Raise Corpse (basic necromancy)

[urdinaran]

I was looking over Raise Corpse and I am a little puzzled:

1. A scholar may raise up to 1 corpse per scholar level, and the duration of the spell is concentration +1d6 rounds.

2. A scholar may not concentrate on a spell (1 standard action) and cast another spell (PE pg 294).

3. Under the spell description, a raised corpse may remain in an area and attack any creature entering the place, yet, the zombie remains animated until destroyed (#1 above???).

What I get from this is that to create multiple zombies, a scholar must create them at the same time with the same spell. As for the duration, it seems that using zombies to guard an area won't work unless a scholar plans on concentrating (1 standard action) for a long time. Is there any way to make permanent zombies? Is there something I am missing?

 

[slaughterj]

I was looking over Raise Corpse and I am a little puzzled:

1. A scholar may raise up to 1 corpse per scholar level, and the duration of the spell is concentration +1d6 rounds.

2. A scholar may not concentrate on a spell (1 standard action) and cast another spell (PE pg 294).

3. Under the spell description, a raised corpse may remain in an area and attack any creature entering the place, yet, the zombie remains animated until destroyed (#1 above???).

What I get from this is that to create multiple zombies, a scholar must create them at the same time with the same spell. As for the duration, it seems that using zombies to guard an area won't work unless a scholar plans on concentrating (1 standard action) for a long time. Is there any way to make permanent zombies? Is there something I am missing?

Look to the Scrolls of Skelos for making zombies permanent - think it requires a 4th level scholar?

 

[MightyCthulhu]

3. Under the spell description, a raised corpse may remain in an area and attack any creature entering the place, yet, the zombie remains animated until destroyed (#1 above???).

I beleive that #1 is correct and that #3 is a carry over from the SRD.

 

[urdinaran]

I looked up what you suggested in SoS; it means taking the Permanent Sorcery (?) feat which requires 5 sorcery styles. It allows a scholar to spend exp in order to make a spell permanent.
I guess the problem I have is this: a scholar can create zombies at 4th level, but once created he has to continually concentrate on them or they die. He will have to wait till 10th+ level (?) in order to make the zombies permanent. I just don't understand why under the spell description they mention the zombies guarding a spot:

Necromancer: Hey Bob, go over there and guard the door, kill anyone coming in.

Bob the Zombie: Ok boss, what are you gonna do in the meantime?

Necromancer: I'm just gonna go sit in the corner and think about you... Alot !!!

 

[Raven Blackwell]

I just rewrote the spell to be more useful. You can see the result in 'Raven's Rules for Sorcery v 1.1'. I made it an advanced spell, let it last one hour per level of Scholar the caster possessed and gave the spirit animating the body a chance to break free of the caster's control just to make it more interesting.

Raven

 

[urdinaran]

Thx Raven.

It would be nice to see the chaps at Mongoose maybe add a few more useful spells to the styles. I've been toying around with different NPC scholar ideas and it can get pretty frustrating, given that even with all the new material, certain styles have gaps at certain "levels". Maybe they could do some improved verions of existing spells?

 

[Raven Blackwell]

I have your e-mail address urdinaran. I can send you the master file on what changes I have made to the Sorcery system so far if you want. Or to anyone else if they are interested. Just drop me a pm w/ an e-mail address if I don't have it.

Raven

 

[urdinaran]

ok, thx man.

 

[Bregales]

I looked up what you suggested in SoS; it means taking the Permanent Sorcery (?) feat which requires 5 sorcery styles. It allows a scholar to spend exp in order to make a spell permanent.
I guess the problem I have is this: a scholar can create zombies at 4th level, but once created he has to continually concentrate on them or they die. He will have to wait till 10th+ level (?) in order to make the zombies permanent. I just don't understand why under the spell description they mention the zombies guarding a spot:

Necromancer: Hey Bob, go over there and guard the door, kill anyone coming in.

Bob the Zombie: Ok boss, what are you gonna do in the meantime?

Necromancer: I'm just gonna go sit in the corner and think about you... Alot !!!

Egad! I had typed a response but it didn't post!! :? Well, lemme see if I can refigure what I had typed earlier today.

Permanent Sorcery shouldn't be easy to get anyway. As I (and others) have posted in various forum threads about sorcery in the Conan game: it is dark, difficult to master, and no easy path to take! You should be doomed for attempting it. Now, if you're comparing sorcery in here to the deedledee OGL equivalent:
1)Permancy in deedledee is a 5th level spell, attainable at 10rh lvl (Sorcerer)/9th lvl (Wizard).
2)Animate Dead (the deedledee equivalent of Raise Corpse) is a 4th lvl spell, attainable at 8th lvl (Sorcerer) or 7th lvl (Wizard). Compared to basic sorcery for a sorcerer in this game system, attainable as soon as you take the Necromancy style of sorcery.

So, this game made a fair compromise on availability vs. effect of the spell, and made it more attunable to the milleau. Also, keep in mind that concentration does not preclude other actions: it is a standard action to maintain it each round. You can still take EITHER a movement action or another standard action (like fighting defensively in lieu of movement action) each round, making a concentration roll to maintain the spell if hit, for example.

The sorcerer's player in my group, for example, used this spell in the last adventure thus: group attacked a rival sorcerer's outpost in Shem near the river Styx. Several Shemite nomads were guarding the house. The party attacked the Shemites. After the barbarian in the group slew several nomads, the sorcerer performed a Raise Corpse and had a new bodyguard of 4. He had them attack the surviving nomads, then had them surround himself as a bodyguard until they confronted the rival sorcerer. Lazy, he had them pick up a chair which he had sat upon, and they carried him around the house, allowing him to concentrate upon them until he no longer needed them, at which point they fell down. We all were impressived by his evil resourcefulness, and even had a chuckle over his role-played demeanor dealing with these zombies.

As is, I see no problems with the requirements for spells, efects, and feats in this post. Hope this reply helps.

 

[Raven Blackwell]

Here's my remake of the spell for 'Raven's Rules for Sorcery v 1.1' . Note that if you aren't using the system, just replace 'Necromacy school of magic' for 'Death and Destruction Sphere']

Raise Corpse, lesser [Advanced Spell of the Death and Destruction Sphere]

Power Point Cost: 1
Casting Time: One full round
Range: Close [25 ft +5 ft/level Scholar]
Duration: One hour/level scholar
Saving Throw: Special
Perquisites Knowledge of one Basic Spell from the Death and Destruction Sphere, six ranks of Knowledge (arcana) or two ranks Knowledge (undead) and a Magic Attack Bonus of +1 or higher
Magic Attack Roll: DC 10 and special

This spell summons a small Entropic spirit to posses and animate a Medium sized or smaller corpse. If the initial magic attack roll succeeds, the caster then must make another against the summoned spirit’s Will save [usually +3]. If the caster succeeds, the spirit is bound to its will and will use the body it possesses in whatever manner the caster commands to the duration of the spell. The animated corpse has the statistics of a ‘Risen Dead’ from the Bestiary. Note that the spirit can only fulfill simple commands such as ‘attack anyone but me who enters this room’ or ‘pick this up and follow me’. More complicated orders will confuse it and likely cause the spirit to perform no action. The sorcerer can also dismiss the spirit at any time, ending spell prematurely and causing the corpse to revert back to its unliving state.

Should the spirit will the resisted roll though, it can either depart immediately, or if angered, animate the provided corpse and attack the caster. A botch in the sorcerer’s roll means that the caster summoned a spirit other than the one associated with this spell. In this case, the spirit is not bound by the caster’s will and its motivations and action are left to the GM….

 

[Turim]

Permanent Sorcery requires 5 styles and 15 ranks in two skills and thus can't be taken before level 12. Since Raise Corpse has an unusual duration of concentration + 1d6 rounds I'm not sure it can be made permanent with Permanent Sorcery. Corrupted Touch (Free Companies, pages 80-81) can be used to make permanent risen dead.

Bregales: Concentrating on a spell is a standard action, but you can only take a move action in the same round. In other words, no fighting defensively. Furthermore, you are prohibited from casting another spell while concentrating on one, even if you use the Adept feat to decrease casting time to a free action.

 

[bobarian]

I realize that I am raising the dead by adding a response to this old post, but I agree that there are some problems with the Raise Corpse spell as written. My problem stems from the fact that the description text of the Risen Dead on pg. 325 says

"The risen dead plague many of the ruins and dark places of Hyboria. In particular, Stygia, Ghulistan, Hyperborea and Yimsha are all plagued with the unliving, primarily owing to the abundance of necromancers in those locales."

If all those necromancers are using the Raise Corpse spell, then they really must not do much else besides concentrate on those corpses. Corrupted Touch gets around this, but using that spell means the necromancer has reduced Power Points until those zombies are destroyed. So just how are these ancient ruins in Ghulistan littered with the undead?

My solution; split Raise Corpse into three versions similar to Ill Fortune.
Lesser Raise Corpse (Basic Necromancy): Just like the spell from the book
Raise Corpse : 2 PP/corpse, Duration: 1 day/caster level, Prerequisites: Scholar level 6+ & Lesser Raise Dead
Greater Raise Corpse : 4 PP/corpse, Duration: 3 days/caster level, Prerequisites: Scholar level 8+ & Raise Dead

If a necromancer leaves the area, the risen dead will simply try to fullfill the last set of commands they recieved. With this set of spells, it would make sense that ruins are filled with undead. Necromancers would go to these places to practice their spells, then leave... because it's not thier problem anymore.

 

[slaughterj]

I had a big problem with this myself, I saw Raise Corpse for a 4th level Scholar and had a great idea for an adventure starting with zombies and ending with encountering the animating Scholar, but then discovered the Scholar had to be ridiculous level to make the zombies permanent. While I understand the need for permanence of magic to be difficult/infrequent, this is especially a problem here because the zombies are good low level foes but their animator is way of out the league of low level characters. I favor an approach to permanency involving fell rituals and rare components, rather than mere levels for the sake of levels, since the Scholar clearly already has a grasp on how to do the underlying task, namely in the case, animating zombies.

 

[Scorpion13]

Perhaps there is another way to do this.

Maybe a rule; you can make zombies permanent whenever you wish, but when you choose to do this, they become uncontrolled monsters, thus placing yourself iin danger if youre not prepared for it.

What do you thing?

 

[urdinaran]

Sounds like a good suggestion. How about allowing a Scholar to have semi-permanent zombies, maybe the amount of zombies can be based on Scholar level?

As has been pointed out, at the Scholar level zombies become permanent, I'd be more afraid of a Sorcerer pulling my heart out of my chest or something, not some low-level undead.

 

[rabindranath72]

Nowhere it is written that these ancient undead were created using the current spells. Perhaps they are a leftover of Acheronian or Khari necromancy.

Cheers,
Antonio

 

[Oly]

Nowhere it is written that these ancient undead were created using the current spells. Perhaps they are a leftover of Acheronian or Khari necromancy.

A great point.

If I want an NPC scholar to be making "permanent" Zombies or for there to have been some scholar who did so in the past then that's what happens.

As far as any PCs are concerned it's simply magic beyound their understanding and replication.

When it comes to what NPCs, especially scholars, are getting up to the rules are only guidelines to me. I'll have them doing what the story requires, within reason.