Command Undead duration

[marune]

Commanded: A commanded undead creature is under the mental control of the evil cleric. The cleric must take a standard action to give mental orders to a commanded undead. At any one time, the cleric may command any number of undead whose total Hit Dice do not exceed his level. He may voluntarily relinquish command on any commanded undead creature or creatures in order to command new ones.

Does that mean that the undeads are commanded forever ?

 

[Thanee]

Yes, that's what it is supposed to mean.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Jack Simth]

Pretty much. Of course, if the cleric is killed (and stays dead....) then the cleric can't take standard actions anymore, and so can't change any orders anymore, which (for most circumstances) means that the undead become uncontrolled. Of course, the fortress of the now deceased Evil Cleric might still have undead with standing orders not to let anyone past....

... well, there is good reason for a cleric to release some undead so controlled - something more powerful that would be nice to have comes along, for instance - but I suspect it's more likely that the evil cleric will released destroyed undead only, for the most part.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Yes. Forever, as long as that lasts. Death of the cleric in question, or destruction of the undead in question will put an end to this commanding business, and of course another cleric could wrest control of that undead from you.

 

[Li Shenron]

Does that mean that the undeads are commanded forever ?

Yes, but the key limit is the number of total HD of undead under your control:

The cleric must take a standard action to give mental orders to a commanded undead. At any one time, the cleric may command any number of undead whose total Hit Dice do not exceed his level. He may voluntarily relinquish command on any commanded undead creature or creatures in order to command new ones.

If you were afraid of evil clerics with undead armies, this rule should prevent so.

 

[kanithardm]

Well if good clerics destroy them for forever, it would be kind of unbalanced if evil clerics can't command them forever.