell duration expires they are destroyed. No matter how many times you use this spell, however, you can control only 4 HD worth of undead creatures per caster level. If you exceed this number, all the newly created creatures fall under your control, and any excess undead from previous castings become uncontrolled. You choose which creatures are released. Undead you control through the Command Undead feat do not count toward this limit.
Skeletons: A skeleton can be created only from a mostly intact corpse or skeleton. The corpse must have bones. If a skeleton is made from a corpse, the flesh falls off the bones.
Zombies: A zombie can be created only from a mostly intact corpse. The corpse must be that of a creature with a physical anatomy.
So any opinions on the final version thus far??
Animate Dead, Lesser
School necromancy [evil]; Level cleric 1, sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (an onyx gem worth at least 5 sp per Undead)
Range touch
Targets one or more corpses touched
Duration 1 hour/level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance noThis spell turns corpses into undead skeletons or zombies that obey your spoken commands.
The undead can be made to follow you, or they can be made to remain in an area and attack any creature (or just a specific kind of creature) entering the place. They remain animated until they are destroyed. A destroyed skeleton or zombie can't be animated again.
Regardless of the type of undead you create with this spell, you can't create more HD of undead than your caster level with a single casting of animate dead. The desecrate spell doubles this limit.
The undead you create remain under your control for 1 hour/level. Once the spell duration expires they are destroyed. No matter how many times you use this spell, however, you can control only 4 HD worth of undead creatures per caster level. If you exceed this number, all the newly created creatures fall under your control, and any excess undead from previous castings become uncontrolled. You choose which creatures are released. Undead you control through the Command Undead feat do not count toward this limit.
Skeletons: A skeleton can be created only from a mostly intact corpse or skeleton. The corpse must have bones. If a skeleton is made from a corpse, the flesh falls off the bones.
Zombies: A zombie can be created only from a mostly intact corpse. The corpse must be that of a creature with a physical anatomy.