Animate Dead and Varriant Undead [Archive] - Wizards Community

Animate Dead and Varriant Undead [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Wraith428
05-08-05, 02:12 PM Is there a way to use the Animate Dead spell to create varriant skeletons and zombines like the Soldier Skeleton and the Fast Zombie. If so how would this work as these varriants add to CR and not HD.

If you can't create these undead using this Animate Dead, how are they created. Is there any way to create these types of undead. Does it require Create Undead???

Thanks in advance,

Wraith428
Seeker95
05-08-05, 02:22 PM I'm not sure if there is a spell that does this (although suspect that if there is, you would find it in Libris Mortis), but in the absence of such a spell, I'd create one at two levels higher for each create undead version.

Another option is to make the creation of such undead to be a ritual using create undead and special ingredients, and a magical tome that is very hard to find. Such a tome might be unique to specific undead variants. For example, a tome of fast zombies would be made with create undead and haste. A tome of soldier skeleton could be made with create undead and bull's strength (or whatever else a soldier skeleton does).
stamhaven
05-08-05, 04:13 PM With undead creation there are many ways to make them more powerful. Desecrate from the PHB is a great way to spruce up your undead (helps make up for the lack of a con score for bruiser undead). Libris Mortis has a slew of feats that boost the undead you craft, as well as some that just boost those that are close to you in convienient stacking ways. I have yet to see any system for accounting for these boosts in their CR. CR's are always a gut check thing for me especially with custom monsters. I make extensive use of desecrate and those feats when setting up BBEG's with undead themes. I've not put the new spells in LM to much use yet so don't have much advice there.
Bloodtide_the_Red
05-08-05, 10:20 PM In all the books, I don't think there is much out there about how to create undead. The Create Undead spells, by-the-book, can only make the MM undead. So your left on your own as how to do it.

BT

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Wraith428 05-08-05, 02:12 PM	Is there a way to use the Animate Dead spell to create varriant skeletons and zombines like the Soldier Skeleton and the Fast Zombie. If so how would this work as these varriants add to CR and not HD. If you can't create these undead using this Animate Dead, how are they created. Is there any way to create these types of undead. Does it require Create Undead??? Thanks in advance, Wraith428
Seeker95 05-08-05, 02:22 PM	I'm not sure if there is a spell that does this (although suspect that if there is, you would find it in Libris Mortis), but in the absence of such a spell, I'd create one at two levels higher for each create undead version. Another option is to make the creation of such undead to be a ritual using create undead and special ingredients, and a magical tome that is very hard to find. Such a tome might be unique to specific undead variants. For example, a tome of fast zombies would be made with create undead and haste. A tome of soldier skeleton could be made with create undead and bull's strength (or whatever else a soldier skeleton does).
stamhaven 05-08-05, 04:13 PM	With undead creation there are many ways to make them more powerful. Desecrate from the PHB is a great way to spruce up your undead (helps make up for the lack of a con score for bruiser undead). Libris Mortis has a slew of feats that boost the undead you craft, as well as some that just boost those that are close to you in convienient stacking ways. I have yet to see any system for accounting for these boosts in their CR. CR's are always a gut check thing for me especially with custom monsters. I make extensive use of desecrate and those feats when setting up BBEG's with undead themes. I've not put the new spells in LM to much use yet so don't have much advice there.
Bloodtide_the_Red 05-08-05, 10:20 PM	In all the books, I don't think there is much out there about how to create undead. The Create Undead spells, by-the-book, can only make the MM undead. So your left on your own as how to do it. BT