Animate dead

[nerdforchrist77]

Ok, so I am relatively new to pathfinder, I decided to play a sorcerer of the undead bloodline and I hit a level where i learned the spell animate dead. I have tried to find a step by step guide to make a zombie/skeleton but cant find one anywhere. I have looked at the template but it is kind of confusing and intimidating. Could anyone walk me through it? Thanks in advance.

[yougi]

I would recommend that you use DinglesGames' (http://www.dinglesgames.com/tools/NPCGenerator/pathfinder/) NPC maker. Would make it much easier.

[Alienist]

I would recommend that you use DinglesGames' (http://www.dinglesgames.com/tools/NPCGenerator/pathfinder/) NPC maker. Would make it much easier.

It doesn't work.

----

At the OP: you have to do a lot of book keeping.

Step 0: decide whether you want to make a zombie or a skeleton (the below assumes a skeleton)
Step 1: remove all the creature's gear (make it teh nude)
Step 2: remove all class levels
Step 2a: if it doesn't have any racial hit dice, set the racial hit dice to 1

Example: you use animate dead on the corpse of a level 50,000 Half Elf Paladin/Wizard/Elminster/Mary Sue/Assassin. Once you've stripped away all of those, you'd have a level 0 critter, but such a thing cannot exist.

Step 3: set all the racial hit dice to d8s
Step 4: remove its natural armour
Step 4a: give it natural armour based on how big it is

(see http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/skeleton for the table)

Step 5: remove its saves
Step 6: remove its constitution and intelligence, set wisdom and charisma to 10
Step 6a: increase dexterity by 2
Step 7: get rid of its skills
Step 8: get rid of all its feats
Step 8a: add improved initiative feat
Step 9: add gear back on (if any)
Step 10: recalculate everything, including but not limited to hp, AC (flat and touch as well), saving throws etc etc etc

Base save bonuses are Fort +1/3 HD, Ref +1/3 HD, and Will +1/2 HD + 2.

So if the dex before you made the half elf into a skeleton was 14, then the saves would look like this:

Fort: +0
Ref: +3
Will: +2

If you did it to a monster with 6HD and 10 dex, the saves would look like this:

Fort: +2
Ref: +3
Will: +5

(etc)

EXAMPLE --- Let's take the Ogre, and see what happens to him:

XP 800
CE Large humanoid (giant)
Init –1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +5

DEFENSE

AC 17, touch 8, flat-footed 17 (+4 armor, –1 Dex, +5 natural, –1 size)
hp 30 (4d8+12)
Fort +6, Ref +0, Will +3

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft. (40 ft. base)
Melee greatclub +7 (2d8+7)
Ranged javelin +1 (1d8+5)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

TACTICS

Before Combat Ogres rarely lay ambushes, and when they do, it’s not so much because they are crafty as because they are lazy. If they can kill a man with a well-thrown javelin, they don’t have to fight or chase him down.

During Combat Once battle is joined, ogres wade into the thick of melee, swinging their clubs at any target that presents itself.

Morale When their prey turns out to be more dangerous than they thought, the rare moment of good sense seizes ogres; they flee if reduced to less than 5 hp.

STATISTICS

Str 21, Dex 8, Con 15, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 7
Base Atk +3; CMB +9; CMD 18
Feats Iron Will, Toughness
Skills Climb +7, Perception +5
Languages Giant

---- becomes ----

XP 800 (Don't know, can't be bothered working out the xp, sorry)
NE Large undead (giant)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +0

DEFENSE

AC 15, touch 9, flat-footed 15 (+4 armor, +2 natural, –1 size)
hp 18 (4d8)
Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +4

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft. (40 ft. base)
Melee greatclub +8 (2d8+7)
Ranged javelin +3 (1d8+5) - honestly I have no idea why these numbers are the way they are on the base ogre, BAB was +3, Strength was +5 ... why does it have a penalty to hit???

Claw +8 (1d6+5)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.

TACTICS

Skeletal Ogre does what you tell it to do. Only.

STATISTICS

Str 21, Dex 10, Con 0, Int 0, Wis 10, Cha 10
Base Atk +3; CMB +9; CMD 18 can't be bothered calculating this
Feats Improved Initiative
Skills
Languages Giant (not sure if this should change???)

(Also, not sue where it is getting its +4 to armor from)

Slap on DR and the rest of the template and you're good to go.

[DonDuckie]

(a very detailed example)

Its type becomes undead. It loses subtypes indicating alignment and type(such as giant).

And I can't find a specific rule, but the example skeleton has no languages entry, and I assume(and rule when I can) that they lose all languages(because of no INT) but understand all orders from their master.

With Animate Dead you can also make the variant skeletons(bloody, burning, etc.) and zombies(plague, fast, etc.) The Lesser Animate Dead spell can't make variants.

[Alienist]

And I can't find a specific rule, but the example skeleton has no languages entry, and I assume(and rule when I can) that they lose all languages(because of no INT) but understand all orders from their master.


Ooh! Excellent point!

I found this:

"Any creature capable of understanding speech has a score of at least 3"
and this
"If you have a penalty, you can still read and speak your racial languages unless your Intelligence is lower than 3."

For the Command Undead feat, it says:

"Undead that fail their saves fall under your control, obeying your commands to the best of their ability, as if under the effects of control undead."

Control Undead says this:

"This spell enables you to control undead creatures for a short period of time. You command them by voice and they understand you, no matter what language you speak. Even if vocal communication is impossible, the controlled undead do not attack you. At the end of the spell, the subjects revert to their normal behavior."

[Dingle100]

[QUOTE=Alienist;14725275]It doesn't work.

Please tell me what doesn't work with Dingle's Games (My web site) If you find a problem I will attempt to fix it. I'm upgrading the site all the time.