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View Full Version : Necromancy Question (3.5 / Pathfinder)



hotel_papa
2010-10-06, 09:22 PM
Do effects that raise your caster level for necromancy spells, such as the Sickening Grasp reserve feat or the signs of Atropus's particular flavor of Apocalypse, raise the number of HD of undead that that caster can make/control?

My wife is playing an undead bloodline sorcerer in Pathfinder and she's looking to score some quality minions.

Diarmuid
2010-10-06, 11:14 PM
From reading the SRD, I'm going to say no. That CL boost will impact how many undead each casting of Animate Dead makes, but wont impact the static 4HD/Caster Level you can control. You arent casting a spell when that static limit is being determined.

The Cleric Rebuke Undead limit is based off the Cleric's HD so caster level has nothing to do with it.

I would think other spells like Control Undead or Command Undead would let you temporarily add new undead to your army for the listed durations.

Coidzor
2010-10-07, 12:02 AM
From reading the SRD, I'm going to say no. That CL boost will impact how many undead each casting of Animate Dead makes, but wont impact the static 4HD/Caster Level you can control. You arent casting a spell when that static limit is being determined.

Good news, with that interpretation... and desecrate and such, one can create and control more in one casting than one would be able to do with multiple lesser castings. I believe the Revised Necromancer Handbook mentions that as a possibility to look into.

Command Undead is unlimited control of non-sentient undead or charm person for intelligent undead, so CL wouldn't really have an impact there.

Diarmuid
2010-10-07, 09:02 AM
Yes/No. Create more with a single casting due to higher effective CL. But...the controlling aspect of Animate Dead extends beyond the casting of the spell, and your CL would not maintain it's boosted status so you still wouldnt be able to go past the 4HD/CL limit.

But yes, other spells allow for other independ instances of controlling undead that would be themselves limited to the durations of the spells themselves.