Pathfinder 1E Question: what happens to a necromancer's horde when the Necro drops to 0 HP?

[F5]

So, I'm looking for some feedback on how to handle an issue that's come up with my brand-new necromancy-based death cleric.

When a necromancer has a standing horde, it will stay under the necromancer's control as long as they are unintelligent, and save to break free once-per-day if they are intelligent, right?

My question is, does the Command Undead feat still maintain that control if the necromancer is taken down and falls unconscious?

The Command Undead feat is supposed to work as the Control Undead spell. The duration is longer, but it still has a duration, so if the caster goes down, the duration would end, right?

The way we've ruled it in our group is that it depends on the last instruction the undead were given. If it's a long-term duration command (wait here and attack the next creature that enters, stay in this room until I tell you otherwise, etc), it will stay under control even if I fall unconscious. But I'm worried that if I'm trailing a decent collection of minions behind me in a dungeon, and I fall unexpectedly, we've got lvlx4 hit dice of unled hostiles to deal with all of a sudden.

Am I missing something?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Ramaster]

I think that's how it work RAW, yes. You go down and they keep repeating the last order given to them. RAI it's a very common trope on fiction, too

 

[F5]

I think that's how it work RAW, yes. You go down and they keep repeating the last order given to them. RAI it's a very common trope on fiction, too

Thanks for the reply. It seems to make the most sense RAI, but I couldn't find it RAW anywhere in the online SRD. I don't think it is explicitly spelled out anywhere.

The kicker is the line in Command Undead that says intelligent undead revert to their usual behavior when the effect ends. I'm arguing that for intelligent undead the effect does not end when I go unconscious, but would end if I actually die (because non-instant spell effects end if you croak, and the command undead feat otherwise functions like the spell). The DM was not sure how to rule it.

I do like the idea of a horde of skeletons endlessly kicking the same dead horse for all eternity because that was the last thing they were told to do. This image makes me smile.

 

[RUMBLETiGER]

Mindless undead will follow thru on the last command.
I don't know how it'd work for intelligent undead that are under control.