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Colin_Archibald
2005-10-23, 11:13 PM
Animation Field
clr 5 sor/wiz7
Components: V,S,M,DF
Range: personal
Casting Time: 1 Full Round
Area: 100ft/lvl radius spread centrered on you
Duration: 1day/lvl
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resisitance: No

This Spell creates a field in which "ANY" creatures that dies is immediately is animated as a zombie in 1D4 rounds, under the caster's control. Corpses brought in to the circle are not reanimated, nor ones that predate the spell. Note also that the undead created by this spell count against the maximum number that can be controlled. This spell can be made pernament at a cost of 3000XP

Arcane spell focus: a vial of the caster's own blood.

*****

ok i found this spell in the D20 Undead book, and well i've used it in our D&D 3.5 campain recently and well there's no say as to the maximum HD of the creature that can be converted into zombies. someone said 10HD but i didn't find any reference about animating zombies about a max of a 10HD creature,

Now i wana get some comments on making this spell a lot less broken and hopefully my DM will feel it would make sense. so a few ideas i had were.
-should the max HD that is raised be equal to caster's level/character level.
-should the range simply be Medium (100ft +10ft/lvl)
-should the undead simply be skeletons.

Adghar
2005-10-23, 11:17 PM
What about reducing the duration?

Colin_Archibald
2005-10-23, 11:19 PM
well what do you suggest? hours per lvl? i'm open for suggestions

Colin_Archibald
2005-10-24, 12:29 AM
Animation Field
clr 5 sor/wiz7
Components: V,S,M,DF
Range: personal
Casting Time: 1 Full Round
Area: Long 400ft + 40ft/lvl
Duration: 1hour/lvl
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resisitance: No

This Spell creates a field in which "any" creature that dies is immediately animated as a skeleton in 1D4 rounds, under the caster's control. All its HD is then converted into D12’s (at dm’s discretion may allow a roll of d12’s for hp or take average) Corpses brought in to the circle are not reanimated, nor ones that predate the spell. Note also that the undead created by this spell count against the maximum number that can be controlled. Furthermore, when more skeletons are animated after the maximum level has been reached, the undead are uncontrolled unless the caster relinquishes control of currently controlled undead. Creatures with HD greater then twice your caster level or no apparent skeletal structure are unaffected and do not reanimate. (I.e. Two 18hd creatures and one 19th level creature are killed in an animation field. The two 18th level are animated and the 19hd is not.)

This spell can be made permanent at a cost of 3000XP

Material component: a vial of the caster's own blood.


what do you guys think of this version i wrote up?

Lysander
2005-10-24, 03:04 AM
Eh...don't like the skeleton idea. Because then the spell is stripping the flesh off of everyone that dies.

Howabout to limit it the zombies instantly become lifeless is they leave the spell radius? That way it allows for retreats and a mage couldn't really take over a city with it. But do you really need to limit it? The caster still has a maximum number of undead they control.

Thomas
2005-10-24, 08:09 AM
First, what book is this from? Not Libris Mortis, surely?


Range has to remain personal, since it's centered on you.

Area should be reduced if anything. The spell's acquired at level 9 (cleric) or 13 (wizard), so currently the spread has a radius of 900 or 1300 feet at the least - that's way too much! Cut it to 10 ft./level, maybe.

Duration has to be shortened. Even 1 hour/level may be too too much. Make it 1 minute/level or 10 minutes/level.

The difference in levels at which the spell is gained is too great. Make it Cleric 6, sorcerer/wizard 7.

Animate dead costs 25 gp/HD, so this one should have an expensive material component, too. Make it something worth 2,500 gp or so.

The spell should be capped. Maybe 8 or 10 x caster level of HDs of undead can be created (count the HD the zombie would have, not the HD the base creature had, obviously). The desecrate spell (in its own area only, not the entire area of the animation field) might or might not double this limit.

The thing is, this spell isn't THAT powerful, aside from the potential for infinite zombies (if you provide infinite deaths; it says it animates creatures that actually DIE inside the spread, not all dead bodies and creatures inside the spread, so you have to kill everything that you want to be animated).

Unless you're using the spell to fight a bunch of 1st-level warriors, it's not that good (and if you are, well, a 7th-level spell should blow away a small army, since most of them do).

You get a bunch of puny zombies, and still can't control more than 4 x caster level in HDs. (Or more, if you can control more due to various feats, special abilities, magic items, etc.) That means that after a certain point, the zombies animated are not controlled by you, and will be as likely to attack you or your zombies as anyone else.

Even a grey render zombie (with 20 HD) is only CR 6. A CR 6 minion for a 13th-level wizard is far from impressive. Skeletons and zombies are equally pathetic at these levels, so you may as well let them remain zombies (it's more in keeping with the style of the spell).

Sacrath
2005-10-24, 09:07 AM
Not to mention there is already a spell that does this in LM called Plague of Undead. 9th level spell 100 gp material component, Animates all corpses in a close range (25 feet + 5 feet/2 levels).

Colin_Archibald
2005-10-24, 12:47 PM
ok well how's this


Animation Field
clr 6 sor/wiz7
Components: V,S,M,DF
Range: personal
Casting Time: 1 Full Round
Area: Medium 100ft + 10ft/lvl
Duration: 10/lvl
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resisitance: No

This Spell creates a field in which "any" creature that dies is immediately animated as a Zombie in 1D4 rounds, under the caster's control. All its HD is then converted into D12’s or equal to the caster's level whichever is lesser (at dm’s discretion may allow a roll of d12’s for hp or take average) Corpses brought in to the circle are not reanimated, nor ones that predate the spell. Note also that the undead created by this spell count against the maximum number that can be controlled. Once the limit that the caster can control has been reached they become uncontrolled and act normally (for zombies). Creatures with HD greater then twice your caster level or no apparent skeletal structure are unaffected and do not reanimate.

This spell can be made permanent at a cost of 3000XP

Material component: 2000gp worth of Onyx and a vial of the caster's blood


ok so i know it isn't that overpowering but i made the few changes as suggested.
i kept it as zombies.
changed the duration and the range

they are puny..yes i admit...consider the necromancer wants to use this spell to asure that in battle if minions fall they will be replaced.

Thomas
2005-10-24, 12:53 PM
Why the bit about converting HD? It seems more reasonable to just use the normal rules for creating a zombie.

Colin_Archibald
2005-10-24, 03:57 PM
Animation Field
clr 6 sor/wiz7
Components: V,S,M,DF
Range: personal
Casting Time: 1 Full Round
Area: Medium 100ft + 10ft/lvl
Duration: 10/lvl
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resisitance: No

This Spell creates a field in which "any" creature that dies is immediately animated as a Zombie in 1D4 rounds, under the caster's control. Corpses brought in to the circle are not reanimated, nor ones that predate the spell. Note also that the undead created by this spell count against the maximum number that can be controlled. Once the limit that the caster can control has been reached they become uncontrolled and act normally (for zombies). Creatures with HD greater then twice your caster level or no apparent skeletal structure are unaffected and do not reanimate.

This spell can be made permanent at a cost of 3000XP

Material component: 2000gp worth of Onyx and a vial of the caster's blood


Basic rules it is..i won't try to make it complicated. i was thinking to add to the spell, since that it is necromancy, one of the onyx used to cast the spell is embedded in your arm if you so choose to make it permanent. and it glows faintly and is cold to the touch.