| 2 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
I've seen several threads asking about this, and I've never seen a clear answer, so maybe it's time for a FAQ or something. This ability's weirdly worded and heavily up to GM interpretation.
Necromantic Servant (Sp)
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.
I have several questions about the wording:
1. What's the range of the raise? In one thread, someone houseruled it as a Summon spell, so 25 feet plus 5 per 2 levels, but a friend said it worked like Animate Dead, so it's a touch spell.2. Does it have to come out of the ground, or is that flavour text? I had a battle on a ship today and I wasn't allowed to do it. It makes sense in the way it's worded, but that does limit it somewhat. And if it works like a Summon, I pull it from the aether, not actually from the ground.
3. How many can I have active at the same time? The Necromantic Focus says the following:
The implement grants its possessor greater power over the undead. Whoever possesses the implement can control an additional 2 Hit Dice of undead for every point of mental focus invested in the item (to a maximum number of Hit Dice equal to 4 × your occultist level). Any spellcaster who bears the implement can add it as an additional focus component for a necromancy spell he casts to create undead. If he does so, he can create an additional number of HD of undead equal to the additional HD the implement allows him to control (apply this effect after doubling the HD of undead for desecrate, if applicable).
The key phrase being "can control an additional 2 HD of undead." What's my base? If it's like the feat Command Undead, it's my level worth of HD, but a regular zombie already has 2 HD. IF it's like the spell Control Undead, it's up to 2 HD per level. And there's a weird wording wedged in between the level 13 and level 17 ability of the Servant, stating I can have max half my Occultist level of servants, but that might refer to the level 13 ability, not the entire ability, otherwise it would've had its own separate line, not wedged in between sentences. And if it does apply to the whole skill, it's useless until level 2, when I can control a single HD skeleton.
Yeah, lots of confusing stuff. This is mostly for me for PFS play, but I'm sure regular campaigns could also benefit from some clarification.
Barring other rules, I would imagine LoS and LoE need to be enforced, but that is just my take on it. Rules for spells require those two pretty much any time, as well as being within range of the spell being cast, this doesn't have a range and there are no defaults I can find for SP abilities. It doesn't say you need a preexisting corpse to raise so I don't think that "animate dead" is a legitimate comparison. The ability does what it says it does and hasn't mentioned any other limitations of requirements.
Again, it does what it says it does. I wouldn't be adverse to having the servant raise from the depths of the water (or any other place a corpse might be), but yeah caves or ships would probably not be viable. It isn't mentioned to be a Summon so, '"poof" there it is' would require a FAQ probably.
None, Necromantic focus states being used for spells. Necromantic Servant is a SP. It does nothing for you in that respect. It will help your spells from the Necromantic School if you choose to invest points in it and cast them.
Again, it does what it says it does. I wouldn't be adverse to having the servant raise from the depths of the water (or any other place a corpse might be), but yeah caves or ships would probably not be viable. It isn't mentioned to be a Summon so, '"poof" there it is' would require a FAQ probably.
I'd agree on ships (if I'm actually pulling them from the ground) because there isn't a place for people to be buried there (as with a second floor of a building, or a roof), but why not a cave (assuming a soft floor, not solid rock)? If I need loose ground, that pretty much limits me to outside environments. If the ability is that limiting, I'd like to have it spelled out as such. Not because I'm whiny, but because I'd like to know when it applies and when it doesn't, for clarity's sake.