Gravewalker Witch and Bonethrall

[LogantheBard]

I have a player wanting to play a Gravewalker Witch in our upcoming undead invasion style game.

Gravewalker - Pathfinder_OGC

I don't think I understand how the Bonethrall ability works.

Does the undead minion "level up" with the player?

Is she dependent on me feeding her undead to command?

If she can control 6 HD worth of undead, is it just one undead, or 6 total HD split between however many she wants?

If she can control 6 HD, currently has 5 HD, and wants to try to take control of a 6 HD undead, does she just give up control of the old 5?

 

[kinem]

Does the undead minion "level up" with the player?

No. And it's not a loyal companion of any sort, just one or more controlled creature(s). Note that intelligent undead get a new save every day to break free.

Is she dependent on me feeding her undead to command?

Yes. If there are no undead around, there's nothing to use the ability on, just like with spells such as charm person needing persons around.

If she can control 6 HD worth of undead, is it just one undead, or 6 total HD split between however many she wants?

6 total HD. Of course she might not know the HD of a given undead.

If she can control 6 HD, currently has 5 HD, and wants to try to take control of a 6 HD undead, does she just give up control of the old 5?

Yes (if the new control attempt succeeds).

 

[LogantheBard]

Obviously handle animal isn't relevant in this case, but is there some sort of check to get them to obey? or just she says "go kill that guy" and they dumbly go kill it

 

[SteelDraco]

You have to make an opposed Charisma check against intelligent undead to get them to do things they wouldn't normally do. That's pretty vague - I'd restrict that to things against their nature, not just anything they don't want to do. Remember that this would often include having to restrain them from attacking potential food, ie other people.

Nonintelligent undead don't get regular saves or any opposition to what you tell them to do, but the commands you can give them are limited to pretty simple instructions.

 

[SnowleopardVK]

Obviously handle animal isn't relevant in this case, but is there some sort of check to get them to obey? or just she says "go kill that guy" and they dumbly go kill it

Bonethrall says that they fall under her control "As if she had used Command Undead".

According to command undead, "You can give the subject orders, but you must win an opposed Charisma check to convince it to do anything it wouldn't ordinarily do."

And: "When you control a mindless being, you can communicate only basic commands, such as "come here," "go there," "fight," "stand still," and so on. Nonintelligent undead won't resist suicidal or obviously harmful orders."

Since you can give orders like "fight" I would reason that a mindless undead would go kill pretty much anything that wasn't clearly a suicidal fight. (i.e. "Go kill that Tarrasque" probably wouldn't work, even on a mindless undead.)

Most intelligent undead would probably obey orders like "Go kill that guy" too (provided it wasn't a clearly suicidal fight), since you could probably argue in most cases that asking it to kill someone isn't asking it to do anything it wouldn't ordinarily do, and wouldn't force an opposed check.

 

[SteelDraco]

You can order mindless undead to do anything, without needing to make any kind of roll. They're mindless, and have no sense of self-preservation. They can't even recognize danger.

 

[SnowleopardVK]

You can order mindless undead to do anything, without needing to make any kind of roll. They're mindless, and have no sense of self-preservation. They can't even recognize danger.

Ah yes, I read the wording as "Nonintelligent undead will resist suicidal or obviously harmful orders." when it was actually "Nonintelligent undead won't resist suicidal or obviously harmful orders." My mistake.