Goodaligned Necromancers

[dcollins]

Agree with the previous poster. In D&D you're swimming upstream on this issue, because animating undead are intrinsically defined as an evil act.

 

[Whimsical]

Even in 1st and 2nd ed D&D, the spell ended with a note indicating that animating undead was evil.

Anyone know of any historical basis for this? In what religious tradition or culture is animating undead evil?

 

[Jack Simth]

Tell me - can you Raise Dead someone whose body has been animated as a skeleton (assuming the necromancer is still using the skeleton, and is out of reach)?
Ressurection?
True Ressurection?
No? Why not?

Might it be that the necromancer is subjugating the soul of the dead, and compelling it to act in certain ways, drawing strength from the soul of the dead to power the spell that keeps the dead soul subjugated?
Cause, you know, that would be considered evil by most people.....

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Anyone know of any historical basis for this? In what religious tradition or culture is animating undead evil?

Most of them?

 

[Shin Okada]

I liked the 3.0 True Necromancer, but I have been unable to find it for 3.5 - or is it basically the same? Either way, thanks for all the info, now that I have been pointed in the right direction I should find the resources I need. Thanks.

If there is a non-evil diety with Death domain (like Wee Jas), an arcane caster can take Arcane Disciple feat (from Complete Warrior) to use spells from Death domain. There are limitations, but he can cast Animate Dead as a 3rd-level spell.

 

[Milagroso]

If there is a non-evil diety with Death domain (like Wee Jas), an arcane caster can take Arcane Disciple feat (from Complete Warrior) to use spells from Death domain. There are limitations, but he can cast Animate Dead as a 3rd-level spell.

Now that sounds pretty smart. I'll have to give that a try. I can't afford any books at the moment so I'm going to try that out first.

Might it be that the necromancer is subjugating the soul of the dead, and compelling it to act in certain ways, drawing strength from the soul of the dead to power the spell that keeps the dead soul subjugated?
Cause, you know, that would be considered evil by most people.....

From what I remember the creating and consorting with the undead has only been considered evil because they are souless, walking mockeries of the image of god - or for other spiritual walks the fruit of their gods in general. Undead are animated through the power drawn from the negative material plane, but the souls of the animated dead are supposedly not involved.

This does not apply to higher forms of undead i.e. Mummies, Vampires, etc.

 

[Shin Okada]

Now that sounds pretty smart. I'll have to give that a try. I can't afford any books at the moment so I'm going to try that out first.

Ooops! I meant to say Complete DIVINE. Not Complete WARRIOR. Very sorry.

Arcane Disciple feat is in Complete Divine.

 

[IcyCool]

Tell me - can you Raise Dead someone whose body has been animated as a skeleton (assuming the necromancer is still using the skeleton, and is out of reach)?
Ressurection?
True Ressurection?
No? Why not?

Might it be that the necromancer is subjugating the soul of the dead, and compelling it to act in certain ways, drawing strength from the soul of the dead to power the spell that keeps the dead soul subjugated?
Cause, you know, that would be considered evil by most people.....

I'd guess that it would have something to do with the owner only having one body on the prime at a time. Nothing that I've seen in either the Manual of the Planes or the Planar Handbook suggests that a soul/petitioner gets sucked back to the prime to animate its corpse.

So your remains may not be required for the return to life, but they are required to not be walking around. This prevents awkward situations, like meeting your own animated corpse.

 

[Milagroso]

So I guess that would make Reincarnation possible? The spell puts the soul in another body, but at the time the character is walking around, the animate is his former body. What if someone cast "trap the soul" or "magic jar" and the corpse became a vessel. Could the corpse be animated?

 

[glass]

From what I remember the creating and consorting with the undead has only been considered evil because they are souless, walking mockeries of the image of god - or for other spiritual walks the fruit of their gods in general. Undead are animated through the power drawn from the negative material plane, but the souls of the animated dead are supposedly not involved.

Compare the duration and levels of animate dead and animate object. The extra power to sustain the undead is coming from somewhere, and I can't imagine how it could be anywhere good.


glass.