Making necromancy useful (3.5 spells)

[phantomreader42]

I don't recall seeing any ways to bring someone back as an undead, or restore a fallen ally to life in the body of a golem. So I decided to make a few. This one only works if the target is willing.

Recover Soul
Necromancy
Level: Clr 5, Drd 6, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S, M, F
Casting Time: 10 min
Range: Touch
Target: One willing soul and vessel, see below
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: None
Spell Resistance: No

You call back the soul of a dead person, granting it a new and strange body. In order to call a soul back, you must be able to unambiguously identify it. The soul is aware of your name, alignment, patron deity, the nature of this spell, and knows the type of the body you have prepared for it, though not its exact appearance. The soul must be free and willing to return, if it is not, the spell simply fails. If the soul died more than one day ago per caster level, or died of old age, this spell fails. If the subject did not have at least three levels at the time of its death, this spell fails.

If the spell is successful, the soul returns and inhabits the prepared body. The return is even more taxing than normal methods of raising the dead, and the subject loses two levels. The subject also loses all racial abilities except mental ones. The resulting entity has all physical ability scores and features normal for the prepared body type, and the mental scores that the soul had in life. All hit dice are rerolled, the number of hit dice is either those the subject had in life minus 2, or the normal number of hit dice for the body created, whichever is larger. Depending on the type of body, this process may result in a drastic change in the subject's hit dice or level adjustment. If its effective character level changes, it starts at the minimum XP total for its new level. If the returning soul has more hit dice than would be normal for a prepared body of the type selected, this may increase the cost of creating the body.

Material component: 500 GP worth of diamond dust

Focus: A new body, suitable for housing the target's spirit. The body must be capable of movement on a permanent basis and not currently inhabited. This spell can be cast in conjunction with the creation of such a body, doing so increases the time necessary for the creation by ten minutes.

Possible examples of suitable bodies: Any mindless undead, any undead that normally has a mind if this spell is cast in conjunction with its creation (in which case the normal mind is replaced with the recalled soul), any golem, a soulless living body, an awakened tree (awakened as part of the casting). Awakened animals are not eligible, as they already have an animating spirit.

Notes: Some uses of this spell are strongly frowned upon. Merely attempting it may cause a cleric to draw the ire of their god, unless the god in question is one of death or magic. Reviving the dead as constructs or undead is usually a violation of druidic principles, though bringing them back as trees is more acceptable.

WARNING: When the spell is complete, the soul has full control of its new body! It is NOT created subject to your control as normal golems or undead are! Binding an unfriendly soul to a powerful body may be hazardous to your health!

[eclipsic]

If the spell is successful, the soul returns and inhabits the prepared body. The return is even more taxing than normal methods of raising the dead, and the subject loses two levels. The subject also loses all racial abilities except mental ones. The resulting entity has all physical ability scores and features normal for the prepared body type, and the mental scores that the soul had in life. All hit dice are rerolled, the number of hit dice is either those the subject had in life minus 2, or the normal number of hit dice for the body created, whichever is larger. Depending on the type of body, this process may result in a drastic change in the subject's hit dice or level adjustment. If its effective character level changes, it starts at the minimum XP total for its new level. If the returning soul has more hit dice than would be normal for a prepared body of the type selected, this may increase the cost of creating the body.

In the spirit (ha! that was a funny!) of being able to use this on fallen party members, can I suggest that you make the level drop equal the LA of the new body, so you could, for instance, cast this on a 12th level fighter who would lose 8 levels to come back as a vampire 4th level fighter (ECL 12), and thus be able to continue adventuring with his old pals?

[EDIT: and yes, I'm a tool for offering a critique without first saying, "Hey! I like it!"]

[phantomreader42]

And this one is for more powerful and possibly disturbing purposes...

Bind Soul
Necromancy
Level: Clr 8, Drd 8, Sor/Wiz 8
Components: V, S, M, F
Casting Time: 10 min
Range: Touch
Target: One dead soul and vessel, see below
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You call back the soul of a dead person, granting it a new and strange body. In order to call a soul back, you must be able to unambiguously identify it. The soul is aware of your name, alignment, patron deity, the nature of this spell, and knows the type of the body you have prepared for it, though not its exact appearance. If the soul is not free, this spell fails. If the soul died more than ten years ago per caster level, or died of old age, this spell fails. If the subject did not have at least two levels at the time of its death, this spell fails.

Unlike Recover soul, this spell CAN be used to call back the soul of an unwilling target. If the target is not willing, it gets a Will save to avoid the spell. If the save is successful, the spell fails, consuming the onyx gem, and you cannot cast it again on the same target for a year and a day. The subject has all save bonuses and penalties it had at the time of its death, excluding temporary bonuses and penalties but including modifiers from equipment it was wearing at the time of death. In addition, it gains a +1 insight bonus on the save for each year it has been dead, and a +2 sacred bonus if it was a druid, paladin, or cleric. If you have prepared a body made from the subject's own remains, you get a +4 profane bonus to the save DC.

If the spell is successful, the soul returns and inhabits the prepared body. The subject loses a level in the process, that level cannot be recovered. The subject also loses all racial abilities except mental ones. The resulting entity has all physical ability scores and features normal for the prepared body type, and the mental scores that the soul had in life. All hit dice are rerolled, the number of hit dice is either those the subject had in life minus 1, or the normal number of hit dice for the body created, whichever is larger. Depending on the type of body, this process may result in a drastic change in the subject's hit dice or level adjustment. If its effective character level changes, it starts at the minimum XP total for its new level. If the returning soul has more hit dice than would be normal for a prepared body of the type selected, this may increase the cost of creating the body.

As an alternative, a magic item that is not currently intelligent can be used as the focus. If this is done, the resulting item has the mental ability scores of the subject, is capable of speech including reading, has 60ft darkvision and hearing, and has three lesser powers relevant to the subject's personality. You do not choose these powers, nor does the subject consciously choose them, they are determined by instinct, random selection, or DM fiat. In this situation, the amount of diamond dust required is increased by 6000gp.

Material component: 1000 GP worth of diamond dust and a black onyx gem worth 1000 GP per hit die of the subject
Focus: A new body, suitable for housing the target's spirit. The body must be capable of movement on a permanent basis and not currently inhabited. This spell can be cast in conjunction with the creation of such a body, doing so increases the time necessary for the creation by ten minutes.
Alternately, a magic item that is not currently intelligent can be used as the focus.

Possible examples of suitable bodies: As for Recover soul, plus the possibility of a magic item.

Notes: Almost all use of this spell on an unwilling target will be considered morally reprehensible and forbidden by any gods except those of evil or death.

WARNING: When the spell is complete, the soul has full control of its new body! It is NOT created subject to your control as normal golems or undead are! Binding an unfriendly soul to a powerful body against its will may be hazardous to your health!

[phantomreader42]

In the spirit (ha! that was a funny!) of being able to use this on fallen party members, can I suggest that you make the level drop equal the LA of the new body, so you could, for instance, cast this on a 12th level fighter who would lose 8 levels to come back as a vampire 4th level fighter (ECL 12), and thus be able to continue adventuring with his old pals?

[EDIT: and yes, I'm a tool for offering a critique without first saying, "Hey! I like it!"]

That might be a good idea. It may be a thought for a variant spell though.

[Steward]

Can the willing soul be that of any type of creature? (That is, can I bring back a devil and plant it in the body of an awakened tree, for example?)

[phantomreader42]

You may be attacked by a Marut just for researching this one...

Greater Soul Binding
Necromancy
Level: Clr 9, Drd 9, Sor/Wiz 9
Components: V, S, M, F
Casting Time: 10 min
Range: Touch
Target: One dead soul and vessel, see below
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Will negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

You call back the soul of a dead person, granting it a new and strange body. In order to call a soul back, you must be able to unambiguously identify it. The soul is aware of your name, alignment, patron deity, the nature of this spell, and knows the type of the body you have prepared for it, though not its exact appearance. If the soul is not free, this spell fails. If the soul died more than ten years ago per caster level, or died of old age, this spell fails. If the subject did not have at least two levels at the time of its death, this spell fails.

This spell can be used to call back the soul of an unwilling target. If the target is not willing, it gets a Will save to avoid the spell. If the save is successful, the spell fails, consuming the onyx gem, and you cannot cast it again on the same target for a year and a day. The subject has all save bonuses and penalties it had at the time of its death, excluding temporary bonuses and penalties but including modifiers from equipment it was wearing at the time of death. In addition, it gains a +1 insight bonus on the save for each year it has been dead, and a +2 sacred bonus if it was a druid, paladin, or cleric. If you have prepared a body made from the subject's own remains, you get a +4 profane bonus to the save DC.

You can also use a gem containing the target's soul as a material component. If you do so, the target gets no save, as its soul is already bound to the gem.

If the spell is successful, the soul returns and inhabits the prepared body. The subject suffers no level loss, but loses all racial abilities except mental ones. The resulting entity has all physical ability scores and features normal for the prepared body type, and the mental scores that the soul had in life. All hit dice are rerolled, the number of hit dice is either those the subject had in life, or the normal number of hit dice for the body created, whichever is larger. Depending on the type of body, this process may result in a drastic change in the subject's hit dice or level adjustment. If its effective character level changes, it starts at the minimum XP total for its new level. If the returning soul has more hit dice than would be normal for a prepared body of the type selected, this may increase the cost of creating the body.

This spell is powerful enough not only to bind a soul to an empty body, but to displace an existing soul. If you choose this option, you must provide an additional black onyx gem worth 1000 GP per hit die of the secondary target. The primary target is aware of what you are attempting, and is aware of the name, alignment, and patron deity of the secondary target whose soul you intend to displace, and may take that fact into account. The secondary target gets a will save to avoid being ripped from its body. If this save succeeds, this spell is only partially successful. The soul of the primary target is trapped within the first onyx, while the second crumbles to worthless dust.

If the secondary target fails its save, its soul is displaced into the second onyx gem, and remains there until released by some means.

As an alternative, a magic item that is not currently intelligent can be used as the focus. If this is done, the resulting item has the mental ability scores of the subject, is capable of speech and telepathy, benefits from a constant read magic effect, has 120ft darkvision, blindsense, and hearing, has three lesser powers, one greater power, and a special purpose relevant to the subject's personality. You do not choose these powers, nor does the subject consciously choose them, they are determined by instinct, random selection, or DM fiat. In this situation, the amount of diamond dust required is increased by 12000gp.

Material component: 5000 GP worth of diamond dust and a black onyx gem worth 1000 GP per hit die of the subject, or other possibilities if relevant.
Focus: A new body, suitable for housing the target's spirit. The body must be capable of movement on a permanent basis, or a magic item suitable to become intelligent. This spell can be cast in conjunction with the creation of such a body, doing so increases the time necessary for the creation by ten minutes.

Possible examples of suitable bodies: As for Bind soul, but it is also possible to displace a soul currently inhabiting a body and replace it with the newly-bound soul, which makes awakened animals and living victims valid options.

Notes: Use of this spell on an unwilling target runs the risk of drawing the ire of any gods that are paying attention, including some death gods. Even if the subject is willing, this effort to cheat death may incite attacks from inevitables or other enforcers of planar law.

WARNING: When the spell is complete, the soul has full control of its new body! It is NOT created subject to your control as normal golems or undead are! Binding an unfriendly soul to a powerful body against its will may be hazardous to your health!

[phantomreader42]

Can the willing soul be that of any type of creature? (That is, can I bring back a devil and plant it in the body of an awakened tree, for example?)

So long as the creature in question is dead, and has a soul which is free to return, that should be possible.