Animate Dead

[Ladytribble]

We had a little confusion in my game the other day regarding how many HD of monsters a caster can raise with one spell.

It is a touch spell...does anyone think the spell reads that it can have multiple targets? The spell description is a little fuzzy--we know how many HD the caster can control in total but not how many he can raise per spell. I had originally assumed that he could only raise one monster per casting of the spell but under closer examination....I'm not so certain....though raising 18 hd of monsters with one standard action seems a little....munchkin

Any suggestions?

 

[Len]

The spell description says you can raise more than one corpse:

Animate Dead
Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Clr 3, Death 3, Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Targets: One or more corpses touched

As for how many, under "Holding the Charge" in the Combat chapter it says:

You can touch one friend as a standard action or up to six friends as a full-round action.

In this case you're touching objects not "friends", but I'd say the same limit applies. (They're not enemies, so you don't have to make a touch attack on each one; they're considered willing targets.)

 

[dcollins]

SRD says:

Animate Dead
Necromancy [Evil]
Level: Clr 3, Death 3, Sor/Wiz 4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Targets: One or more corpses touched
Regardless of the type of undead you create with this spell, you can’t create more HD of undead than twice your caster level with a single casting of animate dead. (The desecrate spell doubles this limit)

So you can affect multiple corpses; the limit is twice your caster level in HD. (Edit: Beaten to the finish line by Len.)

 

[Ladytribble]

this assumes that the corpses are within range (5ft) of the caster correct?

so technically...he could only raise a max of 6 corpses (assuming they were under the max hd he could raise) a round (even if he was surrounded by 8 corpses) without a move action. However if he wasn't surrounded by corpses he couldn't touch move and then touch again...


sorry...just need to make sure that I understand completely...

 

[moritheil]

How many HD of undead he can raise is a separate issue from how many corpses he can touch.

 

[VoiceOfReason?]

aaak.

blibbidy blabbidy beeeeef

analogies.

JJJJJJJJJJJ​

 

[Len]

this assumes that the corpses are within range (5ft) of the caster correct?

so technically...he could only raise a max of 6 corpses (assuming they were under the max hd he could raise) a round (even if he was surrounded by 8 corpses) without a move action. However if he wasn't surrounded by corpses he couldn't touch move and then touch again...

I think that's right.

 

[Seeten]

Gather the corpses to you first, then cast the spell.

 

[JimAde]

I would allow the caster to hold the charge between rounds, since the spell is not completely discharged. So I would allow him to cast and touch some bodies, then move over to some other bodies and touch them, as long as he still had HD of effect left. I don't know if that's supported by the RAW, but it's how I run it.

But remember that when you "hold the charge" you can't really do anything else. No other spellcasting and you can't even touch anything with the hand in question.

 

[Darth Malakh]

This should only be a problem, if you try to do it right in the middle of combat. Talk your fighter companion and ask him to kill the enemies in the proper squares. If he does his job well he should be a good provider of that "integral" component.
I prefer to have them created (as well as properly equipped and buffed!) before. Animated Dead suck big time if you treat them as spontanious reinforcements. 1HD for a humanoid skeleton or 2HD for zombie of that type don't really threaten anyone beyond lvl 5 or 6. And even a first lvl cleric is gonna turn you mob (to dust probably) with the blink of an eye.
If you want serious undead in the heat of battle use summon undead. Furthermore you'll have less incriminating evidence to dispose of should anyone ask if it was you who resorted to the venerable art of undead creation.

I keep my "personal security advisors" in a few scattered and well hidden caves around the city I live in.

Yours

Malakh