My gaming group just made the switch to Pathfinder from 4e and we are loving it so far. I'm a fairly experience GM and I have run into a snag with one of the characters in my group who took the Words of Power spellcasting option for his sorceror.
In the Death Words, the word "Undeath" gives the following description:
This effect word can only target the corpses of dead creatures. These creatures rise as either skeletons or zombies, as decided by the caster. These undead follow the caster's commands to the best of their limited ability. They remain undead creatures until destroyed. The caster can create at most 2 Hit Dice worth of undead per caster level with each casting of a wordspell with this effect word. The caster can control more than 4 HD per caster level of undead creatures. If additional undead are created, the caster chooses which undead to lose control of to get back under the limit.
Am I reading that right that as an 8th level PC, he can raise up to 16 1 HD creatures from the dead and then have them follow him indefinitely (or until destroyed)?
I'm trying to figure out if I need to house-rule this one down a bit... he's already raised a Basilisk the party had killed and is using it as an undead mount (melee only abilities, no 'gaze', mind you). As cool as that is, this could get out of hand rather quickly.
I'm not really seeing a problem with that.
Animate Dead
School necromancy [evil]; Level cleric 3, sorcerer/wizard 4
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (an onyx gem worth at least 25 gp per Hit Die of the undead)
Range touch
Targets one or more corpses touched
Duration instantaneous
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 twice your caster level with a single casting of animate dead. The desecrate spell doubles this limit.
The undead you create remain under your control indefinitely. 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.
It's always been around.
I'm just seeing the potential for abuse if he continues to raise more and more until he's got 32 undead beasties following the party around... what reason would the party have to fight anything after this? They can just send their undead army in and watch it play out.
A bunch of 1 HD skeletons aren't going to be very useful in combat, except as flankers. A summoner summoning lantern archons repeatedly is far more dangerous, and doesn't need a constant supply of corpses.
A bunch of 1 HD skeletons aren't going to be very useful in combat, except as flankers. A summoner summoning lantern archons repeatedly is far more dangerous, and doesn't need a constant supply of corpses.
Good point... I hadn't thought of it in that context.
Thanks!
I wonder what the local paladins think of him running around raising all kinds of undead creatures...
HINT
HINT HINT
They're adventuring in the Underdark right now so not many local paladins to worry about... but I'll keep that in mind. :D