Earth Domain and commanding Earth Creatures?

[smetzger]

Ok, one of my players is a Cleric with the Earth domain. Last session they encountered some gargoyles. He made his turning checks for "Commanding" one of the gargoyles. So he now has a gargoyle under his command. Not overly powerful but pretty good for a 7th level character.

This is how I have been handling it so far:
1) Every day he must redo a Turn check to maintane control of the gargoyle.

2) In combat he must use a standard action to change whatever the gargoyle is doing. He can issue commands to attack like groups of creatures but if there are multiple 'groups' of creatures he will need to give another mental command for the gargoyle to attack the 2nd group after the first has been dealt with.

What do you think?

Do you have any other suggestions?

 

[Demon Knight]

A 7th level cleric cannot command a gargoyle since he doesnt have twice as many levels as the gargoyle has HD.

Edit: fixing spelling errors

 

[smetzger]

At any one time a Cleric may command any number of undead whose total Hit Dice do not exceed his level."

PHB p. 140

I marked the errata in my 3.0 book. Did I miss something?

 

[Demon Knight]

PHB, pg 140: "Destroying Undead: If you have twice as many levels (or more) as the undead have Hit Dice, you destroy any that you would normally turn."

PHB, pg 140: "Evil Clerics and Undead: Undead that would be turned are rebuked instead, and those that would be destroyed are commanded"

To command an earth elemental, the (evil) cleric must effectively destroy it and thus have twice as many levels as the monsters HD.

 

[smetzger]

Ah, I didn't notice that. I was thinking an Evil Cleric could chose between Rebuke and Command.

So then how do we reconcile the following statement, again p.140:

Alternatively, an evil Cleric may command a single undead creature with more Hit Dice than he has levels, but he must concentrate continuously to do so..."

Does the cleric make a normal Rebuke and then 'Concentrate' continously to control the creature?

 

[Demon Knight]

As far as I can tell, yes, that is correct.

 

[green slime]

1) I rebuke undead (or Earth creatures) up to the result of my "Turn" check.
2) I command undead up to half my level in HD
3) I can command a HD total of undead equal to my level.
4) While concentrating, I can command an undead with more HD than I have levels.

So basically, The cleric can command any single undead affected by his "Turning" by maintaining his concentration.

 

[shilsen]

AFAIK, the section on commanding a single undead with more HD than the cleric has levels was errataed out.