Does Necromantic Servant do nothing at level 1?

[Betwixt]

Necromantic Servant

Spoiler:

"As a standard action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to raise a single human skeleton or human zombie from the ground to serve you for 10 minutes per occultist level you possess or until it is destroyed, whichever comes first. This servant has a number of hit points equal to 1/2 your maximum hit point total (not adjusted for temporary hit points or other temporary increases). It also uses your base attack bonus and gains a bonus on damage rolls equal to 1/2 your occultist level. At 5th level, whenever the necromantic servant would be destroyed, if you are within medium range (100 feet + 10 feet per level) of the servant, you can expend 1 point of mental focus as an immediate action to cause the servant to return to full hit points. At 9th level, you can choose to give the servant the bloody or burning simple template (if it's a skeleton) or the fast simple template (if it's a zombie). At 13th level, when you take an immediate action to restore your servant, it splits into two servants. You can have a maximum number of servants in existence equal to 1/2 your occultist level. At 17th level, the servant gains a teamwork feat of your choice."

As bold in the above, the maximum number of servants you can have in existence is equal to 1/2 your Occultist level, which at level 1, is 0. Does this mean that essentially while you can acquire this power at level 1, it essentially does nothing until you hit level 2?

[Darrell Impey UK]

That applies to the previous sentence, surely?

[the Queen's Raven]

Darrell Impey UK wrote:

That applies to the previous sentence, surely?

Careful now...you're using common sense. That kind of thinking has no place in the world today as we know it.

[Betwixt]

That's actually a good point, I didn't read it like that until you mentioned it. It quite possibly does.

Though does that mean that before a fight an occultist would be advised to spend a few minutes hacking down their own servants to create a mini army? Which is the main reason I assumed it was not the case, that kind of thing seems a bit ridiculous in practice.

[Zwordsman]

yeah I assume its a restriction on the leve 13 thing. since looking at this ability as a container, within that container there isn't another way to get more of them.
Additionally. The way most spells and abilities are worded. If it was a general restriction on the ability then it would come Well after all the level up bonuses rather than specifically after one set.

Though that does lend myself to another 2 questiosn.

First being. Do you need a corpse for the first one. or the line about it coming from the ground mean you have no need (guildwars summoning style).

Second being. There isn't a restriction on using this ability multiple times. So you could use it several times. In which case it would work like a spell right? Each one has its own maximum number of restrictions.
So if you went "nova" and used all your points for the day at level 13. you could in theory have a small hoarde that splits every time it dies. Until the maximum splits per usage.
no?

it sounds messy but I don't think actually is considering the number of points used for that and the time it takes.
I really think I should make a guildwars style necro out of this class.