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ShaydenPanda
2010-06-03, 09:17 AM
So a player/friend of mine plays NE Clerics a lot, just to summon up minions and to have the fun array of spells that a Cleric has. But he says that he found a version of the Summon Undead Spell.

SUMMON UNDEAD I
Conjuration (Summoning) [Evil]
Level: Blackguard 1, cleric 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Components: V, S, F/DF
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One summoned creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
The undead you summon appear in a burst of smoke and fog. The vapor swiftly dissipates, but you can’t shake the impression of screaming faces in the cloud’s tendrils.
This spell functions like summon monster I (PH 285), except that you summon an undead creature.
Summon undead I conjures one of the creatures from the 1st-level list in the accompanying sidebar. You choose which creature to summon, and you can change that choice each time you cast the spell. Summoned undead do not count toward the total Hit Dice of undead that you can control with animate dead or the other command undead abilities. No undead creature you summon can have more Hit Dice than your caster level +1.
Focus: A tiny bag, a small (not lit) candle, and a carved bone from any humanoid.

The difference between this one and the one he found, was this:

SUMMON UNDEAD I
Conjuration (Summoning) [Evil]
Level: Blackguard 1, cleric 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Components: V, S, F/DF
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One summoned creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
The undead you summon appear in a burst of smoke and fog. The vapor swiftly dissipates, but you can’t shake the impression of screaming faces in the cloud’s tendrils.
You may summon one medium sized undead. You choose which creature to summon, and you can change that choice each time you cast the spell. Summoned undead do not count toward the total Hit Dice of undead that you can control with animate dead or the other command undead abilities.
Focus: A tiny bag, a small (not lit) candle, and a carved bone from any humanoid.

It sounds and looks inherently broken, because it is. I've been working with him to find where this spell is located, as he wants to find it again for when he can play a Cleric again. So far, we have looked in the following books for that spell:

Libris Mortis
Necromancer Games I, II and III
Spell Compendium
Complete Champion
Complete Scoundrel


I know it sounds crazy, and he might possibly be trying to pull a fast one, but I want to find this spell for myself, or at least search through enough books to give a Valid DM Rule Zero (Valid enough for myself to justify) on this version of the spell. If anyone has found something similar to this, please tell me which book it's from. Thank you.

JeenLeen
2010-06-03, 09:25 AM
Heroes of Horror sounds a possible source, but I don't recall that line of spells in there, and Spell Compendium would supersede it anyhow.

It could be a third-party source or possibly even from an earlier version of D&D, maybe when undead size corresponded more evenly with their power, if such were ever the case.

Regardless, do remember that new versions of spells replace old versions. More explicitly, if you use any part of a new book (say, Spell Compendium, or whichever book contains the non-broken Summon Undead spells), you have to use all of it. So if you use that book, you are required by RAW to use its version of Summon Undead. (I know I've seen this rule quoted before, but I don't recall the source.)
This assumes that the non-broken version is the newer version, but that seems a safe assumption.

J.Gellert
2010-06-03, 09:26 AM
Any chance that it said "One medium-sized skeleton or zombie" and could be coming from 3rd (3.0) edition?

Edit: Ninja'd! But I didn't even write two lines!

Optimystik
2010-06-03, 09:27 AM
The Heroes of Horror version takes precedence over all others. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20051007a&page=5) (Don't worry, it's not the broken version)

"Note: The descriptions of the summon undead spells presented here supersede earlier published descriptions."

Greenish
2010-06-03, 09:27 AM
I'm not sure what you're asking, but Summon Undead is, according to Crystal Keep, from Player's Guide to Faerûn, and the errata adds "no undead summoned can have more hitdice than your CL +1".

Optimystik
2010-06-03, 09:29 AM
Also, nitpick - Summon Undead is Conjuration, not Necromancy. That's the whole point behind the spells.