Animate Dead

Necromancy [Evil]

Level: Acolyte 3, Mage 4; Components: V, S, M; Casting Time: Attack action; Range: Touch; Targets: One or more corpses touched; Duration: Instantaneous; Saving Throw: None; Spell Resistance: No

This spell turns the bones or bodies of dead creatures into undead skeletons or zombies that follow the caster's spoken commands. The skeletons or zombies can follow the caster, or can remain in an area and attack any creature (or just a specific type of creature) entering the place. The undead remain animated until they are destroyed. (A destroyed skeleton or zombie can't be animated again.)

Regardless of the type of undead, a caster can't create more HD of undead than twice his or her caster level with a single casting of animate dead.

The undead created remain under caster's control indefinitely. No matter how many times the caster uses this spell, however, he or she can control only 4 HD worth of undead creatures per caster level. If the caster exceeds this number, all the newly created creatures fall under his or her control, and any excess undead from previous castings become uncontrolled (the caster chooses which creatures are released). Any undead the character commands (if the character has the ability to command or rebuke undead) do not count toward the 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. The statistics for a skeleton depend on its size; they do not depend on what abilities the creature may have had while alive.

Zombies: A zombie can be created only from a mostly intact corpse; the creature must have a true anatomy. The statistics for a zombie depend on its size, not on what abilities the creature may have had while alive.

Material Component: Purchase DC 15 + 1 per 2 HD of the undead.