Animate Dead ? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Animate Dead ? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Van__Holland
10-18-06, 02:19 AM OK, when you animate dead, lets say....a human skeleton. Is it limited to the characteristics of the human skeletal warrior in the Monster Manual....or can you make him with more HD, provided that your opal is worth enough (25gp per HD). My question is would i be able to raise a skeleton with 5 HD? and if so...would he have a better attack bonus and saves than a single HD skeleton?
Dunamin
10-18-06, 03:32 AM Check the skeleton template in the MM:
Drop any Hit Dice gained from class levels (to a minimum of 1) and raise remaining Hit Dice to d12s. If the creature has more than 20 Hit Dice, it can’t be made into a skeleton by the animate dead spell.

If you want a 5 HD skeleton, besides the appropiate gem, you also need the appropiate corpse (an owlbear, for instance).

Read the skeleton entry for details on how to determine attack bonus and saves.
Van__Holland
10-19-06, 02:36 AM so when it says HD gained from class levels....does that mean that if i kill a lv 4 fighter....when i killed him.....he would love the 4 HD (but maintain at least one) because they were gained as a fighter? and what if the bad guy has a HD count but no specific class?
Aricandor
10-19-06, 04:34 AM What you need to bring bigger, badder skeletons up is something with racial hit dice (Giant, Monstrous Humanoid, Outsider...). Class levels are indeed dropped, while racial hit dice remains. For example, an ogre (4 Giant HD) 3rd level barbarian would become a 4 HD skeleton, while a 7th level human fighter would become a 1 HD skeleton. Easy? :)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Van__Holland 10-18-06, 02:19 AM	OK, when you animate dead, lets say....a human skeleton. Is it limited to the characteristics of the human skeletal warrior in the Monster Manual....or can you make him with more HD, provided that your opal is worth enough (25gp per HD). My question is would i be able to raise a skeleton with 5 HD? and if so...would he have a better attack bonus and saves than a single HD skeleton?
Dunamin 10-18-06, 03:32 AM	Check the skeleton template in the MM: Drop any Hit Dice gained from class levels (to a minimum of 1) and raise remaining Hit Dice to d12s. If the creature has more than 20 Hit Dice, it can’t be made into a skeleton by the animate dead spell. If you want a 5 HD skeleton, besides the appropiate gem, you also need the appropiate corpse (an owlbear, for instance). Read the skeleton entry for details on how to determine attack bonus and saves.
Van__Holland 10-19-06, 02:36 AM	so when it says HD gained from class levels....does that mean that if i kill a lv 4 fighter....when i killed him.....he would love the 4 HD (but maintain at least one) because they were gained as a fighter? and what if the bad guy has a HD count but no specific class?
Aricandor 10-19-06, 04:34 AM	What you need to bring bigger, badder skeletons up is something with racial hit dice (Giant, Monstrous Humanoid, Outsider...). Class levels are indeed dropped, while racial hit dice remains. For example, an ogre (4 Giant HD) 3rd level barbarian would become a 4 HD skeleton, while a 7th level human fighter would become a 1 HD skeleton. Easy? :)