Animate Dead - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Animate Dead

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
bloodofgods
Mar 21, 2009 17:10:45 Reading through the description of animate dead it appears that the creatre you animate keeps the base stats (strength, dex, int, wisdom, charisma) loses its constution (duh), and then adds benefits to certain abilities based on if you turn it into a zombie/skeleton.

Using a zombie example, is all the changes from the base creature (besides all the abilites it loses) is that its strength goes up by 2, it dex down by 2 and it gains singular actions in a particular round?

If this is correct is it a good assumption that animating undead is a great way to get meatshields/tanks for groups who are missing them since you can effectively have a number of undeads whos hitdice total up to 4 times yours?

thanks for the advice/help again everyone~!
#2
jameswilliamogle
Mar 21, 2009 17:50:35
Reading through the description of animate dead it appears that the creatre you animate keeps the base stats (strength, dex, int, wisdom, charisma) loses its constution (duh), and then adds benefits to certain abilities based on if you turn it into a zombie/skeleton.

Using a zombie example, is all the changes from the base creature (besides all the abilites it loses) is that its strength goes up by 2, it dex down by 2 and it gains singular actions in a particular round?

yes

If this is correct is it a good assumption that animating undead is a great way to get meatshields/tanks for groups who are missing them since you can effectively have a number of undeads whos hitdice total up to 4 times yours?

yes

A few links for you to look through that should help you on the path of corpse recycling (good for the environment!):
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=599129
http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-467457
http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-935318
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=759515
#3
dr_rocktopus
Mar 21, 2009 18:00:50 My personal favorite will always be walker in the waste + unlimited salt mummies, but custserv has indicated that's not RAI. At least, they have about 60% of the time, as it is one of those questions that often gets worded in such a way to bias the expected answer. But yes, animate dead rocks for meat shielding, and doesn't mean you just made the horrible mistake of allowing Sandstorm in your campaign.
#4
ninjarabbit
Mar 21, 2009 19:12:04 Just hope your DM throws a lot of hydras, tigers, or lions at you so you can animate them into zombies
#5
sofawall
Mar 22, 2009 0:05:40
Just hope your DM throws a lot of hydras, tigers, or lions at you so you can animate them into zombies

Lions and tigers and... Hydras? Oh my...
#6
lormador
Mar 22, 2009 6:35:17 There are lots of nice undead to be made out there. Big flying things, burrowing things, meat shields and tanks... and if 4 HD/level wasn't enough, your friendly party Necromancer might be willing to Command Undead a few of them.

Just don't get too free with it. It's possible to waste onyx on lame undead, and that's just a shame.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 bloodofgods Mar 21, 2009 17:10:45	Reading through the description of animate dead it appears that the creatre you animate keeps the base stats (strength, dex, int, wisdom, charisma) loses its constution (duh), and then adds benefits to certain abilities based on if you turn it into a zombie/skeleton. Using a zombie example, is all the changes from the base creature (besides all the abilites it loses) is that its strength goes up by 2, it dex down by 2 and it gains singular actions in a particular round? If this is correct is it a good assumption that animating undead is a great way to get meatshields/tanks for groups who are missing them since you can effectively have a number of undeads whos hitdice total up to 4 times yours? thanks for the advice/help again everyone~!
#2 jameswilliamogle Mar 21, 2009 17:50:35	Reading through the description of animate dead it appears that the creatre you animate keeps the base stats (strength, dex, int, wisdom, charisma) loses its constution (duh), and then adds benefits to certain abilities based on if you turn it into a zombie/skeleton. Using a zombie example, is all the changes from the base creature (besides all the abilites it loses) is that its strength goes up by 2, it dex down by 2 and it gains singular actions in a particular round? yes If this is correct is it a good assumption that animating undead is a great way to get meatshields/tanks for groups who are missing them since you can effectively have a number of undeads whos hitdice total up to 4 times yours? yes A few links for you to look through that should help you on the path of corpse recycling (good for the environment!): http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=599129 http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-467457 http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-935318 http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=759515
#3 dr_rocktopus Mar 21, 2009 18:00:50	My personal favorite will always be walker in the waste + unlimited salt mummies, but custserv has indicated that's not RAI. At least, they have about 60% of the time, as it is one of those questions that often gets worded in such a way to bias the expected answer. But yes, animate dead rocks for meat shielding, and doesn't mean you just made the horrible mistake of allowing Sandstorm in your campaign.
#4 ninjarabbit Mar 21, 2009 19:12:04	Just hope your DM throws a lot of hydras, tigers, or lions at you so you can animate them into zombies
#5 sofawall Mar 22, 2009 0:05:40	Just hope your DM throws a lot of hydras, tigers, or lions at you so you can animate them into zombies Lions and tigers and... Hydras? Oh my...
#6 lormador Mar 22, 2009 6:35:17	There are lots of nice undead to be made out there. Big flying things, burrowing things, meat shields and tanks... and if 4 HD/level wasn't enough, your friendly party Necromancer might be willing to Command Undead a few of them. Just don't get too free with it. It's possible to waste onyx on lame undead, and that's just a shame.