Potestas: a D&D3E supplement

Spells

Animate the Dead

Necromancy [Arcane]
Casting Time: 1 hour
Range: Close
Target: One or more corpses totalling 2 HD/Power point
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
Minimum Power Points: 7
XP Cost: 1/HD of undead creature

This spell turns the bones or bodies of dead creatures into undead skeletons or zombies that follow your spoken commands.
The undead can follow you, or they can 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 a second time.)
Regardless of the type of undead you create with this spell, you can't create more than 2 HD of undead per Power point expended with a single casting of animate the dead. (The place of power 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 no more than 4 times your Magic Power in HD of undead creatures. 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 are controlling using a control the dead spell do not count against 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 true anatomy.
Restriction: as an arcane spell, only arcane spellcasters can learn and cast this spell. This spell must be cast at night.


maintained by Gary Johnson (gwzjohnson at optusnet.com.au)
last updated 30 January 2005