Animate Dead (spell)

Animate Dead

Range	10 ft.
Duration	permanent
Area of Effect	1 HD per level
Casting Time	2 rounds
Saving Throw	none
Level	cleric (3rd)

Raises dead humanoids as either zombies or skeletons, depending upon the state of the dead at the time of raising. If the creature retains more than 50% of its body flesh, it will be raised as a zombie; otherwise, as a skeleton.

The zombie or skeleton raised will conform to the creature as normally encountered.

Animated undead will obey the commands of the caster, and cannot think or act on their own accord. The creatures will exist until they are destroyed.

The cleric cannot create more hit dice than he or she has levels, even though the spell may become available again; each day, however, lost undead may be replaced if the spell is reused. Note that bodies that have been buried by a priest cannot be transformed into undead.

Undead created from man-sized humanoids or smaller, regardless of what they were in life, will have 1 HD when raised. Undead created from humanoids between 7 and 9 feet tall will have four hit dice. Undead created from humanoids between 10 and 15 feet tall will have 8 hit dice. The spell will not raise humanoids larger than 15 feet in height.

Large undead, those with four hit dice, will cause double the damage of ordinary forms. Huge undead will cause triple the damage. All undead, regardless of their size, have a THAC0 of 18.

All skeletons have d6 hit points per hit die. Zombies have d8 hit points per die.

Undead which succeed in killing living beings will gain 1 HD, so long as more than half the damage done to that being was caused by undead. There is no limit on how many hit dice an undead skeleton or zombie may possess … but all are turned with the same success by clerics regardless of the number of their hit dice.

The living beings that are killed must possess a minimum of 1 HD.