Animate Dead on dead undead? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Animate Dead on dead undead? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
ArchmageOmega
09-28-07, 11:18 PM Does animate dead work on the remains of undead the players already defeated? I can understand if skeletons were too damaged for the spell to work, but what about zombies or ghouls?
ArcTan
09-28-07, 11:35 PM It says no in the spell desc itself.
Tiarn
09-28-07, 11:35 PM I don't believe so. In order for animate dead to function there needs to be a body; since the undead type says this:

Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed.

I would say there's no body to be animating.
jaelis
09-28-07, 11:40 PM As Arctan notes,

A destroyed skeleton or zombie can’t be animated again.
ArchmageOmega
09-29-07, 03:24 AM I missed that (that it said skeletons can't be reanimated). Thanks. I suppose it'd apply to all undead.
Dead_Weasel
09-29-07, 07:05 PM Technically, since neither create undead nor create greater undead is a "greater" version of animate dead, that limitation from animate dead does not apply to them. Thus, skeletons and zombies aside, a body can be transformed into an undead repeatedly - so long as there is something left to animate. Personally, I would allow this only if the body was a corporeal undead the first time and an incorporeal undead the second time, with no third try.
ArcTan
09-29-07, 07:09 PM LeChuck from Monkey Island comes to mind.
God of Slivers
09-30-07, 03:44 AM There's a spell in the SC that allows you to bring undead back to unlife, although it is a bit expensive to be casting on zombies and skeletons.
ArchmageOmega
09-30-07, 06:21 AM Hopefully my players won't read this (in other words, if you're one of my players, stop reading), but I was asking because I wanted a magic trap of animate dead. After going through the tomb the first time, they fight some undead and see a few dead bodies (previous adventurers). Near the end, they might trigger the trap. On the way back through, those adventurers are now skeletons and zombies too. I just wanted to make sure whether or not the skeletons and ghouls from the first pass would pop up again too. I'm cheating a little in that animate dead isn't an area effect, but building it into a trap (or any other magic item/location) typically allows some such changes anyway (that, and I'm applying rule 0 :D).

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ArchmageOmega 09-28-07, 11:18 PM	Does animate dead work on the remains of undead the players already defeated? I can understand if skeletons were too damaged for the spell to work, but what about zombies or ghouls?
ArcTan 09-28-07, 11:35 PM	It says no in the spell desc itself.
Tiarn 09-28-07, 11:35 PM	I don't believe so. In order for animate dead to function there needs to be a body; since the undead type says this: Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed. I would say there's no body to be animating.
jaelis 09-28-07, 11:40 PM	As Arctan notes, A destroyed skeleton or zombie can’t be animated again.
ArchmageOmega 09-29-07, 03:24 AM	I missed that (that it said skeletons can't be reanimated). Thanks. I suppose it'd apply to all undead.
Dead_Weasel 09-29-07, 07:05 PM	Technically, since neither create undead nor create greater undead is a "greater" version of animate dead, that limitation from animate dead does not apply to them. Thus, skeletons and zombies aside, a body can be transformed into an undead repeatedly - so long as there is something left to animate. Personally, I would allow this only if the body was a corporeal undead the first time and an incorporeal undead the second time, with no third try.
ArcTan 09-29-07, 07:09 PM	LeChuck from Monkey Island comes to mind.
God of Slivers 09-30-07, 03:44 AM	There's a spell in the SC that allows you to bring undead back to unlife, although it is a bit expensive to be casting on zombies and skeletons.
ArchmageOmega 09-30-07, 06:21 AM	Hopefully my players won't read this (in other words, if you're one of my players, stop reading), but I was asking because I wanted a magic trap of animate dead. After going through the tomb the first time, they fight some undead and see a few dead bodies (previous adventurers). Near the end, they might trigger the trap. On the way back through, those adventurers are now skeletons and zombies too. I just wanted to make sure whether or not the skeletons and ghouls from the first pass would pop up again too. I'm cheating a little in that animate dead isn't an area effect, but building it into a trap (or any other magic item/location) typically allows some such changes anyway (that, and I'm applying rule 0 :D).