Craft Undead as a Feat?

[Blue Sky]

A comment on the Witchfire thread got me thinking about creating undead through the expenditure of xp and gp, just like an item creation feat.

Has anyone done any work on a feat like this? If not, what do you think a good baseline to start would be?

Test feat 1

Create Basic Undead
Prerequisites: Caster level 5, able to cast animate dead

This feat allows the creation of basic skeletons and zombies. The undead created through the use of this feat are under the control of the creator, and do not count towards the maximum set forth by Animate Dead, the ability of evil/neutral clerics to Rebuke Undead, or any other manner by which the character has to control undead.

Zombies and skeletons have a base price of 200 gp per hit die. The character may not create undead with a hit die total higher than 1/2 his caster level.

The creater must spend 1/2 of the base price in gp, 1 xp per 25 gp of base price, and one day per 1,000 gp in the base price of the undead.

 

[Xaositech]

If I recall at the top of my head, I believe the Libris Mortis supplement has something that you're looking for: Corpsecrafter.

 

[RisnDevil]

Xaositech - I don't think corpsecrafter is what Blue Sky wants. That feat gives bonuses to the undead you create. He said he wants to turn Craft Undead into an item creation feat, like Craft Construct. I think it is a good idea with one caveat: if you are going to turn it into an item creation feat that requires the expenditure of xp, I would remove or at least up the limit on total number of undead you can control/command.

For reference material, back in the 3.0 days, there was a book (I believe it was called Spells & Spellcraft, don't remember the publisher) that have a pretty in depth matrix for creating constructs. It would be a good place to start.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Another potential place to work this is from Elements of Magic: Revised.
Under this alt-magic system creating undead is like any other magical item creation.

Since the system is point based, you simply spend enough mana points on Summon: Undead to get the desired critter and use the Craft Permanent Spell feat on it.

 

[Blue Sky]

RisnDevil has the right idea. I want something that'll allow a caster to create undead, through the expenditure of time, xp, and gold, just like, say, Scribe Scroll, or Craft Wand. This would be independant of any undead they control through spells or rebuke undead.

I've seen some good things about Elements of Magic, but I'm not really interested in reworking the entire magic system for one idea. I'd prefer something more modular in nature.

I've edited my first post with a basic feat idea. Any input?

 

[Baron Opal]

Actually, in the Monsternomicon by Privateer Press there is a feat called Create Thrall. It allows the creation of a type of undead, and about five different sub-types. The base ones are like zombies, through wights to weak liches. Similar to the spellstiched, IIRC. I think the beefiest undead was 7 HD.

It sounds like just what you want.

 

[Cheiromancer]

Actually, in the Monsternomicon by Privateer Press there is a feat called Create Thrall. It allows the creation of a type of undead, and about five different sub-types. The base ones are like zombies, through wights to weak liches. Similar to the spellstiched, IIRC. I think the beefiest undead was 7 HD.

It sounds like just what you want.

Do you know if the cost is comparable to what the OP suggests? (~200 gp per hit dice for skeletons)

 

[lukelightning]

Personally I think creating undead should be a craft feat. Normally it takes a feat or xp/gp expenditure in order to have a minion (e.g. leadership feat or craft construct). Undead should be the same.

 

[Staffan]

200 gp per HD seems high (or 100 gp plus 8 XP). Animate dead only costs 25 gp (and no XP) per HD. I realize the feat has the advantage of not having an upper limit on how many you can control, but on the other hand you're spending a feat, as well as a lot more time per undead (with animate dead you can create up to 4 HD worth of undead per level with a single 3rd/4th level spell plus a 2nd level spell (desecrate), with your feat it takes at least one day per undead, more for one with more than 5 HD). So the cost seems a bit excessive.

 

[Baron Opal]

Do you know if the cost is comparable to what the OP suggests? (~200 gp per hit dice for skeletons)

IIRC, the cost is curved. I think that 2 HD is the minimum and cost about that much, the 7 HD spellcaster is ~ 5,000 gp. I haven't had a chance to look it up yet.