How to Raise an Army of the Dead?

[Calico_Jack73]

The easiest way to raise an army of the dead (or darkness) is to say the following words while taking the necronomicon....


KLATU-VERATA-NECKTIE!!!!!

Sorry... couldn't resist.

 

[Nightfall]

Well that works too. But still think City of the Dead kicks ass as "I wanna turn you all into my personal army of undead!"

 

[jgsugden]

Double Post. Sorry.

 

[jgsugden]

I never knew that too, until one of my players pointed out my wight could not pass through walls

That is not quite accurate (assuming you meant wraith instead of wight).

From the 3.5 SRD:

An incorporeal creature can enter or pass through solid objects, but must remain adjacent to the object’s exterior, and so cannot pass entirely through an object whose space is larger than its own. It can sense the presence of creatures or objects within a square adjacent to its current location, but enemies have total concealment (50% miss chance) from an incorporeal creature that is inside an object. In order to see farther from the object it is in and attack normally, the incorporeal creature must emerge. An incorporeal creature inside an object has total cover, but when it attacks a creature outside the object it only has cover, so a creature outside with a readied action could strike at it as it attacks. An incorporeal creature cannot pass through a force effect.

Context indicates that by the word 'space' in the first sentence, they mean area occupied in game terms by the creature. So, a wight (which occupies a 5' X 5' space) can pass through walls up to 5' thick. That would allow him to pass through the walls and floors of most structures above the ground, but not through different levels of a mine or system of caverns.

I had not noticed this change before today. I guess I need to ignore it in my game, as I have an NPC ghost that breaks this rule on a regular basis. Still, it does provide a method for capturing ghosts, wraiths, shadows, etc ...

 

[Sir Brennen]

Assume a specialist necromancer of 20th level - nothing Epic, but feats from any source book apply.

Hmmm... stop me if you've heard this...

How about the Create Thrall Feat from Privateer Press' Monsternomicon? It allows the creation of permanent undead similar to making magic items. There are several types of Thralls, all listed in the Monsternomicon, some of which are intelligent, and could be serve as lieutenants. The most powerful can even cast spells.

Creation cost 5xp, 5gp and 1 day per hit die, but a couple of necromantic flunkies could work on some of their own at the same time. The feat allows the wimpiest ones to be created by someone of caster level 9, but it was designed for 3.0, when Raise Dead was a 5th level arcane spell. Since it's now fourth level, I could see lowering the entire range of caster levels for each Thrall type by 2.

The feat allows increasing Hit Dice, ability scores and special abilities/qualities of the listed Thrall types, but is somewhat vague in this regard. Probably leaving it open for DM's to come up with new and interesting types...

 

[Hypersmurf]

I had not noticed this change before today. I guess I need to ignore it in my game, as I have an NPC ghost that breaks this rule on a regular basis. Still, it does provide a method for capturing ghosts, wraiths, shadows, etc ...

Well, ghosts are slightly different - this would only be relevant while they're manifested.

If they're completely ethereal, they can still "walk through walls" on the material plane, because those walls don't exist on the ethereal plane.

But yes, it means you can now keep a wraith in a box as long as the walls are six feet thick.

Bah, I say.

-Hyp.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Hmmm... stop me if you've heard this...

How about the Create Thrall Feat from Privateer Press' Monsternomicon? It allows the creation of permanent undead similar to making magic items. There are several types of Thralls, all listed in the Monsternomicon, some of which are intelligent, and could be serve as lieutenants. The most powerful can even cast spells.

Creation cost 5xp, 5gp and 1 day per hit die, but a couple of necromantic flunkies could work on some of their own at the same time. The feat allows the wimpiest ones to be created by someone of caster level 9, but it was designed for 3.0, when Raise Dead was a 5th level arcane spell. Since it's now fourth level, I could see lowering the entire range of caster levels for each Thrall type by 2.

I had thought of that - I don't recall seeing anything in the Monsternomicon to imply that it bypasses the animated dead HD restriction. Perhaps in the Witchfire modules it says more?

Note to anyone else reading: Sir Brennen is DM'ing the Witchfire series, and I'm a player. No spoilers please!

 

[Sir Brennen]

I had thought of that - I don't recall seeing anything in the Monsternomicon to imply that it bypasses the animated dead HD restriction. Perhaps in the Witchfire modules it says more?

Actually, it says less The feat in the Monsternomicon looks to be sort of retro-fitted to Trilogy. But considering the events of the adventure, I'd say it's safe to assume the intent is to exceed the HD limits of Animate Dead.

Also, I mispoke the cost of using the feat: it's 5 XP and 5gp per hit point of the thrall (still one day per hit die to create.) With such a hefty cost, I don't see any reason to limit the HD one can control. It's more like actual item creation, not a modified version of a spell.

I say go for it, and have the thralls wheel around an altar they can plop down and the lowly clerical henchman can cast Desecrate to really kick some PC butt.

Uh... this is for a group of players unknown to me personally, right?

 

[Janos Audron]

Well, ghosts are slightly different - this would only be relevant while they're manifested.

If they're completely ethereal, they can still "walk through walls" on the material plane, because those walls don't exist on the ethereal plane.

But yes, it means you can now keep a wraith in a box as long as the walls are six feet thick.

Bah, I say.

-Hyp.

Of course not!

Your walls need to be 15 ft. thick: When you have a six ft. wall, the ghost is within 5 ft' of the OTHER side

 

[Nightfall]

*sighs* I guess it's pointless to keep saying it but I still like to know WHY people are dead set against true rituals. I mean come on.