Another necromancy question, Animate Dead [Archive] - Wizards Community

Another necromancy question, Animate Dead [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Coridan
02-11-07, 12:52 AM Ok, I want to make sure I have all this right before attempting it in-game.

I'm making a good aligned Wizard/Necromancer. (They don't have alignment restrictions on which spells they can cast anyway, but just to give you an idea of the character). He basically gives his enemies a chance to repay their sins by serving as his undead. (Besides, it's more polite than ripping them from the outer planes like summon monster)

At around level 5 or so I'm going to craft a Rod of Metamagic, Consecrate Spell (It should cost me 5500gp to make I believe, and 5 days of work, but that's it).

At level 7 I'm going to be able to cast Animate Dead, and I can have a maximum total of 28HD worth of undead? With 14HD max on one creature? And this undead can follow me around like a cohort basically, doing my bidding?

I intend to Consecrate it to make the undead Good so it can't be smite evil'd or detect as evil. (I know the rules are a bit fuzzy on that but I'm not too worried about that)

Basically if we kill a hill giant or something I can make a hill giant zombie friend?

On the plus side I don't think my wizard is less powerful than the archivist anymore, but I might be missing something key here.

Edit: Dang, can't craft the rod till level 9, oh well it'll just be my evil hill giant zombie friend unless I buy a rod.
Seeker95
02-11-07, 09:35 AM I think your necromancer is neutral on the good-evil scale. He is willing to cast spells with the [evil] tag. That is something a good person would not do. He is willing to enslave his enemies in undead form. That is something a good person would not do. Justifying it as "more polite" than using summon monster is something a neutral person would readily do.
Joseph_Silver
02-11-07, 10:47 AM Necromancers can be good, but good necromancers generally do not enslave the souls of the fallen. I agree with the second poster.
Thomas_Covenant
02-11-07, 11:01 AM Without house ruling, you're not casting Animate Dead often and staying good, for long.

That said, the Core rules for Evil mindless undead make no sense whatsoever.
I strongly suggest reading K's Tome of Necromancy (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=632562)

Discuss the concepts he talks about with your DM.
If he prefers the skeletons/zombies as neutral, mindless animated objects that happen to be corpses, you could be golden.
Coridan
02-11-07, 11:47 AM With Consecrate Spell though the Animate Dead spell gains the [Good] Descriptor. We've already house-ruled that that means it's not an evil spell anymore. And we're using a bit of stuff from the Ravenloft S&S book White Arcanist PrC (although not the actual class as we are using HoH's taint system not Ravenloft's and it's a bit complicated to convert) but the flavor of it.

I just wanted to make sure the math was right with the spell though, although I now realize I couldn't do it with a hill giant because you double the HD when turning something into a zombie, but I could have a 14HD skeleton or zombie following me around fighting for me.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Coridan 02-11-07, 12:52 AM	Ok, I want to make sure I have all this right before attempting it in-game. I'm making a good aligned Wizard/Necromancer. (They don't have alignment restrictions on which spells they can cast anyway, but just to give you an idea of the character). He basically gives his enemies a chance to repay their sins by serving as his undead. (Besides, it's more polite than ripping them from the outer planes like summon monster) At around level 5 or so I'm going to craft a Rod of Metamagic, Consecrate Spell (It should cost me 5500gp to make I believe, and 5 days of work, but that's it). At level 7 I'm going to be able to cast Animate Dead, and I can have a maximum total of 28HD worth of undead? With 14HD max on one creature? And this undead can follow me around like a cohort basically, doing my bidding? I intend to Consecrate it to make the undead Good so it can't be smite evil'd or detect as evil. (I know the rules are a bit fuzzy on that but I'm not too worried about that) Basically if we kill a hill giant or something I can make a hill giant zombie friend? On the plus side I don't think my wizard is less powerful than the archivist anymore, but I might be missing something key here. Edit: Dang, can't craft the rod till level 9, oh well it'll just be my evil hill giant zombie friend unless I buy a rod.
Seeker95 02-11-07, 09:35 AM	I think your necromancer is neutral on the good-evil scale. He is willing to cast spells with the [evil] tag. That is something a good person would not do. He is willing to enslave his enemies in undead form. That is something a good person would not do. Justifying it as "more polite" than using summon monster is something a neutral person would readily do.
Joseph_Silver 02-11-07, 10:47 AM	Necromancers can be good, but good necromancers generally do not enslave the souls of the fallen. I agree with the second poster.
Thomas_Covenant 02-11-07, 11:01 AM	Without house ruling, you're not casting Animate Dead often and staying good, for long. That said, the Core rules for Evil mindless undead make no sense whatsoever. I strongly suggest reading K's Tome of Necromancy (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=632562) Discuss the concepts he talks about with your DM. If he prefers the skeletons/zombies as neutral, mindless animated objects that happen to be corpses, you could be golden.
Coridan 02-11-07, 11:47 AM	With Consecrate Spell though the Animate Dead spell gains the [Good] Descriptor. We've already house-ruled that that means it's not an evil spell anymore. And we're using a bit of stuff from the Ravenloft S&S book White Arcanist PrC (although not the actual class as we are using HoH's taint system not Ravenloft's and it's a bit complicated to convert) but the flavor of it. I just wanted to make sure the math was right with the spell though, although I now realize I couldn't do it with a hill giant because you double the HD when turning something into a zombie, but I could have a 14HD skeleton or zombie following me around fighting for me.