Magic/Spells/Animate Dead

Keywords: Cold or Dark; Necromancy

Prerequisites: Cold or Dark Affinity

Target: one humanoid corpse

Duration: instantaneous.

Range: Touch

Action: Standard

Saving Throw: None

Spell Resistance: No

Description: You may spend a spell point to reanimate the body of a recently deceased creature, if the body is too decayed or too maimed to funcion (GM discretion) the spell may outright fail, or produce a defective undead (usually requiring at least 80% of a skeleton or body to still be present). Once animated the newly created undead lasts indefinitely until destroyed and is loyal to you.

The statistics of this creature is determined by the type of creature it was in life, using the  Companion Page to determine specifics. The newly created undead has the same number of hit dice as when it was alive, selects a base form matching its form (usually biped for humanoids), and automatically gains the undead companion type. The companion gains the undead creature type as well gaining all the usual effects of this creature type. Otherwise the creature retains none of its abilities or special movement modes from when it was alive. The animated dead may benefit from any equipment it possessed or any you provide.

You can control only 4 HD worth of undead creatures per BCB. 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. In addition you may decide at any point to relinquish control of any undead you currently control.

Unlike normal companions, animated undead by default are mindless, possessing a 0 intelligence and having no feats or skill ranks, except for any proficiencies the base creature possessed. You may only issue simple commands to your controlled undead such as “go”, “stay”, “follow me”, “attack”, or “guard”; more complex commands are generally not understood by the undead.

Unless otherwise specified you may not add companion talents to an animated dead like a normal companion, nor does it grow in strength as you gain additional BCB. When an animated dead is reduced to 0 hit points it is destroyed, and unable to be animated again.

Enhance Undead
Prerequisite: Animate Dead, BCB 10th

Benefit: You may cast Animate dead on a single undead you already control, causing it to gain 5 hit dice of power (to a limit of your hit dice, or your current control limit, whichever is lower). In addition you may apply any greater dead talents not already applied to it. You may only target a specific undead with this talent once.

Grasping Corpse
Prerequisite: Animate Dead

Benefit: Instead of the usual effects of animate dead, you may cause a single corpse to animate for only a brief moment, lurch forward up to 30 feet, and attempt to trip or grapple a single creature of your choice. The corpse used by this ability does not provoke attacks of opportunity for this movement. The combat maneuver attempted by the corpse uses your SPB in place of its BAB, and your CAM in place of Strength; adding any enhancement bonus from your implement to this combat. If choosing to grapple the corpse does not maintain the grapple, instead the creature gains the grappled condition until they break free from the corpse. Destroying the corpse may also end the grapple (the corpse has 12 hit points and DR 5/slashing).

Greater Control
Prerequisite: Animate Dead, BCB 12th

Benefit: You may now control one additional hit dice of undead per BCB with the animate dead spell.

Undead Menagerie
Prerequisite: Animate Dead, BCB 4th

Benefit: You may animate any corpse, not just the corpses of humanoids.

Restorative Animation
Prerequisite: Animate Dead, BCB 14th

Benefit: You may spend an additional spell point when casting animate dead to cause the corpse you are animating to regenerate and restore itself, allowing a corpse to be animated as an undead despite any injuries, missing limbs, or excessive decay it may have possessed. You must still have at least 50% of the creature’s skeleton still to use this ability, and this does not allow the animation of fossils.

Sentry Skull
Prerequisite: Animate Dead

Benefit: You animate and restore senses to a severed head of a humanoid or monstrous humanoid. The head has darkvision 60 feet, and low-light vision. If the head is affixed to a pole, spear, branch, or other stable object it may swivel in place to look in any direction, gaining a +5 bonus on perception checks.

While within 30 feet of the head you may spend a standard action to share senses with it, seeing and hearing from its location, and gaining the benefit of its vision types.

Once the head is created, you may set a triggering condition. If you are within 30 feet of the head, you immediately know if it is triggered, waking you from normal sleep. (for example it may alert you if a humanoid comes into view). The head otherwise cannot speak, think, or take any other action beyond turning itself.

Greater Dead Talents:
Greater dead talents allow you to improve upon undead you animate. These talents do not retroactively apply to existing undead you control, and must be applied at the point animate dead is cast upon a corpse.

Martial Undead
Prerequisite: Animate Dead

Benefit: Your animated dead are treated as having simple and martial weapon and armor proficiency. If the creature already possessed these proficiencies it may gain a single exotic armor or weapon proficiency of its choice.

Might of the Grave
Prerequisite: Animate Dead, BCB +2

Benefit: Upon selecting this talent choose Powerful Companion, Fortified Companion, or Quick companion talent; you may spend an additional spell point as part of casting animate dead to apply the effects of the selected talent to the animated dead. You may select this talent more than once each time selecting an additional companion talent you did not choose the first time. You may apply each talent you’ve selected as part of the same casting each time paying the additional spell point per companion talent applied.

Greater Undead
Prerequisite: Animate Dead, BCB +2

Benefit: Your animated dead’s Charisma is increased by 4, +1 per 2 Hit Dice.

Intelligent Undead
Prerequisite: Animate Dead, BCB 8th

Benefit: You may spend an additional spell point to cause your animated dead to gain rudimentary intelligence; gaining an intelligence score of 3. In addition it gains 1 skill it had ranks in from when it was alive of your choice. Your undead may speak when commanded to and may even convey some information they knew when they were alive. Undead with an intelligence score may receive and carry out more complex commands.

Recalled Training
Prerequisite: Animate Dead, BCB +3

Benefit: You may spend an additional spell point when using animate undead to allow the animated dead to retain a number of feats it possessed when it was alive. It may retain one feat plus one additional feat per 3 BCB after +3. You must choose any prerequisite feats the creature possesses to gain the benefits of other feats that have prerequisites. Feats the rely on a race or class feature do not function unless the animated dead is capable of possessing that race or class feature.

Recalled Heritage
Prerequisite: Animate Dead, BCB +6

Benefit: You may spend an additional spell point when casting animate dead to allow the animated dead to count as its original race or creature type in addition to undead. This may allow it to benefit from any feats, abilities, or effects dependent on race.

Recalled Prowess
Prerequisite: Animate Dead, BCB +8

Benefit: You may spend an additional spell point when casting animate dead to allow the animated dead to retain a single special ability or class feature it possessed. The recalled class feature may still treat its hit dice as its class levels for the purposes of determining its power, though it gains no other benefits from its class. At 12th BCB and every 4 thereafter the creature may retain one additional special ability or class feature.