Creating "variant" types of undead

[Gerrtt]

I have a player in an upcoming game who wants to be able to create the Fast Zombies or Flaming Skeletons from Libris Mortis.

I scanned over the section that held them but didn't see any specific requirements to be able to make them. I wondered if this has come up before (I'm sure it has) and if anyone else has had any better luck coming up with rules for how to create them.

My first inclination is to have them do in game research on it, have pre-requisite ranks in knowledge: religion, and spend extra material components to create these variant undead, but if there's something already out there (or isn't needed at all...they don't seem all that powerful to me, especially if the player isn't focusing on them) I'd hate to put a lot of effort into it and not use what's in place.

[Galvin]

You can create those undead with the Animate Dead and Greater Animate Dead spells. It costs 25gp in components for each Hit Dice in the undead creature. If the player expends said material components, I would let the player do that.

[Gerrtt]

Well, aside from the fact that "Animate Dead" only makes stock zombies and skeletons I can't find any record of a spell called "Greater Animate Dead." Create undead and Create Greater Undead can make other types of undead, but neither spell are listed in the section of libris mortis that refer to Fast Zombies.

I'm not opposed to using them, I just wanted to see if there was any precedent; I'd rather not re-invent the wheel.

[NevinPL]

...I can't find any record of a spell called "Greater Animate Dead."
I think it's homebrew\PF.


Create undead and Create Greater Undead can make other types of undead, but neither spell are listed in the section of libris mortis that refer to Fast Zombies.
So ? You're the DM. If you really need to make it different, harder, have them use standard Animate Dead, but require special components, at a fraction of standard cash one needs for raising\onyxes:
Fast Zombie - potion of Haste.
Fire Skeleton - Alchemist's Fire.
etc.

[CRtwenty]

Greater Animate Dead is homebrew from dandwiki. So I wouldn't use it as a good example of a spell.

I'm not too familiar with the templates in question, but since regular Animate Dead lets you animate normal zombies and skeletons as a 3rd Level Divine or 4th Level Arcane spell, I'd assume a homebrewed variation could be created as a 4th Level Divine/5th Level Arcane spell without too much issue that adds those templates.

Failing that I don't see why "Create Undead" couldn't be used in place of it. Seems a reasonable houserule to ask the DM about.

[Ravens_cry]

If you want to make things more complex, you could make it so Haste has to be cast as well for Fast Zombies and, say, Burning Hands for Flaming Skeletons.

[Vaz]

That is a DM's tool for variant opponents, so just ask your DM/require thematically appropriate spells. Be careful with allowing your players to make Fast Zombies then giving them access to a Dragon Corpse.

[Gerrtt]

I'm the DM in question for anyone who hasn't caught that. I've had the conversation with the player about not going overboard with it and not making attempts to steam roll the campaign with it; and he's on board with that.

What I've landed on is that he can use the corpsecrafter feat to either impart the benefits of corpsecrafter or make a variant type. He's in agreement with that, since the feat actually fits the idea behind his character. Thanks for the input everyone!