Call of Undeath
Red Age > Rules > Magic > Spells > Call of Undeath
Animate Dead (Power 3+, 1 minute, touch, special) You conjure near-mindless urge-spirits to animate up to (1 + (Power-3 x 2)) vessels. Vessels can be corpses or constructs fashioned of inanimate material (rope, vines, wood, metal, etc) with sufficient craftsmanship. Bones of Small and Medium animates made from the bones of creatures or lightweight constructs have 1 HD, while corpses and sturdier constructs have 2 HD. Bigger or more ferocious creatures have HD equal to what they had in life (if bones) or +1 HD (if full corpses), and larger constructs may be made that have increased HD. As a bonus action, you issue a command to your animates within 60' (only one command, but to as many as you wish). Animates will continue to obey standing orders. They are not very intelligent, limiting their judgement and the complexity of orders they can comprehend. Spells that extend your speech (Ventriloquism, Sending, etc) increase the range at which you can issue commands. If you possess telepathy, you can issue command via it. Your control lapses every 24 hours unless you feed the spirits mana. Treat this as casting a spell, gaining (Power x 2) control points. It does not actually require casting or proximity, and you may instantaneously "cast" as much as you wish to retain control. If you have control equal the total HD of animates you seek to retain control over, you do so (you can intentionally cut loose some animates to reduce your goal). If you have less control, roll Spirit bonus DC (10 + excess HD). If you succeed, you retain control. If you fail, you lose control of 1d4 random animates. On a natural 1, you lose control of all your animates. Free animates are hungry for life and mana to sustain themselves in the world, and will hunt for them. Some may possess curiosity, making off with supplies or shiny objects that catch their interest. Once control lapses, it cannot be regained except by restraining the animate long enough to cast the spell as if freshly animating it.
- create undead? - danse macabre (xan) (short term animate)
- imbue self with undead properties? (flesh, unliving, etc) - survive death? phylactery? return from death - realm magic: become liche
