Animate Dead

School Necromancy; **Level** Cleric 4, Necromancer 4, Sorcerer/Wizard 4

**CASTING**

**Casting Time** 1 standard action

**Components** V, S, (an onyx gem worth at least 25 hl per Hit Die of the undead)

**EFFECT**

**Range** close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)

**Area** one 5 foot square per level

**Duration** instantaneous

**Saving Throw** None

**DESCRIPTION**

Placing your hand on a corpse you instill it with death energy, raising it as a powerful creature of undeath. The creature is raised as a zombie, or Skeleton under your control.

Regardless of the type of undead you create with this spell, you can't create more HD of undead than twice your caster level with a single casting of *animate dead*. The *desecrate* 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 only 4 HD worth of undead creatures per caster level. 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 control through the Command Undead feat do not count toward this limit.

The undead can be made to follow you, or they can be made to 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 again.

This spell can be used the normal way and can be used to create a Skeleton or Zombie, or it can be used to create a Super Zombie or Skeleton as well as other variants.

*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.

bloody skeleton : Can be created the same way as a Skeleton, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled.

burning skeleton: Can be created the same way as a Skeleton, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled.

*Acid Skeleton*: Can be created the same way as a Skeleton, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled.

*Exploding Skeleton*: Can be created the same way as a Skeleton, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled.

*Host Corpse*: Can be created the same way as a Skeleton, but the creator must also spend the cost to animate the undead again and cast a summon swarm spell during it's creation, this time spending the money for the swarm's hit dice as if they were being animated instead of the skeleton.

*Skeletal Magus*: Can be created the same way as a Skeleton, but are treated as if they were +8 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled. These Skeletons cannot be created until the animator has reached 10th level. The Skeletons gain access to the spells, Touch of Fatigue, Ghoul Touch, Touch of idiocy, and Vampiric touch, each usable once per day.

*Mudra Skeleton*: Can be created the same way as a Skeleton, but are treated as double their normal hit dice to animate. These skeletons gain two additional arms, Multiweapon fighting, and Weapon Finesse as bonus feats.

*Multiplying Skeleton*: Can be created the same way as a Skeleton, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled. They gain the following ability.

#### **Multiplication (Su)**

When a multiplying skeleton is reduced to 0 hit points, its bones reform 1d4 rounds later into two smaller multiplying skeletons with 1/2 of the skeleton's Hit Dice each. Each resulting multiplying skeleton continues to reform into smaller and smaller sizes (with half the HD of the previous each time it multiplies.) A multiplying skeleton reforms into two skeletons of one size smaller, each of which then reforms into two skeletons of yet another size smaller. When these four skeletons are killed, the skeleton no longer multiplies and is finally destroyed.

*Super Skeletons:* A Super Skeleton is created like a normal Skeleton, but are treated as if their hit dice were doubled to determine cost, and what can be controlled. When creating a Super skeleton, use the rules for creating a normal skeleton, however the creature becomes the Zombie monster class. This instead allows it to use the class's bonuses to BAB, Saves, hit dice, and other similar things instead of it's base hit dice. Any bonuses it would get to Strength from the monster class it instead gets to Dexterity. The creature possesses the same ability scores of the original creature, however it's type becomes undead (Monster) and it loses it's constitution score and it's intelligence score. The creature loses all feats and skill points as well as Zombie class abilities save for the following. (Evility, Race, Magichange, Ability Boost, Natural armor, Bleeding touch, Damage Reduction, Killing Blow, and Disseased Bite). In addition it gains +1 Natural armor for every 4 hit dice it possesses. Finally the Super Skeleton gains the following techniques based on it's number of hit dice. The saving throws are charisma based and can each be used once per day.

The Any other alternative Skeleton special attacks or qualities can be granted by a super skeleton  by increasing the cost as listed in the above selections.

*Skeletal Champion:* Created in the same way as the Super Skeleton above, however retains it's Strength instead of increasing it's dexterity. It also possesses the following techniques instead.

*Zombies*: A zombie can be created only from a mostly intact corpse. The corpse must be that of a creature with a physical anatomy.

*Fast Zombie:* Can be created the same way as a Zombie, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled.

*Plague Zombie:* Can be created the same way as a Zombie, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled.

*Void Zombie:* Can be created the same way as a Zombie, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled.

*Alchemical Zombie:* Can be created the same way as a Zombie, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled.

*Brain-Eating Zombie:* Can be created the same way as a Zombie, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled.

*Cursed Zombie:* Can be created the same way as a Skeleton, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled.

*Gasburst Zombie:* Can be created the same way as a Zombie, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled.

*Host Corpse Zombie:* Can be created the same way as a Zombie, but the creator must also spend the cost to animate the undead again and cast a summon swarm spell during it's creation, this time spending the money for the swarm's hit dice as if they were being animated instead of the zombie.

*Magus Zombie:* Can be created the same way as a Zombie, but are treated as if they were +8 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled. These Zombies cannot be created until the animator has reached 10th level. The Zombies gain access to the spells, Touch of Fatigue, Ghoul Touch, Touch of idiocy, and Vampiric touch, each usable once per day.

*Relentless Zombie:* Can be created the same way as a Zombie, but are treated as if they were +2 hit dice higher to determine cost, and what can be controlled.

*Super Zombies:* A Super Zombie is created like a normal Zombie, but are treated as if their hit dice were doubled to determine cost, and what can be controlled. When creating a Super Zombie, use the rules for creating a normal Zombie, however the creature becomes the Zombie monster class. This instead allows it to use the class's bonuses to BAB, Saves, hit dice, and other similar things instead of it's base hit dice. The creature possesses the same ability scores of the original creature, however it's type becomes undead (Monster) and it loses it's constitution score and it's intelligence score. The creature loses all feats and skill points as well as Zombie class abilities save for the following. (Evility, Race, Magichange, Ability Boost, Natural armor, Bleeding touch, Damage Reduction, Killing Blow, and Disseased Bite). In addition it gains +1 Natural armor for every 4 hit dice it possesses. Finally the Super Zombie gains the following techniques based on it's number of hit dice. The saving throws are charisma based and can each be used once per day.

The Any other alternative Zombie special attacks or qualities can be granted by a super Zombie  by spending treating the skeleton's hit dice as 4 higher for each ability upon creation.