Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Thane26425 07-28-06, 04:41 PM	A previous thread discussed the ethics of raising the dead. It reminded me of a variant from GURPS where a caster could enchant a manufactured skeleton instead of a real one. Here is the rough version of that made into a D&D spell. Animate Skeletal Construct Conjuration Level: Sor/Wiz 4 Components: V,S,M,F Casting time: 1 minute Range: touch Target: 1 prepared form Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: none Spell Resistane: none Description: This spell animatesa prepared form, in effect creating a least golem. The form must be a replica skeleton of the size desired and must be as acccurate as possible. Fine bones such as the wrists and ankles, toes and fingers, need not be individually rendered, not would teeth need to be singly fashioned and fitted into sockets. The skeleton must be copied from an original, real skeleton of the type desired, creating a template. Once this template is made, it serves as the focus for the magic and also as model for future form that are to be animated. This template will require only a craftsman check of the correct type to create more forms, which can be done either by a workman or by the fabricate spell. Animate dead uses negative energy to power a dead thing, while this spell uses elemental energy to animate form that was never living. The forms are equivalent to skeletons or zombies in all respects save that they are not evil and cannot be affected by clerics, though they do have vulnerabilities based on their type. They are subject to all command and control rules as skeletons and zombies, save that they are not affected by Undead Specific spells such as control undead. Like Animate Dead, a caster may have no more than 4hd/level of these creatures under his control at any one time. Exceeding this amount causes some of the older form to go uncontrolled, at which time they will collapse as the magic that sustained them is withdrawn. Types: Skeleton, wood. This form is as the base skeleton of any given size. It is not affected by normal water exposure or rot, but it is vulnerable to wood affecting spells and fire, though it receives a resistance bonus equal to the creator's attribute bonus (Int for Wiz, CHA for Sor). Skeleton, iron or stone. These too use the basic template for skeletons but with a +3 AC for stone and +6 for iron. Stone is vulnerable to stone affecting spells, and Iron to metal affecting spells and magical rust effects, though both also receive the bonus mentioned above. Zombie. These are created by first building a skeletal form and then coating it with clay. It functions as a standard zombie but with +2hp per HD, as per the Embalm spell. Costs. The wooden skeleton cost 25gp/HD for the base form plus 25GP of clear quartz per HD. Iron and Stone forms cost 50gp/HD for the base form plus 25GP of clear quartz per HD. Zombies cost 50gp/HD for the base form (wooden skeleton plus clay) and 25gp/HD of clear quartz. Forms may be enchanted with certain spell effects prior to animation at DM's discretion, though the expense of such enhancements probably would not be worth the cost.
Thiez 07-28-06, 05:18 PM	Is there ANY reason at all to use this spell instead of Animate Dead? Don't you think Conjuration has too many spells already? Maybe give Transmutation a shot.
Thane26425 07-28-06, 08:11 PM	Is there ANY reason at all to use this spell instead of Animate Dead? Don't you think Conjuration has too many spells already? Maybe give Transmutation a shot. The reason not to use Animate Dead is, well check the thread called "the Ethics of Necromancy". It is a way for a spellcaster to have undead-like minions without worrying about the ethical problems of animating corpses with negative energy and all that.
SoldierOfFortune187 07-28-06, 11:46 PM	Is there ANY reason at all to use this spell instead of Animate Dead? To double up on your army of minions, perhaps? Problem is that unlike skeletons and zombies, these lil' bad boys can't be turned/rebuked/destroyed, so in essence you get even more bang for your buck, pre-buffage at least. Suggest adding a clause that the total number of HD controlled also counts against your ability to control undead you might create.
Thane26425 07-29-06, 12:36 AM	To double up on your army of minions, perhaps? Problem is that unlike skeletons and zombies, these lil' bad boys can't be turned/rebuked/destroyed, so in essence you get even more bang for your buck, pre-buffage at least. Suggest adding a clause that the total number of HD controlled also counts against your ability to control undead you might create. Combining levels might not be a bad idea. However, the intent was give casters who would not animate dead things an option.
green_yawgmoth 07-29-06, 01:15 AM	Combining levels might not be a bad idea. However, the intent was give casters who would not animate dead things an option.But that just makes us horrible disparaging EVIL (:rolleyes: ) people who want to animate dead and do this a chance to double up. Not that there's anything wrong with that, for us who play with DMs with a microgram of sense about them. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v91/yawgmoth/kittyjig.gif