Command Undead

[Jack Mann]

I was looking at this spell, and I don't see an HD limit.

Near as I can tell, a wizard could control any mindless undead he can come across with just a second level spell. Aside from the possibility of someone else taking control of it (in which case the wizard is no worse off than when he first encountered the thing), is there anything that prevents this?

[Rachel Lorelei]

Aside from Spell Resistance, which the spell offers? Nope. I've seen it used to great effect in a couple of games.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

Thank whatever pantheon you worship that there aren't any epic level mindless undead.

[Green Bean]

Nope; no save. But though it does pack a punch, it does have a few balancing factors. For one, it lets you take one undead out of a fight, no save. This doesn't like a downside, but keep in mind that nine times out of ten, mindless undead are going to be encountered in large groups where a single loss isn't going to matter, not mention that spellcasters have several other spells (such as Glitterdust) which are more effective against groups. Plus, the cleric is going to have to watch where she uses her Turn Undead, because a) your zombie pal will be in the AoE, and b)it counts as a threatening action, and thus ends the spell. Then, there's the minor RP restrictions (who's going to trust a guy with a pet zombie?).

I do agree it's a powerful spell if you're in a situation where you're encountering a small number of powerful, mindless undead, but it quickly drops in utility in most other situations.

[Fizban]

And there is a limit on how many you control, the number of times you can cast it per day. Since you have to refresh the spell after 1 day/level, you can only have so many. This is best done by example:

Say you can cast it 5 times per day, and are 5th caster level. I'm ignoring higher level spell slots and such, 5 is just a good number to use. Now, that means you can, in one day, gain control of 5 undead. You can do this each day for 5 days, until the first spells run out, at which point you must recast the spell on those first subjects. So, assuming perfect efficiency (re-casting the spell at the exact time you cast it before to maximize the duration), you can control up to (number of 2nd level slots per day)xCL. Once you hit that limit, all your 2nd level slots are tied up keeping control of your undead.

Realistically, it would be better to assume CL-1, allowing a number of hours of buffer time. Although I've always liked the idea that a caster gets a sort of mental ping if a spell effect of his is about to run out.

[PinkysBrain]

Near as I can tell, a wizard could control any mindless undead he can come across with just a second level spell. Aside from the possibility of someone else taking control of it (in which case the wizard is no worse off than when he first encountered the thing), is there anything that prevents this?
I'd say protection from alignment spells could protect them.

[horseboy]

Nope; no save. But though it does pack a punch, it does have a few balancing factors. For one, it lets you take one undead out of a fight, no save. This doesn't like a downside, but keep in mind that nine times out of ten, mindless undead are going to be encountered in large groups where a single loss isn't going to matter, not mention that spellcasters have several other spells (such as Glitterdust) which are more effective against groups. Plus, the cleric is going to have to watch where she uses her Turn Undead, because a) your zombie pal will be in the AoE, and b)it counts as a threatening action, and thus ends the spell. Then, there's the minor RP restrictions (who's going to trust a guy with a pet zombie?).

I do agree it's a powerful spell if you're in a situation where you're encountering a small number of powerful, mindless undead, but it quickly drops in utility in most other situations.

It's also great for grabbing that one the cleric of Weejas missed.

[JackMage666]

Lich BBEG is toast. V should learn this. If she's banned Necromacy, Haley should use a scroll/wand using a UMD check.

Yeah, I think I just ruined OOTS.

[Green Bean]

Unless, of course, for some reason intelligent undead could get a save on this spell. But that's just crazy. :smallamused:

[JackMage666]

Pff, saves only exist so you have to try harder. 5% auto fail hurts even the highest save values.

[Green Bean]

True, but at that point, V might as well switch to Disintegrate. It'll only take one or two hits, and there's a much better failure chance.

[Armads]

Lich BBEG is toast. V should learn this. If she's banned Necromacy, Haley should use a scroll/wand using a UMD check.

Yeah, I think I just ruined OOTS.

Nah, it's a lich. It gets a good will save, and command undead gives intelligent undead a save. Bolt of Glory with enough metamagic is much better.